Sunday, December 18, 2005

Personally Accountable; Jeremiah 31:29,30

Jeremiah 31: 29 & 30

The people will no longer quote this proverb "The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children's mouths pucker at the taste'. All people will die for their own sins- those who eat the sour grapes will be the ones whose mouths will pucker. The people tried to blame God's judgment on their sins of their parents. One person's sin does indeed affect other people, but all people are still held personally accountable for their own lives and their own actions, both the good and the bad. (Deuteronomy 24:16, Ezekiel 18:2 )

Examine your own heart... What excuses do you use for your own sin ?!?

Lord God we know that through your Word, you hold us each accountable for our own actions. Father this day we ask for your cleansing on our hearts, our lives, and our minds. Lord show us any areas of unconfessed sin and guide us each to make choices that will glorify you. For we pray these things in your Son's Precious and Holy Name, Amen..

Friday, December 16, 2005

Running Away -2 Tim 2:22

2 Timothy 2:22

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

Running away is sometimes considered cowardly. But wise people realize that removing themselves physically from temptation often can be the most courageous action to take. Timothy, a young man, was warned to run from anything that produced evil thought.Do you have a recurring temptation that you find hard to resist ?Remove yourself physically from any situation that stimulates your desire to sin.
Knowing when to run is as important in spiritual battle as knowing when & how to fight.Lord, we thank you that you are our refuge and our strength in times of trouble. God we ask you to lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Guide us to stay away from those things which tempt us. And lead us onto the path of righteousness for your names sake. In Jesus Name, Amen..God Bless You !

CHRIST IN ME

CHRIST IN ME - - - - -by Max Lucado

Like Mary, you and I are indwelt by Christ. Find that hard to believe? How much more did Mary? No one was more surprised by this miracle than she was. And no one more passive than she was. God did everything. Mary didn't volunteer to help. What did she have to offer? She offered no assistance.
And she offered no resistance. Instead she said, "Behold, the bond-slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word"(Luke1:38).
Unlike Mary, we tend to assist God, assuming our part is as important as his. Or we resist, thinking we are too bad or too busy. Yet when we assist or resist, we miss God's great grace. We miss out on the reason we were placed on earth-to be so pregnant with heaven's child that he lives through us. To be so full of him that we could say with Paul, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal. 2:20)
What would that be like? To have a child within is a miracle, but to have Christ within?

To have my voice, but him speaking.
My steps, but Christ leading.
My heart, but his love beating
in me, through me, with me.
What's it like to have Christ on the inside?
To tap his strength when mine expires
or feel the force of heaven's fires
raging, purging wrong desires.
Could Christ become my self entire?
So much him, so little me
That in my eyes it's him they see.
What's it like to a Mary be?
No longer I, but Christ in me.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Psalm 86:11-13

Psalm 86:11-13

Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth ! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever,
for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death. This prayer within a prayer captures a glimpse of vibrant spiritual vitality.

Two requests are made :"teach me your ways" and "grant me purity of heart". Each request has a God centered purpose : that the person praying would "live according to your truth" and "honor you".

No matter how well we know and follow God, we can always ask Him to increase our awareness and improve our obedience. Jesus echoed one of these requests in the sixth beatitude, "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God"(Matthew 5:8)

Commit this prayer to memory & use it often to draw nearer to the Lord. Father we thank you again today for your Living Word. We come to you this day in humble prayer and ask for more and more of you in our lives. We love you Lord and we long to draw near to you. Wrap us in your love and write your Word on our hearts we pray, In Jesus Name, Amen...God Bless You !

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Titus 1:16

Titus 1:16== Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything
good. Many people claim to know God and be Christians. How can we know if
they really are Christians and know God ? We will not know for certain in this life, but a glance at their life styles will quickly tell us what they value and whether they have ordered their lives around Kingdom priorities. Our conduct speaks volumes about what we believe (see 1 John 2:4-6) What do people know about God & about your faith by watching your life ?

O Lord, we want to not only claim to know you with our voices, but we want to really, really know you Lord God ! We want to live out our faith in our lifestyle choices. We want to reflect Kingdom priorities and desires and make them our own. Let those around us see the Jesus inside of us ! Lord this is our prayer !
In Your Son's Precious and Holy Name, Amen...

Sunday, October 23, 2005

~I AM~

Subject: ~I AM~

1. A Child of God (Romans 8:16)

2. Redeemed from the Hand of the Enemy (Psalms 107:2)

3. Forgiven (Colossians 1:13-14)

4. Justified (Romans 5:1)

5. Saved by Grace through Faith (Ephesians 2:8)

6. Sanctified (1 Corinthians 6:11)

7. A New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

8. Partaker of His Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4)

9. Redeemed from the Curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13)

10. Delivered from the Powers of Darkness (Colossians 1:3)

11. Led By The Spirit of God (Romans 8:14)

12. A Son of God (Romans 8:14)

13. Kept in safety wherever I go (Psalms 91:11)

14. Getting all my Needs met by Jesus (Philippians 4:19)

15. Casting all my cares on Jesus (1 Peter 5:7)

16. Strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might (Ephesians 6:10)

17. Doing All Things through Christ Who Strengthens Me (Philippians 4:13)

18. An Heir of God and a Joint Heir with Jesus (Romans 8:17)

19. Heir to the Blessings of Abraham (Galatians 3:13-14)

20. Observing and Doing the Lord's Commandments (Deuteronomy 28:12)

21. Blessed Coming In and Blessed Going Out (Deuteronomy 28:6)

22. An Heir of Eternal Life (1 John 5:11-12)

23. Blessed with All Spiritual Blessings (Ephesians 1:3)

24. Healed by His Stripes (1 Peter 2:24)

25. Exercising My Authority over the Enemy (Luke 10:19)

26. Above Only and Not Beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13)

27. More than a Conqueror (Romans 8:37)

28. Establishing God's Word on Earth (Matthew 16:19)

29. An Overcomer by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of My Testimony (Revelation 12:11)

30. Daily Overcoming the Devil (1 John 4:4)

31. Not Moved by What I See (2 Corinthians 4:18)

32. Walking By Faith and Not By Sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)

33. Casting Down Vain Imaginations (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

34. Bringing Every Thought Into Captivity (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

35. Being Transformed by Renewing My Mind (Romans 12:1-2)

36. A Laborer Together With God (1 Corinthians 3:9)

37. The Righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

38. An Imitator of Jesus (Ephesians 5:1)

39. The Light of the World (Matthew 5:14)

40. Blessing the Lord at All Times and Continually Praising the Lord with My Mouth (Psalms 34:1)

Friday, October 21, 2005

The Very Last Gospel Tract

This story will bring tears to your eyes...

Touching story.

Subject: The Very Last Gospel Tract

Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at the church, the
Pastor and his eleven-year-old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts.This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his
son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as well
as pouring down rain. The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes
and said; "OK dad, I'm ready." His Pastor dad asked, "Ready for what?" "Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out." Dad responds, "Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring down rain." The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking " But Dad, aren't people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?" Dad answers, "Son, I am not going out in this weather." Despondently, the boy ask, "Dad, can I go? Please?" His father hesitated for a moment then said, "Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful, son."

"Thanks Dad!" And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven-year-old boy walked the streets of the town going from door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract. After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets were totally deserted. Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell.

He rang the bell, but nobody answered. He rang it again and again, but still
no one answered. He waited but still no answer. Finally, this eleven-year-old
trooper turned to leave, but something stopped him. Again, he turned to the
door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch. He rang again and this time the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly asked, "What can I do for you, son?" With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, "Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all about JESUS and His great LOVE."
With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave. She called to him
as he departed. "Thank you, son! And God Bless You!

" Well, the following Sunday morning in church, Pastor Dad was in the pulpit. As the service began, he asked, "Does anybody have a testimony or want to say anything?" Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet. As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face, "No one in this church knows me. I've never been here before. You see,before last Sunday,I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live. So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and brokenhearted I was about to leap off,when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, 'I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away. I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent,and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly. I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder. When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart the at had long been dead TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, 'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU.' Then he gave me this Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand. As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any more. You see I am now a Happy Child of the KING. Since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract; I have come here to personally say THANK YOU TO God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from eternity in hell." There was not a dry eye in the church.

And as shouts of praise and honor to THE KING resounded off the very rafters
of the building, Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where
the little angel was seated. He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has
never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor for his son except for
One. This Father also allowed His Son to go out into a cold and dark world. He received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of heaven shouted praises and honor to The King, the Father sat His beloved Son on a throne far above all principality and power and every name that is named.

Blessed are your eyes for reading this message. Don't let this message die, read it again and pass it to others. We will meet in Heaven. Warmest Regards,

Friday, September 23, 2005

A Rich Man's Best Friend is Health

Thank You for visting my blog. The article below is so true for many in this world. For those without the guiding wisdom in our Bible, such articles they will read with great interest, trying to peer into the lives of the Rich and Famous. But what is even sadder, is that those of us who are Christians, who have the wisdom from the One and Only, also fall victim to such "worldly" lifestyle. How often have you heard that Christians don't have time for this and the other as it relates to church and the Kingdom of God, but they make time to do the things documented in this article that ruin not only their physical health, but also their spiritual health. So, let's us who know the One who made us, return to the instructions that He gave for right living (i.e. Study The Scriptures), for good health in this life and more so for spiritual health which has impact for the life hereafter. God bless.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Rich Man's Best Friend is Health.

