Liberal tolerance at it's best. They are pretty good with logic as well lol.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Anti Chick-fil-A Hypocrites
Haha, great point. Liberals do this a lot. If a conservative does something (even if it isn't wrong like in this case) they will attack them with the most vicious of personal attacks but if a liberal does the exact same thing or holds the same position on something they will just pretend like it never happened. This double standard is called being a hypocrite where I come from.
A Tale of Two Sons (DVD Curriculum) John MacArthur
This looks like a great video. I have heard his sermon on the prodigal son before
and he makes some very interesting points about how it ends. It was so obviously but I just never made the connection in my head. If you stop and think who each person in the parable represents we all know the ending even though Jesus didn't tell us directly.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Successful Christian Parenting, Part 1 of 3 (Selected Scriptures) John MacArthur
A bit of an older sermon but still very good. If men and women are not doing their proper roles things will not work out well, which we are seeing in our society today. The sound is a little low on this one so turn your speakers up!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Your Best Life: Now or Later?
"Preachers" like Joel Osteen say that you can have your best life now. Is that really a true statement for a Christian? Did Jesus die on the cross to pay for your sins or so you could have the good life while on Earth?
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Chick-fil-A
Shouldn't it be up to the people what companies they decide to support or not support? Why are politicians interfering with business and taking away your choice of restaurants because of a personal agenda?
"Why does God allow evil?"
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
We hear about people committing horrible deeds everyday and may wonder why God allows these terrible things to occur. Wouldn't it be better if God just killed these people before they acted in such a wicked way against another human being? While God is certainly angry at the wicked everyday (Psalm 7:11), He is also a God of mercy.
The problem is, we do not always view things like how God views things. Should He go ahead and judge murderers and rapists now? What about Thieves and liars? What about people who lust and hate? Where should He draw the line? God is so Holy He views looking in lust as adultery (Matthew 5:28) and hate as murder (Matthew 5:22). His standards are much higher than ours. His standard is perfection (Matthew 5:48).
If God judged all evil today, all unsaved men and women would perish under His Holy wrath. Believe me, if we as sinful human beings care about such crimes as murder, God does also, and He will judge the world in righteous (Psalm 9:8). He isn't letting people off the hook by allowing these people to live, He is giving them a chance to repent (it means to turn from sin and toward God) and trust in the Savior. If you have not repented and put your trust in Jesus, don't throw away another opportunity. If you have already, then do not waste anymore time, go and tell others about Him because 150,000 people die everyday and we never know who will be next.
We should thank God for His mercy
everyday because none of us deserve anything from God except eternity in
Hell. But because God is so loving and so full of mercy, He sent His
Son to die on the cross for the crimes we committed.
Every murder, every lie, every time we have hated anyone, Jesus paid
for. The wrath of the Father was poured out on the Son for our sake.
If you repent and put your trust in the Savior, His perfect sacrifice
will cover your sins and you will be forgiven. He is patient towards
us, but one day that patience will end. Do not wait until it is to
late!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
What to Look for in a Pastor, Part 2
The second part to the video I posted yesterday on what you should be looking for in a Pastor. Going to Church with a Pastor who isn't preaching from the Bible is a waste of time and even dangerous (because they will not be telling you the truth). No Church is going to be perfect or 100% how you want it to be, but
Check what your Church does against what the Bible says your Church should do.
Check what your Church does against what the Bible says your Church should do.
Remember DJ from 'Full House'?
Evangelist/Preacher Ray Comfort is one of my favorite Authors out there. Everything this guy writes is pure
gold. I highly recommend The Way of the Master book Candace Cameron mentions in this video.
Monday, July 23, 2012
What to Look for in a Pastor
Unfortunately a lot of people have no idea what to look for when looking for a Pastor and end up under a false teacher. If someone isn't preaching from the Bible, he isn't a Preacher at all, but just a man telling stories. Being concerned about getting a large number of "converts" for his own ego or preaching a god who is nothing more than a cosmic genie who gives you health and wealth are some of the bigger problems out there today in the American Church.
Here is a sermon from one of my favorite Pastors. I have learned so much from this man, who has a great love for the Bible and truth (both are rare these days).
Here is a sermon from one of my favorite Pastors. I have learned so much from this man, who has a great love for the Bible and truth (both are rare these days).
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises Mass Shooting
Unfortunately I have to talk about bad news today. There was a shooting at a movie theater during the opening of the Dark Knight Rises. It is now unsafe to even go to a movie and try to enjoy yourself because our society has become so cowardly and evil. We have had multiple generations taught by public schools that we are nothing but random acts of evolution. We are just evolved animals. We have no purpose, we are not created, everything just got here by chance. Why should we be shocked when young people act out on exactly what they were taught? If people have no value and are just random evolution at work, what difference does it make if you shoot them? It ultimately doesn't mean anything.
I shouldn't even have to explain how ignorant this is but unfortunately I do. People can actually look around this world of ours and see the complex human body, animals, weather, the entire earth, etc and say it was not created, it evolved out of nothing, from nothing. The Bible is completely right (as always) when it says The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good (Psalm 14:1).
God existence is an axiom. We know a building has a builder even if we have never seen him, talked to him, touched him. No one walks up to a building and says "Oh, this randomly evolved over billions of years!" We would think he is an idiot if he did say that. The truth is, he would be an idiot to think that. It's obvious there is design in everything. The human body is so complex even with all of our technology we can't even come close to copying it. Look at the so-called advanced robots people always design, they can barely walk and fall over all the time. If we, trying to make something work, can't, what makes you think nothingness created something as complex as us.
By teaching this nonsense to children, we have raised up a generation of godless people who have no clue what their value is, or what morality is, and we are paying for it. There is a reason everything seems to be getting worse and worse, it is. Like a thousand civilizations before us, we are going to fall because we abandoned God and His principles, so He in return abandoned us (see Romans 1:18-32). Christians, start taking the gospel to everyone now while there is still time.
I shouldn't even have to explain how ignorant this is but unfortunately I do. People can actually look around this world of ours and see the complex human body, animals, weather, the entire earth, etc and say it was not created, it evolved out of nothing, from nothing. The Bible is completely right (as always) when it says The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good (Psalm 14:1).
