Journey Of The Heart

God Is For God - Matt Chandler 1/13/12

2012-01-27T07:30:00.000-06:00

My Takeaway For 2011

2011-12-26T19:30:00.001-06:00

As troubling as it is:

1) MOST professing Christians with whom I’ve had encounters have absolutely no conviction or desire to align their thinking and actions with the Word of God – which is the believers’ sole authority.

2) Equally stubborn to the professing Christians’ refusal to bend the knee to Scripture is their fierce argumentation of their own opinions based upon the authority of ‘self.’

3) The narrow road is getting more narrow and as a result, rather lonely.

It’s really been a year of trial and testing for me. Ultimately, I wouldn’t have it any other way for in each situation God has been gracious to further grow me in Christ. None of these situations were easy, nor were they pleasant, but I daresay they were necessary. Jesus said we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him, Jude tells us that we must contend earnestly for the faith; and sometimes the cost of doing so is high. Well, high by our human standards of measure anyway. Certainly I’ve won no popularity contests this year, yet I have had people separate from me, treat me in rather un-Christlike manner, and even bully me – all self-proclaimed believers in Christ. And I don’t mind saying….it hurts….deeply. But I do pray that the cry of my heart will be as Paul’s in that I can say with bold assurance, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Phil 3:8-11

My hope and prayer for all of us who name the Name of Christ is that in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and that we will love and embrace His Word as the authority and life-giving nourishment it is, so that our minds are renewed and our lives transformed. May we boldly proclaim the truth of His Word… regardless of the cost to ourselves.

God's Word

2011-10-25T18:54:00.003-05:00

It's been quite a while since I've had anything I desired to write about, but THIS is the best quote I've heard in a long time, and I'm compelled to comment.

"Our object should not be to have Scripture on our side but to be on the side of Scripture; and however dear any sentiment may have become by being long entertained, so soon as it is seen to be contrary to the Bible, we must be prepared to abandon it without hesitation." - William Symington

I'd never heard of William Symington before today and don't know much about him, but he's spot on with this one. It's of interest to me because just in this year I have encountered more professing Christians who, in one way or another, have proven to be more than a little antagonistic toward the Word of God. On several occasions I found myself in either a Facebook, email or personal conversation regarding some spiritual issue, and the more I contended for the faith, the more I tried to draw them back to the Bible, the more I was met with resistance and a stubborn refusal to bend to what God has said.

I've been continually dumbfounded by this kind of "MY-opinion-is-what-matters" belief system coming from, as I said, professing Christians - those who claim to love Christ. In pondering it, though, I've come to be less dumbfounded and more incensed - in what I pray would be a righteous anger. Because the FACT is - redeemed believers do not despise the Word of God, nor do they hold in in contempt. They do not undervalue it or dimiss it in favor of their own thoughts and their own opinions. One cannot love God yet hate His word. This is an impossibility for one who is truly in Christ. So I'm left with the conclusion that some of these folk are not in Christ, as they so declare.

In the power of the Holy Spirit, we as people of the faith, are to forsake our sinful opinions, renounce our way of doing things, and live by the very words of life that God was so gracious to provide. Notice I said 'in the power of the Holy Spirit,' for surely there is no other way it can be done. The Scriptures are completely contrary to our natures. Nonetheless, God calls His people to be holy as He is holy. Thankfully, though, He provided the Holy Spirit and He that began the work will be faithful to complete it.

As Paul called upon the Corinthians to do, so I urge you to do - examine yourselves to see if you are indeed in the faith. What is your reaction to the Scriptures and also to those who appeal to them? Do you bristle at their use? Do you have any desire to conform to what God requires of you? Is your mind being transformed by them? Just some things for us all to consider. May God have mercy.

O Great God

2011-07-24T12:30:00.001-05:00

Agnus Dei

2011-06-28T16:30:00.001-05:00

Holy Holy Holy

2011-06-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Jesus, Thank You

2011-06-27T07:37:00.002-05:00

Strange Encounters of the Christian Kind

2011-06-20T11:15:00.025-05:00

I can't help it. Some things are just blogworthy.

In my experience as of late, I'm rapidly discovering that many professing Christians have ZERO inclination to even surfacely speak of biblical matters, much less undertake serious and meaningful discourse on the Scriptures. I find this to be most disheartening because as the redeemed people of God, we are called to contend for the faith (Jude 1:3), to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15), and to be ready in and out of season to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:2). I have a feeling those passages mean that we should contend for the faith, make a defense for the hope that is in us and preach the word in and out of season.

So why don't Christians do this? I have no idea. Perhaps some don't know the Word of God as they should. Perhaps they fear rejection by others. I'm sure there are a lot of excuses, but the fact is, we need to get over ourselves and come to grips with the fact that to follow Christ is to be on the narrow road. Be ready for the hatred that will no doubt come - if they hated Christ, they will hate us. (John 15:18).

That said, I wanted to share the following Facebook message exchange which took place last week between me and a guy I know in real life. We used to attend the same church, but really don't interact much anymore. It's pretty self-explanatory, but here's the set up. My friend, John Doe, had posted on his wall a short video of a very interesting looking, large, gnarly tree. The wind was blowing through the branches, and it was just a neat thing to view. Someone posted a comment about it being a "burning bush" moment. And John Doe replied, "It was for me." Another commentor said something like, "we need to be listening because we never know when God is speaking." I replied with, "We can know EXACTLY when God is speaking because He's *already* spoken in his Word. Read it. Study it. Live it." A couple of days later, my comment was gone. I then posted on JD's wall asking him why he deleted my comment. A few days later THAT post was gone. I then sent him a private message, of which the entirety of the conversation follows:

Hi John Doe,

It seems an odd thing to me that someone I personally know would delete a perfectly scriptural comment I made, then go on to delete my post inquiring about why my original comment was deleted. I am truly puzzled over this, JD. Perhaps if you were a stranger, not so much, but a person I actually know? And one who claims the name of Christ, at that?
I don't summarily unfriend "real life people" from my friend list because I find it rude, but since it appears that you do not wish to interact with me, I will go ahead and do that. It will probably save any further frustration on both our parts.

I do pray, JD, that you might see it as a profitable endeavor to stand firm and defend your convictions on spiritual matters. If you disagreed with me about what I orignally wrote to that guy on your tree video post, then engage me. It is always worthwhile to discuss the things of God. In the same manner, it would seem only the polite thing to do to address someone's question. Especially a fellow believer in Christ. I am sorry that you felt deleting my posts was the best course of action.

Gayla

His reply to me:

Gayla,

I will weigh your comments and consider your opinion.

The person that made a comment on my wall may not even be a Christian and I was shocked that he was willing to even acknowledge God. I didn't want him to see you reprimand him about his comment and turn him off of God. If you know him personally and he is a believer then please accept my apologies for taking your comment off my wall; however, there are many non Christians that I have as friends on Facebook and I want them to see God's love and Grace.

I try to stay as far away from religion and judgmental attitudes as possible. I know who I am in God and do not receive anything you said about me.
I love you and Roger and you both are in my prayers. May God richly bless you in all you do to Glorify his name.

JD

I then replied with:

Hi JD,

Thanks so much for replying. I've been going back and forth with myself as to whether or not I should respond. Finally decided to do so.

No, I don't know the guy who posted on your video. Far from reprimanding him, though, I was pointing him to the Scriptures, which is EXACTLY where he needs to be looking for God! His comment on your post was something to the effect that (we should be alert b/c) we never know when God is speaking. I merely informed him that we can be quite assured that God is speaking since He's *already* spoken in his Word - everything we need for life and godliness is contained therein. So if he is, indeed, an unbeliever, Holy Writ is where he needs to be seeking God, if his heart has been stirred to do so. He won't find God in a tree or a "burning bush." If he did, he would quickly find that God is a consuming fire. He won't find God in his mind where He *thinks* God is imparting some special, personal revelation.

I know what you mean about having unbelivers on your FB friend list; so do I. And I, too, want them to see the love and grace of God. I don't think, however, that we can present a "one-sided" picture of Him. In other words, there is no experiencing the love, grace or mercy of God without first having an understanding of the God Who is just and that His wrath is upon sinners who are without Christ. Or, without coming to grips with the fact that we are wretched, depraved sinners in need of a Savior. The message of the gospel is 'repent and believe,' not "ask Jesus into your heart and 'make Him' your Lord and Savior." Certainly Christ is not a groovy accoutrement that we merely add on to our already groovy lives, or that "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." These are NOT the gospel.
I'm not sure what you mean by you "don't receive anything I said about you." I don't see that I said anything *about* you. I only encouraged you to stand firm on the truth of the Scriptures and to contend for the faith.

Anyway, sorry for rambling on so. I just didn't think I could let it go at that. I'm always open for discussion, because as I said above, I think it is profitable to dig into the Scriptures and discuss. Iron sharpens iron.

For Christ's sake,
Gayla

Now here' where it really gets weird, as he replies to me with:

Google Johari's window and tell me your thoughts.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window

Introspective- look this up and let me know your thoughts.

Regards,

Now, I'm completely baffled by this. I don't know whether I should take it as a personal affront or if he was referring to the unsaved guy who commented on his FB wall. I'm completely stunned, so I reply:

JD,

Without any context, it's difficult to ascertain what it is you're getting at. Or what it is you're looking for from me. This is too vague and doesn't relate to what I said in my earlier message.

I can only say that psychological tools that point us to "self" and that cause unwarranted suppositions have nothing at all to do with the Kingdom of God, or a discussion of Scripture, or proclaiming the gospel of grace.

(We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Cor 10:5)

If you'd care to be more specific in addressing the issue, I'm more than willing to read. If not, then we should leave well enough alone.

Then he replies with a non-reply:

Just want to end by saying I love you and Rog. I pray God continues to bless you both. If I can ever help with anything, don't hesitate to call on me.

Blessings,

Continuing in utter disbelief at what I'd been reading (and unable to drop the matter), I reply with:

JD, I must admit that this is probably the most bizarre conversation I've ever had with someone who professes to be a Christian. You demonstrate an obvious reluctance to engage in meaningful discourse concerning the Word of God, and I don't get that at all. You then link me to a psychology tool with no explanation as to 'why' or what bearing it has on anything. Then just abruptly end things. Of course, it is certainly your prerogative to do so, but it is most disappointing that you refuse to undertake a profitable discussion.

As I said early on in my first messge, I do pray that you would see it as a worthy endeavor to contend for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. (Jude 1:3)

To which his final message to me was:

OK

I know, I know....I'm slow, but I did finally get the hint that JD didn't really want to engage in a substantive discussion about Scripture. He didn't actually want to get to the heart of the matter. I'm not sure what his end goal was, but it certainly wasn't anything rooted in Scripture, nor was it edifying, nor did it point me to Christ. It's maddening, but it also grieves my heart that believers would engage (or not engage) in such a manner.

Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD. ~Psalm 31:24

Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer

2011-06-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

R3VOLUTION WEAR

2011-05-19T15:00:00.006-05:00

This is good stuff, people. Not your normal, cheesy Christian fashion. :)

The Prayer of King David

2011-05-11T11:30:00.003-05:00

So David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly; and David said,

"Blessed are You, O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You. For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and all is Yours. Since I know, O my God, that You try the heart and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You. O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Your people, and direct their heart to You."

Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the LORD your God." And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed low and did homage to the LORD and to the king.

~1 Chronicles 29:10-20

What a glorious extolment to the immutable character of God. Transcendent, absolute and unrivalled from all eternity. Sovereign over all creation. The earth, His footstool. The only difference I see in this prayer as opposed to (what should be and so often is not) the prayer of the New Covenant church, is that the offerings David speaks of in this passage were given specifically for the builiding of the temple. (which his son, Solomon, built.) Because of Christ's work on the cross, the Holy Spirit of God now indwells individual believers. How marvelous is that!?

No words of mine could possibly say it more eloquently than Scripture itself. So I will simply say, Amen and Amen.

Examining "Calvinism"

2011-05-01T19:00:00.010-05:00

It’s been way too long since I’ve written anything, so I thought I’d make an attempt today. There are many things swirling around in my head, but I just hadn’t taken the time to organize them and get them down on paper…or computer. It’s a rather cold and rainy day here in north Texas – too cold for late spring. I *should* be studying for my exam, but I can’t seem to get into it.

I think I’ll begin (and probably end) with one of the main things that has been nagging at me lately, and that is the complete mischaracterization by many of this thing called, “Calvinism.” First of all, Calvinism is a NICKNAME – it is not, in and of itself, something to be taught. Calvinisim is the nickname for a systematic study of the Bible; it answers the question,”What does the whole of the Bible teach?” and then ‘systematizes’ or arranges the material. John Calvin wasn’t even a Calvinist, as he was long dead (1564) before the Synod of Dort formulated the “Five Points of Calvinism.”

In 1610, James (or Jacob) Arminius had just died and his biblical systematic theology was formulated into five main points, which became known as The Five Points of Arminianism (Arminianism). Briefly, those points are: 1) Free Will (or human ability), which posited that although man was affected by the fall of Adam, he was not totally incapable of choosing spiritual good; 2) Conditional Election, which taught that God knew/foresaw those who would respond to the gospel and, on that basis, ‘elected’ them for salvation; 3) Universal Redemption (general atonement) taught that Christ died to save all men, but His death was only ‘effectual’ for those who would choose to believe; 4) The Holy Spirit’s work in regeneration is limited by the human will, which means that His work could be resisted by the human heart; and 5) Falling from grace taught that a saved individual could ultimately fall from salvation. This is the logical outcome of a system that postulates man ‘chooses’ to be saved.

These Five Points were presented to the Synod of Dort in 1618, and the church was called to examine the teachings in light of the Scriptures. At the end of seven months, the synod could not reconcile this Arminian viewpoint with what was expounded in Holy Writ. To reaffirm the Reformation position expressed by Calvin, and to counter these five points, the Synod of Dort formulated their own ‘five points’ which became known as The Five Points of Calvinism. They are also set forth in the form of the acrostic, TULIP. T = Total Depravity – every area of man was affected by the Fall; sin affects the totality of man’s being – his will, mind, affections, etc, thereby rendering him UNABLE to ‘choose’ spiritual things (See Gen 6:5; Ps 51:5; Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 2:15; Eph 2:1; 2 Tim 2:25; Mark 4:11, 12); U = Unconditional Election – As a result of man’s being dead in sin and unable to appraise spiritual things, much less be inclined to God, He, before the foundation of the world chose a people for Himself and then saved them (See John 15:6; Rom 9:6-2; Eph 1:1-6; Acts 13:48). L = Limited Atonement (particular redemption) – Christ died to save a particular number of people, His sheep. He died to effectually and absolutely save sinners, not potentially save them, dependent upon THEIR choice of HIM (See John 17:9; Eph 1:4; Eph 5:25). I = Irresistible Grace – God’s calling upon the heart of a human being is irresistible in that it cannot be thwarted or frustrated. (See John 6:37-45; Rom 8:14; Gal 1:15; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 Pet 5:10). P = Perseverance of the Saints – In complete opposition to the fifth point of Arminianism, this point posits that the believer’s salvation is secure – not because he secures himself, but because of God’s keeping power. HE causes His own to persevere to the end. (See John 6:39; John 10:28-29; Rom 5:10; Rom 8:27; Phil 1:6).

Now, this is by no means an exhaustive commentary on what is known as Calvinism. There are enough passages cited, though, to get you started on your own study. Go on...examine the Scriptures for yourself; see what they teach. It's the straw man set ups and arguments that can become so frustrating. "Calvinists only follow a man!" "John Calvin was a murderer!" Blech. It just goes to show that lack of diligent study (laziness) and over-the-top emotionalism cloud peoples' judgments. Actually, John Calvin and other reformers like Martin Luther reformed their soteriology, and that's about all they had time for. They were still wrong with regard to some of the other teachings to which they continued to adhere. As well, they were products of their century and their culture at the time, so they were imperfect people, as are we. But they got salvation right. Salvation - from beginning to end - is ALL of God. It is initiated by God, it ends with God, and every part in between is of God. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. For the glory of God!

Yours in grace,

Wonderful Merciful Savior

2011-04-03T15:00:00.002-05:00

Wrong Assertions = False Teaching

2011-02-23T16:00:00.027-06:00

Yeah, even when it's a church espousing it on their website.

