Building Bridges Audio

Now that the "Building Bridges Conference: Southern Baptists and Calvinism" is over and all the mp3's have been posted for free downloading be sure that you download the two sermons posted below by Jeff Noblit and Tom Ascol these are two very powerful sermons that should be in every Christians audio archives.

Tom Ascol - Working Together to make Christ Known
Jeff Noblit - Calvinism a Cause for Rejoicing and Concern

Charlie Brown Christmas

Infectious Days

This week I am fighting off a bad sinus cold and maybe it's time to break down and just go visit the doctor because deep down I am just a big baby when it comes to being sick so I need to get over this quickly before I really embarrass myself. And No, my lack of faith isn't why I have a cold and yes I do believe it's nonsense to try and rebuke my cold, or to cast it out in the name of Jesus. But what I will do is take my doctors advice and get some of those miracle working drugs that the Lord has blessed us with in hopes to being all the better within the next week. But one thing that I have noticed about myself in these few infectious days is my lack of enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel with non-believers, I have just been in a fog with my thoughts to the point that I have rarely even thought about the Gospel much less of even sharing it with someone. It's very humbling to think that a little sinus infection would turn my world so upside down that it would keep me from sharing the greatest news in the world to someone who desperately needs to hear it and just how sinful I truly must be that I would let something so trivial take my focus off Christ and His commission and become so consumed with my own well being. Jesus please forgive me. Lord I believe, please help my unbelief.

Romans 7:24 "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

Mizzou #1

Just in case you missed the #1 ranked Missouri Tigers defeating the Kansas Jayhawks Saturday night with a crushing 36 to 28 victory. Below is a quick recap of the game.

Tolerating Treacheries?

"There is no other religion in the world that has been false to its own doctrines in the way that Christianity has been. Imagine a Muslim allowed to come forward in the pulpit and preach against Mahomet! Would it be tolerated for a single moment? Suppose a Brahmin fed and paid to stand up in a temple and speak against Brahma! Would it be allowed? No surely; nor is there an infidel lecturer in this country but would find his pay stopped at once, if, while pretending to be in the service of Atheism, he declaimed the sentiments he was deputed to advocate.

How is it? Why is it? In the name of everything that is reasonable and instinctively consistent, whence can it be, that men can be called Christian ministers after the last vestige of Christianity has been treacherously repudiated by them? How is it that they can be tolerated to minister in holy things to people who profess and call themselves sincere followers of Jesus, when they tread under foot the precious blood of Christ, "reduce the mystery of godliness to a system of ethics"?

To use the words of a divine of the last century, they "degrade the Christian Church into a school of philosophy; deny the expiation made by our Redeemer's sacrifice; obscure the brightest manifestation of divine mercy; undermine the principal pillar of practical religion; and make a desperate shipwreck of our everlasting interests. They dash themselves to death on the very rock of salvation." —C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

(HT) Team Pyro

Quote of the Day

"While it is true that man could use reason to gain an incomplete knowledge of God, such reason never enabled any man apart from God’s intervention to come to him. Only by God’s initiative does man have the opportunity to go beyond the blindness of sin and become a Christian." —Martin Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981)

Being Thankful

Today I am so very thankful for the blessings in my life, over the last year my Dad endured a couple of stint surgeries, my farther in-law survived a stroke a few months back, and my oldest son walked away from a terrible auto accident, my youngest son graduated from high school and received an academic scholarship to a local community college and we endured a year long battle with a new home construction. I also have a house full of family gathered today where later we will all sit down to a great feast and eat until it hurts and retire to the living room to watch a couple of football games on a beautiful wide screen high definition TV, the gift of friends old and new, a new church home with an expository preacher and so much more that it's useless to try and put into words. With all these blessings I'm still so amazed that God would give so much to someone who is so unworthy as myself, and not only all of these physical comforts and blessings but more than all that He would give me his best gift of all, that of His only begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ who suffered and died for my sins, and then to even give me the faith I need to believe in that Grace which He has provided. Praise be to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lost Hymns

I Will Sing Of My Redeemer

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy,
He the ransom freely gave.

