The Heard of Media

(By Thor Knutstad)

Media, which used to mean 'newspapers and radio then became big screen and television,’ has evolved to an "out-of-context forum of public opinion" where injustices are highlighted, sadness and sin are put on display, and the diluted facts are often completely distorted and deluded.  When each does what is right in his or her own mind (and each is his own authority), it's a panacea and panoramic display of anger, self-protection, chaotic expression and 'the false glory desire of being heard.'  Being heard?  Yes. Heard. Listened to. Acknowledged. Not dismissed.  Is the issue about ISSUES or is it about being heard because life has silenced many?  Hmm - ponder this.  Being heard.  Defiance and "sin glorying" and hate, dividing and excusing actually do "SAY" something, don't they?  Where has reason gone?

As the final tide of eternity turns and as earthly division arises, may believers be unified and of one heart for the sake of the Gospel.  Sin and the enemy Satan are winning daily battles in subtle ways via Heard Media, but the real victory is ultimately in Christ Jesus as depicted in God's Word - and the foot of the Savior journeys on to save many souls.  If that doesn't make any sense to you then you are eating from the famine of truth. No wait, you may be eating from 'the famine of Hearing The Truth'.  The latter may be greater than the former by all means.  Oh what grief this brings to our hearts. Even Christ-followers have traded the quiet of God's Holy spiritual wisdom in Word for a blue and white scrolling catalog of nothingness that tries to highlight everything. Connected but lonely. Lonely yet connected. Sort of. Yet we have gained the appearance of horizontal intimacies for a loss of vertical intimacy.  Maybe this is why anxiety and fear reign in darker moments?  Maybe this lack of personal truth in our embattled hearts creates blind spots that are darker than the worst London Fog. Does 'The Son' really clear out the fog in your life, in your perceptions, and in your viewpoints? Passion and voice aren't an excuse for lacking clarity, reason, and Truth.

Stand firm in the faith, people. Do not let your ears be tickled by the deceiving spirit of antichrist all around you in this latent fog disguised as a vapor of mist. Only when you have absorbed more Bible and reckoned with the Man of Truth (The Risen Christ called Jesus) than those hourly poisonous doses of news and FaceBook, will you ever possibly begin to comprehend a larger, wider, and bigger picture of His unfolding plan. Stand firm, brothers and sisters. For He will bring all things under Him who is Head, even Christ. Come quickly, Lord Jesus - for the groaning and the longing of your people is echoing through Heaven's hallways like the hourly church bell rings throughout the town. Praise Him. 

“Making God Known – Acts 17:16-34”

(By Thor Knutstad)

I love Acts chapter 17.  This chapter is another detailed account by Luke of one of Paul’s many missionary journeys.  The New Testament church at that time was continuing to explode upon the scene of the known world throughout Asia and and in Europe.  Chapter 17 in Acts, specifically Acts 17:24-28, is a full presentation of God and the Gospel of Christ.  This unique passage of Scripture is filled with God’s heart toward His people (toward all peoples whether Jews or Gentiles) – and His purpose to make Himself known.

While walking through Athens in Greece, Paul sees many idols and altars and inscriptions to false gods.  The Greeks had created false centers of worship.  These gods to them were “unknown” and “not reachable.”  Upon seeing an altar labeled “to an unknown god,” Paul proclaims the God who is knowable, and who demands to be known.  Can you just imagine Paul seeing that “unknown god” altar?  I imagine him thinking and praying, “Okay Lord, here’s that opportunity that I have been waiting for!  Let us preach!”  Then while they disputed Paul’s treatise of the Gospel, he then uses their false logic against them for the sake of truth.  You see, the Greeks, in their logical and quite philosophical worship of logic had probably thought, “Well, if the other gods aren’t really gods then an altar to an unknown god will suffice.”  I wonder if this was more about their seeing those false gods as not reachable or more about their fear of not wanting to get it wrong.  It’s probably both.  But it is still an absurd claim – no matter how logical they claimed to be.

Yet the apostle Paul proclaims the true God who can be known.  In Paul’s dispute of their idols and altars of worship, he makes note of some key points in Acts 17:24-28 (to read the whole account I suggest that you review all of Acts 17:16-34 for the complete context).  Paul’s statement includes the following important points:

1. He calls them religious and appeals to them on the basis of what they believe and in what he has seen.  His term religious may actually be taken as sarcasm to mean that they were “superstitious” as a sort of jab or seriously.  Biblically, it is hard to tell, but it is an interesting comment.  Being called religious isn’t always a good thing.
2. God is a personal Creator and gives life to every created thing on earth and is the creator of every nation and every person.
3. God determines the times, seasons, and exact places where men and women should live. I love this!  Paul is attributing God as being Sovereign and in control and decisive in the existence of everything – including TIME! Wow!
4. God is near and close to man and wants man’s “reach” for Him.
5. God is unlike idols and altars of gold, silver, and stone; He is not a manmade image.
6. God commands repentance to ALL men.
7. God will judge everyone in the future.
8. God gives us the Savior, Christ Jesus, who is resurrected proof as Messiah (by the way, the Greeks believed in an immortal soul but not a resurrected body).  This would seem completely foreign and absurd to their logical beliefs.