From the Statement of Faith of a local church:

About Man...

We are created in the spiritual likeness or image of God. God gave us free will: we have the ability to choose to love as God loves, to choose to do right in the likeness of God's righteousness, and to choose to value what God values. God created us because He wants a family who will love Him because we want to love Him, and not because we have to love Him. The first man, Adam, chose to sin, and now every person lives in a marred creation with a marred spiritual nature. As a result, every person will eventually choose to sin and subsequently become separated from God.
Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3:1-24; Psalm 8:3-6; John 4:24; Ephesians 1:4-6;Romans 3:23

This is, by far, one of the worst (unbiblical) descriptions of the nature of man that I've ever read. No. No. No. Wrong. Uh-uh. This is NOT what the Bible teaches, so let's take critical look at it.

We were created in God's image. Correct. Unfortunately though, I'm afraid the rest of it crashes and burns.

God gave us free will? Where do they get this? None of the passages they cited support this notion; and the reason for that is that there ARE no passages that support this notion. We have the ability to choose to love as God loves? To choose to do right in the likeness of God's righteousness? (what does this even mean?) To choose to value what God values? There's a lot of "choosing" going on here, but none of it's being done by God, who in reality, is the only one with the right and ability to "choose." HE is the Sovereign, HE is the Creator, and HE is Ruler of the universe, the One declaring the end from the beginning. What do they think the meaning of sovereign is anyway? Isa 46:9-10

And, what is "free will?" Most people tend to mistakenly refer to it as the "free" or unhindered ability to make spiritual choices concerning God, and matters such as salvation, apart from any outside influencing factors. This is known as libertrian free will, but no such concept exists in Scripture. God's revealed word does indeed speak to the will of man, but certainly not in a favorable manner:

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ~Gen 6:5

"...I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done." ~Gen 8:21

'But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed. ~Jer 5:23 (There are actually many passages that address the stubbornness and stiffneckedness of God's people, Israel)

"The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? ~Jer 17:9

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE." ~Rom 3:9-12

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ~Rom 8:5-8

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. ~1 Cor 2:14

Well, these are but a very few passages that speak to the nature of man - that of being inherently sinful. In this sinful state, man has not the slightest ability to 'choose' to please God or to do anything that God requires of him.  This brings me to the next point of the SoF, which I've taken a little out of order from how they wrote it. As a result of possessing this sin nature, I submit that man is far, far more than "marred." Man is flawed, yes, but using biblical language, man is, in fact, spiritually dead. Dead in sin. Ephesians 2:1-3 describes sinful human beings as dead in trespasses, even as children of wrath:  "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest."

Man's default nature is a sinful one with a bent toward rebellion and disobedience against God. As a result, the only 'choices' unregenerate humans make are those in accordance with that nature - those which will please the flesh, not God. Man is bound by and a slave to sin.   "...knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;" ~Rom 6:6 and "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness." ~Rom 6:20
See all of Romans 6

I can hear it now - "so you're saying we're just puppets," to which I reply, let's use biblical language when talking about biblical things, and the Bible doesn't employ the term, puppet. However, it does assert that we are either slaves to sin or slaves to Christ, and there's nothing in between - no middle position. If you are a redeemed believer in Christ, you have been bought with a price and you are not your own.  1 Cor 6:19-20

My, this is turning into a very long post for such a short little paragraph, but boy is it ever chocked full of error. OK, two more things real quick-like. "As a result [of this marred nature], every person will eventually choose to sin and subsequently become separated from God." No! We are born in sin; our nature is sinful. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— " ~Rom 5:12 and "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." ~Psalm 51:5 Because of the one man, Adam, a sin nature preexists a person being born. Also, the sin nature is one of self-centeredness and self-focus, and it doesn't take a baby any length of time to demand the attention be on him to meet his needs. One needn't have to commit murder for his inborn sinful nature to be exposed. The Bible assumes separation from God; there's no 'subsequently' becoming separated from God.

God created us because He wants a family who will love Him because we want to love Him, and not because we have to love Him. Man, I wish they had written this as an example of what NOT to say, because this is horrific theology. Have they not read the Bible? God is about God. EVERYTHING He does He does for His own glory and for the renown of His Name!!!!!!!! God doesn't need anything! He IS everthing - and we need Him. Consider Acts 17:24-28:

"The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'

God, in His infinite wisdom, mercy and grace and before the foundation of the world, decided of His own accord to create a universe and to set His love on a people as a gift for His Son.   He then set His plan in motion, and in real time redemptive history is playing out. Man falling was ordained by God; separation from Him - ordained; sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die in our place - ordained; His choosing a people to be adopted as His children - ordained. Eph 1

And considering I was His enemy initially, I THANK GOD that He didn't leave me to my own sinful, wicked self to somehow or another develop a love for Him and then 'choose' Christ. The passages I cited above prove that would have been an impossibility. THANK GOD His will is superior to mine and that he overrode my "free will." THANK GOD He made me love Him, for I would have never done so on my own.

It's very simple.  ANY teaching that runs contrary to the revealed doctrine in the Scriptures is false. And it matters not that it's well-intended, or that it sounds really, really spiritual, or that's it's a tiny paragraph in statement of faith. Paul says in Gal 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! No doubt Paul is quite serious here as he repeats himself twice. We would do well to heed the admonition. Let us endeavor to be diligent to study and KNOW what the Word of God says that we might be equipped to discern what is false.

Yours in grace,

Salvation By Grace Now on YouTube

2011-02-17T11:30:00.003-06:00

Now you can listen to Jim McClarty of Grace Christian Assembly on YouTube! Just click here for short, but meaty, teachings. :)

God's Sovereignty

2011-02-06T15:45:00.002-06:00

Well, I logged on this morning to compose a post and discovered that today is my 'blogiversary.' I've been blogging for six years! Wow, time has flown by quickly. I've really enjoyed recording my thoughts over the years since I'm not much of a paper journaler. I do hope to maintain the interest and wherewithall to keep it up because, for one thing, it's therapeutic. :)

Now on to my original post...   I remember like it was yesterday although it was in the fall of 2004. You can read the longer versions here and here.   But the substance is this: God, in His infinite mercy and grace, made Himself known to me. He removed the blinders and allowed to understand Who He is and who I am before Him - that I was (am) a wretched sinner in need of a Savior. He rescued me and made me a new creation in Christ.

I distinctly remember how my yearly Bible reading for 2005 was altogether different than in previous years. I could SEE God's sovereignty. I saw His hand of providence on every single page of Scripture - He has ordained and is orchestrating every event in human history. I 'got it,' as I was reading with entirely new eyes. A new focus. A new perspective - a God-centered one as opposed to one that was me-centered for so long. It was exciting and it remains so. I just can't seem to get enough of the rich beauty of His precous Word.

While I can't record in one post every verse pertaining to God's sovereignty, I thought it would be an interesting endeavor to jot down a sample from every book of the Bible. It serves as a reminder to me that He alone rules and reigns over His universe. Here goes....

God created - Gen 1:1
God sent - Ex 3:10
God commanded - Lev 17:2
God blessed - Num 6:27
God drove out - Deut 33:27
God delivered - Josh 10:19
God raised up - Judg 2:16
God redeemed - Ruth
God closed - 1 Sam 1:5
God struck - 2 Sam 12:15
God gave - 1 Kings 4:29
God warned - 2 Kings 17:13
God established - 1 Chron 17:11
God smote - 2 Chron 21:18
God graced - Ezra 11:8
God admonished - Neh 9:30
God providentially acted - Esther
God allowed - Job 1:12
God preserved - Psalm 37:28
God rewarded - Prov 13:13
God appointed - Eccl 3:1
God declared - Isa 48:3
God spoke - Jer 35:17
God caused - Lam 3:4
God judged - Eze 18:30
God willed - Dan 4:35
God rejected -Hos 4:6
God relented - Joel 2:13
God withheld - Amos 4:7
God cut off - Obad 1:10
God answered - Jonah 2:2
God cast - Micah 7:19
God avenged - Nahum 1:2
God marched - Hab 3:12
God exulted - Zeph 3:17
God overthrew - Haggai 2:22
God purposed - Zech 8:14
God prepared - Malachi 4:3

Jesus began - Matt 4:17
Jesus healed - Mark 3:10
Jesus taught - Luke 15
Jesus became flesh - John 1:18
Jesus resurrected - Acts 1:22
God foreknew/predestined/called/justified/glorified - Romans 8:29-30 (Praise Him!)
Christ bought - 1 Cor 6:20
Christ controls - 2 Cor 5:14
Christ set free - Gal 5:1
God chose - Eph 1:4
Christ obeyed - Phil 2:8
Christ rescued - Col 1:13
God sanctifies - 1 Thess 5:23
Christ comforts - 2 Thess 2:17
Christ strengthens - 1 Tim 1:12
God grants - 2 Tim 2:25
God's grace appeared - Titus 2:11
Christ orders - Phm 8
Christ authored - Heb 12:2
Christ promised - James 1:2
Christ suffered - 1 Pet 4:1
God destroys - 2 Pet 3:12
God loved - 1 John 4:19
God gives peace - 2 John 3
God is good - 3 John 11
Christ is able - Jude 24
Christ bounds - Revelation 20:2,3

—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords

1 Timothy 6:15

Exposing More False Teaching

2011-01-25T15:45:00.006-06:00

The more I listen the more grieved I become. So I guess the answer is to quit listening – and I will - right after attempting to warn the saints again. Over time, I have definitely heard enough to be convinced that what is coming out of is this area church is wrong, wrong, wrong, and it’s time to stop allowing myself to take it in – even if it is under the banner of, “I need to keep up with what’s going on so I can intelligently speak to it.” It is simply unwise to feed on even the occasional diet of errant teaching. This is not to say that some sort of true statement isn’t ever uttered, but unfortunately it is quickly diluted into something barely resembling biblical truth.  The overarching proclamation from leadership, and invited heretics such as Creflo Dollar and Bill Hybels, is a man-centered, self-focused, sub-biblical, thinly veiled (sometimes) prosperity gospel. Perhaps this should come as no surprise from a church with the catch phrase, “we’re all about people.” (emphasis mine)

The message coming from the pulpit on Jan 15 (Healed) left me reeling in anger and disbelief at what I was hearing and is what prompted me to write this article. I will say again that it truly saddens me to know people who are apparently buying into this stuff, so it is with a genuine concern for them (you) that I am compelled to expose it. Please be diligent to study the nearly 40% of the New Testament that addresses false teaching/teachers. ~Do Not Be Deceived~ Study Galatians, study 1 & 2 Timothy, study Titus, 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3 John, and Jude so that you will be equipped to discern what is being taught - by anyone. We simply must (by command) filter any and all teaching through the revealed Word of God, for it is the place where God has spoken, and it's the straight stick by which everything else is measured. Note, also, that any teaching is counted false any time it contradicts sound doctrine. Whether such teaching is intentional or ‘sincere’ or really, really spiritual sounding, or not, is beside the point - if it runs contrary to orthodoxy found in Holy Writ, it is wrong, which renders it false. Period.

Galatians 1:6-9 - "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 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!" These are strong words from the apostle Paul and we would do well to heed them.

I would advise anyone reading to listen to the above referenced sermon with a discerning ear and draw your own conclusions after testing it against Scripture. I believe, though, the entire message is anything but doctrinally sound.  Time constraints limit me to focusing on only one part of the message so it will be the part that most set me on edge. But first, a sidebar: While 'topical' preaching/teaching isn't inherently wrong or sinful, it can become a slippery slope because so much of the time it isn't done well at all. The customary M.O. for those who teach topically is to pick a subject about which they already have a preconceived notion, then proceed to flip through the Bible 'cherry picking' verses that seemingly support their presupposition. Most of the time, in doing this, context is left by the wayside, and without proper context, you could almost prove any position you desired. Robert Morris doesn't disappoint in this area.

In his Healed message, Pastor Morris strung a number of verses together from both the Old and New Testaments to answer the question, "does God want us healed, or does God want us sick?" You'll have to listen to the entire message to glean the full context, but starting at around the 11:20 mark, he said that there are some "excesses" with regard to physical healing that don't line up with Scripture, "One [excess] is that God can heal everyone but He chooses to heal who He will. He chooses to heal a few people but He doesn't choose to heal other people (voice emphasis, Pastor Morris). Here's the problem with that: it places the blame on God if a person doesn't get healed."  THIS, claims Morris, is an "excess." [The second excess he addresses is that of blaming the sick person's 'lack of faith' if he/she isn't healed, and with this I would agree.]

The problem with Pastor Morris' problem with blaming God is that it demonstrates his lack of understanding the full scope of the sovereignty of The Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe! I would further suggest that the use of the word, 'blame,' isn't a fair (or biblial) choice, as it conjures up a negative connotation - nobody wants to blame God for anything, now do they?  "Blame is from the devil," he explains. "Any doctrine or any dogma that begins to put blame is not from God." What exactly is the answer to why some people aren't healed? According to Pastor Morris, it is because, "We live in a fallen world." So then .... the fallen world is to blame, and it's the fallen world's fault when people aren't healed! Huh??? The fallen world has now been given more authority than God Himself! See how that logic goes? Of course we live in a fallen world, but this is non answer, not to mention an unbiblical conclusion. Did not Job say, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (2:10) Or what about Exodus 4:6 - The LORD furthermore said to him, "Now put your hand into your bosom." So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Who caused Moses' hand to become leprous? God or the fallen world?

The cherry-picked verses cited in this message had to do with Jesus' healings of ALL people and ALL of their diseases as well as how we've received our healings because of the cross (although I don't know he can think this is possible since he admits that some people aren't healed?). Here's the problem, though. He failed to mention any verses that opposed his position that blaming God is an "excess;" and it only takes one passage to render untrue the things he asserted. Here's one:  "But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." (Luke 4:25-27)  As you can see, God chose to meet the needs of only one widow, and He chose to cleanse only one leper.

The bottom line is this: God does choose whom He will heal and whom He will not (in this earthly life).  God is the Creator - thereby the Owner - of this universe and everything in it, and He does as He pleases in all things for His own purposes and for His own glory. It's just that simple. Furthermore, this is the very definition of what it means to be sovereign. God is The Sovereign and He is the One in control.  This self-focused, 'me'-centered, God-exists-to-do-our bidding teaching that infiltrates the church today is pure poison, the results of which are nothing short of damning. We must all be diligent to study the Word as it is written, taking from it the intended meanings and not imposing onto it what we we'd like it to mean.  Playing fast and loose with Scripture is a dangerous proposition.

The Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, is quoted as saying, "Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right." Very befitting, I think, for this particular sermon, as it sadly is for the majority of pathetic messages being passed off as Bible teaching. They are anything but. Much (most) of what is being boldly and confidently taught today does, at times, "sound" right and definitely sounds über spiritual to the undiscerning ear, but in reality runs completely contrary to sound doctrine. Be diligent, beloved, to study the Word, which is the only source of truth, so that you are able to discern right from wrong and right from almost right.

Yours in grace for His glory,

Be Unto Your Name

2011-01-24T15:15:00.001-06:00

The Time is Short

2011-01-16T13:15:00.015-06:00

In a little while, there will be a great concourse of people in the streets. Methinks I hear someone enquiring, "What are all these people waiting for?" "Do you not know? He is to be buried to-day?" "And who is that?" "It is Spurgeon." "What! the man that preached at the Tabernacle?" "Yes; he is to be buried to-day." That will happen very soon; and when you see my coffin carried to the silent grave, I should like every one of you, whether converted or not, to be constrained to say, "He did earnestly urge us, in plain and simple language, not to put off the consideration of eternal things. He did entreat us to look to Christ. Now he is gone, our blood is not at his door if we perish." God grant that you may not have to bear the bitter reproach of your own conscience! But, as I feel that "the time is short," I will stir you up so long as I am in this Tabernacle; and I do pray the Lord to bless the word every time I preach it from this platform. Oh, that some souls may be saved, that Jesus Christ may be glorified, Satan defeated, and heaven filled with saved ones!

"'Tis not for man to trifle! Life is brief;

And sin is here.

Our age is but the falling of a leaf,

A dropping tear.

We have no time to sport away the hours;

All must be earnest in a world like ours.

Not many lives, but only one, have we,..

Frail, fleeting man:

How sacred should that one life ever be,..

That narrow span!

Day after day filled up with blessed toil,

Hour after hour still bringing in new spoil."

