For His Glory

History of religion in 90sec

2006-12-22T10:26:00.000-05:00

This a very interesting presentation from Maps of War:

How has the geography of religion evolved over the centuries, and where has it sparked wars? Our map gives us a brief history of the world's most well-known religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Selected periods of inter-religious bloodshed are also highlighted. Want to see 5,000 years of religion in 90 seconds? Ready, Set, Go!

Dove One - Benny Hinn's New Toy...Uh..Tool.

2006-11-30T17:17:00.000-05:00

Benny Hinn needs you! Well, he actually needs your money. You see, he has asked the Lord to speak to 6,000 people to "sow a seed" of $1,000 over the next 90 days. And who knows, you may be one of those lucky people!

You will not go without reward for your gift however. First, you get one of these cool model planes :

Secondly,

"Your name will be placed prominently in a special area of Dove One where I study and pray during my travels, where I will also pray for you and your family as I go around the world preaching the Gospel. Everywhere I fly, your name will travel with me, millions of miles and for years to come, reminding me that you have made it possible for me to go and preach as God has called me to do."

Whoa! Sign me up!

I find many things wrong and disturbing about this. People are buying into this stuff and not only does it hurt them financially, more importantly, they are deceived and end up in hell. My mindwent into question mode when i read this.

"Am I reacting on a preconcieved idea of Benny Hinn?"
"Could this be used of God?"
"Is God glorified in Benny Hinn's ministry and would buying a jet give God glory?"

And I know this has somewhat become a cliche, but "Would Jesus do this?"

Anyway, just some of my thoughts on this.

Disclaimer: I am not suggesting you send money to Benny Hinn, this is not a commercial for him or his "ministry."

Cartoon

2006-11-07T10:40:00.000-05:00

The Scandal

2006-11-06T09:25:00.000-05:00

Tim Challies has wrote a recent article on the Ted Haggard scandal. He brings up some great points that no one else seems to be talking about. If not for the grace of God, it could be any of us in Haggard's situation. In light of this state of affairs, I have already began seeing how good can come from it. As we read the news stories, listen to the tv and radio reporters, and read people's opinions and thoughts on blogs, it has caused us (at least for me) to examine ourselves. My first reaction was that of what Tim says in his article about feeling morally and spiritually superior. What foolishness! Thank God for His grace in my life. In addtion to Tim's post, I also recommend Driscoll's words on protecting ourselves from sin.

Click here for Tim's article.
Click here for Driscoll's article.

UPDATE:
Rick Phillips over at Reformation21 posted a article yesterday about this scandal. He discussed the two responses people are having about this story; "Denounce Ted" and "Just Like Ted." Below is the first paragraph of the article. He this goes into the pros and cons of each response.

It seems to me that the blogosphere reaction to the Ted Haggard scandal is breaking two ways. On one side are those who utterly denounce the man and see in him a glaring example of everything wrong in popular evangelicalism today. On the other side are those who want to stress that we are all rotten sinners "just like Ted Haggard" and that the only evangelical response is to mourn over one's own sin. As usual, there is something good and something troubling about both positions.

Click Here to Read Rick's Article

Desiring God 2006

2006-10-02T12:35:00.000-04:00

Over on Joshua Harris' blog, he recounts some of the highlights of the Q&A session of the Desiring God 2006 conference. Tim Challies (my fav blogger.) has live blogged this event as he did the T4G conference earlier this year, although he did not cover the Q&A sessions. So thanks to Josh for providing insights for these sessions. He has some particularly interesting comments about Mark Driscoll. He also reports John Piper's gentle correction of Driscoll. Below is an excerpt of Josh's blog:

The weather in Minneapolis was beautiful today. C.J., Jeff and I had a great time on the second day of the Desiring God conference.

Tonight in my hotel lobby I ran into Tim Challies who is live blogging the conference. Honestly, I don’t know how he does it. Live blogging an event like this is an amazing feat. I certainly couldn’t pull it off. I asked Tim if he was covering the question and answer sessions and he said he wasn’t because it’s too hard to cover all the content. This is understandable but unfortunate, because I’ve found these sessions to be some of the most helpful content of the conference. Not just because of the less scripted and spontaneous nature of what is shared, but because the comments are often illuminating and practical.

Let me try and give a sampling of both the profound and amusing in the Q&A discussions led by Justin Taylor: (read more)

Echo Prayer Manager

2006-09-25T09:06:00.000-04:00

If you have trouble keeping track of prayer requests, Echo Prayer Manager can help you. Echo’s handy service allows you to create and manage your prayer list, schedule times throughout the week for specific needs and automatically send yourself emails or text messages as reminders.

Echo Prayer Manager also includes a built-in prayer journal that lets you chronicle developments in the areas you’re praying for and automatically keeps track of answered prayers. Try out their 30-Day Free Trial and then consider paying 2¢ per day (i.e. $8 per year) to continue the service.

Thanks to www.therebelution.com for these links.

Stop and Think: Online Video Evangelism

2006-09-19T14:49:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite new blogs, www.therebelution.com, brought this to my attention. So, to do my part in promoting this video, here it is. Also, be sure to check out The Rebelution. Josh Harris' two younger brothers run it and they do a fantastic job. Now, onto the film:

This excellent evangelistic video was produced by Think Inc., a small Christian film company based in Southern California.

This team of like-minded men and women have accomplished what is far too rare among Christian filmmakers, successfully integrating high-end quality with an engaging and powerful presentation of the gospel.

Be sure to do your part in spreading this video. You can click here to Digg it. Also, click here to go to YouTube and rate it.

Rock Climbing in Gainesville

2006-09-06T16:46:00.000-04:00

I think I have found a new hobby. We went to The Rock Gym in Gainesville, this past Monday (Labor Day) for Bethany's birthday and I had a blast! This is definately something i want to get into. It was fun and challenging, yet at the same time it is great exercise. It felt as if I had just gotten back from working out at the gym after we were finished. We learned how to tie the knots, how to belay, how to rig the ropes and equipment, and how to catch a climber if they fall. Very cool.

Here I am sporting the sweet climbing shoes.
Learning the figure 8 safety knot.

Lending a hand.

Here I am belaying for Ethan.

The Olive Garden afterwards for Bethany's birthday.

The Great Work of God: Rain

2006-08-25T14:43:00.002-04:00

I recently was going through some of my old folders and found this article. I have read this many times before and it always reminds me of how awesome God is.

The Great Work of God: Rain
by John Piper

Job 5:8-10

But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth, And sends water on the fields. Job 5:8-10

If you said to someone: "My God does great and unsearchable things; he does wonders without number," and they responded, "Really? Like what?" would you say, "Like rain"?

When I read these verses from Job recently, I felt, at first, the way I did on hearing some bad poetry that went something like this: "Let me suffer, let me die, just to win your hand; let me even climb a hill, or walk across the land." Even? I would suffer and die to have your hand, and even walk across the land? As if walking across the land were more sacrificial than dying? This sounded to me like a joke.

But Job is not joking. "God does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth." In Job's mind rain really is one of the great, unsearchable wonders that God does. So when I read this a few weeks ago, I resolved not to treat it as meaningless pop musical lyrics. I decided to have a conversation with myself (which is what I mean by meditation).

Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God? Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream. A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come from another source on the fields. From where?

Well, the sky. The sky? Water will come out of the clear blue sky? Well, not exactly. Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea over several hundred miles, and then be poured out on the fields from the sky. Carried? How much does it weigh? Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.

That's heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it's so heavy? Well, it gets up there by evaporation. Really? That's a nice word. What's it mean? It means that the water stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down. I see. Then how does it get down? Well, condensation happens. What's that? The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That's small.

What about the salt? Salt? Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt? Well, the salt has to be taken out. Oh. So the sky picks up a billion pounds of water from the sea, takes out the salt, carries the water (or whatever it is, when it is not water) for three hundred miles, and then dumps it (now turned into water again) on the farm?

Well, it doesn't dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds of water down in little drops. And they have to be big enough to fall for one mile or so without evaporating, and small enough to keep from crushing the wheat stalks.

How do all these microscopic specks of water that weigh a billion pounds get heavy enough to fall (if that's the way to ask the question)? Well, it's called coalescence. What's that? It means the specks of water start bumping into each other and join up and get bigger, and when they are big enough, they fall. Just like that? Well, not exactly, because they would just bounce off each other instead of joining up if there were no electric field present. What? Never mind. Take my word for it.

I think, instead, I will just take Job's word for it. I still don't see why drops ever get to the ground, because if they start falling as soon as they are heavier than air, they would be too small not to evaporate on the way down. But if they wait to come down, what holds them up till they are big enough not to evaporate? Yes, I am sure there's a name for that too. But I am satisfied for now that, by any name, this is a great and unsearchable thing that God has done. I think I should be thankful–lots more thankful than I am.

Mohammed

2006-08-03T09:57:00.000-04:00

Great Quote from William S. Plumer's "The Rock of Our Salvation", written in 1867:

"Although just now somewhat shorn of his power to persecute,
Mohammed, the prophet of Mecca, still practices his sorceries,
maddens the passions of men, holds the cup of carnal delight
to the lips of his besotted worshipers, and endeavors to light
up the horrors of the grave by pointing to a Paradise of sin!"

(This apt summary of the Islam religion was written in 1867!)

New Biblical Museum

2006-08-02T10:22:00.000-04:00

Ken Ham is a native Australian who is the President of Answers in Genesis. He recently is working on a museum based on creation. I think this is great. Here is the story:

From AP News:
PETERSBURG, Ky. - Like most natural history museums, this one has exhibits showing dinosaurs roaming the earth. Except here, the giant reptiles share the forest with Adam and Eve.

That, of course, is contradicted by science, but that’s the point of the $25 million Creation Museum rising fast in rural Kentucky.

Its inspiration is the Bible — the literal interpretation that contends God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them just a few thousand years ago. Read more...