I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant power I’ll tell,
How the victory He giveth
Over sin, and death, and hell.

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.

Stimulate Animosity!

"What kind of gospel presentation would it be if instead of saying Jesus wants you to be happy and joyful and peaceful and solve all your problems and make you prosperous and wealthy and healthy and all of that, if we said to someone, you know you're in desperate need of Jesus Christ to save you because you're on your way to an eternal hell and you have this choice...you can suffer forever in hell, or you can become a Christian and suffer here for a while? Because that's the bottom line. Personally that's not a tough choice for me. I'd rather take a few shots here than endure an eternal hell. But men seem to want to live under the illusion that if you claim Christ and if you name Christ and if you quote/unquote serve the church, God will eliminate all your difficulty, all your adversity, all your pain, all your persecution. That's not true. In fact, I think the more effective you are for God and the more faithful to divine truth, the more you stimulate animosity." —John MacArthur

Excerpt taken from a sermon preached by John MacArthur titled "The Fiery Trial, Pt. 1" you can also download a mp3 file of this sermon as well.

Monergism Media

If you haven't been to Monergism.com lately then please take the time to check out their new Audio/Multimedia page which now links to over 1,000 free digital resources from some of todays greatest preachers, teachers and theologians.

The Solas

If your not familiar with the radio broadcast of the White Horse Inn, please take the time to add this broadcast to your podcast. They recently finished up talking about the Five Solas that was part of a series titled "A Time for Truth". These downloads cover mainly 4 of the 5 Solas as I missed the links to the first few on Sola Scriptura. Anyway enjoy!

...Sola Fide - Download
...Sola Scriptura - Download
...Sola Gratia - Download Part 1 / Download Part 2
...Solus Christus -Download
...Soli Deo Gloria - Download

Bonar on Self-Esteem

"Let us fling away self-esteem and high-mindedness, for it is the very essence of unbelief" —Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)

Quote of the Day

"If we are satisfied with vague ideas about Him (Christ) we shall find no transforming power communicated to us. But when we cling wholeheartedly to Him and our minds are filled with thoughts of Him and we constantly delight ourselves in Him, then spiritual power will flow from Him to purify our hearts, increase our holiness, strengthen our graces, and sometimes fill us 'with joy inexpressible and full of glory'." —John Owen (1616-1683)

Fundamental Error

(HT) Symphony of Scripture

The Bible-Driven Church

My pastors good friend Jeff Noblit who is the Senior Pastor/Teacher of First Baptist Church of Muscle Shoals, Alabama was recently in Wisconsin to speak at the annual VCY America rally held at the Waukesha Expo Center where he spoke about having a Bible Driven Church. This is a very powerful sermon geared at church leadership and a call to make true disciples by preaching the Word of God and to abandon the modern easy believism methods that are running rampant through out America. Thank you Pastor Noblit!!!

MP3 Download - The Bible-Driven Church

No Guile!

If you don't have a copy of the little book by Horatius Bonar titled Follow The Lamb please do yourself a favor and get a copy it is such a rich treasure of spiritual blessing that every Christian should read and meditate on it at least once a year.