From The Time is Short by Charles Spurgeon.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

With the death yesterday of another sweet friend, I am reminded yet again of the fragility of life. No doubt, the older I get the more I ponder on my own mortality and the fact that one day, death will come for me too.

Genesis 3:19 - "For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

Ecc 9:9 - Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun...

and

Ecc 11:10 - So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.

James 4:13-14 - Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

I love this part of what Spurgeon said - "He did earnestly urge us, in plain and simple language, not to put off the consideration of eternal things. He did entreat us to look to Christ." Oh, might the same be said of me! For, in reality, is there anything more crucial? More urgent? More pressing? The answer, of course, a resounding, "no!"

From the moment the Adam & Eve disobeyed God, mankind has been under His eternal wrath. Every human being inherited a sinful nature from Adam, and every human being is deserving of eternal punishment (hell). We have each one broken God’s commandments, His high and holy standards, and we cannot “do” anything, in and of ourselves, to ever attain to those standards, nor can we be saved from hell through our own “goodness.” For the Bible says, “no one is good, no not one.” But God, being rich in mercy, sent His Son, Jesus, to take upon Himself the wrath of God that was meant for us. Christ died a bloody, tortuous death on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins so that we might be made righteous in Him. In other words, Christ paid the sin debt that human beings could never, ever pay. God calls each of us to repent and trust in Christ and His atoning work on the cross for salvation. Repent and believe; this is the message of the gospel of Christ.

May the Lord cause us all to examine ourselves, to ponder eternity and to seek the only One who is able to save. "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

Yours in grace for the glory of God,

Of Facebook and Youth

2010-12-31T11:30:00.002-06:00

Facebook is a strange animal. Seriously. Come January - well, tomorrow - I will have been on it for two years, and being the social person I am, I really do enjoy it. Nevertheless, some aspects of it are quite odd. I suspect people find it easier to 'hide' behind the written status update and/or comment rather than face people personally, all of which I find annoyingly passive-aggressive. But to each his own, I guess. And, hey, I love to participate in a religious debate as much as the next person, but wowzers, can those get ugly sometimes - the comments coming from professing believers are anything but Christlike.  Very unbecoming the redeemed child of God. All that aside, though, Facebook has served as a great way to connect with people - old and new, past and present, known and unknown. It just IS a good way to be in each other's lives. Sometimes a little too good..... :)

I grew up in Austin, Texas.  I love Austin. (I love it so much that my son's middle name is Austin.) I attended Cunningham Elementary School, Porter & Bedichek Junior High Schools, and David Crockett High School - graduating class of 1977. One of the best things about good 'ole Facebook has been reuniting with classmates from my humble high school, some of whom even date back to Cunningham days. It's stunning the things technology has produced in my lifetime. Probably to be expected, though, I have some friends who have no interest AT ALL in setting foot back into the (figurative) hallowed halls of high school, but I just find the whole idea of it - well - really, really fun. I enjoyed every minute of my time in high school, with the possible exception of the whole studying and homework part. But even that was a pleasant endeavor with Max Fisher teaching Texas History (yeah, FB friends now, too). And of course there was my first love, the dance. No, not prom - drill team. Tex-Anns. I was in that glorious group of dancers three years - after, of course, satisfying the embarassing 'pep squad' requirement in my freshman year. I'm sure that requiring a one-year pep squad commitment as a prerequisite for drill team was the ONLY way to insure that a pep squad existed, although why one was even needed I do not know. Reflecting on those white gloves, pompoms and brown plaid uniforms makes me shudder all these 30+ years later.  But I digress...

To me, one of the neatest and downright coolest things about Facebook is how it has brought people together - and by brought together, I mean high school sweethearts. First loves. Or just people who kinda, sorta knew each other in high school. Why, in my class alone there are three examples - that I know of.

One:  Charlie and Cindy. I started elementary school with Charlie, unicycle rider extrodinaire and first (OK, only) boy with whom I ever played "post office." Ha! He was married many years to a girl (oddly enough, also named, Gayla) two grades below us.  Sadly, Charlie was widowed several years ago. But, via this new fangled digital means, he connected with Cindy, a girl who was in the class ahead of us. They recently married - in Austin, of course - and they were gracious enough to invite me to their wedding reception. What a treat it was to see Charlie again and to meet Cindy, whom I did not know in high school. Theirs is a wonderful love story of which the providential hand of God in their lives is more than evident. Congratulations to this lovely and godly couple!

Two: Don and (another) Cindy. OK, so a while back I just decided to look Don up on Facebook. Why? Because, oh yeah, I had a huge schoolgirl crush on him when I was a freshman or a sophomore, or something. I sent him a FB message, and fortunately he remembered me.  How could he not? I not only chased him around the halls of Crockett H.S., but, without shame apparently, chased him around his place of employment as a shoe salesman guy at a local department store. Good grief! Anyway, somewhere along in this saga, he got himself a girlfriend, Cindy. I knew Cindy, as she was in the drill team too, a grade ahead of me. So, long story short, these two have reconnected with one another after 30 years! Fabulous, guys, and I wish you all the very best!

Three: Pat and Lisa. New on the horizon is this couple with whom I ran around a lot. Lisa and I were in the drill team together, always on the end of the line as we were the two shortest little girls on the team. There aren't many people shorter than me, but Lisa was - still is, too, according to our recent phone conversation. :) We had some fun times getting ready at her grandmother's house for meeting our guys at Mr Gatti's after Friday night football games. Well, you guessed it - Pat and Lisa have recently reunited after 32 years. Thirty-two! That's a long time, folks. I'm tickled pink for them because they were just the cutest couple back in the day, and it looks like the sparks are a flyin' once again. And as Austin has a way of drawing it's own back to the fold, Pat will be making his home there once again in the near future. May God bless you as you make a new life together, Pat and Lisa!

So there you have it - Facebook reconnecting us to our youth in more ways than one. I have so enjoyed reestablishing friendships with my classmates. Maybe I'm a sentimental geek, or maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I view my classmates as a very unique group with whom I share a particular bond. In all the world there is only ONE 1977 graduating class of David Crockett High School, Austin, Texas, and I share that experience with only a handful of people. Bonding 101. In 2012, we're looking at 35 years out of high school. The reality of my mortal state has very much set in as we've lost a number of classmates already, some before we even turned 50! So as the years click by, I'm ever grateful that God has seen fit to allow me a life that is rich beyond measure because of Christ and made all the more meaningful because of the family and friends He has allowed me. May God be glorified in it all.

Open Letter to the Leadership of FTS and it's Followers

2010-12-19T20:30:00.009-06:00

If you know those initials then you know this ministry, and if it's in God's providence, you will stumble upon my blog or read the link on Facebook. Sadly, it seems to have come to a point where I cannot, in good concscience, remain silent any longer. Now, I realize this won't win me any popularity contests, and in fact, it'll probably earn me a few enemies. But I'm not so much concerned with what 'people' think as I am about protecting and defending the treasure that is the Word of God. I deeply love the truth of God's revealed Word, and by His grace, endeavor to contend for the true faith at every opportunity (Jude). Although I rarely have contact with those who continue to be involved in FTS, you are fellow saints in the LORD, so it is with biblical precedence that I attempt to sound the alarm, as it were, lest you (or I) be deceived (Galatians, 1 & 2  Timothy, Titus, 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, Jude). I do this with a confidence that comes from knowing God is sovereign, and I trust that He will move in each and every life as He sees fit, in accordance with His will. I also do this because FTS does hold a special place in my heart in that I was involved in the ministry at its inception. As well, I was a participant in the very first HQ in 2004. There isn't a doubt in my mind that God providentially worked during that time, using it as a catalyst for His transforming work in my life in the ensuing years. This was at a time when I believe FTS was on a right course and unfortunately, over time, the direction of the ministry seems to have veered off track. As I've witnessed this throughout the years, it has continued to grieve my heart and I am persuaded to appeal to you who are called of Christ.

Without going into the details, it's important to note that I have, in the past (Oct 2009), contacted the founder of FTS regarding the direction of the ministry, specifically about what has been written in the newsletters. So this blogpost doesn't come randomly from out of nowhere. I write it with much forethought and I have anguished over every word. By the time I actually post it, please know that I have put much prayerful time, effort and thought into my words.

So, to begin. The troubling aspect for me (since I'm no longer directly involved in the ministry) is the newletters, which I've continued to receive for several years. I don't think it is at all unfounded to assert that the content of the newsletters reflects, most obviously, the beliefs of the writer, as well as the overall tenor and teaching of the ministry. If that's NOT the case, then I welcome correction.  To me, it is glaringly apparent that there has been a steady deviation from promoting and teaching sound biblical doctrine to what I can only describe as a movement toward seeking personal revelation and subjective 'supernatural' experiences. With that, it appears that the subjective 'interpreting' of Scripture is left up to the founder & newsletter writer, for desseminating to the masses; or it's posited as instructional for the purpose of teaching others how to engage in the same sort of biblical 'interpreting;' or it's put forth as something along the lines of, "God has spoken this word to me so listen to me because I have the truth. All of it subjective.

The old newsletters are not on the FTS website for reference, so if you have access to the June and July 2009 editions, those are two from which I'll take my examples now and are the two I referenced in my Oct 2009 correspondance to the founder.   The theme of these two newsletters was "common" and "uncommon." The writer claims, in the June newsletter, that after asking God what he should say to a group of students regarding the word, uncommon, (because that was the "word that the Lord had given him,"), God *responded* by saying, "BY BEING ON THE NARROW PATH, YOU ARE UNCOMMON! To be a Christ follower and not live an uncommon life is to not be a Christ follower!"  [Emphasis the writer's]

This 'uncommonness' theme was fleshed out by the author: "The plan is so simple...accept our 'uncommonness.' Glorify Father by being who we are...by being uncommon. It is a false humility that uses phrases like, "I am just one little person," "I can't dream," "I can't ask...." "I can't..." This is actually PRIDE. .....Dare to trust Him. Dare to break away from normal thoughts, break away from quietly embracing common AND ACT LIKE THE UNCOMMON NEW CREATION THAT YOU ARE!"  How do I begin? Begin by repenting of your desire for "common." Go on...do it. Then ask Him to begin revealing to you your "uncommonness" in Him."

Well, there is so much more in the newsletter, but I think you get the gist. To be frank, this is just flat-out unbiblical. Ask yourselves, "from where do these definitons of common and uncommon come, and how do they comport with the account in Matthew 7?" In verses 13 and 14, we see that the narrow gate leads to life, not 'uncommonness,' and the wide gate leads to destruction, not 'commonness.' By entering throught the narrow gate, a person is saved, not uncommon; and by entering through the wide gate, a person will perish, not be common. This passage is about conversion - life versus destruction. Furthermore, being uncommon isn't an inherent sin from which we must repent. Here's the bottom line: the supposed revelation that was supposedly received from God doesn't at all align with His already revealed word on the subject. See, there is a contradiction between what is claimed to have been spoken by the LORD and what God already said in His inspired word. Additionally, we don't 'glorfy the Father by being who WE are,' God is glorfied by His Holy Spirit who lives in us. At our core, we are wretched sinners, and enemies of God unless and until He saves. It's just not about who we are, it's about who Christ is.

Also ask yourselves this: "In the plain reading of the text in Matthew 7, how does one draw the conclusion that this passage has a thing to do with the traits of commonness and uncommonness?" In fact, these meanings aren't anywhere implied in the text, and this is NOT what the text MEANS at all. The words on the page MEAN something, and if we cannot read them to mean exactly what they SAY, then we really have no way of knowing *what* they mean! The Word of God is to be taken at face value, not 'hyper-spiritualized' and applied to every aspect and every circumstance of our lives.

The July newsletter continues with this common/uncommon theme, where the writer applies them to the account of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25, where Esau sells his birthright to Jacob. The author writes, "... Esau's family was RICH. Not comfortable, RICH! Esau could have snapped his fingers, said, "Sandwich," and one would have appeared. So what happened? Why would a wealthy, grown man trade his wealth and legacy for a bowl of soup? Because he forgot who he was! He was uncommon but he acted like a commoner. He was THE firstborn son but he acted like an orphan. He was living a common life, planning his own way, putting himself on the wrong path and positioning himself exactly where the enemy wanted him."

How on earth does he come to this conclusion? We simply must stay true to the biblical text, and not try to "spiritualize" it to apply to the 21st century Christian. In fact, Esau was acting in accordance with his sinful nature AND in accordance with the foreordained will of God (Gen 25:23, Romans 9:10-14). The text is historical in nature and isn't applicable to Christians' lives today. Do we learn from it? Of course, as all Scripture is profitable for teaching (2 Tim 3:16-17). But again, ask yourselves, "How would anyone else reading this passage draw the same conclusion as the author with regard to this notion of being common and uncommon? It's simply not in the plain meaning of the text.

These are just two examples; the newsletters are replete with many Scripture references that have been ripped from their contexts, and upon which subjective meanings have been imposed. There are other examples of "personal" revelations being put forth as God-inspired authority, and the already-revealed word of God is being left by the wayside. It's dangerous, no matter how well intentioned. My prayer is that anyone reading this would be a good Berean, take the time and effort to delve deeply into the study of the Bible, and NOT seek confirmation of truth through subjective experiences and 'personal' revelations - or take anyone else's to be God-inspired authority either. Our experiences don't define truth, Truth defines our experiences. God has already spoken.

The stunning event that absolutely compelled me to compose this letter comes from the Dec 2010 newsletter. As of this writing, it is not up on the website, but it did arrive in the mail.

Quoted by the newsletter writer at the bottom of page one is this little gem:

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves - who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, fabulous? But honestly, who are you not to be so? You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of God that lives in us. It is not in some of us; it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission to others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others.” Marianne Williamson   [unedited quote found  here ] [Emphasis the author's]

Marianne Williamson!!?? When I read it, the name rang a bell and red flags went up everywhere. Was this not the woman with whom Oprah Winfrey teamed up to do some sort of spiritual teaching? A quick internet search confirmed what I had vaguely remembered:   Oprah and Marianne Williamson led Oprah followers through Ms. Williamson's book, A Course in Miracles, which can be found here. Not only that, but apparently new age, spiritual guru Marianne Williamson is a host on Oprah Radio. (I didn't even know Oprah had a radio station - she has enormous influence over the sheeple.)

The entire content of the above quote is patently unbiblical, in part, because it's central focus is YOU, YOU, YOU! Glorification of self. Furthermore, it comes from a woman whose life bears NOT ONE SHRED of evidence that she is a born again believer in Christ.
There is absolutely nothing on her website that would lead anyone to believe that she is true Christian or that she propagates the gospel of Christ; in fact you can't even find the name, Jesus Christ, on her site.   You do find, though, tweets that say, "The real you is the light of the world." 12-10-10 (I thought Jesus was the Light of the world) and, "The universe is God's handwriting. It is never weary; it is never depessed; it is never limited in its creative capacity." 12-5-10 (Hmmm....Romans 8 tells us that creation is subjected to futility and it groans awaiting its redemption.) Or how about this one, "In the presence of holiness, anything is possible. And YOU, at your core, are holy" and, "There is nothing my holiness cannot do." 12-1-10 ~from A Course in Miracles.  [God is holy, Marianne, and Christians have the imputed righteousness of Christ, possessing no inherent holiness apart from Him.]

Here's something scary (from her website; see above link): In December 2006, a NEWSWEEK magazine poll named Marianne Williamson one of the fifty most influential baby boomers. According to Time magazine, "Yoga, the Cabala and Marianne Williamson have been taken up by those seeking a relationship with God that is not strictly tethered to Christianity."

Spiritualism without Christ.

Marianne Williamson is a new age spritualist who uses the name of god, but her god is not the God of the Bible and, like Oprah, she believes that all paths lead to Him (called heresy).   Which they do not. She is lost, FTS. Lost. So why are you quoting her and promoting her thoughts in your newsletter - a supposed Christian publication (ministry)? This is most disconcerting. You're lending tacit credibility to a heretic, thus misleading any undiscerning readers.

Be on guard, beloved. Test the spirits to see whether they are from God.  Be diligent to show yourselves approved. Accurately handle the Word of God, holding it up as the Light it is to expose the lies of the darkness. Compare what others say (including myself) to the truth of Scripture. Where something doesn't line up, it isn't truth. And while you are diligently studying the Word of God, I encourage you to research the history and origins of Bushido - a practice that, even tangentially, has no place in a true Christian ministry.

