Living for Christ in a Pagan Culture

Invite your attention to or text formatting text for today. Titus chapter 3 Titus chapter 3, Paul in his third pastoral epistle. He concludes this with word to Titus to impart to the believers at the church at Crete and am sore.

Of course, to us, by extension, today Titus 31 through 15, Paul writes remind them to submit be submissive to rulers and authorities to be obedient to be ready for every good work.

As we are ready for every good work. He now tells us on some negatives and positives. Some things we should not do. If we're going to produce good works, but then also some things we should do in order to produce good works. He says to speak evil of no one to avoid quarreling to be gentle and to show perfect courtesy towards all people, for we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another but when the goodness and love and kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Christ Jesus our Savior. So that being justified by his grace we might become ears. According to the hope of eternal life. This save in saying is trustworthy and I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people when he goes on in verse nine but avoid foolish controversy is in genealogies, dissensions and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for person who stirs up the vision after warning him once or then twice have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such person is warped and sinful. His self condemned. Many concludes with a breach in an invitation for Titus to come to him.

He says in verse 12 when I sin, Artemis, or to combust to you.

Do your best to come to me at night. Couple this for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Xena's the lawyer and Apollo's today on their way see that they lack nothing and let our people learn to devote themselves to good works. This is the third time he's calling them to good works that are people learn to devote themselves to good works so as to help cases of urgent need and not be unfruitful. Many concludes in verse 15, all who are with me, send greetings to you agree those who love us in the faith. Grace be to you. Grace be to you all we want to talk today on the topic from Titus chapter 3 living for Christ in a pagan culture living for Christ in a pagan culture. There is no is certainly inarguable that we are living in some difficult times, different times. Certainly in a pagan culture. You might say.

How do we know that we are living in a pagan culture, ores, and that is the time of seemingly limitless humanism and debauchery are times I've been around us as we see our people are driven by pleasures and and less are they seeking after God we have Soren Kierkegaard and other existentialist philosophers, Nietzsche and others they would encourage us not to turn to God, but that we are to live up for ourselves. Kierkegaard gives us the first of what he calls the three ways of actually coming to ourselves. He says that we are to seek pleasure and that we are to seek it out.

We are to maximize physical pleasure and that what ever we find to do that is pleasure to us that we are to do its what ever feels good to us.

Do whatever feels good to us and do it with all our might and so if we believe are then that are pleasure is what needs to drive us.

We should have no restraints in life, we should pursue the pleasures of the word however far it takes us. Whoever we destroy at the end off it. Whoever we must use so that we can accomplish our own pleasures. We are encouraged by Kierkegaard and those who think they are so smart they wanted to prove that God was dead.

Of course, God is alive today and where are these men now, they are long gone.

A pagan culture in which we live. How do we see some of the effects among us here in the United States and am sore in other parts of the word certainly many live with total disregard for God's existence and his sovereign authority, as if to shake their fist in the face of God, as it were again men choose to be lovers of self, rather than lovers of God and again we see the total defiance against God's purposes for Ross were created in the image and likeness of God. God created the man for the woman and the woman for the man.

Notice in Genesis we see that God created Eve and he brought Eve to the man Adam did not give evil to an event near the knee give Adam to a Steve that was not God's order, but today we are told that we need to forget about all of these things that we can get with whoever we want to get with we can love whomever we want to love and we should not be restrained by that.

In fact, in today's culture is the new tolerance regarding your tolerance today. No longer is it okay that we can just exist and live with those around us with different views different sexual preferences, and so on and so forth and just get along, but today we are being told that we need to celebrate their lifestyle again. Forget God.

Though the Bible out the door. We need to celebrate the lifestyle of the immoral man Alexander so Zalewski rightfully observed that one of the biggest problem with us today is that man has forgotten his God. So therefore we find ourselves in a pagan culture today in America again and I'm sure other parts of the word. Very little disregard little regard for our government officials. We we believe as many would say they like to us intentionally in height to us and some would say we know that a politician is lying. If these are her mouth is moving up that might not always be the case, but he seems very often the case truly immorality has become the order of the day on the question we must ask, as believers, then, is how then shall we live for Christ and on the Christ in this pagan culture. The 26, Pres. Theodore Roosevelt. We notice that even as a man become more educated immorality becomes even more rampant among us in the world. Immorality increases there seems to be no end to the genius nest of manic in immorality, and so I Theodore Roosevelt, he observed, he says, quote to educate a person in mind and not in moral is to create a menace to society. And so, yes, as we become more technologically in advance as medicine. This develops as we very much need that. But the more we develop technologically and medical signs.

