All of Grace

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

2012-02-15T12:44:00.003-05:00

What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer:

That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

~ Heidelberg Catechism, Question 1

Proclaiming the Triune God

2012-02-01T12:04:00.003-05:00

The following is a little tract I'm working on as part of a series of very brief evangelistic messages that I've been producing. During the long period of time I have spent not blogging, I have not stopped writing. Much of my writing has been in the form of making little tracts or doing personal Bible study. Here is one of my newest tracts titled:

WHAT IS THE TRINITY?

GOD has not hidden Himself from people so that they cannot know Him, but has revealed Himself in history and in the Holy Scriptures. In the Bible, God speaks of Himself as three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We read God saying, “Let us make man in our image,” in Genesis chapter one. We also read the Shema, a Hebrew confession of faith, which says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” This confession tells us that God is one. Yet God speaks of Himself as “us,” and also reveals Himself as Father, Word, and Spirit. In John 1:1 we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word refers to Jesus, the Son. In verse 14 it says, “And the Word became flesh.” That is, the Word, who is called God, became a real, physical man. Jesus is both fully God and fully human. Jesus also spoke of another Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit. At His baptism, the Father spoke of His beloved Son and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. Jesus also sent His disciples into the world to teach and baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). God is three, yet one, which is why we use the term Trinity. While we may not understand everything about God, we can and must understand what He has clearly revealed about Himself. God has told us what He is like in the Bible, and the Bible shows that He is three distinct Persons in unity and harmony as one God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. See the New Testament for more.

Psalm 107:1-16 For the Homeless

2012-01-17T12:28:00.008-05:00

Psalm 107
Let the redeemed of the Lord speak of his steadfast love.

I. This psalm starts off with a call to praise and worship God.

Why?

Because he is good and his steadfast love endures forever.

How do we know that?

Because he redeems people from trouble. He saves people. He saves all kinds of people. People from all places. He gathered them from the east and west, north and south.

Where are you right now? Wherever you are, God knows what you are dealing with. He can take you from any place.

II. Some of those he redeemed were homeless. They didn't even have a city to live in. They were in a desert where there is nothing. No food. No water. Nada.

What did they do?

They cried to the Lord in their trouble. You know, you can cry to the Lord. You can tell him all about it. He understands you better than anyone. Even better than you do. He made you. Don’t be mad at him for your troubles, he can save you out of them. Maybe that’s why he allowed them to happen to you, so that he can show you how much he cares for you?

He heard their cry. God hears. He knows. Remember, Jesus went through it, too. He was homeless, hungry, thirsty, rejected, tired, betrayed, beaten, murdered. He understands all pain, all betrayal, all mistreatment, all heartache.

God delivered them. He led them on the straight way. He gave them a permanent place to stay. This is why they thank him. He worked when they prayed. Some say, “Prayer works.” Well, God works. He satisfies the longing soul. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” God loves to satisfy those who are in need. This may be one reason why he allows trouble in our lives. Do you feel dissatisfied? Are you hungry for what is right and good in your life? Look to God. He doesn’t have the answer, he is the answer!

They thank him for his “steadfast love.” Love that keeps on keeping on, no matter what. God doesn’t stop loving. He loves those he redeems. There are those that God does not love. Just read Psalm 5 if you don't believe me. God will punish sinners for their sins in Hell. Hell never ends. Israel was God's chosen nation, a people he redeemed out of slavery for himself. he certainly wasn't going to let them starve in the desert, especially when they cried to him for salvation. The soul who seeks him will find him. God never let's anyone down who genuinely wants to be saved. He will redeem everyone that he chose from before the foundation of the world. That's what Ephesians chapter 1 says.

Are you redeemed? that’s the question.

Maybe you think your situation is different. So many say that for them, Hell is here on earth. It's not. Christ went back to heaven to prepare a place there for you if you follow him. Cry to him. Talk to him. Trust in him. He’ll show you.

Let’s move on...

III. Some were criminals. Stuck in prison. They rebelled against his word. They lived their own way. They didn’t listen to God’s counsel, his word, his instructions. You know, God gave us everything we need to know about living his way right here in the Bible. They ignored that. They did their own thing, and paid for it in chains and slave labor. Nobody cared for them.

Then what did they do after that?

It says in verses 13 & 14, “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.”

That’s why they should thank him. He loved them enough to pardon them. He loved them enough to set them free. It says he burst their bonds apart. He loved them so much he destroyed everything that held them captive.

What is holding you captive? Have you been rebellious against God’s Word? Are you sitting in darkness and bound by the chains of sin? Don’t fear. Don’t be downcast. Don’t be discouraged. You can cry to the Lord in the midst of your distress. He’ll set you free. Jesus said that only the truth will set us free. He is the truth.

Conclusion:
I wish I had more time to expound the rest of this Psalm. I could say a lot more about it. There is something here for everyone. Not all of us have the same problems, come from the same backgrounds, have had the same experiences, felt the same pain, cried the same tears, had the same anger or frustration. But all of us have one thing in common. We have a Creator who loves us enough to save us from our troubles when we call out to him.

Jesus didn’t die for nothing. He died to pay for the sins of his people. Everyone who comes to him will never be cast out. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t know him. How can they come to him? Oh, certainly many people say they believe in him. They say they have a personal relationship with him. But how do they live their lives? Do they live as if their life depended on him? Because it does. Do they see him as their Lord who tells them what to do? Or do they see him as the one they get to tell what to do? See prayer is first about our submission to God, our love, delight and praise to God. We ask him to give us what he knows we need. Sometimes he gives us what we want. Sometimes he doesn’t. Most of the time it is because we ask for the wrong things and we have the wrong motives. But he loves to save. We see that from this Psalm. He loves to redeem people from every walk of life. He loves to help those who recognize they truly have a need for him. See, if you need God, then God is there for you. If you don’t need him, don’t expect to be blessed by him. Many people live as if they don’t need Christ. They live as if they don’t need anyone or anything but themselves. They tell their girlfriends that they need them, until they find another girl. Likewise, many women are just using men to get what they want. True love is not getting as much as you can from others, it is giving yourself away for the sake of the one you love.

God gave everything. He gave his Son. Shouldn’t we gladly give ourselves to him? Our desires, hopes, dreams, aspirations, needs, wants, sins, burdens, troubles, hurts, fears, anxieties, angers, frustrations, complaints, love, affection, obedience, loyalty? He is waiting to hear us cry to him. Pour out your heart to him. You may not feel relief right away. It may take some time. You might not see your full reward until you reach God’s heavenly throne room. Remember, he raised Jesus from the dead. We must die also. We die to our way of life in order to live his way, by his strength and help. If we die physically, he will raise us to eternal life when Christ returns. After death, God's children get to be with him in heaven, waiting for the time when he will make this world new again.

Isn’t that something to cry out to him for? Isn’t it worth our pleas for help to be given what our souls most long for? They long for God. Jesus is God in human flesh, who reconciles us back to the Father. They long for life. Jesus is the life. They long for light. Jesus is the light of the world. They long for freedom. Jesus is the truth that sets us free. They long for satisfaction. Jesus satisfies completely. They long for peace. Jesus is our peace. They long for justification. Christ is our justification, who has taken away our sin, put it upon himself, and has given us his righteousness, making us accepted forever. He delights to save those who cry out to him!

You can apply this message to yourself in a couple of ways. First, if you are living your own way, doing things your way, ignoring God's Word, then you can apply this message by calling out to him for a change in your heart and for a change in your life. You need to be rescued from all the things we just talked about, and the only way for you to be redeemed, like the Israelites spoken of in this Psalm, is by putting your full confidence in Jesus Christ as your righteousness before God. Don't get me wrong. Christ demands repentance. To repent is to recognize your guilt for breaking all of God's righteous Laws and to turn back to him in confession, sorrow, humility, fear and obedience. Nothing less will be accepted. But Jesus also taught that you cannot come to him unless the Father draws you to him. That's why we need God's Holy Spirit to change our hearts and make us new first, before we can surrender and believe. Cry to him in prayer, confessing your waywardness, and trust fully in his power to save. Salvation is the gift of God from start to finish. You need repentance, you need forgiveness, you need a new way of life, you need to live by God's Word, you need to persevere, to keep on keeping on, you need to be faithful and to do what God wants. All of this must come by God's powerful grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Cry out to him in your prayers for this salvation.

Second, if you know you have eternal life and you trust fully in the King of kings, the Savior of sinners, the Judge who has pardoned every last one of your sins forever and has already accepted you as his very own, then you can take courage. You can be fully confident that he cares about every need of yours and hears when you call. By his help, you can live your life in obedience to Scripture. Just keep reading it and learning to do what it says in the power of God's Spirit. If you don't, you can be sure God will discipline you for disobeying, but he will never leave you or forsake you. If you are not disciplined by God as your Father, it is because you are not one of his children. In that case, you ought to examine yourself and seek the Lord for salvation and the assurance of your salvation, which only he can give.

Let us give thanks to him for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Let's pray.

Practical Advice for Street Witnessing

2011-12-12T18:45:00.004-05:00

With over five years of experience preaching the gospel of God's grace to strangers in streets, university campuses, and marketplaces, I can safely admit that I've had to learn the hard way, having made many mistakes. My purpose is not to write a list of practical "How Not To's", but "How To's" with a few "Not To's" included.

So here it goes:

1) Study your Bible with a heart to love, revere, worship and obey God before trying to teach others. Remember your priorities: God made all of us, and it is therefore God first, God in the middle, and God last. God in Christ is our primary object of love, knowledge, obedience, respect, and authority. He is our Sovereign LORD to whom we owe complete loyalty. When we see God as He has revealed Himself in the gospel of Christ, and He really amazes us, we become all the more persuasive toward outsiders. (The Holy Spirit is He who converts people, however, we are responsible under God's Sovereignty to strive at being persuasive by His grace within us).

2) People can sense your attitude, despite how "right" you are. If you want to persuade others of the beauty, sweetness and love of God's grace through Christ, then show it both with an attitude and by words that are genuine and full of grace (see Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person”).

The message of the cross is offensive to natural sinful people, but the messenger does not have to provide backing to their revulsion by exhibiting unattractive behavior and manners himself. In support of this point, carefully read Romans 12:9-21; Ephesians chapters 4-6; Colossians chapters 3-4; Philippians 2:1-15; 1 Peter 3:8-22; 2 Peter 1:5-8; the book of Proverbs, especially noting those that speak of the use of the tongue; etc.

3) Just to emphasize and build on that last point, think about how you yourself speak on a daily basis, and then think about what the Bible says about how we should use our speech. Take Proverbs 12:18 for example: “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

In other words, if you are wise you will speak words that will help, comfort, heal, and give life, not words that will harm or hinder the spiritual health of your hearers. Doctors don’t needlessly criticize their patients and then intimidate them into accepting treatments. That would be ridiculous! (This is clearly one of the “How Not To’s” I said would be mentioned, and it’s worth repeating! So, speak courteously, as befits a winner of souls. Too many of us are already experienced enough at failing with this.)

4) Don’t put the gospel through a cookie-cutter. The gospel is a glorious, magnificent, world-tilting message of truth, salvation, love, promise, and glory to the repentant and humble, and God has given 66 books in our language to teach it to us. It can be explained from many different passages of Scripture, so I recommend getting real familiar with some and using them often. You can read Matthew 5-7 and Romans 1-8 for a number of useful texts. But also use a variety of other passages whenever possible, or when a different situation calls for it. You may not have time to give a full presentation of the gospel in every situation, so be ready to be clear and helpful with whatever you can say.

5) Each person you meet is different, so I believe you can preach the good news in a different way to everyone you meet, depending on individual needs. To illustrate this, let’s say you meet Sally from the local baptist congregation. She grew up in the church and never thought of herself as anything but saved, yet she doesn’t seem to have come to grips with how great her sin and her need for a spotless sacrifice really is. You will preach truth to her according to what she needs to know about the gospel, which she may not have grasped yet. Next you meet Mohammad, an immigrant Muslim. Now things are different. Mohammad, on the other hand, doesn’t think of God, sin, or salvation in the same way you do. You may have to define what you mean by your terms, such as repentance, justification, mercy, justice, the Triune nature of God, the deity of Jesus, and so on, before Mohammad can grasp what must be accepted for true light and life. Don’t change the message of the gospel, it is the same for both, but change the method. Speak to Sally and Mohammad according to what they need to come to terms with.

This list was inspired by another list that I read from theCripplegate.com, called Street Evangelism in Six Steps.
Also check out An Alternative to Cold Evangelism.

Apologetics in Real Life

2011-11-19T17:33:00.002-05:00

My wife and I started our first podcast on the topic of apologetics as it is used in our everyday lives and when we are out witnessing with the gospel of God's grace.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

The Surpassing Wealth of His Grace

2011-11-16T12:34:00.008-05:00

Ephesians 2:5-7 says,
"...and you, being dead in trespasses, he made alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and he raised [you] together and seated [you] together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, in order that he might show in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

The very next verse following this long sentence is this: "for by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you, it is the gift of God" (v. 8).

What did Paul want his readers to understand about the "surpassing wealth" or "riches" of God's grace? Well, first of all, that for us who have been saved by faith in God's Son, the ages to come are going to be a showcase of the super-abundance of His favor (grace) and kindness toward us in Christ. It is through Jesus Christ that the ages to come in eternity will display how much of an abundance of favor and kindness we have received from God. He died on the cross, the perfect Savior, God in human flesh, paid the penalty for our sinful crimes, rose from the dead and lavished this favor upon us.

All the abundance of favor, the riches of God's kindness and mercy, His never ending, age-enduring, ever-bestowing love is ours in Christ. Jesus is truly awesome! God our Father is truly loving! The Holy Spirit is truly our Comforter!

We Christians have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to. May all the glory be to God and to the Lamb!

Why and How to Read the Bible, part 2

2011-09-03T11:23:00.015-04:00

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”

(Psalms 96:3 ESV)

The Bible is not just a book. It is a book of books... made up of many writings by different writers, from different ages and different cultural settings. That's all it is from most non-religious points of view.

But from the Christian's perspective, the Bible is the Book of books, because it is the very Word of God (1 Thes 2:13; 2 Tim 3:16)! It is God's message to humankind in the timeless form of writing, so that all people around the world are able to understand it if they have access to a good translation. Ancient Scripture certainly must be understood in light of the time and culture in which it was originally written, but a lack of that knowledge should not stop any of us from perceiving the main subject and theme.

God is the main subject of the Bible, and the theme is his glory. Sure, it does focus on many different characters, such as Abraham and his wife, Sarah; their son, Isaac; Jacob; Jacob's family; Moses and the Israelites; Jesus and his apostles, and so on. However, it is God who constantly makes himself known to every new generation throughout Biblical history. As God was revealing himself to his people through his Word, those who were called were able to know him more intimately and were changed by that experience of knowing him.

This is why we must read the Bible: to know God as he has revealed himself in Scripture as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How we read the Bible will determine whether we know him rightly. As Peter said, there are those who, because of their ignorance, twist the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). Christians, of all people, should be the most careful and humble of its readers.

We don't read everything in the same way. We don't read the newspaper like we read a text book, or a historical biography as if it were a fictitious novel. There are certain things we need to know before we begin reading anything. We need to know what we are reading and why it was written.