In closing, please understand that I am always open to feedback and comments, or emails, but also know that I'm not looking to be convinced otherwise. My purpose was to expose some of the errant teaching coming out of FTS, in hopes that God will reveal HIS truth to those whom He desires. We do not need another spiritual "program" to lead people down some false path of enlightenment. We need to come in line with the declared Word of God so that we might be humble and useful tools for the glory of God.

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. Hebrews 13:20-22

Yours in grace for His glory,

The Mark of a Christian

2010-11-15T10:15:00.000-06:00

I've been pondering, lately, something Jim mentioned recently in a couple of messages.

It goes something like this:  Say I were to announce that I was Chinese. You'd promptly disagree. But...but, I protest - I like Chinese food, I hang out with Chinese people, I've visited China, and I can even say a few Chinese words. So, I'm Chinese! Still you would say, you are not Chinese. Why not? Here's why not: Because I do not possess any of the inherent distinguishing characteristics that would make me Chinese. So...no matter how many times, or in how many ways, I pronounce myself Chinese, I am simply NOT Chinese.

The same applies to being a Christian. The Bible tells us that a true Christian has certain characteristics that mark him as such. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Cor 5:17). The Holy Spirit indwells the believer and never fails to do His job of transforming that believer into the image of Christ. Among the many traits of a true Christian, he will have a love for and an obedience to the truth, as well as a love for other believers (2 Thess 2:10, 1 Pet 1:22, 1 John 4:11). He will naturally love God and keep His commandments (1 John 5:2, 3). By the power of the Holy Spirit his life will produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22,23). I could go on and on, but this isn't an exhaustive article on the subject. The point is that there are determinate and recognizable traits that identify a Christian as a Christian. Simply declaring oneself a Christian doesn't make it so.

Take heed if you assume the name Christian and you have never come to faith in Christ by trusting in Him alone and His finished work on the cross for your salvation. If you give absolutely no thought to Christ - much less hold Him preeminent in your life by loving, revering and serving Him - you are not Christian. If you live a life that is in direct opposition to what God has ordered the life of one of His own to look like, you are not Christian. If your life is 'characterized' by willful, unrepenant sin, over which you have no grief or shame, you are not Christian.

Do not be lulled into a false sense of security that because at one time you repeated a prayer you believe you have escaped God's wrath and judgment on you. This is patently false. The more I study and learn (and because it's part of my own testimony), the more I'm convinced that this "easy believe-ism/sinner's prayer" nonsense is the biggest lie ever perpetrated on humanity, and in its wake has left a damning legacy.

October Jam Giveaway

2010-10-24T18:00:00.007-05:00

Blessitt's Homemade Jams and Jellies October Giveaway

Tina makes the BEST jams and jellies, so hop on over and order today!

The Heart of Paul

2010-10-17T17:00:00.008-05:00

Acts 20:16-38

For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. "And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. "And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. "Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. "For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. "Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. "And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes. "You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This passage of Scripture is deeply profound and it provides for us a beautiful glimpse into the heart of this faithful apostle. As I've pondered these words this week, I've gleaned so much from Luke's recounting of Paul's exhortation to the Ephesian elders.

There is no doubt that Paul labored tirelessly for the cause of Christ. He was relentless in his pursuit of seeing to it that believers knew and understood who they were before a just and holy God, but also to know who they were in the righteousness of Christ (Rom 3, Eph 1, 2). He longed for converts to apprehend and cling to sound doctrine, as he of course knew (and penned) that all Scripture was inspired by God and profitable for training in righteousness. (2 Tim 3:16). Paul repeatedly warned of false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, who would attempt to promote a false gospel - then and now. He instructed Christians to rebuke, not embrace them and to be sound in doctrine, enabling them to be discerning.

He was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ and called believers not to be as well (Rom 1:16; 2 Tim 1:8, 2:15). During his life, Paul suffered immeasurably for the propagation of the gospel of grace and the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 3:8; 1 Thess 2:2). And not only that, Paul was going to be shown that he would suffer - But the Lord said to him (Ananias), "Go, for he (Paul) is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake." (Acts 9:15-16) Paul was beaten, imprisoned and eventually beheaded for furthering the gospel. But he considered it all loss in exchange for knowing Christ - "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ" (Phil 3:8).

All of this is astounding to me. What an example for the rest of us who name the Name of Christ. Paul was bold yet humble. He recognized his sin and shortcomings, but he understood his righteousness IN Christ. He considered himself chief among sinners, yet he knew he was also among the called of God. I look at my own life and realize I can certainly learn a thing or two from Paul – as well I should since his writings comprise nearly 40% of the New Testament as the inspired Word of God. Paul's writings are indeed for my own exhortation, education, edification and encouragement [alliteration not intended;)] . I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit I will attend to and obey God’s Word as Paul has so clearly instructed. This little blogpost is by no means an exhaustive account of the life of Paul and all he accomplished for Christ's sake. I'm certainly no scholar, only someone who has been pondering Paul this week and coming to truly appreciate his life's journey and his great example. I pray that God would grant me some of the wisdom of Paul, a portion of his boldness in proclaiming the gospel, a measure of his humility and even (a few) opportunites to share in his suffering, so that I will live more purposely and faithfully a life that is Christ-centered in everything I do. May it please the Lord to do so.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. 2 Tim 1:7-14

Amazing Grace - Chris Tomlin

2010-10-10T18:30:00.001-05:00

Jesus Messiah - Chris Tomlin

2010-09-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

In Memory of Amy Campbell

2010-09-24T16:15:00.002-05:00

Well...this is the second time in as many months that I find myself turning to my blog to write a memorial entry on my experience in losing a loved one. While I don't really enjoy handwriting in a journal, I do like to record my thoughts so my blog serves me well in this endeavor. It is with tremendous sorrow that I once again, in this season, eulogize another friend - my sweet girl, Amy Campbell, who, because she was known by our Lord and Savior, "passed from life to life" last Saturday, September 18, 2010. Naturally, I'm grieved over her death because I'll miss her, but at the same time I realize a sense of joy for the very fact that she was known by Christ, and she is with Him now. No more pain, no more suffering.

For a number of years, Amy lived with Intracranial Hypertension.  This in her own words:

I have intracranial hypertension (IH) since 2005 following a stroke. This was due to 12 clots in the right side of my brain caused by clotting disorders. My spinal pressure is out of control and I have a shunt in my brain to help relieve pressure, but it isn't enough. I have had 9 brain surgeries, 4 spinal surgeries, lost count of the spinal taps, numerous other surgeries and infections. I take between 12 and 15 pills daily to manage my blood and prevent seizures. Despite all of this, I am THANKFUL to God for each day. By all accounts, I should be dead. Every day is a gift and despite the pain I still live with each day in my body, I am blessed to see my kids growing and to see my husband's loving eyes. I thank my Creator for another day to share this testimony and I pray that if you do not know Him, you will come to.

Amy was only 25 in 2005, and when she died last week, a mere thirty years old. As you can see she endured no small amount of suffering, and add to the above figure two additional brain surgeries since that was written. For those of us who've lived long past such youth, she seemed like just a babe. And if we're not discriminate in our thinking we might be inclined to declare, "It's not fair! She was too young." And indeed she was young, even as was my son's childhood friend, David, about whom I wrote just last month. So I do now as I did then, and that is to return to Psalm 139 and once again trust the sovereign hand of God in matters of life and death: I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. Before we were ever born, God appointed to each of us a specific number of days on this earth. So while we may view someone's life as short, we trust God that He is carrying out His eternal will and that when His purpose for us is fulfilled, He will call us home.

I love experiencing the providential ways of God. :) I met Amy online, Facebook to be exact. If you're familiar with how FB works, strangers befriend strangers but many times it's within the framework of some kind of mutual interest. Amy and I ran in the same Christian faith circles, so I readily accepted a friend request from her one day.  At the time, I didn't think all that much about it; we intereacted on occasion and that was that. At another point in time, I sent a friend request to one Shawn Campbell because I'd seen his comments on various discussion threads and rather liked what he had to say. It wasn't until later down the road that my pea-brain put 2 & 2 together to figure out that they were, in fact, married to each other.  Then later down that same road, I discovered that they were real-life members of my beloved little church in Smyrna, TN, Grace Christian Assembly, whose pastor I'd been listening to online for over a year. Instant connection! And from then on we were all fast friends.

The other day on Facebook, Shawn asked Amy's friends to comment with a one-word description of her, and the first word that came to mind was 'selfless.' The reason takes me back to April of this year. I'm preparing for my annual trek to Smyrna for GCA's Homecoming Weekend, and Amy - without ever having met me - offers to put us up in their home for the weekend. Due to Roger's allergy to felines, we had to decline. So they made the same offer to Wendy, another internet listener and friend, making her own annual trek to Smyrna. It's important to note that Wendy was told she'd be in their guest room, and upon her arrival discovered that the "guest" room was actually the master bedroom! Amy slept on a couch. (So did Shawn, but he's a guy and in good health, so that's ok) Despite her (constant) headache - despite her pain - despite her discomfort - despite any regard for her own self. That made a HUGE impression on me, one that I haven't forgotten. I can truthfully say that I've never given up MY master bedroom for anyone, but I hope to one day be in a position to emulate Amy's graciousness and myself be 'selfless.'

Looking back on that Homecoming Weekend, I'm grateful today to have had what was destined to be the first and last opportunity to spend time with Amy face to face. That is God's providence. I now treasure sweet memories of talking and laughing with her over burgers, brownies and a bonfire. And though she was suffering in pain, you couldn't tell it; she radiated a sweet countenance. The final time I spoke with Amy was just before her most recent brain/shunt surgery, and I had the blessing and privilege of praying with her over the phone. It was a short but sweet conversation, but I think she really appreciated the prayers.

Well, as I'm want to do, it appears I've written a mini novel. But I had to get my thoughts down. I'm continuing to pray for Shawn and the girls.  Amy left behind two sweetheart daughters, and I know this is tough on them at their young ages. I pray that the Lord will, in the future, provide for them women of Christlike character to stand in the gap in the absence of their mother. They will undoubtedly need that kind of female influence as they grow up.

You will be sorely missed, Amygirl, and it is with both a sad heart and confident hope that I bid you a temporary farewell, my sweet friend.

Forever with the Savior

Amy Campbell

AGT Winner Michael Grimm

2010-09-22T10:30:00.000-05:00

Love this guys's voice and music!

The Great Jam Giveaway!

2010-09-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

If you're a fan of the jam or jelly, I urge you to run, not walk, over to Blessitt's Homemade Jams and Jellies and order yourself some of the most delicious spreadable treats this side of the Mississippi. Or the other side. :)

Right now they're having a jam giveaway for the month of September. Don't be late!

Goings On

2010-09-13T16:30:00.002-05:00

I had a whirlwind of a weekend. Friday we drove 10 hours to Kansas City for what I affectionately refer to as Roger's hippie reunion. :) Back in the early 1970's, he lived at a Christian I-hesitate-to-call-it-a-commune-so-I'll-call-it-a house. From what I gather, it was run by Christians and it housed wayward souls, or Christian young people, or just young people in general, for whatever reasons. Apparently, anyone could rent a room there like you would any other room or apartment. This was back in the day of the "Jesus Movement," and since I'm 4 1/2 years younger than Roger, I only vaguely remember the "Jesus Freaks" and I wasn't really part of that whole thing. Actually, this House of Agape, as it was named, became so large (people-wise) that it outgrew the big 3-story house, and they begin to hold Bible studies and services at the Second Presbyterian Church, or as they call it, "55th & Oak." I understand it was quite the ministry back in its day. Several months ago, through what was no doubt God's providence, Roger connected with some Agape people via Facebook, and discovered there was going to be a first-ever reunion on September 11. He wanted to go, and it proved to be a good decision. Without going into details that I'm not at liberty to divulge, I think Roger experienced much-needed healing, restoration and closure that was good for his soul. It was a great reunion, and I even got to sing some old hippie praise and worship songs that I *do* remember from my junior high days. :) Really corny by today's standards!

I also had the privilege of meeting one of my friends with whom I've been blogging the past five years! What a treat. She lives in Kansas City, so it was the perfect opportunity to finally meet. I'm always to grateful to fellowship with the people of God. :)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Today is Roger's and my 24th wedding anniversary. In many ways, the time has absolutely flown by at breakneck speed. It's hard to believe we're now in our fifties (him being the aforementioned 4 1/2 years further into said fifties than myself!), and staring into the horizon of retirement. Well, at least I hope we can retire... Our son is 21, and, true to form, it seems like only yesterday he was but a baby. ::sigh::

Many of you reading know our story. Many don't. Suffice it to say that God's hand has been clearly present in our lives every step of the way. He has done a mighty work in our hearts and has rescued us from the brink of destruction. It's been far from 'easy street' for us, but I can live with that. The years have brought with them exactly what God intended, along with His intended purpose - that our lives are transformed and we are more conformed to the image of Christ this very day than we were 24 years ago - or even ten or five years ago. I've learned this: God does exactly what He wants to do in each of His children's lives, for His glory and their good. Some He prospers more than others and some endure more suffering - no doubt we fall into the latter. But God has brought me to the place where I can confidently say that I will gladly take the suffering over the 'prosperity' if it means I stay continually and utterly DEPENDENT on Him, and that I do not look to myself or others to sustain me.

Twenty four years ago today, God provided for each of us the exact spouse He wanted us to have. He knit our hearts together as husband and wife and as fellow believers in Jesus Christ. As the commercial says, "it hasn't always been a perfect picture, but there were (are) a lot of perfect parts." :) God has faithfully grown us in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, and has moved us from much selfishness to more selflessness over the past 24 years. Of course, there is still much work to be done, as we know our sanctification has yet to be complete. But God is faithful and we trust in Him, knowing He will finish in us the work that He began.

So I say Happy Anniversary, Po! I love you with all my heart. :)

In Memory of David Osborn

2010-08-08T21:15:00.005-05:00

It’s been a very difficult couple of weeks, but the house has somewhat settled down to normal now. On Thursday Scott left to go back to Florida after having been home for eight nights. While it was certainly good to have him home, we would have gladly exchanged this current visit for his winter break in December. That means the tragic event of July 25 wouldn’t have occurred. However, life changed for many people that Sunday when one of Scott’s childhood and lifelong friends drowned while tubing in a local river. He was 21 years old.

David’s death has deeply affected me on a number of levels. He was like one of my own, as Scott met him in first grade and he spent much time at our house when the boys were younger. We watched him go from a cute little boy with big eyes and big glasses, to an awkward teen with a mouthful of silver braces and a head full of wavy hair that he plastered down to make straight, to a young man who could charm the ladies and play a mean set of drums. And, in addition to grieving myself, my heart aches to see my son in such grief, knowing that ‘mom can’t make it all better.’ Dealing with the death of someone so young who was one of your best friends is pretty tough, and God will have to graciously bring him through the grieving process. David was his father’s only child, and it greatly pains me for him because I’ve only got one child myself. I feel like this hit too close to home, and I cannot fathom what that dad must be experiencing in the way of loss. And then there are David’s grandparents who raised him. They’re in their eighties, and you most certainly don’t expect to outlive your grandchildren. They are crushed.

Without exaggeration, there were around 500 people in attendance at David’s funeral. The chapel at the funeral home held 300, plus people were standing on either side. Then folks spilled out into the foyer and into another room where they watched the service on video. In my life, I’ve never attended a funeral with so many people. In part, it’s a testament to dying at such a young age, but I think it moreso speaks to the fact that David just knew a ton of people! So many young people… and then of course sprinkled into the crowd were us more mature folk. It was pretty incredible. Many kids got up for ‘open mic’ time where they told funny and heartwarming stories about their good friend; and that was such a comfort to his family. Everyone enjoyed laughing and remembering. I want to just say, too, that I’m very proud of Scott for honoring David and his family by eulogizing David so nicely, and by serving as a pall bearer. That wasn’t an easy task, but he did it with dignity. A special and humble ‘thank-you’ also goes out to our friends, the Hernandez family, for making it possible to get Scott home from Florida. Their kindness and generosity is beyond measure and we’re grateful from the bottom of our hearts.

