Grace, Grace, God's Grace

"And he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shouting, crying, grace, grace!"—Zachariah 4:7

The mercy of God is that attribute which we, the fallen, sinful race of Adam, stand in greatest need of, and God has been pleased, according to our needs, more gloriously to manifest this attribute than any other. The wonders of divine grace are the greatest of all wonders. The wonders of divine power and wisdom in the making of this great world are marvelous; other wonders of his justice in punishing sin are wonderful; many wonderful things have happened since the creation of the world, but none like the wonders of grace. "Grace, Grace!" is the sound that the gospel rings with, "Grace, Grace!" will be that shout which will ring in heaven forever; and perhaps what the angels sung at the birth of Christ, of God's good will towards men, is the highest theme that ever they entered upon.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

Sovereign Grace

"Of all the Doctrines of the Bible, none is so
offensive to human nature as the doctrine of
GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY." — J. C. Ryle

We are sure that the gospel we have preached is not after men, because men do not take to it. It is opposed even to this day. If anything is hated bitterly, it is the out-and-out gospel of the grace of God, especially if that hateful word "SOVEREIGNTY" is mentioned with it.

Dare to say "He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and he will have compassion on whom he will have compassion" [Romans 9:15], and furious critics will revile you without stint.

The modern religionist not only hates the doctrine of sovereign grace, but he raves & rages at the mention of it. He would sooner hear you blaspheme than preach election by the Father, atonement by the Son, or regeneration by the Spirit. If you want to see a man worked up till the Satanic is clearly uppermost, let some of the new divines hear you preach a free-grace sermon. A gospel which is after men will be welcomed by men; but it needs a divine operation upon the heart and mind to make a man willing to receive into his inmost soul this distasteful gospel of the grace of God.

My dear brethren, do not try to make it tasteful to carnal minds. Hide not the offence of the cross, lest you make if of none effect. The angles and corners of the gospel are its strength: to pare them off is to deprive it of power. Toning down is not the increase of strength, but the death of it. Why, even among the sects, you must have noticed that their distinguishing points are the horns of their power; and when these are practically omitted, the sect is effete. Learn, then, that if you take Christ out of Christianity, Christianity is dead. If you remove grace out of the gospel, the gospel is gone. If the people do not like the doctrine of grace, give them all the more of it! Whenever its enemies rail at a certain kind of gun, a wise military power will provide more of such artillery. A great general, going in before his king, stumbled over his own sword. "I see," said the king, "your sword is in the way." The warrior answered, "Your majesty's enemies have often felt the same." That our gospel offends the King's enemies is no regret to us.

Excerpted from C. H. Spurgeon's sermon #2185 "Our Manifesto" MTP Vol 37, Year 1891, pg. 49, Galatians 1:11

The Church of What’s Happenin’ Now

The biggest fad of all has come with its own built-in expiration date: “Forty Days of Purpose.” The Purpose-Driven Life had sold more than twenty million copies, making it the best-selling non-fiction book of all time, surpassing The Diary of Anne Franke within a few months of its release. According to a news release I read in December, spin-off Purpose-Driven merchandize has generated nearly five million units of additional sales, and that’s nothing to sneeze at. “Forty Days of Purpose” is already the most successful evangelical fad in the history of the world, making a lot of people rich and guaranteeing that we’re going to see a lot of similar marketing plans and 40-day programs in the months to come. Rick Warren has already announced his next one: “Forty Days of Community.” It starts in April, and you can get your church on the bandwagon now. The cost for a ticket to ride this fad is tailored to fit the size of your church. If you have a church of 100 people, it will only cost you $700. Now, I’m not going to try to squeeze a critique of The Purpose Driven Life into this article. There are plenty of helpful critiques available on-line, and one by Nathan Busenitz in the book from Crossway titled Fool’s Gold?.

Even if we had no bone to pick with the content or the underlying philosophy of The Purpose Driven Life is this really the kind of book that deserves to be the best-selling evangelical work of all time? Is there anything profound or original or exceptionally brilliant about the content of this book? Is it great literature, or especially superb Bible teaching, or excellent theology made understandable in simple terms? It’s none of those things. The extraordinary success of this book stems from a very clever marketing scheme that targeted a specific market at the most opportune time. It hit the shelves at a moment when the evangelical culture was ripe for fads and stampedes.The evangelical movement is filled with people who have been trained and conditioned and encouraged to respond to every wind of doctrine. Rick Warren thinks it’s a good thing, and he compares it to surfing. You just ride wave after wave, and that, he says, is the means God uses to bring about church growth. In The Purpose Driven Church, he says this: "At Saddleback Church we’ve . . . tried to recognize the waves God was sending our way, and we’ve learned to catch them. We’ve learned to use the right equipment to ride those waves, and we’ve learned the importance of balance. We’ve also learned to get off dying waves whenever we sensed God wanted to do something new. The amazing thing is this: The more skilled we become in riding waves of growth, the more God sends!" Ah! so that’s why we have this proliferation of fads. Evangelicals have gotten so skilled at surfing the latest fashions that God just sends more and more of them. And they get bigger every time. I always think of my favorite Flip Wilson character, Reverend Leroy. Remember him? You surely remember his best-known parishioner, Geraldine Jones, whose signature catch-phrase was “The Devil made me do it.” Reverend Leroy was the esteemed pastor of “The Church of What’s Happenin’ Now.” In the ’60s, that was funny. These days it’s no joke. It seems like every church wants to be “The Church of What’s Happenin’ Now.”And that is an extremely dangerous position for the evangelical movement to be in. Today’s fad may seem benign enough if you don’t care much about biblical discernment. Rick Warren says he just wants to meet people’s “felt needs” and insists he wants to remain biblical at the same time. Where’s the harm in that? But that philosophy is wrong and unbiblical, because it’s contrary to Paul’s clear command in 2 Timothy 4, to preach the word and refuse to cater to the itch of people’s “felt needs.” Meanwhile, all these fads are moving us further from our evangelical commitment to the principles of sola fide and sola Scriptura.

Excerpt is from a message that was delivered at the 2005 Shepherd’s Conference by Phil Johnson titled "Programs, Get Your Programs:Exposing the Flaws of a Fad-Driven Church" a copy of this message can be obtained at the Shepherd's Conference official website

What is Spiritual War?

The real spiritual war is simply this: You have a whole world of people who think wrong. Their thinking is damning. They think wrong about themselves; they think wrong about God; they think wrong about Christ, if they think about Him at all. They need to think differently. They need to know the truth. They need to know the gospel. They need to know the truth about themselves, the truth about God, the truth about Christ, the truth about His work, the truth about salvation, grace, forgiveness. They need to know that truth. And it's when you bring that truth to the person and you engage in the war with their mind so that you can bring the truth to bear upon wrong thinking, that's the real spiritual war. It's an ideological battle. But the real war is bringing the truth of Christ to those in error.