The Mimosa: Another Manifestation of God's Glory

2006-07-03T11:30:00.000-04:00

Below is a link to a video that Indiana University's Department of Biology has posted. The plant shown here is a called a Mimosa. The leaves of Mimosa have the capability to display thigmonasty (touch-induced movement). In Mimosa, the mechanical or heat stimulus induces an electrical signal, similar to the electrical potentials in nerve cells, that can move from cell to cell at a high rate. When the electrical potential reaches specialized "motor cells" in pulvini at the base of each leaflet, the folding is caused by a rapid efflux of potassium followed by rapid water transport out of the motor cells.

(Click Picture to Go to Link.)

But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. (Numbers 14:21)

This is just one amazing example out of millions that shows God's glory in His creation. What a God!

Immeasurable Riches of His Grace

2006-06-21T09:17:00.000-04:00

An excerpt from Horatius Bonar's "The God of Grace"

"Where sin abounded, grace did much more
abound!" Romans 5:20

The history of our world has been the story of
abounding sin--and far more abounding grace!

What was Abraham's history--but one of
abounding sin and super-abounding grace?

What was Rahab's history--but a history of
abounding sin and super-abounding grace?

What was David's history--but a history of
abounding sin and super-abounding grace?

What was Manasseh's history--but a history
of abounding sin and super-abounding grace?

What was the history of Saul of Tarsus, but one
of abounding sin and super-abounding grace, as
he himself declares, "The grace of our Lord was
poured out on me abundantly." 1 Timothy 1:14

What is all this world's long history--but a history
of abounding sin and super-abounding grace?

God not merely allowed sin to enter--but to spread;
not only to spread--but to increase in heinousness;
not only to increase in heinousness--but to vary itself,
and take every conceivable shape that man's wicked
heart could devise--all in order to demonstrate that
His resources of grace were adequate to meet it all.

Sin might widen its circle age after age--but grace
widened its circle and still went far beyond man's
transgression. For age after age sin ascended a higher
pinnacle of rebellious ungodliness; but grace ascended
along with it, and took its station far above it, like
a bright canopy of heavenly azure. Age after age
descended to lower and lower depths of hateful
pollution; grace went down along with it. And when
the soul found itself at the very bottom of the horrible
pit, and expected to meet nothing there but hell itself,
it found the hand of grace still beneath it, as mighty to
save, as willing to bless as ever. "So that in the coming
ages He might display the immeasurable riches of
His grace, in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:7

Great Post From Big Orange Truck

2006-06-15T09:33:00.000-04:00

Big Orange Truck is run by a guy only known to me to as "regular joe." He is a IFB pastor who has came to the realization of the Doctrines of Grace. I have enjoyed reading and have benefitted from his thoughts and insights.

Monday, he wrote a great post entitled, "Harvesting Souls or Picking Green Fruit." I would encourage you in reading it.

A Holy Lifestyle

2006-06-06T09:39:00.000-04:00

And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Timothy 2:19b

The Truth:
1. The simple principle that all who become members of the true church should live holy lives.

2. Those who love God will avoid evil.

The Response:
1. I should live a holy life because I name the name of Christ. God will keep me and help me to be holy for Christ's name's sake.

2. I should remove myself from any unrighteousness or anything that may lead to unrighteousness and it should be reflexive to do so.

The Action (Application):
1. Make holiness a lifestyle.
Strive to make it normal, not extra ordinary, to love God, keep His
commandments, love His people, and keep the spiritual disciplines in your life. God's people should not be surprised when another Christian is living in righteousness, it should be expected.

2. Take the necessary steps to not only avoid, but to actively remove or run from a circumstance that is causing us to sin or that has the potential to cause us to sin.

In order to better understand some of the words used in this verse, here are the definitions of some key words.

1. Iniquity: (legal) injustice (properly the quality, by implication the act); moral wrongfulness (of charater, life or act): - iniquity, unjust, unrighteousness, wrong.

2. Depart: to remove, that is, (actively) instigate to revolt; usually (reflexively) to desist, desert, etc.: - depart, draw (fall) away, refrain, withdraw self.

Some Updates

2006-06-01T09:58:00.000-04:00

For those very few who actually read this blog, I just wanted to let you know that hopefully, I'll be posting something new within the next week. It has been hard to keep up with this since I do not have a home computer yet.

Lately I have been reading all over the bible. I found a reading plan online that has been very helpful. Click here to go to the page. I use the Blended version. I just finished 2 Kings and will be starting Hosea later today in the Old Testament and I am still reading through Matthew in the NT.

I am also excited and kind of nervous of an upcoming class my Pastor has made available. We are going to be going through the book "Abstract of Systematic Theology", by James P. Boyce.(Thanks to Bro. Aaron for the correction) There will be exams and a final 5000 word essay (thats why I used the word nervous; Just by reading this blog you know I'm not the best writer in the world) that will have to be written at the end of the course. I just hope I have a computer by then.

I recently have been listening to CD's of the recent T4G conference and the New Attitude sermons and they have been a real encouragement to me. I just finished the first session of the NA this morning which was entitled, "The Truth - Rediscovering Humble Orthodoxy" by Joshua Harris.

Anyway, back to my upcoming post. Josh Harris used 2 Timothy 2:14-26 in his message I have been listening to the past couple of days. While I listened to him read from this passage, the last part of verse 19 stuck out to me. "And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." I was on my way home and I thought to myself that I should study that more. Well, this morning as I was looking for something in E-Sword, I downloaded a collection of writings by John Bunyan. One of the first things that I read in that collection was a sermon he wrote entitled, "A Holy Life: The Beauty Of Christianity." The text of this message? You probably already guessed, 2 Timothy 2:19b. Anyway, it seems that that verse keeps coming up so I will probably start studying that to post on. I want to try to humbly bring out the truth that this verse is proclaiming and then how it practically can be applied and responded to in my life.

And one last note, and I am saying this not to build myself up, but in humilty to those who would hold me accountable in my spiritual disciplines. I have not blogged on here or sent a email to the Catalyst mailing list in a while but that does not mean that I have been neglecting those vital practices in my life. Granted, I have not been as disciplined as I have been in the past, but God's grace has been used in my life to renew my passion in that area recently.

2Pe 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Control: Us vs. God

2006-04-25T09:39:00.000-04:00

Ecc 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Why do we sin? Why is there no righteous man on earth who never sins?

The answer I believe is control. Control is our major flaw as humans. We are not in control, and by nature, we do not like that so we rebel against it. However, even though I choose how to live, it is not my life and not my body. I belong to God. In light of this, I feel that instead of praying, "God, please do thus and so", or "Please forgive me for thus and so", sometimes, I feel I should be praying, "God, here I am, take control of me. I'm yours, use me according to your will."

Our supernatural God does not work in ways that are completely unreal to our reality however. Giving God control of our lives is not an on-the-spot transition into a sinless life. It's an expression of a desire for a sinless life. From then on, it's a total struggle to free ourselves of the control we've taken over ourselves in the past.

We live for Him. People see us whether they are Christians or not. Let's not let them see us, but let them see God. Let them see who is in control.

Bad Thinking and Unconditional Election

2006-04-12T14:46:00.000-04:00

This is an article by James Spurgeon. I think this is the best description of unconditional election that I have ever heard. Be sure to check out Pyromaniacs, which is where this was posted.

(Note: I have not changed any wording on this article. It is %100 James Spurgeon and I agree with him %100.) -Josh

Fundamental misunderstandings.

In our struggle with coming to grips with what God has inspired for us through the holy prophets and apostles there are various obstacles which we must overcome. Not the least of those obstacles is our sinful nature. Sin has affected every part of our being, especially our minds. The mind of the natural man, Paul tells us, is bent against God. It is swelled up with pride. It is swelled up about self. When we are regenerated by the Spirit of God, all the old vestiges of sin are not immediately wiped away from our minds. We still must contend with them each and every day just like we contend against all other aspects of our carnal nature.

Now, back to those fundamental misunderstandings. Our minds are flawed by imperfection and marred by our sin nature. Yet, we are told to love the LORD our God with all our heart and with all our mind. We are also told that a transformed life begins with a renewing of our mind.

Romans 12:2 (ESV)
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The renewal of our minds is a part of our sanctification, a part in which we are active participants. The reason we need this renewal is that our minds are fallen and marred by sin. In our Christian walk, we must be able to discern God's will through God's word. This makes the active renewing of our minds very important. We must always be willing to question ourselves and our own thinking. But most of us have too much pride to do that. Pride is sin and that sin brings us back to square one - our thinking suffers because of our fallen nature.

Most of us just don't want to think. Thinking requires time, it requires energy, it calls on us to examine ourselves and admit we could be wrong. We don't like it because we are prideful and lazy - sin.

That brings us to our topic. Many people who reject the doctrine of unconditional election do so because it seems unjust to them. Of course, God can do nothing unjust, so election is thrown immediately out the window. They reject it because they believe it is an attack on God's justice, and thus an attack on God himself. The reason they believe it is an attack on God's justice is because they set up the wrong model in their minds. It stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what unconditional election is.

Yes, it really is that simple.

Here's the way they view it. Say they:

Out of ten people that God created, he chooses five of them to go to heaven and five of them to go to hell - unconditionally - and there's nothing any of those ten individuals can do about it.

(If I've heard that once, I've heard it a thousand times.)

Well, no wonder they reject that model. I would, too, if I thought that's what unconditional election were or what the Bible teaches about it. But their view is fundamentally flawed. It is the wrong model.

Here's the Bible model:

Out of ten people that God created, all of them willfully chose sin and rebellion against God. They chose sin. They chose death. They chose judgment. Hell is their free choice. They willfully sin and therefore they willfully go to the place where sinners go. Unconditional election is where God says, "I am going to over-rule the decisions of five of them and in my grace I am going to change their hearts and their natures so that they will turn to me in repentance and cling to me in faith." The other five God leaves to the consequences of their own choices which were freely made. In no case does God violate the free volition of any of them. All ten get what they want. In the case of five of them, God simply changed their nature and their wants. Five get justice. The other five get grace, their just judgment being poured out upon Christ as their Substitute.