When you pick up a newspaper, you already know that it's a newspaper, and you know what it is intended for as a whole--to inform you about the news. It is a compilation of different kinds of literature, such as reports, articles, advertisements, announcements, and entertainment, which are intended to provide readers with a variety of news, facts, opinions, entertainment, coupons, and other information. You don’t read every section of the newspaper in the exact same way, but you take into account the differences in type of literature and purpose. We must do the same with the Bible.

By understanding what kind of book the Bible is and what it intended to make known to its original readers, things become significantly clearer to us. Learning these basic facts isn't hard if you have some basic information available. People often go wrong when they fail to take some of that information into account. We’ll look at ways that often happens later.

You can find helpful information about the Bible in study Bibles, Bible dictionaries, Bible encyclopedias and Bible handbooks (all of which can be accessed free on the Internet). They can help provide you with historical background to what you are reading, as well as other important facts to help you better understand Scripture. Such tools are meant to assist, not hinder your reading of God's Word. Wise disciples should put them to good use, seeking to handle God's Word with great care (Prov 18:15; 1 Tim 1:6-8; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:15).

Why and How to Read the Bible, part 1

2011-08-05T12:10:00.003-04:00

Is reading the Bible necessary for everyone? Is this question even important?

First, yes this question is important. Here's why: only in the 66 books of Holy Scripture is God's perfect will and purposes revealed to human kind concerning our relationship to Him. This may sound bold, or even radical, but it is the testimony of Scripture itself. When people tell me they can believe in Jesus without accepting the Bible as the authoritative Word of God, I ask them, "And how is it that you came to know what you do about Jesus, if it was not passed down through people who read the Bible?"

Now to answer the first question, I don't want to say that all people must be able to read and possess a translated copy of the Bible if they will be saved. But rather, what I will say is that the information the Bible communicates to us, as creatures made by God in His own image, is absolutely essential for us to be saved. Note the word "message". It is not the physical Bible, or the ability to read that is necessary, but the message contained in the Scriptures that all people must know to be saved.

Do you read it or listen to it? Do you tell it to others?

The fact that we have this communication given to us from our Maker and God is absolutely wonderful. Something we ought to give heartfelt thanks to the Savior for over and over again.

Grace to all in Christ Jesus our Lord!

I'm Dead and I'm Not Dead!

2011-07-29T12:43:00.007-04:00

Dead to the passions and sins I once walked in, I've been made alive to God in Christ! (Romans 6:1-4; etc.)

I'm also still alive as far as blogging goes, even though my blogging has slowed down considerably. It may not gain me a lot of followers, but that has never been a big goal for me. Rather spreading the Word of Christ together with those faithful believers who love our Lord God and Savior has always been the main thing here.

God bless to all who read this post! :)

-Penn Tomassetti, a sinner, saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:1-10).

Spiritual Giftedness

2011-05-26T16:00:00.002-04:00

Each Christian is called and gifted by God according to His will, not according to their own will or the will of other people. It is God who determines the function of each part of the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:1-12).

According to 1 Corinthians, it is a good thing for us to pray and ask God to give specific gifts and equip us for the correct use of them. God is indeed glorified in the healthy function of all the various parts of the body, as well as in all the various gifts in the Church. Therefore, as Paul warned the Corinthians, we must not despise others for their gifts and calling from God, but we must rather edify one another with the gift of brotherly love after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Brothers, show your spiritual health by your love for the parts of Christ's body that do not have the exact same function as you do. Show your love as members of Christ and of His diverse Church, and not as members of "the Church of Discerning Eyes", or "the Church of Sensitive Noses", or "the Church of the Working Hands", for such divisions do not glorify Christ.

You know what I am referring to. One gifted brother in the church looks at fellow Christians with great suspicion and doubt for the genuineness of their salvation because they are not gifted as he is. Such spiritual arrogance is not only evidence of the clear absence of love (the greatest gift), but is also greatly damaging to the health and upbuilding of Christ's Church.

May our God and Savior make you abound in His grace, truth and love.
Amen

ETERNAL SECURITY

2011-05-12T12:27:00.000-04:00

ROMANS 8:29-39

-----------------------

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” [Psalm 44:22]

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(English Standard Version)

10 Motivations to Read the Scriptures in 2011

2011-01-05T12:04:00.010-05:00

We ought to delight to read the Bible for a number of reasons. Here are just a few from the Bible itself...

1) Because it is God's revelation of Himself (1 Samuel 3:21; 2 Peter 1:19,20-21).

2) Because it is by the Word of God that faith comes to us (Romans 10:17), and in it we hear God speaking to all the world (Micah 4:2).

3) Because as a result of the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit through the Word (1 Peter 1:23), our new nature craves the sincere milk of the Word like newborn babies (1 Peter 2:2-3).

4) Because Jesus considered it necessary to live by every Word of God and not by bread alone (Luke 4:4).

5) Because the Word of God's grace and truth is able to both sanctify and build up those who are His Church, who are joined to Jesus Christ, so that they may receive an inheritance among the saints (John 17:17; Acts 20:32).

6) Because God's love is manifested in us by keeping His Word (1 John 2:5).

7) Because we are able to cleanse our way by taking heed according to His Word and avoid sin by hiding it within our heart (Psalm 119:9,11).

8) Because God's Word is delightful and is able to revive the downcast soul (Psalm 119:16,25,50,162).

9) Because His Word is a light for our path and it gives understanding, knowledge and wisdom (Psalm 119:130; Proverbs 2:6).

10) Because Scripture points us to Jesus Christ, who is our very source of life (Luke 24:44-45,46-47; John 5:39-40; 14:6).

If we follow a regular pattern of reading Scripture, let us remember to keep an attitude of love for God through prayer, and that we need the powerful grace of God not only to save us, but to keep us saved by means of His Word and Spirit.

Thank you, Father, my GOD, for your precious Word. May I honor it by faith and so live for your glory and praise alone, by the grace of your glorious Son, Jesus, and by your Holy Spirit!

My 27th Year Living on Earth

2010-12-21T12:42:00.009-05:00

I was born on the earth, created from the DNA of my father and mother, devoloped within my mother's womb and born into the world on a cold, icy day in 1983. If Jesus Christ does not return in the next 100 years, my physical body will die on the earth.

But praise and thanks be to the God of Israel, to Yahweh, that He came to earth through the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ, more than 2,000 years ago, suffered for my sins, was killed and raised back to life again, so that by the power of His Spirit and the faith that is in Him, I have become a new man, a child of God, a citizen of another world, to which my body will be raised to inherit with Christ!

Was this something I did by my own choice, my own superior intellect, the strength of my own will?
No!
The Bible says it was by the mercy and grace of God alone!
(See John 1:12-13; 3:3; Titus 3:5-6, 7-8; Ephesians 2:1, 4-5, 8-9; 1 Cor. 1:30-31; etc.)

Link for Logic and Argumentation: Basic Lessons for Christians

2010-12-16T12:22:00.006-05:00

Jamin Hubner began a series of posts on the Alpha and Omega Ministries blog about basic lessons in logic and argumentation. These lessons will help any Christian who wants to understand better about how to communicate accurately with the gospel, as well as in other areas of life.

This first lesson was very short and outlined the differences between what an argument is and what a quarrel is, as well as what a debate is.

Here are the links:
Lessons in Logic and Argumentation (can be found under the tag: "Godly Disciplines")
1) Introduction
2) Types of Interactions
3) Types of Arguments

Jamin Hubner's Real Apologetics blog

Grace Abounding: James White's Program: The Dividing Line Oct. 12, 2010

2010-10-13T12:50:00.008-04:00

Dividing Line blog post (Tue. Oct. 12, 2010): http://aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=4227

Dividing Line audio link: http://www.aomin.org/podcasts/20101012.mp3

Tuesday's Dividing Line was a program that I think just about everyone should hear...

James White began by defending intelligent design while making reference to a current scientific article, which discussed the complexity of genetics that go far beyond human understanding.

The point of intelligent design is not that "God must have done it because we don't understand it"--which is the accusation made by atheists, who also assert that if we do understand how something works, we no longer need to invoke God to explain it. The point is that the microscopic parts of living things, (which are full of life themselves), can only be described in terminology of "design", because clearly they are, in fact, designed. It's a simple, yet powerful way of seeing God through creation.

James then discussed the oppression of anti-homosexual views and opinions in our society with another current event in the news. Homosexuality is a perversion of God's design for human beings, (meaning that it changes and corrupts the order of human relationships as God created them). Not only that, but it destroys life. The reason homosexuals are so controlling over public thought is the same as Romans 1:18. They must suppress the truth in unrighteousness so that their sin cannot be confronted and condemned. In order to suppress the truth, anyone who speaks out against their lifestyle must be ostracized and silenced. I appreciate brother White's clear statements and thoughts in regard to this current hot-topic issue in our society.

Homosexuals, of course, are not outside of God's regenerating grace, but those who refuse to repent and turn their lives over to the Lordship of Christ will be repaid with judgment and condemnation--and that, along with all liars, murderers, hypocrites, covetous, greedy, immoral and blasphemous people, without exception, according to the Word of God. (See Revelation 21:8). For this reason it would not be loving them to approve of their lifestyle, nor would it help not to warn them of the truth about it.

The last (and longest) topic that James addressed, before discussing the unity between him and his wife in that they have lost the same tooth, and before taking the first call of the program, was the topic of God's absolute sovereignty over heresy, and His glory displayed in both judgment and mercy. This was in response to an arminian blog post accusing calvinists of having no adequate answers to the "problem" (which he raised) concerning God's glory being diminished by heretics and being displayed through it at the same time. This was an easy objection to answer, and James did so exceptionally well, referencing Jonathan Edwards' book, The End For Which God Created The World, and Romans chapter 9, to show the truth of the matter which is explained only by Biblical Revelation rather than human speculation and philosophy.

I would say that all of the topics covered and answered Biblically in this episode are extremely important for Christians to understand in our current age, and I would encourage the listening of James White's radio program, the Dividing Line, for challenging insight into these topics and more.

My brother and sister are currently studying apologetics with me on Sunday evenings, and I hope that if we have the time, we could listen to this episode together and discuss it. It is the clearness of thought in apologetics and the Biblical faithfulness that I appreciate about James White when he discusses these matters.

The link is provided at the top of the page.

Some Intrestin', Relatively New, & Funny Stuff

2010-09-25T00:08:00.012-04:00

This post is sort of a blog-list, linking to places I don't want to forget to return to.

It all started when I was on facebook today, jest mindin' my own bizziness, when I saw these words... "You've just been HTed", and I wanted to find out what that meant, so I followed the link to Dan Philips' Hither and Thither blog post for today... well, to make a long story short, come to find out that mi amor was there today, too, readin' paraprosdokians, which are figures of speech that are meant to surprise you at the end of the sentence, after you have figured out what the first part of the phrase really meant. Here are a few examples we chuckled over together:

"Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."

"Dolphins are so smart that within afew weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish."

"I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather, not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car."

"The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list."

"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak."

"If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong."

"A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory."

"We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public."

"Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't."

"A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station."

"I didn't say it was your fault; I said I was blaming you."

"Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman."

"When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water."

"Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever."

And here's some extra examples from Wikipedia:

"I haven't slept for ten days. Because that would be too long." — Mitch Hedberg

"On the other hand, we have different fingers." — Jack Handey

[Note to Reader, Wikipedia's examples are mostly bad]

I have recently discovered the free ebooks and other helpful stuff referenced by Money Saving Mom, where I just learned about a thing called BAHG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal).

To top it all off, my darling and I had some good entertainment viewing well-crafted creative posts at The Sacred Sandwich, a blog I think I may visit more often... now that I know about it.

All said and recorded for memory to remind myself in the future of what I just read... now, I should go to bed.

Buenas noches!

Gutie nacht!

Grace Abounding: Summer Grace Produce

2010-08-06T12:12:00.003-04:00

Here is a list of summer fruits of grace that God my Father has mercifully abounded toward me, a chief of sinners among those saved by grace.

1). First of all, my third evangelism trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was the most fruitful and rewarding of all, having been built upon each past evangelism trip there. It was blessed with closer relationships with the folks from the Biblical Church of the Lord Jesus (www.ibsj.org), and the wonderful opportunity of meeting and training so many fellow Christians in evangelism. I met people again who I had witnessed to in the past, and even have been keeping in touch with David, who I met in the park while preaching under a tree as it rained. David has blessed my heart with his zeal and eagerness to learn the gospel.

I am also truly amazed at how far a little blogging has taken me. Rita Martínez and I met through blogging two years ago, and now, not only have we been able to work together in the fields of evangelism together with our churches, but we are engaged to be joined together in holy matrimony as well. This is God's gracious gift to us and the answer to many prayers for a godly partner. If it is His will, we will live to marry and labor by His grace together in our Christian calling in life.

2). After two years of vigorous study, I have pretty well grasped the Spanish language... my first foreign tongue! I still make a lot of mistakes and still have to practice a lot to pick up and learn more, but by God's grace, my dream of speaking another language has come true.

3). As my interest in languages grows, I have also found the joy of learning to read the New Testament in the language it was originally written... there are some amazing resources on the internet for learning New Testament Greek for free (see links below). If anyone is interested in purchasing learning material for NT Greek, www.christianbook.com or wtsbooks.org has a lot of affordable resources, including Greek New Testaments.

Often I would make use of such resources as concordances, Bible dictionaries and online Bible study tools, in order to find out a little more about an original Greek word used in the New Testament when studying the Bible. But those tools, as good as they may be, do not remove the limitation of not understanding Greek as a language.

One must learn grammar, the structure and order of a language, before one can fully comprehend what is being said. Learning Greek grammar can literally look like a nightmare, since it is more complex than anything I have ever seen. But with the many free online resources, one can learn a lot, as long as ardent desire and dedicated determination continue to flow through one's veins into the brain... for if this inertia stops, all else may very well be hopeless!

1). http://greattreasures.org is a translation website that gives you a lot of essential information about the words of the New Testament. Just select a Koine Greek translation that contains word information or parts of speach, for example, use the Tischendorf (with parts of speech) Greek translation. You can then select parallel translations in any other language, including many good English ones.

2). http://ntgreek.net NT Greek is a free, easy-to-follow beginner's course in New Testament Greek, with lessons.

3). http://www.ibiblio.org Little Greek 101: Learning New Testament Greek is very easy to understand and helpful for anyone interested in NT Greek.

Well, there are many more resources out there, but these are good for anyone seriously interested in learning to read the New Testament in Greek.

~ Penn, a seriously guilty sinner, mercifully saved and justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Grace Abounding: Third upcoming evangelism trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

2010-06-28T16:54:00.004-04:00

I will be traveling to Santo Domingo, DR, this Saturday (July 3, 2010) with a group of friends and family in order to help train others in street evangelism there.
I have never been to the Dominican Republic in the summer time, but they say it is going to be HOT... so please keep us in prayer.
Some things to pray for:

- God's powerful grace working in our lives to preach the good news of the cross of Christ to all kinds of people there in Santo Domingo.

- God's powerful grace to keep us faithful and holy.

- That the fellowship we have with each other and with other Christians would be Christ centered and edifying to all.

- That the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who died and rose again in the flesh on our behalf, would glorify His Holy name through us, His feeble servants.

Amen.