Lord Beaverbrook, the greatest British press baron of his generation, used to say to me in his strong Canadian accent: "Aw, Mistah Johnson, look after your good health. You may be the richest man in the world. You may be the most powerful man in the world. But if you lose your good health, you will be the most miserable man in the world."

From my observations I'd say that's a true statement. Take the case of Sir James (Jimmy) Goldsmith. He was the most interesting rich man I've known, and I witnessed his rise from nothing to the position of a sterling billionaire. I first met Jimmy when he was 16. He'd run away from school on the proceeds from an "accumulator bet" on horse races that had brought him £8,000--a lot of cash in 1948. He said to me, "What's the point of going on at Eton, with nowhere to spend it except the Tuck Shop. I want to get my teeth into life."
And that's precisely what he did. Eventually, however, life got its teeth into him. He was afflicted with incurable cancer. In an attempt to prolong his existence, Jimmy went to an Indian guru/doctor. The prescribed regimen didn't allow for painkilling drugs, so Jimmy endured months of agony before deciding the "cure" was useless. By then he was near death. For the sake of his family, however, he endured one last spasm of discomfort by moving from his house in France to his house in Spain, thus avoiding France's crushing death taxes. It was a sad end to a life of uninhibited energy expenditure and hedonism, in which "looking after your good health" played little part.

Of course, health should never become an obsession. Nothing could be more miserable than the way Howard Hughes, the once-swashbuckling billionaire of the aviation industry and movie world who developed a germ phobia, spent his last years: He e nded his days stark naked in a cocoon of tissues.

Health Hazards

On the other hand, it has to be admitted that great health--whether inherited or acquired by your own exertions--brings its own peculiar health hazards. Here are some of them: Travelmania. The very rich seem to move around too much, for reasons of both business and pleasure. There's an explanation: Wealth has its limitations. There's a limit to what you can eat or drink; you can wear only one outfit of clothes or sleep in one bed at a time. Travel, however, is an area of expenditure in which big money can make a difference, via private jets, yachts, limos and the like. The very rich are always airborne. They attend board meetings all over the world. They have houses everywhere--fully staffed, of course--and, in order to get some value out of these abodes, they continually relocate. It's a self-imposed labor. Not long ago the wife of one billionaire said to me, "One-third of my life is u sed up running our houses or traveling between them."

Travel is exhausting. I told Rupert Murdoch some years ago that he had the face of a man who is always getting on or off a long-distance jet. Travel can also be dangerous. You may use the world's best-run airlines or travel by private jet only when weather conditions are perfect, but every time you step aboard an aircraft you are taking on some more risk. Moreover, if you can afford it, the temptation is to cut any delays by hiring helicopters--a flashy, high-risk mode of transport. The rich should remember that nobody ever risked his neck by staying in one place. If you're rich enough, let them come to you.

The culture of excess. The rich are exposed to this all the time. Eating in the grand manner, not sometimes but always. Drinking the best vintages, the oldest cognac. Partying (and often flying thousands of miles by private jet to do so ). Staying up late. Taking pills to get through a life of luxury. And then spending spells in health clinics to get over it all. Or employing fashionable society doctors to stay fit--a sure formula, in my humble opinion, for chronic unease in health.

Worry. This is something no amount of money can banish. And the world's highest-paid psychiatrist cannot cure it, because in most cases the worries of the rich are imaginary. Worry not only poisons but also shortens life. Mr. Worry sits on the end of the billionaire's bed, keeps him awake at night and greets him with a wintry smile in the morning.

Yet--and here is the paradox--wealth is made by continual hard work, and an able man who makes himself rich will be happy (and therefore healthy) only by doing what comes naturally. He has to carry on competing--and competing in spending and pleasure-seeking, as well as in accumulating the lucre. The rich l ead the lives they do for the same compulsive reasons they become rich in the first place.

Are the problems of the very rich insoluble, then? If so, they are problems many would like to share.

Paul Johnson, eminent British historian and author; Lee Kuan Yew, minister mentor of Singapore; and Ernesto Zedillo, director, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, former president of Mexico; in addition to Forbes Chairman Caspar W. Weinberger, rotate in writing this column

Monday, September 19, 2005

YOU CAN DO IT !

Thank You again for visiting my blog..I came across this short article, reminded me of how often a simple word of encouragement and/or action on our part can make a big difference to someone else. So, be encouraged to do the little things that others may not noticed, but God does. Everything you do counts ! Scriptural truths that ring out are: God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing can frustrate the plan and purpose of God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. With God, nothing is impossible. Be strong! YOU CAN DO IT !
=======================================================================
Gratitude For Encouragement

Someone shared with me that a phrase would run through his mind quite frequently. It was, "You can do it!" Whenever something he was doing seemed to become too difficult, he would hear an inner voice saying, "You can do it!" Whenever he felt too tired to take care of something he knew he had to take care of, he heard this inner voice saying, "You can do it!" This seemed so much a part of him that he took it for granted and didn't give it much thought.

When it was suggested to him to think about gratitude for those who had encouraged him, he remembered a childhood incident. He had an older brother who had repeated this phrase to him a few times. His brother was just three years older, but when he was little, those three years made a big difference. Without his realizing it, those words stayed with him and helped him innumerable times.

Over the years he had grown apart from his older brother and there was a lot of tension and stress in their relationship. They tended to avoid each other. Realizing how much his brother's encouragement had helped him, his sense of gratitude motivated him to renew their relationship. His positive feelings towards his brother aroused positive feelings in return. They both found it almost miraculous that they became so close.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Don't we all want to be strong? But, how?

Christ strengthens us through our own weakness!

Sometimes your biggest weakness can become your biggest strength. Take, for example, the story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study Judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.

The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. "Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?" "This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever
need to know," the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became very impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. "No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue."
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"

"You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your
left arm."

The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength. In the same way, God can use our weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Paul had asked God to remove his thorn in the flesh (three times!) but God said no because God's power is perfected in weakness. Paul learned to be content with his weaknesses so that he could become strong in Christ; to boast of his own difficulties so that the power of Christ's would dwell in him.
May each of us learn the lesson of Christ's power through our own weaknesses.
_____________________________________________________

><> When God seems far away, call on Psalm 139

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

God Will Go With You

God Will Go With You

Do you sometimes feel so all alone,
And wish someone would call you on the phone?
Are there days when you wonder why you are here
And why your heart's so full of fear?

Do you think no one else has felt that way
And that all the others are having a great day?
What you're thinking may be true,
But chances are, others are feeling just like you.

Ask God to undertake for you,
To show you what He'd have you do.
There may be someone you should touch,
Someone who needs you very much.

God has a reason for you being here
And He can overcome your fear.
Go to Him, boldly, in Christ's name.
He'll take away your guilt and shame.

He'll lead you into the bright sunshine
And show to you His will divine.
Just follow Him with what you know.
He'll teach you more and with you go.

You can know He's with you every day,
Leading and guiding you along life's way;
Giving you peace and joy within,
Forgiving and cleansing you from your sin.

So, don't give up and don't despair.
God will go with you everywhere.
Christ understands the way you feel.
His fellowship and love are real.

Written by Bob Hefner

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Make two good decisions today!

Two short articles about developing a praying habit to access God's good influences, and living by God's Word and Spirit to stop society's bad influences from getting to us. We live each day at a time. That's the way God has instituted. Each day we make our decisions that will impact not just us today, but also impact others that we come in contact with and what will become of our future, here in this life and more so, in our life to come. So, make good decisions today. God is watching, even if you think others may not. Be careful. Be watchful. Be alert. Be good. God bless.

=================================================================================
Make Prayer A Habit

ROMANS 12:12 NRSV

12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.

Prayer is a habit that, like every other good habit, must be developed. You know you need to pray. You need God's help, His wisdom and His guidance. But you must persevere in prayer. The activities of life try to keep you from praying. So persevere!

LUKE 21:36 BBE

36 But keep watch at all times with prayer, that you may be strong enough to come through all these things and take your place before the Son of man.

In communing with God, you gain strength that comes in no other way. You find the wisdom and courage to face life and overcome.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:17-18 ICB

17 Never stop praying.
18 Give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.

Learn to always include God in your thoughts. Ask Him about everything. Cultivate your relationship by continual communication. And one of the most important things for you to communicate to God is your gratitude. Thank God for everything.

Don't relegate prayer to just when you're on your knees. As you go about your activities, include God by constant communion with Him. Talk to God about everything!

SAY THIS: Lord, help me to develop the habit of continual communication with you.
================================================================================================
Don't Let It Get To You

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
(Romans 12:2)

First, the bad news. Our society can have a terrible influence on us and our children. The entertainment media, for example, offer various forms of sinful behavior for our listening and viewing "pleasure." One music TV channel, for instance, was characterized in World magazine by film critic Michael Medved like this: "There is absolutely no excuse for MTV to be present in the home. It is 100-percent negative."

And now for the good news. None of society's negative influences have to bother you. They will affect you and your family only if you let them. They can infiltrate the minds of you and your children only if you refuse to use the discernment, power, and instruction God has provided to everyone who is redeemed by faith in His Son Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:20-24).

In other words, our problem is not so much the evil in society as it is our lack of discernment and self-control.
We should find great comfort in knowing that the Lord has given us the resources to live above society's level of degradation. We can be in the world but not of it (Jn. 17:14-17). If we're living in the power of the Holy Spirit under the guidance of the Word of God, society's bad influences can't get to us.