God did not choose among innocents which ones he would save and which ones he would damn. God chose among the guilty which ones he would save and the rest he left to just (righteous) condemnation. We adamantly hold to unconditional election unto salvation. At the same time we adamantly reject any model which portrays an unconditional election unto damnation.

Now, if you are going to reject unconditional election, at least have the decency to learn what it really is. Don't just lazily hold to a false view of what it is and reject that. Don't let pride and laziness stop you from gaining an understanding of the truth.

Evangelism

2006-03-20T16:06:00.001-05:00

Thoughts on Evangelism from Charles Spurgeon:

"The Holy Spirit will move them by first moving you. If you can rest without their being saved, they will rest too. But if you are filled with an agony for them, if you cannot bear that they should be lost, you will soon find that they are uneasy too. I hope you will get into such a state that you will dream about your child or your hearer perishing for lack of Christ, and start up at once and begin to cry, 'God, give me converts or I die.' Then you will have converts."

Clash Radio

2006-03-10T12:22:00.000-05:00

We had Doug Giles as a guest this morning on The Right Balance, which one of the shows I produce. Anyway, I was really impressed with Doug and his outlooks on things. He was on to talk about his new book but he also mentioned his radio show, Clash Radio. The reason I am writing this is to encourage you to listen to his show. He is also the pastor of Clash Church in Miami, FL.

Hearts Consumed

2006-03-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

For our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:29)

Fire is a interesting element. Fire burns, melts, and destroys objects. Fire is fueled by oxygen. It always burns up and not down. The smoke that is a by-product of fire will smother someone that is caught in it.

God is a consuming fire. When i read this, I think about what fire does to an object. A fire can melt away things, it will burn flesh, and it destroys pretty much anything in the way. So since fire is mainly used to destroy things, how does it fit in with God being a fire?

God, when He saved me, melt my heart. The sin that was there, has been melted away, it has been destroyed. Now that I know God and walk with Him, when sin creeps in, God turns up the fire through His word. (Jer 23:29) It consumes my heart in a way that the sin that dwells cannot survive.

We use the phrases, "I'm on fire for God" or "My fire has gone out." Well, what causes us to be "on fire" for God? Just like fire needs oxygen to burn, so the word of God is needed to be "on fire" for God. Of course it all starts with God. He is the one that starts the fire in hearts in the first place.

Another way we use the word fire is to describe passion. When God lights a consuming fire in our hearts, it is amazing how it transforms into a fire of passion for Him. I desire to live with the fire of correction that is followed by a fire of passion for Christ today.

Of First Importance

2006-03-01T17:54:00.000-05:00

1Co 15:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
1Co 15:4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

The Bible is a large book, with alot content and we are blessed that in this passage Paul singles out the center of it all. Of course, nothing in Scripture is unimportant, but nothing else is "of first importance" like the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

As with the Bible, nothing in my life should be "of first importance" than this. May the Lord help me to meditate on His word by always going back to that "of first importance".

God's Lighthouse

2006-02-20T21:49:00.000-05:00

Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

I was reading someone's comment earlier today and they made this statement: "Would God put a lighthouse in the light or in the dark where it could do some good?"

As Christians, we are like lighthouses that God has placed in the dark. When we get discouraged because of everything that is going around us, we need to remember that God has put us in this dark world for a reason. We are to let the light shine through us as a warning to those who are in the dark.

The Hinging Point

2006-02-13T09:58:00.000-05:00

What gives a widow courage to go on after her husband has died?

What is the hope of a cripple?

How can the parents of a handicapped or mentally ill child live their live free from anxiety and depression?

Why would anyone who was blind be encouraged when they think of the afterlife?

Where do the thoughts go of a couple who loses their baby?

What truth does the family of a loved one who has been tragically lost focus on?

What is the final answer to pain, mourning, diseases, sudden problems and fatal accidents?

The answer:
The hope God gives us because of the bodily resurrection Jesus Christ offers to all who believe in Him.

I believe that at the center of Christianity is the resurrection of our Saviour. Without it, Christianity would be just like any other religion. We would be serving a dead God. Our faith would be futile (worthless), as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:16-17, if Christ had not risen. BUT Christ conquered death!!! He is risen! He is in control! Praise Him! Sin-My sin and your sin- has been atoned for!

I pray that God will fill me and you with the hope of the resurrection today!

Soldiers Fit For a King

2006-01-30T09:57:00.000-05:00

Steve Camp made a comment in yesterday's sermon that I started thinking about and dug into deeper. He used 2 Timothy 2:4: "No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him." Mr. Camp said about this verse, and this is a paraphrase, A solidier on the battle field does not worry himself about the issues of the civilian. The Christian life is a war and we eat, sleep, live, and fight on the battle field. When we wake up, we must prepare for battle because we are in enemy territory.

Imagine soldiers in a forgeign field. Although they are on the battlefield, there are many distractions placed here by the enemy. There are many pleasures to indulge in here and are very tempting. At first, the soldiers are focused and resist temptation. They fight the enemy daily. Over time however, the soldiers gave in to the temptations. Pretty soon, they forgot about fighting and emersed themselves in the pleasures all around them. Of course, the enemy took them over.

As Christians, we are on a foreign battle field. The world is our battle field. We are citizens of heaven. There are pleasures all around us that the enemy uses to distract us from our focus. Praise God that He is with us!

When Paul speaks of suffering for the cause of Christ and language of being sober, ready, focused, etc.. while we are on this earth does not sound fun or pleasureable. It is not appealing to the flesh. We must get beyond our flesh! Because of Christ, we are above our flesh.

Back to the picture of a solider, when he is in the field, his motivation to do a good job is his longing for home. He knows that if he does his job and does it well, he will get to go home. During this time however, he has to make sacrifices. He necessarily does not like what he has to do, but he does it out of obedience of his commander in chief, the love his country, and his own survival.

As Christians, we necessarily do not enjoy some of the sacrifices we have to make, but we do so out of obedience to the most high God, the love for Christ, for our survival, and the promise of going home. Unlike many soldiers today, we were drafted into our Lord's army. It is a high honor to serve in the Lord's army. It is a serious and sobering thing to be a servant of the Lord.

Our handbook has been written by the King himself. We must hold fast to His Word in order to remain in communication with Him. We must take into account what He tells us, and then act upon it in order to live worthy of being His soldier.

So when we read what Paul tells us about suffering and being sober, let us be quick to listen and act. Let us run the race with perseverance, fight the good fight, and put our hands to the plow of life without looking back. If God be for us, who can be against us!

Learn to Want What is Best

2006-01-18T14:33:00.000-05:00

This is a refreshing way to look at this verse. This is from Randy Alcorn. Check out his site at EPM.org.

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me [not "wants to lose his life"] will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? Luke 9:24-25

What strikes me about this passage is that Jesus recognizes our tendency to want the wrong thing. Or, rather, to want the right thing (saving our lives), but believing in the wrong way to obtain what we want.

Notice He doesn't first appeal to us to want to "lose" our lives. He just tells us to go ahead and lose them, in acts of obedience.

However, once we do that, we will see the rewards, the outcomes of this obedience. These positive outcomes, which bring us joy and freedom, will move our hearts and heads to start wanting to do the right thing. In other words, acts of obedience can transform our desires, so we start wanting what we didn't want before, and (except in moments of temptation), stop wanting what we used to want.

There is great hope in knowing that what we want can really change. We can actually learn to want to do what is right because it is such a better way to live (not only for God's glory but for our good). We will realize how insane it was to live the way we used to. For instance, what man in his right mind would not want to spend daily time with God, be faithful to his wife, give generously to the needy and share his faith in Christ? Only a fool wouldn't want these things, because once you've tasted the joy in them, once you've come to realize what God wants for you is always best for you, how can you settle for less?

Now, how do you learn to want what is best for you? By doing it. Again, Jesus doesn't expect us to begin with wishing to lose our lives. But he expects us to lose them anyway, in obedience, for his sake. But once we do this, and learn this path we discover its benefits, that it actually saves our lives rather than losing or forfeiting them.

Then we learn a new desire, to desire the very thing he has commanded, so that we then truly want to lose our lives for his sake, so we can find them. This is the discovery: that our loving Father always commands us to do what is truly in our best interests, even if it seems a sacrifice at the time.

So our ultimate goal should be to retrain ourselves, by God's grace and with His empowerment, to want to do what is best. Our goal is to be the kind of men who can learn to want what we should want, and then LIVE THE WAY WE WANT TO LIVE.

But we cannot sit around and wait to want what is best. If we wait, our desires-which relate to our habits, as Willard says, what we do with our bodies—won't change. Rather, we step out in faith and obedience and lose our lives, denying ourselves. And then we discover the joy of that life, the freedom and release, the finding of ourselves that we thought we were losing. And we discover that when we said no to the temptation we were saying yes to what our regenerate self really wants.

So we could say that we should, "Do what you want, provided you want what is best."

Or, "Learn to want what is best, then do what you want."

This is in stark contrast to the alternatives:

1) Do whatever you want, even if it's wrong (the world's way).

OR

2) You'll never really want to do what you should do, but you should just keep doing it anyway, going against your desires.

This second way is often the church's approach; and notice how poorly it has worked!

So when we follow Christ, denying ourselves and taking up the cross and losing ourselves, the sacrifice is real, and yet...in another way it isn't. It's like the man who sells everything he has to buy the treasure in the field. His sacrifice was real, yet what he gained through it was vastly greater than what he gave for it. And hence, in the long run, the sacrifice was only temporary, not permanent. In the larger sense, it was not a sacrifice at all...for who could call it "sacrifice" when what is gained is so much greater than what was lost?

God's alternative is to do what you may not at first want to do, and do it out of faith and obedience and dependence, and then what you want will be changed, as you see that what you wanted will bring death and what you chose instead is bringing you life.

Now, your wants get transformed, so you can say with Augustine, "Love God and do as you please." Because if you really love God, you will want what He wants; what pleases Him will please you; and what displeases him will make you miserable. And no one wants what makes him miserable, as long as he knows it will make him miserable. (Except when, as in addictions, our bodies have become so trained to do what makes us miserable, we think we cannot resist them.)