Healing for Hurting Marriages by Voddie Baucham

2010-06-24T08:14:00.005-04:00

Voddie Baucham preaches even more passionately and strongly about what it takes to overcome difficulties in a marriage relationship--namely, GRACE.

This is by far one of the best sermons I've ever listened to on relationships, and I think maybe it should be required listening for one to even exist! Ok, ok, whether you are in a marriage relationship or not, Voddie Baucham will point you to the source of our problem and to the solution in this message.

Voddie is a "grace man" through and through. He is Biblical and trusts in God's sovereignty over all things. America is blessed to have such a man of wisdom in one of its pulpits every Sunday.

A Marriage Built to Last - The Need for Honor

2010-06-22T08:51:00.009-04:00

Pastor Billy Crone speaks fervently (and amusingly) about honor within a marriage relationship.

[Note: at the end, the pastor speaks about praying for salvation, to which I would like to add this link and this link in order to present an additional and hopefully more Biblical description of receiving salvation. Also see the many other topics concerning salvation under the "categories" list on the sidebar.]

Grace Abounding: At New York City like Santo Domingo with my fiancé

2010-06-14T09:35:00.007-04:00

I stayed in the Bronx, NY, this past weekend visiting my girlfriend and fiancé, Rita Martínez. We met through our blogs two years ago in July, 2008. Rita was finally able to travel from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to visit me two weeks ago, and while she was here, I asked her to marry me. In tears she said, "Did you talk to my dad about this?" I answered, "Yes." She asked, "What did he say?" I told her that he said, "Yes," that I could marry her. She didn't even answer my question, but asked again in tears, "Is this really happening?" I told her it is as I knelt in front of her by the park bench at Longwood Gardens, and said, "So, will you marry me?" She responded, "Yes! Of course!" We were both delighted! I don't think I could be more in love with this beautiful Christian Latina woman.

After a week, she went to New York city to be with her 15 year-old cousin, Laura, who is being treated for cancer. They are staying at the house of Dominican friends, who also happen to be Christians.

This weekend I drove there to visit Rita and Laura. It was a blessing. Just about everybody in that area speaks Spanish, I felt like I was in Santo Domingo, even though it was New York. They were all impressed with my Spanish, something that I have really struggled hard to learn. I had the opportunity to speak with Laura about the grace and love of God after the mac and cheese dinner that she made us at 10:30 p.m. (Dominican Suppertime is late), Saturday night. Rita and I also began our wedding plans. The next day we all went to church. All the Latin American people at that church treat each other like family, and I was honored to be received with the same love. However Rita and I both would like to encourage them more to be Biblical in everything, just as we are striving to do by God's mercy. (I am not a charismatic anymore, but their church is.)

After church we went to a sea food restaurant, where I seemed to have lost my appetite. Then we went back to the house where we talked until Rita and I left to exchange an engagement book we had bought at Barnes & Noble. On our way back, we stopped at Kmart to look for rings, since I had to take her diamond ring to get it resized to fit her finger, so she was ringless. And as lovers, we just can't have that! People need to know she is promised to someone (me!) already! So at Kmart, I bought her a $10 engagement ring with an enormous fake diamond on it. It wasn't even behind a glass case. Anyhow, that should do the trick until I can slip the real ring, fitted and sparkling, back on her preciously engaged finger again!

Now, getting back to my thoughts on the Word of God from church on Sunday, I find it so important that people would realize the sufficiency and the importance of understanding and believing the Bible above all other feelings, experiences and encouragements. Jesus Christ is our Savior sent from God, but it is the Bible that reveals Him to us through the illumination and regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Bible is all the revelation we need to help us know and follow God's will for our lives. I tried to stress this to everyone at church on Sunday. Please pray for us about this. Thank you.

May Christ always be our greatest Treasure and Good in this life and in the one to come!

Penn T.

2 Timothy 3:14-17, ESV:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings [i.e., Scriptures], which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 4:1-5, ESV:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Grace Abounding: A Weekend of Grace in Pittsburgh

2010-05-17T15:01:00.014-04:00

I love visiting the Grace Laborers in Pittsburgh. They are so filled with the Word of God and with the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. We spent the weekend in prayer, fellowship and the edification of one another with the Bible.

Brian and pastor Mark traveled across the state of PA Thursday, and I left from York after quitting time on Friday. As I was driving to Harrisburg the wind was strong and it began to hail. Traffic slowed to a stop as large hail stones beat against my windshield. The rest of the drive was nice, even with a rainbow in the mountain clouds.

I arrived at Bob the evangelist and Linda's house Friday night during a prayer meeting. I can't describe all the details of that time, except for the feelings of grace and joy in seeing every face of the saints there.

Saturday morning I was thinking that certainly all of Pittsburgh would be converted or at least hear the gospel of grace preached that day, because there was an army of street evangelists heading out. We were, in all, 12 brothers and sisters in Christ meeting together early at Subway on Wood Street. Each of us shared about ourselves and a Bible verse, then prayed and hit the streets.

At Point Park, I met a young woman who was willing to talk to me about the gospel from the Bible. I was explaining to her how marriage is meant to be a picture of what Christ's love for the Church is like. At that point she brought up homosexuality, since that was something she admitted to either practicing or desiring. I patiently and gently explained that the reason homosexuality is sin, is because it violates God's design for marriage between a male and a female, and how it goes against the picture of God's relationship with His people that marriage is supposed to represent. I would love to talk to more homosexuals and point them to Christ as the true answer and only satisfaction. In addition, I feel the need to study the Scriptures more specifically to correct the lies that our culture spreads concerning the sin of homosexuality. I preached Christ and Him crucified for sinners, and graciously exhorted her to read her Bible and look to Him. She admitted that what I was telling her about salvation was really good news, and also accepted some of my gospel tracts as I departed.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in fellowship with "gentle" John. We talked about Christ in the Old Testament and the gospel of John. It was such an edifying time.

Later I met with Mark "Grace" and we went to the corner at Pitt, where we met an African-American Muslim walking and exercising. I argued with him about the Qu'ran a little bit, until he asked me something like, "What do you want me to do?" I replied loudly, arms waving, "I want you to come to the Bible, I want you to come to the light!" At that moment a foreign Muslim student overheard, turned around and came back to question me. I showed him where Jesus claimed to be God in John 8:58. After that he said it must be a corruption and left.

That night was our Bible study together. Bob, Jr., pastor Mark, Bob, and I shared from the Scriptures, with the others joining in. We were rejoicing in grace, exalting our Savior as our true hope and glory, confessing the worthlessness of our works apart from His cross, and speaking of the power of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, including much more. Bob spoke on how the self-righteous are seeking to justify themselves by their own crosses (i.e., their own self-sacrifices), while true Christians glory in the cross of Christ, where our life ends and His begins in us.

So much more I could mention, but let me leave with this verse of Scripture, where Paul comments on his calling as a preacher of the gospel:

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
(Ephesians 3:8-9)

How could we ever be ashamed of the gospel, when it is just too good not to share?

But the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolish to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
(1 Corinthians 2:14)

Encouragement to My Fellow Christians to be more Evangelistic

2010-05-05T13:01:00.017-04:00

(Note: This post was taken from something I wrote a few years ago in response to a question about what I would want to say to encourage others in evangelism)

Having the right understanding of the gospel and the Bible is very important (Colossians 1:9), and so I want to try to encourage others to read the Bible with a passion for understanding it.

Prayer is where it all begins.

We all need to begin by praying for a heart that loves Christ more, and seeks His glory in reaching those for whom He gave His life (Matt. 9:38; Luke 11:2; Rom. 10:1; 2 Thes. 3:1).

Timidity is not a good thing (see 2 Tim. 1:7), and it is not loving, but rather selfish and insincere. I know this, because timidity has plagued me all my life. A good way to overcome this fear is to know the Bible inside and out. It is not enough to read books and hear sermons about the Bible. We have got to read Scripture for ourselves.

We need to become familiar with the abundance of wisdom and understanding that the Scriptures provide for those who love Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:3). And we must not forget that our love comes directly as a result of His unfathomable love for us (1 John 4:10).

We need to be familiar with the cross and with the power of His resurrection (1 Cor. 2:2; Phil. 3:10). We need to have died with Christ, that we may live together with Him (Rom. 6:8; 2 Tim. 2:11). We need to live by grace and not by our own efforts (1 Cor. 15:10). It must be Christ in us moving us to will and to work according to His good pleasure (Gal. 2:20; Phil. 2:13).

I really believe 2 Corinthians 13:5 applies directly to every Christian in our day, which exhorts us to "examine" and "test" ourselves to see if Christ is really in us. There is a wonderful sense of confidence that comes with having the proper assurance of Salvation. The letter of 1 John was written so that we may know that we have eternal life (1 John 5:13), so I think we should read that New Testament letter carefully for that end.

As established believers in the faith, we need to continually return to the source and fountain of living waters. That is where we get refreshed. We must always be going before the Throne of Grace and seeking our High Priest who is able to help us in our weaknesses. It is the power of Christ, and not us that will give us the victory so that we may overcome. Christians ought to pray together for the world, because that is when God will begin to work in sending us for missions and various ministries according to our gifts.

- In His grace, Penn T.

Grace Gems: Why Salvation by Grace is so important

2010-04-26T21:30:00.001-04:00

This is the 'hell' of hell

(Samuel Davies, "The Resurrection of Damnation")

"Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come out; those who have done good--unto the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil--unto the resurrection of damnation!" John 5:28-29

Alas! Multitudes shall come forth from their graves, not to the resurrection of life--but to the resurrection of damnation! What terror is in the words!

See them bursting into life from their subterranean dungeons! Horror throbs through every vein--and glares wildly and furiously in their eyes. Every joint trembles and every countenance looks downcast and gloomy! Now they see that tremendous Day of which they were warned in vain--and shudder at those terrors of which they once made light. They now experientially know the grand business of the Day and the dreadful purpose for which they are roused from their slumbers in the grave:
to be tried,
to be convicted,
to be condemned, and
to be dragged away to execution!

"And they will go away into eternal punishment!" (Matthew 25:46) They must go away into the bottomless pit! There they are confined in chains of darkness, and cast into the burning lake of fire and brimstone forever and ever!

In that dreadful word "forever" lies the epitome of torment! This is the 'hell' of hell. If they might be but released from suffering, though it were by annihilation after they have wept away ten thousand millions of ages in extremity of pain--it would be some mitigation, some encouragement. But, alas! When as many millions of ages are passed as the stars of heaven, or the sands on the seashore, or the atoms of dust in this huge earthly globe--their punishment is as far from an end--as when the sentence was first pronounced upon them!

FOREVER! There is no exhausting of that word! When it is affixed to the highest degree of misery--the terror of the sound is utterly insupportable!

Meditating on the gentle compassion of Christ, who did not come to break bruised reeds

2010-04-23T20:24:00.008-04:00

The following quote is by Richard Sibbes, from his little book The Bruised Reed (I added the color subtitles to divide the quote into sections):

Christ Jesus came to prophetically bless those who are weary:
See the gracious way he executes his offices. As a prophet, he came with blessing in his mouth, `Blessed are the poor in spirit' (Matt. 5:3), and invited those to come to him whose hearts suggested most exceptions against themselves, `Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden' (Matt. 11:28).

Christ is a gracious Shepherd caring for all of His sheep:
How did his heart yearn when he saw the people `as sheep having no shepherd' (Matt. 9:36)! He never turned any back again that came to him, though some went away of themselves. He came to die as a priest for his enemies. In the days of his flesh he dictated a form of prayer unto his disciples, and put petitions unto God into their mouths, and his Spirit to intercede in their hearts. He shed tears for those that shed his blood, and now he makes intercession in heaven for weak Christians, standing between them and God's anger.

Christ is the humble King of the poor in spirit:
He is a meek king; he will admit mourners into his presence, a king of poor and afflicted persons. As he has beams of majesty, so he has a heart of mercy and compassion. He is the prince of peace (Isa. 9:6). Why was he tempted, but that he might `succor them that are tempted' (Heb. 2:18)? What mercy may we not expect from so gracious a Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) who took our nature upon him that he might be gracious?

Christ is a Doctor for the brokenhearted:
He is a physician good at all diseases, especially at the binding up of a broken heart. He died that he might heal our souls with a plaster of his own blood, and by that death save us, which we were the procurers of ourselves, by our own sins. And has he not the same heart in heaven? 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?' cried the Head in heaven, when the foot on earth was trodden on (Acts 9:4).

Christ is the Judge who is compassionate toward those who repent:
His advancement has not made him forget his own flesh. Though it has freed him from passion, yet not from compassion towards us. The lion of the tribe of Judah will only tear in pieces those that `will not have him rule over them' (Luke 19:14). He will not show his strength against those who prostrate themselves before him.

Christ will not fail to help us if we obey Him:
FOR OURSELVES: 1. What should we learn from this, but to `come boldly to the throne of grace' (Heb. 4:16) in all our grievances? Shall our sins discourage us, when he appears there only for sinners? Are you bruised? Be of good comfort, he calls you. Conceal not your wounds, open all before him and take not Satan's counsel. Go to Christ, although trembling, as the poor woman who said, `If I may but touch his garment' (Matt. 9:21). We shall be healed and have a gracious answer.

(Taken from Chapter 2 of The Bruised Reed)

Grace Abounding: Who Says They Won't Listen?

2010-04-21T12:34:00.010-04:00

Who says that kids these days just won't listen?

Well, I'm sure we have all probably said, or thought, that they don't a few times before. However, last evening in York, I was walking down the street with Matt and we were handing out gospel tracts, and we talked to around 9 or 10 people, mostly young.

York streets are not very busy in the evenings, but there is usually a few people walking or sitting around who are willing to talk about God. We stopped a number of young people who were walking together, to ask them questions. About half of those we talked to listened intently to what I was telling them about repentance, sin, judgment and faith in Jesus Christ. Most of them said they would read their Bibles to learn more. Not all of them accepted what I was preaching, because one felt offended, since he professed to believe in paganism. Others said what I was telling them about repentance was new to them and they seemed to understand it.

Now, there was no cries of "What must I do to be saved!" But there was a genuine interest and maybe some real conviction in some of those we met last night.

May God bring salvation to many young people here in York Pennsylvania, as well as to the old.

"For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"
However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."
(Romans 10:11-17, NAS).

"For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.
For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard"
Hebrews 2:1-3, NAS).

Grace Abounding: My Speech Audio from last Sunday

2010-04-10T10:11:00.004-04:00

I spoke briefly last Sunday (Easter) at my church on Jesus: God in flesh, Rejected, Resurrected and Accepted. My goal is to learn from the Bible how Scripture presents Christ to us as the object of our faith and hope, in order that we may also take what Scripture says and share it boldly but graciously in a world that rejects Him. (See 1 Corinthians 15:1-2,3-4,5-6).

Here is the audio recording

JESUS: RESURRECTED & ACCEPTED

2010-04-01T20:47:00.008-04:00

And finally, here is the third part of my little speech I hope to share (in order to help us look to Christ and glorify Him more) this Sunday:

JESUS: RESURRECTED

But the story doesn't end at the cross. The promise in the last half of Isaiah 53:10 was that "he would prolong his days", that is, Christ would come back to life. According to the Scriptures then, after three days in the tomb, Jesus came back from the dead.