To live in the world but not of it
Is the path that we should take;
For to be in the world and live like it
Brings nothing but sad heartache.
--JDB

Let's yield to the spirit, and we won't be conformed to the world.
========================================================================================

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Better To FORGIVE; it's BEST for us.

Good day and thank you for visiting my blog. Last sunday, I was teaching my equipping class in church about the parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35), and now I came across this (see article below) about forgiveness. I decided to blog this and also share with you what I shared with my equipping class about FORGIVENESS.

Practising forgiveness in real life situations is very different from justing talking about it. We all know how much it cost God to forgive our sins, at least we all say we do know. We all also know how Jesus taught us to pray (Matt 6:12): Forgive us our sins/trepasses as we forgive those who sins/trepass against us. Jesus wanted us to know that while everything had been done to secure our forgiveness before God, yet there is someone that can neutralise all that; that someone is YOU! Jesus taught that if we would not forgive someone their sin against us, neither will our Father in heaven forgive us our sins (Matt 6:14,15). Our forgiveness before God is conditional on whether and how we forgive others. So, stop now and search your heart. How ever hard it is to forgive that someone that has wronged you so badly and wounded you so deeply, look at Jesus and look again at yourself, would you forgive that someone? It's not a question of "can you" but a question of "would you". Are you willing? Will you obey?

You see, our Father in heaven, is always merciful and forgiving. We are His children, so we ought to be like him, practicing being merciful and forgiving. For sure, the person whom you need to forgive don't deserve your forgiveness, at least from your perspective. But God has forgiven him in Christ; would you not forgive?
To learn forgiveness is to learn victory over the devil's schemes. The apostle Paul wrote about this in 2 Cor 2:11. So, don't let the devil have a foothold in you ( Eph 4:26,27,32). Be angry but don't sin; don't let the sun go down with you still angry. Forgive just as you have been forgiven.

In fact, it is really for our own good that we forgive. For not to forgive, the Bible says in Hebrews 12:14,15, we would allow a root of bitterness to grow inside us, and that bitterness will ruin our life, robbing us of all peace and happiness, denying us of God's blessings and favour. That unforgiveness will be like poison, taking away our life; it will be like cancer, quietly eating away what we need to live on. So, best to get rid of all bitterness, all unforgiveness. Be forgiving, just like your Father in heaven.

In Psalms 86:5, it says God is good, ready to forgive, and rich in mercy to all who call on Him. As God's beloved children, we must stand ready to forgive, just as God is. When we meet God face to face to receive his commendation on what we do in this life, will He say to us "You are my good and faithful servant"? God is good. Will you be good like Him? Please do. God bless.

NOTE: Peter asked Jesus how often should one forgive; is 7 times enough? Just before this, Jesus was teaching his disciples how they ought to handle a person who was sinning/offending, giving Peter perhaps the impression that 3 times was what Jesus had in mind. So, his offer to forgive 7 times since quite generous already. But Jesus told him not 7, but 70 times 7. Did Jesus meant literally 70X7=490 ? Most likely not, as Jesus went on to tell the parable of the unmerciful servant, and then ending with this: that we must forgive our offending brother from the heart. In this parable, the chinese text had the debt owed by the unmerciful servant as "yi qian wan" meaning a thousand times ten thousands; which is 10 million. While the other person who owed that unmerciful servant only 10. Out of interest, if we were to just compare that indeed our sins before God is like 10 million, and the sins others may offend us with is like 10, then actually we need to forgive a million times before our forgiveness of others can equal that of what God has forgiven us. Assuming a person live for about 80 years, 80x365=29200. A million divide by 29200 days would mean more than 34. I think you get the point, right?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Kathaleen Swank

To: Its_all_about_JESUS@yahoogroups.com

Subject: bible study............FORGIVENESS

ACTION STEPS I CAN TAKE TODAY

In this chapter we have examined two key truths: (1) Jesus instructs us
to forgive those who have offended us; (2) He also instructs us to seek
others' forgiveness when we sin against them. Completing the action steps
that i will put below will help us make these truths a part of our lives and
moves us closer to our Lord and one another.
According to Matthew 5:23,24, forgiveness is the first step in
restoring a relationship.
You are encouraged to prayerfully follow the prodigal son's example.
In his case, forgiveness was granted immediately, but this is not always so.
Sometimes feelings are too raw or the other person may be defensive or
unresponsive. The important thing, however, is to follow Christ's command.
No matter how difficult or what the immediate result will be, to do anything
less than obey will result in a hardening heart.
On the contrary, Samuel, the prophet, tells us that "to obey is better
than sacrafice" (1 Samuel 15:22), and David wrote, "a broken heart, O God,
you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). Obedience and humility are great heart
softeners.
Two words from 1Peter 3:8 (NKJV) whisper through my mind: "Be tender
hearted".
WHY FORGIVENESS IS HARD
"Forgiveness is......" I wrote those words on a peice of paper and i
am a inviting you to do the same and i am asking them to complete the
sentence.
I hesitated before i wrote anything and stated "It has to do with
others,". but that doesn't really say anything does it?
Steve ( a friend) scowled. He picked up a pen, then, without writing
anything, put it back down. Have you ever felt like this? Forgiveness is
hard.
Do i have your attention now? I know you people know about hurting,
bitterness and anger that comes from being mistreated by others. You know
how hard it is to forgive when peers, teachers, and parents say and do
things that gnaw wounds in your hearts.
You also know that you don't always do what is right either. You make
mistakes and say the wrong things, struggle with rebellion, self-pity and
resentment.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Daily Scripture Promise=EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

Hi...Thanks for visiting my blog again! I came across the below construction, which I thought may be helpful to you sometime, so I blog it for your use and consideration. God bless.

Daily Scripture Promise
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS


When in sorrow, ......................................... call John 14
When people fail you, ..................................... call Psalm 27
If you want to be fruitful, ............................. call John 15
When you have sinned, .................................. call Psalm 51
When you worry, ................................. call Matthew 6:19-34
When you are in danger, ................................ call Psalm 91
When God seems far away, .............................. call Psalm 139
When your faith needs stirring, ...................... call Hebrews 11
When you are lonely and fearful, ....................... call Psalm 23
When you grow bitter and critical, ............. call I Corinthians 13
For Paul's secret t o happiness, .............. call Colossians 3:12-17
For understanding of Christianity, ....... call II Corinthians 5:15-19
When you feel down and out, ......................... call Romans 8:31
When you want peace and rest, .................. call Matthew 11:25-30
When the world seems bigger than God, .................. call Psalm 90
When you want Christian assurance, ................ call Romans 8:1-30
When you leave home for labor or travel, .............. call Psalm 121
When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, .............. call Psalm 67
For a great invention/opportunity, .................... call Isaiah 55
When you want courage for a task, ...................... call Joshua 1
For how to get along with fellow men, ................. call Romans 12
When you think of investments and returns, .............. call Mark 10
If you are depressed, .................................. call Psalm 27
If your pocketbook is empty, ................... ........ call Psalm 37
If you are losing confidence i! n people , ........ call I Corinthians 13
If people seem unkind, .................................. call John 15
If discouraged about your work, ....................... call Psalm 126
If you find the world growing small and yourself great,..call Psalm 19


Alternate numbers:
For dealing with fear, ............................... call Psalm 34:7
For security, ....................................... call Psalm 121:3
For assurance, ........................................ call Mark 8:35
For reassurance, ................................... call Psalm 145:18


Emergency numbers may be dialed direct. No operator assistance is necessary.
All lines are open to Heaven 24 hours a day!


-- Author Unknown

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

A lawyer wanted to know how to secure eternal life. Jesus referred him tothe Scriptures and asked the lawyer what the Scriptures said and what he understood from the Scriptures. The lawyer answered correctly, by identifying that the way to secure eternal life is to love God your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as oneself. Then the lawyer wanted to justify himself and so asked Jesus who was his neighbour. The lawyer knew there is only one God, coming from a Jewish background. So, no question about who God is. But who was his neighbour? There are so many people out there - whom among them would be considered our neighbour? If we can just limit it in some way, it would be more practical, won't it? Our resources are finite and the needs out there are practically limitless. Jesus' reply in the parable of the Good Samaritan is most instructive. I would like to share some perspective.

First, I think Jesus did not answer the lawyer's question. And I think this is probably deliberate. By telling this parable, Jesus is teaching us this: Who is our neighbour is not as important as who needs a neighbour out there. Our focus should not be on justifying ourselves ( as the record said the lawyer was attempting to do), but on meeting the needs of people out there. At the ending of the parable, Jesus told the lawyer to GO and do likewise. I understand from this that Jesus' key point to the lawyer was don't wait and sit around waiting for people to come to us, or worse still, waiting and debating the finer points of scriptures while hurting people are out there needing our help, needing us to be a neighbour to them.

Then, I recalled what Jesus revealed in Matthew 25 about a future judgement, the separation between the good and the evil, the sheep from the goats. Jesus revealed that on that day, the separation/the judgement will be based on the deeds we do now while we have the opportunity. We all have such opportunities everyday. It depends on what we choose to see and what we choose to do. Jesus revealed in Matthew 25 about doing good to even the least among us is what counts on that judgement day. Do you see the needy in your midst? Those who hunger, those who thirst, those who are lacking in this and the other? Do you remember those who are put away , out of sight, before of their faith and service to God? In those days, it meant in prison; in some places today, that is still the case. But, we don't need to look so far; how about those who labour in our midst for the Lord? In some ways, they too are in "prison", needing someone to come alongside, to encourage them to press on and not to lose faith.