Excerpt by John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 80-257, titled "The Deadly Dangers of Moralism".

Wolves in the Flock

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:28-30)

There is a growing apostasy that has now brought us to a point in alleged postmodern America where the evangelical church is facing the exact same issue as that encountered by Charles Haddon Spurgeon with the encroaching liberals in the Baptist Union of his day. Today we can see what I’ve called The New Downgrade No-Controversy developing when someone like spiritual guru Brian McLaren, a recognized leader in the decidedly anti-Reformation Emergent Church, has been able to fool weak-willed leaders within the Church of our Lord through his a-logical double-speak into accepting him as an evangelical when he in fact denies the Gospel that’s supposedly preached by evangelicals. (article)

By Rev. Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries!

More Spurgeon

I am bound to the doctrine of the depravity of the human heart, because I find myself depraved in heart, and have daily proofs that in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing. If God enters into covenant with unfallen man, man is so insignificant a creature that it must be an act of gracious condescension on the Lord's part; but if God enters into covenant with sinful man, he is then so offensive a creature that it must be, on God's part, an act of pure, free, rich, sovereign grace. When the Lord entered into covenant with me, I am sure that it was all of grace, nothing else but grace. When I remember what a den of unclean beasts and birds my heart was, and how strong was my unrenewed will, how obstinate and rebellious against the sovereignty of the Divine rule, I always feel inclined to take the very lowest room in my Father's house, and when I enter Heaven, it will be to go among the less than the least of all saints, and with the chief of sinners.

This excerpt is By C.H. Spurgeon taken from "A Defense of Calvinism" posted at www.spurgeon.org

Lost Hymns: All that I Was, My Sin, My Guilt

All that I was, my sin, my guilt, My death, was all my own; All that I am I owe to Thee, My gracious God, alone.

The evil of my former state Was mine, and only mine; The good in which I now rejoice Is Thine, and only Thine.

The darkness of my former state, The bondage, all was mine; The light of life in which I walk, The liberty, is Thine.

Thy Word first made me feel my sin, It taught me to believe; Then, in believing, peace I found, And now I live, I live!

All that I am, e'en here on earth, All that I hope to be, When Jesus comes and glory dawns, I owe it, Lord, to Thee.

by Horatius Bonar, 1808-1899 Hymn #378 The Lutheran Hymnal Text: 1 Corinthians 15:10 Author: Horatius Bonar, 1845, alt.Tune: "St. Bernard" 1st Published in: Tochter Zion, 1741Town: Cologne, Germany

'Deep Respect' for Islam?

Pope Benedict XVI said Wednesday (article) that he has "deep respect" for Islam, but can a true Christian truly have respect for a pagan religion? How does one respect a teaching that damn's people to hell? The Pope also said quote "I hope that in several occasions during the visit ... my deep respect for great religions, in particular for Muslims - who worship the one God and with whom we are engaged in defending and promoting together social justice, moral values, peace and freedom for all men - has emerged clearly,". It's quite clear that the Pope doesn't worship the God of the Bible because he is confused about who God is, if he believes that the Muslims worship the one true God then he does not know who the God of the Bible is, the only thing that has truly emerged is what the Pope doesn't believe! Also notice that he did not say that the Muslims and himself were concerned with promoting the TRUTH, but with social justice, morals and peace which is something that extreme Muslims don't seek at all. True Christianity can never have "deep respect" for any false religion nor does Ture Christianity embrace a view of God that contradict's the God of the Bible. Some would say that this view is unloving but the truth is that nothing is more loving than the truth! Jesus is truth.

Spurgeon Gem / The Word Of God

Never, never neglect the Word of God. The Word will make your heart rich with truth, rich with understanding, and then your conversation, when it flows from your mouth, will be like your heart: rich, soothing, and sweet. Make your heart full of rich, generous love, and then the stream that flows from your hand will be just as rich and generous as your heart. Above all, get Jesus to live in your heart, and then out of your heart will flow rivers of living water, more rich, more satisfying than the water of the well of Sychar of which Jacob drank. Oh! Go, Christian, to the great mine of riches, and cry to the Holy Spirit to make your heart rich unto salvation. Then your life and conversations will be a benefit to your fellow man; and when they see you, your face will be like an angel of God. Wise men will stand up when they see you, and men will give you respect and honor.

By: Charles Hadden Spurgeon 1834-1892

My Idea of God?

If my idea of God were really mine, if it were one which I had evolved out of my own inner consciousness, I should attribute very little importance to it myself, and should certainly expect even less importance to be attributed to it by others. If God is merely a fact of human experience, if theology is merely a branch of psychology, then I for my part shall cease to be interested in the subject at all. The only God about whom I can feel concerned is one who has objective existence, an existence independent of man. But if there be such a really and independently existent Being, it seems extremely unlikely that there can be any knowledge of Him unless He chooses to reveal Himself: a divine Being that could be discovered apart from revelation would be either a mere name for an aspect of man's nature – the feeling of reverence or loyalty or the like – or else, if possessing objective existence, a mere passive thing that would submit to human investigation like the substances that are analyzed in the laboratory. And in either case it would seem absurd to apply to such a Being the name of "God."

By: J. Gresham Machen "My Idea of God", published by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1927

An Almost Christian

by George Whitefield (1714-1769)
Acts 26:28 - "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."
An almost Christian, if we consider him in respect to his duty to God, is one that halts between two opinions; that wavers between Christ and the world; that would reconcile God and Mammon, light and darkness, Christ and Belial. It is true, he has an inclination to religion, but then he is very cautious how he goes too far in it: his false heart is always crying out, Spare thyself, do thyself no harm. He prays indeed, that "God's will may be done on earth, as it is in heaven." But notwithstanding, he is very partial in his obedience, and fondly hopes that God will not be extreme to mark every thing that he willfully does amiss; though an inspired apostle has told him, that "he who offends in one point is guilty of all." But chiefly, he is one that depends much on outward ordinances, and on that account looks upon himself as righteous, and despises others; though at the same time he is as great a stranger to the divine life as any other person whatsoever. In short, he is fond of the form, but never experiences the power of godliness in his heart. He goes on year after year, attending on the means of grace, but then, like Pharaoh's lean kine [cow?], he is never the better, but rather the worse for them.

If you consider him in respect to his neighbor, he is one that is strictly just to all; but then this does not proceed from any love to God or regard to man, but only through a principle of self-love: because he knows dishonesty will spoil his reputation, and consequently hinder his thriving in the world.

He is one that depends much upon being negatively good, and contents himself with the consciousness of having done no one any harm; though he reads in the gospel, that "the unprofitable servant was cast into outer darkness," and the barren fig-tree was cursed and dried up from the roots, not for bearing bad, but no fruit.