He appeared first to the women at the tomb (Matt. 28:9; John 20:18), then to Peter, and then to the rest of the apostles (1 Cor. 15:5). He ate with them, spending time with them, proving that he was physically alive and not a ghost (Luke 24:36-43). Although some doubted, Thomas repented calling Jesus, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). After that, it was stated by Paul that he also appeared to more than 500 believers at one time (1 Cor. 15:6).

This was to fulfill what was written in Psalm 16, "For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol (i.e., the place of the dead), or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life" (Psalm 16:10-11).

After Jesus ascended back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit, as He promised, and filled the apostles with power from on high to preach and to baptize and to teach believers in the Way. Everyone who believed received the Holy Spirit and were baptized and continued in the apostle's teaching and fellowship.

The apostles all taught that it is not through works according to the Law that we can be justified, but only through the work of Jesus Christ when He lived, died and rose again for us who trust in Him.

Paul wrote in Romans 5, that while we were helplessly weak (to be righteous in ourselves), Christ died for the ungodly. He said God showed his love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He also said that being now justified by His blood, we shall much more be saved from the wrath of God through Him. And that having been enemies of God, we are now reconciled, much more shall we live through Christ. (Romans 5:8-10).

"More than that," Paul wrote, "we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" (Romans 5:11).

JESUS: ACCEPTED

This is the heart of the gospel, the good news of God. This is what makes it possible for a poor man in Peru to weep over the fact that God reconciled Him through Christ after he heard Scripture being read in his native language. This is what makes it possible for a wealthy American to give up pursuing his own glory and in turn seek the glory and joy of God in Christ. This is what makes it possible for us to be both bold and loving, strong and gentle, firm and gracious as we go and share it in a world that rejects the Son of God. We know through the cross that God is Sovereign over all people. We also know now that He kept His promises to send the Messiah, and He will keep His promise to send Him again at the end of the world to save all of those in His Kingdom, and to condemn all those who without it.

After the verse I read where John said Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him, the next verse says, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). It follows by saying that this was God's decision to give them a new birth, "who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13).

As children of God, those who receive Christ and all that He is according to the Bible, also have eternal life. Jesus said that a son remains in the house forever (John 8:36), and that He came to give eternal life to those the Father has given Him (John 10:28).

The cross of Christ is the answer to so many of our problems.

Maybe you think God is mean to let all kinds of evil happen? But look how He graciously took the punishment of our evil upon Himself at the cross.

Maybe you think you are too sinful to be forgiven and justified by God? Then look How God completely satisfied His judgment on the cross for you, if you will believe.

Maybe you think you don't have enough faith to trust Him? Then look How it is God who works through the cross to make you acceptable by faith. He gave His Son, will He not also give you faith if you want it?

Maybe you think you are not good enough? Then look at the cross, where the righteousness of Jesus Christ was exchanged for your sinfulness, so that you could have His righteousness.

Maybe you think you cannot be holy? Then look at the cross, where Jesus Christ sealed the guarantee that will make you holy by His Spirit.

If you haven't received Him, then receive Him by simple trust right now. If you have received Him already, then keep on walking before Him in the same way that you received Him, by faith, trusting His love for you through the cross!

Don't be like the people who rejected Jesus at the cross, but rather, let us follow those who believed in Him when He rose from the dead.

Let His steadfast love and grace through the cross always be our motivation for faithful obedience to Jesus, our Lord and King.

Amen.

JESUS: REJECTED

2010-04-01T17:07:00.007-04:00

Here is the second part of my little speech I'm preparing for church this upcoming Easter Sunday:

JESUS: REJECTED

But although He created the world, and He came to His own chosen people, Israel, through whom all the promises of Scripture were given, He was not known nor received by them (John 1:10-11).

This is how the Son of God was treated when God came as a man to earth:

• He was sought after to be killed by Herod and became a fugitive in Egypt as an infant.
• He was disbelieved by His own home town, and when His words offended them, they tried to throw Him over a cliff.
• He was disbelieved by His own brothers.
• He was hated by the religious leaders of His time, who repeatedly plotted to have Him arrested and put to death.
• He was accused of being demon possessed.
• While many believed in Him during the time He was healing and doing miracles, everyone forsook Him when He was arrested.
• A man who had followed Him, heard His teaching, saw Him heal thousands and perform countless miracles, betrayed Him for money and afterward, Judas committed suicide.
• Peter, who was one of Jesus' three closest followers, swore with curses that he did not know Him after the betrayal.
• Only false witnesses spoke at His trial, nobody defended Him.
• The high priest and all the Sanhedrin accused God's Son of blasphemy.
• He was punched, spit on, mocked and condemned.
• Pilate wanted to let Him go as innocent, but the Jews insisted that He die in place of a murderer.
• The Romans beat Him and mocked Him and crucified the Son of God.
• Jesus was rejected and hated all His life, from His birth to His death.
• When God came into the world, the world quickly got rid of Him.

The words of Jesus came true when He said, "And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their works were evil" (John 3:19). And Isaiah had written long before that, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3).

Jesus taught that each one of us are in the same sinful condition apart from His saving grace. He said we are slaves to our sin if we do not continue in His Word, because only the truth will set us free (John 8:31-32, 34). Jesus also described our hearts as the source of all kinds of evil in Mark 7:21. No one is guiltless, because Jesus said in Mark 10:18 that "No one is good but God alone." Jesus clearly taught that all human beings, including you and me, are sinfully wicked by nature and need to be born again and cleansed from our sins. Therefore, we should not think that we are somehow morally better than those who rejected Christ, since we have the same sinful nature as they did.

Nevertheless, His rejection and murder, Jesus had said, happened to fulfill what was written in Scripture (Matthew 26:24,31; Luke 20:17; 22:37; 24:46; John 15:25). Isaiah 53:10 said, "Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand."

It was God who sent His Son to die. It was God who worked through the events of the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus, by crushing him under the wrath and judgment that our sins deserved.

But of course, the story doesn't end here at the cross...

JESUS: GOD IN FLESH

2010-04-01T12:17:00.011-04:00

OK, so I've been making some edits to my little speech for Sunday. Here's the first part, "JESUS: GOD IN FLESH", and following will be two more, "JESUS: REJECTED" and "JESUS: RESURRECTED & ACCEPTED".

JESUS: GOD IN FLESH

Jesus is God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth.

We read in John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into existence through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into existence that has come to exist."

Isaiah said the royal child who was to be born would be called, "Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Micah wrote that the Judge of Israel from Bethlehem, who would be struck with a rod on the cheek, had His origin from of old, from the days of eternity (Micah 5:1-2).

The gospel of John presents Jesus from beginning to end as completely and 100% Divine, God revealed in human flesh.

So also Jesus is the "One like the son of man" spoken of in Daniel 7:13.

John 1:14 says, "And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

So while Jesus is God, He is also 100% human. A flesh and blood man who ate food, fasted, became hungry, worked, rested, felt physical and emotional pain, was tempted just like we are (but without sin), wept with sorrow, rejoiced and sang hymns. The Scripture was fulfilled which said, "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14), which means "God with us" (Matthew 1:23).

He is the fulfillment of God's Word in Genesis 3:15, where God promises a man who will defeat Satan, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you will bruise His heel."

The next post will be on the REJECTION that God experienced when He came in His Son to our world.

Grace Abounding: New Layout, Witnessing and Prayer

2010-03-28T00:02:00.013-04:00

I'm trying a new look for the All-Grace blog. Hopefully it freshens it up a bit.

I was in Philly again witnessing for around an hour today, then went to pastor Mark's for prayer. He was at a 9marks weekender last weekend at Capitol Hill Baptist Church and had some exciting things to say about it.

The witnessing is going great as far as being able to speak to people in Spanish. I also met two Pakistani guys today and tried to persuade them to read the Bible. I gave a gospel of John to one of them and he handed it to his friend. May God Sovereignly move both of them to read it!

We are praying about taking another trip to Santo Domingo for evangelism, and certainly need prayers from brotherly/sisterly saints for that.

Grace Quote for today:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:14 ESV)

God's Redemption History

2010-03-15T10:04:00.004-04:00

After the fall into sin of Adam and Eve from the paradise of God, God cursed the ground and subjected man to hard labor for food, and he subjected woman to pain in childbearing and conflict in relationships. When God cursed the serpent, He declared that a Son from the woman would come who would deal a crushing blow to Satan, while the serpent would wound the heel of that man.

Adam's son, Abel, was a righteous man by faith, but was murdered by his brother Cain. Then Adam and Eve had Seth, who had a descendant called Noah. God showed grace to Noah and his family by sparing their lives in the ark, during the destruction of the world through the Flood. From Noah's three sons the earth was repopulated. Noah blessed his son, Shem, from whom came a man named Abram. God called Abram away from his homeland, and promised him another land, where He would make a great nation from his descendants. From that nation, God said He would bless every nation who would bless Abram, and those who cursed Abram would be cursed. God changed Abram's name to Abraham and showed him that his descendants would be slaves for 400 years in Egypt, but that God would deliver them. Abraham believed God, and so God counted him to be a righteous man by faith.

Abraham and his wife Sarah did have a son according to the promise, even though they were both very old. From that son, Isaac, came Jacob, and from Jacob, came the twelve tribes of Israel. They all moved to Egypt during a famine, and their descendants later became slaves in Egypt. After 400 years, God raised up Moses, by whom He miraculously delivered Israel out from slavery in Egypt and brought them through the desert wilderness to the land of Canaan. Because the people had rebelled and disbelieved the Word of God, every single one of them except 2 died in the desert, and their children went in to take the land under the leadership of Joshua, who's name means "God saves." God instituted sacrifices for the people under a high priest, in order to remind them of their sin and need for forgiveness. But they often turned away from God to idolatry.

From the nation of Israel, God raised up a king, named David, to rule His people. David trusted in the Lord God, so the Lord promised that one of his descendants would rule on the throne forever. From the family tree of David, God brought Jesus into the world, who's Hebrew name is Joshua, and means "God saves." The angel that appeared to Joseph and Mary told them to name him Jesus, because "He will save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). He was also called Immanuel, meaning "God with us."

Jesus fulfills all the promises, and showed himself to be the Son of God and Son of David by the miracles he performed. His rejection and death at the hands of his own people, proved that he was the Messiah, or Christ (Anointed One), which the Scriptures had predicted. When Christ rose from the dead, he showed himself to his disciples, who could not believe He was alive until after they saw him eat and drink with them. These men He filled with the Holy Spirit, and sent them to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name, that all who believe would receive the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ when they repent. Everyone who believed was baptized, shared together the symbolic Lord's supper, and continued living under the teaching of the apostles as they put their hope in Christ. This salvation came as a work of God, and it extends not only to Jews, but to every person on earth who receives it as a free gift, and accepts God's testimony about His Son.

Reader, will you turn open the pages of the Holy Bible, and learn from them who Jesus Christ is, and how He came to save you from your sins if you trust Him? God promised that His final judgment is coming on this world, and everyone who is not born again by the Spirit of God will be condemned to eternal hell. But Jesus provides eternal salvation for all who come to Him by faith before His return. Praise God that He accepts every sinner who repents! Don't wait or ignore Him, because Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, and all who truly turn to Him have access to God the Father and are His beloved children!

Premillenial exposition of Revelation 20

2010-03-10T14:50:00.006-05:00

I always get excited when I hear a Biblical scholar show from the Bible what I have come to believe concerning the 1,000 year reign of Christ from Revelation 20:1-6.

Listen here to a message answering objections and explaining this interesting text:

Thy Kingdom Come by Matt Waymeyer (from the Shepherd's fellowship)

Romans 3:10-26 in Modern Talk

2010-02-18T22:57:00.008-05:00

I simply took Romans chapter three, verses 10-26 and made them fit better with the way we talk today. I based it off of the NASB updated version of the Bible. It is still accurate according to what the passage really says, only a bit modified. After you read it, please tell me what you think in the comments. Thank you.

Romans 3:10-26 (paraphrase):

As it says in Scripture,

No one is upright, not one;
No one has understanding,
No one looks for God;
Everyone has turned away, and have become all together worthless;
No one does good, not one.
Their throat is an open grave,
They keep deceiving with their their tongues,
Viper poison is behind their lips;
Their mouths are full of bitterness and cursing;
They are quick on their feet to shed blood,
There is destruction and misery in their paths,
And they don't know the way of peace.
There is no fear of God in their eyes.

Now we know that what the Law says it says to those under the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may be held guilty before God; because nobody will be justified in His sight by the works of the Law; since the Law brings the knowledge of sin.

But now, the righteousness of God has been shown apart from the Law, being attested to by the Law and the Prophets, that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe; since there is no difference; because all have sinned and fall short of God's glory, and are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; who God has publicly displayed as a propitiation (a sacrifice to appease God's wrath) in His blood through faith. In order to show His righteousness, because God, in His patience, passed over sins committed in the past; in order to show His righteousness at this time, so that He would be both Just and Him who justifies the one who has faith in Christ Jesus.

Justified by Grace

2010-02-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it - the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (Romans 3:21-25 ESV).

This is good news for bad people (see Romans 1:15; 3:12). For those of us who are humbled before God; knowing we are sinful, having a heart that goes astray, utterly worthless as far as doing any good, helpless, hopeless, spiritually lifeless; for such there is good news! "The righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law." This righteousness is God's righteousness. It is given to those who believe. I like the way the KJV says it, "unto all and upon all them that believe."

For those who are righteousness-less, there is a righteousness freely given unto and upon all who believe the gospel. It is a gift. The gift is a right standing before God, justification, forgiveness and peace with God. It is given "unto" those who believe, and it is given "upon" those who believe. We have received a righteousness from God by faith in Christ, and it is put upon us by Him.

It says this is all "by his grace as a gift." Justified by his grace. Not by our grace. Not by anything in us or done by us. It is a justification by His grace for all who believe. How is that possible? The answer is, "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." God made it possible to count a sinful, hell-deserving, unholy, wretch like me perfectly righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. It is possible, because Jesus suffered and died as a propitiatory sacrifice for those who believe.

Jesus is precious to me! Is He precious to you? Are you justified by His grace?

"Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible."

God's presence among His people

2010-02-08T22:20:00.003-05:00

This Moses did; according to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did... the tabernacle was erected. ...So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:16-17,33-34.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
Revelation 21:2-4.

Publically Burning Our Sins

2010-01-31T09:18:00.002-05:00

Always, those who follow Christ should be ready to part with whatever is sinful in their life and work, that Christ may be honored above all. Sins kept in the heart--poison the life, hide God's face, and shut out blessing. No matter what it may cost, our sins must be sacrificed, or they will destroy us!

"Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. A number of them who had been practicing magic brought their books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars!" Acts 19:18-19

(J. R. Miller, "Paul's Message for Today" 1904)

Taken from the Grace Gem: The burning of these old Ephesian books!

Grace Gems: Beauty and Manliness

2010-01-16T23:30:00.002-05:00

Ugly corners made beautiful

(J. R. Miller, "Christian Manliness" 1909)

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely . . ." Philippians 4:8

Beauty is another quality of true manliness. It is not enough for a man to be true, to live honorably, to be just, to be pure and clean--he must also have in his life, whatever is lovely.

All God's works are beautiful. He never made anything that was not beautiful. It is sin which spoils everything!

There are many lives that are not lovely in every feature. You see things in others which you cannot admire--things which are not beautiful.

Fretting is not beautiful.

Bad temper is unlovely.