The more we become educated.

Really he is saying. As we educate man without speaking to the moral aspect. All we are doing is to create a menace to society's US CS Lewis. He himself observes something quite similar.

He understood that as we grew in and I was we advance as we learn as we become more sophisticated. Yes we go further and further away from God. CS Lewis observes, quote education without values as useful as it is an antecedent of it is the education very useful. But he continues again education without values as useful as it is, seems rather to make man in a more clever devil a more clever devil. Yes, we are living in a pagan culture today. Someone might ask how then would we describe or define a culture Robert Dugan offers a sevenfold description that helps us in that regard. He says culture is the ways we think and live in behavior that defines their people. They underline in our office that people's achievements. He also goes on to say is the nation's collective mind is a sense of right and wrong. The way it perceives reality and defines itself that is culture. Culture is also the morals and habits and mother strives to instill in her children back to his culture.

It is also the obligations we acknowledge towards our neighbors, our community and our government there in. We also find a sense of culture but number five.

He says it is also the worker's dedication to craftsmanship, but also the owner's acceptance of responsibilities of stewardship culture is there as well.

He goes on to say it is the standards we set and enforce ourselves and for others. Our definitions of duty of honor and of corrector and then finally he says summon it all together. He says it is our collective conscience that defines our culture. How do we see culture at work among us today. In times of social distancing. Yes, we want to be careful. But do we also want to be those that run out that we hoard and we totally forget about our neighbors and the knees around us as well. No, that's not to be named among us as believers. So, here we will find for important truths from Titus chapter 3 for important truths.

As we live in a world that is culturally upside down for income important truths that are for us as believers and ways we need to respond and live for Christ on the Christ share the gospel. As we so do you. Titus chapter 3, so let's look at the very first important truth that we see in Titus chapter 3 verses 1 to 3 we see that believers are called to good works, and by the way, we have the phrase good works repeated three times throughout our text, first in verse one, second in verse eight, and then third in verse 14, three times, so it must be important and perhaps even the very theme that defines Paul's concluded message here onto Titus and the church agreed and certainly to us today. We need to understand as we live in this culture. We as believers are called to good works. How then do we produce this good works to which we are called. First of all, we are told in verse one. Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities to be obedient to be ready for every good work and so we as believers reproduce good works as we live for Christ in this pagan culture by obeying the government institution of government, for example right here in our sanctuary and thrown over vicinity. Today we have less than 50 people we been told by our government officials that we should not be in gatherings larger than 50. Quite frankly, the smaller the better it is. And so many churches in our city or country in the world have stopped meeting together so as to minimize or to alleviate the community spread of this corona virus itself.

That's very wise it would be for us a bus as a church to say what forget the government let's go ahead and gather. Nonetheless, God will protect us. How foolish would that be really so here at Calvary and or leadership our obedience to the government by following what's been given to us. And so today, far fewer than 50 are gathered, we are told remind them the idea here is that this is not something new.

This is not a new message. This is something that the believers have heard before. This is something that undoubtedly the believers know and so tight that simply needs to remind them to be submissive to government. Often times experience. We have to remind our children to be submissive to their parents and certainly their children to be submissive to parents, but also, and most importantly, submit themselves to the word of God to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. When my daughters were much younger and by the way, they begged me not to mention them in my message but I say well you not been caring for them since they were born 71 the right to do it. Simple. But when they were much younger as we would drop them off at school, we would say to both of them from you nor pre-k all the way, we would say things as I dropped them off at school number one honor the Lord today and number two make mom and dad proud now at they their old age as they are no we seldom have to say the very second one now as we simply try to help them to their faith. No longer do we need to say we might be radically but we seldom say make mom and dad proud what I would still drop them off as we pray, and they go when I was there. Remember, honor the Lord today will write because I understand as they honor the Lord as they submit themselves to the leadership of the Spirit of God, they inevitably are making us proud and so the reminder might become important and necessary at times and here also. Paul says the Titus, the church and to us. Remember to submit yourself to the ruling authorities not just to submit but also to be obedient ever understand.