Have we really understood the parable of the Good Samaritan? Are we doing what Jesus told the lawyer to do? To GO and be a neighbour to someone today. Everyday, you and I have this same opportunity to GO and be a good neighbour. Don't ask who is my neighbour. Rather, GO and BE the neighbour that someone needs.

May God bless you as you GO.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

A Tribute to My Father

Dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, Thank You again for visiting my Blog. When I read the article below, it cause me to wonder what kind of a father am i. What will my two sons say about me. For sure, I want them to also know the eleven truths mentioned by William Solomon that his father taught him. It sounded more like William Solomon caught these truths over the years just watching and observing his father's lifestyle. When I am 86 years, God willing, I will be all too thrilled to have my sons write something like what this William Solomon has done. Like it or not, sons do look up to their dad for the father model, and i understand that the bible tells us that even God look to us dad to model for HIM what HE is like as our heavenly Father.

On Father's Day this year, I was prepared to share a passage from JOHN 14:30,31 where Jesus said this:" ...the ruler of this world comes, and he has nothing in Me.
..But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father has given Me commandment, even so I do..." You see, the ruler of this world, which is the devil, will come to us. He will tempt us. He is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Quesion is when the devil comes to us, what will he find? Jesus said this:" he has nothing in me.." Jesus has so resisted all of the devil's temptations that there is nothing in Jesus that the devil could use. We, fathers, men, are much more susceptable to temptations in areas of sex, money/greed, power/authority, pride. When the ruler of this world comes to us with these temptations, what will he find? Would he find someone resisting him, causing him to flee, or would he find someone already willing to be tempted, waiting just to be eaten? We fathers need to be like Jesus; living a daily lifestyle so close to our Father God, that when the devil comes to us, we can be like Jesus and say to him: "You have nothing in me. Be gone. Go away." Jesus did this because He love the Father and do exactly what the father says. This is the tribute of Jesus to His Father. Since we say we love the Father God, let us also DO exactly what our heavenly Father says. Then, we indeed will be one with Jesus; in word and in deed. In this passage of John 14, Jesus said he wanted the world to know of his love for the father. William Solomon's tribute also has this exactly the same point as his eleventh truth. Read on and discover the heart of a son for his father. Then, resolve to be that son, as well as that father. Glory be to God!

==================================================
A Tribute to My Father
William Solomon Hottle Piper

June 19, 2005

Ephesians 6:1-4

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

My aim in this message is threefold. First, in obedience to Ephesians 6:1-2, to honor my father. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’” When children are younger and moving toward adulthood, they should honor their father especially by obeying him. I don’t mean to the exclusion of mothers. But the focus today will be on fathers. As children move out of childhood into adulthood the way we honor our fathers is not primarily in the category of obedience, but rather by tribute and care. Today I pay tribute to my father even as the days of increasing care have come.

The promise in verse 3, taken from Deuteronomy 5:16, “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land,” I take to be a general encouragement based on the fact that in the days of Israel when there was humility and respect and obedience to parents God protected the people from their enemies and prospered them. But when they forsook his laws and became arrogant and disrespectful and disobedient he gave them over to their enemies. The point is not that every child who is obedient will live a long life. The point is that God delights in obedience and gives special blessings to families and churches and peoples where that kind of humility and respect and obedience prevails. So the first part of my aim in this message is to honor my father by paying him public tribute.

The second part of my aim is to inspire fathers to be worthy of this kind of tribute—to help you see the glory of your calling to exhibit the fatherhood of God to your children and lead them to faith and Christian maturity. I pray that Christ will take what I say about my own father and will use it to make you better fathers.

Third, my aim is to glorify the Fatherhood of God whose Fatherhood is the source and pattern of all human fatherhood. Human fatherhood exists to display the beauty of God’s Fatherhood. Our highest calling as fathers is to be the image of God’s fatherhood to our children. I think this is implied in the words of verse 4b: “Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” What does it mean that our discipline and instruction should be “of the Lord”?

It means, in part, that in our fathering we take our cues from the Lord Jesus. Jesus, in his human nature and in his earthly ministry directed the disciples again and again to the Father in heaven. And in his life and death he modeled for us how to relate to God as our Father. His longest prayer in John 17 begins, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you’ (v. 1). The discipline and instruction of the Lord takes its cues from the Lord Jesus who lived and died to glorify his Father in heaven. No father here should do less. Our calling as fathers is to exhibit the glory of the Fatherhood of God.

So I turn with a sense of deepest gratitude and joy to pay tribute to my father publicly and through this to honor my Father in heaven who adopted me, an undeserving sinner, into his everlasting and supremely happy family on the basis of Christ’s blood and righteousness alone.

My father is 86 years old and lives in home called Shepherd’s Care owned and operated by Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina—the school from which he graduated and which conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. His short term memory is weak, but his memory of Christ and his word is strong. And for that I thank God.

Here is a fragment of the legacy of truth imparted to me by my father. And I hope that you will see before we are done that the word “imparted” is no mere transmission of information, but involves a whole life of demonstration of what he taught. I will mention eleven precious truths imparted to me by my father.

1. There is a great, majestic God in heaven, and we were meant to live for his glory not ours.
Most of these truths that I will mention are rooted in my memory of particular texts that were branded on my mind at home. Few texts were more often on Daddy’s lips in relation to me than 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I am sure that in heaven some day the Lord will make plain the unbreakable chain of influences that led from that verse when I was a boy to the mission statement of this church: “We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.” This won’t be the only influence you will see of my father on that mission statement.

2. When things don’t go the way they should, God always makes them turn for good.
Even more prominent in my growing up was the presence of Romans 8:28 in our family: “God works all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.”

I have several vivid memories of this truth. One was in 1974 when I rode with my father in the ambulance from Atlanta to Greenville with my mother’s body in the hearse following behind. They had just been flown in from Israel where Mother had been killed in an accident and Daddy was seriously injured. All the way home, for three and a half hours, he would weep and talk and weep and talk. He was 56. They had been married 36 years. And when he talked it was Romans 8:28. I remember the very words: “God must have a reason for me to live. God must have a reason for me to live.” In other words, God governs our accidents and makes no mistakes.

I will never cease to be thankful that I heard and saw the truth of Romans 8:28 in my father’s life, “When things don’t go the way they should, God always makes them turn for good.”

3. God can be trusted.
How many times did I hear the words of Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.” And Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

I can see us as a family when I was just a child. We were all (Mother, Daddy, my older sister, Beverly) sitting around a card table my parents’ bedroom folding letters and stuffing envelopes which would be sent to pastors asking them to consider having my father come lead their churches in evangelistic meetings. This was Daddy’s life—he was a full time evangelist—and our livelihood. The answers to these letters meant bread on the table and paid bills. Then we prayed over these envelopes and Daddy closed in a spirit of utter confidence: God will answer and meet every need. He can be trusted.

He told me more than once of a financial crisis when I was six years old in which he almost lost everything. And he said that God used Psalm 37:5 to sustain him and bring him through: “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will act.”

And so I saw and I learned: God can be trusted.

4. Life is precarious, and life is precious. Don’t presume that you will have it tomorrow and don’t waste it today.
My memory of my Father’s preaching was that he always began with humor but within seconds he was blood earnest and talking about heaven and hell, and sin and Christ and life and death. One text above all others rings in my ears with terrible seriousness. He squinted when he said it and his mouth pursed tightly the way it does after you taste a lemon: “It is appointed unto men once to die, after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27) It made a huge impression on me as a boy.

The motto on Daddy’s college wall was, “The wise man prepares for the inevitable”

The plaque in our kitchen when I was growing up was: “Only one life ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”

The stories of wasted lives tumbled from his mouth:

“During a South Carolina [campaign] a lovely high school senior attended every night but refused to accept Christ. Shortly after the crusade while driving her car over a treacherous railroad crossing, she was killed instantly by a freight train she failed to see coming.”

“While in a Pennsylvania campaign, I witnessed a whole town shaken by the sudden deaths of six young men. Driving home from an afternoon football practice, they failed to stop at a major intersection and were struck broadside by a heavy truck. Six were dead within three hours.”

“I’ve seen babies die in their mothers’ arms. I’ve seen little boys and girls struck down before their lives had scarcely begun. I’ve witnessed men die in the prime of life and others at the height of success.” (Menace, pp. 49-50)

He told story of a girl who said she would give her life to God when she was old. A wise old woman sent her a bouquet of dead flowers, and when the girl expressed offense, she said, “Isn’t that the way you are treating God?”

And most memorable of all to my young mind: The old man saved in the eleventh hour of his life weeping in Daddy’s arms: “I’ve wasted it. I’ve wasted it.”

5. A merry heart does good like a medicine and Christ is the great heart-Satisfier.
That’s a quote from Proverbs 17:22. My father has been the happiest man I have ever known. Here is the kind of things he said in a sermon called “A Good Time and How to Have It.”

“Right from the start, let’s get one thing straight; a Christian is not a sour puss. I grant you that some of them look and act that way, but you simply can’t blame God for it.”

“Some folks seem to have been born in the objective case, the contrary gender and the bilious mood.”