Discontent, jealousy, irritability, unkindness, selfishness are unattractive.

It is the work of God's grace--to make lives beautiful. All that grace does in us--is toward the fashioning of beautiful Christian character in us.

On a florist's signboard are the words, "Ugly corners made beautiful". The florist had reference to what he could do to beautify an ugly spot or a piece of landscape. He would trim out the weeds, plant flowers and shrubs, and transform a wilderness into a garden.

That is what grace can do in our lives. Some men seem to think that the fine and graceful things are only for women, not for men. But Christ was a man--a perfect, complete man--and there was not a single unlovely thing in His life.
He was strong--but also gentle.
He was just--but kindly.
He was firm--but patient.
He was righteous, and his indignation burned like fire against all hypocrisy and injustice--but his tenderness never failed.

Fine manliness is beautiful, like Christ. "Yes, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" Song of Songs 5:16

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We have posted J. R. Miller's insightful article, "Christian Manliness".

Earthquake in Haiti

2010-01-14T08:37:00.004-05:00

I noticed through facebook, that many Dominican Christians are praying for their Haitian neighbors and doing what they can to help in various ways, but especially through prayer. To me, that is so encouraging to see, knowing that Haiti and the Dominican Republic have not always gotten along well.

I pray our LORD will be with those Haitians during this time, and that He will use Dominican and Haitian Christians to evangelize many people who are in such great peril of eternal judgment.

Christ came to seek and save the lost, and to gather the outcasts, bind up the wounded, heal the sick and raise the dead to life again. May He be with His people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic in a powerful way at this time of such great need and may the name of Christ Jesus be glorified.

The Foolishness of Preaching the Cross of Christ, part 1

2009-12-13T18:44:00.009-05:00

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the gospel, not in wisdom of words, so that in no way would the cross of Christ be made empty.
(1 Corinthians 1:17)

John Gill says in his commentary on this verse:

but to preach the Gospel; for which he was most eminently qualified, had peculiar gifts for the discharge of it, and was greatly useful in it. This was what he was rather sent to do than the other, and this "not with wisdom of words". Scholastic divinity, or the art of disputation, is by the (f) Karaites, a sect among the Jews, called חכמת הדברים, "wisdom of words": this the apostle seems to refer to, and signifies he was not sent with, or to preach, with words of man's wisdom, with human eloquence and oratory, with great swelling words of vanity, but in a plain, humble, modest manner; on which account the false teachers despised him, and endeavoured to bring his ministry into contempt with others: but this way and manner of preaching he chose for this reason,

John Gill made the point well, that Christ sent Paul to preach (the word is euangelizesthai to proclaim the gospel, to evangelize) without using the impressive words of what is considered wisdom by an unbelieving world.

The world thinks that they will only find truth by higher knowledge, intelligence, philosophical and logical wisdom, etc. But the gospel goes forth in plain, common, simple terms, so that even the uneducated can understand by the grace of God.

The simple message of the gospel is the proclamation of facts and belief in what those facts indicate. The cross of Christ was an event in history. Jesus, who is called Christ, was crucified under the authority of Pontius Pilate. The power of that death lies within God's purpose, that Christ would suffer the wrath in place of all who believe in Him as the fulfillment of the Scriptural Messiah (the Christ). His resurrection from the dead authenticated and produced real salvation for God's elect.

The foolishness of it all can be seen in that people are called to believe the only eye-witness accounts written down, which are the New Testament Scriptures. To the world this is not an expression of wisdom. However, to us who believe, it is the power of the cross of Christ.

From my personal study notes - Romans 1:17

2009-12-04T22:01:00.006-05:00

Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." (ESV)

The revelation of the righteousness of God is important to note. God is righteous and just, yet because of all the injustice and evil in the world, some conclude that He is not. It is in the gospel that God's righeousness is being revealed from faith to faith. That is, His righteousness is revealed to those who believe, and it continues to be revealed to believers in the gospel.

Not only that, but believers live by faith through the righteousness of God. God's righteousness is received as a gift by faith (Romans 3:22,24;5:17). The believer also lives as a righteous person before God (Romans 5:19,21), because God's righteousness is imputed to him or her by their faith or trust in Him (Romans 4:5). The only way for a sinful person to be made righteous before God, Pual tells us, is by faith alone in this gospel for which there is no reason to be ashamed (Romans 1:16).

Grace Abounding: Resource for getting a good Premillennial perspective

2009-12-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

Being in alignment with reformed and calvinist teachings regarding Scripture (2 Tim 3:16), the absolute Sovereignty of God (Rom 11:36), agreeing very strongly with those doctrines known as TULIP (Rom. 3:12; Eph. 1:4; John 10:15; John 6:37,44; 1 Thes. 5:23,24), and enjoy the wealth of Biblical studies and books produced by reformed Christian leaders (see www.monergism.com), makes it very tempting to side with those same theologians on their views of eschatology simply because they say it is right.

In this post, I am simply presenting a resource I have found very helpful in considering a Biblical understanding of premillennialism from a Calvinist Christian perspective. I tend to agree more with the premillennial point of view, while possibly not agreeing with everything. My understanding of the return of Christ and the last times is not very big, but from what I see the Bible saying, I try to understand it correctly and then see who takes the Biblical perspective most accurately as far as I can tell.

So here is a link to some studies done by Fred Butler on his blog, Hip and Thigh, Studies in Eschatology for anyone interested in learning this point of view.

A Post for Atheists

2009-11-29T22:31:00.007-05:00

God created everything

God owns everything

God explains everything

God judges everyone

God loves those sinners He chooses to save

God chooses who knows and experiences His salvation in Christ

The physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a fact

Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3; Ephesians 1:4-7; Romans 9:16; 1 Corinthians 15:3-10

The World is not Worthy

2009-11-28T21:19:00.001-05:00

a 23-year-old Christian, converted from Islam, that was killed earlier this month. He was reported to an Islamic militant group by a boy whom he had witnessed to. The statement of what happened to this brother is graphic:

"In an attempt to extract evidence against him and to gain information about other Somali Christians, the militants knocked out all of Yusuf's front teeth and broke several of his fingers. They then shot him twice in the head and discarded his body on an empty residential street."

...continue reading over at Thirsty Soul

Isaiah 61

2009-11-22T09:19:00.008-05:00

Isaiah Chapter 61

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.

They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast.

Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.

For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.

Grace Abounding: Premillennial/Amillennial Calvinism - I'm still learning

2009-11-21T12:39:00.006-05:00

I'm learning that the debate over the return of Christ and the meaning of the 1,000 year reign (Revelation 20:4,5,6) is not one that is easily resolved.

I've considered both amillennial views and premillennial views of calvinism, and can say that both make a strong case.

I would say that Kim Riddlebarger (one of the lead amillennial Calvinists) and John MacArthur (Calvinist in favor of dispensational premillennialism) both have a lot of good points they are making. However, I see that both have the tendency to argue from their presuppositions without carefully considering the other side. I guess I could be wrong, I am only now learning from their messages. They are smart guys, but even smart guys can be mistaken. So I'm listening with care.

Whichever view most accurately represents the return of Christ, I want to say this, that we must always reform our understanding according to the entire Bible and look forward with eager longing for the eternal reign of our King and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

May His name be praised as Christian brothers sharpen one another through such debate.

Grace to all in Jesus Christ our Lord!

Contemplating Premillennial Calvinism

2009-11-19T21:02:00.008-05:00

For a long time I was sort of a mix of amil/premil eschatology, depending on what passage of Scripture I was reading at the moment. That was long before I knew what amillennialism or premillennialism were about. Now I have had to think the issues over a little more.

Recently, I have been contemplating premillennial calvinism. Especially Why Every Calvinist Should Be A Premillennialist by John McArthur.

No Condemnation - Romans 8:1

2009-11-19T15:13:00.006-05:00

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 ESV

(Some manuscripts add the end of verse 4 after this: "who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.")

It literally says from Greek: "None therefore now sentence of condemnation them in Christ Jesus", which could be translated,

"Therefore, there is now no sentence of condemnation* for those in Christ Jesus."

*The word for condemnation (katakrima G2631) is legal and means to be judicially sentenced to condemnation, to receive the death penalty.

The word "therefore" indicates a conclusion drawn from what has already been taught in all the chapters before this, specifically that one is justified by faith in Christ Jesus apart from works of the law (Rom 3:28).

A man or woman who is united to Christ by faith is freely forgiven of all sin (Rom. 4:7-8), freely granted the perfect righteousness of God as a gift (Rom. 3:22,24; 4:5-6,24), and therefore it must be concluded that there cannot be any condemnation for them.

It is impossible to condemn one whom God has justified (Rom 8:33), and all who are united to Christ Jesus by faith (resulting in obedience from the heart) are completley justified and totally free from all condemnation (see Acts 13:39).

Praise be to our wonderful God!

Picture by Lee Tomassetti, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

A Portrait of Jesus in the gospel of Mark, part 5

2009-11-17T10:54:00.003-05:00

This is the 5th part in a series of short chapter summaries from the Gospel According to Mark.
Here are chapters 9 & 10:

9. About six days later, Jesus took three of his chosen students up to a mountain, and there they saw him transfigured so that his clothes shone bright with whiteness. They were terrified, and a cloud overshadowed them with a voice in it that said, "This is my beloved Son, listen to him." (Mark 9:7). After the vision, he charged them not to tell anyone, not until after he had risen from the dead. They came to a man who was in distress over his boy who was oppressed by a spirit, so that the boy was mute and convulsed. The man asked Jesus, "if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus answered, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes." Immediately the father cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:22-24). Then Jesus healed the boy and commanded the spirit to never come back. Later, Jesus told his disciples again that he would be delivered into the hands of men and killed, and after three days he would rise from the dead. But they still did not understand him.

10. When questioned about divorce, Jesus reminded them of what God said in the beginning of creation, when He made a man and a woman for unity in marriage, so they should not be separated. He also welcomed little children, took them in his arms and blessed them. He taught that the kingdom of God must be received as a little child in order for anyone to enter in (since it is only by faith one is saved). A young man came to Jesus asking him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17). Jesus told the man that God alone is good, and he quoted the last five of the Ten Commandments. The man claimed to have kept them all, so Jesus looked at him with love and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." But since he was very wealthy, he left Jesus disheartened. Then Jesus taught how hard it is for rich people to be saved, so his followers asked if anyone could be saved. He told them it is impossible with men, but all things are possible with God, and promised a great reward for any who leave things they cherish to follow him. After this, he travelled toward Jerusalem, where he said he would be condemned to death, mocked, spit on, flogged and killed, but after 3 days would rise again. Jesus also corrected his students about those who desire to be great in his kingdom, teaching them to be the least and servants of all. He taught that he had come to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Then he healed a blind man who called for mercy, and blessed him for his faith in Jesus as the "Son of David" (the one prophesied to be the Messiah or Christ).

Grace Abounding: Dominica Orphanage

2009-11-14T19:37:00.005-05:00

During my trip to the Dominican Republic over a week ago, we visited this orphanage and school called Dominica.

The sad thing was that most of these kids were not really orphans but are the offspring of people who have had multiple sexual partners and/or use alcohol or drugs. It moved my heart to see the great needs these kids have, and not only them but their parents and people all around the world.

This made me think of the greatest need of all, the need for reconciliation and life with God through Jesus Christ His Son.

My brother, Lee, put together this video. He has posted this video, along with other video that he has and will be posting from our evangelism and missions at his You Tube channel called LiveBOLDLYforChrist.

Being Satisfied

2009-11-12T09:01:00.014-05:00

As a single 26 year old Christian man, I am writing to my fellow single brothers and sisters in Christ about satisfaction with God's will in Christ Jesus our LORD.

Sometimes we can hear so much about what we "should" be doing, that we begin to think, "Oh no, not another reminder that I have to be satisfied with whatever God wants for my life, even if it is exactly what I dread."

But that is not the Biblical view of being satisfied with God's will. Biblically, God only gives to the wicked what they most fear and dread will happen to them (Prov. 10:24).

But to the righteous, God gives them the desires of their hearts, satisfies them with good things, renews them and fills them with joy (Psa. 34:9; 37:4; 81:16; 103:5 Prov. 10:24; Isa. 40:31; Rom. 14:17; 15:13).

This is His will for you in Christ: that you always rejoice, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything (1 Thes. 5:16-18).

If this is God's will for us, then why would we want anything different?

"Because what if God does not give me what I want," you might think.

But listen to me, if you know God's Son and you know the Father, and you know His great love for you, then how can you doubt that He wants anything but what is the best for you?

What it comes down to is this: are you satisfied with doing the will of God? His will is simple and clear: 1) always be joyful in Him, He loves you and is making you holy; 2) always pray, because God loves to answer the requests of His children in unexpected ways; and 3) always be thankful, because you are getting way more than you deserve and God is giving you good things to bless you.

If you are rejoicing in Christ, continuing in prayer and thankful in Christ, then you are doing God's will. You can be satisfied with that.

Whether we get married or not, live or die, have this or that, what matters is that we are doing the will of God in the midst of it. I believe that there is no other way for a married couple to not be disappointed with each other than for them to first be satisfied in Christ. There is no other way for singles to be who they are created to be than to first be satisfied in Christ.

I firmly believe that being content takes action. First let's be content with God's will for our lives, if we are saved it is always going to be good, even in hard times. Second, let's do what He commands us to do. This starts with loving Him and loving His people. Get out and work by visiting other Christians, be happy with the godly friends you have, help each other out more, out-do one another in showing honor to each other, do things to help the poor, encourage the downcast and build each other up in the faith, preach the gospel to the lost and visit the hospitals.

If you are a young man and you don't have the gift of celibacy, then get busy ordering your life and finding a wife for yourself. I know she is already getting tired of waiting for you to do something. Remember you can only pick one, so find the one you like and stick with her. Learn to be the kind of guy noble women are crazy about. Read the book of Proverbs as many times as you can in one year and by the grace of God practice it. Experience knowing Christ for real and be gentle, kind and gracious.

If you are a lady, then do all you can to encourage, support and help others out as you wait for that guy to finally do something. Babysit people's kids, learn to be a great cook, help your sisters out, delight in the Word of God, be self-controlled. Every relationship in your life matters. Remember, God knows what you need.

If you are doing these things already, then don't get tired of doing it. Keep in mind that God is blessing you and has great things in store. Maybe your future husband or future wife will see you doing these things and will be irresistibly attracted to you?

Maybe it won't matter to you if anyone sees you or not, because you know what it is to be saved by grace? You know what it is to be loved by God, to have His Son die and rise for your redemption, to be eternally, irresistibly and stubbornly loved in Christ Jesus, to receive His Holy Spirit and to have a future hope of an eternal inheritance. You will one day reign as kings in the Kingdom of our Lord.

If this is you, be happy and keep doing good. If not, then get alone, get silent, get on your knees, get your Bible open and plead to know this love of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

"Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV)

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
(1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

"Trust in the LORD and do good..."
(Psalm 37:3)

Hope this helps you out a little my friends,

Penn T.

(If you have anything you would like to add, comments or questions, please do.)

Grace Abounding: Back in the United States

2009-11-09T20:34:00.004-05:00

By the grace of God I am home from my trip to Santo Domingo after a week of visiting and evangelism there.

I enjoyed being in the Dominican Republic for many reasons...

I am glad to be back in the U.S. for some also...