So our right choices bring with them positive reinforcement. Temptation will then consist of those things which we want but have not yet learned that they will kill us. They will rob us of peace and joy, and if we were in our right minds, we would not want to do them. As we learn to want what is really good for us, we will begin to see through those temptations, realizing them for the lies they are. This will not eliminate temptation, but it will certainly reduce it.

Here are some additional thoughts that relate from my book The Treasure Principle.

This story is captured by Jesus in a single verse: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field" (Matthew 13:44).

Consider what the man must have thought upon discovering the treasure:

What a find! Unbelievable! I've got to have that treasure! But I can't just take it—that would be stealing. Whoever owns the field owns what's in it. But how can I afford it? I'll sell my farm...and crops...all my tools...my prize oxen. Yes, if I sell everything, that should be enough.

From the moment of discovery, his life changes. The treasure captures his imagination, becomes the stuff of his dreams. It's his reference point, his new center of gravity. Our traveler takes every new step with this treasure in mind. He experiences a radical paradigm shift.

Contrast this with the rich young man who pressed Jesus about how to gain eternal life. Jesus told him, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me" (Matthew 19:21). The man was obsessed with earthly treasures. Jesus called him to something higher—heavenly treasures.

Jesus knew money and possessions were the man's god. He realized the man wouldn't serve him unless he dethroned his money idol. But the man considered the price too great. Sadly, he walked away from real treasures.

This young man wasn't willing to give up everything for a greater treasure. But go back to our traveler who found the treasure in the field, who was eager to give up all he had. Why? Because he clearly saw what it would gain him.

Do you feel sorry for the traveler? After all, his discovery cost him everything! But we aren't to pity this man—we're to envy him! His sacrifice pales in comparison to his reward. Consider the costs/benefits ratio. The benefits far outweighed the costs.

The travelers made short-term sacrifices to obtain long-term rewards. "It cost him everything he owned, someone might lament." Yes—but it gained him everything that mattered.

If we miss the phrase "in his joy," we miss everything. The man wasn't exchanging lesser treasures for greater treasures out of dutiful drudgery but out of joyful exhilaration. He'd have been a fool not to do exactly what he did.

Christ's story about treasure in the field is an object lesson concerning heavenly treasure. Of course, no matter how great the value of that earthly fortune, it would be worthless in eternity. In fact, it's exactly this kind of treasure that people waste their lives pursuing. But Jesus is appealing to what we do value—temporary, earthly treasure—in order to make an analogy to what we should value—eternal, heavenly treasure.

When we see things clearly, with an eternal perspective, what we value and what we want radically changes.

Committed

2006-01-02T09:54:00.000-05:00

In light of the New Years, with people making new commitments for the year, I read this and thought that this would be a good list new year's "resolutions."

On February 19th, 280 Christian students were assaulted on their way to graduation. The graduates of the Emmanuel Theological Seminary and Bible College in Kota, Rajasthan, India, were beaten at the Koto train station by a militant Hindu mob (RSS) that was waiting for them. They were beaten again at the police station with iron rods and bicycle chains. The students were then robbed and forced to return home. The next day another group of 22 graduates were beaten and also forced to return home. Still, 4,300 came from across India, to receive their diplomas.

Former Emmanuel graduates have gone out to "swim" in the turbulent waters of a Hindu society that is hostile to Christianity, and they have planted 11,113 churches. They were not content to stand on the shore and have jumped into hot water because they dared to get involved for the sake of the Cross.

Two years ago 1,508 graduating students of Emmanuel College came from their satellite schools to graduate together in Kota. Standing side by side they made the following pledge:

• I stand with the apostle Paul in stating that "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

• I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with my hands to serve all mankind.

• I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with my feet to spread the gospel to all the ends of the earth no matter what the cost.

• I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with my lips by proclaiming the Good News to all who hear and by edifying the Body of Christ.

• I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with my mind as I meditate upon His Word and His promises to me.

• I give my earthly treasures and all that I possess to follow the way of the cross.

• I commit to love my family, orphans, widows, lepers, the wealthy and the poor the way that Christ loved the church.

• I surrender my will and life to His will and life.

• I commit to the service of the Lord by being a good steward of my time.

• I surrender this body on earth to the perfect will of Jesus, and should my blood be spilled may it bring forth a mighty harvest of souls.

• I pledge allegiance to the Lamb. I will seek to honor His command. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.

• Lord Jesus, Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

• I love my India and my fellow citizens, and I claim India for Christ.

One spark at this 2003 service was a newly converted Christian young man who had carried his four-month faith back to his village. While sharing the joy of his salvation, he was persecuted by the whole village. Hopegivers International reports that the villagers tied pairs of old shoes around his neck, forced him to parade down the main road while they beat him, and then forced him to drink the urine of a cow. As a result of his lifting up Christ, 100 villagers became Christians.

Glenn Penner from our Canadian office comments: "These students understand that the real sacrifice for ministry comes not so much in the preparation of ministry but in the performance of it. They understand that a cross-centered gospel requires cross-carrying messengersÉChristians are not called to a lesser degree of involvement. Sacrifice for Christ is not theoretical. It is tangible. It is real. Go out, and make something happen."

In my old 1966 Random House Dictionary, I found these challenging terms describing the word "involve": "the art of entangling, something complicated, to bring into difficulties, to absorb fully, concerned in an affair in a way likely to cause danger or unpleasantness, committed or engaged." Reading the list, it is easy to see why we hear the sentence, "Don't get involved."

Jesus was totally involved—in the temple, on the street, and in the dining rooms of the world. He calls us to carry our cross and swim out into society, fully engaged, or sink into a worldly sea of sameness.

It is human nature to flee unpleasantness, entanglement, complications. It is supernatural to walk to them and through them for the gospel. Demas, who helped Paul while he was in prison, later changed his mind and abandoned Paul (2 Timothy 4:10). He chose not to be involved. When I was imprisoned in Cuba, I met Pastor Noble Alexander, who while a prisoner for more than 20 years had secretly baptized more than 300 prisoners. The founder of our mission, Rev. Richard Wurmbrand, taught his Romanian youth group to give Gospels to the invading Russian soldiers.

Do we swim out into society's waters, activating our entire body, involved in the process? Or do we stand on the shore and shout about the danger, afraid of sinking among the sinners?

Surviving or Sharing in Christ's Sufferings

As described in the book, The Prison Poems of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, this German Lutheran pastor was speaking and writing in America in 1939, while back in his homeland, courageous Germans resisting Adolf Hitler were being executed. Bonhoeffer wrote in a letter that he must cancel his lectures, which were arranged to keep him safe in America, and return home. His uncle, General VonHase, had already been hanged.

Bonhoeffer was disappointed with his church, which was content to survive until the evil times were over, calling this a "self-preservation, as though that were an end in itself." A few Protestant and Catholic leaders protested Nazi brutalities before they gained complete power. The church in Germany, he said, had lost its power to proclaim the gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation to the world. He returned to Germany, was captured and executed, but his writings and the spirit in which they were written remain with us. He disdained non-moral sympathy, or simply feeling bad about something but doing nothing about it. He called this a product of "religiosity" and hoped that it would not be a trait of his people.

In a letter from prison, he wrote the challenging statement, "It is not the religious act that makes the Christian, but the participation in the suffering of God in the world." Like Jesus, he chose to carry his cross into a brutal godless tyranny, not by becoming entangled in their sin, but by engaging German minds with the gospel.

Published on Randy Alcorn's Eternal Perspective Ministries

Happy New Year

2005-12-30T16:27:00.000-05:00

I just want to let everyone know that I hope they have a happy new year. Although I believe that new year's resolutions are more culturally motivated, I believe that it is good to take this time to think about were we are in our walk with God, and plan accordingly for the new year. I pray that would God bless this coming year with His revealed presence in the lives of those who make up a part of his church at Southside.

Truth about Christmas

2005-12-21T11:07:00.000-05:00

Below is the short history and explanation of Christmas and of the use of the word X-mas. I just thought it was very interesting. The more I study about Christmas, the more I see things wrong with it.

Christmas
The word Christmas comes the Old English word 'Cristes Mæsse' ~ meaning the 'mass of Christ'. Christmas is orginally a Catholic holiday. It is believed that Christ was born on the 25th, although the exact month is unknown. December was likely chosen so the Catholic Church could compete with rival pagan rituals held at that time of year and because of its closeness with the winter soltice in the Northern hemisphere, a traditonal time of celebration among many ancient cultures.

Xmas
This abbreviation for Christmas is of Greek origin. It is derived from the word ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, transliterated as Christos, which is Greek for Christ . Originally, in "Xmas", X represented the Greek letter χ. It was pronounced with an aspirated [kh], which is the first letter of Christ's name in Greek. An upper-case χ has the same shape as a Latin alphabet letter X, hence the abbreviation "Xmas".

As origins of the word go largely unnoticed by the larger public, many people believe that the term is often used as a tool by some to "take Christ out of Christmas" as a means of secularization or a vehicle for pushing political correctness . This notion is greatly disputed.

Source: Wikipedia

Men as Men; God as God

2005-12-20T22:05:00.000-05:00

"I, even I, am He that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and host feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?" (Isaiah 51:12-13).

Let the text itself be taken as the portion for today. There is no need to enlarge upon it. Trembling one, read it, believe it, feed on it, and plead it before the LORD. He whom you fear is only a man after all; while He who promises to comfort you is God, your Maker, and the creator of heaven and earth. Infinite comfort more than covers a very limited danger. "Where is the fury of the oppressor?" It is in the LORD's hand. It is only the fury of a dying creature; fury which will end as soon as the breath is gone from the nostril. Why, then, should we stand in awe of one who is as frail as ourselves? Let us not dishonor our God by making a god of puny man. We can make an idol of a man by rendering to him excessive fear as well as by paying him inordinate love. Let us treat men as men, and God as God; and then we shall go calmly on in the path of duty, fearing the LORD and fearing nobody else. (Faith's Checkbook - Charles Spurgeon)

Above is the Faith Checkbook's entry for today by Mr. Spurgeon. I read this everyday, but this one stood out to me from some of the recent days. Today, God has used this to bring back to my mind of how foolish I am. Like Spurgeon said in the devotional, the text itself should be taken as a portion today to be meditated on.