“Mama, that mule must have religion too, he looks just like Grandpa.” (Good Time, p. 7).

He preached another sermon called “Saved, Safe and Satisfied.” He said, “He is God. When you fully trust Him you have all that God is and all that God has. You cannot be otherwise than satisfied with the perfect fullness of Christ.” (Good Time, p. 48).

He said worldly Christians are like a cow with her head stuck through fence eating stubby grass on the highway while a beautiful green pasture lies behind her.

A merry heart does good like a medicine and Christ is the great heart-Satisfier. What a legacy of joy my father has left!

6. A Christian is a great doer not a great don’ter.
We Pipers were fundamentalists without the attitude. We had our lists of things not to do. But that wasn’t the main thing. Here’s what my father preached in a sermon called The Greatest Menace to Modern Youth.

Millions insist upon thinking that Christianity is a negative religion. You don’t do this and you can’t do that. You don’t go here and your can’t go there. To the contrary, the Bible constantly sounds the triumphant and positive note. “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only.” . . . “Whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do with all your might.”

God wants us to be doers, not don’ters. A Christian who is only a don’ter is a sour saint who spread gloom wherever he goes. A don’ter is usually a hypocritical Pharisee. Years ago, I heard the late Dr. Bob Jones say. “Do so fast you don’t have time to don’t.” That sums it up.

That left an indelible mark on my life. We had strict standards, but I never chaffed under them. They were not the point. Enjoying Christ, doing good and loving people was the point. The rest was just fencing to protect the good field of faith and purity.

7. The Christian life is supernatural.
I have one precious DVD of my father preaching. It is a message on new the new birth. John 3:7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” Becoming a Christian was not a mere decision. It was a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

And therefore he believed in prayer—crying out to God to do the miracle of the new birth. We prayed together every night as a family, because the great need in life is supernatural, divine power to live with joy—and that is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, not a work of our own.

I saw that my father’s work was not a human work. It was divine work. Impossible work. But with God all things are possible.

8. Bible doctrine is important but don’t beat people up with it.
At this point he admitted openly to me with grief that our fundamentalist tradition let him down. There was great truth, but too many of them were not great lovers. I can remember him saying: If they only understood Ephesians 4:15, “Speaking the truth in love.” So from as early as I can remember he showed me the importance of both right doctrine and the way of love. They must never be separated.

9. Respect your mother.
If you wanted to see Daddy angry, let one of his children sass our mother. He not only knew the command of God to honor our mothers; he also knew the extraordinary debt that every child owes a mother. Time and again he would compare true love not to married love but to mother’s love. He knew the price my mother paid for him to be away so much. Therefore, he would tolerate no insolence or disrespect toward her. I trembled at the fierce gaze in his eyes if I said something sarcastic to my mother.

10. Be who God made you to be and not somebody else.
My father was short, a good bit shorter than I am. But he was content and could joke about it. The one I remember is that he said he was part of a football team as boy, and the name of the team was “Little potatoes but hard to peel.” I think God delights to make short men great preachers. (Remember John Wesley!)

For me this contentment with being who God made you to be meant freedom. He never forced me or pressured me to be an evangelist or a pastor or anything else. His counsel was always: seek God and be what he has made you to be. And then what your hand finds to do, do it with all your might for the glory of Christ.

I close with one more truth, the central truth of my father’s life. This was what he preached and what he loved. So I will let him preach it one more time to you as we close:

11. People are lost and need to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ.
My father was an evangelist. His absence from home two thirds of the year (in and out, in and out) meant one main thing. Sin and hell are real and horrible, and Jesus Christ is a great savior. Here’s a direct quote from my Dad:

“In my evangelistic career I have had the thrill of seeing people from all walks of life come to Christ. I have seen many professional people saved. I have knelt with Ph.D.’s and led them to Jesus. College professors, bankers, lawyers, doctors. I have seen them all saved.

Then I have seen many from the other side of life come to the Lord. I have put my arm around drunkards in city missions and prayed with them. I have sat by the bedside of dying alcoholics and led them to Christ. I have seen the poor, the forsaken, the derelicts, the outcasts all come to the Savior. Yes, God takes them, too. Isn’t it wonderful that anyone who wants to can come to Christ.” (Grace for the Guilty, p. 111)

Perhaps you never had a father like that, but right now you hear your heavenly father calling, “Come home, come home!” Father’s Day would be a good time to stop running and come home.

I thank you heavenly father for my earthly father. What a legacy he has left to me and my children and grand children—and to this church. O, raise up fathers in this church with great legacies of faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Holy Alphabet

Thank You for visiting my blog. A friend send this "Holy Alphabet", which indeed is beautiful. It reminds me of the song " God is good all the time. All the time God is good." We may not fully understand all the plans He has for me, but through the eyes of faith, I can clearly see "God is good". If you are walking through the valley, and there are shadows all around, do not fear; God has promised, "I will not leave you, nor forsake you" and His word is true. Through the darkness night, His light will shine. So, read these holy alphabets and do what it says. Be edify and be blessed!
===============================

The Holy Alphabet... This is Beautiful.

A lthough things are not perfect

Because of trial or pain

Continue in thanksgiving

Do not begin to blame

E ven when the times are hard

F ierce winds are bound to blow

G od is forever able

H old on to what you know

I magine life without His love

J oy would cease to be

Keep thanking Him for all the things

Love imparts to thee

M ove out of "Camp Complaining"

N o weapon that is known

O n earth can yield the power

P raise can do alone

Q uit looking at the future

R edeem the time at hand

S tart every day with worship

T o "thank" is a command

U ntil we see Him coming

V ictorious in the sky

W e'll run the race with gratitude

X alting God most high

Y es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...

Z ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

"I AM Too blessed to be stressed!"

The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.

The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.

Love and peace be with you forever, Amen.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

2 churches: different & similar

thank you for visiting my blog....it has been some two weeks since i posted a new update...had a pretty hectic period for a while...thank God i now have a breather...came across this article about 2 churches...the author discussed their differences and their similarities...the point being made by the author was that none of these 2 churches were making the Gospel clear in their so-called evangelistic meetings....2 different styles, 2 different sizes, 2 different outlooks, but both not making clear what the Gospel is all about to the unbelievers that they seek to evangelise....this ought to get us thinking and re-examining what are we doing in our own churches....in an earlier posting, THE THREE DOCTRINES FROM HELL, there was a point made about churches painting a painless comfy type of gospel, to appeal to those seeking a comfort of sorts to accompany them through this life and hopefully into the next....in the article below, the author exhorts the churches to be diligent so as not to lose the Gospel...the one according to the Holy Bible, the Gospel that Jesus came to preach, and not some adulterated and twisted version....

that sort of got me asking...what really is the biblical Gospel all about....it can't just be about a sure-way ticket to heaven, there must be more to it than just that....it can't just be about being blessed by God all the time, there must be more to it than that....it can't just be about sufferings and pain in following Jesus; that would be the Gospel without the power of the Resurrection and the joy of Pentecost...then it occurs to me the following U.G.L.Y. truth about the Gospel....

U.G.L.Y. stands for UNITY, GODLINESS, LOVE, YAHWEH...isn't these what Jesus came to preach and what the early Apostles taught and wrote about, as we now have it in the New Testament....in John 17, we have Jesus' prayer to the Father God, revealing what is foremost in his heart and the heart of the Father...UNITY among believers, from the heart...if the Gospel according to Jesus has truly reached our hearts, we will want this UNITY the way Jesus had prayed for it...do your utmost to preserve the unity of the Spirit, wrote the Apostle Paul....do your best to live at peace with all....this is the call to UNITY...how often believers grieve the heart of the Father by being disunited, holding more firmly their petty little issues than the commands of their God....GODLINESS, Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy how we ought to train ourselves to be godly, to be holy, just as HE is holy...we were made in HIS IMAGE, and RE-MADE into the likeness of Christ...is this godliness evident in your version of the Gospel, as reflected in your life, right now?....LOVE, Jesus came to remind all that LOVE is central to all that the Old Testament stood for...love for the Father God with all our heart, all our mind and all our soul, and to love our neighbour as our selves...Jesus gave a new commandment, and that is we believers are to love one another the way that he has loved us...without conditions and without restraint, meaning unto death...wow, this is the love that God has for us, and the true Gospel tells us that believers of God and followers of Jesus are to love, for by this shall all men know that we are HIS disciples....even wonder why the world has so much difficulties recognising who the real church is?....finally, YAHWEH, this is the Name of God that we are identified with...is HE the God we love? or is it something else we seek? is YAHWEH the one we serve, or is it something else we want in our service?...is YAHWEH's Glory the glory we desire, or is it the glory of men that lights up our path?...this is the U.G.L.Y. truth that i wonder about as i read this article about 2 different churches...Read on and be edify! Consider anew what is the state of your church and what is the state of U.G.L.Y. truth in your life...as the Spirit leads, rise up and decide today what you must do differently to realise God's purpose for your life.