1. God's will
2. Fellowship with Christians
3. Spreading the gospel by proclaiming and sharing what God has said in Scripture (2 Timothy 3:15, 16, 17).
4. Time with family
5. Able to speak the language ;) lol
6. Work to do
7. (Last-but-not-least) the grace of God in my life

You can watch some video of the trip on my brother Lee's You Tube Channel, but keep in mind that there will be more video to come in the near future.

Looking to Jesus (Heb. 12:2),

- Penn T.

Grace Abounding: Estoy en Santo Domingo

2009-11-04T08:23:00.004-05:00

I am in Santo Domingo (estoy en Santo Domingo), Dominican Republic, for the week. My pastor, brother and a fellow evangelist friend are here on a mission - to spread the glorious gospel of God's grace through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

So far, it has been an amazing learning experience for us. The Dominican people are very warm people. Yesterday, we visited an huérfanato (orphanage) and spent most of the day learning about the needs and conditions of the orphanage/school and the community. We taught the older kids from the Bible, then later spent a lot of time playing with the little children (los niños).

Our evangelism experience has also been very good. Keep us in prayer as we continue to share the gospel with more people, spreading tracts, booklets and portions of the Bible in Spanish for the people of Santo Domingo to read.

Grace to all who love our great Lord and King!
- Penn

Grace Abounding: Returning to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

2009-10-27T11:59:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-23T09:32:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-20T16:16:00.006-04:00

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

2009-10-15T10:06:00.011-04:00

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

2009-10-13T14:16:00.004-04:00

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).

Encouragement to be Sober and to Build Each Other Up

2009-09-23T12:47:00.009-04:00

One of the passages of Scripture I have been meditating on lately:

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:8-11 (ESV)

Grace Gems: Your Chief Study

2009-09-15T15:10:00.004-04:00

Another great Gem from Grace Gems... Let us study to know and guard our hearts above all!

Your chief study

(Jonathan Edwards)

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it
is the wellspring of life!" Proverbs 4:23

See that your chief study is about your heart:
that there, God's image is planted;
that there, His interests are advanced;
that there, the world and flesh are subdued;
that there, the love of every sin is cast out;
that there, the love of holiness grows.

"I, the Lord, search the heart and examine
the mind!" Jeremiah 17:10
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We have posted Grace Gems for the month of AUGUST in one file!

Grace Gems (choice ELECTRONIC books, sermons & quotes)

Grace Audio Treasures (choice AUDIO sermons)

Sovereign Grace Treasures (choice PRINTED books)

To See Your Glory - Para Ver Tu Gloria

2009-09-11T12:57:00.007-04:00

Today I posted a little translation/meditation of Psalm 63:1-3 from the Spanish Bible on my Learning to Speak in Tongues blog.

Those words are a great encouragement for us to be passionate, to be motivated and to seek to be satisfied more and more in God.

Join me in looking again to those things which are above (Colossians 3:2).

You are Complete in Him

2009-09-10T12:27:00.007-04:00

"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority..."

(Colossians 2:8-10 NASB)

Why should we never ever let anyone take us captive with their philosophies and religious traditions?

Answer: because we are already made complete in the One in whom the fullness of God dwells bodily.

In other words, Christ is God and we have all we need in Him. We do not need to add traditions, philosophies, empty ideas, or anything else that would lead us away from being completely satisfied in Christ. Because in Jesus dwells all the fullness of God, and we are complete in Him.

Praise and glory and honor be to God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who gives us His Spirit! Amen.

Grace Abounding: Manoa's wife and Audio from York streets

2009-09-02T12:01:00.013-04:00

It was interesting as I read Judges chapter 13 this morning, how the angel of the LORD appeared to Manoa's wife in order to announce to them the coming birth of their son Sampson, who would save Israel from their enemies.

After she went and told Manoa about it, he immediately prayed that God would send the angel back to them so he could question him. The interesting reason was that Manoa wanted to learn how he should raise this child. What an example this is for dads, that they too would be willing to get on their knees and beg the LORD for wisdom about how to raise their children!

However, it seems Manoa really wanted instructions from the LORD since he knew this child was special and would be set apart to be used by God in the deliverance of Israel. I believe he also doubted the LORD's word a bit, just like Zecharia did when the birth of his son, John the Baptist, was announced to him (Luke 1:18-20).

But the story kept getting more interesting as I read on... who is the angel of the LORD? and why did Manoa's unamed and intriguing wife humorously have to rebuke him for thinking they were going to die?... Read the story here, and post your answers in the comments. :)

IN addition to that, I've had some very good conversations on the streets explaining the gospel to people. Here is one example of a guy who was questioning the Bible as Matt and I talked with him in York, last night. (Also listen below). Grace to all!

Romans 9:5: Christ is God over all blessed forever!

2009-08-27T23:15:00.021-04:00

I did a little study of Romans 9:5 concerning the Deity of Christ tonight. I looked up the Strong's numbers with the Greek on my e-Sword program, then wrote down my own translation from what I could understand.

Here is my English translation from the Greek (literal word for word and in the original order): Romans 9:5:

Whose the fathers and from whom the Christ (Anointed) the according flesh the is over all God blessed into the forever. Amen.

There is an important phrase in this verse referring to Christ as God. However, because ancient Greek had no punctuation marks, there are different possible ways to arrange the word order and punctuation when translating in English. I tried to reword/organize the last half of this verse in these three different ways (emphasized):

1. "To whom are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all God blessed forever. Amen." (Where the last phrase is not as specific. Is Christ over all God, or over all God-blessed? Or is it both?)

2. "To whom are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen." (This wording more accurately ascribes Deity to Christ, calling Him "God over all.")

3. "To whom are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, the blessed God forever. Amen." (This phrase fits with the Jewish tradition of blessing God whenever speaking His name.)

In either case, Romans 9:5 contains a crystal clear declaration that Jesus Christ is in fact God Almighty, and at the same time human.

Here are some popular translations (emphasis added):

KJV: Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

NKJV: of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

ESV: To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

NLT: Their ancestors were great people of God, and Christ himself was a Jew as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

NIV: Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

NASB: whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. (Note: most translations above list this wording used in the NASB as an alternative, either one works in the Greek)

RVR1960: de quienes son los patriarcas, y de los cuales, según la carne, vino Cristo, el cual es Dios sobre todas las cosas, bendito por los siglos. Amén.

LBLA: de quienes son los patriarcas, y de quienes, según la carne, procede el Cristo, el cual está sobre todas las cosas, Dios bendito por los siglos. Amén.

Amazing verse! Use it whenever you encounter someone who tries to say that Jesus Christ is not God, or that Christ is not equal with the Father. Clearly, we have an infinite, unfathomable, yet intensely personal God, who has sent His Son into the world in human flesh, that we might be reborn in His resurrection image and likeness. Truly God is amazing!

Grace Abounding: Resources and Evangelism 1

2009-08-21T09:55:00.015-04:00

From Artwork

In this Grace Abounding post, let me first say that God's grace truly is amazing and abounds even to the lowest of His chosen creatures. I love reading Psalm 113, because in it, God is humbling Himself to help the nobodies and the poor and the ashamed women, and He is giving them a wonderful inheritance, all because He wanted to--all because of His grace!

• If you or anyone you know is suffering right now, then I recommend reading as many Grace Gems as you have time for.

• Pyromaniacs blog has had some wonderfully challenging posts and reposts all during this past week, on Biblical evangelism. This blog is truly educational when it comes to thinking Biblically and accurately.

• Some brief, and a few humorous observations between Atheism and Christianity are given in this post on the Contemporary Calvinist.

• And finally, please pray for more Biblical, grace and Christ centered evangelism both in our own country and around the world. Since persecution is so wide-spread now, we also have a great need for accurate Biblical doctrine, and focused prayer for all persecuted saints.

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ and are waiting eagerly for His return. Come Lord Jesus, our King and Savior! Amen.

From Artwork

John Piper: Understanding the Bible Brings Great Joy

2009-08-16T20:10:00.001-04:00

God’s Word, Good Exposition, Great Joy, Much Strength

August 16, 2009 | By: John Piper | Category: Commentary

Here’s another reason I am joyfully committed to expository exultation, that is, preaching.

Look at this amazing statement of what biblical exposition is like when it’s done well—in the power of God’s Spirit and riveted on biblical texts.

Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people.... [T]he Levites helped the people to understand the Law.... They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.... And all the people went their way...to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. (Nehemiah 8:5-8,12)

First, there was a reader of the word of God. Then there were those who explained the words. Then there was true understanding in the minds of the people. Then there was great rejoicing “because they hand understood the words.”

It is astonishing to me how many pastors apparently don’t believe in pursuing the joy of their people in this way. Evidently they think it doesn’t work. I’m sure there are many reasons for this abandonment of biblical exposition.

But I simply want to wave the flag and say: There was joy then. And there is joy today when God’s people see real, divine meaning in texts that they had not seen before.

If you want to see a strong church, keep in mind that it is no accident that in this very context the writer says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

What joy? The joy of verse 12: “All the people went their way...to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.”

God’s truth followed by faithful, Spirit-anointed exposition, leads to great joy, which is the strength of God’s people. So give the sense, brothers. Give the sense!

(From the desiringGod blog)

Grace and Great Men

2009-08-12T15:16:00.019-04:00

Who are the 3 most prolific writers of the Bible?

They are:
1) Moses

2) David

3) Paul

All three of these men were murderers.

When the Bible represents its heroes, it represents them as they are, without hiding their severe and serious faults.

They are real men, not make believe. They were also great heroes and have influenced the entire world with their writings more than any other writers who have ever lived.

We can learn from these guys what a real man of God is made of--the grace of God.

"Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17 Amplified).

Grace Gems: I Have All I Need

2009-08-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

A weak, defenseless and foolish creature!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"The Lord is my shepherd--I have everything I need." Psalm 23:1

"The Lord is my shepherd!" What condescension is this--that the Infinite Lord assumes the office and character of aShepherd towards His people! It should be the subject of grateful admiration, that the great God allows Himself to be compared to anything which will set forth His great love and care for His own people!

David had himself been a keeper of sheep, and understood both the needs of the sheep, and the many cares of a shepherd. He compares himself to a weak, defenseless and foolish creature--and he takes God to be his Provider, Preserver, Director, and, indeed, his everything!

No man has a right to consider himself the Lord's sheep--unless his nature has been renewed; for the Scriptural description of unconverted men does not picture them assheep--but as wolves or goats! A sheep is personal property--not a wild animal. Its owner sets great value on it, and frequently it is bought with a great price. It is well to know, as certainly as David did--that we belong to the Lord!

There is a noble tone of confidence in this sentence. There is no "if", nor "but", nor even an "I hope so". David says, "The Lord IS my shepherd." We must cultivate the spirit of assured dependence upon our heavenly Father.

The sweetest word of the whole verse, is that monosyllable, "MY". He does not say, "The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large," but "The Lord is MY shepherd!" He is a MY Shepherd to no one else--He cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me! The words are in the present tense. Whatever the believer's situation--he is constantly under the pastoral care of Jehovah Himself!

The next words are an encouraging inference from the first statement, "I have everything I need." I might lack otherwise--but when the Lord is my Shepherd--He isable to supply my needs--and He is certainly willing to do so, for His heart is full of love towards His people!

I shall not lack for temporal things. Does He not feed the ravens, and cause the lilies to grow? How, then, can He leave His childrento starve?

I shall not lack for spiritual things, I know that His grace will be sufficient for all my needs. Resting in Him--He will say to me, "As your days--so shall your strength be!"

I may not possess all that I wish for--but "I have everything I need." Others, far wealthier and wiser than I, may lack--but "I have everything I need." "The young lions may lack, and suffer hunger--but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any goodthing."

Come what may, if famine should devastate the land, or calamity destroy the city, "I have everything I need!" Old age with its feebleness shall not bring me any lack; and even death with its gloom--shall not find me destitute. I shall have all good things and abound; not because I have a large store of money in the bank, nor because I have skill and wit to sustain myself--but because "The Lord is my shepherd!"

The wicked always lack--but the righteous never! An unsaved person's heart is far from satisfaction--but a gracious heart dwells in the "palace of contentment!"

Grace Gems (choice ELECTRONIC books, sermons & quotes)

Grace Audio Treasures (choice AUDIO sermons)

Sovereign Grace Treasures (choice PRINTED books)

Why is Grace so great?

2009-08-11T09:02:00.005-04:00

Grace chooses the least worthy of honor

and bestows upon them so many benefits

that the One who chose and blessed them

is seen as gloriously lovely and praiseworthy.

(Psalm 103:1-5; Ephesians 1:3-7; 2:5-9; 1 Corinthians 1:26)

Grace reveals the face of the most Lovely

in the midst of trials to the most unlovely,

then makes them into that same lovely image.

(2 Corinthians 1:9; 3:18; 1 John 3:1-2)

But what is greatest about grace

is the joy of knowing and being known

by the glorious One who gave it.

(John 1:18; 1 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 2:7)

Grace Gems: Spurgeon on Grace for the Young

2009-08-07T09:13:00.002-04:00

Today's Puritan Audio Devotional:
"Altogether lovely!"
The preciousness of Christ
~ ~ ~ ~
Some of the advantages ofearly piety

(Charles Spurgeon)

I will just mention some of the advantages of early piety.

To be a believer in God early in life--is to be saved from a thousand regrets! Such a man shall never have to say that he carries in his bones--the sins of his youth. The Christian young man will not fall into the common sins of other young men, and injure his bodily health by excesses.

He will likely marry a Christian woman--and so have a holy companion in his journey towards Heaven.

Early piety helps us to formfriendships for the rest of life which will prove helpful--and saves us from those which are harmful. He will select as his associates, the godly from the church--and not the rogues from the tavern. They will be his helpers in virtue--and not his tempters to vice. Depend upon it--a great deal depends upon whom we choose for our companions early in life. If we start in bad company--it is very hard to break away from it.

The man brought to Christ early in life has this further advantage--that he is helped to form holy habits--and is saved from being the slave of sinful ones. Habits soon become second nature; to form new ones is hard work; but those formed in youth-- usually remain to old age.

Moreover, I notice that very frequently, those who are brought to Christ while young, grow in grace more rapidly and readily than others do. They have not so much tounlearn--and they have not such aheavy weight of old sinful memoriesto carry. The scars and bleeding sores which come from havingspent years in the service of the devil--are missed by those whom the Lord brings into His church early, before they have wandered far into the sinful pleasures of this evil world.

I cannot commend early piety too highly. How attractive it is! Grace looks loveliest in youth! That which would not be noticed in the grown-up man--strikes at once the most careless observer, when seen in a child. Grace in a child has a convincing force--the infidel drops his weapon and admires. A word spoken by a child abides in the memory, and its artless accents touch the heart. Where the minister's sermon fails--the child's prayer may gain the victory!

We have posted Spurgeon's superb sermon, "Early Piety--Eminent Piety". Must reading for parents and those who teach children!

Grace Gems (choice ELECTRONIC books, sermons & quotes)

Grace Audio Treasures (choice AUDIO sermons)

Sovereign Grace Treasures (choice PRINTED books)

Grace and Vengeance in Psalm 94

2009-08-05T12:51:00.009-04:00

As I read Psalm 94 today, I realized quickly from the first verse, that this Psalm is all about asking God to take vengeance on those who are persecuting the righteous people in the land.

