WORD From The Woods


Philippians 3:1-11
    "Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."


     Paul says some seemingly strange things is the first part of this passage.  When he says too look out for those who mutilate the flesh, he is talking about the Judaizers who believe that circumcision is essential for following God. Paul makes clear that the circumcision required by God is a spiritual circumcision, not a physical one. It's something that God does in us through salvation, not something that we can do to try and make ourselves right with God. This is what this passage is all about! There is nothing we can do to make ourselves righteous enough for God. Paul says that if anyone thinks he has confidence in the flesh, he has more! Paul was raised to be a Hebrew of Hebrews and more than that he was a Pharisee. He followed every letter of the law and it wasn't enough. Paul says that when he found Christ, he counted all of his own works as rubbish when compared to the surpassing worth of what Christ Jesus has done on the cross! We need to come to the same conclusion about our own good works. The righteousness that Paul had, and the righteousness that we as Christians have is not in any way a product of our own work. It is a righteousness given to us by Gods grace through faith in the work of Jesus Christ! Our Lord and Savior paid the full price of our redemption on the cross. If we just place our faith in Him alone, we will be saved. We are declared righteous before God because the righteousness of Christ is placed upon us. Not only did Christ make a way for us to be found righteous before God, He broke the power of death by the power of His resurrection and as believers we will one day share in the resurrection and follow Him into eternity!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Philippians 2:19-30
     "I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me."


     This is an interesting passage, it really shows the importance of genuine discipleship. Paul had spent a lot of time with Timothy, training him in the ways of Jesus Christ, much like a father teaches his son. This is what true biblical discipleship looks like. Jesus was and still is the ultimate teacher, who not only saved us from sin and death at the cross, but he made disciples of many before he returned to be with the Father. The disciples that Christ made were equipped with His teaching and indwelt by the Holy Spirit to empower them for service. These first century disciples went out into the know world and continued to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Paul took this commandment from Christ seriously. When Paul was in prison, he was able to send Timothy and Epaphroditus in his place to minister to Philippian church, and no doubt continue the disciple making process there. I really believe that the biggest problem facing "American Christianity" is that there is little to no discipleship happening in the church, and when I say church, I mean the body of Christ, not a building in which they meet for an hour on Sunday. To make disciples of Christ we must first be disciples of Christ, and we are never really “done” with our own discipleship process, it's something that God is continuing to work in us until we see Jesus Christ. We were not called to merely be saved from the pathway to hell, we were called to take gospel to the nations and make disciples of them! As I said I think that this is the biggest problem facing the church in America. We desperately need to to get back on the track of genuine biblical discipleship!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD from the woods


Philippians 2:12-18
   "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me."


     Over the last few weeks we've seen an ongoing theme of becoming more like Christ. This is really the central theme of most of Paul's letters. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, doesn't want us to just play around with the Christian life. Paul says in this passage that we should work out our own salvation with "fear and trembling." This doesn't mean that we are supposed to be terrified of God or of the Christian life, but Paul is making an essential point, that we must take the Christian life seriously! After all, didn't the Creator of the universe come in human form and live among this sinful, broken and rebellious world to bring us salvation, because he loved us so much? When I sit and ponder the incredible grace of God, it really causes me to take my faith seriously, just as Paul is calling his readers to do here.  He goes on to say that it is God who works in us as, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. God is working in us and changing us through the process of sanctification, to become the men and women that He has called us to be.  The Holy Spirit dwelling within us guides our will and our actions more and more as we become more like Christ. God takes great pleasure in this, because it glorifies Him! This is all so that we are able stand strong for Christ in this crooked and twisted world, as "lights in the world" shining brightly for all to see! Paul tells us to hold fast to the word of God until Christ returns, even if we are "poured out as a drink offering" our labor is not in vain if we are working to share the gospel with the world around us. Even when we face the hard trials of life we should be glad and rejoice in what Christ has done and is continuing to do in us and in the world!