God existence is an axiom. We know a building has a builder even if we have never seen him, talked to him, touched him. No one walks up to a building and says "Oh, this randomly evolved over billions of years!" We would think he is an idiot if he did say that. The truth is, he would be an idiot to think that. It's obvious there is design in everything. The human body is so complex even with all of our technology we can't even come close to copying it. Look at the so-called advanced robots people always design, they can barely walk and fall over all the time. If we, trying to make something work, can't, what makes you think nothingness created something as complex as us.
By teaching this nonsense to children, we have raised up a generation of godless people who have no clue what their value is, or what morality is, and we are paying for it. There is a reason everything seems to be getting worse and worse, it is. Like a thousand civilizations before us, we are going to fall because we abandoned God and His principles, so He in return abandoned us (see Romans 1:18-32). Christians, start taking the gospel to everyone now while there is still time.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
DEPART FROM ME
Many
will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many
miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matthew 7:22-23)
These are perhaps some of the most terrifying words spoken by Jesus in all of scripture. The group of people He is talking to are not atheists or Buddhists or cult members, but rather people who believe they are following the one true God. What makes this so scary is that "many" will say these words to Jesus on the Day of Judgment. Think about what that really means; many people who profess to believe in God are not actually saved.
Another interesting point about that verse is what the false converts say to Jesus to try and prove they are saved. They throw out all of the "good" works they have done. Instead of trusting in Jesus Christ to save them based on what He did on the cross, they trust in their own deeds to make them righteous. There is nothing we can do to earn God's righteousness, it is simply a gift from God that He grants because of His love and mercy. It's a reflection of His character, not us being worthy of it. It could also be noted that many of the people who are claiming to do miracles are not really doing them, since Jesus never knew them.
Finally Jesus tells them plainly, "DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS." These people thought they believed in God, and apparently thought they were doing miracles through the power of God, but they were actually practicing sinfulness....lawlessness. The Bible says to Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5) We need to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith. We need to make sure we are trusting in Christ to save us, not our own deeds.
These are perhaps some of the most terrifying words spoken by Jesus in all of scripture. The group of people He is talking to are not atheists or Buddhists or cult members, but rather people who believe they are following the one true God. What makes this so scary is that "many" will say these words to Jesus on the Day of Judgment. Think about what that really means; many people who profess to believe in God are not actually saved.
Another interesting point about that verse is what the false converts say to Jesus to try and prove they are saved. They throw out all of the "good" works they have done. Instead of trusting in Jesus Christ to save them based on what He did on the cross, they trust in their own deeds to make them righteous. There is nothing we can do to earn God's righteousness, it is simply a gift from God that He grants because of His love and mercy. It's a reflection of His character, not us being worthy of it. It could also be noted that many of the people who are claiming to do miracles are not really doing them, since Jesus never knew them.
Finally Jesus tells them plainly, "DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS." These people thought they believed in God, and apparently thought they were doing miracles through the power of God, but they were actually practicing sinfulness....lawlessness. The Bible says to Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5) We need to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith. We need to make sure we are trusting in Christ to save us, not our own deeds.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Chick-fil-A president pro family values
The president of Chick-fil-A, the
fast food chain with more than 1,600 restaurants and $4 billion in
revenue, has come out against same-sex marriage.
"I think we are inviting God's
judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, 'We know
better than you as to what constitutes a marriage,'" Dan Cathy, the
company's president and chief operating officer, said in a recent radio interview.
"I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful,
arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what
marriage is about."
In an interview with the Baptist Press published this week, Cathy doubled down on his stance against same-sex unions.
"Guilty as charged," Cathy said.
"We are very much supportive of the family—the biblical definition of
the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business,
and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."
"We know that it might not be
popular with everyone," he added, "but thank the Lord, we live in a
country where we can share our values and operate on biblical
principles."
The company, founded by Dan's father, Truett Cathy, in 1946, has a history of "unapologetic social conservatism," as the Daily Caller put it. All 1,608 of its stores are closed on Sundays, a day of rest for most Christians.
According to Queerty.com,
the WinShape Foundation—Chick-fil-A's charitable arm—donated more than
$1.1 million between 2003 and 2008 to anti-LGBT groups, doubling that
amount to $2 million in 2009.
Earlier this year, students at Northeastern University protested a proposal to put a Chick-fil-A on its Boston campus because of the company's history of supporting anti-gay organizations. The school abandoned its plan.Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/chick-fil-gay-marriage-201108120--finance.html
The comment section on this article (from it's source, not here) is interesting. A whole lot of people are twisting scripture saying the all to common "judge not" then go on to judge and rip to pieces the founder of Chick-fil-A. I suppose it must be okay for them to judge others as harshly as possible, but it's not right for others to simply say they do not support something sinful. Where I come from that is called being a hypocrite. Not to mention if they actually read that "judge not" verse they would see, in context, it's saying not to be a hypocrite, the very thing these people are doing in the comment section.
People are now even trying to use the Bible to support sin and bash Christians. These people were talked about in the Bible: They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. -John 16:2
Galatians 1:8-9
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! (Galatians 1:8-9)
My Pastor has mentioned this verse in the past during service and it immediately reminded me of many of the false religions in the world. Several of these false religion's so called prophets claim to have received their message from an angel who appeared to them and gave them a gospel...one different from the gospel of the Bible.
It is claimed that Muhammad, the founder of Islam, had the Qur'an dictated to him by the angel Gabriel. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, claimed he was visited by an angel named Moroni who gave him golden tablets with the true revelation of God which Joseph could translate. Many other cult leaders and even some in the charismatic church claim to have visitations from angelic beings with a new word from God. We have no excuse falling for this stuff, Paul warned us nearly 2,000 years ago not to be taken in by a different gospel, even if it is from an angel.
In 2 John 10-11 we are told that If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. John says that if we take these false teachers into our homes or greet them (showing that we associate with them and put them up for the night, helping them out) we are participates in their evil deeds. As Christians we need to have a solid understanding of Biblical truth so when false teachings come along we know the difference between the truth and a lie. The only way to recognize a lie is by knowing the truth and the only way to know the truth is to study the scriptures. This is why I recommend reading the Bible everyday and listening to solid preachers and teachers so that we may know what the truth and not be fooled by false teachings.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
J.C. Penney stock crashes with news of gay marriage support
From the AFA:
"Simply put, people are not shopping at J.C. Penney. AFA and OneMillionMoms are showing success in the effort to educate people to Penney's aggressive national campaign to promote "gay" marriage.