------------------------------------------------
2 churches: different & similar

Jun 29, 2005 By Nathan A. Finn

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP)--The two churches are very different.One is a small, rural congregation of less than 100 active members. The people are largely blue-collar, working-class types. In the heart of tobacco country, many of them are farmers. They prefer old-fashioned preaching, the loud kind with lots of shouting and sweating. They like traditional gospel music, with men’s quartets, choir “specials” and mansions of glory on the other side. These folks are missions-minded, dutifully instructing the children through Royal Ambassadors and Girls in Action, holding a regular missions emphasis night and regularly taking on projects through the local association’s Woman’s Missionary Union and Brotherhood. The church has been more or less the same size for years, and the congregation is getting older and older.The other church is a large, growing congregation in a bustling metropolitan area. The church regularly has more than 1,000 worshipers in attendance. The members are mostly white-collar, professional types. In the heart of the suburbs, many of them are college-educated. They prefer sophisticated preaching, the kind with lots of pop culture references and video clips for sermon illustrations. They like contemporary choruses, with praise teams, solos and experiencing God in the here and now. These folks are missions-minded, dutifully instructing their children through AWANA, holding regular outreach events and participating in both domestic and global mission trips. The church has grown significantly over the last decade, and the congregation is getting younger and younger.As different as these two churches are, they have several things in common.Both churches are part of the Southern Baptist Convention. Both tend to be theologically and politically conservative, preaching an inerrant Scripture and voting for Republican (and the occasional conservative Democratic) candidates. Both hold to traditional views of the family and adhere to old-fashioned moral values. And to their great shame, both have recently held worship services where the Gospel was not clearly proclaimed.In the rural church, the occasion was a revival service in which the visiting preacher regaled the congregation with stories of people who met their death earlier than expected. He graphically depicted the sufferings of Christ, though his vivid allusions were from the gospel according to Mel instead of the Gospel according to Matthew. He spoke of the horrors of an eternity in hell and speculated about the joys of being reunited with deceased loved ones in heaven. At just the right time, when the people were at their emotional peak, he gave the invitation, encouraging them to step down the aisle and “come to Christ.” The problem was he never explained what it means to “come to Christ” or how one does such a thing. For weeks, people talked about how great that sermon was.In the suburban church, the occasion was a Sunday morning service in which the pastor regaled the congregation with verses from modern Bible translations (sometimes paraphrases) and self-help books. He graphically depicted the sufferings of those whose lives are too cluttered and stressful, boldly proclaiming the gospel of a simplified life. He spoke of the horrors of depression, stress and strained relationships, while speculating about the joys of a relaxed life with less anxiety. At just the right time, when the people were convinced that their lives were too complicated, he gave the invitation, encouraging people to step down the aisle and simplify their lives. The problem was he never even mentioned the Gospel in this service. Even the songs, while ostensibly about Jesus, never presented the Gospel itself. After the service, several people commented about how much the sermon was “exactly what they needed to hear.”In both of these services, in two different churches, I was quietly relieved when no one walked the aisle. It’s not that I didn’t want to see anyone converted -- far from it. It’s just that those particular sermons were wholly devoid of the Gospel, so someone in the audience would not know how to be saved unless he had previously heard the Gospel and the Spirit was already drawing him to faith in Christ.Southern Baptists fought a long and bitter battle over the direction of our convention. While much was at stake, at the heart of the battle was the very definition of the Gospel itself, what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. In these days when full-scale warfare has turned into regional skirmishes, we must be diligent so that we do not lose the Gospel in our ongoing battle for the Bible. The Gospel is not being religious, having your anxieties assuaged, avoiding hell or even acquiring heaven. The Gospel is not doing good things or even necessarily having a “personal relationship with Jesus” (which almost everyone claims to have these days). Though many of these things are admittedly desirable, none of them are the Gospel.The Gospel, at its heart, is nothing more or less than what the Apostle Paul says of God in 2 Corinthians 5:21, that “He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (HCSB). This is the Gospel that we preach, and Southern Baptists have no greater obligation in these days than making this Gospel clear, so that whosoever will may have faith and believe.--30--Nathan Finn is associate archivist at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., and a Ph.D. student in church history.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

"THREE DOCTRINES from HELL" -A PROVOCATIVE STAND

good day and thank you for visiting my blog....came across this rather provocative article which challenges three doctrines that churches generally have accepted as gospel truth...this author obviously disagree with these three doctrines, calling them from HELL....this author seem to be reacting to the soft comfy type of preaching that western churches, especially in the US, have come to be known for....correlate this with the barna survey (earlier posting in my blog) and we get a somewhat disturbing view of what is happening within the so-called christian church....could andrew strom be right?....what storm is andrew attempting to stir up??...andrewstrom sees a big difference in the kind of christians he now sees in churches, and the kind of disciples that he reads about in his holy bible...rather than preaching the truth about carrying one's cross, about true repenting from one's old sinful lifestyle, about bearing sufferings and pain on account of being faithful to jesus and God's teachings...andrew strom sees the western church as lessening and diluting, even forsaking, such bibilical demands in favour of offering sweet and easy assurances of becoming and being a christian, which in his view, his utter nonsense, calling them lies, from hell, deceptive, and really irresponsible....read it for yourself and see what happens in your hearts and in your minds.... be edify.

-------------------------------------------------------------
"THREE DOCTRINES from HELL" -Andrew Strom.
Let us begin with an important question - "What are the worst and most damaging doctrines in the Western church today?"
I believe that the most damaging ones are the ones that actually steal people's Salvation and afterwards wrap them in a false cocoon of comfort and assurance. -Three major doctrines do this.
There is nothing worse than giving false comfort to people who are in danger. It is the worst crime imaginable - and yet preachers do it every week across the Western world.
Imagine if a building was on fire, but instead of crying out and warning the people, you went and comforted them and assured them they were OK - even while the smoke curled up from beneath. Wouldn't it be your fault if those people believed you and were killed?
Such is the situation today, and God will hold to account those who lull the sheep falsely with soothing lies. I tell you - this is a matter of life and death. And God's judgment is coming against all who prove to be such hirelings - "tickling the ears".
The 3 DOCTRINES from HELL:
(1) "ASK JESUS into your HEART". We have spoken about this before, so I won't spend too long on it here. The fact of the matter is that NOBODY in the Bible ever "asked Jesus in" or 'gave their heart to the Lord' to become a Christian. There is NOT ONE instance of this ever happening. There are no people in the Book of Acts repeating a "Sinner's prayer" to get saved. -Nothing like it. This doctrine simply DOES NOT EXIST in the Bible.
So what did people do in Acts? Well, every time they wanted to become a Christian, they deeply REPENTED, they were BAPTIZED IN WATER, and also BAPTIZED in the HOLY SPIRIT. These three things were always done straight away - and were regarded as ESSENTIAL - not just "optional extras". We are short-changing the entire church today with a doctrine that simply CANNOT BE FOUND in Scripture. Merely "ASKING JESUS IN" is totally unscriptural. It is time to go back to getting people saved the BIBLE WAY. (-See Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12-17, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 19:1-6, Acts 22:16, etc. See also my in-depth article at- http://www.revivalschool.com ).
Please notice that what the church is doing here is replacing Truth with something CONVENIENT, COMFORTABLE and EASY. "Just come forward and say this little prayer," we tell them. No mention of DEEP REPENTANCE at all. -And a total lack of any real TRANSFORMATION into a "NEW CREATURE". This is no salvation at all. We are robbing people blind in the name of comfort and convenience. How typical of the West. We have invented a lukewarm "salvation experience" to go with our lukewarm church.
(2) "ONCE SAVED - ALWAYS SAVED". Now, having got people falsely "saved", we create another ear-tickling wonder to make sure that they sleep on contentedly in the pews. While emphasising 'tithing' and attending church (-in that order) the main thing now is to keep them warm and happy - convinced of their "eternal security".
And so we lull them with a doctrine saying that if they once got "saved" (ie. prayed the 'little prayer') - even if it was 20 years ago, then it is "IMPOSSIBLE" for them to lose their salvation. No holiness needed! Of course, we have to rely on the fact that they do not read their Bibles - lest they find out that such a doctrine is a complete fabrication.
Thus, we conveniently leave out of our preaching such Scriptures as this: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. MANY will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works IN YOUR NAME?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART from me, you EVIL-DOERS.'" (Mt 7:21-23). Hmmm. "Eternal security", anyone?
And of course, we must also leave out parables such as "The Five Foolish Virgins" because it contains this verse: "And cast the WORTHLESS SERVANT into outer darkness, where there shall be WAILING and GNASHING OF TEETH" (Mt 25:30). Notice that both the above Scriptures are speaking of people who think they are 'saved' but who END UP IN HELL. -And Jesus says there will be "MANY" like this.
And then there are dozens of other Scriptures such as, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," and 'Those who do such things shall NOT inherit the kingdom of God,' and "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord," etc, etc. -So many Scriptures have to be ignored if we are to preach this cheap "Once Saved - Always Saved" doctrine.
But notice again how well this teaching suits our comfortable, convenient Western mindset. Ear-tickling by the truckload. Candy- coated and syrupy-sweet. Can't it be said that this is making people "two-fold more a child of hell" than they already were?
(3) The CHEAP "No Cost" RAPTURE Theory. -Now this is a dangerous one to bring up! But I am concerned not so much with the TIMING of the Rapture here - but rather with the CHEAPNESS of it. Do I believe in a 'Rapture'? -Yes, I do believe in a great "catching away" (as the Bible describes it). But again, we have so degraded it in the West that it just becomes one more source of false comfort and cheap grace. -This time to escape without a scratch before any persecution or tribulation begins. Once again - how CONVENIENT!
We are led to believe that our rich, fat-cat Western Christians with their false salvation and their "no need for holiness" doctrines will one day be flying in their jet airplanes and "Woosh!" - suddenly they will be gone. -'Raptured'. Just in time to escape any bad stuff happening on the earth.
There are entire industries and multi-million-dollar ministries built on this whole thing. The "no cost" Rapture theory. How wonderfully it tickles Western ears! How we rush to buy the latest Best-seller!
But wait a minute. Wasn't it Jesus (-talking about the 'time of the end') who told his DISCIPLES, "This is but the BEGINNING of the birthpangs. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake"? (Mt 24:8-9 RSV). How is it then, that we are taught a 'Rapture' theory today in which we are "caught up" without any major tribulation or persecution? Jesus in the above passage clearly tells his DISCIPLES - His true followers - that they MUST expect great tribulation and persecution before the end.
It is very obvious from all the New Testament writings that Christians must go through persecution, sufferings and tribulations - and that this will get much worse in the end-times. There is never a hint that we should expect to be 'Raptured' without going through this. But again, the Western doctrine preaches comfort, safety and convenience - a kind of "cheap way out".
Why is this such a serious issue? -Well, a people who have been told again and again that God will "rescue" them before the real trouble starts - these are the most ILL-PREPARED people to face real persecution. The people who are most prepared are those who have looked the danger in the eye, and prepared their hearts to go through it. With our false comfort we are doing the worst job in the world of preparing our people for what is to come.
To SUMMARIZE
As you can see, what we have set up in the Western church is an entire system of FALSE ASSURANCE. First, we falsely assure people that they are "born again" when they are not. Then we falsely assure them that it is "IMPOSSIBLE" for them to lose their salvation - no matter what they do. Then we falsely assure them that they will escape all end-time tribulation and persecution with an ultra-convenient 'Rapture'.
We have it all sewn up! It is a kind-of "cradle to the grave" system of false salvation. -A whole set-up devoted to convincing Hell-bound people that they are going to Heaven by the "cheap and easy" route. Like the Fast Food outlets that we have invented in the West, it is all about 'Instant Gratification'. It is the warm and comfortable way. No holiness needed. Just like going through a McDonalds drive-through. "Do you want fries with that 'HAPPY MEAL', sir?"
Every one of these lies is perfectly suited to our Western mindset. That is why they have been so successful. But that does not stop them being LIES. -Nor does it stop them sending multitudes to Hell.
We in the West have become devotees of a kind-of "no pain" religion. Sadly, that religion no longer resembles true Christianity. Let us REPENT of ALL such doctrines before it is too late, my friends.
To respond with feedback about this article, please write to- prophetic@revivalschool.com
God bless you all.
Kindest regards in Christ,
Andrew Strom.