Notice that these two go hand-in-hand. We can't be submissive without being obedient. We can't be obedient with open submissive.

They walked together that peas and bods as it were. Nonetheless this is important and this is a part of producing good works can you imagine the testimony the witness we leave to our neighbors in the unsaved world that is always watching us. They met not always live the way we live. They might not listen to us at times in the workplace and on our college campuses and along the street.

As we walked might stay away from us because might say with their debility to holy. We always want to come and talk about the word of God and try to share the gospel. Sometimes they might not want to hear it. But one thing is for sure that you are I mess up along the way. They may be the very first ones to point it out.

I also have that in my home and or daughters have the right to share with me and to call me on anything that I mess up on and so here we need to live as a public witness as we share the gospel. Even in our response to the government paying our taxes, it ought not to be numbered among us as believers that we would just say forget the government. Why should I pay my taxes that would not be a good witness that would not be good works, and so we are called as believers in this pagan culture to produce good works. Paul goes on to write as reproduce this good work. These good works there some things we need to do and there something that we ought not to do. First of all negatively. He says we ought to speak evil of no one, certainly, that wouldn't be characteristic of Christ in the work of the Holy Spirit within us, we ought not to be known as those who are busybody going about spreading rumors, telling lies, speaking evil of others around us. This does not mean however that we cannot call evil evil. It does not mean however that we cannot demonstrate righteous indignation in the face of evil around us. If a particular individual does something that is evil. Want to call it as it is what we don't want to do. We don't want to speak lies in speak evil of others. We need to avoid beating quarter. Some of you may know some people. They made quite a ministry out of being poor and some you will very close to them. You just look bad at them and I want to quarrel with you in Jamaica. We would say I'm about to tell you a piece of my mind or I'm about to give you a piece of my mind.

Often times I would say to someone you don't have enough mind to begin with. To be given it away. You better keep it.

You will need it.

And so we don't need to be known as those wall quarrel some that would not be the material of good work. It would not be exemplary off. Good work without not to do these positively. What should we do, how should we live as believers we intend to produce good works in this pagan culture so that the gospel of Jesus Christ can be presented can will be presented without hindrance. Paul tells us that we are to be gentle. Notice that this is quite the very opposite of a personal response of a person who scores something is not going to be known as someone who is gentle, we would much rather be close to a person really deemed to be quite gentle and we would want to stay away from someone who is very quarrel some very repel us as it were. We are to be gentle just so happens that that this is a very good aspect and certainly a part or a prong of the fruit of the spirit is receiving the listen chapter 5 verse 22 through 23. Also, Jesus himself was known to be very gentle.

He wants to take all your upon him because it he's very gentle. He is very meek and lowly as we see in Matthew chapter 11 and verse 29. So yes, as believers, we intend to live for Christ in this pagan culture. We must produce good works, and a part of doing so is to be gentle, but he also says goes on that we are to show courtesy to all people, not just those who look like us, not just those who speak like us, but we are to show courtesy to all people to see every single person as God sees them, created in his image and likeness, loved by him need to be saved need to be discipled, as it were, to present the gospel to lava to leave for interesting year to be courteous if you may, with all people, but he also goes on to say that we need to set aside or former manner of living freshly living what is that prior to coming to faith in Christ. How are we known he's going to develop that in a little bit, but we were known to be those who are liars. We follow the devil our father, as it were we deceived. We were very deceptive. No one could trust us not to live like that now that we believers.

Our lives must be categorically different if we intend to produce good works for Christ. And so as not to hinder the propagation of the gospel in our times. The question is for you and me.

How are we doing in this area are we producing good works. Are we known as those who are producing good works only spoken about by those in our schooling in the workplace on our street or neighbors when they think of you and called you by name or see you coming due date quickly go to the other side.

If they're all walking they see you in the grocery store due to kind of a take the phone out and pretend as if they're on a call talking the to themselves just so as not to have a conversation with you because they don't trust you can't share something with you because you will not keep it to yourself and you claim to be a believer is not the way we produce good fruit. As believers we are to be different. Why Paul reminds us in second Corinthians 517 if any man is in Christ, we are a new creature. The old things have passed and the new has come. So as this new, we also must walk and live in that newness of life. If we intend to produce good works as we are called to do for Christ. As we live for him in this pagan culture. So then believers are called to good works.

