Posted in General Posts by Nic Wolfe on 4/10/2011
I’ve been meaning to try and do one passage from 1 Corinthians 13 each day, but I have fallen a bit behind working 2 jobs to try to pay for this mission trek. I will continue to do this passage, but it may take me a little bit longer than the 2 weeks I had originally planned. Continued support would be greatly appreciated; I need to be up to $3000 in a little less than 30 days to make the first support deadline.
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2 ESV
I continue to look at this passage because it is so personally convicting. There are times that I find myself reading through systematic theologies & doctrinal dissertations and forget what it is really about. If I ever came to the point in my life where I could write a multivolume systematic theology but didn’t have love or know what the love of Christ is then it would all be worthless dribble strewn out on a waste of trees.
These passages remind me that everything starts with the heart, as it says in Proverbs 4:23 that the heart is the well spring of life; to guard the heart, because everything that you do is an outpouring of the heart. This point is hit upon multiple times, how Jesus told the Pharisees that despite them trying to diligently adhere to the law they were dead inside, because their heart wasn’t in it.
So how then are we to change our hearts? How can we turn this around to where our heart is flowing pure water of everlasting life as opposed to water that brings death? (James 3:11-12)
The unfortunate news is that we cannot do this, we cannot change our hearts. From our father Adam, to Cain, to Noah, to David, and the list goes on to you and me; we cannot change our hearts, we want to rebel from God out of our own pride. It is only through the Father’s love, Christ’s work on the cross and the Holy Spirit’s conviction that our heart of stone can be removed and replaced with a heart of flesh that longs for God (Ezekiel 36:26). Salvation is a miracle; an act that goes against nature that can only be accomplished through divine intervention.
It is only through an act of God that we can even remotely be able to turn to Him. It is only by His power that we can even have hope of salvation. Once this good news, that God would choose to save some, with hopes for all, in a damned & dyeing world and one day create it a new glorious creation where all sings to His glory. Once we have this in our changed hearts, permeating through every aspect of our life, can we flow forth with love, not our but the love that is from God.
Do you have a flesh heart that beats for God alone or has your heart been hardened? Are you alive in this world, but dead to God or are you dead to things of this life and raised in Christ? I pray the Holy Spirit would convict us all to take refuge in God’s divine and saving love; for fear that if we are not then we will be destroyed by His perfect justice & wrath.
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Posted in General Posts by Nic Wolfe on 4/5/2011
Over the next 2 weeks I want to go over 1 Corinthians 13, also known as the love passage. I love this section because it’s such a rich & deep text. Paul was writing to a church in turmoil. Their problems were numerous, including a man sleeping with his step mother. Just coming off of talking of unity among the body of Christ, Paul goes on to talk about love. I want to focus on this because there’s this idea that “love wins”, dictating not that God is love, rather that love is god; which is turning love into an idol, placing something in God’s rightful place. While love is an aspect of God’s charter we need to remember that God has other, equal attributes (like justice).
1 Corinthians 13:1
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
I read over this and it convicts & humbles me, because it reminds me that I can preach about the differences in doctrines, and supporting verses backing up these doctrines, but if there is not love in me or in what I am preaching I might as well be yelling at a wall or shouting gibberish. This begs the question, what is love & how can I show it and preach, teach & talk?
If God is omniscient, or all knowing (Psalm 139:2-6, Isaiah 40:13-14), then that means he knew that we would one day we would rebel against Him and He loved us so much that He created us anyway. That we would not choose God, rather we would choose to serve ourselves. This would be like getting into a relationship with someone because you love them knowing full well that they would cheat on you, but perusing them anyway.
Through knowing that we would rebel also meant that He would have to create a way for us to be able to come back to Him, that one day He would reconcile us to Himself. To show how great His glory is and how far reaching and all consuming His love is. That one day God would become man, not losing His divinity but adding humanity to Him, to become the God-man, Jesus Christ, becoming the all perfect sacrifice.
He lived the perfect life, in perfect loving communion with the Father at all times; living a sinless life because of this. He lived the life that we should have lived. He took the curse of death & sin upon Himself. That, as Paul says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” That He would be killed & crushed to appease God’s wrath against sin & sinners. He drank that cup, and drank it in full for those whom are His.
He will call us to Him, in His time. He will perform the miracle, or divine intervention, that is the starting work of our salvation. This is the Gospel, the good news, that God would love us enough that He would save some of those who were destined for Hell. That He would take those who would never choose Him, and would give them the gift of salvation & reconciliation to Him.
The way that we can make sure that we preach, teach, sing & talk about love is to do these with the Gospel, or the great outplay of God’s love. To make our lives God centric and focusing on spreading the Gospel in everything we do. How are you spreading the Gospel?