He is no enemy to charitable contributions in public, if not too frequently recommended: but then he is unacquainted with the kind offices of visiting the sick and imprisoned, clothing the naked, and relieving the hungry in a private manner. He thinks that these things belong only to the clergy, though his own false heart tells him, that nothing but pride keeps him from exercising these acts of humility; and that Jesus Christ, in the 25th chapter of St. Matthew, condemns persons to everlasting punishment, not merely for being fornicators, drunkards, or extortioners, but for neglecting these charitable offices, "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, he shall set the sheep on his right-hand, and the goats on his left. And then shall he say unto them on his left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also say, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or a-thirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have not done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it not unto me: and these shall go away into everlasting punishment unto me: and these shall go away into everlasting punishment." I thought proper to give you this whole passage of scripture at large, because our Savior lays such a particular stress upon it; and yet it is so little regarded, that were we to judge by the practice of Christians, one should be tempted to think there were no such verses in the Bible.

"Evil & Inhuman" Acts

In an amazing display of utter hypocrisy leaders in the Islamic world are demanding an apology from Pope Benedict XVI. What did the Pontiff do? He dared read a quotation from a conversation that took place in the fourteenth century. And what was the horridly offensive statement? He quoted, not as his own words, but accurately, the words of Emperor Manuel Paleologos II speaking to a Persian scholar on the conflict between Christianity and Islam. The words were, "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." That's it! He dared quote such a statement! It was in the context of eschewing violence in matters of religion, I might add.

Now, consider the response to this simple citation of a historical source: Pakistan's legislature unanimously condemned the Pope. (I wonder if a single one of them had a clue what he said, or the context in which it was said? Probably not). According to Yahoo news, the deputy leader of the ruling Islamic party, "said Benedict's remarks were either 'the result of pitiful ignorance' about Islam and its prophet or, worse, a deliberate distortion." He said, "He has a dark mentality that comes from the darkness of the Middle Ages. He is a poor thing that has not benefited from the spirit of reform in the Christian world. It looks like an effort to revive the mentality of the Crusades. Benedict, the author of such unfortunate and insolent remarks, is going down in history for his words. He is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini." Protests broke out in Gaza City, and a Hamas spokesman said the Pope had offended Muslims everywhere.

Now, of course, every single one of these people know that in Islamic countries Imams regularly preach death to the West and death to Christianity. They well know the hatred expressed toward Jews on a daily basis. So it simply is not possible for them to not realize the gross hypocrisy in pretending outrage over the Pope quoting a conversation that took place hundreds of years ago. The few who have even read the comments and noted the context are guilty of knowing hypocrisy. But they are the minority. You can bet without question that the vast majority of these folks have only heard either a completely a-contextual version, like, "The Pope said Mohammad (pbuh!) was evil and inhuman! Take up arms!" or worse, as in the "cartoon" saga a few months ago, they have been given a full-blown lie and some other outrageous "quotation." Now, I do not want anyone to faint upon reading what I am about to say, but for the sake of all that is good and right and just, I hope Benedict XVI refuses to apologize. Clarify the statement? Fine. Provide the context? Great. But do not apologize for claiming the freedom to quote a historical source! I could quote dozens and dozens of Islamic writers whose words I find deeply offensive. Would I be given the right to demand apologies from the entire Islamic world? Surely not!

Finally, one of the most amazing statements in the above linked news article was this one: "Many Muslims accused Benedict of seeking to promote Judeo-Christian dominance over Islam." Anyone with the slightest idea of what militant Islam is all about knows it seeks the establishment of Islamic law throughout the world. That is what the current world situation is all about: the consistent application of Islamic beliefs to the political systems of all nations. See the writings of Sayyid Qutb, who greatly influenced Bin Laden, for examples of this on almost every page. So when I read this kind of complaint, my hypocrisy meter pegs and starts smoking. But will almost anyone in the West point out this hypocrisy? No, because our ability to think, and speak, clearly has been seriously compromised by political correctness. Yes, Islam seeks world domination, by force and death and destruction. And therein lies another major difference between us: Christianity boldly proclaims that it, in fact, will someday see Jesus Christ enthroned as the King of kings, and He will rule over all the earth. But how does He rule and reign today? He does so by changing hearts and minds, not through the barrel of an AK-47. Those who bow the knee to Christ today to do because their natures have been changed. It is a supernatural conversion, not a violent one.

Article by James R. White of Alpha & Omega Ministries

God's Completing Work

A Precious Promise of God's Completing Work Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) Now, we return to the category we are calling "precious promises." (2 Peter 1:4). Here we have a priceless one concerning God's commitment to complete the wonderful work of salvation that He began at our new birth. If our faith is in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God has started a tremendous saving work on our behalf: " He who has begun a good work in you." He has made us new creatures in His Son. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). He has supplied us with immeasurable heavenly resources. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). What a grand work has been started in us. Yet, God's saving work is "so great a salvation" (Hebrews 2:3). Thus, whatever He has already been accomplished with us is only a part of the whole. Wherever we are in this glorious process, there is some completing work that God desires to do. He wants to bring into our understanding, our character, and our daily experience more of that which is fully ours in Christ. Furthermore, our God wants us to be confident concerning this matter: "Being confident of this very thing." As noted in our previous meditation, God does not want people living in self-confidence. That misplaced trust is just another form of pride. This does not mean that we Christians are to be without confidence in our lives. It does mean that all of our confidence is to be placed in the Lord. "And we have such trust [confidence] through Christ toward God" (2 Corinthians 3:4). Our Lord wants us to have strong assurance in Him that He will complete this work in us. Also remember, this saving work of God is done within our lives: "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it." The Lord has established an eternal position for us with Him in heavenly places: "and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6). Yet, He wants to effect a godly walk for us here on earth. "Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called" (Ephesians 4:1). This walk is not based upon human theories of behavior modification. Our Lord Himself develops this in and through our hearts. "Now may the God of peace . . . make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight" (Hebrews 13:20-21). By Bob Hoekstra of Living In Christ Ministries

Dear Lord, I long to walk in more of the reality of that which is mine in Christ. Thank You for these words that build my confidence in You. I humbly repent of my self-confident attempts to do what only You can do. I look to You anew and alone!

Worldly Virus'

"As Christian believers, we must stand together against some things. So, if you hear anyone saying that A.W. Tozer preaches a good deal that is negative, just smile and agree: "That is because he preaches the Bible!" Here are some of the things we oppose: we are against the many modern idols that have been allowed to creep into the churches; we are against the "unauthorized fire" that is being offered on the altars of the Lord; we are against the modern gods that are being adopted in our sanctuaries. We are against the world's ways and its false values. We are against the world's follies and its vain pleasures. We are against this world's greed and sinful ambitions. We are against this world's vices and its carnal habits. We believe this spells out clearly the Bible truth of separation. God asks us to stand boldly against anything or anyone who hurts or hinders this New Testament body of Christians. Where the church is not healed it will wither. The Word of God is the antibiotic that alone can destroy the virus that would plague the life of the church!" —A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

Excerpt taken from The Tozer Devotional Renewed Day by Day

Believer Sensitive!