Secondly, believers are generated for good works. We are not saved by our works were going to be told. But having been saved by the work of Christ on the cross we are to produce good works. Notice he says in verse four, quite clearly, as we look at the text. Paul continues in his word to again Titus for the church at at at Crete and also to what he says but when the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us the goodness of God was manifested to us through the person of his son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the one who came into the world, the one who loves us to the very point of death, and one of the most familiar verses that most of us would know from Scriptures John 316 for God so loved the world, or God loves the world to this extent that he gave his only begotten son to die on the cross for us, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

This is the work that saved us he is the loving kindness of God our Savior, when he appeared, he saved us, not because of works. Paul reminds us in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 with not been saved by works, lest any man should boast. But in verse eight we been saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. That's how we have been saved so he goes on to tell us is not because of works done by us in righteousness again. Isaiah we are coming to that text.

Chapter 63 very shortly in our read through the Bible program where Isaiah's gonna remind us in Isaiah 64 verse six that all righteousness near as filthy rags before him.

Weekend doing nothing meritorious of salvation were saved by the grace of Christ alone is not beautiful that we need to understand that, and then to notice the work of the Holy Spirit in that he goes on to say in verse five he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness God according to his own mercy. His own mercy when organ is the gift of God, his own mercy. His own grace, as it were, by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. So yes, it is not all will work that saves us is the work of God himself. All members of the Godhead involved in our redemption on the cross. Yes, the sun, he placed his body on the cross, the father sent him we see the work of the Holy Spirit.

Here, in the regeneration because now we have been washed. This is a salvific washing of regeneration that takes place here. We want to confuse this with some was some might walk away saying, well, yes. So there is evidence that baptism says no.

This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

This is not water baptism that is taken place here. We have been washed.

This is then the instrument by which we have been saved.

The loss in is that means by which we have been saved. Paul reminds us about the importance of this.

Also in Ephesians that the five in verse 26 as he talked about husbands, how they are to cheer for their wives and uses the very same term.

There as well. James 18 calls us and shows us the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit. Again in the washing off the believer and you pause and read that for us because that's a very important verse in James one in verse 18 we are told of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creation.

Having been saved.

Now we are that firstfruits, he brings us forth as a firstfruits of his creation.

No longer are we dead. We have been regenerated and brought forth. We have been made alive in Christ Jesus to the believers we need to understand we need to remember we need to live in this pagan culture as if we truly have been regenerated by the work of the Holy Spirit, and so therefore we are regenerated or good works. Again, not saved by our work, but we have been saved to work, so we must understand this relationship that we have with God himself. No longer are we cast off. But no, we are brought in and we are no ears. Verse seven goes on to say so, that being justified by his grace we might become ears. According to the hope of eternal life he gives us eternal life. We were once a far off. He has brought us near the has brought us into his house into his family. No longer are we enemies longer always separated, but we've been saved by grace we have been washed by the spirit of God himself received being made and you. And if we been made and you are since we been made anew.

We need to live as those who are, and that involves producing good works on the sign. The nature and value.

If you may, of eternal life. Even in these times of the corona virus.

Whether you are not getting are not whether we know someone who has it, are not your people around us were listening to the stats on the news almost on a daily or hourly basis.

What does this do to a believer who contracts this coronavirus absolutely nothing. Even if God allows anyone we realize that in most cases are people who are contracting this disease are not dying from it. But even if God were to allow death physical death to come to someone what was that, then do for us. He certainly would not impact over eternal security because we would have been saved and eternally saved and that the apostle Paul says would simply be absent from the body and present with the Lord. And so we want to produce works works until the very end, realizing that we have been called to good works, realizing as believers we been regenerated for good works and we want to produce good work on till the very end. We want to become unfruitful.

We don't want to sit around to become idle and waste our time.

We must serve Christ now in our time. One way not to do that again is for us not to go out to the grocery store's and going try to buy up everything we can find some others trying to get a bottle of milk or whatever it might be the nominee.

How many rows of teeth you we really need to have no nose is running out of stuff and I ended it on these garden stores owned more improvement. What's really going on honey should we really be out of snow shovel at a time like this we will do his snow shovel during the coronavirus service showed me a video someone sent her a few days ago with this man going around his house and showing in every Jamaica was a nook and cranny.