The company is going downhill fast. Since February, the company stock has lost more than half its value, and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its credit rating on J.C. Penney Co. further into "junk" status.
First-year CEO Ron Johnson's decisions have led to disastrous results for the company. Rather than build on the faith-based traditions of founder James Cash Penney, Johnson has abandoned family values and taken the company into a financial tailspin by embracing social activism.
Families are the backbone of Penney's existence. As long as it pushes homosexual marriage, families will go elsewhere."
I know many people have boycotted J.C. Penny for their stance. As Christians, do you agree or disagree with boycotts? Why or why not? I would be interested in hearing from you. Leave your reply in the comment section.
"Simply put, people are not shopping at J.C. Penney. AFA and OneMillionMoms are showing success in the effort to educate people to Penney's aggressive national campaign to promote "gay" marriage.
The company is going downhill fast. Since February, the company stock has lost more than half its value, and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its credit rating on J.C. Penney Co. further into "junk" status.
Snapshot of J.C. Penney under same-sex marriage crusade
| February 2012 | May 2012 | June 2012 | July 2012 |
| JCP announces Ellen DeGeneres as their new spokesperson. | JCP launches catalog ad featuring two "gay" moms. | JCP launches catalog ad featuring two "gay" dads. | JCP stock rated "junk" by S&P. JCP fires marketing exec. |
|
Stock price: $41.32 |
Stock price falls to $35.67 | Stock price falls to $25.83 | Stock price falls to $20.02 |
First-year CEO Ron Johnson's decisions have led to disastrous results for the company. Rather than build on the faith-based traditions of founder James Cash Penney, Johnson has abandoned family values and taken the company into a financial tailspin by embracing social activism.
Families are the backbone of Penney's existence. As long as it pushes homosexual marriage, families will go elsewhere."
I know many people have boycotted J.C. Penny for their stance. As Christians, do you agree or disagree with boycotts? Why or why not? I would be interested in hearing from you. Leave your reply in the comment section.
Consequences
"If your sorrow is because of
certain consequences which have come on your family because of your sin,
this is remorse, not true repentance. If, on the other hand, you are
grieved because you also sinned against God and His holy laws, then you
are on the right road." -Billy Graham
In order to truly understand repentance we must understand what sin is. The Bible defines sin as the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). This is important because if sin is breaking God's law, repenting of your sins is aimed at God (the One who was offended), not other human beings. Repentance is vertical, not horizontal. We also need to understand what repentance is and why it is important. Repentance simply means to turn away from sin and to turn to God. This isn't something we can do on our own, this act comes from God Himself (See Romans 2:4, Acts 11:18). Repentance is also commanded by God and is required for Salvation (and again, this isn't a work we can do to earn Salvation, it comes from God). In Matthew 4:17 Jesus tells us to "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand".
It is important to distinguish Repentance from remorse. As mentioned by Billy Graham in the quote I opened this devotional with, if your sorrow comes because of negative consequences for yourself and/or your family because of your sin, that is not repentance. These things are wrong but sin is not primarily wronging another person, it's rebelling against God (disobeying His law). Even David, after he committed adultery and had a man murdered to cover up what he had done, said "Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight,.." (Psalm 51:4). We never know how much time we have left. All you have to do is take a walk through a graveyard and look at the dates on the tombstones to see not everyone was 85 years old when they died. The stats are clear, 10 out of 10 people die. Do not wait another day, repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ today while His mercy is still extended to us.
In order to truly understand repentance we must understand what sin is. The Bible defines sin as the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). This is important because if sin is breaking God's law, repenting of your sins is aimed at God (the One who was offended), not other human beings. Repentance is vertical, not horizontal. We also need to understand what repentance is and why it is important. Repentance simply means to turn away from sin and to turn to God. This isn't something we can do on our own, this act comes from God Himself (See Romans 2:4, Acts 11:18). Repentance is also commanded by God and is required for Salvation (and again, this isn't a work we can do to earn Salvation, it comes from God). In Matthew 4:17 Jesus tells us to "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand".
It is important to distinguish Repentance from remorse. As mentioned by Billy Graham in the quote I opened this devotional with, if your sorrow comes because of negative consequences for yourself and/or your family because of your sin, that is not repentance. These things are wrong but sin is not primarily wronging another person, it's rebelling against God (disobeying His law). Even David, after he committed adultery and had a man murdered to cover up what he had done, said "Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight,.." (Psalm 51:4). We never know how much time we have left. All you have to do is take a walk through a graveyard and look at the dates on the tombstones to see not everyone was 85 years old when they died. The stats are clear, 10 out of 10 people die. Do not wait another day, repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ today while His mercy is still extended to us.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Grace
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
If you ask the average person out there if they think they are going to Heaven, most will say yes, and their reasoning will be because they are a "good person". The problem is this isn't what the Bible says. We like to compare ourselves to those around us as our moral standard, or the worst possible example we can think of (someone like Hitler), in order to justify ourselves. If we compare ourselves only to those around us, then possibly we are relatively better, but is that the standard God will be using?
The Bible says Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24). God's standard is moral perfection. He has given us His law which is a tutor or schoolmaster; it teaches us that we fall very very short of His standard. It's sort of like trying to jump across the grand canyon, some of us might be a little stronger than others, and might make it slightly further than others, but we still can't even come close to making the complete jump. Comparing our jump to someone else's jump doesn't in any way help us actually be able to make the jump across.
This is where man made religion goes wrong as well, they try to earn their way to Heaven through their "good" works. They think praying in a certain direction several times a day, crawling up stairs on their knees till they bleed, etc will earn them a place in Heaven. The truth is the Bible says in Isaiah 64:6 "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags". Now don't be confused, we should do good works as Christians, but these good works DO NOT SAVE US, they are simply a result of being saved. And thank God, He provided His Son as a payment for our sins; Jesus paid our fine on the Cross (the fine we owe for breaking God's laws) so that salvation is a free gift, not a result of our works. So don't put your trust in your own goodness or your good works, put it is Jesus Christ, the Captain of our Salvation.