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Posted in General Posts by Nic Wolfe on 3/24/2011
1 Corinthians 9:16-18
For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
Wherever I go, whatever I do, I must preach the Gospel; in every action, word, thought, & deed. If I do not I suppress the nature of what Christ has put into me. That God loves us, even though we are rebellious to Him in everything, and that he would divert his wrath & justice to Christ on our behalf; so that we may be able to have communication with Him as our Father.
I honestly cannot imagine a more fulfilling life than going to the ends of the earth proclaiming this good news. That God has provided us a means for forgiveness and that He would draw people to Him through faith. And faith comes through hearing the Gospel (Rom 10:17) so I have to go proclaim this. I cannot think of a time when I feel more alive & more fulfilled then when I am talking to others about God; when I feel the spirit speaking through me. God knows I’m a horrible public speaker. I get nervous, I stutter, but this allows more of the Holy Spirit to take over and talk for me.
I absolutely need to spend the rest of my life preaching the Gospel, as it is central to my faith, because “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Cor 15:14) It is central to our faith as the church. It frees us from religion; it frees us from the fears of this world, fear of death, fear of man, fear of temptation.
There is an aching in my heart & soul for people to turn to Christ. Woe to me, that I would be torn appart & that I would suffer emensley, if I do not preach the good news that has been told to me. Woe to me if I do not shout it from the rooftops. Woe to me if I deny Christ. Woe to me if I do not share this love.
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Posted in General Posts by Nic Wolfe on 3/19/2011
As some people may know I am going on an 11 month mission trek. This will require me to quit my job, work as a volunteer & preaching the Gospel through words & action, and selling everything I own (except the necessities that I take with me). I would love to have support from you on this trip, but what I would really love if for you to do the same thing by giving your life over to Christ and go where He leads.
I would like to know what it is that you’re doing to spread the Gospel and love the “least of these”.
Email me what it is that you’re doing or if you’re looking for an organization to pair with. For everyone who writes me, subscribes to my blog, donates to my support account, or fills out an information request will be entered in the “Kenya or Bust” drawing.
nicholas.e.wolfe@gmail.com
I will pick someone to get the Kenya or Bust bag which includes:
Osprey Halo backpack
Crazy Love by Francis Chan
Radical by David Platt
True Religion by Palmer Chinchen
ESV Bible
I am also available to come speak at your church email me for more details.
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Posted in General Posts by Nic Wolfe on 3/8/2011
1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
For a while now I have been a proponent for rejoining of the Body of Christ, the Church. I know it is almost unimaginable what would happen if the Body started moving together.
What would it look like if Christians stared working together, despite their differences?
That an inter-denominational group would raise money to build water wells in Africa.
Churches spend $19 Billion a year on buildings and AV equipment; while it would only take $9 billion[1] a year to make sure that EVERYONE in the world to have water. That we could continue to give the same amount of money & go with less when it comes to our comforts to make sure that everyone has one basic need.
To see groups of Christians come in mass to help rebuild Haiti, donating their time, talent, & money to those in need in the name of Christ. If for 3 months the Church, every congregation in the US, sent out 1% of their population to ad in rebuilding we would have 1,734,020[2] able bodied people to help. Imagine 1,734,020 people helping rebuild houses, stores, buildings & churches. It takes ~15 people around 3 months to build a house. In this time 115,600 houses could be built. This could house EVERY displaced person in Port-au-Prince, with 1% of the Church’s population in the US alone.
So what would it really look like if we started moving as the Body?
What would it look like if we, Christians, started identifying ourselves as a people group?
That people Christians could gather together in a coffee shop and talk, with no hostility, no anger, as friends, despite one being an Episcopalian, another Charismatic, and a Neo-Calvinist. That they would gather together as Christians, focusing on the Head of Christ as opposed to the differences between the ear, hand & calf.
I got to see a glimpse of what this would look like last Sunday. There was an event called The Sing, in sponsorship for the Spero Project, where Christians gathered together, despite their differences and sang praises to God. Featured Charlie Hall, Joel Limpic, Ben Hill and Marcy Priest playing music, and speakers from different denominations, like the Baptist Preacher, the Charismatic Overseer, the female Methodist Minister, and Reformed Pastor. Reading passages & praying together with 1,500 other Christians. In a place where there is an older man in a suit leaning on his cane and raising one hand to God and 2 feet away a chick with a leather jacket & mohawk doing the same thing.
What if we moved as one body, under the Head, to show other love & the Gospel?
Show me.
