Life in The Red Zone!

Purpose of Salvation

Brandon Phillips — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:25:57 +0000

I have been chewing on a question for about 3 months now. The question was asked by John Piper at Passion 2011 in Atlanta. Piper has always been and interesting speaker to me but until recently I saw him as confusing and too intellectual. God has been using the ministry of Desiring God, Piper’s ministry, to challenge me spiritual and to get some thoughts on theology flowing.

The question is “Do you feel more loved by God because he makes much of you? Or do you feel more loved by God because he enable you to make much of Him?”

This question is from a message called “Getting To the Bottom Of Your Joy”

One statement stood out to me…

“millions of nominal Christians have never experienced the fundamental alteration in the foundation of their happiness. To be born again regenerate is to experience at the bottom an exchange the most fundamental thing that happens at new birth. My self as the source of all my joys my self being made much of ceases to be the bottom and God becomes the bottom.” – John Piper

That statement makes sense to me. When we look at the way “Christians” are living their lives it is easy to see that they/we are living out a very self-centric salvation. We believe that Jesus came to die for my sins. The first thoughts of a lost person who is being drawn by God are selfish because that is who we are at the very root. But it is when we stay at this point, salvation being about us, that Christians just don’t get it.

When we stay at the point that salvation is first of all about us then the purpose of Christ death on the cross is fulfilled when we are saved. We can see that many Christian believe this because of the way they live out their salvation. Again if salvation is about us then there is no reason why we should live out our faith in the world. To see the error in this?

But when we realize that Christ main purpose for dieing on the cross was the same purpose he was sent to earth, then it changes the way we should live out our salvation. We are saved not to sit in a pew but we are saved to give glory to God. So when we see our purpose of salvation about God’s glory we should be more apt to share his glory outside the walls of the church building.

Let me ask you again.

“Do you feel more loved by God because he makes much of you? Or do you feel more loved by God because he enable you to make much of Him?”

Rescued

Brandon Phillips — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:41:00 +0000

I am overwhelmed to think about Christ saving me. A lot of time when we are told the Christmas story and we see Jesus come into the world so peacefully but he did not come to be peacefully integrate into the world. Jesus came to forcibly change the way society was living and worshiping god.

I mostly just posted comething because I have not in like 2 months

Hurry Sick! – Slow down

Brandon Phillips — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:59:12 +0000

There is nothing new under the sun….

I am so tried! Have you ever had one of those days, weeks, or years when it seems like you can’t catch up? When there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done? all of this can be contributed to us trying to do much. Our world is so performance driven that it asks us what are you doing for me, get all you can and who cares who you hurt in the process. we end up hurting those we love most dearly. that is why many people who have spent their lives “climbing the corporate ladder” end up losing their families in the process, when we spend so much time focusing on one thing something has to miss our and it is usually our relationships mainly in two areas. our family and our relationship with God.

God wants a personal relationship with us. He modeled this in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ best quality , besides His deity, is his interest in people. when asked to sum up the all the law and the prophets he said simply it is about relationships. Love God and Love People. Hurry is the enemy of love and is of the devil. When we are hurried all the time we end up skimming our life instead of actually living it. in John 10:10 Jesus said ” I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.”

The way we access that abundant live is to pugged into the source. the way we get plugged into the source is to spend time with Him. But again in our fast paced world there never seems to be enough time to just sit and be in His presence. It was actually at Jesus’ busiest and most important times in His life that he went away to a place of solitude. Just after his baptism he went to the desert, were he was tempted by the devil. Remember the bad storm and Jesus is resting, solitude. After he learned of John the Baptist death Matthew 14:13 says “he with drew from there to be alone.” After the feeding of the 5000 instead of celebrate the miracle he just performed Matthew14:23 instead tells us “he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” And in the garden of Gethsemane he leaves the disciples to go into solitude and pray.