As a believer in Christ for over 17 years now I have been offended in the world time and time again for my beliefs, and I try my best to take it all in stride without complaint, but now it seems that we as a church are being asked kindly to step aside and make way for the 'Seeker-Friendly Movement' which has spread across our country like wild-fire, they say "It's a new way of doing church!" Well what's wrong with "The Old way of doing church?" What does a 'Seeker-Focused Worship' actually mean? Just on the surface it seems like a rock-concert followed by a comedian. I mean what was wrong with the 'Sinner-Focused Worship?' What's wrong with preaching the Word of God so that the unrepentant sinner will be convicted? I mean aren't Seekers really just lost Sinners? I mean aren't they lost and headed to hell, un-regenerated people who don't know Christ? How bout we just stick with the 'Believer-Sensitive' approach to worship or as they call it "Seeker Insensitive Worship"? Why in the world would we want to alter our worship of God so that unbelievers won't be offended is an outrage, that exalts the 'Seeker' above God. Isn't the Lord’s Day for the ingathering of believers, first and foremost, the exaltation of the Lord and secondly for the edification of the believer? Those who don't know God are gathering on the Lord's Day with the Son's of God, and shouldn't we be about our Fathers business so that they may see our good works and glorify God? Let us not soften the Gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation. For I was once lost, but now I am found, and it didn't happen in a 'Seeker-Friendly Worship' it happened in a God fearing, God centered worship, with the Word of God being proclaimed with boldness and without compromise! It's high time that the true Church get back to the 'Believer-Sensitive Worship', the 'Believer-Focused Worship' and become more 'Believer-Friendly' because the World is not 'Believer-Friendly' and the Church is our only refuge.

Self Deceived?

Are you conscious that the gospel is producing a practical effect upon you, according to your advancement in knowledge? Is it weaning you from the world? Do you find this to be your experience, that when you receive any practical truth into your minds you love it, and love to feel it's application to yourself, and take pleasure in practicing it? If you are not growing in grace, becoming more and more holy, yielding yourselves up to the influence of the gospel, you are deceiving yourselves. How is it now with you who are elders of this church? How is it with you who are heads of families all of you? When you hear a sermon, do you seize hold of it and take it home to you, and practice it? Or do you receive it into your minds, and approve of it, and never practice it? Woe to that man who admits the truth, and yet turns away and does not practice it, he is like the man beholding his natural face in a glass turning away and forgetting what manner of man he was.

Lectures to Professing Christians By Charles G. Finney (1792-1875)

On Purpose?

John MacArthur weighs in on the Purpose Driven Life, see what he has to say about it. ( Listen )

“MacArthur” Archives

Travis Carden has graciously linked to the archives of every Grace to You radio broadcast all the way back to September, of 2005. Travis has also linked to the complete transcripts of every sermon. This is a great resource for anyone who enjoys John MacArthur's preaching.

Doctrine Divides!

2 Timothy 4:2-4 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

1 Timothy 4:1 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;"

1 Cor. 10:21 "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."

1 John 4:1-3 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."

2 Cor. 11:2-4 "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

Galatians 1:6-10 "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."

Luke 12:51 "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division."

Experiencing God?

The idea of experiencing God is simply not based on the Bible. It finds its source in ancient occultic and pagan practices, and the modern entertainment oriented world where the emphasis is on experiences to the degree that many will use any means, even narcotics and witchcraft, just to have some kind of an experience. The whole entertainment industry is built around the idea of giving people an experience. Did Abraham, Moses, Paul or anyone else in the Bible “experience” God? What was the experience like? What did they feel when they experienced Him? No, none of these men (or any others) experienced God. Some saw some aspect of Him and others heard him “speak” but none of the saints of the old or New Testaments “experienced” Him. The closest any one came to experiencing Him was John and the other disciples, who wrote “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled…” (1John 1:1). But that was unique to those who saw Jesus in the flesh and even they did not “experience” Him in the mystic way which is now being promoted in many Churches across America. (Read Full Article)

I found this great article at Eastern Regional Watch by Anton Bosch

The Mind

Philippians 3:17-19 "Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things."

Knowing that if our minds are set on earthly things that we could very well become the enemies of Christ, let us be sure that we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds. Romans 12:2a "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,"

Romans 8:5-7a "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:

You see Brethren it's our minds that we need to get right with God, it's in the mind that salvation takes place 1 Timothy 2:4 "who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." For how can we know how to live right if we don't know how to think right?

Have You Died Today?

What does it mean to "Die Daily"? I believe it is practical living that comes from a conscious effort to be obedient to God’s commands. It is thinking, speaking, and acting in conformity to His Word and His will daily, even more perhaps a minute by minute death by a Consuming Fire. Few in today’s church are as committed to Jesus Christ as the apostle Paul was. Paul exemplifies what Christ was talking about when He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Paul had denied himself so much that he didn’t even care whether he lived or died. That’s an attitude practically unheard of in our materialistic, self–centered, selfish day. But to die to self and sin daily, we need His resurrection power to be our resource. We need His strength to serve Him faithfully, in order that we may die to temptation, die to our pride, die to our thoughts, and to die to our deal. Only as we build our relationship with Christ and tap into His might will we have victory over sin in this life, and the regular intake of God’s Word is a daily necessity in order for that to take place. I find it very disturbing when I hear someone say it's easy to be a Christian when I know that the act of "Dying to Self" isn't something that's easy.

Excerpts taken from MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 142). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

Lost Hymns: Only a Sinner!

Naught have I gotten but what I received;
Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed;
Boasting excluded, pride I abase;
I'm only a sinner saved by grace!

Only a sinner saved by grace!
Only a sinner saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory
I'm only a sinner saved by grace!

Once I was foolish, and sin ruled my heart,
Causing my footsteps from God to depart;
Jesus hath found me, happy my case;
I now am a sinner saved by grace!

Tears unavailing, no merit had I;
Mercy had saved me, or else I must die;
Sin had alarmed me, fearing God's face;
But now I'm a sinner saved by grace!

Suffer a sinner whose heart overflows,
Loving his Saviour, to tell what he knows;
Once more to tell it, would I embrace
I'm only a sinner saved by grace!
....Author James M. Gray, 1851-1935

I Corinthians 15:10 "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

Transdispensationalism?

What is “transdispensationalism”? It is a term that, to my knowledge, has only been used by one person, and that person is Tony Evans in a book entitled Totally Saved. That book came out, I think, in the year 2002; it was published by Moody Press. It is a book that endeavors to give a very simple and basic understanding of salvation.

At the end of the book, there is a chapter in which the question comes up about people who have never heard the gospel. And, in that section, Tony Evans writes that people who never hear the gospel, if they will accept whatever light they have, God will acknowledge that as sufficient for their salvation. That, in itself, is a departure from historic Christian gospel. We would say that if someone lives up to the light they have, then the Lord, who is not limited in His capacity to deliver the truth, will bring the full light and that no one could ever be saved apart from Christ.

