No Wiggle Room

No Wiggle Room 

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 (ESV) 

Every so often I attend Sunday night service at the Colony Chapel on the grounds of America’s Keswick. Most of the time it is because I am getting to watch the graduation of those Colony men (and those Women of Character) whom I (and my own woman of character) have gotten to know. It’s a privilege to have any one of these men ask me if I would come out, watch them receive their Bible and meet their families. It is worth the drive all the time. The most recent trip there was a really blessing. Five men, three colony and two disciples, all were acknowledged and then there was a three “R” sermon that Pastor John Hibbard gave us from John 1:11-13. And just so he knows I was paying attention the three “R’s” were…rejection, receiving and regeneration. 

So I have these “R’s” in mind as a drive home and pop an audiobook into the CD player. The title of it is “The Nonnegotiable Gospel” and is by Dave Hunt of “The Berean Call” fame. And I’ll tell you brothers something…there ain’t any wiggle room in this message. It also had three elements to it and they are, who Christ is, who we are and what Christ’s death accomplished. Run this through those three “R’s” and it is pretty plain to see. 1) It is not too smart to reject Christ who is fully God and perfect, sinless man in one Person. 2) We are hopeless sinners who need to receive salvation from an eternal death. 3) We are regenerated through what Christ death has accomplished---payment for our debt of punishment because of sin. Between Pastor Hibbard and Dave Hunt my sleep that Sunday night did not go too soundly. There just ain’t any wiggle room…period. 

Then comes the Tuesday night men’s Bible study that I attend. We are studying 1 Peter and we are in chapter one and tonight we look at verses 13-16. Well unbeknownst to me these brothers have been using a book in their Sunday school study called, “The Pursuit of Holiness.” (Sidebar here: I do not attend this church but it was my covenant church after my graduation from the Colony of Mercy) This a book I am quite familiar with from my days at the colony and as if in one accord we all agree…there just ain’t any wiggle room. We refer back to what Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-2 and we can see the parallel there, so much so that a comfortable silence fills the room when we once again reach one accord. Then this silence is broken by a question, “What has happened to the church body’s pursuit of holiness?”

My answer, “There just ain’t any wiggle room.” You see in the cultural holiness that has engulfed much of the Church today, it is okay to be or not to be as holy as the next guy. This leaves some space to think we are pretty good people so long as we not axe-wielding, homicidal maniacs eating fruit loops on our front porches. But this thinking will not help us on the how to attain one of the attributes of God, will it? Absolutely not! All this does is give us an easy way of saying, “It was the woman whom you gave to be with me” or “The serpent deceived me”. If we openly call ourselves children of God then we cannot take for granted that, through the Son, He adopts us into His family and regenerates us by His grace.  

Now granted, when we find ourselves between a rock and hard place, knowing what the right thing to do may not come to the forefront of our finite mind. But to know what the right thing is and then be reluctant to do it may not be a good position to be in with the Creator. In 1 Corinthians we find this promise, “NO temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Would you agree with me today that this is the kind of promise that encourages you to get off the front porch, put down the fruit loops and to continue on with your pursuit of holiness? If it is then AMEN but if it isn’t, don’t look to me for the milk to go with those fruit loops, I prefer A-1 sauce and steak!!  Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a regular contributor to Freedom Fighter

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Chronicles 4; Psalm 119:89-96; Proverbs 21

Compass Pointers: “Oswald Chambers warned lest, in our zeal to get people to accept the gospel, we manufacture a gospel acceptable to people and produce “converts” who are not saved. Today’s most popular perversion is the “positive” gospel, which is designed to offend no one with truth. One of our most popular televangelists, for example, has said that it is demeaning to call anyone a sinner and that Christ died to restore human dignity and self-esteem. He claims to win many to Christ with that seductive message---but such a gospel does not save sinners.”  The Nonnegotiable Gospel  Dave Hunt

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 20:5; Level 2: Proverbs 20:1-7

Anchored to the Rock: Many times I have been driven to prayer. When I was in Bible School I didn’t know what to do with my life. I used to walk the streets  … and pray, sometimes for hours at a time. In His timing, God answered those prayers, and since then prayer has been an essential part of my life. – Dr. Billy Graham