vine | Bjcorbin's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘vine’

Winning Souls for Jesus: This phrase is derived from the concept that life is essentially a battle between the forces of good and evil, and that our mission is to win souls to team Jesus, so that team Satan doesn’t gain the upper hand. But Christ has already defeated the power of evil (1Cor.15:55-57, Heb.2:14-15)), and He has not given us the ability to “win souls” (1Cor.3:6-9). Our real mission is to be a manifestation of Christ’s presence on the earth (Rom.8:29, Col.1:27) and to allow the Lord to draw men unto Himself (John 6:44). We make disciples of all nations (Matt.28:19) by being faithful disciples ourselves.

Soldiers in the Lord’s Army: For many, the concept of being a soldier in the Lord’s army can conjure all sorts of glorious imaginings of epic battles, and grandiose victories, but the scripture doesn’t seem to support such a picture. Like Peter, we imagine that grabbing a sword is the way the battle will be won (John 18:10), but Jesus explained that this wasn’t the case (John 18:36). Ephesians 6:10-20 makes it clear that we’re not battling against each other, and it speaks of protecting ourselves against the relentless attacks of the enemy. While 2Tim.2:3-4 speaks of enduring hardship like a good soldier and of not becoming entangled in temporal affairs.

Making a decision for Christ: There are several different phrases that float around the evangelical realm that seem to point to a moment of salvation. Things like, “I invited Christ into my life,” or “I repented of my sins,” or “I made a decision for Christ.” They all seem to point to a specific instance where my eternal status changes from unredeemable to redeemed, and my eternal trajectory shifts from hell to heaven. And while I don’t deny that such a moment exists, I don’t believe we are well equipped to discern it (Matt.7:23). Only the Lord can decide when a heart truly belongs to Him, and each of these expressions simply describes a step along our lifetime journey of pursuing Him. Inviting the Lord into our lives is a great step, but He won’t be content to sit on the shelf with all of our other interests. Repenting of our sins isn’t simply a matter of being sorry for our transgressions, it’s about going on and living a different life, which takes more than just a singular moment. And making a decision for Christ isn’t necessarily the same as surrendering our life to Him.

Defending the Faith: The nature of faith is that it cannot be defended, because to those who are perishing, the cross is foolishness (1Cor.1:18). The scripture tells us to be prepared to give a reason (or a defense) for the “hope that we have” (1Peter 3:15). This of course presumes that we as Children of God would live in a way which might cause someone to make such an inquiry. Unless hope becomes visibly manifest in our lives, the source of that confidence will be of little consequence. I would suggest that the culture isn’t growing more hostile toward God’s message of hope and love; they are instead growing more resistant to a religious system that doesn’t seem to offer them either one of those things. God has called His people to live by faith (2Cor.5:7), not to simply be defenders of the ideology of faith.

Building the Kingdom: There is a big difference between building a house and moving a house. When we build a house, we choose a site, make our plans and build to suit our desires; but when the house already exists, we must go to where it is and study its design if it is to arrive intact at its new location. The Kingdom of God already exists, and God Himself was the Architect and Builder (Heb. 11:10). God is not interested in some earthly replica of His Kingdom; He means for His Kingdom to come on earth as it already exists in the heavenly realm.

The cause of Christ: The “Cause of Christ” can mean different things to different people. Too often we attach the name of Jesus to causes we’ve become zealous about as though He shares our passion and position (Matt.7:21-23). But He is not fickle (Heb.13:8). The Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), so we are called to be compelled by His love and to regard “no one” from a worldly perspective, as we’ve inherited the ministry of reconciliation (2Cor.5:14-18). This is the cause of Christ and it will not change.

Saved, sanctified & going to heaven: The decision to surrender our lives (i.e. take up our cross) and “follow” Jesus is not a one-time thing, it’s an everyday process (Luke 9:23), and a journey that lasts a lifetime (Phil.1:6), which is completely at odds with our cultural and religious paradigms. We prefer to think of ourselves as, “saved, sanctified, and going heaven,” which implies that the work has already been completed, and we’re just waiting for the bus to take us to our heavenly mansion.

The Anointing: Our present use of the phrase “the anointing” is something of a misnomer. Before Christ, access to the power and authority of the Holy Spirit was limited to a chosen few. But because of Christ’s sacrifice, all believers have a direct connection to the indwelling Spirit. All who belong to Him can rightfully be classified as “anointed” (2Cor.1:21, 1John 2:20). Holy Spirit empowered giftings are not expensive presents that God only bestows upon His favorite kids, they are tools provided to faithful followers. An anointing was never intended to be something we could possess. It is simply a garment, provided by the Lord, which allows us to serve His purposes.

God is in control: God is most certainly omnipotent, and sovereign over all things. He is the Lord of heaven and of earth, but that does not equate to Him being in “control”. He gave the earth to man and gave men the ability to choose who they would serve (Josh.24:15). He does not send the molester into a child’s bedroom, and he does not place the drunk driver behind the wheel. He sets before us life and death (Deut.30:19) and then lets us choose for ourselves. Those choices have significant consequences, which affect both us, and the people around us.

Fruitful ministry: Culturally, we tend to view an endeavor as being fruitful if it gets results (e.g. productive, profitable, prosperous, popular…), but the “fruit” that God seeks is Christ’s character (Gal.5:22-23) being revealed in the hearts of His children (Col.1:27). And that fruit can only be produced by abiding in the vine (John 15:5).