If you ask the average person out there if they think they are going to Heaven, most will say yes, and their reasoning will be because they are a "good person". The problem is this isn't what the Bible says. We like to compare ourselves to those around us as our moral standard, or the worst possible example we can think of (someone like Hitler), in order to justify ourselves. If we compare ourselves only to those around us, then possibly we are relatively better, but is that the standard God will be using?
The Bible says Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24). God's standard is moral perfection. He has given us His law which is a tutor or schoolmaster; it teaches us that we fall very very short of His standard. It's sort of like trying to jump across the grand canyon, some of us might be a little stronger than others, and might make it slightly further than others, but we still can't even come close to making the complete jump. Comparing our jump to someone else's jump doesn't in any way help us actually be able to make the jump across.
This is where man made religion goes wrong as well, they try to earn their way to Heaven through their "good" works. They think praying in a certain direction several times a day, crawling up stairs on their knees till they bleed, etc will earn them a place in Heaven. The truth is the Bible says in Isaiah 64:6 "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags". Now don't be confused, we should do good works as Christians, but these good works DO NOT SAVE US, they are simply a result of being saved. And thank God, He provided His Son as a payment for our sins; Jesus paid our fine on the Cross (the fine we owe for breaking God's laws) so that salvation is a free gift, not a result of our works. So don't put your trust in your own goodness or your good works, put it is Jesus Christ, the Captain of our Salvation.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
My Top 5 Favorite Preachers/Teachers/Evangelists
Here is a list of some of my favorite preachers, teachers and evangelists. I have learned so much from each of these people. I learned more in 2-5 years of listening to these men who have a love for biblical truth than I had in my entire life before that. These men search the scripture and encourage you to do the same, staying away from false teachings. I recommend everyone look these men up on youtube (I will also list their websites.
1. John MacArthur www.gty.org
2. Ray Comfort http://wayofthemaster.com/
3. Paul Washer www.heartcrymissionary.com
4. Todd Friel www.wretchedradio.com
5. Justin Peters www.justinpeters.org
1. John MacArthur www.gty.org
2. Ray Comfort http://wayofthemaster.com/
3. Paul Washer www.heartcrymissionary.com
4. Todd Friel www.wretchedradio.com
5. Justin Peters www.justinpeters.org
Thursday, July 12, 2012
False Prophets
Beloved,
while I was making every effort to write you about our common
salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you
contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to
the saints. For certain
persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked
out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God
into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ
(Jude 1:3-4).
The subject of false prophets and false teachers seems to be an issue many within the Church tend to want to look over these days. Many say it is too judgmental or too harsh to stick up for the truth of the Bible. That is unfortunate because it's a subject constantly discussed in the New Testament. Everyone from Jesus to His half-brother Jude spent some time on this issue. In the previous verse Jude even says he was making an effort to write about Salvation but he felt it was necessary to fight for the faith because of false converts in the Church (unnoticed) turn the grace of God into licentiousness (lacking legal or moral restraints). False teachers/coverts come into the Church, and on the surface seem like they are Christians, but they always want to slip in some heresy along the way. The problem is when no one stands up to them, they slip in more and more and before you know it the Church is filled with false doctrine and ends up not being Christian at all.
Today you can throw a rock in any direction and you will hit some sort of false doctrine. From all of the so called preachers on television like Benny Hinn and Todd Bentley to the ones who write books like Rob Bell, it's everywhere. Todd Bentley for instance claims to be a faith healer and he literally beats up people on stage, and laughs about it when he talks about kicking an old woman in the face with his boots to heal her. I think I missed that verse in the Bible where Jesus was beating people up to heal them. Guys like Rob Bell become more and more heretical as time goes on. Now he even claims Hell isn't real.
The fact that these guys are not publicly pointed out and proven wrong by Church leaders is beyond me. They deceive millions of people everyday and remind me of what Jesus said about some false teachers from His day: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves (Matthew 23:15)." There is nothing wrong with telling people the truth of the Bible when they are in error and there is nothing wrong with calling out a false teacher by name. John did it in 3 John with Diotrephes and Paul even called out Peter (Galatians 2:11-21) over Peter's acceptance of some false teachers.
We have had 2000 years worth of heresy building up since Jesus' time and I can't tell you the number of times I have heard so called Christians standing up for things blatantly condemned in the Bible like homosexuality, fornication, witchcraft, etc because they are not concerned with what the Bible says but with what the world says. If we, as members of the Church, are afraid or to uncaring to speak the truth of the Bible to people in the Church, then who will? No one. We will continue to sit idly by and let the Church be destroyed from the inside. If the people in the Church had been doing their job and preaching the Gospel and the truth of scripture, our Country (and the Church) may not be in the shape it is now days.
The subject of false prophets and false teachers seems to be an issue many within the Church tend to want to look over these days. Many say it is too judgmental or too harsh to stick up for the truth of the Bible. That is unfortunate because it's a subject constantly discussed in the New Testament. Everyone from Jesus to His half-brother Jude spent some time on this issue. In the previous verse Jude even says he was making an effort to write about Salvation but he felt it was necessary to fight for the faith because of false converts in the Church (unnoticed) turn the grace of God into licentiousness (lacking legal or moral restraints). False teachers/coverts come into the Church, and on the surface seem like they are Christians, but they always want to slip in some heresy along the way. The problem is when no one stands up to them, they slip in more and more and before you know it the Church is filled with false doctrine and ends up not being Christian at all.
Today you can throw a rock in any direction and you will hit some sort of false doctrine. From all of the so called preachers on television like Benny Hinn and Todd Bentley to the ones who write books like Rob Bell, it's everywhere. Todd Bentley for instance claims to be a faith healer and he literally beats up people on stage, and laughs about it when he talks about kicking an old woman in the face with his boots to heal her. I think I missed that verse in the Bible where Jesus was beating people up to heal them. Guys like Rob Bell become more and more heretical as time goes on. Now he even claims Hell isn't real.