I’m writing this blog entry with a two-fold purpose. First, my blog serves as my personal journal so I wanted to record my thoughts and feelings as I’ve been doing the last five years. But secondly, I’ve felt heavily burdened the past two weeks for all these kids who lost their friend - especially the three whom I personally know who were with David that day and experienced the horror of it all. Now, even at my seasoned age, I have yet to lose a friend, much less be involved in such a tragic accident. So I don’t pretend to know what thoughts and emotions are swirling around in your heads. But I have done nothing but grieve for you and empathize with you since I heard the news. Truly my heart aches and I’ve been in prayer for you. I was able to talk with one of the young men who was there that day, and I want to share with whoever might stumble upon this entry on Facebook some of what I shared with him. I’m simply going to be straightforward and to the point…

There is but one absolute truth and that is God’s truth. He has revealed Himself – His character and nature – within the pages of His holy word, the Bible, and it was penned by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. My prayer is that you might seek God and find Him there. That said I want to share one truth in which we can rest and be assured concerning David.
Found in the Book of Psalms, we read this about human creation by the psalmist who is crying out to God:

For You (God) formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. (chapter 139:13-16)

Let this penetrate your heart. While David’s death was very sudden, shocking and unexpected for us, it was not for God – the very One who knew David, created him and who ordained all the days of his life before he was ever born. I pray that you would see that life and death are authored and ordained by a sovereign God, one who is ruling and reigning over His creation. His thoughts and ways are far higher than we can fathom, but His will is good and right and there is purpose in all He does.

And for those left behind, I pray that you would run to Christ. Jesus tells us in the Book of Matthew, chapter 11: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (verses 28-30) I know your hearts are heavy and filled with overwhelming sorrow. And perhaps there are many of you who just don’t know what to do with it. I encourage you to search the Scriptures and seek the LORD. We’re not meant to nor equipped to shoulder the heavy burdens of this life, but Christ is.

Dealing with the death of a loved one is gut wrenchingly hard, and I pray that God would be ever so gracious and merciful in tenderly bringing each of you through a difficult season of your lives. I have to be truthful though, and it’s because I have a heart to see that you are not deceived. I read a comment on David’s Facebook page the other day which said something to the effect that David is an angel now, watching over all of you. I realize that this person was trying to offer you comfort, but in doing so, did not convey biblical truth. Please understand that upon their deaths, human beings do not become angels. Angels are separate created beings. Humans, if they know the LORD, go into the presence of God to worship Him forever. My understanding is that David knew the LORD and if he indeed experienced conversion, you can be assured he is with Christ, worshipping Him, in a ‘glorified’ (new) body.

Very simply - Christ died to save sinners, of which every one of us is one. The Bible tells us that we are enemies of a just, holy and righteous God, and as such, we cannot live in His presence. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot be ‘good enough’ before God to earn our way into heaven. Not by good works, not by walking an aisle at church, not by “asking Jesus into our hearts,” nor by any number of other human endeavors such as the unbiblical repeating of a so-called “sinner’s prayer.” In fact, God’s word tells us that any ‘good works’ we think we could present to God are nothing more than filthy rags before Him. But God, being rich in mercy and love, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross – to be a substitute for sinners. Jesus, perfect and sinless, took upon Himself the wrath of God – meant for us - to pay the penalty for our sin. If God is stirring your heart, if you are being awakened to the realization that you are a sinner - that you are incapable of meeting the perfect standards and commands set forth by a HOLY God, I urge you to get into the Word of God. If you have a Bible, read in the Book of Romans, read the Gospel of John, the Book of Ephesians. The Bible tells us that we must come to faith in Christ by repenting of sin and calling upon the Name of the LORD, trusting in His finished work on the cross for salvation. “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no man may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

I could go on, but I at least wanted to put forth some basic truth. If anyone out there is interested in asking questions or discussing this further, please feel free to contact me via Facebook.

May God bless you and make Himself known to you. May He be merciful to heal your broken hearts and see you through this difficult time of mourning the loss of our sweet David.

Yours in grace,

Speak, O Lord

2010-07-11T13:30:00.003-05:00

Proper Biblical Interpretation

2010-06-27T15:00:00.005-05:00

"Proof text" verses. I'm not exactly fond of the way people use them to "settle their argument" on a subject. It seems the height of sloppy hermeneutics to cherry pick verses, rip them from their contexts and proceed to build an entire theology on what their presuppostion was in the first place - in other words, they *begin* with a premise, then set out to find verses that seemingly back it up, as opposed to properly taking from the verses that which they actually say.

First, what do I mean by 'context?' Let me explain. Proper hermeneutics requires much more than simply reading a verse or two in the middle of a book of the Bible and assuming you know beyond a doubt what it says. I like this analogy: Suppose you received a 5-page letter from a friend. Would you begin reading it on page three? Of couse not; you'd start from the beginning on page one - in order to gain understanding of the *whole* of the letter. And so it is with any book of the Bible, many of which in the New Testament are letters themselves. You can't be lazy where the Bible is concerned, and you've simply got to invest in the time it takes to study it. To gain a good understanding of verse context, you must start at the beginning of a book to know who wrote it and to whom it was written. And, you'll need to do a little history to understand why it was written and under what circumstances. While I'm on it, a word about verses - while the original Biblical content is divinely inspired, verse and chapter breaks are NOT. Sometimes one sentence of text is divided into 2 or even 3 verses, and there are also times when a chapter break occurs in the middle of a single thought. Do you presume to fully understand one verse that may only be half a sentence?! Also, it would *seem* to go without saying, but apparently not, that you also need to read several verses surrounding the one verse you're examining. Additionally, since one part of Scripture will never contradict another, you have to examine verses in light of other verses, and in light of what the whole of Scripture teaches on any given subject.

We could spend days looking at verses, but for time and space allowance, I'll just examine one very popular verse used by many to *prove* universal salvation, 2 Peter 3:9:

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.

Now what's interesting about this particular verse is that many times when it's cited, it's truncated even further and emphasized to read, "the Lord is patient toward YOU, not wishing for ANY to perish, but for ALL to come to repentance." Yeah, that's it - the bolding and/or capitalizaton of the words, you, any and all proves THAT. Case closed.

But let's examine the full context. It is believed historically that Peter wrote to the beloved from a prison in Rome, though he doesn't specifically state this. But his purpose in writing was to warn believers in Christ of the false teachers who were infiltrating the Church and about the doctrinal dangers they were facing because of it.

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness." What promise? To what is Peter referring? Well, we need to back up to at least the beginning of chapter three for more context. Peter had just been warning the saints that in the last days there will be mockers who will (sarcastically) ask, "Where is He? He promised he would return but He hasn't, so where is He?" Peter answsers them by saying that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day, therefore He is not slow about His promise as some might normally count as slowness. But you can count on one thing - He promised to return and He will.

Moving on - who exactly is the "you" in verse 9, (to whom is the letter written)? Going back to chapter one for the broader context, we read in verses 1 and 2: "Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have a received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:" Peter is addressing 'those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours (all the apostles).' He is writing the letter to the saints, those who are saved - those who are of like faith. These people are the "you" in 3:9, and we know this because the audience hasn't changed throughout the letter, AND we need only look one verse prior, verse 8, to read a futher narrowing down of the context: "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved,.....". We KNOW that the 'you' in verse 9 are believers in Christ. By extension, the content of the letter applies to all future people of like minded faith, so that later generations of believers can heed Peter's warnings.

Now knowing who the 'you' are, we can determine who the 'any' and 'all' are. Before that, though, a word about the word, "all." Even in our modern day lexicon, we know that 'all' doesn't mean 'all' all the time. It needs a quantifier. "I'm so glad you're all here this afternoon." Does all mean every single person on the face of the earth? Or is it limited to 'all' of the people gathered in a particular place? I think we 'all' know the answer to that. So knowing the audience Peter is addressing, we can - from the context - glean that 'any" means 'any of you' and 'all' means 'all of you.' The Lord is patient toward you, saints; not wishing for any of you, saints to perish but for all of you, saints to come to repentance. And since salvation is of God (that's another post), the saints will not perish, but all of them will come to repentance. Peter isn't addressing the unregenerate and saying that God is patient toward them! In fact, elsewhere in Scripture we know that they are under His wrath.

Whew! That was a lot for just one verse! But I think it serves to show how important it is not to take verses from their contexts and attempt to build a theological statement on them. Unfortunately, 2 Peter 3:9 is one of a handful of proof texts some people are inclined to use in order to somehow "prove" that God has a universal love of 'all' mankind, and He desires 'all' of them to be saved. This is a concept simply not taught in the whole of Scripture.

2010-06-14T08:30:00.003-05:00

So I will have a record of my baptism.

Grace Christian Assembly, Smyrna, TN - April 3, 2010

Psalm 119 Conference

2010-05-16T16:30:00.001-05:00

On Friday and Saturday I attended The Psalm 119 Conference on discernment. At the outset, I want to thank Wretched and Trish Ramos for the two free tickets which I won in a drawing on her blog. It was providential since Roger is out of work at the moment, so it was a blessing to have had the opportunity to attend. Thank you for making it possible, Trish!

I discovered something about myself; I LOVE going to these things. And I'm trying to figure out what that says about me. Ha! If I had the time and the funds, I believe I'd go to more Bible conferences. I think what it may partially say about me is that I enjoy learning, and believe me, that comes from no other source than the Holy Spirit of God. I was not that interested in studying in either high school or college; way too busy with social activities, I was. No doubt now, though, that as a result of God's opening my eyes to His truth, He has put in me an insatiable desire to know His word. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, live it.

The conference theme was discernment and how as Christians we need to be practicing it. I didn't realize this, but according to Mr. Todd Friel, 40% of the New Testament is devoted to dealing with false teaching. That's a pretty big chunk. And it's vital for Christians - TRUE Christians - to know what is taught in Scripture, why we believe it, be able to give a reasoned defense of the hope that is within us, and differentiate between true and false doctrine. This famous quote from Charles Spurgeon bears repeating - "Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right." I would simply tweak it a bit to say that discernment is not *only* knowing the difference between right and wrong......, as we must also know what is blatantly wrong. We tend to view that as obvious, but not so, otherwise those like Kenneth and Gloria Copeland or Benny Hinn - who we see as glaringly wrong - wouldn't have so many followers.

The thing about false teachers is that they don't come marching down the church aisle in costume, announcing that they're false prophets and that they've come to deceive the masses. No, Jesus tells us that they will come in sheep's clothing and that inwardly they are ravenous wolves (Matt 7:15). Paul writes in 1 Cor 11:11-14 that these false teachers come in disguise. In other words, they blend in with the Church, they are among the saints. They are congregants, they're pastors and teachers - some of LARGE churches, with large membership - and much of what they say may *seem* right on the surface, but in reality, they are leading people astray.

Speaking to those of like-minded faith, Peter warns in 2 Peter 2:1-3: But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

The entire book of 1st John was written to combat false teaching and heresy that was beginning to creep into the Church. Chapter 4, verse 1 exhorts: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Well, in no way have I scratched the surface of the 40 per cent. Perhaps, though, this will get people thinking. Church, we are not handling 'light' things or silly things. This is very serious. The Church must be what God created it to be and who Christ died for it to be. I just read on Facebook this morning about someone attending a street fair yesterday where people were handing out free copies of the Qur'an and other Islamic materials. ::sigh:: We need to wake up and smell the coffee, folks. Instead of gimmicks and giveaways to try to get and keep people's attention and attendance, maybe pastors and teachers should consider equipping the saints with the truth contained in the holy Word of God. And if you're sitting in the pews of this kind of church, you need to flee.

I know I'll risk relationships for saying this because I have friends and family who are involved in false religions or who are following false teachers of one stripe or another, but I will say it anyway....

....with all the love in my heart, I urge you to study God's word alone, and reconsider your associations with Catholicism, Mormonism, JW, Word-of-Faith/prosperity gospel teachers, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth/Gloria Copeland, Benny Hinn, Paula White, Jesse Duplantis, Rod Parsley, Marilyn Hickey and others of their ilk. Included in this list would be those who deny the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the ONLY way by which a person is saved, or who deny the doctrine of the Trinity, which teaches God as being one God in three distinct, separate persons. T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen fall into that category. No doubt Joel Osteen is probably one of *the* most well-known 'preachers' today... along with Rick Warren, BOTH of whom are at best wish-washy, lukewarm panderers. Regarding either of them (all of them), measure what comes out of their mouths against Scripture, and discern whether or not it lines up. Same with entertainer extraordinaire, Ed Young. I don't know...he seems to have started off in one direction, but gone another. Over time, he's become over-the-top in his antics to entertain the masses, all the while completely watering down the glorious gospel of our Savior. Likewise, it's very troubling that his congregation doesn't seem to mind at all that he lied to them about a private jet they didn't know they were paying for.

Bottom line is, KNOW the Bible - it is the only place you'll find God's revelation of Himself. It is sufficient for us as believers. Be good Bereans, examining the Scriptures to see if these things (that these people say) are so (Acts 17:11).

If anyone is looking for help with his/her discern-o-meter, I recommend the following websites:

Justin Peters Ministries Justin knows first hand what it is to be involved in the WoF movement. Born with Cerebral Palsy, he visited several 'faith healers' for healing before God saved him and brought him out of it. I highly recommend getting his DVD seminar, "A Call For Discernment - A biblical critique of the Word of Faith Movement." It is indeed an eye-opener to the dangerous origins of the WoF/prosperity gospel as well as the deep deceptions involved in them at present.

Answers In Genesis If you compromise on Genesis, if you don't believe that the book is literal history, then you jeopardize your positions on the remainder of Scripture.

Christian, Please Don't Take Advantage

2010-05-05T11:45:00.001-05:00

This is a bit of a rant today, revealing one of my pet peeves, I guess.

So...you wouldn't call your doctor friend or your attorney friend over to your home and have him provide some doctoring or lawyering for free, would you? Well then why on earth would you think it okay to have your IT friend make a housecall and provide you with free computer work? That's just wrong on every level, and I would never dream of taking advantage of someone in such a manner.

My husband spent the last two full days at a friends' home, repairing and building them a computer, one, by the way, that came from OUR house that WE owned. Not one red cent did they offer him, AND to top it off, they know he is out of work! So not only did he not get paid for two days of computer work (which of course he'd never charge full price), but he lost two available job-searching days. I'm really beside myself with this one, totally on the edge. What's really unconscionable to me is that these are dear, Christian people. Why is it that believers are *seemingly* the very ones who are the worst at expecting things for free from other Christians?

This reminds me of another friend. He is a pediatric dentist, one of the nicest guys on the planet. He has story after story about people from our former church taking their children to see him and simply expecting free dental work - because they knew him and knew he was a Christian. Now, he would be the first person to offer his services free of charge to those who are truly in need, but these were people who could well afford it. I also remember him doing some emergency dental work on Roger one Sunday, years ago, and how we had to pay the bill over time. Every Friday, for months, Roger would stop by the office with a check until that puppy was paid off. A win-win situation, as I'm sure our friend discounted his bill for us, and he got paid for his services.

Over the years, we've had a number of people solicit Roger's computer services, some for which he's either gotten paid or worked a barter deal. But for the most part, I guess people just have a certain mindset about computer work, thinking "it's really no big deal" to have a friend come over and spend hours working on their problem, which by the way, is usually a complete mess by the time they've called for help.

I realize I need to check my own heart about this because I confess, I'm a little bitter right now. Maybe writing this post will help.... But I cannot help but think that Christians should perhaps be mindful of Phillipians 2 - Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others (vs 3-4). Wouldn't it be something if we were all behaving this way toward one another?

Matt Chander From T4G On Suffering

2010-04-19T09:30:00.005-05:00

If you've followed my blog for any length of time then you know I was a member of The Village Church for five years and that Matt Chandler was my pastor. You also know that it was there where God called me and saved me. I'm forever grateful for that new members' class and for Matt's unapologetic proclamation of the truth of the Word of God.

If you're on the internet at all, you also know that Matt was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor back in November 2009. He's chosen to make public his journey through cancer, and each Friday you can view a video update by Matt. Go to the church website and click on "Updates on Matt Chander's Health." In the meantime, Matt spoke briefly last week at the Together For The Gospel Conference, and every second of the 27 minutes Matt spoke is worth watching. It is a moving testimony of how God has worked in Matt's life through this experience. Then, if you have an extra half hour or so, continue to watch as C.J. Mahaney speaks to pastors concerning their vital roles of teaching their flocks to suffer well in the midst of trials, and to walk alongside those who are suffering.

