Author: Phil Rehberg

climbing

Why Should We Go Through Purification Now? – Part 2

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Last week we looked at the first three of five reasons we should make the effort to purify our lives now and submit to God’s shaping us, even though God will fully purify us after Jesus returns. Today we look at the last two. The purpose is to encourage and motivate us to do whatever we can to cooperate with God’s work even when it is painful. The fourth reason is that we are destined to live as perfected New Adams in an eternal community of love with God and his followers. This overlaps with the previous point about wanting to be our true self. If you “set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:13, ESV) then why would you spend any time avoiding foretastes of your hope even if it involved effort? If I were Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Sparrows and Souls – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matt. 10:29-31 (NIV). Jesus spoke these words after he sent his twelve disciples out to announce the coming of the kingdom of God. He said they would be persecuted and some believers would be killed. But he also said they should not fear the killers because God is the one who preserves the soul. Then he speaks today’s Scripture that even a sparrow doesn’t die without the Father’s care. Sparrows die and people suffer and die but God always cares about creation and his people. He is there and he will preserve your soul regardless of the suffering. He doesn’t promise to protect you from suffering but he Continue Reading →

climbing

Why Should We Go Through Purification Now? – Part 1

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After Jesus returns God will complete our Christformation. “When Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2, NIV). “We shall also bear the image of the man of heaven” (1 Cor. 15:49, ESV). Therefore, we will not need more purification because we will be pure as Jesus is pure.   This brings us to a critical question. If God is going to complete our Christformation after Jesus returns, why should we go to all the trouble of letting God transform us now? Why should we “cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body” (2 Cor. 7:1, ESV), “put to death the deeds of the body” (Rom. 8:13, ESV) and try to reach “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13, NIV)? This involves sacrifice and struggle. Why do this now when God is just going to instantly do it after Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

The Good News Of The Kingdom – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” Matt. 9:35 (NIV) This passage reminds us that Jesus brought the good news that the kingdom of God had come to earth and was available to all people. Finally, 2,000 years after Abraham, the God’s realm of peace and love had come to earth. What could be better news than this for planet earth? This is the news that we believed and now taste. And now we look forward to the completion of the kingdom when everything that doesn’t belong in the kingdom is done away. And just in case anyone doubted whether Jesus really brought the kingdom he demonstrated the kingdom with power by healing diseases and sicknesses. Since we are in the kingdom this same power is available to us now! Our Future Continue Reading →

fivefold way stages of growth

Our Fivefold Way of Growth – Part 2

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Last week we looked at the first two processes of the fivefold way of spiritual growth. First was God’s grace coming to us. Second was purification. The third way is infilling. As he takes the bad stuff out of us he also puts his good stuff inside us. And we are to actively engage in this process: Ephesians 4 teaches us to “to put off your old self” (v. 22, NIV) and “to put on the new self” (v. 24, NIV). As God brings us into communion with himself he wants to pour himself into us and expand his Spirit inside us.  Think of yourself as a dry riverbed downstream from a mighty river. God is a big wave of beautiful water coming down the river towards the mouth of your riverbed. You can either open up to his river with surrender in faith or you can dam it up. Continue Reading →