Watch against special sins; or things that have 'the appearance of evil'; or things that lead into evil, and discredit 'that worthy name by which you are called' (1 Thess 5:22; James 2:7). If you have a bad temper, watch against that. If you have a rude way of speech, a cold, distant, repulsive manner, or are ill to please, look well to these, and 'be courteous' (1 Peter 3:8). If you are covetous in disposition, or shabby in your dwellings, or niggardly in your givings, take care; 'the love of money is the root of all evil.' If you are slovenly in your dress, or untidy in your person, or unpolite in your demeanour, set yourself to rectify these blemishes. If you are lazy, luxurious, given to the good things of this life, or selfish, disobliging, unneighbourly, rude, blunt, unbrotherly, look to your Pattern, and see if these things were in Him. If you are fickle, and frivolous, and flippant, greedy of jokes, carried away with immoderate laughter, be upon your guard. If you are romantic and sentimental, take care lest the indulgence of such a temperament should land you in peevishness, self-pity, and a cowardly avoidance of the common duties of life. If you are censorious, captious, fault-finding, proud, domineering, supercilious, and sulky, get the unclean spirit cast out forthwith. If you be a gossip, or a gadabout, or a busy-body in other men's matters, take care, for at such crevices Satan creeps in. If you be secretive and cunning, with a certain littleness or slyness in your nature, which never lets you forget your own interests, beware! Christ was not such; Paul was not such. Be frank, open, manly. Remember the summing-up of David's picture of the blessed man, 'in whose spirit there is no guile' (Psa 32:2). Be not 'Jacob,' a man of guile; but Israel, a noble prince—'an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile' (John 1:48). —Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)

Excerpt taken from "Follow the Lamb" by Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)

Unequally Yoked

How should a Christian in a miserable marriage deal with an unbelieving spouse? I know that there are many Christian people who's spouse is an unbeliever and how hard it is to remain in that situation and there are a lot of tough questions to be answered. I found this great resource by John MacArthur at http://www.gty.org/ titled "How to Win Your Unbelieving Spouse" you can download the mp3 for $3.00 or read the transcript for free, I believe this is a powerful tool to help those who are truly struggling in a marriage with an unbeliever.

You see, a non‑Christian man married to a Christian woman doesn't know how fortunate he is because she's a child of God and God is pouring out blessing on her because she is so blessed and she is so enriched, he benefits. It doesn't mean he gets salvation through that means, it simply means outwardly in this life he is blessed.

He doesn't tell the woman to leave. Don't rebel, don't leave...stay and do all you can to win that husband. But if that husband wants out and leaves you, you're not under bondage anymore, the marriage is broken. Don't fight tooth and nail to hold it together thinking you're going to lead him to Christ in an uncomfortable, chaotic confused warlike environment. That's not productive.

The Gospel of You?

Dr. Michael Horton of Westminster Seminary California and host of the White Horse Inn has written an excellent review of the new book Become a Better You by Joel Osteen. This is a must read for anyone who believes that Joel is a preacher of the Gospel. (Read Full Review)

Once upon a time, conservative Protestants imagined that theological liberalism was the greatest threat to authentic Christianity in our time. With liberalism almost completely irrelevant as an active school or movement, Osteen's success confirms my suspicions that evangelicalism itself is becoming a more serious obstacle to evangelical faith and practice today.

Established With Grace

Hebrews 13:9a "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace;"

When I read this verse I am concerned at how many people watch the blasphemies being propagated by these so called televangelists all across this country and how we are commanded by this verse not to even entertain the doubting opinions of those who claim a new knowledge but rather have your mind fixed on the doctrine of God (John 7:16), that doctrine which elevates the grace of God and turns your knowledge and affection to Christ. Let your heart be fixed firmly on the doctrines of grace which comes from above but avoid man-centered teachings that tend to elevate man and diminishes the Sovereignty of God.

The Superior Will

"I do not deny that in conversion man himself wills. In everything that he does, thinks, feels, he of necessity wills. In believing he wills; in repenting he wills; in turning from his evil ways he wills. All this is true. The opposite is both untrue and absurd. But while fully admitting this, there is another question behind it of great interest and movement. Are these movements of man's will towards good the effects of the forthputting of God's will? Is man willing, because he has made himself so, or because God has made him so? Does he become willing entirely by an act of his own will, or by chance, or by moral suasion, or because acted on by created causes and influences from without?

