Grace Outpost

I once was asked if I was only able to have only one book of the Bible for the rest of my life, which one would I select.   For me the answer is easy, the book of Romans.   Why you might ask?   I would select it because it is a straightforward and articulate synopsis of the New Testament.   This week we will look at Romans 1:1-17, this serves as an introduction to the book.   Paul is writing to believers he has heard about in Rome, but he has not been able to travel to meet with them.   Paul begins by introducing himself and the Gospel he preaches in the first 6 verses.   1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lo...

Hello and welcome to Grace Outpost.   This morning I want to consider a question together.   Does God meet us where we are and how do we get to a life worthy of Christ?   This can dig into uncomfortable places for some of us.   Some of us have grown up in the Church and know the expectation of pursuing righteousness as a believer, while some of us came to Christ later in life, and some of you may not yet be believers.   Each of these backgrounds will affect how we view Church and how we interact with other believers. When I became a Christian in high school I was not from a Christian home, I had not heard the Gospel and had no idea of what God’s expectation for righteousness was.   I listened to heavy metal music, I dyed my hair a different color every week, and I dressed in tattered jeans and tank tops with combat boots.   I swore, I was crude, and I was often inappropriate.   When I heard the Gospel and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior...

Thanks for joining me here at Grace Outpost.   Today will be a milestone in my life; I am walking in my commencement ceremony for my Bachelors of Arts in Christians Studies.   As I look back over my journey to graduation and my success in school, it has to do with a choice, much like what Paul talks about in Ephesians 4:17-18.   Paul talks about the difference in living a life that is redeemed through Jesus and contrasts this with the way we once lived.   The reality is that it is a choice to live differently and this choice should be compelled by our relationship with Jesus.   In Ephesians 4:17 Paul states that we should no longer live as the Gentiles, which the Ephesians were Gentiles, so he is telling them that they are to be something new now.   In Ephesians 3:6 Paul shows us that both Jew and Gentile believers are united in Christ into one body.   In 4:18 Paul gives us the cause of living as a Gentile, he states that they don’t understand l...

Happy Sabbath and welcome once again to Grace Outpost.  This week I have been reading in the book of Jeremiah and God impressed upon me his unchanging nature.  What do I mean by this you might ask?  Often it is argued that in the Old Testament God is a God of wrath and judgment and in the New Testament he is all about love and forgiveness.  At a cursory glance one could certainly make that assumption without taking the time to understand that the Bible is one story that records the unfolding story of redemption of man to God by God.  In chapter 3 of Jeremiah I found a wonderful picture of God's forgiveness and mercy.   Keep in mind that Jeremiah is speaking to Judah (the southern kingdom), Israel has already fallen, and Jeremiah is the last prophet to Judah prior to the fall of Jerusalem and the captivity.   God through the prophet paints the picture of Judah and Israel (the southern and northern kingdoms) as a harlot who has ran out on her h...