The fact that these guys are not publicly pointed out and proven wrong by Church leaders is beyond me. They deceive millions of people everyday and remind me of what Jesus said about some false teachers from His day: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves (Matthew 23:15)." There is nothing wrong with telling people the truth of the Bible when they are in error and there is nothing wrong with calling out a false teacher by name. John did it in 3 John with Diotrephes and Paul even called out Peter (Galatians 2:11-21) over Peter's acceptance of some false teachers.
We have had 2000 years worth of heresy building up since Jesus' time and I can't tell you the number of times I have heard so called Christians standing up for things blatantly condemned in the Bible like homosexuality, fornication, witchcraft, etc because they are not concerned with what the Bible says but with what the world says. If we, as members of the Church, are afraid or to uncaring to speak the truth of the Bible to people in the Church, then who will? No one. We will continue to sit idly by and let the Church be destroyed from the inside. If the people in the Church had been doing their job and preaching the Gospel and the truth of scripture, our Country (and the Church) may not be in the shape it is now days.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
God's Will, Part 5
God's Will, Part 5
As we have seen in the previous entries, God's will is for us to be saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, and suffering. Now you may be thinking "But what about those specific questions? Where do I go to school? What job do I take?" etc. This may come as a shock but if you are/are doing the previous five things mentioned, do whatever you want! If those five elements of God's will are are operating in your life, God is running your wants and your life!
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).
God does not say He will fulfill all of the desires there. If you are living a godly life, He will give you the right desires. Just keep moving, God will guide you. Many times, and it could be years later, you clearly see His hand at work in your life even though in the moment you felt lost and had no idea where things were going. Don't worry about it, we may not know but God does. The Bible offers many examples. A couple are listed below that I would encourage you to look over:
1. Genesis 24- A servant was sent to find a bride for Isaac. He didn't know who or what he was looking for but he was involved in service and the Lord took it from there.
2. Acts 16:6-10- Paul was traveling and the Lord stopped him multiple times from going to certain places. We do not know how God stopped him but He did and made sure He ended up where He wanted him.
Sometimes in life we encounter road blocks, these can just be things God is using to send us somewhere else or to do something else. At the time these road blocks might seem bad, but if God is directing our lives it will be for our benefit in the long run.
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).
As we have seen in the previous entries, God's will is for us to be saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, and suffering. Now you may be thinking "But what about those specific questions? Where do I go to school? What job do I take?" etc. This may come as a shock but if you are/are doing the previous five things mentioned, do whatever you want! If those five elements of God's will are are operating in your life, God is running your wants and your life!
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).
God does not say He will fulfill all of the desires there. If you are living a godly life, He will give you the right desires. Just keep moving, God will guide you. Many times, and it could be years later, you clearly see His hand at work in your life even though in the moment you felt lost and had no idea where things were going. Don't worry about it, we may not know but God does. The Bible offers many examples. A couple are listed below that I would encourage you to look over:
1. Genesis 24- A servant was sent to find a bride for Isaac. He didn't know who or what he was looking for but he was involved in service and the Lord took it from there.
2. Acts 16:6-10- Paul was traveling and the Lord stopped him multiple times from going to certain places. We do not know how God stopped him but He did and made sure He ended up where He wanted him.
Sometimes in life we encounter road blocks, these can just be things God is using to send us somewhere else or to do something else. At the time these road blocks might seem bad, but if God is directing our lives it will be for our benefit in the long run.
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Bad Company
I will set no wicked thing
before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave
to me. (Psalm 101:3)
It is very difficult to turn on our televisions or go to the movies these days without being constantly bombarded with wicked things. Movies are filled with everything the Lord says He hates in the Bible; things like adultery, lying, drunkenness, witchcraft, etc. These sins are not only shown, but many times are presented in a positive light and promoted. Hollywood has been a driving force in promoting immorality and the United States seems to be eating it up like candy. Well this is nothing new, the world will be attracted to sinful things, but as Christians we need to do like the Psalmist and set no wicked thing before our eyes. Imagine if every Christian in the U.S. stopped paying to view the things God hates, Hollywood would take a major hit and would perhaps start making quality family programming again like they once did. Even if Hollywood didn't change, we would still be obeying God and that is never a bad thing.
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 (Exodus 20:7)
This is another major concern of mine in modern movies and on television. Many take the name of the God who gave them everything; life, family, food, sunlight...everything, and reduce His name down to the level of a four letter filth word. Many people who use His name in vain hold it in so little regard they don't even realize they did it. I have to ask again, imagine what would happen if Christians stopped going to movies or watching television shows that blaspheme the name of our Lord. Guess what? Pretty soon they wouldn't be doing it anymore. If God says something is wrong, why would we pay money to go watch it and be polluted by it?
What would happen if everyone made a rule in their household that every time someone on TV blasphemes God, or every time the TV shows explicit sexual images, etc they turn off their television for 2 hours? I have a feeling pretty soon it would never be on. Perhaps instead of constantly being entertained by wicked things, Christians should do as 1 Peter 2:2 says and "desire the pure milk of the word". Read the Bible everyday and meditate on His word.
Though the above verse is talking about actual people, many spend hours and hours a day with their TV, some children do nothing but watch TV all day, constantly being shown wicked things. If we are constantly consuming evil, it will eventually start to corrupt our own morality. I think it would be wonderful if everyone started weaning themselves off of even an hour of entertainment a day and fill that time with Bible study, I bet pretty soon you will feel like a much stronger Christian after feeding on the pure milk of the Word.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Pass Over
“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every
firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all
the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I
see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch
you when I strike Egypt." (Exodus 12: 12-13)
When discussing the topic of Eternal Security one might question what the previous verse has to do with the topic at hand. God told the Israelites to put the blood of a year old lamb without defect on their doors and when the Lord passed over He would not kill anyone inside. Now some of those Isrealites probably had unconfessed sin in their lives. They may have even been afraid and worried if God would really pass over like He said He would because of their sin. This point is key; God passed over because the blood of the lamb was on their door, not because they had done enough works to be deemed "good enough" in God's sight. God made a promise and He keeps His promises.