If you have read the entire passage, then you know that these philosophers disputed with Paul in the early part of the passage and called him a “babbler.”  They accused him of advocating false gods because he was preaching the Good News of Jesus and the resurrection (of Christ and eventually of all men).  They accused him of bringing in some strange new teaching (history records that they thought that they were the custodians of bringing “new enlightenment” and “new truth teachings” to the people).  No wonder they took offense to his Gospel message!  They actually sneered at him and only a few actually became followers of Christ.  This is sad but true.  Even Gospel fluency, loving others well, and living on mission to your neighbors, friends, and community gets rejected because of the message.  Their hearts didn’t receive these great truths.  What a shame!  What fools!  What sadness!  Even when the message is relevant, practical, pure, and true, many will reject and scoff and slander and not receive.  

Yet like Paul, we look for opportunities and well-timed, apt, and fitting replies to others as we live on mission daily in our lives.  Paul’s replies to their disputes of his message are the Gospel.  May our own lives and message be the same – relevant, practical, pure, fitting, well-timed, and full of Truth in Christ as we walk and live unashamed of our risen Savior and blessed resurrected redeemer – King Jesus!  Praise Him. 

Copyright, 2015.  All Rights Reserved.  Thor Knutstad

How The Gospel Sets Us Free

(By Diego Cuartas)

In order for the Gospel to set us free we need to work it deeply into our being, by the grace of God, so that it really changes who we are, what we treasure, what we fear and what we live for. Greg Hill, Pastor at Living Faith Alliance Church, preached a message on April 12, 2015, that brought together the 4Gs of God--which are central to what the Gospel in Christ offers to anyone irregardless of who they are. You can access the message online by clicking here. During Greg's message you will also hear a real-life story of how someone who had experienced abuse in her life came to realize the goodness of God. I am posting here a couple of resources, developed by Greg, that may help you internalize these concepts and do some gospel reflection in your own life. I found them to be very helpful in fleshing out and applying the timeless truths that God is great, good, glorious and gracious. I hope that between the audio message and these tools you can allow the gospel truths of God to gain deeper roots in your life, and in your day!

May God bless you,

Christmas 2014

(By Thor Knutstad)

Dearest Friends and Family,

Setting the context for the famous passage of Isaiah 53 that describes in detail the prophetic suffering and crucifixion of the LORD Jesus, Isaiah 52:7-10 is a beautiful backdrop for Christmas. Let me “decorate” the setting for you:

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring Good Tidings, who proclaim salvation and say “Your God reigns!”  With shouts of joy, they will see it with their own eyes.  Burst into songs of Joy, for the Lord has comforted His People.  The Lord will bare His Holy Arm in the sight of all the nations and all of the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

For some of you, that may seem like a lot of Old Testament Bible. You may be waiting for key words like Christmas, baby Jesus, family, manger and Bethlehem.  But if you look more closely and reread the passage, it doesn’t look so ancient in list form.

Good News

Peace proclaimed

Good Tidings

Proclaim Salvation

Shouts and Songs of Joy

The Salvation of our God

For any of you that have ever read one of my past annual Christmas letters, you know I will always proclaim to you this Good News, or in New Testament terms, The Gospel.  The apostle Paul, who once was a murderous persecutor of Christ, made it his mission to tell others about Jesus being the Messiah (the Christ, the Anointed One).  He once said that Jesus’ death and resurrection was of First Importance (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).  But Easter only follows the Incarnation of Christ Jesus.  Incarnation means “in flesh”.  It amazes me that we forget the fact that ‘God became flesh in Jesus’ coming as a humble child and selfless servant.  The Lord God, who reigns over Heaven and Earth, came to us as a man.  In an act of mercy and grace, Jesus shows up to bring salvation – as a humble, loving, despised, suffering man. (Isaiah 53)  Creator God lowered Himself to our level, to die for us and save us from sin. (Philippians 2: 1-11)  Then he conquered death by rising from death.  He rises OVER DEATH; His resurrection – defeating all of sin and death.  Victory.