This is more of the thing that Tony Campollo says, that people are being saved by Jesus who don’t even know there is a Jesus. This is that “wider mercy” view as it’s called. This is also under what has been termed “natural theology”: that natural theology will lead someone to God, and if the person doesn’t have access to the gospel, then God’s not going to hold them responsible for what they don’t know. And that’s essentially the argument of this book, that in the world, there are going to be people who never hear the gospel, and they are not going to reject the light they have. They’re going to accept the light they have, and God will count that as sufficient to save them.

And then comes the interesting comment that he does this by transdispensationalizing them. That is, treating them as if they were living in another dispensation. Obviously, there is no biblical defense for that, and none is attempted in the Bible—none. There isn’t even a verse to defend that. Furthermore, living up to natural human light, apart from the revelation of the true and living God, wouldn’t save anybody in any dispensation. But, it is a very strange thing and, to the degree that He gives salvation to those who have never heard the gospel, it’s a departure from what we believe the scripture teaches.

There was a radio interview that followed that book that’s available. You can get the transcript of that radio interview, in which the host was interviewing Tony Evans and said to him, “You’re saying, if a Hindu looks up and says, ‘I know you’re up there somewhere. I don’t know who you are, but I’d really like to know you,’ God will count that as sufficient as salvation?” And the answer to that was “Yes.”

Excerpt taken from a Questions and Answers session with John MacArthur during General Session #5 at the 2003 Shepherds' Conference, A Ministry of Grace Community Church 818.909.5530. © 2003 All Rights Reserved. Grace Community Church. A CD, MP3, or tape cassette copy of this session can be obtained by going to www.shepherdsconference.org it is tape #SC 1007

Free Bibles Un-Constitutional?

ST. LOUIS - A federal judge ordered a small-town school to suspend a program that gives free Bibles to students, saying it improperly promotes Christianity. U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Perry also scolded school officials for continuing the program after warnings that it violated the Constitution.

South Iron Elementary in Annapolis, a town of 300 in southeastern Missouri, has quietly allowed Gideons International to hand out Bibles to fifth-graders for years. After concerns were raised last year, the then-superintendent consulted with the district's attorneys and insurance company and recommended that the handouts stop, but the school board voted to continue... (Read Full Article) By Jeff Douglas AP

Luke 23:34 "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

Back To The Bible

I Timothy 3:15 describes the mission of the church as being the pillar and support of the truth. Whatever else the church does, it must take this commission from God seriously. No one but God’s church is interested in such a project – it falls on God’s people, the true church, to be the one place where truth is believed, upheld, and gloriously proclaimed. Of course, the truth that the church has to offer has a source – the Word of God. All the church does must emerge from the Scriptures. Every method, program, evangelistic effort, and message the church declares must find its roots firmly planted in biblical truth. This leads us to Warren’s, and his imitators’, Achilles’ heal: Warren does not begin with the Bible. At first glance “The Purpose-driven” programs and message are quite attractive. They seem to speak the language of the people; they are successful; they are saturated with Scripture, much of its teaching is on the mark, and many promoting and involved in The Purpose-driven Life are sincere and well-meaning. But upon close examination there is a fly in the soup. It is no ordinary fly either – it is a huge, quarter-pounder filled with deadly poison. We can attempt to ignore the fly, hoping all will be well, but ultimately we must either deal with the fly or allow it to alter our soup to something altogether different.

What is the fly? It is this – Warren does not begin with Scripture, he begins with people. His church was started on the basis of a survey asking people what they wanted in a church. He quizzes the congregation on the kind of secular music they like and provides that kind of music. He starts with the felt-needs of people and then crafts a message to meet those needs. He determines what he believes people need to hear and then goes to Scripture to find support for his philosophy of ministry. It is right here that we need to step back and carefully examine the Purpose-driven philosophy. I have found if you skip the foundation undergirding any system that the superstructure can appear beautiful – for a time. Again take Mormonism. Its outward emphasis on family values and morals is certainly winsome. It is its foundation which is faulty. By the same token we need to examine The Purpose-driven Life’s foundation. Has it been laid after careful study of the Scriptures? Or are its building blocks made of secular fads, philosophies and pragmatism, mortared together with careless use of Scripture? If the latter is your conclusion, as it is mine, what are we to do?

Believe it or not, there is an alternative to PDL and other such programs. It sounds simplistic and old fashioned but it has God’s stamp of approval. It is a return to the Bible. Our pulpits need to return to the unabashed exposition of Scripture. Our Sunday school classes and Bible studies need to toss the manuals and guides written about the Bible and open the Bible itself.

By Pastor Gary Gilley who is the pastor of Southern View Chapel in Springfield, Illinois, USA. First published at http://www.takeheed.net

Prove All Things

"Prove all things: hold fast that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

"This is private judgment. This is the right you are to exercise if you love your soul. You are not to believe things in religion merely because they are said by Popes or Cardinals,—by Bishops or Priests,—by Presbyters or Deacons,—by Churches, Councils, or Synods,—by Fathers, Puritans, or Reformers. You are not to argue, "Such and such things must be true, because these men say so." You are not to do so. You are to prove all things by the Word of God I know such doctrine sounds shocking in some men's ears. But I write it down advisedly, and believe it cannot be disproved. I want to encourage no man in ignorant presumption or ignorant contempt. I praise not the man who seldom reads his Bible, and yet sets himself up to pick holes in his minister's sermons. I praise not the man who knows nothing but a few texts in the New Testament, and yet undertakes to settle questions in divinity which have puzzled God's wisest children. But still I hold that "all hearers have both liberty to discern and a charge to beware seducers; and woe to them that do it not." "We are not to believe all who undertake to teach in the Church, but must take care and weigh with serious examination, whether their doctrine be sound or not." Men may dislike the doctrine of private judgment, but there is no doubt that it is continually taught in the Word of God." —J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

First published by Drummond's Tract Depot, Stirling, Scotland by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

Another Gospel

A true Christian is not one who says he's a Christian, a true Christian is somebody who has come from error to truth. Satan doesn't care what people believe. He doesn't care how sincerely they believe it as long as what they believe is wrong. Did you get that? It's important. He doesn't care what they believe, he sponsors all kinds of religions. He sponsors every religion on the face of the earth that isn't true. He's behind them all. He's got enough diversity for everybody. He's provided an absolutely irresistible smorgasbord. There's somewhere for everybody to plug in. He doesn't care what they believe. And frankly, he is really into sincerity. He doesn't care what you believe or how sincerely you believe it as long as what you believe is wrong because wrong damns, right saves. That's why Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life and nobody comes to the Father but by Me." "There isn't salvation in any other." And anybody who doesn't hold to the truth is damned, Galatians 1:6 Paul talks about a different gospel. Somebody's coming along and preaching a different gospel, there isn't a different gospel. The gospel means good news, there's only one good news, all the rest is bad. They may say it's good but it's bad. But what is amazing is you have Christianity or evangelicalism sort of sucking in these people who don't commit to the truth, they don't understand the truth, and they don't know the truth. Many of them get put in positions of leadership where they are provided platforms to teach elements of their error that are then rebranded with the term Christianity when in fact it's another Gospel!