God doesn't save anyone because they have earned it or deserve it. In fact, the only thing anyone deserves or has earned is an eternity in Hell. The Bible says our righteous works are like filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). This is where Christianity differs from every other religion on the planet. Other religions say you can work your way into Heaven somehow, Christianity says it is a free gift from God. It's about His nature being one of mercy, not ours being anything good. This story in Exodus is a shadow of what Jesus did. When God sees the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) on us, which has paid the price for our sin, death will "pass over" us.
In Philippians 1:6 the Bible says "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." again showing that it is God who Saves us and continues to sanctify us. If you repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ (which is something God gives us the ability to do) you will be saved. If Salvation was something humans had to keep themselves we would lose it without a doubt; but we are in His hands, He saved us and keeps us. Take that faith you are placing in yourself to keep salvation and place it into the One who truly can save, Jesus Christ.
When discussing the topic of Eternal Security one might question what the previous verse has to do with the topic at hand. God told the Israelites to put the blood of a year old lamb without defect on their doors and when the Lord passed over He would not kill anyone inside. Now some of those Isrealites probably had unconfessed sin in their lives. They may have even been afraid and worried if God would really pass over like He said He would because of their sin. This point is key; God passed over because the blood of the lamb was on their door, not because they had done enough works to be deemed "good enough" in God's sight. God made a promise and He keeps His promises.
God doesn't save anyone because they have earned it or deserve it. In fact, the only thing anyone deserves or has earned is an eternity in Hell. The Bible says our righteous works are like filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). This is where Christianity differs from every other religion on the planet. Other religions say you can work your way into Heaven somehow, Christianity says it is a free gift from God. It's about His nature being one of mercy, not ours being anything good. This story in Exodus is a shadow of what Jesus did. When God sees the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) on us, which has paid the price for our sin, death will "pass over" us.
In Philippians 1:6 the Bible says "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." again showing that it is God who Saves us and continues to sanctify us. If you repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ (which is something God gives us the ability to do) you will be saved. If Salvation was something humans had to keep themselves we would lose it without a doubt; but we are in His hands, He saved us and keeps us. Take that faith you are placing in yourself to keep salvation and place it into the One who truly can save, Jesus Christ.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Why Christianity?
Has someone ever asked you why they should be a Christian instead of a
Muslim, a Buddhist, a Mormon, etc? Many people today think all
religions are about the same and there are many ways to Heaven. In
fact, many people today think all religions are equally true and right,
despite the fact that they are mutually exclusive (this comes from the
post modern thought process of the world). Just as you can't flip a
coin and have it land on heads and tails at the same time, Christianity
demands exclusivity. Jesus Himself declared this in John 14:6: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". Jesus Himself said He is the only way to the Father; that means Muhammad, Buddha and Joseph Smith can not get you to Heaven.
Many people also attempt to give Jesus some credit, but not set Him apart from other religious leaders. They like the idea that all ways are right and there is no "truth". They feel this leaves them free to do whatever they want and they try to deceive themselves into thinking they will still go to Heaven because somehow what they believe alters the reality of the situation. This is as intelligent as standing in the middle of the road, seeing a semi-truck speeding towards them and saying "I don't believe a semi-truck is coming towards me". Regardless of what they believe, the semi-truck is still going to flatten them on the road. They will say things like Jesus was a good teacher and a great man, but just that, a man, not the Son of God. Jesus Himself said: "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58) and "I and the Father are one."(John 10:30) Jesus Himself claimed to be God and therefore couldn't have been "just a good teacher" or "wise man". Good teachers don't claim to be God. Jesus' statements don't leave any wiggle room; He was either a liar, crazy (either one would mean He isn't a good teacher), or He was who He claimed to be and is in fact God.
What does Christianity offer that no other religion offers? While other religions try to have you work your way to Heaven doing various things like praying in a certain direction multiple times a day, traveling to certain places during your life, following certain man made rules, etc. Christ offers us a free gift, the gift of salvation. Jesus Christ came to Earth and died for our sins, He paid the fine we owed God for breaking His laws and because of this we are free to go from the courtroom on Judgment Day. Man's best deeds can't pay our debt to God anymore than washing a Judges car would get us off for murder. The fact that we washed the Judges car trying to get off for murder would in fact would be looked at as bribery. The Bible says that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags... (Isaiah 64:6)", they won't help us. What Christianity offers that no other religion offers is a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, the Creator who had mercy on His people and paid their debts owed to Him for them. Christianity offers the truth and the only way to Heaven.
Many people also attempt to give Jesus some credit, but not set Him apart from other religious leaders. They like the idea that all ways are right and there is no "truth". They feel this leaves them free to do whatever they want and they try to deceive themselves into thinking they will still go to Heaven because somehow what they believe alters the reality of the situation. This is as intelligent as standing in the middle of the road, seeing a semi-truck speeding towards them and saying "I don't believe a semi-truck is coming towards me". Regardless of what they believe, the semi-truck is still going to flatten them on the road. They will say things like Jesus was a good teacher and a great man, but just that, a man, not the Son of God. Jesus Himself said: "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58) and "I and the Father are one."(John 10:30) Jesus Himself claimed to be God and therefore couldn't have been "just a good teacher" or "wise man". Good teachers don't claim to be God. Jesus' statements don't leave any wiggle room; He was either a liar, crazy (either one would mean He isn't a good teacher), or He was who He claimed to be and is in fact God.
What does Christianity offer that no other religion offers? While other religions try to have you work your way to Heaven doing various things like praying in a certain direction multiple times a day, traveling to certain places during your life, following certain man made rules, etc. Christ offers us a free gift, the gift of salvation. Jesus Christ came to Earth and died for our sins, He paid the fine we owed God for breaking His laws and because of this we are free to go from the courtroom on Judgment Day. Man's best deeds can't pay our debt to God anymore than washing a Judges car would get us off for murder. The fact that we washed the Judges car trying to get off for murder would in fact would be looked at as bribery. The Bible says that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags... (Isaiah 64:6)", they won't help us. What Christianity offers that no other religion offers is a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, the Creator who had mercy on His people and paid their debts owed to Him for them. Christianity offers the truth and the only way to Heaven.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
God's Will, Part 4
Submit
yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a
king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such
is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of
foolish men (1 Peter 2:3-15).
