You Can’t Rush Sanctification

Alex Bangle on April 6, 2023

As Christians, we often struggle with impatience when it comes to our growth in faith. We want to become more Christ-like, to be better people, and to overcome our weaknesses and struggles. But like a child who must grow and mature before becoming an adult, we too must wait for our spiritual growth to unfold in its own time.

Sanctification is the process by which we become more like Christ, and it is a lifelong journey. We cannot rush it or force it to happen faster than it is meant to. Instead, we must trust in God’s timing and have faith that he is working in us, even when we cannot see it.

As we grow in Christ, we will face pain, strife, and failures. But we will also experience successes and moments of great joy. Through it all, we must remember that each experience is a part of our spiritual growth and that God is using them to shape us into the people he wants us to be.

Just as a child fights over things that we know are not important, we too can become distracted by things that do not matter in the grand scheme of things. It is important to keep our focus on God and to trust in his plan for our lives. When we do, we can rest assured that he is using everything for our good and his glory.

So if you are feeling impatient in your spiritual growth, remember that sanctification cannot be rushed. Trust in God’s timing, and allow him to work in you through both the joys and struggles of life. As you do, you will continue to grow in Christ and become the person God created you to be.

The Journey Home

Alex Bangle on January 16, 2023

Life’s Journey

I was reminded of this and how we are so lacking in our understanding of life as we were driving home the other way with our baby boy Ezra in the back. A mix of emotions, talking to himself, upset and eventually sleeping. It hit me that we are often like that and our perspective so limited. For our baby boy he only knows the car seat he is in and his immediate feelings of tired, hunger or wanting to see mommy or daddy. For the adults in the front it’s a 16 minute drive home, the journey is clear. We know where we are going. We know why we are going and what the plans are for the future, when we get home. But for the child, he does not know, could he even know if he was told?

God the Driver

This makes me think about spirituality and life, what if God is the adult in the front seat and we the child buckled in to the car seat. Think about this, we experience real emotions and feelings and within what we are able to experience life’s journey. We may know we’re going somewhere, but it’s hard to tell 16 years into the future, or in God’s eyes 16 minutes. We experience many feelings and emotions, maybe we ask “where is God”, we’ll he’s driving the vehicle in the front seat ensuring a safe trip home, you’re just having trouble seeing him right now.

Dangers of Life

You can continue with this; think of all the dangers of the road and life that the mom and dad protect the child of, most of which the child has no clue. How many things around us do we take for granted, because we do not see them. Maybe we cannot even see them? How many things does God protect us from. How many other things do we miss if we do not look around, blinded by our limitations of being ‘in the car seat’. It is mind blowing when you consider how many things happen every day that we just cannot grasp.

One Day

Why do the parents protect and care for their child? Because they love them and they always will, if they are good parents. The child may not always see it that way. Throughout the life’s journey the child will rebel, not understand and even get angry. The good parent continues on in their love, knowing one day they will understand better. I believe that is the same with God, He continues to love us, knowing in the day or rather age to come, we will understand the things he did, or why he did not do.

Be Still and Know That I am God [Video]

Alex Bangle on August 14, 2021

Exploring Thoughts on God, Faith and Life in Psalms 46. Something I’ve been wanting to do for a while is just make some short videos on personal reflections about God, Faith and Life. Sitting down this morning and thing through the verse “be still and know that I am God”, looking this up it’s from Psalms 46 and the CSB translates it a bit differently, so I was thinking through that and why this was on my mind.

God’s Sovereignty, Goodness and Grace [Video]

Alex Bangle on June 27, 2019

We will spend our lives and then eternity climbing the mountains of knowing God, seeking and seeing new peaks of beauty of Him, to get to the tops to only discover there is yet another peak, more majestic and beautiful than the previous.

Christ Our Solid Foundation [Video]

Alex Bangle on May 14, 2019

Teaching on Colossians 1:15-23. Why should we trust in God, why do we put him first in our life? Because He is constant and does not change. He redeemed us from the curse of the law, He is the image of the invisible God the best Gift of the Gospel. Christ Is Your Foundation in this life.

