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Victory - A Great Theme of the Bible

The Bible views life as a struggle, a battle, a race; and certainly not a walk in the park.  When is the last time you reminded yourself that you are in a spiritual battle and God wants you to win?  The apostle Paul described the Christian life as a race with “knowing Jesus” and inheriting heaven as the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).  Are you living your Christian life as if you are in a race or are you still just going through the motions wondering why life seems so difficult?  

Life takes on new meaning and we gain renewed motivation as we begin to understand that our struggles have a purpose and God has a plan for it all.  We will never truly understand the Bible’s emphasis on victory until we embrace the spiritual reality of life-- we are engaged in a spiritual struggle.  And more importantly, God is engaged in our spiritual struggle [with us] to redeem us from sin and restore us to Himself.  True victory is found in a life-giving relationship with God through Christ--this is the great message of the Bible.  With God, we can gain the victory over spiritual enemies and receive the spiritual life which Christ has promised.  Below I have listed a few favorite scriptures on victory.

Favorite “victory” scriptures

• “With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.” (Psalm 60:12)
• “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:31)
• “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18)
• “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
• “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)
• “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
• “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)
• “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4-5)
• “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)

For Jesus [at the cross], great victory came through defeat.  Have you ever experienced a great victory through a setback or defeat?  What we learn from Jesus‘ death on the cross is that victory can come through apparent defeat.  Jesus died on the cross, but his ending was really only the beginning!  On the third day, he rose up from the grave and accomplished victory for all of us today!  Jesus‘ death on the cross represented (1) his complete obedience to the Father’s will, and (2) his complete trust in God.  If you are not living in Christ’ victory today, it is likely that you are not walking in Christ’s obedience and trust. 

If you are willing to live in complete obedience and trust in God's will for your life, you are assured victory in Christ, even in your defeats.  What defeats are you facing?  Have you been through a divorce, suffered some form of abuse, or perhaps experienced a financial failure?  God can work through all of it, if you will turn to him and trust and obey.  God can work through your struggles, your setbacks, and even your apparent defeats to accomplish great things with your life!   I'm praying that even your defeats will become victories as you allow Christ to work in your life.  See you Sunday!  Pastor Tom

The Benefits of Marriage

Join us for this year's Couple's Conference (March 15-16).  Go to www.newlifecolumbia.org to sign up.

Marriage is hard work, no doubt about it.  But, marriage has many benefits as well.  Marriage represents life-long commitment and therefore provides love, loyalty, and companionship for a lifetime.  The emotional benefits of a life-long committed relationship are huge.  

In addition to emotional benefits, numerous researchers and writers point out other benefits such as financial benefits, legal benefits, and health benefits. One article I found suggests 6 benefits of marriage - 1) increased pay, 2) increased promotions, 3) Keeps you out of trouble, 4) Satisfies you at home (yes, that is a veiled reference to sex!), 5) Helps you beat cancer, 6) Helps you live longer.

Focus on the Family suggests the following benefits:

• More likely to live longer

• More likely to be physically healthier

• More likely to be mentally healthier

• More likely to be happier

• Recover from illness quicker and more successfully

• Generally, take better care of themselves and avoid risky behaviors

Now, I'm not encouraging you to run out and get married, just because there are significant benefits.  The truth is the success of any marriage depends upon two key factors - 1) marrying the right person and asking God to be the center of your marriage and to help you along life's journey.  

But the benefits do make me wonder why are so many people avoiding marriage and just living together???  I'm sure it's complicated, but the one big reason I see is "fear".  People are afraid of commitment, of divorce, of marrying the wrong person, of feeling trapped, etc.!  

This is why it is important to have a Christian worldview when it comes to marriage.  If you are in a serious relationship, you might want to consider a few things about marriage.  First, fear is no way to live and the only way to supplant fear is to "live by faith" especially in your relationships and your marriage.  The Bible encourages us to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).  Secondly, Paul taught the concept that marriage between a man and a woman is a picture of Christ's love for the church (Ephesians 5:22-23).  So Christian marriage is an opportunity to model and learn about God's love for each one of us.

That gets me thinking about some other benefits of marriage - 1) marriage helps live a life of significance rather than selfishness, 2) marriage helps me build something with my life (i.e. family), and 3) marriage helps me learn to truly love.

Well, I started out to invite you to the Couple's Conference on March 15-16.  We have prepared some great food and fellowship and the Marriage Oneness materials will be a real encouragement to everyone who attends.  Go to www.newlifecolumbia.org if you are interested in attending.  See you there, Pastor Tom.

Top Ten Bible Stories

Beginning, Sunday March 3rd, the History Channel is airing the Bible mini-series.  they have selected to stories form the bible (5 Old Testament and 5 New Testament) which tells the story of God's redemptive activity in human history.

This week we will host Life Groups which focus on movie clips from the mini-series and then dive deeper into the biblical stories.  My prayer is that every New Lifer will get excited about joining up with a Life Group and digging into God's word.

the new series on the bible does have me thinking!!!  I wonder what the top ten Bible stories would be if you had to choose them?  So let me ask, "If you were putting together a movie on the Bible what ten stories would you use?"  I would really like to hear from you, so make a comment on the blog site or send me and e-mail.

Here's my best guess:

#1: Garden of Eden and the fall (Genesis 3)

#2: Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6-9)

#3: Moses and the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20)

#4: Joseph (Genesis 37-50)

#5: Jesus' birth (Matthew 1)

#6: Jesus' sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)

#7: Jesus feeds the 5,000 and walks on water (John 6)

#8: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11)

#9: Jesus' death and resurrection (Luke 22-23)

#10: The Day of Pentecost and the church (Acts 2)

As you can see it is very difficult to narrow it down to only ten stories.  I had to eliminateAbraham's call in Genesis 12.  There are so many other powerful and theologically important stories.  I look forward to hearing from you.  go to the blog and make a comment.  See you Sunday, Pastor Tom