The cure for Hurry sickness is what Ortberg calls “slowing” and it really is just like it sounds it is slowing down. It involves cultivating patience by deliberately putting ourselves in situations where we simply have to wait. Such as driving in the slow lane, getting in the longest line at the grocery store, or not wearing a watch or looking at the time all day. We will discover that we can survive without hurry.

a few things to try to slow down

drive in the slow lane.

get in the longest line at the grocery store

don;t wear a watch for a whole day.

I need this. my prayer is that if any one reads this they will see the importance of slowing and solitude.

God Bless,

Brandon

Joy

Brandon Phillips — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:23:54 +0000

Joy is the motor to life. have you ever seen someone with so much joy that it is infectious? You know the kind of person it seems like they are always happy. I am not talking about high school cheerleaders who have pep. I am talking about real, excitement, genuine joy. Joy that can only come from seeing God everywhere. when you think about joy is the reason we do anything. we endure years of intense piano lessons, or baseball practice for the joy in the end. it is the reason Christ endured the Cross “for the joy set before Him”. I don’t know what you are up to today but I hope you will try to practice joy and celebration.

just a ramble

Brandon Phillips — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:32:25 +0000

So Yesterday I went and bought a lawn mower. I wish it actually mowed the lawn. it turn out I have to push it (just kidding I knew i would have to operate it). Maybe mowing the lawn will be come one of my favorite things to do. There is this guy his name is Brother Lawrence I think he was some sort of a monk. in his book “practicing the presence of God” he said “what would it be like to make everything you do a worship experience?”. he talked about how even washing dishes could be a worship experience, that would be so cool but hard at the same time. we all fall so short and hear of people with less resources and time than us doing greater things for God. I wish that i could do great things for god all the time, not forget to honor him sometimes.

It’s Morphing Time!

Brandon Phillips — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:16:42 +0000

I am re-reading the book “The Life You’ve Always Wanted” by John Ortberg. I would definitely recommend it. at first I had to read it for a class I was taking. Even then I saw that it was a good book but because i was forced to read it i didn’t get all I could from it. The premise of the book is developing your spiritual life through “spiritual disciplines for ordinary people”. When you hear the words spiritual discipline what come to mind? at first it may be a monk with a hood over his head in a monastery somewhere, or you may think of the disciples of Jesus and think you could never measure up. It seems like almost only Pastors and Saints should even worry about spiritual disciplines but that is not true. Ortberg says in his book and I have to agree” the primary goal of spiritual life is human transformation”. We all want to be better people. we all want to be able to stand up to temptation and live lives worthy of being called a Christian.

I like this book because it put it in simple terms and makes you feel like you can do better. so many times we feel over whelmed buy the world and its temptations that we feel we are never going to make any progress in our spiritual lives. we see this even in Paul letter to the Romans in chapter 7 he says ” 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.

Paul is trying to understand the battle in side himself. When we become Christians sin does not just disappear if anything we are more aware of it. So sin is even more around us because we are more sensitive to it. And even thought we want to do good we are not yet capable to resist some temptations. Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! And in Philippians 1:6 I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. so even thought it may seem like a long road to transformation in the spiritual life it is possible. Paul warns us against trying it on our own. it takes practice and that is where your quite time, or the spiritual disciplines come into play.

I hope maybe you are encouraged top read Ortberg’s book or just encourage. I will continue to read the book and let you know what the Lord shows me.

May God Bless you and may you feel His loving embrace today,

Brandon

Hello world!

Brandon Phillips — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:25:26 +0000

Hey everyone! I have been meaning to start a blog just to let everyone in on my life. some times I might have something that interests you but most of the time probably not. I am glad there is spell check on here cause I have already miss spelled so many words at least not I will not look like I did.

What do I say?

My name is Brandon Phillips, I am married to a wonderful, beautiful, godly woman, Jenna Larue Phillips. we have been married a little over 2 years and have an 8 month old little girl named Emma and I will put pics up later. I am worship Leader Single Adult Pastor at Orange Park First Baptist (opfirst.org) and have been here since March. I am currently attending seminary via extension centers and such. I do enjoy most music and video games. I like to golf but am no good at it and hate to cut the grass. ok that’s it maybe at some point I will start writing about things people actually care about. till then see ya.