Sunday, June 12, 2005

A CRITIQUE OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL

GOOD DAY...AND THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG...I HAVE NO DOUBT YOU MUST HAVE HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL...IN ITS MANY VARIED FORMS AND EMPHASIS...MAINLY PROMOTED FROM THE WEST, LARGELY FROM U.S. (SEE THE ARTICLE BELOW)...IT PLAYS ON THE VERY HUMAN DESIRE TO BE RICH, TO BE SUCCESSFUL, TO LIVE A LONG LIFE, TO BE RECOGNISED...I NOTICED THAT SCRIPTURAL PASSAGES CITED TO PROMOTE SUCH A VIEW OFTEN COMES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT...MAKING PARALLELS AND DRAWING ANALOGIES THAT ARE OFTEN RATHER QUESTIONABLE...I HAVE YET TO SEE ONE WHO PROMOTE SUCH A VIEW GIVE SCRIPTURES FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT....PERHAPS IT'S BECAUSE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THERE ISN'T SUCH A VIEW OF A PROSPERITY GOSPEL...RATHER, ONE SEES A JESUS WHO CONFRONT A RICH YOUNG RULER AND TELLS HIM TO GO AND SELL EVERYTHING AND DISTRIBUTE TO THE POOR....WE SEE A JESUS WHO TEACHES US THAT WE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MONEY AT THE SAME TIME...WE SEE A JESUS WHO COMMENDED TO HIS DISCIPLES THE POOR WIDOW WHO GAVE ONLY TWO COPPER COINS OUT OF HER POVERTY....RATHER THAN THE RICH WHO GAVE MUCH MORE, HUMANLY SPEAKING...WE SEE A JESUS WHO TELLS US NOT TO LAY UP TREASURES HERE ON EARTH, BUT TO LAY UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN...WE SEE A PAUL WHO INSTRUCT HIS YOUNG TIMOTHY TO COMMAND THOSE WHO ARE RICH IN THIS WORLD, NOT TO BE ARROGANT, NOR TO PUT THEIR FAITH IN WEALTH WHICH IS SO UNCERTAIN, BUT TO DO GOOD, TO BE GENEROUS AND WILLING TO SHARE, TO LAY UP FOR THEMSELVES A FIRM FOUNDATION, TREASURES IN HEAVEN....WE SEES A PAUL WHO SET ASIDE ALL HIS EARTHLY WEALTH AND REPUTATION TO SEEK AFTER A JESUS IN HIS SUFFERINGS....IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, WE SEE JESUS AND MEN OF GOD PROMOTING A GOSPEL THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO SUIT THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL-PREACHERS...WHICH GOSPEL ARE YOU FOLLOWING?? THE APOSTLE PAUL IN GALATIANS WARNED OF A DIFFERENT GOSPEL...AT THAT TIME, IT WAS A GOSPEL OF CIRCUMCISION, ALSO ROOTED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT...AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE THIS GOSPEL OF EARTHLY PROSPERITY....ISSUE IS WHO IS BEING MADE PROSPEROUS IN FOLLOWING SUCH A GOSPEL??....ACCORDING TO THIS ARTICLE BELOW, IT IS THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS....NOT THE FOLLOWERS....SO BE CAREFUL WHAT GOSPEL YOU ARE HEARING AND FOLLOWING! OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN...JESUS DID NOT SO MUCH COME AND DIE SO THAT WE CAN BE PROPERSOUS HERE ON EARTH...THAT IS NOT WHAT THE FATHER GOD HAS SEND HIM TO ACCOMPLISH....JESUS CAME THAT WE MAY HAVE LIFE, ETERNAL LIFE....QUITE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE FROM THE HERE AND THE NOW....THE GOSPEL THAT JESUS BROUGHT IS FOCUS IN HEAVEN...THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS IS FOCUS HERE ON EARTH....IS THERE A DECEPTION HERE TO BE UNCOVERED??...HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW COME SUCH PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS ONLY SEEM TO BE SEEN IN BIG CITIES OF THE DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING WORLD, AND NOT IN POOR THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES....I THINK JAMES ROBISON HAS A VERY GOOD POINT...READ HIS ARTICLE AND BE EDIFY...
====================================================================
TV evangelist James Robison has taken to task fellow preachers who promote that he says is an unbalanced prosperity message. The host of the daily broadcast "Life Today" says that such "manipulation" has pushed people into bankruptcy, and encourages a self-centered focus that can "short-circuit a supernatural response from God." Writing in the forthcoming May issue of "Charisma" magazine, Robison says that while he is not accusing anyone of "deliberately misleading or manipulating ... the unhealthy consequences of this type of teaching ... breaks my heart." Although the principle of sowing and reaping is an important aspect of giving, it has been distorted, he says. "One of the huge deceptions in some personal prosperity teaching is the notion that everybody is going to have a big house, big car or big income," he writes. "This concept promotes a 'sameness' mentality, and it is simply not scriptural ... If you're just looking for a return, you're a miner. God wants us to be farmers for kingdom purposes." Robison's warning follows a recent report released in the United Kingdom by the Evangelical Alliance (EA) that says the prosperity message of the Word-faith movement "promotes a lifestyle and ethos, which is fundamentally at odds with the values of the kingdom of God." The "Faith, Health and Prosperity" report from the organization -- representing over a million evangelical and Pentecostal/charismatic believers -- acknowledges that Word-faith has "a deep appreciation for what God has done in Christ:" and "a desire to take the Word of God with the utmost seriousness." But it questions whether prosperity teaching is "not simply a means of excusing the lifestyle and assuaging the consciences of wealthy Christians," and observes that the image of "the prosperous, high-profile charismatic leader ... can easily replace Christ as the object of adulation and imitation." According to "The (London) Times," the EA report was partly born out of concern over the fund-raising activities of Morris Cerullo World Evangelism, which "allegedly linked the level of donors' contributions ... with the extent of God's blessing on the donors' lives." In his article, Robison says that where people put their money reveals a lot about their passion and priorities. "God wants us to put our trust completely in Him," he writes. "Isn't it ironic that the words 'In God We Trust' are printed on the back of our dollar bills? If we don't put our trust in Him, we'll put it in something else -- most likely money." He says that God does not want people to "play the money game." "This is not spiritual bingo or Bible lottery. Giving is the essence of life. If we release that which He has freely given us, He will increase it for His purpose -- not so we can build bigger barns but so we can live life abundantly." Robison warns: "Those who focus on earthly treasures and receiving a blessing may get a lot of stuff, but they will not experience fullness of life. In the end, they will rot in their stuff. The Father wants to bless children who can be trusted to release His resources, which certainly includes money, for kingdom purposes." Robison's article can be read in full in the May issue of "Charisma," out next week.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

