Grace Abounding: Returning to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

If the Sovereign LORD wills, early Friday morning, I will be taking off from New York with my pastor, brother and friend to fly back to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

We are taking a lot of Bibles, New Testaments, Gospels of John, tracts and booklets to give away on the streets. It is our desire to share the gospel with as many people as possible while we are there for a week.

We are especially looking forward to the opportunity of mutual edification and godly fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ there in Santo Domingo.

We also need prayers, and will be rejoicing along with those who pray for all that our gracious Lord and God does in response to them.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you who trust in Him.

-Penn

Grace Gems: A Truly Thoughtful Person

A truly thoughtful person (J. R. Miller, "The Grace of Thoughtfulness" 1896)

Some people seem to have a genius for making others miserable! They are continually touching sensitive hearts, so as to cause pain. They are always saying things which sting and irritate. If you have any bodily defect, they never see you without in some crude way, making you conscious of it. If any relative or friend of yours has done some dishonorable thing, they seem to take a cruel delight in constantly referring to it when speaking with you. They lack alldelicacy of feeling, having no eye for the sensitive things in others, which demand gentleness of treatment.

Thoughtfulness is the reverse of all this. It simply does not do the things which thoughtlessness does. It avoids the painful subject. It never alludes to a man's clubfoot or humpback, nor ever casts an eye at the defect, nor does anything to direct attention to it or to make the man conscious of it. It respects your sorrow--and refrains from harshly touching your wound. It has the utmost kindliness of feeling and expression. A truly thoughtful person, is one who never needlessly gives pain to another.

Thoughtfulness does not merely keep one from doing thoughtless things; it also leads to continued acts of kindness and good will. It ever watches for opportunities to give pleasure and happiness. It does not wait to be asked for sympathy or help--but has eyes of its own, and sees every need, and supplies it unsolicited. When a friend is in sorrow, the thoughtful man is ready with his offer of comfort. He does not come the next day, when the need is past--but is prompt with his kindness, when kindness means something.Thoughtfulness is always doing little kindnesses. It has an instinct for seeing the little things that need to be done, and then for doing them!

There are some rare Christians who seem born for thoughtfulness. They have a genius for sympathy. Instinctively they seem to understand the experiences of pain in others, and from their heart, there flows a blessing of tenderness which is full of healing. This is the highest and holiest ministry of love. It is not softness nor weakness; it is strength--but strength enriched by divine gentleness.

Thoughtfulness is one of the truest and best tests of a noble Christian character. It is love working in all delicate ways. It is unselfishness which forgets self, and thinks only of others. It is love which demands not to be served, to be honored, to be helped--but thinks continually of serving and honoring others. He who has a truly gentle heart, cannot but be thoughtful. Love is always thoughtful.

From GraceGems.org

Grace and Understanding Justice

Proverbs 28:5 says, "Evil men do not understand judgment, but those who seek Yahweh understand all."

Men controlled by evil (Rom. 1:28,29) do not understand judgment.

They don't understand what is just, righteous and absolutely morally correct.

They don't understand that which is opposite of their own evil,

they don't understand that which condemns their ways and thoughts.

They do not understand God as just and holy.

They don't understand the offense of sin and unbelief.

they don't understand right versus wrong,

judgment versus rebellion.

Those who love another god do not understand justice.

They don't understand the fall of unbelieving man,

pain, suffering, death.

They don't understand wrath,

the fire that burns injustice.

But those who seek Yahweh,

the Maker of heaven and earth,

understand all.

They understand their sin,

they understand the fall,

they understand the judgment

they understand hell.

They understand the Son of God and Son of Man.

They understand the cross of calvary.

They understand the propitiation of the Savior,

the suffering, the death, the burial,

the substitution, the satisfaction.

They understand the resurrection,

the need for a new birth,

the reconciliation and life everlasting.

The mercy and justice that provide forgiveness.

 

They understand because God's grace has taught it to them (Titus 2:11-12,13-14).

The Gracelessness (and Evil) of Self-Esteem Teachings

The extremely Biblely Pyromaniacs blog published a great post today by Dan Phillips titled: Self-help, self-esteem, self-destruction, and large, irresponsible mouths.

It is a powerful short warning about how self-esteem teachings go directly against the grain of what God really wants for you, which is His revealed will in the Bible).

Consider the striking words of Jeremiah concerning those who promote self-contentment:

Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”
(Jeremiah 23:16-17)

Grace Abounding: Evangelism and Missions

I've been busy the past month planning a second trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for evangelism Oct. 30 - Nov. 7, and also to visit my friend Rita, from New Human Life blog, and other Christian brethren there. 

My brother, Lee, has begun using his video camera to help in our mission work here in Pennsylvania, and will be carrying it with him to Santo Domingo as well. You can watch two of his videos on You Tube under "LiveBOLDLYforChrist".

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the [one] name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

(Matthew 28:19-20).