Submission, that is a hard one for most people but a most necessary command to follow. The Bible speaks of many types of submission (to parents, employers, etc) but this verse is about submission to make ourselves the best possible citizens in the society in which we live. Do you know what critics of Christ look for in Christians? Faults! We need to "silence the ignorance of foolish men" and the best way to do that is to live an exemplary life within society. We must obey the laws (except for when they make us do something God has said not to do). We are free in our society to try and change laws we do not agree with, through lawful means, but we must not break laws just because we do not agree with them.
For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong (1 peter 3:17). If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; (1 peter 4:14-15)
Jesus lived the most godly life one could live and He suffered. He was persecuted. If it happened to Him it will happen to us. Anyone who lives a godly life in the face of the world will suffer for it but the Bible says we are to rejoice for this because the Spirit of God rests on us. This is not talking about suffering because we did evil but because we are doing what is right and the world hates us for it. Evangelism is not just the job of a preacher, it is yours and mine as well. Evangelism is also more than handing out gospel tracts and witnessing to people, it's living a godly life in the face of an ungodly world. Believe me, if you separate yourself from the world through godly living, you will be persecuted because the world hates Jesus and they will take it out on you. We can't worry about our own egos or being treated as an outcast, we must proclaim the truth with no compromise. We are expendable, God's truth is not.
For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, (Philippians 1:29)
God's will is for us to be saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive and suffering.
Submission, that is a hard one for most people but a most necessary command to follow. The Bible speaks of many types of submission (to parents, employers, etc) but this verse is about submission to make ourselves the best possible citizens in the society in which we live. Do you know what critics of Christ look for in Christians? Faults! We need to "silence the ignorance of foolish men" and the best way to do that is to live an exemplary life within society. We must obey the laws (except for when they make us do something God has said not to do). We are free in our society to try and change laws we do not agree with, through lawful means, but we must not break laws just because we do not agree with them.
For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong (1 peter 3:17). If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; (1 peter 4:14-15)
Jesus lived the most godly life one could live and He suffered. He was persecuted. If it happened to Him it will happen to us. Anyone who lives a godly life in the face of the world will suffer for it but the Bible says we are to rejoice for this because the Spirit of God rests on us. This is not talking about suffering because we did evil but because we are doing what is right and the world hates us for it. Evangelism is not just the job of a preacher, it is yours and mine as well. Evangelism is also more than handing out gospel tracts and witnessing to people, it's living a godly life in the face of an ungodly world. Believe me, if you separate yourself from the world through godly living, you will be persecuted because the world hates Jesus and they will take it out on you. We can't worry about our own egos or being treated as an outcast, we must proclaim the truth with no compromise. We are expendable, God's truth is not.
For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, (Philippians 1:29)
God's will is for us to be saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive and suffering.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
God's Will, Part 3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual
immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in
sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who
do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7).
God's will is for you to be sanctified. What is sanctification? Well the reading of the previous verse lays out what God wants. "Abstain from sexual immorality", "know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion" Stay away from sexual sin. All of those things that are now accepted in our society and promoted in many movies and TV shows; fornication, homosexuality, adultery...stay away from it. Sex is a good thing, it was created by God, but only in marriage. For someone living in sexual impurity to say to God "Show me your will for my life" when they aren't even doing what He has already said is His will in the Bible is rather foolish. Why should God disclose some further will?
"And that no man transgress and defraud his brother". Treat others fairly. Don't use people in a sexual way to fulfill lustful desires. Don't mistreat people in business. There are many ways to mistreat someone, but don't do it because "the Lord is the avenger in all these things". It's so serious in God's eyes that He says So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you (1 Thessalonians 4:8). God says if you mistreat others, you are not mistreating man but God Himself! That is about as serious as you can get; it is a scary thought.
Someone might ask, "How far away from sexual sin (or any sin) should we stay?" Far enough away to be pure, set apart wholly unto God. God hates sin, so we shouldn't be trying to sneak by to see what we can get away with. If God hates something, we should do everything we can to stay away from it, not sit down with the family and enjoy it as entertainment in movies or TV or books or whatever it might be. So far we have seen that God's will is for us to be saved, Spirit-filled, and sanctified. Next week we will dive into the scriptures some more to see the will of God.
God's will is for you to be sanctified. What is sanctification? Well the reading of the previous verse lays out what God wants. "Abstain from sexual immorality", "know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion" Stay away from sexual sin. All of those things that are now accepted in our society and promoted in many movies and TV shows; fornication, homosexuality, adultery...stay away from it. Sex is a good thing, it was created by God, but only in marriage. For someone living in sexual impurity to say to God "Show me your will for my life" when they aren't even doing what He has already said is His will in the Bible is rather foolish. Why should God disclose some further will?
"And that no man transgress and defraud his brother". Treat others fairly. Don't use people in a sexual way to fulfill lustful desires. Don't mistreat people in business. There are many ways to mistreat someone, but don't do it because "the Lord is the avenger in all these things". It's so serious in God's eyes that He says So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you (1 Thessalonians 4:8). God says if you mistreat others, you are not mistreating man but God Himself! That is about as serious as you can get; it is a scary thought.
Someone might ask, "How far away from sexual sin (or any sin) should we stay?" Far enough away to be pure, set apart wholly unto God. God hates sin, so we shouldn't be trying to sneak by to see what we can get away with. If God hates something, we should do everything we can to stay away from it, not sit down with the family and enjoy it as entertainment in movies or TV or books or whatever it might be. So far we have seen that God's will is for us to be saved, Spirit-filled, and sanctified. Next week we will dive into the scriptures some more to see the will of God.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
God's Will, Part 2
So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:17).
Wow, that could come across as being a little harsh right? The Bible says if you do not know the will of the Lord, you are foolish. Well with that in mind, it must be pretty important for us to know what the will of the Lord is. If it is that important, God must want us to know what it is. He would not command us to "not be foolish" if it wasn't possible. If you want to know God's will, the first step is to be saved (as covered in part 1), the second step, as we shall see in the very next verse from the one mentioned above, is to be Spirit-filled.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, (Ephesians 5:18)
Many Christians want to know why God hasn't revealed who they are supposed to marry or what house they are supposed to buy, etc. but why should God show a person something if they are not even fulfilling what God has already clearly stated as His will? Some Christians think they do not have the Holy Spirit, but the Bible says But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit is a person, He lives within you (1 Corinthians 6:19).