Excerpts taken from an audio sermon delivered by John MacArthur at Grace Community Church titled "Deliverance: From Error to Truth--Part 1" you can view the entire transcript here or order the audio GC 80-222 here.

Kingdom Business

I seen this post on Dying Church and just had to post it here as well. It is an excerpt from Liberating The Church, by Howard Snyder:

The church gets in trouble whenever it thinks its in the church business rather than the Kingdom business. In the church business people are concerned with church activities, religious behavior and spiritual things. In the Kingdom business people are concerned with Kingdom activities, all human behaviour and everything God has made, visible and invisible. Kingdom people see human affairs as saturated with spiritual meaning and Kingdom significance. Kingdom people seek first the Kingdom of God and its justice; church people often put church work above concerns of justice, mercy and truth. Church people often think about how to get people into church; Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church; Kingdom people work to see the church change the world. When Christians put the church ahead of the Kingdom they settle for the status quo and their own kind of people. When they catch a vision of the Kingdom of God their sights shift to the poor, the orphan, the widow, the refugee 'the wretched of the earth' and to God's future. They see the life and work of the church from the perspective of the Kingdom. If the church has one great need it is this: to be set free for the Kingdom of God, to be liberated from itself as it has become in order to be itself as God intends.

Christianity is for Sinners

One of the many things which distinguishes the Christian faith from all the other religions of the world is that Christianity is essentially and fundamentally a sinner's religion. When the angel announced to Joseph the approaching birth of Jesus Christ, he did so in these words, "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." And also in Romans 5:6 "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly". The Lord Jesus Christ himself says in Luke 5:31-32, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Have you faced the realistic problem of your own personal sin? by Albert N. Martin

Heresies

I do not understand that mentality in the Christian Church today which says that we must all come together and sink our differences; and that what we believe does not matter. It is a denial of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, and of the story of the twelve ignorant, untutored and unlettered men who knew whom and what they believed, and who had the power of the Spirit upon them, and who ‘turned the world upside-down’. This is surely one of the central messages of the Bible. The great concern of the New Testament Epistles is not about the size of the Church, it is about the purity of the Church. The Apostles never said to the first Christians, ‘You are antagonizing people by emphasizing doctrine. Say more about the love of God and less about the wrath of God. They do not even like the Cross, and they cannot abide the story of the resurrection! Drop that talk about the wrath of God and Christ’s ethical teaching!’ Not so do the Apostles speak!

There is an exclusiveness in the New Testament that is quite amazing. The Apostle Paul writing to the Galatians says, ‘Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached, let him be accursed’ (Galatians 1:8). ‘My Gospel!’, says Paul writing to Timothy. He denounces other teachers. So many of these modern preachers are much nicer people than the Apostle Paul! They never say a word against anyone at all, they praise everybody, and they are praised by everybody. They are never ‘negative’! They never define what they believe and what they do not believe. They are said to be ‘full of love’. I am not misjudging them when I say that that is not the explanation. The explanation is that they do not ‘contend for the truth’, they are innocent concerning the ‘wiles of the devil’. It is not for us to decide what to leave out and what to drop for the sake of unity. My business is to expound this truth, to declare it — come what may! We must not be interested primarily in numbers, we must be interested in the truth of God. Why are many today denying the glory of the Protestant Reformation? Martin Luther — one man, standing against the whole Church — would be dismissed today as ‘just an individualist who never cooperates’. But he stood up and said in effect, ‘I am right, you are all wrong!’ ....by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones 1899-1981

Ecstatic Baptist?

Well it took a little over 100 years but it appears that the Charismatic Movement is on the verge of conquering one of it's last remaing foes in the form of organized religion. "Dwight McKissic A Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary board of trustee member told a chapel audience on Aug. 29 he speaks in tongues "in his private prayer life" -- prompting the seminary to issue a statement saying most trustees and faculty members likely would disagree with his theology." But latter "the seminary issued a statement, saying it is "honored" to have him serve as a trustee and to visit campus as a chapel speaker." McKissic was also quoted as saying "Not all Baptists believe that the gift of tongues went out with the completion of the New Testament," McKissic told the audience. "Some of the foremost thinkers and leaders and theologians among Baptist life believe tongues is a valid gift for today." I would like to see that list?

The seminary also was quoted as saying "In keeping with Baptist convictions regarding religious liberty, we affirm Rev. McKissic’s right to believe and advocate his position. Equally in keeping with our emphasis of religious liberty we reserve the right not to disseminate openly views which we fear may be harmful to the churches." In the book by Ben Bird entitled "The Truth About Speaking in Tongues." he says "To say that speaking in tongues is a harmless practice, and is all right for those who want to, is an unwise position when information to the contrary is evident. Speaking in tongues is addictive. The misunderstanding of the issue of tongues and the habit, plus the psychic high it brings, plus the stimulation of the flesh, equals a practice hard to let go of. But to equate much speaking in tongues with advanced spirituality is to reveal one's misunderstanding of Bible truth, and to reveal one's willingness to be satisfied with a deceptive and dangerous counterfeit."

In deffese of the President of Southwestern he did make the decision not to continue the video-streaming of this message lest uninformed people believe that Pastor McKissic’s view on the gift of tongues as 'ecstatic utterance' is the view of the majority of our people at Southwestern. However all messages preached in Southwestern’s chapel are available for purchase by contacting Audio-Visual Learning Center at Roberts Library. It's clear that there was no clear response to Rev. McKissic's sermon and you can be sure to see more of this in the coming days. (Read Full Article)

2 Tim 2:16 "But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness."

Here are some great resources on the issue of speaking in tongues.
Charismatic Chaos by John MacArthur
The Truth About Speaking In Tounges by Ben Bird

Also (Download) John MacArthur's sermon titled "Speaking In Tongues"
Excerpts By Michael Foust Baptist Press FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--

Darwin Had No Clue!

A.E. Wilder-Smith in this book called The Scientific Alternative to Neo-Darwinian Evolutionary Theory demonstrates the absurdity of evolution on the basis of one great reality and that one great reality is the encoded information in the DNA of living organisms. Did you get that? Every living organism has in it DNA. DNA is genetic material and on that genetic material in every living thing is a code and that is an operative code and that living organism, whether you're talking about a cell or whether you're talking about a large man and everything in between, all of that operation of every living thing is dependent on that encoded information. And listen to this, every different living thing has a completely different code.