This is a simple, yet convicting truth. The fear of man is sin. It is an insult to God. While this is convicting, it is also a blessing of relief by showing that even though I am frail and sinful, God will comfort me and take care of me. What a God we serve!

Let's remember today to treat men as men(or women), and God as God.

Entering Lion's Country

2005-12-12T09:05:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone,
The following is something I read today that I thought went very well with the message (Audio/ Text)Sunday. I was wanting to write on this subject but I think the illustration here is very good so I decided to post it instead. Dennis Rainey wrote this:

Entering Lion's Country
(Part One)

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

I've been smelling lion's breath recently, and have nearly gagged at its odious smell. Where have I been? On a lion country safari? In Kenya? Sudan? At the zoo? No. None of these.

Let's just say I've been in lion country.

Pastor and author A.W. Tozer made numerous visits there. In fact, he may have lived in lion country. After a particularly difficult time, Tozer noted the following: "But I will tell you something-it is a delightful thing when you know that you are close enough to the adversary that you can hear him roar! Too many Christians never get into 'lion country' at all!"

After pondering Tozer's observation, I've concluded that we should charge headlong into lion country. You see, "lion country" is territory controlled by the devil. It is the daily domain of the ruler of this world.

Lions in Africa prey on weak, unsuspecting animals and those straggling behind the protection of the head of the pack. Likewise, the devil prowls about trying to deceive (devour) those with weak convictions and naive beliefs. For example, if a Christian refuses to submit to the accountability of other believers in the local church, he will find himself isolated, delicious prey for the crafty deceiver. He may not be able to defend himself when he's faced with temptation.

How does a lion devour its prey? One bite at a time. I wonder at times if twentieth-century Christians have been anesthetized by prosperity and busy schedules while the enemy chews off three-quarters of their legs!

Far too many Christians are being fooled by the enemy. They have been deceived into thinking that run-of-the-mill Christianity is all there is. Jesus Christ may be a part of their lives, but He isn't Lord of their lives.

I know, because for more than 14 years I was the prey of the enemy. I thought I knew what was best for me. I wanted God only as my emergency Savior, when I was in a crisis and needed Him. And if you're like I was, the lion has you in his jaws. -Dennis Rainey

Results of Preaching the Gospel.

2005-12-05T23:28:00.000-05:00

"When you preach, people should either get angry or be converted." -John Wesley

When Wesley said that, I dont think he had the "Jesus loves you" Gospel in mind. Too many Christians today are afraid of offending someone with the Gospel, so they soften it up a bit and even put a little sugar on top. My pastor made the statements, true Christian love is finding your joy in the joy of others. Love is being able to cause temporary pain or discomfort for a short time in ones life, in order that future, unspeakable joy can be obtained. (That was my paraphrase, correct me if I'm wrong). The Gospel is offensive. Preaching the Gospel is the result of love for Christ and the person to whom it is being preached. It is not a sales pitch to talk someone into "getting saved." The Gospel is beneficial to both the preacher(anyone who declares the Gospel) and to the person it is being presented. Those who share the Gospel are being obedient. When we get to heaven, not only will we be rewarded for obedience to God, but we will get to see (I am assuming) those that God has saved by using us, experience joy, thus giving us joy. That's love! Getting our joy from their joy.

When we share the Gospel, it is worth the unkind words or actions here on earth when it produces eternal joy. The thing is, in America, unkind words or actions is about all we will get (so far). So personally, I think it is worth the brief discomfort not only for the recepient, but us also.

So why do we not see the Gospel being preached as it should? Well, among other things, I think it is the fear of man. I publicly confess that when sharing the Gospel, the fear of man arises in me and I am praying that God would help me overcome that. I'm praying that God would raise up people locally who proclaim the Gospel boldy! I'm praying that I would be one of them. I'm praying that God would open the eyes of people in the churches around here to the fact that people are on their way to hell, with no hope, all around us, everyday. We have a mission field, the people we see everyday in our small community.

Recently our town had a Christmas parade. The theme was "Lighting the way to Christmas." Catchy theme for a parade with floats that had Chistmas lights all over them. Some of the churches had things like, "Lighting the way to God" or similar phrases. I got to thinking, is that really happening? Are our local churches (including mine) and people (including me) really being a light to show a small town that have hundreds, possibly thousands of depraved people, the way to Christ? My answer? Not alot from what I can see. This is a small town and word gets around, yet I do not hear of any church that has people constantly being genuinely redeemed. I'm quite sure that their are people being saved in Live Oak, and that churches are proclaiming the gospel to a certain extent. The thing is, according to Wesley's quote at the top, I'm not seeing a whole lot of either people getting angry or converted. Because of that, I came to the conclusion that our churches are either not giving the true Gospel (which is both offensive and able to save), or have people who do not care, have the fear of man, or aren't true believers themselves to proclaim it.

With all that being said, the only thing I believe I can do is pray. I am praying that our church would be a city on the hill, the light and salt for Live Oak.

Father,
I thank you for the work you are doing in me. I pray that you would raise up people in our town to proclaim the good news of our Lord Jesus, the Christ. May the fear of man be overpowered by the potential joy we have when people come to know you. Lord help us to have the mindset of missionaries in a foreign field even though we live here, because we are foreigners in this world. Let us not waste our lifes with the pursuit of the vain. Help us to boldy follow You.

"Global Warming"

2005-12-01T09:31:00.000-05:00

This is a current headline on Drudge Report and this part of the article just struck me funny. It is talking about how the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic is weaking.

"The powerful ocean current that bathes Britain and northern Europe in warm waters from the tropics has weakened dramatically in recent years, a consequence of global warming that could trigger more severe winters and cooler summers across the region, scientists warn today."

So because of "Global Warming", there will be colder weather and more severe winters...what a joke.

Christian Qualities

2005-11-30T17:31:00.000-05:00

2Pe 1:12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.
2Pe 1:13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,
2Pe 1:14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.
2Pe 1:15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
(ESV)

The qualities referred to here include virtue, knowledge, self-control, stedfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. As a Christian, these are qualities to be demonstrated in my life. To the people who know me, this should be the norm. As a church in whole, these things are to be normal of the people who make it up. For example, we should be asking each other what God has been doing through the spiritual disciplines in our lives as the norm. It should be weird for someone to not be practicing these things.

Praise God that He has placed people in my life to remind me of these things as Peter did here to those he was writing. I thank God that I have a mom and dad, pastor, elders, and friends who are diligent in reminding me of these things.

It is also amazing that what Peter wrote here still holds true today. In verse 15, Peter says he will try to make it possible for his readers to recall these things at anytime. Today, about 2,000 or so years later, I'm sitting at my computer reading the very things he wanted his readers to be able to recall. Isnt God amazing!

Thanksgiving

2005-11-22T17:56:00.000-05:00

1Ch 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
1Ch 29:12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
1Ch 29:13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

This passage of Scripture is a prayer. Why is the writer praying this prayer? He is praying and giving thanksgiving in response of God's hand working in his life. He has seen God's greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty demonstrated in his life. He is acknowledging the supremecy of God by refering to the heaven and earth as His kingdom and Him being exalted as head above all (angels and men).

The first part Verse 13 indicates that the thanksgiving to God is being given at a specific time. "And now we thank you." As we have a specific time to celebrate Thanksgiving, remember to think, like the writer did here, about the hand of God working in your life.

Questions to ponder that should spark thankgiving to God:

How has God shown His greatness in my life?

How have I seen His power?

When/How have I experienced and expressed God's glory in my life.

What victories has God had in my life? (What have I overcome through Him)

How have I seen God's majesty demonstrated in my life?

I pray that God would not let me or my church family let this time of thankgiving go by without true thanksgiving and praise to God.

Old Journal Entry

2005-11-15T23:03:00.000-05:00

Wow. The Holy Spirit has used my own words to convict me. God is so awesome and I am thankful for what He has been doing in my life lately. I just thought I would share a old journal entry from almost a year ago. I wrote this on 11-22-04.

2 Thessalonians 3
10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.
11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.
12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.
13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

What are the applications in this text?
1.If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat. We are to work.
2.Do not grow weary of doing good.

What is it the main point?
If we do not work, we do not eat.

What are its parts?
Paul and the other apostles, the good Thessalonians, the lazy Thessalonians, hypocrites.

What Causes it?
People living a undisciplined life.

What does it cause?
Hunger, Separation.

What is it's place, location, or use?
Self-examination, Devotion, motivation, caution, instruction.

What is contrary, contradictory, or different to it?
We are to help those who cannot work

What compares to it?
Problems with laziness, we are to be disciplined

What are the testimonies or examples of Scripture about it?
Galations 6:9,Ruth 2

This is a very truthful Scripture. When can apply this to Spiritual disciplines also. We are to "eat" God's Word daily. Man shall not live on bread alone. So if we do not work for it, we will not get fed. We have to make the time, sit down, read, and meditate. That is work. If we do not do that we will starve to death spiritually. We have to remember that there are some that look like they are working for it but they really arent. Do not get tired doing God's good work. He gives us strength when we "eat" daily. Food nourishes the body like the Word nourishes the soul. Are you starving Spiritually? Go and get into God's Word.

Not Wasting Our Lives

2005-11-12T09:03:00.000-05:00

Well, today is Nov. 12. Only about 4 months to the wedding. I'm very excited and thankful to God for such a godly woman as Sarah. I am very excited and I'm looking forward to God using us for His glory.