Every little space he could find. He had something there on top of his kitchen, counter our cupboard, and it was a lying with cooking origins mirrors bottles of cooking oil and and all the stuff behind it in the sugar and the rise in and everything you could think up there there and he was documenting this really so in all I supposed pulpit. He was, but should that be the way we live as believers is not really sailfish on to do rather than getting what we need them trusting God for daily needs, and most of us know really live like that. We have enough work at the base really, but that ought not to be of us. If we intend to produce good works. Thirdly, the believers are to be to devote themselves to good works. Verse eight.

Believers are to devote themselves to good works. This saying is trustworthy and I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works must be careful to devote themselves to good works to give themselves to good works. If our lives were a dollar bill as it were. We are to spend this currency for the Lord. We ought to this aliveness currency for the Lord so that perhaps like the apostle Paul Wheatley will could say for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. If we live our lives in these times, and perhaps any other time simply for ourselves and we were to die, not knowing Christ would have been a total loss apostle Paul in Philippians 121 uses a financial term.

In other words, when we invest our lives in the things of Christ, we do not lose but we gain. What do we gain we actually gain more than we put in. So as believers is important that we ask ourselves is Matthew did ask ourselves where our treasures because we are treasures are there we find our heart also write whatever we treasure. We are going to dwell on these things.

If we are to devote ourselves to good works, we cannot shredder the things of the world. We cannot shredder the pleasures of the word we must shredder the things of Christ, we must live for him. Notice he says this is a trustworthy saying I want you to insist on this. This is very important as believers, we ought to devote ourselves that we devoted ourselves yesterday. We must continue to devote ourselves today and tomorrow. We must also devote ourselves, we must continue to be bought ourselves to good works is not just something to have done yesterday or last week, last month or last year's have done my part, I'm good to go, but we must continue to devote ourselves to good works. What if the apostle Paul, Timothy, Titus, and some of these men hadn't devote themselves to good works. Where might the church have been today.

If God wants to accomplish something for you and me. Yes, he wants us to be obedient to his call that we are to go out the cause and effect, then of the doctrine that we read about earlier over the doctrine of salvation as we saw in verses four through seven. Now we are seeing the effects of this as we work this out as we devote ourselves as we get practical in good works. How do we know this want to help each other out. I think was Tuesday of last week.

Nor read through the Bible program. We got to Isaiah chapter 41 and in verse six we are told that we are to serve each other as we are to do good to each other.

Listen to what that says everyone help his neighbor and say so. His brother, be strong, what is God given you that you can share with a neighbor. What experience as God given you is not just for you initially at the moment. It might be for you.

There would be some lessons that you and I will learn through these experiences, but God doesn't expect us to keep it to ourselves. God expects us to share it with each other on the buy verse 10 we are told we don't need to be fearful. Why, because God is with us. We don't need to dismay because God is our help he isn't there. He is our refuge and our strength. We then as believers should not live in fear.

It doesn't matter what comes in the world is not the first pandemic we will have experienced perhaps in some of our lives that I'm might be the first. This is not the very first I will remind ourselves that God is greater than the coronavirus and any other disease that we have ever seen on the face of this planet. What is God knowing I cannot presume to speak for God, and some have sent me some some some notes trying to encourage me to the think about what God may be doing through this and there may be some truth to it, but I really don't know what God is doing and look forward to see what God is going to perhaps one of the thing is for us to slow down, spend some more time on our knees reading the word of God.

Spending time with family appreciate the family that God has given us, and spend more time worshiping God when all of these fanfare of life as spade behind us when we can get the 67 general case of tissue from the store because we already have 6 to 6 at home.

What then do we put our hope that we put our trust in these items that we can gather as important as they are. Some of these are basic necessities of life.

But do we put our hope in them. What happens if we broke open them in the house goes up in frame or someone realizes you posted a video stored all the things you have and that they decide to come and borrow some of them permanently in the middle of the night. What happens then. Apostle Paul reminds us in first Corinthians 15 that our hope in Christ is not limited to this word, but I hope transcends this word, and so we need to live as we devote ourselves to good works and no that God is in full control and he will protect and provide for his people. So even if the government gives us some sort of a rule that we should follow. At what point do we disobey. There is a point to which we can disobey we can disobey. The government asked us to do something that would cause us to sin against God.

