Good Works

Last week, we left off discussing Galatians 1:6-7 which says, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” Grace is “unmerited favor.” However, we have a tendency to corrupt everything. And with grace, the Bible addresses two problems that we as sinful humans introduce. First, we tend to abuse it. I’ve heard people say, “If I'm saved by grace, not by my works, then I can sin all I want!" No, it does not work that way. Those are teachings of the ungodly. Jude said in Jude 4 “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Second, we tend to think that we must perform religious rituals and obey rules and regulations in order to be deserving of it. In the New Testament, men who thought this way were called Judaizers. These men taught that faith in Christ was not sufficient in itself, but that one must keep the Law of Moses and be circumcised. They believed in salvation in Jesus Christ, but taught that the Law must be kept as well to maintain it.

That attitude is still very common in the church today. Judgments are made against people who enter the doors of the church all the time. "Look at him - he needs a haircut!” “Look at her – she needs to learn how to dress!” Hey! I thought that grace was undeserved? It is not that we take the first few steps, and then God jumps in. It is that God is the initiator. Just look in the Garden of Eden at the fall of Adam and Eve. God had to seek reconciliation with Adam. Instead of coming to God and saying, “I’m sorry”, Adam hid himself.

And so the message of the Judaizers was very dangerous. It was not the gospel. It was a different gospel. And today, too many are preaching a similar gospel - which is really no gospel at all. It is a message of good works to earn salvation, good works to deserve salvation, and good works to keep salvation.

Grace Abuse

Let’s pick up our study in Galatians 1:4 where it says of Jesus: “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” The bottom line is that God allowed His only Son to be killed so that we could be delivered out of this present evil age. All around us, the world is going to Hell. I.e. murders and massacres, child abuse and drug abuse, witchcraft and Satanism, alcoholism and AIDS. This world that we live in has been, and will continue to become, more and more evil, but the good news is that God's grace is offered to us to deliver us from this. The question is, “Will you accept it?”

Notice v.5 which says, “To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Paul writes, "to God be the glory." We can’t take any of the credit. There was nothing that we did to qualify us for salvation.

Notice vv.6-7, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” Remember that grace is God's unmerited favor upon us. It is the fact that God: a. loved us when we despised Him; b. adopted us as His children anyway; c. sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins before we even knew we had sins; d. gave us everything when we deserved nothing (Romans 5:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 5:6)!

However, as human beings we have a tendency to corrupt everything. And with grace, the Bible addresses two problems that we as sinful humans introduce. First, we tend to abuse grace. I’ve heard people say, “If I'm saved by grace, not by my works, then I can sin all I want!" No, it does not work that way, my friend. Those are teachings of the ungodly. Jude said in Jude 4 “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” We will discuss the second problem next week which is that we tend to want to maintain it by works or good deeds.

A Fond Farewell

After serving the people of Borderland Calvary Chapel for ten years, it is now time for me to step aside and follow the Lord’s bidding to my next assignment. It’s hard to believe that it has actually been ten years, but it has. We arrived in San Benito, Texas in March of 1998. My boys who are now 13 and 14 years old were then only 3 and 4. They have grown up in San Benito and it’s all they know. They have no memories of their birthplace and my home in Greenville, South Carolina or of our time spent on the mission field as a family in Zacapa, Guatemala. San Benito has become our home.

As a family, San Benito has been very good to us. We have watched our boys grow and had the privilege of being a part of this community. We have also met many people whom we will never forget. You know who you are and you will be missed tremendously. I know that the Lord had and has a reason for our getting to know one another.

As for the next step, we are still seeking the Lord’s will in that one. He has graciously laid out before us several opportunities that range from South America to both coasts of the United States. We are following through with each of them and know that He will make His will perfectly known to us before it is over. Yes, sometimes I wish that He would just text me or give me a call that would make the decision much easier and faster, but that is not the way God works with His children. It’s also the greatest and sometimes the toughest part of following the Lord. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” God requires us to live by faith. No exceptions.

I’m also reminded of what God told Abraham in Genesis 12:1 when He said, “…Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.” In other words, God’s requirement for Abraham was for him to “get out” before He would reveal to him where He would have him to go. That takes faith; which is exactly what God is looking for and expects from all of us. So, please keep my family and I in your prayers as we too step out for a “land” that we know that He will show us.

For those of you who want to keep up with us, you can visit my new website at www.dwaynespearman.org to get the latest information, keep up with my articles, teachings and other happenings in our lives. We would also love to hear from you as well and how we can continue pray for you and your family.

Also, please keep Pastor Greg Rangel and his family in your prayers as they step in to take over Borderland Calvary Chapel and take it into the future. I have every confidence that God has called him and his family to do this and will provide for him just as he provided for me. I encourage the people of Borderland to support and love him as they have me for the past ten years and I know that God will continue to bless.

I would also encourage you, the reader, to check out what the Lord is doing at Borderland Calvary Chapel. Pastor Greg is fluent in Spanish and has started a 9:00am Spanish service followed by the 11:00am English service. In that way, your entire family can be ministered to. Take the time to check it out. I know that you will be blessed! He too will teach the Word of God chapter by chapter and verse by verse which has become the trademark of all Calvary Chapels. The vision will also continue with San Benito Christian Academy now accepting K3 to K5 for the 2008/2009 school year.

With that, I bid you a fond farewell and leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:11, “Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

CC Coastlands

I had the opportunity to teach at Calvary Chapel of the Coastlands in Corpus Christi, Texas the other night. My topic was "Hearing the Voice of God." Check it out and be blessed!

Thanks!

I just want to take a moment to thank everyone of you who have lifted up prayers on our behalf. As most of you already know, I resigned as Senior Pastor from Borderland Calvary Chapel on July 1st. My last day will be on August 3rd. We have served that body of believers for the past ten years. During that time, God has indeed truly blessed us and done so many wonderful things through that ministry. God raised up a body of believers that it has truly been a pleasure to serve. Of course, as most of you that are close to me are very aware, it has not always been a walk in the park! The old Devil was not always so pleased with our progress. However, I believe that God's will has always prevailed.

Pastor Greg Rangel stepped in on July 1 and I know that he will do an awesome job. He truly has a beautiful family and a heart for ministry. Please keep him in your prayers as well.

We have had several opportunities to consider as our next step. Thus far we have "ran" most of them down but we just don't see God leading us in those directions yet.

Please keep us in your prayers and we will update you as soon as the Lord "parks" us somewhere.