I just finished watching a movie called, "Beyond the Gates of Splendor." It has really got me thinking. The movie is about true events of five missionaries and their familes, Jim Elliot being one of them. They were trying to reach a certain tribe deep in the jungle. They got there by plane and met with some of the people who were friendly at first, but later killed all 5 guys. The wives of all the men then decided to go into the village and God opened it up to them through a series of events. Eventually, some of the indians were saved and today, the son and grandsons of one of the missionaries have befriended the same guys that killed their grandfather. One of the grandsons even calls one of them granpa. This actually ties into a sermon i have listened to this past week a couple times on my way to work. It is simply entitled, "Don't Waste your Life", by John Piper. God has really used that to rekindle some coals in my heart for Him. This message is probably one of the most important messages I have ever heard. In this message he talks about all the things that have happened. He mentioned a earthquake in Iran that killed 25,000+ people. He then asks this question: "What does Jesus want us to learn about our lives from these calamities?"

Luk 13:1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
Luk 13:2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Luk 13:4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
Luk 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

We all deserve to die this very second. As you read this, you deserve to die right now. Piper puts it this way, "Your life is in the hands of God and it hangs by a thread of sovereign grace." Wow. That has really been sinking in lately.

Piper goes on to talk about not wasting our lives with the vanity of this world.

I'm 19. What have I accomplished for the glory of God since I have been alive? Have I wasted my life thus far? Ask yourself those questions and you will probably be like me and cringe at honestly answering.

Phi 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
Phi 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

May I adopt that attitude! Paul sums up the Christian's life in 2 verses. Whether it be life or death, Christ is to be magnified in me. Every thing I do should be to make Christ look precious. In my family, Christ is to be shown my treasure. With the money that is entrusted to me, Christ is to be my treasure. People should be able to look at me and it should be clear that Christ is my treasure whether i have 45 million dollars in the bank or 2 dollars. Either way, Christ is to be seen as worth and my treasure.

I am given money, status, cars, toys, etc... all for the purpose of showing the world that Christ is above all and a far more valuable treasure than anything this world can offer.

What a concept.

Father,
I pray that Christ would be counted as a priceless treasure in my life. May all that I do bring glory and honor to His holy name. My life is yours and I pray that you would take it and do with it what you please. You created life and you alone decide what to do with it. When I meet you at my life's end, may I hear, "Well, done thou good and faithful servant, thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Lord, please do not let me waste my life! Give me grace to carry out what you call me to do. Give me a all-consuming passion to magnify Christ with every fiber of my body! May I show that Christ is more valuable to me than my own life! I pray this not only for me but for my church and every christian in the world. Open our eyes to our slavery to the comforts and security of the world. Do not let us go through this life rich and full, while others sink below us in poverty and starvation. As people die and go to hell, may we not sit around, but get to work to show the world that Christ is worth living and dying for.

God's Strengthening Presence in Suffering

2005-10-31T12:44:00.000-05:00

This is a good article from Randy Alcorn's site.

From Preparing For the Underground Church by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand

Note from Randy: The following words from Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of Voice of the Martyrs, could be misunderstood or taken out of context. He was, and I am, a firm believer in the authority of Scripture and its power as theWord of God. That power, however, resides in God's Spirit. An atheist or a demon can memorize and recite Scripture. Only a disciple draws his strength from the God concerning whom Scripture testifies.

How much each one of us can suffer depends on how much he is bound up with a cause, how dear this cause is to him, and how much it means for him. In this respect we have had in Communist countries very big surprises. There have been gifted preachers and writers of Christian books who have become traitors. The composer of the best hymnal of Romania became the composer of the best communist hymnal of Romania. Everything depends on whether we have remained in the sphere of words or if we are merged with the divine realities.

God is the Truth. The Bible is the truth about the Truth. Theology is the truth about the truth about the Truth. A good sermon is the truth about the truth about the truth, about the Truth. It is not the Truth. The Truth is God alone. Around this Truth there is a scaffolding of words, of theologies, and of exposition. None of these is of any help in times of suffering. It is only the
Truth Himself Who is of help, and we have to penetrate through sermons, through theological books, through everything which is 'words,' and be bound up with the reality of God Himself.

I have told in the West how Christians were tied to crosses for four days and four nights. The crosses were put on the floor and other prisoners were tortured and made to fulfill their bodily necessities upon the faces and the bodies of the crucified ones. I have since been asked: "Which Bible verse helped and strengthened you in those circumstances?"My answer is: "NO Bible verse was of any help." It is sheer cant and religious hypocrisy to say, "This Bible verse strengthens me, or that Bible verse helps me." Bible verses alone are not meant to help. We knew Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want...though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..."

When you pass through suffering you realize that it was never meant by God that Psalm 23 should strengthen you. It is the Lord who can strengthen you, not the Psalm which speaks of Him so doing. It is not enough to have the Psalm. You must have the One about whom the Psalm speaks. We also knew the verse: "My Grace is sufficient for thee." But the verse is not sufficient. It is the Grace which is sufficient and not the verse.

Pastors and zealous witnesses who are handling the Word as a calling from God are in danger of giving holy words more value than they really have. Holy words are only the means to arrive at the reality expressed by them. If you are united with the Reality, the Lord Almighty, evil loses its power over you; it cannot break the Lord Almighty. If you only have the words of the Lord Almighty you can be very easily broken.

Woman at the well

2005-10-12T17:48:00.000-04:00

Just my journal for today. (minus my answers to the questions :)

John 4:7-30

This the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. In this story, Christ speaks of two kinds of water:

1. "This water," which would not satisfy and would not quench thirst. The woman would have to keep coming back again and again to get more of "this water."
2. "The water I give" which would quench thirst eternally.

The first water is physical, while the second is spiritual. The physical water represents the well of the world. This water is what I seek if i am seeking after something other than God. I will never be satisfied with this water.

The Second water represents eternal life. It can also be the word of God. This water is inexaustable and I will always be satisfied with it.

This woman in the passage had 5 different husbands and one "boyfriend" (He wasnt her husband but they lived together). It is very obvious by this that she was finding no permanent satisfaction in these relationships. She kept going back and finding another, and then another, etc.

When I refuse the water that God offers, I make my own cisterns (or idols) of water. The thing is though, my cisterns are broken. Turning to something that isnt of God for satisfaction, it is like drinking water from a jar with holes in it! Jeremiah. 2:13

This reminds me of the now famous quote from John Piper: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

1. Which of the two waters have I been drinking?

2. Has it left me thirsty?

3. Are the cisterns I'm drinking from broken?

4. Are there idols in my heart? And if so, what are they?

5. If yes to 2-4, what can I do to practically change that in my life?

Spiritual Disciplines Conference

2005-09-17T20:07:00.000-04:00

We are having Dr. Don Whitney at our church this weekend. The conference started last night (Friday) and we had 3, 50 min sessions today and he will also be preaching tommorrow. He is teaching on the Spiritual Disciplines of a Christian and it is very insightful. I hope God uses this to bring me closer to Him through this conference in ways I could never dream of. Below is just my notes from some of the sessions.

Don Whitney ~ Spiritual Disciplines
Friday Night 09-16-05

Things we pray about:
Family
Finances
Future
Work/school
Church/ministry
“Current crisis”

Praying through Psalms
Psalm 23
The psalms were used to sing to God

Second best place to pray through:
New Testament Letters
1 Thessalonians 2

3rd best place to pray through:
Narrative passages
John 8

~Break~

Session 2

Meditation on Scripture
Psalm 39:3
“While I was musing the fire burned”
Meditation causes God's fire to flame up in our minds.
We feel deeply about what we think deeply about.
Psalm 1:1-3
We have to absorb the word of God like a hard rain that does not wash away because of hard soil.
Meditation = Obedience = God's Blessing
Meditation causes us to obey God which in turn brings God's Blessing
James 1:25

So how do we meditate?
When a verse stands out in your mind, go back and meditate on it or meditate on the theme of the passage.

10 methods of meditation on Scripture

1. Repeat the verse or phrase with emphasis on a different word each time.
2. Rewrite the verse in your own words.
3. Look for application of this text - what should you do in response to it?
4. Pray through the text.
5. Ask the Philippians 4:8 Questions.
6. Ask the “Joseph Hall” Questions.
7. Discover a minimum number of insights into the text (you set the number in advance)
8. Find a link or common thread between all the chapters or paragraphs you've read.
9. Use meditation Mapping. Recommended Book:

Don Whitney ~ Spiritual Disciplines Part 2

Don Whitney ~ Sat. Morning ~ 09-17-05

Session 2

Silence & Solitude …. “For the Purpose of Godliness”

Introduction

My favorite short story is The Bet by Anton Chekhov, a Russian writer of the last half of the nineteenth century. The plot involves a wager between two educated men regarding solitary confinement. A wealthy, middle-aged banker believed that the death penalty was a more humane penalty than solitary confinement because, "An executioner kills at once, solitary confinement kills gradually." One of his guests at a party, a young lawyer of twenty-five disagreed, saying, "To live under any conditions is better than not to live at all."

Angered, the banker impulsively responded with a bet of two million rubles that the younger man could not last five years in solitary confinement. The lawyer was so convinced of his endurance that he announced he would stay fifteen years alone instead of only five.

The arrangements were made and the young man moved into a separate building on the grounds of the banker's large estate. He was allowed no visitors or newspapers. He could write letters but receive none. There were guards watching to make sure he never violated the agreement, but they were placed so that he could never see another human being from his windows. He received his food in silence through a small opening where he could not see those who served him. Everything else he wanted—books, certain foods, musical instruments, etc.—was granted by special written request.

The story develops with a description of the things the lawyer asked for through the years and the observations of the guards who occasionally stole a glance through a window. During the first year the piano could be heard at almost any hour and he asked for many books, mostly novels and other light reading. The next year the music ceased and the works of various classical authors were requested. In the sixth year of his isolation he began to study languages and soon had mastered six. After the tenth year of his confinement, the prisoner sat motionless at the table and read the New Testament. After more than a year's saturation of the Bible he began to study the history of religion and works on theology. During the last two years his reading broadened to cover many subjects in addition to theology.