T4G 2010 -- Special Session -- Matt Chandler from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Ancient Words

2010-04-14T09:20:00.000-05:00

Revelation Song

2010-04-14T09:15:00.001-05:00

GCA Homecoming 2010

2010-04-06T15:30:00.003-05:00

I returned home last night from spending the weekend in Smyrna, TN with the folks from Grace Christian Assembly. Now I want to get my reflections down in writing.

It was a very special weekend but allow me to first provide a little background. For several years this tiny church has hosted what is called Homecoming Weekend. It's an open invitation for those who listen online to come and participate with them in worship and fellowship. GCA members open up their hearts and their homes to virtual strangers from across the country, holding festivities on both Saturday and Sunday of Resurrection weekend. It's an understatement to say that these people go ALL OUT to see that their guests are treated...well....practically like royalty. They majorly pull out all the stops! Oh, come to think of it - here's how I would describe them: Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. ~Phil 2:3 That's GCA.

I'm very serious when I say that I am greatly humbled by the examples set before me in regard to that verse. One family offered their home to Roger and me, but because of his allergies to indoor kitty cats, we were unable to stay with them. So they made the offer to a another internetter from PA. They told her they had a 'guest' room, and upon entering said room, she quickly discovered it was actually their master bedroom. Perhaps not all that unusual on the surface, but consider the fact that the wife lives with an extremely serious, chronic illness that causes her no small amount of pain and suffering. SHE slept on a couch; her husband on another one. Now the reason this had such a profound affect on me is that Roger also suffers with a chronic condition that causes him no small amount of pain and suffering, and I'm not at all sure we would even have the thought to give up our bed to guests. Don't misunderstand - I do NOT say this as a judgment on him because I have NO IDEA what it must be like to live in constant pain; sometimes the only small amount of relief he's able to get is sleeping on our sleep number bed. (But I know me, and I'm fairly sure I wouldn't give up my own comfy bed.) I'm simply saying that these folks esteemed their guest as more important than themselves, and I've a lesson to learn. By the way, they wouldn't let her help or pay for any meals at their house. Oh yeah, the husband doesn't even have a job right now. ~~Unbelievable graciousness.~~

The feast laid before us on Saturday night was absolutely incredible, and I'm given to understand that most of the food was prepared by one person. Wish I had a photo, but let's just say that if you only took one spoonful of each dish, you'd have four plates of food. Much time, as well as heart and soul, went into the food preparation. The table settings and the decorations were lovely, and somebodies worked VERY hard behind the scenes. Beautiful. There's no doubt a good time was had by all. :)

And then there's Jim, pastor of GCA. I guess he got assigned chauffeur duty. :) He picked us up from the airport on Saturday morning, dropped us at the hotel, picked us up later for the festivities, dropped us back off at the hotel that night, picked us up for church Sunday morning, and then brought us to his house to visit on Sunday afternoon. I felt kinda guilty about how much time he was spending hauling around a couple of carless Texans! But on the other hand, we relished every moment we got to spend visiting with him. :) He is a most gracious man, made more special to me by the fact that he performed my baptism on Saturday. GCA in general was very gracious and generous toward Roger and me in other ways, which I won't go into here. Right now, I'm only able to offer my humblest gratitude for helping to make our annual visit possible this year.

If you know me, if you read my blog or keep up with my Facebook, it's beyond obvious that I have great affection for GCA and for Jim McClarty. God has used his teachings to profoundly influence my thoughts and studies of God's word. I am taught well and I am grateful. Fortunately also, because of 21st century technology (and Homecoming), I've grown to love the people of that little church in that little Tennessee town. As well, I'm quite fond of those who are the called, the internet members of GCA. :-) There is no doubt that God has entrusted Jim and GCA with a very unique ministry. I mean, you can go to any church website and listen to sermons. You cannot, however, connect in a personal way. Of course, that's by design and that's okay. It is also by Design that Jim's got the gig he has.

So I end this post by saying 'thank you' Jim and GCA. You are sweet, special saints. Thank you for your generosity, your hospitality, your hard work and your dedication to propagate the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace. May Christ continue to be preeminent and highly exalted in all your endeavors. I pray, too, that He would continue to be willing to weave the tapestry of our lives together with one another. It appears you're stuck with me. ;)

Getting Baptized - A Second Testimony

2010-03-27T15:30:00.013-05:00

I'm getting baptized next Saturday, April 3. In preparation for this, I've been asked to compose a short little somethin' on the reasons why I want to be baptized; and since I can't possibly make the assignment *that* easy, I thought I'd turn it into a nice long blog post. OK, not too long. We'll see. :)

Actually, I appreciate the fact that Jim asked me to do this because it's caused me to think. Critically and biblically. To be honest, I was baptized once - the only problem being God hadn't yet revealed Himself to me salvifically. On two occasions in the past, though, I'd made "decisions" to "accept Jesus into my heart" and that was all that was really necessary, right? Many rebellion-filled years later I found that not to be the truth at all.

The longer version of my testimony can be found here, but God hasn't completed His work yet. After several years of study, much contemplation and a good bit of agonizing, I came to realize that in 2004, God not only opened my eyes to see Him and embrace His great sovereignty, but it was during this time that He, in fact, called me as His own and gave me genuine faith in Jesus Christ. He revealed to me the ugliness of my depraved heart, but I believe He was gracious not to reveal all of myself to myself, for that would have surely done me in. My depravity keeps me from fully recognizing just how wicked I truly am before a holy God, but when I came face to face with what He did reveal, I wanted nothing more than to throw myself at the foot of the cross. I struggled for quite some time with the question, 'But if God just saved me in 2004, what about all the previous years of Bible study, church attendance, choir membership, accountability groups, etc, etc ?' It was strange to ponder the thought that He might have only that recently saved me. However, that nagging thought was alleviated when, last year, a wise pastor reminded me that my name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world. God had already chosen me, and the timing of his calling me in this earthly life was of no real consequence; it was, after all, HIS timing.

The fruit that should have flowed from a Spirit filled life was non-existent in the years following my two previous attempts at saving myself, but life began to be very different in the fall of 2004. I started to "get it." In prior years I'd read through the whole Bible, but I distinctly remember the stark difference in how I read beginning in January 2005. I couldn't help but see on every page of Holy Writ a righteous, just and holy God who was - IN FACT - sovereignly decreeing and orchestrating every event and every person's life, throughout redemptive history. He did it then, and He's doing it now, and THAT causes me to do nothing but fall on my face in humble gratitude. Also as a result, God set about molding this clay pot of His, giving me a new heart, renewing my mind and transforming me more fully into the image of His Son. And, the journey continues...

So.... all this to say that I want to be baptized because *now* I am redeemed! And I wish to be obedient to Christ, declaring publicly and boldly that He saved me and that I am His. Salvation is, from beginning to end, solely a work of God. It is a supernatural calling and revelation wrought in the hearts of those to whom God freely bestows His grace. He chose me; I did not choose Christ, 'accept Him into my heart' or 'meet Him halfway.' In baptism, I am identifying myself with the one true God through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son.

Paul says it best in Romans 6:

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; or he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (verses 3-11)

As to the reason I want to be baptized by Jim .... in Tennessee, I say this: If someone were to ask me, "Who's teaching/preaching/thoughts/life has most shaped your understanding of the Scriptures?"(yes, I know- aside from the Holy Spirit) I would say, hands down, Jim McClarty. I'm quite sure words cannot express how grateful I am to God for having me 'stumble' across some blog in Nov 2008, where I 'happened' to click on one of Jim's sermons and listen to a teaching on the origins of Christmas. And I've been listening to him ever since. I certainly owe Jim a debt of gratitude for the untold amount of time he devotes to the study and proclamation of God's word, and to the amazing way he handles every text with surgical precision. As I say to him often, I am taught well. And thank you, Jim, for being the kind of pastor - a true, biblical pastor - that God has called you to be.

I'm weepy now, so it's time to close.

Grace Christian Assembly

God Is Still In Control, He's Still On His Throne

2010-03-24T17:30:00.002-05:00

Like many people I'm tempted to look upon the ramifications of the new healthcare law with fear and dread. Like it or not, retirement and 'advanced age' are on the horizon, and with that come greater health concerns. Providentially, I'm already well-acquainted with all things medical due to Roger's chronic condition, and who knows what the future holds in this area. Naturally, it is of some concern but I'm certainly not consumed with worrisome thoughts. Each time we've gone through some kind of medial or financial 'crisis' (and we've gone through our share of them), I'm continually reminded and further convinced by the Scriptures that the mighty hand of God is orchestrating every event for His good and righteous purposes.

As far as our (seemingly) rogue government is concerned, I need only look to Paul's weighty words in Romans 13:

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. (verses 1-8)

God has His own plan for America and her people, just as He does for every people group in every country across His globe. I don't claim to know what that plan is, but perhaps we're in for some suffering in the near future. Whether that's the case or not, we CAN know with certainty that our governing authorities have been placed in their positions by God. Whatever evil they mean for us - and I'm thoroughly convinced that their intentions are evil - God means for good, and He works all things after the counsel of His will. (Eph 1:11)

I"m also reminded that:

The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes. Proverbs 21:1 For our modern consumption, it can also be said that the congressman's heart is like channels of water; or the senator's heart, or the president's heart... The point is this: Each one of our elected officials possesses a heart that is sovereignly directed by God to accomplish His will. Healthcare "reform" didn't pass 219-212 by accident. Nor did it pass apart from the foreordained, predestined plan of God. Just like all other events in history. (Acts 4:26-28)

Now, I am NOT saying that I won't do my part to oppose a tyrannical government. To be sure, I will exercise my right to vote. But in the end, I will rest in Christ and know that, indeed, God is in control of His creation.

Death of a Pastor

2010-03-13T10:30:00.016-06:00

I was very saddened by the following announcement, originally posted on 3/8/10. It is copied verbatim from the websites of the church this man pastored as well as the planting church. Although it is public fare, I've altered the names of the people and blanked out the names of the churches. Somewhat acquainted with this pastor, who by the way, was only 31 years old, I'd heard him preach on numerous occasions over the last few years. As the week wore on, the whole thing became increasingly troubling for me.

A message from the elders of ________Church and _______ Church:

The funeral for B, founding pastor of _______Church in _______, Texas, will be Tuesday, March 9, at 2 p.m. at the _________worship center of ________Church. The worship center is located at ________________.

B, former student pastor at _________Church, died Friday morning, March 5. He had long suffered from insomnia and had developed an addiction to prescription sleeping pills. In an effort to overcome the addiction and still get the necessary sleep, B had begun to take Tylenol PM. Doctors suspect that as a side effect of the medication, he became disoriented and consumed more than the recommended dosage. B’s death was a result of an accidental overdose of Tylenol PM.

He is survived by his wife, C, and their two children, W, age 3, and L, age 1. Please pray for C and the children. The family is currently setting up a care fund. Information on the fund will be posted later.

Tragic indeed, but this has raised more questions than answers for me. The Facebook postings from last week were somewhat vague and only stated that he was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday with kidney and liver damage. He was put into a medically induced coma after doctors performed a procedure to insert a central line into his heart. The hope was that he could begin dialysis. Sadly, that was not to be. My heart aches for his young wife and two little ones who will never know their father. It will be a difficult road for them, and I pray that God would grant them the grace needed for their journey ahead. I am grieved over the news and over the fact that his loss will be deeply felt by the community, his church, his friends and most of all his family.

Although I didn't know B personally, this has really weighed heavily on my heart. And I write this mainly as a way of releasing that grief, and as a way of wrestling with and working through very difficult questions, and there are no easy answers. Left only to speculate about the circumstances surrounding his death, it pains me to know he had a problem with both the prescription medication and the Tylenol. Is it possible that the high standards and high pressures of the pastorate led him to seek unhealthy coping mechanisms? Perhaps. I'll certainly never know. I do know that the office of pastor is a demanding calling. It's 24/7, and even when you're off work you're not really 'off' work. As the Church, we must be compelled to do a better job of taking care of our undershepherds. When the rest of us are confessing and fighting sin battles within the confines of home groups or accountability groups, pastors are usually left with no one in which to confide. It's too risky. I was reminded that, unfortunately, the church has a reputation of 'shooting its wounded,' and this is a sad commentary. Individual congregations must be more biblical in coming alongside pastors as they deal with 'whatever' issues arise in their lives. If there is serious sin, handle it in the proper biblical manner, implementing proper church discipline when necessary. If not, then walk with them as you would anyone else in order that they may be restored. Well, I'm sure there is much more that can be said on the subject, but I'll leave it for now.

I can, at least (which is actually at best), take comfort in the immutable reality of a sovereign God, who, before the foundation of the world recorded in His book all the days that were ordained for this saint (Psalm 139:16). And this is true for each one of us. Whether our deaths come by way of illness, old age, murder or even at our own hands, and whether we are 2 weeks or 92 years old, death's timing is under the authority and control of God alone. In the end, death has been defeated by Christ, and those who are in Him will forever be with Him. This child of God is in His presence right now and loved ones left behind - while they mourn - mourn not as those who have no hope, but grieve knowing Jesus died and rose again, forever conquering the sting of death. With truth in the meaning I can honestly say, "Rest In Peace," dear brother, for you are indeed at peace with the Savior.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Amen

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner :-)

2010-03-09T10:30:00.002-06:00

Actually it's way better than a chicken dinner. Last week I won a beautiful silver heart ring in a drawing from Beadworks By Marcy. Check out Marcy's beautiful beadwork and order something nice for yourself. :)

Today I won two tickets in a drawing to The Psalm 119 Conference in May, sponsored by Sovereign Joy Community Church in Keller, TX. A big 'thank you' to Trish for making this possible for Roger and me! I really wanted to attend this conference but didn't think I should spend the extra money, being that Roger is unemployed at the moment. So....this is a huge blessing! And something to look forward to as we come off five months of Roger's medial issues. Thank you, Lord, for providing these wonderful blessings

For The Time Will Come....

2010-02-28T14:30:00.008-06:00

I spend a portion of my time listening to or reading 'the other side,' as it were. I think it's necessary to keep somewhat current on what's going on in the "church" today. I use quotes because in reality, what's occurring out there in the Name of Christ little resembles His true Church.

I used to get extremely mad at the multitude of hirelings and false teachers who seemingly make up the majority of what's in the forefront of Christendom. You've got your Joel Osteen, your Ed Young, your T.D. Jakes, Perry Noble and others of their ilk. Then you've got your really sensational TV stars with the likes of Benny Hinn, Paul Crouch and Kenneth Copeland. Betwixt the two groups are thousands of smaller congregations with unknown 'pastors' who are nonetheless leading their flocks astray. I still do get mad at them, as well as fear for them, considering that as teachers they are in line for a stricter judgment. (James 3:1)

But along with my contempt for their antics and false doctrines come some mixed feelings of anger, perplexity and dread for their followers and congregants. Many times I see or hear only a paraphrased snippet from 2 Timothy 4:3 when I hear of these type of teachers being referred to as 'ear ticklers.' And indeed they are. But the rest of that passage is equally disturbing:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled , they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, (4) and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

They want their ears tickled; they will accumulate for themselves these kinds of teachers. They will turn away their own ears from the truth and will turn to myths. So who are "they" in this this passage? Chapter 3, verses 1-5 spell it out quite clearly: "They" are those who are lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. Verses 6 -7 continue: among them are those who enter households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth. People will do this to themselves, and THAT is a frightening prospect.

Charlatans, hucksters, false teachers and liars have been around since dirt, but they cannot attain to and keep their positions without the masses. They must have supporters to do what they do. Unfortunately, the evidence overwhelmingly shows that the men listed above (and countless others) have amassed enormous followings.