We don't always realize it naturally, but such a Psalm is written for our instruction and encouragement, so that through it we would have hope (Romans 15:4).

How might such a Psalm offer hope? Or how does it administer grace to its readers?

Simple... by calling our attention to the One True Living God who can be trusted to bring about justice for the oppressed and innocent who have been murdered. God's grace can be trusted in times of great injustice and persecution, because He will avenge.

In the midst of horrible injustice, the Psalmist said, "If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. If I should say, "My foot has slipped," Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul." (Psalm 94:17,18,19 NAS).

When we hope and delight in the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10), we can rest assured that justice will one day be meeted out to all the oppressors, and God will raise the dead in Christ Jesus to eternal righteousness forever! Amen!

Psalm 94 ESV

O Lord, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth!
Rise up, O judge of the earth;
repay to the proud what they deserve!
O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked exult?
They pour out their arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.
They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
They kill the widow and the sojourner,
and murder the fatherless;
and they say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who teaches man knowledge—
the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,
that they are but a breath.

Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.

Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame injustice by statute?
They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
He will bring back on them their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Why Paul Wrote with Tears

2009-08-03T12:52:00.007-04:00

In the second letter Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, he explained why his previous letter was written out of so much heartache:

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.

(2 Corinthians 2:4 NAS)

Praying with King David

2009-07-30T12:04:00.005-04:00

I've been reading over David's prayer in Psalm 86, saying "Amen" and praying it for myself over and over again. I thank the Holy Spirit for inspiring this prayer for our instruction and hope (Romans 15:4).

What I love about this Psalm is how it is a reminder of the God to whom David called to, and who I call out to everyday for help. The Lord who alone is God (v10), who is my God (v2), and the Lord who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (v15).

We need to be often reminded of the character of the God to whom we pray and rely on. And such is the God in whom I confidently trust by His grace and through His Son!

Psalm 86 (ESV)

A Prayer of David.

1 Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.
8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14 O God, insolent men have risen up against me;
a band of ruthless men seek my life,
and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant,
and save the son of your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

What is Grace? The Bible's Perspective on Painful Grace

2009-07-29T11:59:00.006-04:00

When we talk about grace, what do we mean?

It often depends on the context of our conversation. If we are talking about music, grace means one thing, but when talking about how people interact in relationships, grace means something else.

What do we mean when we talk about God's grace?

Often, we guess at this, because our understanding of grace has been shaped, for the most part, by the culture we are brought up in.

At the church I participate in, we often talk about the grace of God in salvation. We speak of Ephesians chapter two, and how we are brought from spiritual death to spiritual life, and made heirs of the Kingdom of Christ by the Sovereign work of God's grace, given to us through the death and life of His dear Son.

But now, I want to take a look at a passage of Scripture that teaches me to think of grace in a way most of us are not familiar enough with. Which is that the worst pains in our lives, according to the Bible, are actually the grace of the our Lord Jesus Christ being worked out in our lives. Christians who experience hardship, are experiencing it for completely different reasons than unbelievers most of the time. What happens to you or to me is never an accident, but is part of the Sovereign grace of God.

Take a look at 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations [Paul had seen visions and received revelation in heaven from the Lord], for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!

Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.

And He 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.

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (NASB)

That is not an unfamiliar passage to me. I've heard that last line quoted all my life, "for when I am weak, then am I strong." However the concept is what is radically contrary to our natural way of thinking, even if we've been familiar with it for a long time. The concept that grace gives us pain so that we may not glory in ourselves, but in the power of Christ.

For this reason, let us exalt in our lowly positions that we find ourselves in. Whether it is pain, persecution, distress, difficulties, insults, weakness, heartache or whatever situation you find yourself in by the Sovereign Providence of God.

What I say to you, I say to myself here: Be well content with it my friend. The power of Christ will dwell in you for the glory of God and for your joy in Him.

Paul Tripp's Podcast Audio Free

2009-07-28T08:34:00.000-04:00

I think anyone who listens to Paul David Tripp will find it extremely helpful. Go ahead and take a listen on the link below!

Paul Tripp Ministries Inc. audio

"Your life is always shaped by desire"

2009-07-27T13:02:00.006-04:00

This post by Paul Tripp about Psalm 73:25 on his blog spoke directly to me, right where I'm at. It is worth a few minutes of your time to read:

"...And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you." (v.25b)

You and I are creatures of desire. There is nothing you ever choose, do, or say that is not the product of desire. Desire not only directs your choices, it shapes your dreams. Desire forms your moments of greatest joy and darkest grief. Desire makes you envious of one person while being glad you're not another. Desire keeps you awake at night or puts you soundly to sleep. Desire makes you willing to get up in the morning or causes you to be frustrated at the end of the day. Desire makes you expectant and hopeful in one moment, and demanding and complaining in the next. Desire sometimes makes you susceptible to temptation and at other times is the thing that defends you against it. Desire can lift you up to God or it can make you a willing friend of the devil. Desire can make you a celebrant or drive you to the pit of depression. Desire can make you the best of friends or cause you to drive people away. Desire can cause you to lovingly edit your words or make you willing let it rip with little regard for the damage your words will do. Desire will make you willing to give or cause you to hoard everything you have. Desire will cause you to submit to the King or to set yourself up as king. Desire can cause you to fight for freedom or can be the very thing that causes you to be addicted. Desire can give you power or rob you of the power that could be yours. Desire is your biggest problem and one of God's sweetest graces. But there is one thing for sure; your life is always shaped by desire.

The great spiritual war that is being fought for control of our hearts is a war of desire. (See James 4:1-4 and I Peter 2:11). Remember this biblical principle; whatever rules your heart will control your words and behavior. You and I are human beings. We do not live by instinct. We have been designed by God with the capacity to desire. This means that everything you do or say is done or spoken out of the want for something...

Continue reading here...

Jesus, Doctor of Sinners

2009-07-27T07:36:00.001-04:00

(This is another repost from August 23, 2008, originally published under the title: Jesus Came to Save Sinners [go to the link to see previous comments])

As I read through Luke, a chapter a day, I pray to the Holy Spirit that He would teach me to understand it rightly. I have been noticing that there is a common theme throughout the gospel of Luke, there is a certain emphasis, it seems. Luke makes it clear that Jesus came to seek and to save sinners. The parable of the Lost Sheep, the parable of the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, the Rich Young Ruler, all these stories and much more emphasize that people are sinners who are lost and need the right Shepherd to come and find them. Consider Zacchaeus from Luke 19:1-10 ESV:

"He [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through." [I remember another famous story about a sinner saved in Jericho, her name was Rahab the prostitute.] "And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich." [Of course, being a tax collector in those days was as low as scum, but Zac was a chief tax collector and was rich.] "And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way." [It is interesting how lowly sinful people were drawn to Jesus in the gospels.] "And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today." [Zacchaeus only wanted to see Jesus pass by, but Jesus wants to see Zacchaeus face to face. The Lord said he must stay at Zac's house. Wonder why?] "So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." [Zacchaeus received Jesus with joy. It makes me wonder that there are people who say they are Christians, but do not react with joy when receiving Jesus. Desperate sinners always find joy in the one and only Savior of sinners. On the other hand, the others could not equate themselves as low as this vile sinner, and so they had no lasting joy in the Lord.] "And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." [Zacchaeus was not ashamed to stand before the Lord and call Him "Lord." He acknowledged Jesus as his Lord, Master, King, God, Judge. 'Lord' means Jesus rules over my life. I belong to Him and submit myself to His rule and judgment. He must be our Lord if he is to be our Savior. This shows that Zacchaeus repented. Jesus had taught in Luke 13 that unless we repent, we will perish (Luke 13:2-3). Zacchaeus showed his repentant heart by what he did. Money was no longer his treasure - Jesus was.] "And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham." [Salvation came to Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus did not come to salvation - it was Jesus who came to his house. Jesus called him a son of Abraham, which meant he belonged to Jesus, was an heir of the promise, a believer (see Galatians 3:29).] "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." [Jesus, the Son of Man (God became a man - John 1:14), came to seek and to save the lost. Abraham's children are lost sinners, and here we see a wonderful example of the Savior seeking those He came to Save. Jesus said in John 10:28, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." Romans 5:8 says, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."]

As I read through Luke, it strikes me how much this theme is carried through. That Jesus saves sinners. What a hopeful message to wretches (such as myself)! It is the lost children of Abraham, who are lost sinners, whom Jesus came to save. We must repent when we receive Jesus with joy. Repentance is a positive two-fold action granted to us by the Holy Spirit. When we repent, we turn from treasuring sin to treasuring Christ (like Zacchaeus when he heartily gave away his riches, because he had a better inheritance in the Savior). Faith always sees more value in Christ than in the fleeting and damning pleasures of sin. As I walk with my Lord and Savior, my prayer is continually, "Lord, turn me from my sin, cause me to do what you command." I know that anything wrong I do is from my own evil heart, but anything good is a gift granted by my Lord, who came to save sinners - even the worst of them (1 Timothy 1:15). It always amazes me... Jesus came to seek and save the lost... and He never fails!

All I can say is, what grace! What a Savior! Can you relate?

Things I Was and Continue To Be Thankful For

2009-07-24T11:11:00.007-04:00

(This is a repost, originally published November 27, 2008, under the title Things I'm Thankful For: just sharing from my heart.)

First, I am thankful to YHWH (Jehovah, the LORD) because He is goodand His steadfast love, His lovingkindness and mercy endures forever:"Give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever." (Psalm 136:1). And also Psalm 138:2, "I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted your word above all your name."

I am also thankful that He chose me, loving me forever, even though I am the least worthy of the smallest dirt-crumb of loving kindness from the King of all ages. He loved me by giving His Son to die for me and rise so that I am accepted in His presence, not just for a little while, but forever and ever and ever! (I already feel humbled to the floor just by this thought).

I am thankful for the Bible in English, because that is my language, and people were literally hunted down, arrested, imprisoned, tortured, murdered, strangled and burned for translating the Bible into this language.

I am thankful for everything because I have eternal life, and so everything, whether good or bad is working out for good in eternity according to God's purpose (Rom. 8:28).

Therefore, I am thankful for grass, and for the sky, for stars, and for family.

For frogs and for salamanders, for water, for the internet, for self-control, for the Holy Spirit in me doing His work by God's grace.

For friends, and for enemies.

For disease, hurts, broken relationships, emotional pain, mental confusion, the misunderstandings and slander of people who do not love the truth.

For wearisome toil, for traffic, for Satan's opposition, for my own temporary humiliation, for God's grace that works through faith which works by love.

For God's promises, and for the birth from above.

For being separated from the world.

I'm thankful for my mother and father, for my niece and nephew, for my brothers and sister.

Even more, I'm thankful I have true brethren in Philly, Pittsburgh, and all around the world who are my eternal family in Christ (we'll be together forever). I'm also thankful for sugar, and insulin too :)

Honestly, I don't feel very thankful right now, but I truly am, and I am thankful that God will flood my heart again and again with thanksgiving at the right time... Oh, Lord, make me a thankful man!

How about you?

God bless to all who are resting in the righteousness of our King Jesus!

But He Gives More Grace

2009-07-22T10:00:00.001-04:00

(This is a repost, originally published June 18, 2008, under the title He Gives Grace to the Humble.)

I have been thinking a lot about grace as a result of writing these blog posts. So when I read what James chapter four says, it touched my heart deeply and made me see more clearly the wonder of the grace of the Lord Jesus.

James 4:1 says, "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your pleasures are at war within you?" (ESV). It goes on to say that these desires cause us to murder (hatred is murder in the heart), covet, fight and quarrel. "You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your pleasures." (4:2,3). So there are two problems that our sinful nature leads us to fall into; 1) not asking God for things, and 2) asking with selfish and sinful motives. This causes all kinds of evil to bubble up within us.

James has a name for the people he described, "You adulteresses!" This is not referring to physical adultery, but to spiritual adultery, because it says, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." Friendship with the world is enmity with God. That is strong language! The enemies of God are his enemies because they hate Him. "For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads." (Psalm 83:2). They do not want to love Him or obey Him. They would rather have God serve them by giving what they ask for in prayer, so they can use it to satisfy their own evil desires. "Your enemies take your name in vain." (Psalm 139:20).

Verse 5 says, "Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us'?" This is why spiritual adultery is so horrible, because God is jealous over the spirit of His people. God wants our spirit to be set on Him. He is the only One who can truly satisfy us. Our worship and love must be for Him only, or else we are idolators. And after I read these verses, my heart broke. I knew that I'm guilty of these things. I know I still sin, even after He has given me His Holy Spirit to be with me. As A. W. Pink said, "I am vile." I feel this deep within me. But I have hope, and it is no small hope, but hope that is confident, joyful and full of expectation. Here's why:

"But he gives more grace." What?! That's crazy! "More grace"? To those who hate Him? To those who turn from Him to spiritual adultery? Yes, "Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Spiritual adultery is a pride issue. Every person on earth is guilty, and God is opposed to them because of their pride and resistance to His will. God opposes the proud. He does not allow them to get what they want, but gives them what they deserve, ultimately, hell. But there is hope for the humble, because He gives them grace. Those who are humble are the same who are guilty of cheating on God. They are humble because they know they are guilty and are at His mercy. Yet, He has grace for them. Not for the unrepentant, but for those who are humble. Humble because of their guilt. Humble because of their shame and because they now see what they have done to God. To them, "He gives more grace." Unbelievable!

I don't have time to go on about the rest of the verses in James four, but will end with this thought: How does God give grace to the humble and why? The answer to that question is one verse in Romans five: "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." (Romans 5:10). God opposes the proud, but gives grace to those who humble themselves in repentance, drawing near to Him and fleeing from sinful pursuits, because His Son died to reconcile them. Much more shall we who are reconciled, be saved by the life of the Son of God, who gave Himself for our sins and overcame our death by rising from the dead, so that we might live to God through Him.

If you are humbly trusting in Christ, will you join me in giving thanks to our God for His awesome grace? Praise His wonderful name!

Practical Christianity 2

2009-07-20T08:01:00.001-04:00

Another very encouraging sermon from my pastor on Romans 12 about how Christians are to relate to one another. The body of Christ is made up of believers with different gifts and different levels of faith, yet they are all members of one another and are called to serve one another in love as Christ first loved us.

(Click here to go get the mp3, or listen to the player below.)

We have to die with Christ in order to be raised with Him

2009-07-18T10:16:00.005-04:00

It is painful to die, especially the kind of death that Jesus Christ our Lord died when they beat Him, mocked Him and hung Him on a tree. However on the third day, Jesus resurrected and appeared to His disciples who were astonished with great fear and great joy.

Death is painful and hard and brings many tears, while resurrection is joyful and happy and brings tears of relief.

Let us remember, that as followers of the eternal Son of God, we are going to suffer and die with Him in order that we may share in His great resurrection joy.

Our death is to self, to sin and to this evil world, yet our life will be forever to God. Oh, even the most hurting Christian can praise Him for that! Hallelujah! Amen.

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34).

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:24-26).

For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:10-11).

...that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11).

The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; (2 Timothy 2:11).

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18).

What Matters Most? Why Misfortune Happens to the Righteous

2009-07-15T12:41:00.008-04:00

In Psalm 73, Asaph struggled with the thought that wicked people were more blessed than those who spent their lives seeking to do what is right. He saw that good people suffered, while those who disregarded God's ways seemed blessed and fulfilled all their lives.