CHURCH IN US...Christians No Different From The World

GOOD DAY TO YOU AND THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG...CAME ACROSS THIS ARTICLE ABOUT THE STATE OF THE CHURCH IN US... A FRIGHTENING PICTURE INDEED ! REMINDS ME OF THE PARABLE THAT JESUS TOLD ABOUT THE FARMER SOWING SEEDS IN A FIELD...JESUS WANTED US TO TAKE CARE HOW WE LISTEN TO THE WORD OF GOD...HOW OFTEN BECAUSE WE DON'T TAKE CARE TO LISTEN CAREFULLY, NO SOONER WAS THE WORD SOWN IN THE FIELD OF OUR HEART, WE ALLOW THE EVIL ONE TO COME AND TAKE IT AWAY..THIS IS THE SEED THAT FELL ON HARD GROUND, ON THE PATH...IS YOUR HEART LIKE THAT EVERY WEEK AS YOU LISTEN TO THE WORD IN CHURCH??...NOTHING REALLY GETS LONG ENOUGH INTO OUR HEARTS AND STAY THERE FOR IT TO IMPACT ANY CHANGE TO OUR LIFE...OR MAY BE YOU DO LET THE SEED OF GOD'S WORD ENTER YOUR HEART AND IT GREW FOR A WHILE...JESUS WARNED ABOUT THE SEED THAT FEEL ON ROCKY GROUND...NO DEEP ROOTS, SO IT DOES NOT LAST...NO REAL CHANGE CAN TAKE PLACE...WHEN THE HEAT IS ON, WHEN WE ENCOUNTER SOME TROUBLES, SOME DIFFICULTIES, SOME PAIN, WE WITHER AND FALL AWAY...WHILE OUR BODIES MAY STILL BE FOUND IN CHURCH, OUR SPIRITS HAVE LONG GONE BACK TO THE WORLD...LIKE WHAT THIS BARNA SURVEY SHOW OF THE CHURCH IN US...FOR SURE, WE HAVE MANY IN OUR CHURCHES THAT ARE VERY MUCH LIKE WHAT JESUS SAID HAPPENED TO THE SEED THAT FELL ON THE THIRD KIND OF GROUND...THE KIND THAT HAVE WEEDS THAT CHOKED...LET'S EXAMINE OUR LIVES...ARE THEY NOT FULL OF THE ANXIETIES OF THIS WORLD AND THE PLEASURES OF THIS LIFE??...HOW OFTEN WE ALLOW THESE WORLDINESS TO COME ALONGSIDE OUR INTAKE OF THE WORD THAT THE WORD HAVE RESTRICTED SPACE TO GROW AND BECOME FRUITFUL...MAY WE GET RID OF THESE WEEDS AND LET THE WORD OF GOD GROW STRONG IN US...PRODUCING MUCH FRUIT...TO THE GLORY OF GOD...SHOULD A SURVEY LIKE WHAT BARNA DID FOR THE CHURCH IN US BE DONE FOR YOUR CHURCH, WHAT WOULD BE THE FINDINGS? WHERE WOULD YOU STAND? MAY GOD BLESS YOU TODAY TO BE WHAT JESUS SAID OF HIS CHOSEN ONES IN JOHN 15:16 ... "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you." BE EDIFY.

**********

Christians No Different From The World=By Chuck Baldwin

Recently, pollster George Barna released his research regarding the
beliefs and conduct of today's Christians. The results are shocking!
According to Barna, only 9% of America's born again Christians have a
Biblical worldview. Only 9%!

To determine a Biblical worldview, Barna used the following 8 point
criteria:

Believing that absolute moral truths exist.
Such truths are defined by the Bible.
Jesus Christ lived a sinless life.
God is all-knowing, all-powerful Creator and still rules today.
Salvation is a gift of God and cannot be earned.
Christians have a responsibility to share their faith in Christ.
Satan is real.
The Bible is accurate in all its teachings.
As any real Christian can see, these 8 points comprise basic Biblical
truth. To think that more than 90% of born again Christians would deny
any one of these fundamental truths suggests that the vast majority of
professing Christians today have no clue as to what being a Christian
really means.

As a result, the obvious question that must be asked is, "What in the
world are our pastors and church leaders teaching their congregations?"
It would appear that whatever they are teaching, it isn't the Bible!

Barna's research gets even more disturbing. His survey reveals that
only 3% of Christian parents include the salvation of their children in
the list of critical parental emphasis. What?? Does this mean that 97%
of America's Christian parents really don't think it "critical" that
their own children go to heaven?

At the same time, 39% of America's Christian parents believe it is
"critical" that their children get a good education. Compare these
sentiments with those of President Theodore Roosevelt who said, "A
thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college
education."

Barna's research also revealed that only 36% of America's Christian
parents monitor or regulate the time and quality of T.V., music, and
other media that their children were allowed to access. In addition,
45% of America's Christian parents teach their children that there are
NO moral absolutes. 43% teach their children that there are SOME moral
absolutes.

George Barna summarized his findings by saying, "Faith makes very
little difference in their [Christians] lives : believers do not train
their children to think or act differently [from the world]. It's no
wonder that they [Christian children] grow up to be just as involved in
gambling, excessive drinking, and any other unbiblical behavior as
everyone else."

The problem with America's Christianity today is that, for the most
part, it doesn't exist! What passes for Christianity is instead an
anemic, spineless, diluted substitute without convictions or principle.

No wonder so many unbelievers see nothing in the church that would draw
them to a life-transforming faith in Christ. No wonder so many
political leaders ignore the church. No wonder that despite some
300,000 evangelical churches, scores and hundreds of television and
radio ministries, and millions of professing Christians, our nation is
still on a collision course with calamity!

What America needs is real Christianity! The kind of Christianity that
changed the course of his tory. The kind of Christianity that changed
the face of Europe. The kind of Christianity that propelled the
Pilgrims, Puritans, and Patriots to shake off the bands of tyranny and
establish this great country called America.

Christianity of old quenched the flames of oppression, lit the fires of
freedom, and led two continents out of the darkness of paganism.
Today's Christianity is known for bingo games, softball leagues, and
milquetoast preachers. Christianity of old toppled the Roman Empire.
Today's Christianity cannot even rid the nation of legal abortion.

George Barna's research suggests that the real mission field may not be
in heathen lands across the seas but in America's churches right here
at home!

© Chuck Baldwin

Thursday, June 02, 2005

BECAUSE GOD IS SOVEREIGN

GOOD DAY...ANOTHER ARTICLE TO ENCOURAGE YOU AND TO REMIND YOU WHO YOUR GOD TRULY IS. THIS EXCERPT IS BY CHIP INGRAM, PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD THRU THE BIBLE
--------------------------------------------------------

So what does the phrase "God is sovereign" really mean?

If you were to look up the word "sovereign" in the dictionary, you would find words and phrases like "superior," "greatest," "supreme in power and authority," "ruler," and "independent of all others" in its definition. But the way I like to explain God's sovereignty best is simply to say, "God is in control."

There is absolutely nothing that happens in the universe that is outside of God's influence and authority. As King of kings and Lord of lords, God has no limitations. Consider just a few of the claims the Bible makes about God:

* God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere so that everyone can know Him (Revelation 21:6).

* God created all things and holds all things together, both in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).

* God knows all things past, present, and future. There is no limit to His knowledge, for God knows everything completely before it even happens (Romans 11:33).

* God can do all things and accomplish all things. Nothing is too difficult for Him, and He orchestrates and determines everything that is going to happen in your life, in my life, in America, and throughout the world. Whatever He wants to do in the universe, He does, for nothing is impossible with Him (Jeremiah 32:17).

* God is in control of all things and rules over all things. He has power and authority over nature, earthly kings, history, angels, and demons. Even Satan himself has to ask God's permission before he can act (Psalm 103:19).

That's what being sovereign means. It means being the ultimate source of all power, authority, and everything that exists. Only God can make those claims; therefore, it's God's sovereignty that makes Him superior to all other gods and makes Him, and Him alone, worthy of worship.

Just as peasants always bowed before their king for fear of offending the one who had the authority to take their life, God's sovereignty compels us to bow before Him. But unlike corrupt earthly kings who abuse their authority to terrorize their subjects, God rules in love. He loves you and wants the best for you.

Romans 8:28 promises that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

That's an amazing promise not only because it demonstrates that an all-powerful God cares about you and me, but because it cannot be fulfilled unless the One Who gives it is all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful, and all-loving. The promise itself is a testimony to God's sovereignty.

But God makes that promise, and millions throughout history have testified to its truth because God has proven His ability to back it up time and time again.

Think about the implications of that promise. Because God is sovereign and He loves you, nothing will ever come into your life that He does not either decree or allow.

Consequently, no matter what you face in life, you can take comfort in the fact that God is sovereign.

Whether a loved one lies in a hospital bed, your child is living in rebellion, you lose your source of income, or the nation is at war, God is in control. And He is constantly working all things together for good. Somehow, He takes all the events, all the situations, all the people, the prayers, the relationships-everything involved in whatever pleasant or difficult situation you're in-and works them together for good.

So the next time you bow your head to pray-when you're in a jam or need to ask God for something-remember that you're talking to the One Who has power over the entire universe. He controls everything from the tiniest atom to the largest galaxy.

Approach Him with the respect, awe, and wonder that He deserves, but also approach Him with confidence knowing that He can answer your prayer. And know also that because He loves you, He will answer your prayer-in the way He knows is best.