We are not to be under the control of wine, but under the control of the Spirit. One might ask, what does a Spirit filled life look like? How do I live like that? Continuing down the line in Ephesians 5:19-33, & Ephesians 6 we are shown what that looks like. It's "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" and it's wives submitting, husbands loving their wives, fathers not provoking their children to wrath, children obeying their parents, that is how Spirit-filled people are to live.
Colossians 3 has the same list except instead of linking it to living in the Spirit it's linked to letting "the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom" (Colossians 3:16). Being Spirit filled and the word of Christ dwelling in you are the same thing! The Spirit-filled life is being saturated in the things of Christ with His word. How do you do that? Read His word everyday! The more you read the Bible, the book that is about God, the more it will saturate your mind and life. So in our examinations of the scriptures we have seen that it is God's will for us to be saved and to be Spirit-filled.
Wow, that could come across as being a little harsh right? The Bible says if you do not know the will of the Lord, you are foolish. Well with that in mind, it must be pretty important for us to know what the will of the Lord is. If it is that important, God must want us to know what it is. He would not command us to "not be foolish" if it wasn't possible. If you want to know God's will, the first step is to be saved (as covered in part 1), the second step, as we shall see in the very next verse from the one mentioned above, is to be Spirit-filled.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, (Ephesians 5:18)
Many Christians want to know why God hasn't revealed who they are supposed to marry or what house they are supposed to buy, etc. but why should God show a person something if they are not even fulfilling what God has already clearly stated as His will? Some Christians think they do not have the Holy Spirit, but the Bible says But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit is a person, He lives within you (1 Corinthians 6:19).
We are not to be under the control of wine, but under the control of the Spirit. One might ask, what does a Spirit filled life look like? How do I live like that? Continuing down the line in Ephesians 5:19-33, & Ephesians 6 we are shown what that looks like. It's "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" and it's wives submitting, husbands loving their wives, fathers not provoking their children to wrath, children obeying their parents, that is how Spirit-filled people are to live.
Colossians 3 has the same list except instead of linking it to living in the Spirit it's linked to letting "the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom" (Colossians 3:16). Being Spirit filled and the word of Christ dwelling in you are the same thing! The Spirit-filled life is being saturated in the things of Christ with His word. How do you do that? Read His word everyday! The more you read the Bible, the book that is about God, the more it will saturate your mind and life. So in our examinations of the scriptures we have seen that it is God's will for us to be saved and to be Spirit-filled.
Monday, July 2, 2012
God's Will, Part 1
Very often some sort of variation
of the question "What is God's will for my life?" is asked. Generally
most are looking to have very specific questions answered, such as "Who
should I marry?", "What school should I attend?", "Which job should I
take?" etc. We will address such questions in a future devotional but
let us search through the Bible together and see exactly what it does
say about God's will. I have to start out by saying God isn't playing a
game of comic hide and seek as many people seem to believe. He hasn't
hidden His will away in some secret corner where we have to search and
try to find it. If God has a will for our lives, He wants us to know
it. This is why we will search the Bible for answers, because there is
no better place to look for God's will than in His revelation to
mankind.
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
It is God's will that we should be saved. Many people go through life never giving God a second thought unless something goes wrong, then they may throw a prayer His way hoping to get something from Him. If you have never got down on your knees at the foot of the cross and received Jesus Christ then you are not even in the beginning of God's will. Qualification number one is Salvation, without that God has no reason to reveal anything specific to you. While it is true that God is the sustainer of the entire universe and none of us would be where we are without Him (see Acts 17:28) there is no scripture to indicate God personally leads unbelievers as an ordinary occurrence.
When He puts forth all His own, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice (John 10:4).
Without Christ, man is a rebel against God, it's when man has repented and put his trust in Christ that we see verses like (John 10:4) apply. It's those who are saved that "know His voice". With so many false teachers, religions and philosophies out there in the world one would have to be saved in order to navigate through them and follow the truth. Salvation can be offense to people because one of its basics is an admission of sin, something most want to hide, ignore or pretend doesn't exist. But it is God's will that we be saved. At this point we need to acknowledge that we either need to be saved or we are saved and need to take the message of the gospel to others (Matthew 28:19-20). Both of these are God's will as He has stated in the Bible. So for now, instead of sitting around doing nothing wondering what God's will could be, lets do what we already know that it is from scripture. Repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ and if you have already done that then go and tell others about Him so that all men might come to Him.
*All five parts of this are based on an outline I used from the book Found: God's Will from John MacArthur which I highly recommend.
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
It is God's will that we should be saved. Many people go through life never giving God a second thought unless something goes wrong, then they may throw a prayer His way hoping to get something from Him. If you have never got down on your knees at the foot of the cross and received Jesus Christ then you are not even in the beginning of God's will. Qualification number one is Salvation, without that God has no reason to reveal anything specific to you. While it is true that God is the sustainer of the entire universe and none of us would be where we are without Him (see Acts 17:28) there is no scripture to indicate God personally leads unbelievers as an ordinary occurrence.
When He puts forth all His own, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice (John 10:4).
Without Christ, man is a rebel against God, it's when man has repented and put his trust in Christ that we see verses like (John 10:4) apply. It's those who are saved that "know His voice". With so many false teachers, religions and philosophies out there in the world one would have to be saved in order to navigate through them and follow the truth. Salvation can be offense to people because one of its basics is an admission of sin, something most want to hide, ignore or pretend doesn't exist. But it is God's will that we be saved. At this point we need to acknowledge that we either need to be saved or we are saved and need to take the message of the gospel to others (Matthew 28:19-20). Both of these are God's will as He has stated in the Bible. So for now, instead of sitting around doing nothing wondering what God's will could be, lets do what we already know that it is from scripture. Repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ and if you have already done that then go and tell others about Him so that all men might come to Him.
*All five parts of this are based on an outline I used from the book Found: God's Will from John MacArthur which I highly recommend.
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