The second half of the story focuses on the night before the noon deadline when the lawyer will win the bet. The banker is now at the end of his career. His risky speculations and impetuosity had gradually undermined his business. The once self-confident millionaire was now a second-rate banker and to pay off the wager would destroy him. Angry at his foolishness and jealous of the soon-to-be-wealthy man who was now only forty, the old banker determines to kill his opponent and frame the guard with the murder. Slipping into the man's room he finds him asleep at the table and notices a letter the lawyer has written to him. He picked it up and read the following:

Tomorrow at twelve o'clock I shall be free, . . . but before leaving this room, . . . I find it necessary to say a few words to you. With a clear conscience, and before God, who sees me, I declare to you that I despise freedom and life and health and all that your books call the joys of this world. For fifteen years I have studied attentively the life of this world. It is true that I neither saw the earth nor its peoples, but in your books I lived. . . . I sang songs, I hunted the deer and the wild boar in the forests. . . . In your books I climbed to the summit of Elburz and Mont Blanc, and I saw from those heights the sun rise in the morning, and at night it shed its purple glow over the sky and the ocean and the mountain-tops. I saw beneath me the flashing lightning cut through the clouds. I saw green fields, forests, rivers, lakes and towns. I heard the song of the sirens and the music of the shepherd's reed-pipes. I felt the touch of the wings of beautiful [angels] who had flown to me to talk about God. . . . Your books gave me wisdom. All that had been achieved by the untiring brain of man during long centuries is stored in my brain in a small compressed mass. . . . I know I am wiser than you all. . . . And I despise all your books, I despise all earthly blessings and wisdom. All is worthless and false, hollow and deceiving like the mirage. You may be proud, wise and beautiful, but death will wipe you away from the face of the earth, as it does the mice that live beneath your floor; and your heirs. your history, your immortal geniuses will freeze or burn with the destruction of the earth. You have gone mad and are not following the right path. You take falsehood for truth, and deformity for beauty. To prove to you how I despise all that you value I renounce the two millions on which I looked, at one time, as the opening of paradise for me, and which I now scorn. To deprive myself of the right to receive them, I will leave my prison five hours before the appointed time, and by so doing break the terms of our compact.

The banker read these lines, replaced the paper on the table, kissed the strange, sleeping man and with tears in his eyes quietly left the house. Chekhov writes, "Never before, not even after sustaining serious losses on change, had he despised himself as he did at that moment." His tears kept him awake the rest of the night. And at seven the next morning he was informed by the watchman that they had seen the man crawl through a window, go to the gate, and then disappear.1

I don't recommend that we separate ourselves in this way, and I don't affirm all the lawyer's conclusions, but I do believe Chekhov looks into a room where every Christian sometimes dreams of living.

1. Explanation of silence and solitude.

The Discipline of silence is the voluntary and temporary abstention from speaking so that certain spiritual goals might be sought. Sometimes silence is observed in order to read, write, pray, etc. Though there is no outward speaking, there are internal dialogues with self and with God. This can be called "outward silence." Other times silence is maintained not only outwardly but also inwardly so that God's voice might be heard more clearly.

Solitude is the Spiritual Discipline of voluntarily and temporarily withdrawing to privacy for spiritual purposes. The period of solitude may last only a few minutes or for days. As with silence, solitude may be sought in order to participate without interruption in other Spiritual Disciplines, or just to be alone with God.

Think of silence and solitude as complementary disciplines to fellowship. Without silence and solitude we're shallow. Without fellowship we're stagnant. Balance requires them all.

Silence and solitude are usually found together. Though they can be distinguished, in this hour we will think of them as a pair.

Recognize that Western culture conditions us to be comfortable with noise and crowds, not with silence and solitude. In her book, Living the Christ-centered Life Between Walden and the Whirlwind, Jean Fleming observes, "We live in a noisy, busy world. Silence and solitude are not twentieth-century words. They fit the era of Victorian lace, high-button shoes, and kerosene lamps better than our age of television, video arcades, and joggers wired with earphones. We have become a people with an aversion to quiet and uneasiness with being alone". Therefore be careful not to let the world prejudice you against the Biblical witness on these matters. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15).

We are going to have to be more intentional for silence and solitude than any other generation.

2. Valuable reasons for silence and solitude.

A. To follow the example of Jesus (Mt. 4:1; 14:23; Mk 1:35; Lk 4:42)

B. To hear the voice of God better. ( 1 Kin 19:11-13; Hab 2:1; Gal 2:17)

C. To express worship to God (Hab. 2:20; Zeph 1:7)

D. To express faith in God. (Ps 62:1-2, 5-6; Isa. 30:15)

E. To seek the salvation of the Lord (Lam. 3:25-29)

F. To be physically and spiritually restored (Mk 6:31)

G. To regain a spiritual perspective (Lk 1:20, 63-64)

H. To seek the will of God (Lk 6:12-13)

I. To learn control of the tongue (Prov. 17:27-28; Eccl. 3:7b; Jas 1:19, 3:2)

3. Suggestions for silence and solitude.

A. Consecrate the occasional “minute retreats” each day for silence and solitude.

Example: Sitting at a red light for a min.

B. Set a goal of having a time each day for outward silence and solitude with the Lord.

C. Try to get away for a few extended (half-day to overnight or longer) times yearly.

D. Locate special places which can be used for silence and solitude. Find them: within the home, within walking distance, within a few minutes' drive and for overnight or longer retreats.

E. Arrange a trade-off system of daily responsibilities with your spouse or a friend when necessary in order to have the freedom for extended times of silence and solitude.

Application

1. Will you seek for daily times of silence and solitude?

2. Will you seek for extended times of silence and solitude?

3. Will you start now?

Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-06T11:13:00.000-04:00

This is a article from my favorite modern writer, John Piper. I really think people need to read this because to many people think that they have to defend God or they do not think that God is in control of everything.

Was Katrina Intelligent Design?

September 2, 2005 — Sermons Edition

By John Piper

Permanent Link

On his 89th birthday (August 31) NPR Senior News Analyst, Daniel Schorr, observed that President Bush had “staked out a non-position” on the debate between evolution and intelligent design. Bush had said that “both sides ought to be properly taught in the schools of America.” Then, with manifest scorn, Schorr linked the devastation of Hurricane Katrina with the concept of intelligent design: “[Bush] might well have reflected that, if this was the result of intelligent design, then the designer has something to answer for.”

No, Mr. Schorr, you have something to answer for, not God. God answers to no man. Come, Daniel Schorr, take your place with Job and answer your Maker: “The Lord answered Job [and Daniel Schorr] out of the whirlwind and said: ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for actionlike a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. . . . Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed”?’” (Job 38:1-3, 8-11).

Who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Shall the pot say to the Potter, “This is an unintelligent way to show your justice and your power? Come, Maker of heaven and earth, sit at my feet—I have lived 89 years and have gotten much wisdom—and I will teach you—the eternal God—how to govern the universe”?

No. Rather let us put our hands on our mouths and weep both for the perishing and for ourselves who will soon follow. Whatever judgment has fallen, it is we who deserve it—all of us. And whatever mercy is mingled with judgment in New Orleans neither we nor they deserve.

God sent Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners. He did not suffer massive shame and pain because Americans are pretty good people. The magnitude of Christ’s suffering is owing to how deeply we deserve Katrina—all of us.

Our guilt in the face of Katrina is not that we can’t see the intelligence in God’s design, but that we can’t see arrogance in our own heart. God will always be guilty of high crimes for those who think they’ve never committed any.

But God commits no crimes when he brings famine, flood, and pestilence on the earth. “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” (Amos 3:6). The answer of the prophet is no. God’s own testimony is the same: “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7). And if we ask, is there intelligent design in it all, the Bible answers: “You meant evil . . . but God meant it [designed it] for good” (Genesis 50:20).

This will always be ludicrous to those who put the life of man above the glory of God. Until our hearts are broken, not just for the life-destroying misery of human pain, but for the God-insulting rebellion of human sin, we will not see intelligent design in the way God mingles mercy and judgment in this world. But for those who bow before God’s sovereign grace and say, “From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever,” they are able to affirm, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:36, 33). And wisdom is another name for intelligent design.

No, Daniel Schorr, God does not answer to us. We answer to him. And we have only one answer: “Guilty as charged.” Every mouth is stopped and the whole world is accountable before God. There is only one hope to escape the flood of God’s wrath. It is not the levee of human virtue but the high ground called Calvary. All brokenhearted looters and news analysts and pastors are welcome there.
Famine Flood and Failing Fortune

Meditation on Psalm 105:16

When the staff is broken,
And in judgment spoken
Righteousness is heard,
Think not God is silent,
Though the famine violent,
This is but His word.
He stands not to give account.
It is we who must before Him.
Come, let us adore Him!

When the flood is breaking
And your fear is waking,
Comfort not your soul,
Thinking the Almighty
Yielded up the right He
Once had to control.
Every river and the seas
Do His sovereign bidding purely.
This is comfort surely.

When your fortunes fail you,
Deep diseases ail you
And your death is near,
Know that Christ your Maker
He alone is Taker
Of your life and fear,
Fall before His power and pray:
Jesus, I now trust you merely,
You have bought me dearly.

Hungry for Righteousness

2005-08-18T23:38:00.000-04:00

Mat 5:6
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Wow! What a promise we have here! Christ himself tells us that if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we will be satisfied (or "filled" as the KJV puts it). When I read this verse, I cant help but ask myself, "Am I hungry and thirsty for righteousness?"

Well, what is righteousness? I believe the righteousness that Christ is talking about here is His righteousness. Webster defines righteous as, "acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin". One may ask, "How can we ourselves be righteous?" Well, that is like asking, "How can one be free from guilt or sin?" The answer? We can't! No matter how hard we try, we cannot get rid of sin and guilt ourselves. We have to pay a payment of which we cannot afford. Of course, if you are a Christian, you know what the death of Christ accomplished and how He made that payment.

With that in mind (and keeping in mind that Christ is the one speaking), I think it is safe if we read this verse, "Blessed are those who hunger and thrist after Me, for they shall be satisfied." You see, with Christ, we find righteousness that we cannot get anywhere else. Praise God for His love, mercy, grace and for the payment of His Son's blood!