It cannot be overly stressed how vital it is to learn, know, embrace and DEFEND sound biblical doctrine. I've heard it said that 'doctrine divides,' as if that's a bad thing. You bet doctrine divides; it separates the wheat from the chaff and those with itching ears from those who long to feast on the true meat of the inspired Word of God. In the Greek, doctrine simply means teaching or instruction. The teaching about God and the instruction on the Christian life is found in one place, and one place only: The Bible. If you are in Christ, you would do well to study God's Word for yourself and to sit under teachers/pastors who are obedient to their calling to equip the saints - SO that you will not be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming. ( See Eph 4:1-14 )

There is so much more that could be said, but I will close and leave you with links to biblicaly sound sermons by men who accurately handle the word of truth and who have greatly influenced my thinking and perspectives:

Tom Pennington (my pastor) of Countryside Bible Church

Jim McClarty (my pastor if I ever move to TN) of Grace Christian Assembly

Matt Chandler (my former pastor) of The Village Church

Phil Johnson of Grace Life Pulpit

Comments Now Enabled

2010-02-23T15:45:00.000-06:00

A great big thank you to Mary for being so kind as to email me and instruct me how to get the Blogger comments working! Hopefully, I'm up and running now. :)

Commenting Issues

2010-02-23T12:00:00.001-06:00

My comments were powered by Haloscan, and they've shut down their site. Since my template is customized, I'm not sure how to get the Blogger comment code into my template.

Until I figure it all out, there's no commenting capability.

Blog Feature

2010-02-18T08:45:00.001-06:00

I'd like to call your attention to my friend's blog, Beadworks by Marcy.

She does beautiful work, and she sells her creations on Etsy.

Go check out her line of lovely jewelry!

Blogiversary

2010-02-09T13:00:00.000-06:00

Good night, nurse!!! Saturday, Feb 6, was my five year anniversary in the blog world. Wowzers! That's a long time.

May I Help You?

2010-02-06T18:00:00.011-06:00

"If there's anything we can do for you/anything you need, let us know." I've heard this numerous times lately.

Can I be honest here? I've concluded that people really don't mean it. It sounds nice; it makes people seem like they care, but the truth is, most do not - not really. I think people believe they're sincere and well-meaning when they offer this up; however, as *Christians* we're called to be more than 'well-meaning.' We're called to be doers of the Word, not merely hearers. James 1:21-27

Here's why, in reality, it's not a genuine offer: Most people in need will NEVER take you up on such a vague and generic 'offer,' and everybody knows it. They'll reply with something like, "Thank you. Sure, we'll let you know," but that's about it. Now, those who've made such an overture feel as though they've somehow fulfilled an 'obligation' in offering help, but then they never really have to do anything. The fact is, ministering to people in need is costly; it takes your time, your effort and in some instances, your money. But again, as believers we're called to action where fellow believers are concerned. James 2:14-17

Roger and I have begun to be very specific lately, when someone makes this statement to us. The people around us know that Roger is out of work. And that he's been through the wringer with surgery complications. And that he can't even begin to look for a job until he's well. They know this. So now we just respond with, "our greatest need continues to be financial." Funny - people really don't expect that much honesty...

~~Awkward~~

But hey, you asked. And perhaps you should not ask if you're not in a position to actually fulfill a need.

Certainly in the past I have been guilty, myself, of saying this exact same line to people. "Yep, I did my part; I offered. Now I can go about my own business." I guess, though, various adversities and trials God has sent my way have served to change my perspective and soften an indifferent heart. I continue to pray for the grace to serve others in whatever way I'm able with whatever resources I have, for the glory of God. And I endeavor to be very careful in what and how I offer. But I've come to realize that something tangible should be done; Scripture calls us to bear one another's burdens.

In saying all this, I do realize that it's totally up to God as to how He moves on people's hearts - IF He moves. And quite honestly, I have to be very, very careful in my thoughts, lest bitterness take root in my heart. I have to keep myself ever before Him in this one. In our marriage, this has been the greatest trial we've had to endure, and it's pretty scary to face it this close to retirement. Granted, Roger's illness isn't life-threatening, and I'm grateful for that, of course. And the kid is healthy, yes. But Roger isn't out of the woods just yet. There's still a ways to go on this thing. In the meantime, no income, save mine which basically covers insurance. God has never brought us so low. It's unsettling.

But here is where my theology hits the road. Thus far, God has sustained us. I'm so very grateful to those who have stepped up to help us financially and in other ways. Our church and our home group have been beyond generous; there's no way to ever repay the kindnesses that have been done. God is good.

God IS Sovereign

2010-01-18T09:30:00.003-06:00

Other than being held hostage by our deluded hearts, it escapes me how any professing Christian could possibly not acknowledge and embrace God's sovereign control over all things.

Every page of Scripture affirms God's sovereignty. The good, the bad and the ugly - God is in control of all of it. Thankfully. It is comforting to know that He who holds the world together by the word of His mouth also holds together the circumstances of my life. Just as He orchestrates the events of nature, rulers, nations, etc, to bring about His purposes, He is steadfastly orchestrating every detail of my life in accordance with His plans, for His glory and for my good. Not one molecule is left to its own devices.

Don't we want it that way? Don't we want God to be God? Don't we want to rest assured that although things seem chaotic and random, that He, in fact, is controlling all things? Apparently some people do not. They view much of what He does as an affront to their (supposed) autonomous free will. Or they do not wish to associate God with evil, in any way. And granted, God is not the agent of evil, but it is patently evident that He allowed it to enter into His creation, and He uses it to accomplish His will. This, too, brings comfort to me as I know that nothing occurs apart from His design.

Consider this small sampling from the Scriptures:

Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent? In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider-- God has made the one as well as the other So that man will not discover anything that will be after him. ~Eccl 7:13-14

I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I I am the LORD who does all these. ~Isaiah 45:5-7

I know that you can do all things; no plan of your can be thwarted. ~Job 42:2

Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever pleases Him. ~Psalm 115:3

For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? ~Isaiah 14:27

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. ~Prov 16:9

Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the LORD will stand. ~Prov 19:21

There is no wisdom and no understanding and no counsel against the LORD. ~Prov 21:30

Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the LORD has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth? ~Lam 3:37-18

Obviously I could go on forever with passages citing the sovereignty of God. The point is that it is clearly evident in every page of Holy Writ. And He gave it to us that we might know who He is and who we are in His grand scheme. We would do well to develop more humility and less arrogance when it comes to the great God of the universe.

Jim McClarty - What I Don't Want For 2010

2010-01-14T08:30:00.000-06:00

This is a must read article.

A Case of the Blues

2010-01-11T18:30:00.001-06:00

Not the music style, not even the post-holiday type. I think it's more of the is-my-husband-ever-gonna-get-well, where's-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel kind. And, you could probably throw in the kid-just-left-for-college-again and impending-job-layoff-Jan 22, for good measure.

::deep, heavy, weary sigh::

Uncertainty is unsettling. And the illusion of any control over any thing was completely obliterated way back there somewhere. I give up.

I am reminded that my suffering is not all about me. I know that God indeed has higher, grander purposes in the suffering of His people. Sometimes I just wish He'd tell me what those are. Then again, He isn't obligated to do so. He works all things according to HIS will.

At times I feel very selfish for even calling it a trial. There are those who are suffering ferocious diseases. Some, even incurable. If God be willing, this illness is temporary and curable. It just seems like it has dragged on endlessly. I guess, though, the definition of a trial is that which you, yourself, are experiencing. And we are indeed experiencing real, life-altering circumstances.

I seriously don't know how those who are without Christ get through life's tough deals. I really don't. If my hope were in myself, or Roger, I'd be sunk. So I continue to trust God, even when I feel really down and really out. I think I've come to a point in my walk of faith to say that deep down, I am grateful for the trials God brings my way. Because I KNOW that they're designed to reveal who I truly am and to produce the endurance that leads to my being made complete in Christ. (James 1:2-4)

Contending For the Faith

2010-01-03T16:00:00.014-06:00

Someone sent me this article after I made mention that I was going to read through 365 Days with John Calvin, a collection of his writings compiled into daily readings. I decided to respond to the article here on my blog, mainly so that I would have plenty of space to compose a well reasoned article of my own. I'm thankful that I was linked to the article, as it caused my faith to be stretched and challenged. I'm also forced to dig deeper into the Scriptures so that I might, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, gain a clearer understanding of the depths of the Word of God.

First, I will say that there is truth in some of what the writer posits: The Bible does not contradict itself. We cannot cherry pick passages, obeying some and ignoring others. We must look at the whole counsel of God - His Word in its entirety. Indeed, there are false doctrines infiltrating the Church, and this has been the case since its inception. 1 John, for example, was written as a response to the rise of an early form of Gnosticism. However, most of the article stands in contradiction to the teachings of Scripture.

As is generally the case, opponents of "Calvinism," tend to set up a false premise regarding what they 'think' Calvinism is and then attempt to knock it down. A little background: John Calvin didn't "invent" Calvinism. The well-known acrostic, TULIP, was formulated by the Synod of Dort in 1618 - long after Calvin's death - to counter the Five Points of Arminianism, formulated in 1610 (also after the death of its namesake, James Arminius). Simply stated, John Calvin studied the Scriptures and proclaimed the truth therein. Now, is it possible that he got some things wrong? Yeah, he probably did, he was a fallible man. For instance, Calvin argued in favor of infant baptism, and he appeared to be wrong on that. Restated, Calvinism is simply the nickname for a systematic study of the Scriptures, in particular TULIP, which pertains to God's sovereignty in salvation. No self-proclaimed "Calvinist" is a follower of John Calvin, the man. But those who align themselves with his systematic theology, for the sake of clarity and understanding, call themselves Calvinists.

Beginning with the fundamentals, we must have a right view of God and a right view of ourselves before Him. We cannot recognize our need for a Savior unless we realize that we are indeed depraved, wretched, sinful creatures. Further, outside of God enlightening us to that fact, we will continue to live hopelessly addicted to our prideful hearts. The Bible states that before conversion we were dead in trespasses and sin, walking according to this world Eph 2:1-5, enemies of God (Rom 5:10), and hostile toward Him (Rom 8:7). We were at enmity with God. We were not righteous, we did not understand, we did not seek God. and we did not do good (Rom 3:10-12). We didn't fear God, we sinned, and we fell short of His glory (Rom 3:18,23). There is SO much more that speaks to the wickedness of the human heart and the deception in which we live, but hopefully these passages provide a glimpse into our depravity. But in His matchless mercy and grace, God intervened on our behalf. Before the foundation of the world, God chose us in Him, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. Why? According to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us. (See Eph 1). Then, according to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, Christ was nailed to a cross (Acts 2:23), to satisfy the wrath of God toward sinners (Rom3:25). He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf (2 Cor 5:21). Thus, the 'great exchange.' Because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, God declared sinners righteous (His elect, actually, but that's another post). (Rom 5:1, 9) (Rom 8:30).

One of the main points of the article is that 'Calvinism' is a false teaching because it asserts that we are saved by grace alone (or, grace 'only' as the writer puts it). He also states that this 'saved by grace only' theology is akin to the accompanying false doctrine of 'saved by faith only.' Ephesians 2:8-9 states, For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast. The writer states, "The 'saved by grace' false doctrine even ignores the role that faith plays. Faith or belief is required." I'm not sure how he draws this conclusion. I know of no teaching within Calvinism that ignores the role of faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 is clear. We are saved by grace through faith, faith being the conduit, and God graciously gifts both to us. A little Greek: the Greek words for both grace and faith are feminine nouns. "Are you saved" is a masculine demonstrative pronoun. The word for "and that" is in the neuter gender, and because it's neuter, it embraces the entirety of the first part- feminine/part-masculine phrase, 'for by grace are you saved through faith.' The 'for by grace' and 'saved through faith' are both gifts of God. Everything that is necessary for salvation is provided, sacrificially, by God. We bring nothing to the table - and that NOT OF YOURSELVES. Why is it not of yourselves? So that no one may have cause to boast. That's huge. God has set up the entire process so that it's NOT ABOUT US! I'm not going to delve into 'works' at the moment, but suffice it to say that our works are the result of salvation, not the cause.

The article also asserts that 'once saved/always saved' is a false doctrine. What an absolutely terrifying thought that Christ's sacrifice - His FINISHED (John 19:30) work - wasn't sufficient, wasn't enough, to secure our salvation! And that we could actually lose it by something we do or don't do. The writer mischaracterizes the position of eternal security by stating, "It demands nothing of man and he can live as he pleases and sin as he pleases and, according to this false doctrine, still go to heaven." Again, I know of no teaching that advocates this whatsoever. His misleading statment completely discounts the role and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives! (2 Cor 5:17) (Phil 1:6) (Phil 2:13) There are numerous passages in both the Old and New Testaments to indicate that it is God who is at work in the hearts of His people to conform them into the image of Christ. It is HE who causes His people to endure and to persevere to the end. A right understanding of God's grace will never lead to unholy, reckless living. (Rom 6:15)

Composing this little blogpost has already taken many hours over two days, so perhaps I will address some of the other verses in the article at another time. But I did want to at least speak to the last 'false doctrine' the author mentions, that of predestination. It is always interesting to me that opponents of this inevitably purport that God merely predestined a plan of salvation, not a people for salvation. And this plan is only effective in as much as it depends upon the 'free will' of those who would 'choose' it...or 'choose' Christ....or ask Him into their hearts - all of which are unbiblical notions. Our will isn't 'free.' Before conversion, it is completely in bondage to sin and we're only capable of acting in accordance with our sinful nature. In biblical terminology, we are slaves to sin. (John 8:34) (Rom 6:6) (Rom 6:16-18) (Rom 6:20) So, unless and until God intervenes to change our nature, we will remain in that state. You simply cannot gloss over (Romans 8:29-30). God did not predestine a plan, nor did He predestine that ALL people would come to faith in Christ. The writer states, "When Paul speaks of God having predestinated us, it is in reference to the fact that God's plan of salvation called for ALL who would believe and obey Christ to be received as sons. [referring to Eph 1:5, 11] God did not predestinate which particular individuals, by name, would go to heaven." But the names of those who would be saved were written in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world! (Rev 13:8) So I don't see how the author comes to his conclusion.

In Romans 8:29, Paul states that those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. "Whom" He foreknew. "Those" whom He foreknew -not all, some. God foreknew actual people, not merely a plan. Neither did He simply foreknow someone's 'choice.' God has not rejected his people whom He foreknew -Romans 11:2 (speaking here of His people, Israel)

I have to say that I agree with the writer when he says, "we must be armed with the Scriptures to correct the error of false doctrine." And that's what I've attempted to do here, although there is much, much more that can be said. ANY teaching that puts the focus and emphasis (thereby, the glory) on man in any way is a false doctrine. God is the only sovereign, and we would do well to be ever mindful of that fact. He is the Creator, and we are His creatures. He is free to do with us as He sees fit, and Scripture bears out the reality that He indeed does. It is the proud heart that has no fear of the Lord, who thinks he "deserves" the blessings of God or the salvation of God. He who is humble of heart fears God and recognizes that he deserves nothing, and that it is only because of God's great mercy and grace that he even takes his next breath. The sovereignty of God is evident on every page of Holy Writ, but I end with two of my favorites that continue to put all things into proper perspective:

“Remember this, and be assured;

Recall it to mind, you transgressors.

"Remember the former things long past,

For I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is no one like Me,

Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things which have not been done,

Saying, 'My purpose will be established,

And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';

Calling a bird of prey from the east,

The man of My purpose from a far country

Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.

I have planned it, surely I will do it.

"Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded,

Who are far from righteousness.

"I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off;

And My salvation will not delay

And I will grant salvation in Zion,

And My glory for Israel."

~Isaiah 46:8-13

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,

And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

But He does according to His will in the host of heaven

And among the inhabitants of earth;

And no one can ward off His hand

Or say to Him, 'What have You done?'

~Daniel 4:34-35

ChristmasThoughts

2009-12-30T20:00:00.002-06:00

This was a really tough Christmas for me. And it all started last year when I first listened to this sermon from Jim McClarty. This year I endeavored to read and/or listen to all manner of material pertaining to the origins of Christmas. This article pretty much sums up everything I've studied. (Although the writer seems to go a bit overboard where the 10 Commandments are concerned, IMO)

Well, I'm more conflicted than ever...but I find that to be a good thing. It seems to me that God is moving and doing a work in my heart about something that I've dearly loved. Maybe I'm supposed to let loose of it....

Admittedly, I love all the trappings of the Christmas season. I gravitate to shiny red things. I've always been a BIG decorator, too. Last year I decorated a little less than in previous years, and this year it was even less. Truthfully, I looked at every decoration in a different light this year (no pun intended). The Christian church incorporated (then "christianized") every single pagan ritual into their celebration of Christ's birth, and this thought ran through my mind at every turn. The decorations lost their luster.