I answer unhesitatingly, he becomes willing, because another and a superior will, even that of God, has come into contact with his, altering its nature and its bent. This new bent is the result of a change produced upon it by Him who alone, of all beings, has the right, without control, to say, in regard to all events and changes, 'I will'. The man's will has followed the movement of the Divine will. God has made him willing. God's will is first in the movement, not second. Even a holy and perfect will depends for guidance upon the will of God. Even when renewed it still follows, it does not lead. Much more an unholy will, for its bent must be first changed; and how can this be, if God is not to interpose His hand and power?" —Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)

Excerpt taken from God's Will and Man's Will by Horatius Bonar

Five Points of Arminianism

The Five Points of Arminianism (numbered below) were presented to the State and a National Synod of the church was called to meet in Dort in 1618 to examine the teaching of James Arminius in the light of the Scriptures. The Synod of Dort sat for 154 sessions over a period of seven months, but at the end could find no ground on which to reconcile the Arminian viewpoint with that expounded in the Word of God. Reaffirming the position so unmistakably put forth at the Reformation, and formulated by the French theologian John Calvin, the Synod of Dort formulated its Five Points of Calvinism to counter the Arminian system. These are sometimes set forth in the form of an acrostic on the word 'TULIP'. Please note that John Calvin died in 1564.

1. Free will, or human ability. This taught that man, although affected by the Fall, was not totally incapable of choosing spiritual good, and was able to exercise faith in God in order to receive the gospel and thus bring himself into possession of salvation.

2. Conditional election. This taught that God laid His hands upon those individuals who, He knew - or foresaw - would respond to the gospel. God elected those that He saw would want to be saved of their own free will and in their natural fallen state — which was, of course, according to the first point of Arminianism, not completely fallen anyway.

3. Universal redemption, or general atonement. This taught that Christ died to save all men; but only in a potential fashion. Christ's death enabled God to pardon sinners, but only on condition that they believed.

4. The work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration limited by the human will. This taught that the Holy Spirit, as He began to work to bring a person to Christ, could be effectually resisted and His purposes frustrated. He could not impart life unless the sinner was willing to have this life imparted.

5. Falling from grace. This taught that a saved man could fall finally from salvation. It is, of course, the logical and natural outcome of the system. If man must take the initiative in his salvation, he must retain responsibility for the final outcome.

Excerpt taken from The Five Points of Calvinism by W.J. Seaton

The Comforts of Calvinism

I hear the cry of many Arminians today within the church who say things like "Calvinism is very dangerous" or "The God of Calvinism scares me". Well "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10) so maybe they are on the right track, or maybe not. But you know what really scares me? It scares me to think that people are comforted by the idea that there is a god in Heaven who is dependent upon man for anything, that terrifies me. Most Arminians never seem to struggle with all five points of Calvinism but mainly just the .U. in T.U.L.I.P. which stands for Unconditional Election which basically means that God chooses who He will have saved and that men don't chose God without God first choosing them.

Now I find comfort in this doctrine where others chose to find fear, why? It's simple! You see I am the father of a 25 year old son who has rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ and at this very moment he is lost and headed to Hell. You say what's comforting about that? Well you see I am not depending upon my son to make that choice but rather I am trusting in the providential work of God that it is in His plans to bring about salvation for my son from eternity past (at least that's my prayer). You see for me to have hope in some superficial program to help my son feel more comfortable in church and somehow induce him to come to Christ really doesn't give me much hope of him ever coming to a saving faith. Nor am I convinced that the mental capacity of most evangelicals today are articulate enough to convince my son of his need of salvation and to believe the truth of the gospel, that you see I am trusting the Lord to do by the work of His Holy Spirit and He has chosen the foolishness by which He will do this work and it is by the preaching of the Gospel (Romans 1:16).

You see I find no comfort in the free-willers doctrine because then I am left to trust my son to make the right decision, and I find no comfort trusting him to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ on his own. But oh what comfort I do find in God's sovereign election to save hell-bound sinners by choosing them to be born again. Glory be to God!

"Man is nothing: he hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him to will and to do his good pleasure" —George Whitefield