If I had spent the last few paragraphs updating you on our lives, it would not have been a good investment of my words.  So I preach and proclaim this Gospel first.  As for the Knutstads, we are all well.  Early 2014 began with me and Lisa forming our covenant of marriage and bringing together our sons Jordan (20), Bryn (14), Jadon (12) and Elijah (8) into one blended, Christ-following family.  As Lisa and I quickly approach a year of marriage soon, we are truly grateful.  Our sons really love and enjoy each other and get along very well.  Each brings joy to us.  

Jordan is diligently working now and serves on a church worship team band as a keyboard player.  Bryn will finish 8th grade this year and is an avid lover of hunting and competitive airsoft play, aspiring to be a soldier.  Jadon wowed us with straight A’s first marking period and was very successful in both cross country running and soccer.  Elijah played soccer too and just had his 2nd grade Christmas concert where he sang with his classmates so confidently.  Lisa balances the tremendous task of working from home full-time as a Clinical Data Coordinator with taking care of our home and all of us.  Besides being a wonderful wife and mother to all our boys, Lisa also loves on her friends, takes pictures using her gift of photography and serves at Journey Church.  As for me (Thor), I continue to serve in ministry as the pastoral counselor to three churches in Limerick (PA), Langhorne (PA) and Vineland (NJ).  I am grateful to be entrusted with the hurts, struggles and relationships of so many people.

Life has changed a lot for all of us, but we are thankful to our Lord for our family and friends (YOU!) and we wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2015.  May the LORD be known and make Himself KNOWN to you in a whole new way!  God bless you dear family and friends as you celebrate the Savior, the LORD Jesus – who has defeated death and will wipe away every tear.  What JOY awaits!

            With much Love,

                Thor, Lisa, Jordan, Bryn, Jadon and Elijah

In Dealing with Sin

(By Diego Cuartas)

I think it is important that we look at our personal sin in a way that we consider the Gospel and its benefits. Two initial thoughts come together in my mind about this:

1. If I don't look at my sin through the lenses of the gospel I will be tempted or prone to rely on a false gospel to deal with my sin. A false gospel can be a person, an experience, or a specific resource whether cognitive or material. The goal here is to come under the benefits of the Gospel rather than pursuing a strategy that could give me a sense of "righteousness" apart from Christ and what He has secured on my behalf (Ro 10:3-4, 2 Cor 5:21, Gal 2:21, Phil 3:9, Titus 3:5, 1 Pe 2:24, 2 Pe 1:1). One danger in dealing with our sin is to put ourselves again under the curse of the law (Gal 3:10) or the curse of trusting our own flesh (Jer 17). Either approach will place us under bondage.

2. It is important that I seek the grace of God for my life in my sin so that I don't look for grace substitutes else where (Gal 2:21, 1 Cor 1:4, Titus 2:11, 1 Pe 5:5). What we lose when we seek grace substitutes includes things like true repentance, personal growth, true humility, and the experience of what Jesus provides to us through specific grace.

When dealing with our sin, we should consider looking at few important things:

My reaction to my sin, my responsibility to others, and my response to God. These three groups are important because sin does not happen in a vacuum, sin happens in the context of God--as my reference point to any holiness and righteousness--others--as the ones impacted by my actions--and me--as the one where sin originated at.

Here are a few questions to process our own sin:

1. how am I dealing with my sin and it's impact in my own life?

2. what grace is God providing me? what promises can I lean on for the future?

3. what wisdom do I need in dealing with how my sin has impacted others?

4. where is obedience being hindered? how can I grow in repentance and faith?

5. how is my knowledge and love for God increasing? how is my identity being shaped by my experience of God and His revelation? what provisions can I count on in God?

My hope is that we can grow in dealing with our sin without missing the Gospel or the Grace God can only provide for each one of us. I am convinced that grace is not a generic reality--it is specific and it is more than capable to address the details and needs of our real time moments.

For further reflection: 2 Peter 1:3-4

" His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

Free to Love

(By Thor Knutstad)

Being free to love provides the power to appeal to strong satisfactions. Focus more on loving others well rather than resisting temptation. The fruits of holiness are visible with more freedom to love, so make every effort to love more, not sin less. You are free to love. Gospel freedom means that I neither indulge my whims nor keep my rules. Whim - indulgers and rule keepers are slaves to the corruption within them that demands a kind of self-satisfaction [unto works and performance]. Christ has, through the cross, set us free to love.

The world's compulsive need to feel whole and complete is a lie. It screams of a preoccupation with satisfaction and makes you want relief from feelings of pain and brokenness. We were designed for purity and for the peace of Shalom. The cross and resurrection are leading us there. But it is not yet realized. In the meantime, walk in the freedom to love. Yes, walk holy - but an over focus on sin and struggles will reduce the power of the Gospel in your life. Yes, confess. Repent. And make loving others
well your only deep satisfaction. For it is there that truth will set you free.

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