Adopted by God [Video]

Alex Bangle on April 25, 2019

Ephesians 1:1-14. Had the privilege of teaching at a youth group in April on how God’s love lead to his adoption of us as His children. Our adoption was planned before the foundation of the world, through this adoption we have the privilege of calling our God, Father.

Fully God, Fully Man

Alex Bangle on March 8, 2011

Jesus Christ, the only being who has or ever will possess this characteristic! This is huge to our faith and everything that we know. The infinite God that came willingly into a finite world! Matthew 1:18 tells us that Jesus Christ was fully human born of woman, even sharing our human characteristics and emotions Luke 2:40, Luke 2:52, Matt. 8:10, John 11:35, etc. Yet he did not share one thing with us and that was sin (1 Peter 2:22), which is imperative to all that we believe.

Scripture also shows us that Jesus was fully God, the same passage Matthew 1:18 shows us that Jesus birth was a supernatural act of God. We also affirm Christ being fully God in Colossians 2:9. “The eternal Son of God took to himself a truly human nature. His divine and human natures are forever distinct and retain their own properties even though they are eternally and inseparably united together in one person ” – Wayne Grudem. This truth is why Christ has the power to conquer and forgive our sins, it is why we live today. “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them. ” Isaiah 43:7 NLT

Our Sin, God’s Discipline

Alex Bangle on March 1, 2011

Hebrews 12:9-11 “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. “

It is first important to know God does not make us sin nor does he tempt us to sin, but rather we by our own nature choose to sin. As we all struggle with sin it is good to know that God ‘s discipline in our lives is good. That bad things that happened due to our poor actions may be God ‘s way of discipline and pruning us to be a better servant to Him. Just as earthly parents discipline when we disobey them God disciplines when we disobey Him. This should both encourage and humble us!

Mankind

Alex Bangle on February 23, 2011

We were created by God for three things. For His Glory, in His Image, and to care for the Earth. “Genesis 1:27-28 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

We were created for His Glory, not as if He needed anyone to bring Him glory as He was already infinitely glorious before creation, however He choose to create us. As we Glorify God we are filled with Joy, because there is nothing greater than God so as we enjoy and worship God and give thanks for all the good things He has made we in turn give Him glory which in turn provides us with great joy as we live how we were created to be.

Created in God’s Image

We were created in His Image. This is an amazing and beautiful things. If it wasn ‘t for this we could just put ourselves along with the rest of creation. But this says something deep about us and the way we live and think. We were made by God in His own image, in His likeness.

However because of sin the image of God in us is distorted by our own actions and sinful nature and we defile the pure image that God intended. But the bible gives us true hope, Romans 8:29 says we are being conformed into the image of His son and Colossians 1:15 talks of us as the image of the invisible God! We are in no way God nor is God like us, but we should find great joy that God choose to make us in some parts like Him.

Responsible Creation

We were created with responsibilities as creatures in God ‘s image, to “subdue it and have dominion over ” the earth – Gen 1:28. We should always demonstrate care and respect for God ‘s creation. We should enjoy and take part of God ‘s wonderful works and creations but not take advantage or abuse what He has made.

As representatives of the King of the Universe we have awesome responsibility on this Earth. Let us not forget our place with God, that we are His servants and we get the privilege of working along side of Him as He makes all things new and will one day restore His creation to perfection! Amen.

Understanding Sacrifice

Alex Bangle on February 15, 2011

Luke 9:23-25 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? “

Maybe we should just let that verse sink in to our hearts and minds. Are you willing to loose your life for Jesus Christ? Or are we trying to gain the world? I ‘m preaching tonight on Empathy, but I believe before we can truly be empathetic we need to understand sacrifice. To take up our cross and follow Him, good or bad we do it because He first loved us, He was the first to show compassion therefore true compassion comes from us becoming living sacrifices to God (Rm 12:1)