Of course we would disobey that I have long taught my daughters you have the right to disobey me. Your mom and any other adult ask you to do something that is wrong that his MRI that is simple, but is against the very nature and character of God. Whoever that person is graciously lovingly with a smile that I can't do that you step away from that. We then have the right to do so. But again, we must produce good works and then finally, believers are not just called to good works, not just regenerated for good works, not only aren't we to devote ourselves to good works, but Paul concludes you're saying that we are to as believers can tend you in good works.

We must can continue in good works. As we do so we need to avoid the fullness and unprofitable conversations.

Those that are just a total waste of time.

We are to avoid them. Avoid those who are divisive individuals, some of them might be in the church. They make a ministry out of complaining they seek to divide. We ought to avoid them again after they've been worn once or twice we are to avoid such individuals. If we are to avoid them. What we told in verses 12 through 13 that we are to attach ourselves and follow godly leaders where to avoid those who are divisive, but we are to attach ourselves to and follow godly leaders.

This is how we continue our one of the ways we continue in good works when I sin are to must or to take us to you. Do your best to come to me at night complements for I have decided to spend the winter there something may have happened in that change the plan came about and Paul decided to just stay there for water and and he is desirous of one of these two men to come and or as they come, then Titus himself.

I could go at some point, or is the nurse the lawyer mentioned the very first or only time here could also be sent to him spending time with godly leaders who would've known very godly young man was an adult, and certainly my senior then and still is known as Miguel Phillips nor little home church out of it. Gossypol in Jamaica some years ago as he called together a few young man, Philip Elvis Marlin Phillips brother Stephen and myself and he says get together on a Thursday evening and learn how to develop messages and debrief them and we will criticize each other's message and we will somehow help you to develop limited I know. Years later I would go to seminary. We pay for classes that we call sermon prep and every and in essence that is exactly the investment of Michael Phillips and we call Mingo Phillips in my life as early as that encourage us to come together, spending time with godly men, godly women investing in ourselves continuously in good works. Notice verse 14 and lead our people learn to devote themselves to good works.

We ought to invest our lives or efforts in good works living for Christ in this pagan culture. We must be a light, we must present the gospel and we do so through good works, how are we known in our community new people come to us when they have trouble problems in their marriage and their family death.

Whatever the case is do they turn to us, or are they somehow repels you and I if were constantly given ourselves. The good works will find that people are attracted to us and even in the very closing greeted what an Encouraging Word. We can encourage others along the way. When last we take the time to write to someone and just to say hi. I'm thinking of you are in today's world, we can take our phone we can send a text with the letter in the mail anymore right we send them do that. But we can spend time encouraging others just by is simple greeting and spending time with each other. So yes, as we live for Christ in this pagan word, we must understand that we are called to good works will regenerated for good works, we must devote ourselves to good works. As believers we must continue in good works. We must live for Christ. Here and now, as citizens, not just off this country but more importantly, as the song reminds us that we are citizens of heaven truly abound. Then we bout we are bound for the city of Troy. We live up just doing our business and pleasing those who we work for, and those we serve here, but more importantly where living with eternity in view. Because we know that this is not the end of it and we are not called just for this point in life, but we are investing in eternity.

So as we lay up charges in heaven through all good works. We are told that one day we will get there and we would enjoy those good works. If we are going to live, gospel centered lives as we ought to, we must produce good works in this pagan culture. We must be different categorically different, never to be confused for unbelievers when someone comes up to you.

They observe you in the community at school, at work, and yet they don't know that you are a believer.

Perhaps you're not doing something right. We can't be on the cover believers.

There's no such thing in the Scripture we mustn't have all openly overtly for Christ so others may see Christ in us and be attracted to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ live in for Christ in a pagan culture. May God help us as we take his word digested and put it into practice or father in our God, thank you for your word today. Lord we recognize and confess that we cannot live truly live for you in these times on our own.

We need your help.

And so we are thankful for the blessed Holy Spirit who indwells us. He fuels us and charges us and strengthens us to live a life worthy of the call in of Jesus Christ.

Help us Lord to honor you, not just today would also tomorrow and as long as you give us breath as we live for you in this pagan culture. In Jesus name we pray