I didn't send out one Christmas card this year either, and I gave much thought to this tradition, too. Now, I have NEVER been a fan of the Christmas letter, consequently I've never done one. It's always bewildered me how composing a letter to people you never see and/or hardly know had one thing to do with the birth of Christ. Seems rather self-promoting in my opinion. Even the cards people send out these days - family pictures with pre-printed greetings sent in envelopes with pre-printed address and return labels! No handwriting or ink necessary! That is stunning to me. This year, I received precisely ONE card with a hand-written sentiment and signature. At least when I used to send cards, I'd take some time and care to send a greeting using an actual writing instrument. But I digress.

Here's the main point: Christmas has never been about Christ. The winter solstice celebration was originally pagan in origin and the church imposed onto it the celebration of Christ's birth. More importantly, Scripture doesn't command believers to commemorate the birth of Christ, nor is it sanctioned. Plus, God didn't see fit to reveal to us His actual date of birth, which he easily could have done. And here's my conflict: God tells us how we are to worship Him; we don't take it upon ourselves to offer Him unauthorized worship. (See the story of Nadab and Abihu in Lev 9 and 10 - read all of it, in context.) In reality, there is no Scriptural support that allows us to set aside a day, much less an entire month, to commemorate the birth of Christ. The account of His birth is recorded in God's word and, as with all Scripture, is profitable for teaching and training in righteousness. But do I want to 'make more of it' than does God Himself?

These are the thoughts rolling around in my head, and it's not settled yet. We'll see what more prayer and study leads to. In the meantime, and in the new year, I pray that I would be bold in proclaiming the centrality of Christianity - the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Difference Between Hope and Desire

2009-12-17T13:00:00.000-06:00

By far the truest words I've read from anyone regarding the circumstances surrounding Matt Chandler are contained in this blogpost.

Not only is this Truth for Matt and his family, but for all believers at all times. I was very encouraged by this.

Pathology Results on Matt Chandler

2009-12-16T13:00:00.008-06:00

My heart is heavy.

Update on Matt

This devastating news makes me weep for my (former) pastor and his family. I honestly don't know how people cope with the trials of this life if they don't view them in light of God's sovereignty. God IS sovereign; that people don't embrace that fact doesn't change the truth. It is comforting to know that whatever 'it' is, it doesn't come to us apart from the good and sovereign will of God.

Matt Chandler

2009-12-09T09:15:00.005-06:00

The news has spread over the four corners of the earth, but in case anyone hasn't heard, I thought I'd alert you to it and ask for your prayers.

As you may know I was a member of The Village Church for five years. It was just this past October that Roger and I moved to a new church. Matt Chandler is the lead pastor at The Village, and on Thanksgiving day he suffered a seizure and was taken to the hospital. Scans revealed a brain tumor on his right frontal lobe. This past Friday, Matt underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Biopsy results are expected any time now.

Please keep Matt in your prayers, along with his wife, Lauren, and their three children. If you go to the church website, you can view a moving video that Matt made a few days before his surgery. He offers hope and encouragment for any of us who are facing trials. He is a man who is trusting God.

Breath of Heaven

2009-12-09T09:00:00.001-06:00

Limted Atonement

2009-11-18T11:30:00.000-06:00

Jesus Teaches Limited Atonement

An excellent message by Jim McClarty.

Catching Up

2009-11-08T16:30:00.005-06:00

Well, it's been a while. Since last I blogged much has happened, so I thought I'd better get it written down.
I turned 50 in July, and as such, it was time to get the 'ole baseline colonoscopy. That occurred on Oct 2. On Oct 7 Roger underwent surgery to repair an umbilical hernia. Naturally - as has been the case almost every time he's had surgery - he experienced complications. In the late afternoon on the day of the procedure, he had to be taken back to the OR to drain a hematoma that had formed. That required going back under anesthesia and basically opening him up again. He spent a total of eight nights in the hospital.

In the meantime, on Monday Oct 12 I received a call from the doctor - yes, the DOCTOR - who performed my colonoscopy. My heart wasted no time in leaping to my throat because as we all know, it ain't good when the doctor calls. Turns out the polyp he removed wasn't your run-of-the-mill colon polyp at all. It was actually something called a 'carcinoid tumor.' Thank God it was benign, but these buggers can become malignant if left alone. So again, thank God I had the procedure done in the first place, even though it meant drinking nearly a gallon of that horrid concoction that 'cleans you out,' and eventually throwing it up after not being able to gag down another drop. It was all worth it. The other reason for the doctor's call was to tell me he wanted to go back in and more thoroughly cauterize around the tumor site in order to get all the cells anywhere near it. You know, just to be on the safe side. And he wanted to do this sooner rather than later so he'd be able to find the original site easier. "How about Wednesday?" he asks. I explain that my husband's still in the hospital, hoping to be released on Wednesday and can we schedule for Friday. Fine with him.

Well, Roger actually didn't get released until Thursday, just in the nick of time. I had previously scrambled to find someone to take me to the endoscopy center on Friday - thank you, Aunt Darlene. :) So we're all set. I get there on Friday, and after a teeny, tiny complication from also having two...'ahem'...hemorrhoids banded and having to be put under anesthesia twice, I finally got to go home. So, to make a short story long, all the biopsies taken from the samples of the 2nd procedure were benign and I'm good to go for another five years. It was a little unnerving, however, to say the least.

Back to Roger. After about a week or so of being home, his approximately 10-inch long incision wasn't healing. It continued to drain and he had (has) two actual holes in his gut. His surgeon cultured the 'gunk' and lo and behold, Roger has two bacterial infections. He was then sent to an infectious disease doctor who put him on home IV antibiotic therapy for at least three weeks. We are one week and two days into this regimen. He had to go to the hospital on Friday, Oct 30 to have a PICC line inserted, then back to the infusion center to get the meds (2 different antibiotics) and learn how to do this infusion thing at home. We are both becoming quite the home health experts.
So that's where we are right now. Oh yeah, back in September we started the process of moving our membership to a new church. In fact, our acceptance letter arrived in the mail during Roger's hospital stay. So we are brand new. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the people in our home fellowship group and about the pastor and staff of Countryside Bible Church. These folks have been the epitome of the body of Christ. They have ministered to us in more ways than I can count during this difficult time.

Not only are we dealing with Roger's infection but also with the financial concerns that accompany his not having worked for five weeks - and right now we don't know when he'll return. So...we head into the Christmas season a bit apprehensive about finances. HOWEVER....we know that God is faithful. We know that these circumstances come to us by the very hand of the Sovereign of the universe and that His will is being accomplished. We are His, bought with a price and He has promised to never leave nor forsake us. So we trust Him. We are utterly dependent on Him to move in our lives to do what He deems good and right, ultimately for the renown and glory of His Name. Soli deo gloria.

Everlasting God

2009-09-30T08:45:00.000-05:00

Mighty To Save

2009-09-01T08:30:00.001-05:00

Our God is NOT a weak, dependent-on-man God. He is the AUTHOR and Initiator of salvation. Before the foundation of the world, He wrote down in the Lamb's Book of Life those whom He would seek and save - He is gathering a people for Himself, to the praise and glory of His Name. Jesus did not make salvation possible, He actually saves. Indeed, He is mighty to save.

The Irrestible God

2009-08-18T08:15:00.000-05:00

The Puppet Argument

2009-08-16T16:30:00.005-05:00

People absolutely rail against God's sovereignty in salvation, and HIS right to choose a people for Himself. They elevate man's 'rights' and 'free will,' while all but eliminating God's right to do as He wills. I used to do the same, but then the truth of Scripture won out, and I had to bow to its authority. Why are we so stubborn? We have no problem with God being sovereign in every other aspect of life - in fact, we beg Him to intervene - but we fight hard against His sovereignty in salvation. We are indeed a prideful people, who think we are the pinnacle of all God has done, instead of His supreme glory.

First off, there isn't such a thing as free will, as man is not truly "free" to choose and do as he pleases. The depraved human race is NOT unencumbered to choose between right and wrong; we always choose according to our nature and that nature is corrupted by sin (the hearts is deceitful above all else - Jer 17:9). We are only able to choose righteousness or "choose" God if He divinely intervenes in our lives and changes our nature, enabling us to do so. God is the initiator in salvation, and when He wants to save someone, He will do it. God WILL accomplish His purposes and He is not thwarted by any mere creature, including man. Scripture certainly bears this out.

But then when you argue from the pages of Holy Writ God's irresistible grace in saving people and that it is not their choice but His, people employ the 'puppet' argument, adamantly insisting that, "We're not puppets!!" Interesting. While the Bible does not implement 'puppet' language, it certainly does 'slave' language. We are either: 1) slaves to Christ or, 2) slaves to satan.

Jesus said to them (the crowd of Jews), "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:42-44)

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18)

For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ's slave. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. (1 Cor 7:22-23)

Additionally, throughout the New Testament, Paul, James, Peter, Jude and John referred to themselves as 'bond servants' of Christ. Likewise Moses in Rev 15:3 was referred to as such. By extension, all those who are in Christ are indeed His bond servants. And, of course, there are a great number of New Testament references to Christ as Master.

These are but a few passages of Scripture from which we can glean an understanding of the master/slave metaphor. So as slaves of our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, we are not 'free' to do as we will, but we do the will of the Father - just as Christ came to do not His will but the will of the Father who sent Him. If that makes me a 'puppet,' then I'll gladly take it.

On Suffering and Sickness

2009-08-08T16:30:00.004-05:00

May I offer this? Is it possible that this is exactly how it’s supposed to be? That sickness, suffering and death are, in fact, all ordained by a sovereign God? I submit that, as painful as these things can be for us, none fall outside the sovereign ordained plans and purposes of Almighty God, sole Creator and Sustainer of the universe. God is about the glory and renown of His name, and though we may not fully comprehend it, He IS glorified through everything that occurs on this earth, including suffering and death. The Scriptures bear this out, and if it were not so, then our suffering and pain in this life would be for naught.

I have to ask…from where does the idea come that God never created us to experience sickness or death? Where is the biblical support for this? I ask this because I’ve not found any such account in Scripture; in fact, just the opposite. Suffering, sickness and death are running themes throughout biblical history. God’s plan for Christ to suffer and die to satisfy the wrath of God was not an “afterthought” of Adam’s sin. Evil (i.e. sin, and by extension suffering/sickness/death) did not enter the world apart from God’s sovereign design and ordination. Before the foundation of the world, God’s plan was in place, and He then set about carrying it out.

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:1-3)

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. (Heb 5:8)

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, (Heb 9:27)

Just a small sampling of Scripture but, yes, it is indeed part and parcel of God’s ordained design that we suffer and die. Die a physical death, yes, but praise God as His blood-bought, redeemed chosen ones, we do not experience spiritual death. So, to live is Christ and to die is gain! (Phil 1:21)

I say all this to provoke thought and to encourage. As you know, I’ve lost a lot of loved ones during this decade of the 2000’s. With the exception of my dad, everyone suffered with fairly lengthy illnesses, accompanied by varying degrees of suffering. Lots of stories, but suffice it to say that God was so gracious, so merciful and so kind to our family as we walked through each illness and death. He gave us the grace for each day to put one foot in front of the other, enabling us to carry on with everything that needed to be done. He also allowed us sweet moments of ministry to others. In the midst of the pain and sorrow, the uncertainty, and the ups and downs of terminal illness, God was glorified and we were transformed a little more fully into the image of Christ. We were privileged to partake in the sufferings of Christ. (See 1 Cor 1:5-7, and a host of other passages)

I also say this as a reminder to myself because because of a husband who suffers greatly each and every day of his life. He is well-acquainted with pain, with chronic disease and with suffering. Unless God chooses to intervene, the disease will only get worse over time. But I can attest to this: God’s grace IS sufficient. “And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” I know that Roger has said many times over the years that if this is the place God wants to keep him so that he is humbled, so that he is utterly dependent on God, then that’s the place where he wants to be. I can say that Roger has learned to suffer well, and his life is a testament to the great mercy and grace of God.

One more thing, maybe two…We would do well to keep in mind that Christ has conquered the grave. The Son completely absorbed the wrath of the Father and He paid, in full, the due penalty of that wrath. We are not under God’s judgment…the things that happen to us in this life are not a result of God’s judgment or anger, but are all of His great love and mercy for us.

As a famous pastor always says, "God’s people are not offended by God’s word," so I trust that He will continue to illuminate His truths to us, as we seek Him and align our thinking with His.

Mixed Feelings

2009-07-14T11:30:00.002-05:00

My son is 20 today. Twenty? Where have the years gone? It just wasn't that long ago that he was crawling around on the floor. *They* are indeed correct...blink, and the years are behind you. Scott has indeed made his parents proud. Happy Birthday, son! We love you beyond measure.

From day one, we set about raising him to be a man. In so doing, there comes that day when it's time to leave the nest and become a (for now, semi) independent member of society. August 19 will be that day. Since he graduated from high school in 2007, Scott's been living at home attending college (and working). But come August 19, he's off to Florida to attend art school. I know it's time...really I do. Doesn't make it any less emotionally traumatic, though. Our household will indeed change. Honestly, I'm happy that he's finally got some direction! He's an artist, with an artist's mentality. His creative self has needed a little prodding to help him realize that he MUST get a college degree in something so he can support himself and a family someday. I think his decision to pursue a degree in illustration is a wise one. He can become a famous artist AFTER he graduates. :)

Then on Saturday, there's that whole me-turning-50 thing. I've discovered that there's really nothing like actually aging to make you think about your own mortality. I'm not trying to be morbid, just realistic. Aging is inevitable, death is inevitable; and you don't much ponder these things when you're young and invincible. ;) But after having lived the bulk of your life, you do. What else can I say, but THANK GOD! He saw fit to put into my heart a desire to think on the weighty and eternal things of life. HIS things - which in the end, are all that matters. Thankfully, in His eternal love for me, He relentlessly pursued me to subdue my stubborn will. He mercifully rescued me from His wrath and the sin that was determined to keep me bound. He began the good work of sanctifying me and transforming me into the image of his Son, and He will be faithful to complete it. And that's Good News!

Sovereign Grace Conference

2009-07-09T08:30:00.001-05:00

Facing Fifty

2009-07-01T09:00:00.002-05:00

Brace yourself. Well, I mean brace myself. The countdown has begun. In a mere 17 days from now, I'll turn the BIG 5-0. I'm thinking if I talk about it a lot, I'll have fully embraced the new decade by the time July 18 rolls around! Yeah.

I know, I know...it's just a number. But that's easier to say when you're 40. It's an odd feeling to pretty well know you've lived more than half your life already.

Plus I have this extremely vivid memory of my dad turning 50. At 21, I teased him relentlessly about reaching the half-century mark. Back then, age 50 seemed ANCIENT to me. One-foot-in-the-grave old. AARP card-carrying old. Arthritis old. Grey-hair old. You get the picture...

And now here I stand, knocking on fifty's door. I'm not sure what I'm *supposed* to feel like, but I don't think I feel fifty. Been told I don't look it, either, so THAT'S a plus. :) Can't let that go to my head, though, because it's EASY to do. But I know the grey hairs are ever present, peeking through the blonde highlights. I see gravity in action. And it's a little disconcerting to see new facial lines develop that weren't there yesterday. The times, they are a-changin.'

Kidding aside, here's one change for the better: A few years back... God interrupted my life, revealed Himself to me, showed me who *I* was, and set about changing the very core of my being. If you've read my blog at all in the past four years, then you know where I've been and where I am now. Praise God that He is who He says He is and that He is utterly, completely sovereign and IN CONTROL over HIS universe, HIS creation. As God illuminated that truth to me, I view the things of this life very differently.

So...God willing, in the next 17 days He will have seen fit to have me attain the age of fifty. And I will thank Him for however many more birthdays He allows me to see. I also know that "in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." (Psalm 139:16) This truth brings me much comfort, as I continue to trust His sovereign providence over my life.

Limited Atonement

2009-06-15T14:30:00.002-05:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

More On the Prosperity Gospel

2009-06-02T10:15:00.003-05:00

This is a short, but good commentary from The White Horse Inn.

Smooth Talk and Flattery

Related stories:

Joel Osteen and the Glory Story

Your Own Personal Jesus