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Posted in General Posts by Nic Wolfe on 3/3/2011
There was a point in my life when I was obsessed with Fight Club, but I could never figure out why. I mean it is a fairly awesome movie, albeit graphic. It echoed something, but I could never quite put my finger on it. It was only recently that I figured it out, as I would have conversations about God, theology and Him saving me that I kept quoting Fight Club. I could not find a better example for what I felt like when God saved me, but Fight Club had an awesome quote that described it. It would be relevant to let you know that I’m Calvinistic (*hiss* *spit* BOOO!) I know Calvinism isn’t popular, but this post isn’t about my theological standpoint. I knew God was saving me and I fought Him every step of the way, which brings me to my quote:
“I'll bring us through this. As always, I'll carry you - kicking and screaming - and in the end you'll thank me.”
It was only after my conversion that I started reading the Bible, I mean actually reading it. I came to Romans, oh how I love to read Romans, and I ran across this passage which totally cleared it up for me:
Romans 7:15-24
For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
It explains how much my flesh wants to run and be back in sin, but how “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Phil 1:6) and that when I fight Him, He will still carry me through. That despite my blatant opposition He will still love me, because “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Rom 5:10)
"You had to give it to him. He had a plan and it started to make sense, in a Tyler sort of way. No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide."
This speaks so much to how I feel about God's plan. Christianity is so counter-cultural, so backwards to what the world thinks and does that we can appear crazy sometimes. I may not understand it at the time, or what He is doing, but I know that it will be for His glory, and that gives me hope.
So I will leave you with another Fight Club quote and ask yourself “What am I doing to be in community with God’s people and to show God’s love to others?” because:
"You decide your own level of involvement."
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Posted in General Posts by Nic Wolfe on 3/1/2011
Death on a cross is a slow, painful death by asphyxiation & exposure to the elements. This way of death was so painful they had to make a word for it, excruciating; the Latin root being ex, out of, cruciare, to be tortured on a cross (crux in Latin)[1]. The Gospels record Christ’s death on the cross slightly different than people knew it in that day, as people would take days to die, unless they tried to hasten their death by slouching on the cross. First the Gospels record that Christ died in one day[2]. This means that Christ could not have died due to exposure to the elements. This would mean that it would seem that Christ then died because of asphyxiation, but Matthew would say something different, as when Christ died He “cried out again with a loud voice”[3] and most of us know someone who is dying of being unable to breathe can’t cry out in a loud voice. This could be attributed to another form of death, a heart attack, what some would call “the divine broken heart”; that the weight of our sin was so great on the Son that the Father had to look away, where Christ cried out Psalm 22. Christ was so heartbroken by our sins, his heart stopped. Evidence of this can be seen in the fact that water & blood[4] poured out of Him when His heart sac was pierced, a reference to pericardial effusion[5] . Then Christ gave up His spirit while Matthew doesn’t tell us what it is that Christ said, but John records what it is that Jesus said when He cried out in a loud voice “It is finished”[6].
Hark! the voice of love and mercy
by Jonathan Evans
Hark, the voice of love and mercy,
Sounds aloud from Calvary!
See, it rends the rocks asunder,
Shakes the earth and veils the sky!
“It is finished, It is finished,”
Hear the dying Savior cry.
“It is finished,” O what pleasure,
Do these charming words afford.
Heavenly blessings, without measure,
Flow to us from Christ the Lord.
“It is finished, it is finished,”
Saints the dying words record.
Finished all the types and shadows,
Of the ceremonial law;
Finished all that God had promised;
Death and hell no more shall awe.
“It is finished, it is finished,”
Saints from hence your comfort draw.
Tune your harps anew, ye seraphs;
Join to sing the pleasing theme;
Saints on earth and all in heaven,
Join to praise Immanuel’s name.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Glory to the bleeding lamb!
The death, the sacrifice, the work, required for our sins to be forgiven is done. This is a gift that is freely given to us, there is nothing that we can do to merit or earn this gift; if there was it would not be a gift but a commodity. The things that we do are not because we want to earn God’s love, rather it’s because God loves us and we want to, have to, show it to others. So how is God’s love & gift manifesting itself in your life?
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Posted in General Posts by Nic Wolfe on 2/22/2011
as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:20-21
I am inspired by my brother Said Musa, who is facing execution in Afghanistan right now for being a convert to Christianity. That he is strengthened through Christ to be able to willing lay down his life.
This world is harsh, cold, and hardened, like a boulder floating in space. The only way to make an impact is to do so with momentum, not fearing the consequences of living for Christ. We must fight for our Kingdom, our home, because we are not part of this world, we are expatriates. We are a people who are living somewhere that is not their home. As Christians we are displaced, to live in this world but not of the world. While we are here we are to show as much of our home and our King to others.