God Bless and have a great week! -Terry-


P.S. If you’re planning on attending the upcoming Oregon Logging Conference, and want to come to our Christian Loggers Breakfast on Saturday, Feb 26th, get your tickets asap so we can have a spot for you!

WORD From The Woods


Philippians 2:1-11
   " So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."


     So far, in the letter to the Philippian believers, Paul has been calling the church to continue to grow in the spirt and become more like Christ. In chapter 2, he uses a conditional sentence to provoke the people in Philippi to examine themselves. Paul asks, "if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the spirit, any affection and sympathy, then complete my joy be being of one mind." What Paul is doing here is challenging his readers, that "if" they are truly following Christ, they are to be unified and demonstrate humility as Christ exemplified. We are never to be conceited or do things out of selfish ambition, but think of others as more important than ourselves, always putting their needs ahead of our own. Paul says we are to have this mindset, though it certainly doesn't come natural to us, it does come to us through Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Paul explains that even though Christ was both human like us and divine like the Father, He humbly choose to take on the limitations of flesh. This is the greatest example of humility that we could ever have! What we see in the incarnation is, the very one who spoke this universe into existence, condescended into this broken world that hated and mocked Him, living the perfect life for us to follow, then ultimately taking our place on the cross, not only facing the most agonizing form of death (Roman crucifixion), but also taking on the guilt and shame for all of the sins of all those He came to save! Really, what greater form of humility could there ever be?  As we seek to grow in Christ and follow his calling for our lives, we must recognize how important Christ-like humility is in the life of a believer. We can rest in Christ, and know that we don’t need to strive for things out of pride and selfish ambition, because the King who humbled Himself for us on the cross, has been vindicated and exalted higher than anything and sits enthroned in the heavens at the right hand of the Father. In light of this glorious good news, our attitude should be to hit our knees and humble ourselves in worship and adoration of that King!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Philippians 1:12-18
    "I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. "


     Last week we looked at the first part of chapter 1 where Paul told the Philippians that they were partners in the gospel. He encouraged them to grow in the grace and knowledge of The Lord that comes trough receiving the gospel of Christ so that they would be more effective in spreading the gospel. In today's passage, Paul further encourages the readers to be bold and confident in proclaiming Christ. When Paul wrote this letter he was in prison and he makes it clear that his imprisonment is actually being used by God to spread the gospel even further! Paul isn't complaining about his trial, but he thanks God for it and seeks to use it as an opportunity.  Paul was able to share the good news of salvation with the Imperial Guard soldiers who were guarding him in prison, and many of the believers throughout the Roman Empire were emboldened when they heard that Paul had been locked up for preaching the gospel. I want to encourage you as a believer in Christ to be bold and confident in your faith. I want to encourage you to seek to use whatever situation you're in as a springboard for sharing the gospel of Christ.  We don't just spread the gospel with the testimony of our lips, but more often by the testimony of our lives! What I mean by this is that many people will never read one of the four gospels of the New Testament, but they will "read" the gospel of our lives as Christians. The way we as Christians represent ourselves to the world around us, is a powerful testimony to others about the gospel.  We always need to be conscious of this fact, and we need to continue to grow spiritually so that we might be a more useful tool in the hands of the Lord for the advancing of His kingdom. Remember as you go about your work this week, that the testimony of your life, should be proclaiming Christ!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-
     ​

WORD From The Woods


Philippians 1:1-11
    "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."


    Philippians is a letter written by Paul to christians in the Roman colony of Philippi, which is actually the first church that Paul started in Europe.  I love how Paul addresses the readers of his letters. He always starts by giving thanks, praying for and encouraging the believers that he is writing to, to keep fighting the good fight faithfully until the end.  I wish that we, in this day and age, could learn to have a heart like Paul for our brothers and sisters in Christ!  I really like how Paul tells the Philippians that they are "partners in the gospel," we, as believers today, are still partners in the gospel of Christ!  Verse 6 is one that most of us know by heart, "He who began a good work in you, will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ," what this means is that when we placed our trust in Christ as our savior and Lord, He began the work of sanctification in our lives.  Sanctification is a process in which we are changed into a person that is set apart to be used by God, this is not of our own doing, it's something that God is doing in us through the power of the Holy Spirit and it’s a process that won't be fully completed until Christ returns. This is what Paul is talking about when he says that it's his prayer that love may abound more and more, with all knowledge and discernment. As partners in the gospel and partakers of grace we will grow more and more in these ways (which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit living in us) and become more like Jesus Christ and more bold in spreading the gospel of His Kingdom. As you head out into the world this week, keep your eyes on Christ and seek to become more like Him in your daily life and share the good news of salvation with the world around you!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD from the woods