Now, back to my original question. Am I (and those who read), hungry and thirsty for righeousness? Well, I believe that personally, I am. Who, with the grace of God, wouldnt want to be free from sin and guilt! I long to see people in our community to have the same desires! I want to be apart of God's plan of redeeming people. I want Him to use me to bring people to Himself! May it be our prayer that in the coming months we will see people come to know Him in our midst.

As I said before, Christ Himself promised that those who seek after Him shall be satisfied. Praise God! Let's live our days satisfied in Christ alone!

It's Been Awhile

2005-08-12T15:31:00.000-04:00

Wow. It has been a long time since I have written on here. Well, alot has happened since my last post. I am now engaged. We are in the process of planning the wedding now. I'm really excited about it. I cannot wait to see how God uses us in our marriage for His Glory! We have had alot of new people come to our church lately. It is awesome to see God working in their lives. It also cool to get new friends because most of them have been my age. I have a new website with pics and another blog. you can check it out here: http://spaces.msn.com/members/JoshuaGoddard/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c=

Anyway, I dont really even know why I'm writing all of this because I dont even know if anyone ever reads this. Lol. -Josh

The Gospel and Us

2005-03-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

Gal 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.

Gal 2:12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.

Gal 2:13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.

Gal 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

Gal 2:15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,

This Passage is talking about Peter. I stuggled at first with what the problem was with Peter here. I knew he was being a hypocrite but didnt know how. I have studied it out and realized what the problem was. Peter had just realized his new freedom because of the Gospel of Christ. Peter was a Jew. The Jews thought that they were bound by the old law. The law forbade the Jews to associate with unclean Gentiles. Peter had a vision though. You can read about that in Acts 10. Anyway, this vision came to him and he saw many unclean animals and a voice told him to kill and eat. God told him that what God has cleaned is ok to eat. This also means that the Jews could associate with Gentiles. It is actually kind of interesting because Paul and Peter were both realizing this new freedom in Christ even though they were kind of independent of each other. After Peter's vision, he went and met a man named Cornelius. While Peter was there, He saw how God had answered Cornelius' prayer and told him, " You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean." Peter preached to them and as he was preaching, the Holy Spirit fell on them. So now, Peter has realy realized that God is not a respecter persons. So here comes the problem. Everything is going great. Peter is in good fellowship with the Gentiles until some of the Jews cam to Antioch. The Jews are questioning him about eating with the Gentiles. Peter feared these Jews. Now because of this, Peter cut off his fellowship with the christian Gentiles. Imagine being one of those Gentile Christians! Your "leader" has just forsaken you. The man that had a part in your salvation now shunning you because of the fear of man. This is where Peter falls into hypocrisy. He is not living the truth of the Gospel.

I notice two things that is out of step with the Gospel out of this passage.

1. The fear of man does not align with the Gospel.

The Gospel produces hope and boldness in Christ. Romans 8:31 tells us that if God be for us, who can be against us? The God of the universe is on our side. I think of David. He always went to war with confidence that God would be on his side and give him the victory. God was faithful. As Christians, sometimes we may have a temporary lack in faith as Peter did here, but God will bring us back. God sent Paul to confront Peter. Isnt God amazing in how he uses others to bring us to him!

2. Hypocrisy does not align with the Gospel.

Peter was being a hypocrite when he withdrew himself from the Gentiles. He was saying one thing with his actions and believeing another with his heart. I confess that I have been guilty of this. This quote from Piper is very convicting, " When you feel insecure or frightened and are tempted to put up a front and avoid taking a stand for what you believe is right, the battle you are fighting is a battle to believe the gospel." Whoa! I think the only way we can overcome this is to center our lives on Christ and the Gospel. Make it the roots that keep us alive. I hope God uses this in everyone who reads this as He has in my life.

Walking Worthy

2005-03-10T11:57:00.000-05:00

Phi 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel
of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent,
I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit,
with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

The word conversation means: "General course of manners;
behavior; deportment; especially as it respects morals."
In other words, it is not just our words and what we talk about,
it's our whole life. How do we live worthy of the Gospel?
Let's look at some attributes of the Gospel. The Gospel is
very simple. So we, should be simple in our lives. We do not
need a life of luxury. We do need to do things that put us in
the spotlight. The Gospel boldy proclaims the truth. We are to
be bold in proclaiming Christ to others. The Gospel is Holy. To live
worthy of the Gospel we must be holy. We must never excuse sin
in our lives. We must shun the things that are in our life that may
hinder us from living worthyof the Gospel. These things may not
necessarily wrong but if they hinder us,they must be destroyed.
Not only are we to abhor evil, we are to cling to that which is good.
(Romans 12:9) For Christ's sake and our own sake we must strive
for our conversation to be worthy of the Gospel.

Regeneration

2005-03-08T14:04:00.000-05:00

“Ye must be born again.”
- Joh_3:7
Regeneration is a subject which lies at the very basis of salvation, and we should be very diligent to take heed that we really are “born again,” for there are many who fancy they are, who are not. Be assured that the name of a Christian is not the nature of a Christian; and that being born in a Christian land, and being recognized as professing the Christian religion is of no avail whatever, unless there be something more added to it-the being “born again,” is a matter so mysterious, that human words cannot describe it. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” Nevertheless, it is a change which is known and felt: known by works of holiness, and felt by a gracious experience. This great work is supernatural. It is not an operation which a man performs for himself: a new principle is infused, which works in the heart, renews the soul, and affects the entire man. It is not a change of my name, but a renewal of my nature, so that I am not the man I used to be, but a new man in Christ Jesus. To wash and dress a corpse is a far different thing from making it alive: man can do the one, God alone can do the other. If you have then, been “born again,” your acknowledgment will be, “O Lord Jesus, the everlasting Father, thou art my spiritual Parent; unless thy Spirit had breathed into me the breath of a new, holy, and spiritual life, I had been to this day ‘dead in trespasses and sins.’ My heavenly life is wholly derived from thee, to thee I ascribe it. ‘My life is hid with Christ in God.’ It is no longer I who live, but Christ who liveth in me.” May the Lord enable us to be well assured on this vital point, for to be unregenerate is to be unsaved, unpardoned, without God, and without hope. -Spurgeon

Fruitful in the Knowledge of Christ

2005-02-16T16:34:00.000-05:00

2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall

Peter is giving us the formula for a fruitful life and so that we will never fall.
The Formula:

1. Diligence in adding these things.
Diligence means: "constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken." To be diligent in our Christian walk in crucial in growing in Christ. Through God's wonderful grace and mercy in our lives, He has given us faith.

2. Adding Virtue to our Faith
Now Peter is telling us to add virtue to our faith. Virtue is nothing but voluntary obedience to truth. Since we have faith in Christ, we know the truth and we are to be obedient to what is true. The Word of God is the ultimate truth. Through the grace of God, I want to have virtue in my life.

3. Knowledge In the Word.
Now how do we add virtue to our faith without knowledge? We can't! In order to know the truth, we have to read the Truth(The Bible). We base all subjects according to the Bible. Of Course, there are other books we need to read to function in this world. We have to read a Math book to learn math, a book on birds to learn of the different types, etc... All other sources of knowledge have to based on the word of God though. God is showing me how important reading His word is. If you are not into the Word daily, you need to check your spiritua state and ask God to pour out grace and give you a desire to be in it.

4.Temperance
Temperance is just another word for moderation or in excess. Temperance of natural urges in our lives will bring us closer to God. I cannot prove that in Scripture but I know it true because I have experienced it. Whe you are taking your pleasure in Christ, you will not need so much of pleasure of the world. As Christians, we are to be overcomers of evil. Romans 12:21 proves this, "Be not overcome with evil but overcome evil with good." God is in us! Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world! Praise God!

5.Patience
Patience, in my own words, is to endure the temporary because you know and have hope in what is permanent, namely being with God! Matt Lollar gave a good illustration of this,"If you were to be told that next year you would be given 2 million dollars, than that anticipation would help you cope with your broken down car, leaky roof and old clothes, because you know this time next year all of that will change, and life will then be "Good." You are being patient with the things because you know what the outcome is going to be. This can also be applied to hope.

6.Godliness
Godliness literally means: "Having great reverence for God; pious." When we are Godly, we have a profound awe, respect, and love of God. Because of this, it is easy to have virtue(obedience). We can only become more Godly by God giving grace and us getting into the word.

To be continued.....

Continued on 02-18-05

7. Brotherly kindness
Brotherly kindness gives us a sense of brotherhood. We should treat all people with love as we would our best friends. Kindness is the tendency to be kind and forgiving. It's a attitude. Because of the forgivness of our sins, we are able to be forgiving to others.

Journal entry from 10-17-04

2005-02-16T16:17:00.000-05:00

Colossians 1:16-20

16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him.

17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

God created all things. Everything we see, have seen, or ever will see is God's masterpiece. Thats a true statement because it says it right here in His Word. So since that is true, God comes before ANYTHING He created! He holds everything together. Think about the layers of this earth. The mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide is perfect. God holds that together. Thats awesome. Not only does He hold it together so we can breathe and stay alive, He does it while He holds all the layers of the moon together, The mixtures of gas in the sun, and other things we dont even know about! That's awesome. God also while He is doing that, loves us enough to be present with us and listen to us and hold our little lives together. Amazing! Now, why would we honor the creation instead of the creator. When somebody invents something, We enjoy their creation but we give the honor and thanks to the creator. (If you are a Christian, you thank God for using that person and creating the materials used in their invention.) Verse 16 says at the very end, "for Him". All things were not created for us. Everything was created for Him right? We are the ones who get to use the things He has created right? How does this fit together? You probaly already guessed it. We are to use the things that God created but in doing so, tracing everything thing back to Him and praising Him in His creation. So, God created everything for us to use and give Him praise for. That means God created it for Himself becuase He uses that for Christians to praise Him! Why would God create the world with trees and animals? For us to use and in doing so, giving Him glory. We are His, He created us to please Him. That's all we are here for. We were not created to seek our own pleasure. It's not about us. It's about Him. Simple. I am asking God that He will make this more and more real to me in my life. I pray that you guys will get this too.