Verse Of The Day

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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

You Are Legally Dismissed

"It is finished"     Christ said

Your fine has been paid, you are free to go.  Your Sin is no more according to God (Psalm 103:12) The Judge is Just but He is also Mercy.  So the crime was paid for, just not with your blood, it was paid with His Son's.  Now go free, repent of your sin (show the Christian change has taken place) and run the good race (1st Cor 9:24)   Lets all meet at the finish line shall we?

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Prosperity Gospel - Away with it! (Video)

Update:  I think I made the assumption that most of the readers understood what the "Prosperity Gospel" is and teaches.   This is a false teaching among a number of denominations and churches that points people to "becoming rich" rather than following Christ and suffering for his names sake.  Learn more here and here

Pastor John Piper speaks a few profound words on his thoughts on the prosperity gospel being preached in so many "churches" in our day.  John Piper wrote a book, among many others, that I try to read at least once or twice a year, it's called "Desiring God" and I highly recommend it.   He is most famous for his quote "God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him"  Enjoy the video.



Saturday, December 13, 2008

Another Interview With God (Video)

An Excellent video put out by Way Of The Master Ministries. Simple yet gets the gospel across in a way you can understand it. It's an excellent display of God's Justice and Mercy portrayed simultaneously for the believer. Oh that we would stop playing Russian roulette with our souls and begin to believe Gods word! I am reminded of those who were in the world trade center contemplating whether they should either go camping or go bowling that weekend. Little did they know that their lives would be demanded of them that very hour. We must always be ready for His return and we should always go forth and preach the good news praying that God will open the eyes and hearts of a stubborn people as long as we have tongues and are able to speak. We cannot tell anyone that they are saved, we can only tell them how to be saved. Make no mistake about it, God will be here in only a short time. The scriptures say that our lives are but a mist, a vapor and then comes judgment.

'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Cor 5:10)

"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment...." (Heb 9:27)

God will demand an account of what we did with what He gave us (time, money, the gospel etc.)
As Paul Washer once stated in a Sermon "There are many men in Hell who loath the day that someone came to preach the word to them. They would sooner wish that they have never heard it and went to hell first than heard it, ignored it, and was thrown into the fire" (paraphrased)

It is never my intentions to "scare" anyone into the Kingdom, but I am compelled to preach the truth of Gods word. I would rather offend a few but save many in doing so than keep silent about what is true. I would equate this with not wanting to "bother" anyone by waking them up to tell them that the building they are in is on fire. This would be absurd. And should I bang on their door at 3 o'clock in the morning to warn them of the fire, I have no doubt in my mind that they would gladly receive me and even thank me for rescuing them. As Jonathan Edwards once said in a sermon "the fire is prepared for them" (Sermon: Sinners in the hands of an Angry God)

This is your chance, non believer, this is your opportunity to repent and trust in the Savior. "so, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

What am I being saved from you ask? If you don't believe then you are in God's wrath still, God is angry with sin, he hates it. You have broken his law, and so because he is a good and just God, he will punish all of those who break the law (10 commandments) But to those who place their faith in Christ, He has went to the father on our behalf and said "Father, because I love them, let your wrath come upon me instead" And the father says "make no mistake son, if I poor out my wrath on you, I will spare nothing and you will receive it all" And Jesus, for the joy set before him says "let it be so" This is love my friend, that he died for you while you were still sinning. I plead with you to repent and believe. For "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

I would also like to challenge those who profess to believe. Stay in the word daily, don't let it depart from your heart. Paul said "make the most of every opportunity" Don't forget to examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith (or still in the faith rather)

This is a quote by Paul Washer regarding missions, but I believe it can be applied to the Christian in whole since we have our very own mission field here. We need to be about our Father's business and get serious about evangelism if we are going to see a fruitful populating of the Kingdom of Heaven. Washer says;

"Let me give you some advice. Stop gathering together in a bunch of little groups and running around and doing your Jesus thing. Open up your bible, get good books, study the scriptures and memorize chapters. Organize your thoughts into a systematic theology, know what you believe, be able to defend the truth, understand something of Christian history, become a teacher of God's word and then go to the mission field. Until then.... stay home.......stay home."

This sounds hard, but it's true.

- Paul Washer

I can assure you, that I never mean my posts to sound or end like this but something else compels me once I start typing. And so I can't help but speak about all of the things I've seen and heard.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

The Most Importan 16 Minute Video You Will Watch This Year

As many of you know, I speak very highly of Pastor Paul Washer.  He is a passionate man of God who has a knack for speaking profoundly to men who are straying and always points them back to the Father and his word.  He has without a doubt been extremely profound in my life over the past year or so.  He has shaped the way I see evangelism and unknowingly plays a major part in teaching me the true biblical understanding of what it means to be saved and walk with Jesus. There is, in the air,  a certain heresy about which churches teach men that if they "accept Christ into their heart" or "say a certain prayer" then they will inherit the kingdom of God no matter how they live their lives.   But what marks the true believer?  What is the sign that someone follows The Way?  What is the evidence that someone is saved?  Is there ongoing repentance in their lives?  Is their daily fellowship with Him?  Are they in the word daily and abiding in it? Paul Washer said this in another sermon (Are you a True Disciple?)

"The bible teaches that a moment a person repents and believes, they are saved.   And then they can have a strong assurance in their heart even that very moment of their salvation.  But there is yet greater assurance that comes as they continue on in the faith and the evidence, the outward evidence a person has truly believed in Jesus Christ is that they continue on in that belief.  The evidence that someone has truly received the word of Christ is in John 8  "They continue in his word and prove themselves to be disciples" (emphasis mine)

- Paul Washer

Always remember to test and examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith (2nd Cor 13:5)  Make sure that you are always trying to bare fruit.  Jesus said "By their fruit you will recognize them"  You don't want to be the branch that bares no fruit.  That branch will be cast into the fire and burned.  Are we saved by fruit baring?  Absolutely not.  As Paul Washer says, "it's the evidence of truly having believed unto salvation"