Darwin had no clue about that. There was no genetic study when he wrote his Origin of the Species. He didn't know anything about DNA. He didn't know anything about chromosomes. He didn't know anything about genetics. It didn't exist as a science, he was just describing what he thought he was seeing. It was all according to appearance and nothing more. If Darwin had been alive today and try to sell his deal today, it never would fly, he wouldn't even believe it. He barely believed his own view, he certainly wouldn't have believed it in a day like ours when we have this incredible ability to go with electron microscope into the DNA and see the coded information in living organisms.

The entire realm of genetics, Wilder-Smith points out, is all about information, storage and retrieval was totally unknown to Darwin. Every living thing, if you're talking about before these flowers were cut, they were a living thing...this one is blue, this one is pink, and this one is orange, etc., because there's information in the DNA in the genetics that causes that to happen. That's a code of information in every living thing.

It has been discovered in recent years that the genetic programs of say higher biological organisms consist of about one-thousand-million bits of information. One-thousand-million bits of information in one living organism. And that information that is encoded in that living organism determines the nature, the growth, the development and the death of billions of cells in that living organism.

Now who, frankly, in his right mind could ever believe that such supremely complex machines, which is what living organisms are, storing and retrieving the precise information to service thousand million cells, diagnose defects and repair them and reproduce all developed at random by chance out of nothing? It's absolutely idiotic.

The big issue, that is bringing down evolution is the study of the origin of information, it's called the information theory. Where did the information come from? Where did the code come from? A monkey has a monkey code and the DNA and the chromosomes and the genetics just keep making the monkey behave like a monkey. There's no code in there to turn the monkey into a man. There's no such thing as jumping out of your species.

Where did this genetic information come from? Where did it come from? It couldn't evolve out of nowhere. It's too precise. Wilder-Smith says this, "Darwin's so-called gradualism postulated in the last analysis, all forms of biology were derived from a single, simple cell which by an unbroken series of small gradualistic changes gave rise to an unbroken chain of steps from the original cell up to man himself and biology was strictly continuous." This is just unbelievable and only a man in Darwin's time who didn't know genetics would ever come up with such a statement because if a one-celled thing, listen to this, developed into a man, then all the encoded information necessary to run that one-cell thing and to run everything from then on all the way up, including the man, had to be in the original cell. And if it wasn't in the original cell, then where did it come from? That's the question. It's ridiculous. They know that all of the encoded information to run every living thing in the universe is not contained in a one-celled amoeba. What is contained in a one-celled amoeba is the code for a one-celled amoeba.

This message was taken from a sermon preached at Grace Community Church, By John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 90-209, titled "Creation: Believe it or Not - Part 2".

Nonconformity in Business

(Rom. 12:2 Be not conformed to this world...) In regard to business: The first reason why we are not to be conformed to this world in business is that the principle of the world is that of supreme selfishness. This is true universally in the pursuit of business. The whole course of business in the world is governed and regulated by the maxims of supreme and unmixed selfishness. It is regulated without the least regard to the commands of God or the glory of God or the welfare of their fellow men. The maxims of business generally current among businessmen and the habits and usages of businessmen are all based upon supreme selfishness. Who does not know that in making bargains, the businessmen of the world consult their own interest and seek their own benefit and not the benefit of those they deal with? Who has ever heard of a worldly man of business making bargains and doing business for the benefit of those he dealt with? No, it is always for their own benefit. And are Christians to do so? They are required to act on the very opposite principle to this: “Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.” They are required to copy the example of Jesus Christ. Did he ever make bargains for his own advantage? And may his followers adopt the principle of the world—a principle that contains in it the seeds of hell! If Christians are to do this, is it not the most visionary thing on earth to suppose the world is ever going to be converted to the gospel? ...Author - Charles Finney 1792-1827

Excerpt from The Heritage of Great Evangelical Teaching : Featuring the best of Martin Luther, John Wesley, Dwight L. Moody, C.H. Spurgeon and others. 1997, c1996. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Exposing The Purpose...

A new book by Tamara Hartzell called In The Name of Purpose: Sacrificing Truth on the Altar of Unity is now available in PDF format and can be downloaded free at the official site http://www.inthenameofpurpose.org. "Today's Christianity may be having a lot of fun in its new way of thinking and behaving, but this isn't a game. Eternal souls are at stake, and the departure from the faith is real. Jesus Christ is being presented as a way of relativism rather than as the way and the truth, and the faith is being presented as an ever-changing method or experience that can be inserted into any faith." (In the Name of Purpose, p. 385)

I am Not What I Once Was

I am not what I ought to be; ah, how imperfect and deficient. I am not what I wish to be; I abhor what is evil, and I would cleave to what is good. I am not what I hope to be soon; soon I shall put off, with mortality, all sin and imperfection. Though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say that I am not what I once was, a slave to sin and Satan. And I can heartily join with the apostle and knowledge that by the grace of God I am what I am.... Author John Newton 1725-1807

Joelmosexuality?

He’s the most popular preacher in the country right now (Luke 6:26 "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.") - a best-selling author and the “most watched minister” in America. But when asked yesterday about gay marriage during a trip to the bluest state in the land of the free - and the only one where same-sex nuptuals are legal - the Rev. Joel Osteen suddenly got sheepish. He said quote: “I don’t think it’s God’s best,” the handsome Holy Roller said of homosexuality. “I never feel like homosexuality is God’s best.” When pressed on the issue, Osteen said, “I don’t feel like that’s my thrust . . . you know, some of the issues that divide us, and I’m here to let people know that God is for them and he’s on their side.” (Luke 12:51 "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.") ( Read Full Article ) Scripture Added by The Bororean
By Jessica Heslam, Boston Herald Media Reporter - Saturday, September 2, 2006

You know it's a shame that the Pastor of one of the largest church's in America can't give a straight answer on such a Biblically clear topic!!! (Matt 5:37 "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.)

Dear Lord please have mercy on this country and lead the hearts of our Pastors back to You and Your Word, surround us by Your message of deliverance found only in Your Word, in Christ we pray, Amen.

The Treasury of David

Psalms 19:7 - The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

"The law of the Lord is perfect;" by which he means not merely the law of Moses but the doctrine of God, the whole run and rule of sacred Writ. The doctrine revealed by God he declares to be perfect, and yet David had but a very small part of the Scriptures, and if a fragment, and that the darkest and most historical portion, be perfect, what must the entire volume be? How more than perfect is the book which contains the clearest possible display of divine love, and gives us an open vision of redeeming grace. The gospel is a complete scheme or law of gracious salvation, presenting to the needy sinner everything that his terrible necessities can possibly demand. There are no redundancies and no omissions in the Word of God, and in the plan of grace; why then do men try to paint this lily and gild this refined gold? The gospel is perfect in all its parts, and perfect as a whole: it is a crime to add to it, treason to alter it, and felony to take from it.