Colossians 1:15-23
     "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister."


    This is without question, one of the most incredible passages in all of scripture! These verses emphasize the most important and central point of Christianity, the glory and preeminence of Christ. The first verse, says that Christ is the firstborn of all creation, this doesn't mean that He was created first, the very next verse says that He created everything! The term firstborn is a way of telling us that Christ is above all things, He has always existed as the second person of the triune God. Just as in many cultures, the firstborn son becomes the head of the family, so Christ is the head of the family of God, the head of the church. And merely the head of the church, since He created all dominions and authorities, He is over and above all rule and authority. Christ is King over everything in heaven and on earth, and nothing happens that He is not sovereign over! When Paul says, that Christ is the firstborn from the dead, he is telling us that Christ was and is the first to be resurrected, and one day we will follow Him in resurrection!  We are told here, that all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Christ, this tells us that while He walked the earth, he was still 100% the almighty creator of everything. Our savior Jesus Christ, lived and breathed and walked this world to set a perfect example for us to follow, and in the process He became the perfect, unblemished, Lamb of God who was sacrificed in our place on the cross. Through this, God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him, that even sinners like us can be presented as holy and blameless before The Father. Paul charges us to continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of this gospel, which has been proclaimed in all creation! Praise God that he has sent His Son for us! When I think about who Christ is, and who I am as a broken sinner, it's almost unbelievable that He would let me come to the table of grace and have the kind of forgiveness that only He can offer and then serve Him as King and Lord of all!


God bless and have have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Jude: 24-25
   “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”


This week, we’re at the end of the short letter of Jude. These last two verses are one of the greatest doxologies in the entire Bible. Last week, we talked about the judgment that awaits the false teachers and enemies of Christ if they continue in their rebellion against Him. This passage points us to the glory that awaits us, if we are indeed in Christ! I love how Jude puts it “to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present us blameless.” That really sums up the gospel! It’s Christ alone who is able to keep us from stumbling in this life. I think it was R.C. Sproul who said, “if we could loose our salvation, we would.” If it was up to us to keep ourselves from stumbling, we would stumble and fall from grace every single day. We should read this passage and hit our knees in worship and praise to Him who keeps us from stumbling. It’s Christ who saves us and Him who keeps us saved though this life, and then at the end of it all, on the day of judgment, He will present us to the Father, blameless, redeemed, resurrected and restored! And as this passage says, He will do it with great Joy! The last verse give us all the assurance we need to look to for all of it. Jesus Christ is our God, the only true and living God, the Lord of all, the King of Kings! In Him is all Glory and He has all authority and Dominion over every thing in the universe, before time even began, and right now and forever! If you read these devotionals before Christmas, you know I talked a lot about the dominion of King Jesus. I think that in the crazy and confused world we’re living in right now, one of the most important things that we need to rest in, is the dominion of Christ, the sovereign authority and reign that He has over His creation. Though we don’t know exactly what His plans are, and we may face more and more trials and tribulation in this life, we can rest in the fact that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and that He has all authority in heaven and earth, and that nothing is out of His control (Psalm 2, 110, Isaiah 9, 1 Cor. 15). The world tells us that everything is just a process of random natural process, just molecules in motion bumping into each other. We know that there are no rouge molecules, nothing happens that the Creator doesn’t know about, or that He didn’t design and call into being with purpose and authority. That God, is the same God that still holds all things together at this very moment. So, when you read the words of Jude in this wonderful little passage of praise and worship, keep all of this in view and rest in the goodness, glory and dominion of the King! Walk out into the world, and live like the Savior who saved you and keeps you saved is the King who still lives and reigns supreme as the ultimate over everything you face!