The way we do this in our hardened world is to go at it head first, with all of our might; knowing that when our strength runs out God’s strength will not. We will not tiptoe through life to arrive safely at death. We will dash headlong at life to make an impact on this world. IF we survive, and that’s a big IF, we will have great stories to tell; if we do not then we will go out in a blaze of God’s glory.
Weather we experience blessing or suffering we will glorify God and praise His name to the ends of the earth.
Don’t tiptoe through life, run boldly ahead with fury & passion. When you fall God will be there to catch you. Take on this world face to face, knowing that we are a people who though they might be able to kill our bodies they will never kill our souls. If it’s right then our lives will make a huge impact for Christ, weather that’s in life or death, on small scale or large.
It’s time to get involved.
Let people know about Brother Musa & the need for freedom of religion around the world: Click here
Fight against Joseph Kony’s Child army in D.R. Congo, Sudan, & Central African Republic: Click Here
Give water & sanitation to those in need: Click Here
Help in Haiti: Click Here
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Posted in General Posts by Nic Wolfe on 2/21/2011
This is a different kind of blog, this one you will need to do something. This is a call, a reminder that Christians are still jailed and killed for their faith today. We must do everything we can to make this known. http://ow.ly/40jeI
This is Said Musa, he has a family, he is our family, he is a living & breathing human life.
We must pray, cry out that God would hear our pleas for our brother and that His will would be done; weather that is freeing our brother or letting his death be an example of faith for us all.
We must make our brother’s situation known, I know that we all have friends who are not Christians, but this is something that would be their concern too, as it violates freedom of religion globally. Tell your friends. Tweet it, FB it, email it, text it, talk about it.
We must let those who are in power known that this is happening and that it needs to be addressed. Contact your representatives.
Send to your Member of Congress at https://writerep.house.gov/
Send to your Senator athttp://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Send to President Obama at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Dear -
I am deeply concerned that an Afghan judge has threatened to order the execution of Said Musa within days if he does not re-convert from Christianity back to Islam against his will. Please personally call the Afghan ambassador TODAY and demand that the execution of Said Musa be stopped and that Afghanistan free Said Musa and Shoaib Assadullah Musawi immediately and permit them and their families to depart the country if they wish to.
Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the rights to life, liberty, and due process of law are some of our fundamental American values. Please convey to the Afghan ambassador that if the Afghan government does not show basic respect for the right to life, liberty, and freedom of religious choice, many Americans will begin to question whether we should continue to send our own children to fight and die on its behalf or continue to support it financially.
Please ensure that Afghanistan fulfills its obligations as a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that all Afghans are free to practice the religious faith of their choice without fear of prosecution, intimidation, or harm.
Sincerely,
Send to:
(1) Nazer Hussain Rahimi, Special Secretary to the President, hussain.rahimi@gmail.com, and
(2) Mr. Abdul Hakim Atarud, Political Counselor, Afghan Embassy, atarud@embassyofafghanistan.org
Dear -
I am deeply concerned by reports that Christians in Afghanistan have been imprisoned for converting from Islam and are now facing possible execution. I ask that you free Said Musa and Shoaib Assadullah Musawi immediately and permit them and their families to depart the country if they wish to.
In America, all people are free to choose their own religion, to change their religion, and to practice it without fear of harm. Respecting freedom of religion is one of our core American values. If Afghanistan continues imprisoning or even executing people for their religious faith, it will be difficult for Americans to continue justifying sending our soldiers to risk their lives fighting in Afghanistan to support your government, and difficult for us to justify continuing to send billions of dollars in aid every year.
Please ensure that Afghanistan fulfills its obligations as a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that all Afghans are free to practice the religious faith of their choice without fear of prosecution, intimidation, or harm.
Sincerely,
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Posted in General Posts by Nic Wolfe on 2/11/2011
Listen & Watch
The time has come.
This is a call to action.
The time is now.
To let the world know that there are people who will not lie down, people who will not stand by while injustices happen.
We will not idly stand by while there are children stolen nightly to be turned into solders or sex slaves.
We cannot turn a blind eye humans dyeing because of hunger & lack of water.
We refuse to make the suffering of the world invisible.
We must stand up.
We must make waves.
We must go.
We must help.
There are people who oppose us.
There are people who fight against peace.
There are people who do unthinkable things.
These are our enemies.
We must fight them with everything, every ounce of strength.
We fight them on our knees.
We fight them by aiding their victims.
We fight them with love.
To love the person who sticks a gun in your face.
To love the person who flogs you.
To love the person who wants to destroy you.
Stand up.
Go.
Run.
Make a change.
With everything you've got.
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