"Converting the soul." Making the man to be returned or restored to the place from which sin had cast him. The practical effect of the Word of God is to turn the man to himself, to his God, and to holiness; and the turn or conversion is not outward alone, "the soul" is moved and renewed. The great means of the conversion of sinners is the Word of God, and the more closely we keep to it in our ministry the more likely we are to be successful. It is God's Word rather than man's comment on God's Word which is made mighty with souls. When the law drives and the gospel draws, the action is different but the end is one, for by God's Spirit the soul is made to yield, and cries, "Turn me, and I shall be turned." Try men's depraved nature with philosophy and reasoning, and it laughs your efforts to scorn, but the Word of God soon works a transformation.

"The testimony of the Lord is sure." God bears his testimony against sin, and on behalf of righteousness; he testifies of our fall and of our restoration; this testimony is plain, decided, and infallible, and is to be accepted as sure. God's witness in his Word is so sure that we may draw solid comfort from it both for time and eternity, and so sure that no attacks made upon it however fierce or subtle can ever weaken its force. What a blessing that in a world of uncertainties we have something sure to rest upon! We hasten from the quicksands of human speculations to the terra firma of Divine Revelation.

"Making wise the simple." Humble, candid, teachable minds receive the word, and are made wise unto salvation. Things hidden from the wise and prudent are revealed unto babes. The persuadable grow wise, but the cavillers continue fools. As a law or plan the Word of God converts, and then as a testimony it instructs; it is not enough for us to be converts, we must continue to be disciples; and if we have felt the power of truth, we must go on to prove its certainty by experience. The perfection of the gospel converts, but its sureness edifies; if we would be edified it becomes us not to stagger at the promise through unbelief, for a doubted gospel cannot make us wise, but truth of which we are assured will be our establishment. ....Author Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Lost Hymns: A Sinner Like Me!

I was once far away from the Saviour, Just as vile as a sinner could be; And I wondered if Christ the Redeemer Could save a poor sinner like me.

I wandered on in the darkness, Not a ray of light could I see;And the thought filled my heart with sadness, There's no hope for a sinner like me.

And then, in that dark, lonely hour, A voice sweetly whispered to me, Saying: Look unto Me; I have power To save a poor sinner like thee.

I then fully trusted in Jesus; And O what a joy came to me! My heart was filled with His praises, For saving a sinner like me.

No longer in darkness I'm walking; The light now is shining on me; And now unto others I'm telling How He saved a poor sinner like me.

And when life's journey is over, And I the dear Saviour shall see, I'll praise Him forever and ever, For saving a sinner like me.... Author Charles J. Butler

Ten Aspects of Love Verbalize

1. Love is Loyal Exodus 20:3 - Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2. Love is Faithful Exodus 20:4-6 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

3. Love is Revrent Exodus 20:7 - Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

4. Love is Intimate Exodus 20:8-11 - Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

5. Love is Respectful Exodus 20:12 - Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

6. Love is Harmless Exodus 20:13 - Thou shalt not kill.

7. Love is Pure Exodus 20:14 - Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Love is Unselfish Exodus 20:15 - Thou shalt not steal.

9. Love is Truthful Exodus 20:16 - Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

10. Love is Content Exodus 20:17 - Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Romans 13:8 "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."

Romans 13:10 "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

Taken from an audio sermon delivered by John MacArthur at Grace Community Church titled "Walking in Love, Pt. 1" you can view the entire transcript here or order the audio in CD or MP3 format here.

The Lord's Lovingkindness

Show Your marvelous lovingkindness . . . Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You . . . Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You . . .. Cause me to hear your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust. (Psalm 17:7; 36:10; 63:3; and 143:8)

Dear Lord of lovingkindness, I thank You for Your loyal, steadfast love toward me through the years. You have had mercy upon me. You have shown great goodness toward me. Help me to point others to Your marvelous lovingkindness, Amen. By Bob Hoekstra of Living In Christ Ministries

Excerpt from "Think Biblically!"

The Renewed Mind
When a person enters into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, he/she becomes "a new creation" (2 Cor 5:17) who sings "a new song" (Ps 98:1). But that does not mean that everything becomes new in the sense of perfection in one's current walk. The mind acquires a new way to think and a new capacity to clean up old ways of thinking. Unquestionably, God is in the business of mind renewal for Christians. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..." (Rom 12.2) "...and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds" (Eph 4:23). "...and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Col 3:10).

The Bible says to "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Col 3:2). Paul put this concept in military terms: "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor 10:5).

How does one do this? Scripture is the mind of God. Not all of His mind, to be sure, but all that God cared to give believers. To think like God, one must think like Scripture. That's why Paul encouraged the Colossians "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another..." (Col 3:16). At salvation, Christians are provided with a regenerated mental ability to comprehend spiritual truth. After salvation, Christians need to readjust their thinking chiefly by mind renewal, using the Bible as the means to do so. While the ultimate goal is to have a full knowledge of God and His will (Eph 1:18; Col 1:9-10), the believer must always be on guard lest he/she return to foolish and unbliblical thought patterns due to the lingering effects of sin.

Excerpt from the book "Think Biblically!" which was published by Crossway Books and John MacArthur was the general editor, the article was written by Richard L. Mayhue

The Frat House?

I am sometimes still caught off guard and always suppicous of anything new at Church. With that said a new church member approached me Sunday morning with a CD and a pamphlet on what just appears on the surface as just another Bible study program, it's called Men's Fraternity, I brought the CD home and to my surprise the CD is a self-help message on how to Improve My Sex Life with some graphic details that I found embarrassing. I also noticed little or no Bible reference at all to go along with the speakers message. This latest Church Fad just seems to be the follow up to Promise Keepers and The Purpose Driven Life? I looked around the internet and these are some quotes I found on Pro-Men's Fraternity websites. "Men's Fraternity is about you." "Men's Fraternity is not a Bible study, but it is biblically sound and rooted. It is a safe place to bring a neighbor, co-worker or friend." As if a Bible Study isn't a safe place to bring a friend? The official site says this "The 20-session study puts the roof on the house of masculinity and creates a vision for a man's future and destiny. This study will help men rediscover the adventure in life through a greater understanding of who they are. Men will uncover the uniqueness they have as a man and discover a satisfying life focus." Wow that's some great promise! "Men's Fraternity" seems to be a psycho-philosophy "theology" which attempts to help but in the end is actually centered on self as the above statement from a Pro Frat site declares. One can hardly imagine Paul teaching this kind of stuff to Timothy for him to then teach other elders. My advice is to have nothing to do with this frat party!

Righteous God, I long to walk in the paths of Your Love. Make my heart fearless so that I may press on in the face of trials that are clearly in the path. May I hold true to Your Word and Your promises in the heat of battles so that my life may glorify you, in Jesus name, Amen.

Excerpt from "Redefining Christianity"

"Jesus said, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19). Not even the greatest marketing genius can change this without redefining the church. Seeking the approval of the world is precisely what the Purpose Driven movement is all about."

Be sure to check out Bob Dewaay's radio program called Critical Issues Commentary at oneplace.com for some great mp3 downloads to some excellent commentary on issues that impact today's modern church.