God bless, and have a great week! -Terry-     ​

WORD From The Woods


Jude: 4-23
“For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”


    Last week we looked at the first part of the letter from Jude , where he called believers to be bold and contend for the faith. In this next passage, he warns the church about false teachers and all sorts of ungodly people, who would rebel against God and His people. He also boldly talks about the judgment that awaits those who continue in their rebellion. He points back to the evil and rebellious cities, Sodom and Gomorrah and how they were destroyed by fire. Jude says that Sodom and Gomorrah serve as an example of the eternal judgment that all who die in their sin and rebellion will face. In today’s christian culture, there is very little talk about pointing out false teachers or calling people out in their sin and rebellion. It’s become all about how Jesus loves us and just wants us to be happy. The Lord Jesus Christ does love us, and wants us to have joy in Him and joy in our fellowship with each other. But the point of our life on earth is first and foremost to glorify Him. And the Lord will have nothing to do with evil. Jude didn’t hold anything back! He says that the Lord comes with tens of thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment on all the ungodly sinners who have committed all kind of evil rebellion against Him. after Jude gave this warning, he calls the church to build up each other in the faith, praying to the spirit, keeping yourselves in the love of God and waiting for the mercy Christ that leads to eternal life! That’s the gospel! Sin and rebellion leads to eternal destruction in judgment, the gospel of Christ leads to eternal life! Jude says it’s an act of mercy to point out the judgment that is coming on the ungodly and present them with the gospel. He actually compares it to snatching them out of the fire, because that’s exactly what happens when someone is saved by Christ, they are saved from the fire of eternal judgment! It’s true that God is love, it’s because of HIs love for us that He made a way for us to be saved at all. But it is not loving for us to avoid harsh talk of judgement for sin. I think Jude makes it clear that it’s actually unloving to not talk about it, to not call sin what it is and point people to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is all part of contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.


God bless, have a great week and contend for the faith!
-Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Jude: 1-3
“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,
To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”


    I’ve been wanting to write some devotionals on the book of Jude for a while. It’s an interesting little letter with some pretty harsh, matter-of-fact language, so it seems fitting for a bunch of loggers…. Jude was one of Jesus’ brothers by Mary and Joseph. It’s interesting that he mentions that he is the brother of James but never mentions being the brother of Jesus. Instead Jude says the he is a servant of the Lord Jesus. He could have claimed the he was related to Jesus by flesh and blood, but he doesn’t, he only claimed to be tied to Jesus in the spirit by means of salvation through the blood of Christ. This is really significant, and points us to the reality that nothing in our flesh can get us to God! It’s only by surrendering our heart to Christ and being covered by the blood of His sacrifice on the cross that we’re saved! The intro to this letter is short and sweet. This letter is written to the church, the true followers of Christ, the “called,” those who have been called and saved out of darkness, loved by God and kept in Christ. Next week, we’ll look at the harsh words Jude has for false teachers and those who rebel against God. But for the believers in Christ, he says that mercy, peace and love will be multiplied to you. He goes on to point out our common salvation. In whatever walk of life you’re in, what ever time, place and culture you live in, we are all united in one common community of faith in Christ Jesus. Jude says he found it necessary to write to this community, the Church, to appeal to us to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to us, through the life, death and resurrection of Christ! That word contend means to earnestly struggle and fight for something with everything that’s in you. Jude calls us to stand up and fight for our faith because it’s necessary. Why? Because there is and enemy of Christ, the devil, who is always at work trying to destroy the cause of Christ and as Christians, we are called to represent Him in this world and fight for the faith! Next week, we’ll take a look at what Jude says concerning the judgement that comes on those who rebel against Christ. Until then, keep your eyes fixed on the King and stand for Him!


God bless and have great week! -Terry-