Asaph was about ready to give up, thinking his struggle to be pure was all in vain. He said, "When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end."

Asaph saw that though misfortune happens often to the righteous in this life, while good and plenty often fills the unrighteous, that the end of the unrighteous would be disaster. That is, they would be punished forever in hell.

All this turmoil greatly troubled Asaph in his mind, but it led him to write these words:

"When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.

Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

(Psalm 73:21-26 NAS).

What a challenge Psalm 73 is for us today, who want things to go well for us, and we wine and complain when it goes bad. But if we have been washed pure by the blood of the Son of God, made righteous by faith in Him, given new life through His resurrection and have His Spirit dwelling within our hearts, then we need to learn to speak to God like Asaph did. But it is sufferings and trials that lead us to say, as he did:

"Oh God, there is nothing in heaven or on this earth that I desire more than to be near You."

Oh my Lord, help me know this desire deep within and express it in all I do and say. Amen.

Grace Gems: May He add to me the crowning mercy of a thankful heart!

2009-07-13T18:41:00.004-04:00

I am still sadly deficient in practice!

(Letters of John Newton)

Who that had seen me as a slave in Africa, could have expected what has since taken place! How unworthy am I of all that I have received--and most unworthy of the honor of preaching the Gospel, which I too long despised and blasphemed! The language of Psalm 40:5 suits my soul well, "Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You! Were I to speak and tell of them--they would be too many to declare!" There is no end to the inventory of my mercies! May He who has given so much to me, and done so much for me--add the crowning mercy of a thankful heart! Though I can talk of thankfulness, I feel much insensibility and hardness of heart; but, I know that, while sin dwells in me, it will have such effects.

Alas! though I know in theory what a Christian should be--I am still sadly deficient in practice! I am a poor creature, and see much to be ashamed of every day, and in every circumstance. Yet, though sin will distress--it cannot condemn, those who believe in Jesus! "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!" Romans 8:1

Grace Gems (choice ELECTRONIC books, sermons & quotes)

Grace Audio Treasures (choice AUDIO sermons)

Sovereign Grace Treasures (choice PRINTED books)

You may simply 'unsubscribe' at our home page.

Practical Christianity - How God's love relates to ours for one another

2009-07-12T19:04:00.012-04:00

Practical Christianity 1 by Pastor Mark Loeffert (to get the Mp3 Link)

Practical Christianity can only work when Christians deal properly with their relation to God, to the love of Christ and to ourselves. Then we will be filled with God’s love for our fellow believers in a right way.

We are called to love true brothers and sisters in Christ, as the Lord Jesus loved us, by suffering for them. True obedience to God must be motivated out of His love for us, then demonstrated by our love for other Christians, and in all our relationships to other people.

Grace Gems: From Health to Death in Three Days

2009-07-11T09:21:00.003-04:00

He became sick on Saturday--and died on Monday!

(Letters of John Newton)

Dear friend,
Two people who were well the day you left us--have since died. One of them has already been buried--he was a poor ungodly creature, suddenly cut off in the prime of life! The other man was young, jovial, jesting and thoughtless. He became sick on Saturday--and died on Monday!

Oh, my friend, what do we owe to the grace of God--that we were not cut off in the days of our ignorance--as so many others have been!

Blessed be God for Jesus Christ--He is exalted to "save to the uttermost!" That word 'uttermost' has an extensive meaning--it includes a conquest over all difficulties, and a supply of all that is necessary! How totally, and how often, would I have been lost--had not Jesus engaged to save me to the uttermost! And many a time I would have given up all hope--but for that text, "He is able to save to the uttermost!" "To the uttermost" reaches to all possible circumstances. He can . . .
enlighten the most ignorant,
soften the most obdurate,
support the most tempted,
comfort the most distressed,
pardon the most guilty!

Oh, may His precious name be engraved upon our hearts, and sound sweeter than music to our ears--for He has loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and will save us to the uttermost--in defiance of . . .
all our sins,
all our fears and
all our enemies!

Grace Gems (choice ELECTRONIC books, sermons & quotes)

Grace Audio Treasures (choice AUDIO sermons)

Sovereign Grace Treasures (choice PRINTED books)

You may simply 'unsubscribe' at our home page.

Hymns that Communicate Grace

2009-07-09T21:33:00.008-04:00

Sometimes pain is too much for words, other times peace escapes us, and even burdens laden us while we are crying out to God in prayer. Yet, is there no wonder to the reason why God has orchestrated songs to comfort us in hard times? It is a wonder, and I am thankful that my grandmother knows so many of my favorite songs, because now we are singing them together every Thursday night after we spend a little time talking, reading the Bible, meditating on God's wonders and praying for people. Here are some songs we love to sing, and did sing tonight as we comforted one another with the words and our voices:

1. Great is Thy Faithfulness
2. What a Friend We Have In Jesus
3. Teach Me Lord to Wait
4. Just and Right is He

Here are the lyrics with some presently meaningful lines highlighted (and below are the You Tube videos):

1. Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Refrain

2. What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

3. (This song is one my grandma taught me)

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength
They shall mount up with wings as eagles
They shall run and not be weary
They shall walk and not be faint
Teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait.

Teach me Lord to wait, down on my knees
'till in your own good time you've answered my pleas
Help me not to rely on what others do
but to wait in prayer for an answer from you

4. (This one I was also taught by her, but she learned it from an old pastor who would sing it every Sunday in front of his congregation before he preached. I had the privilege of seeing him do this one time on resurrection Sunday. This song is from Deuteronomy 32:4).

He is the Rock, His work is perfect:
for all His ways are judgment:
a God of truth and without iniquity
just and right is He
Just and right is He
Hallelujah!
Just and right is He
A God of truth and without iniquity
Just and right is He.

1.

2.
3.

Grace Abounding in York this evening

2009-07-07T20:30:00.007-04:00

I hit the streets of York with Matt this evening, after having a brief chat and study on sin together at McDonald's. I was asked, "Do you struggle with sin?" How could I answer "No"! Of course I do, and my biggest struggle is S-E-L-F, which is simply an acronym for self. My prayer is to be led by the Spirit and put this enemy to death, as we focused our attention back to our great Savior of sinners.

After we left McDonald's, we first prayed, then started walking. We offered tracks to those who passed by. The first man seemed like a possible true believer, although he really didn't stop to talk with us much.

We walked around the block, and as we passed by the Market court, we saw a group of homeless guys sitting around. So we went to them and recognized some of them. I sat with one guy and talked loud enough for the others to hear. We covered heaven, hell, the law, repentance, the cross, faith in Christ, grace, the Holy Spirit in salvation, the resurrection of Christ, judgment. This conversation set the stage for all the rest I had tonight. There was also a woman there trying to have a ministry to these guys, and another lady with a squirrel tattoo on her arm feeding squirrels.

The guy was drinking a little, so after shaking hands about three times, we left them and walked up the street. There we met someone sitting on a bench in high 80 degree weather with winter socks on and a winter coat. He was younger than most homeless guys, and seemed a little mentally slow. So I talked with him about salvation for a while. He listened patiently but wouldn't accept a New Testament from me.

That was when two young fellows came strolling by, occupied with thoughts of smoking weed. I caught them as they were passing and began asking them questions. They were stunned as we went through all the things I mentioned above, and were clearly at the dividing line. Either repent and leave all behind to find eternal life in Christ, or perish forever in hell for every sinful deed whether bad or good.

"I want to trust God so I'll have a good life," one said. I replied, "If you trust Christ, your life will become worse, not better." He was shocked and didn't understand at first, asking, "Why?" I said, "Because God promised that you would suffer with Christ if you trust in Him."

We talked long, and I went on to explain that it would not be easy, but that there would still be joy, there would still be peace with God, eternal life, glory with Christ, but this life would be harder. They could not understand that, and soon after this they left. But the message was clear, "Jesus said, 'Repent and believe the good news." And I explained clearly why it is called "Good News", because salvation is freely given to those who have no righteousness of their own, nothing good in themselves, but who trust in Jesus Christ and submit to His Lordship, receiving Him for all that He is, their Life, their Prophet, Priest and King.

They got the message and left. Oh, that my compassion for the lost might be more like my Lord's, who wept for them. I feel very inadequate for this, but thankful for grace.

Grace Abounding: 4th of July, 2009 and Answer to prayer for a muslim

2009-07-04T23:46:00.015-04:00

I am so glad that my relationship with God is real!

What do I mean? I mean, I know God and He knows me, and He continually reminds me of this everyday. His mercy toward me is greater than any earthly father or mother or friend.

God is my God, my Maker and my Savior. I know the Father, because I know His Son and the love He has shown. I know His Holy Spirit, who is working in me to know Christ Jesus. This is a supernatural thing, a work begun by God about 7 years ago, which has continued on till today. Praise be to the only God and my all in all!

I just wanted to say all that. (You can read John, Romans, Ephesians, Philippians and 1 John if you need to know where I'm coming from).

Ok, now on to the news.

Today had its ups and downs, but the Providence of God was clearly seen in it. When I arrived at 69th Street and saw pastor Mark witnessing to a guy, and Herman Lee handing out tracts, I went up and greeted brother Herman. He told me his son Andre was with him, but he was up the street window shopping.

When Andre came back, I said hello and exchanged a few greetings then I gave him one of my tracts, which I wrote here (we had met once before in the same spot). Andre is with the sunni muslims, but his dad has been witnessing to him when he can. I also think he's had some hard experiences and is searching for the answers or the truth.

After we spent an hour handing out tracts and meeting people on 69th Street, we went back to pastor Mark's place. There Andre spent an hour letting us talk to him about the gospel and the Bible. He asked a few questions, but we did a lot of sharing the good news. He was very open to it all. I gave him a Greasy the Robber booklet and an Is the Bible Reliable (Piper) pamphlet. He accepted them and seemed eager to read them in his search for truth.

I praise God for this, because we have prayed for him. Herman has prayed for him a lot and requested our prayers, and now we had this opportunity. Praise be to the Lord!

I drove home after that and spent the evening with my family and grandmother, who we call Gram. We were at her house in the woods, eating together and setting off fireworks, with the Amish neighbor's watching. The Amish girls that came to watch lost their dad a number of years ago, so I think I should begin praying much more for them as well. Their brothers did not join us for whatever reason, and the other farm neighbor's were away on vacation. But the sunset was beautiful and the fireflies were just as amazing as all the fireworks we saw.

There was also an incident with two young cows at home, that happened later, but that was brief. The dog was excited to see us arrive home, and when I got on my computer, I read some questions a friend had for me about God's Sovereignty and Christ's return. We as believers need to be ready and excited for Him to return at any time.

The Lord is in control of the hardest times as well as the good, and I am certainly glad to be one of His. Are you?

This is grace abounding today, which is now Sunday, July 5th. Grace and peace!

Hope to Endure

2009-07-01T12:02:00.005-04:00

As born-again Christians, we have many responsibilities to be obedient and loyal to our loving Savior who called us and forgave us and made us His own. (Romans 1:6,7).

We still struggle intensely in the flesh, and so it will never be easy to endure during these last days (Galatians 5:17; James 5:11; 1 Peter 2:19). But if we have been tested and found to be true believers, bearing the fruits of repentance and of the Holy Spirit, then we have a strong hope that nothing will be too much for us (1 Corinthians 10:13; Matthew 3:8; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9). God is with us in the darkest and hardest sides of life (Psalm 112:4; Hebrews 13:5). His promises still hold true. (Hebrews 10:23; James 1:12)

Whatever condition you are in today, I want to encourage anyone who reads, to be humble before our Father in heaven, be strong in the Lord and take courage, don't be afraid of the future and live in obedient submission to Christ in everything. Always loving and bearing with the saints, building each other up in the Lord and always abounding in His service. The Lord will strengthen you with His might and strength. And let's never forget to pray for one another.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

(Philippians 4:4-7 NAS).

Grace to all who endure with hope in Christ!

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,

Love never ends.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)

My Doctrinal Statement 2

2009-06-30T12:46:00.001-04:00

3. Creation: God created everything by His own Word and power (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 1:2-3,10; 11:3; 2 Peter 3:5; Revelation 4:11). God Himself is the only non-created, self-existent Being. He created all things by His own will and for His own glory, each Person of the Trinity having a role in creation (Isaiah 40:28; Romans 1:20; Malachi 2:10; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Psalm 104:30). We believe in a literal 6-day Creation account found in the first chapter of the Bible, which is also backed up by God's own words concerning the origin of the Sabbath day in the Ten Commandments (Genesis 1; Exodus 20:11). We do not believe it was too difficult for God to create everything in 6 days, neither do we believe it will be hard for Him to quickly destroy everything and create all things new again in the age to come (Revelation 21:1; Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; Hebrews 2:5; 2 Peter 3:13).

My Doctrinal Statement

2009-06-18T19:54:00.016-04:00

I am thinking through some things about writing a short (as far as I'm concerned) doctrinal statement. Here is what I've written so far:

Doctrinal Statement:

1. The Bible: the Bible alone is the infallible, inerrant Word of God, breathed out by the Holy Spirit and is sufficient for all knowledge of faith and practice as Christians. We interpret the Bible literally based on the intent of the author, context and logical flow of thought, realizing that having a correct historical understanding of the Bible (taking it at its word) is key to rightly understanding and obeying God's will. The Bible should not be interpreted allegorically or metaphorically unless context suggests such, and at that point, interpreting the Bible with the Bible is also necessary (although we do believe there can also be spiritual meaning found behind literal facts of Scripture, as in Galatians 4:24). (Matt. 22:29; John 10:35; Acts 1:16; Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Romans 12:2; 15:4; 16:26; etc.). Additionally, all Scripture must be recognized as Christ-centered (Luke 24:27,32,45; John 5:39; John 20:31; Acts 18:28; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; etc.).

2. God: God exists as the only Sovereign Being, eternally self-existent, holy (set apart from all of creation), and that He is one yet triune (three in one – Trinity, existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit), the Creator and Sustainer of all things who is infinitely worthy of all worship. All things exist by God's own will and for His glory, and we know Him by revelation in two primary ways, 1. by the revelation in nature through creation, and 2. by the revelation of the holy Scriptures given through His chosen people Israel. (Genesis 1:1; Romans 1:19,20,21; 3:2; Exodus 3:14; John 8:24,58; Psalm 71:19; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 9:6; 40:28; 55:6-7,8-9; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:10-11; John 1:1-3,14,18; 1 Timothy 6:13-14,15-16; Titus 2:13; Revelation 5:12-13; 22:12-21 etc.).

More to be continued...

3. Creation:
4. Man:
5. The Law & the Gospel:
6. Salvation:
7. Judgment:
8. about secondary matters:

Just meditate on this

2009-06-16T17:03:00.005-04:00

For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the LORD, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:32-36 NASB).

Just meditate on that.

Grace Abounding: Evangelism cancer, church, the love of Christ

2009-06-15T22:10:00.007-04:00

Evangelism in Philadelphia is exciting. Why? For many reasons, including that I'm praying to be useful to the Lord in the service of His gospel (good news), I am so excited to get out there and share what I've been learning through study, praying for the nations of the world and learning about them is extremely exciting when I meet people from those very continents! and many more reasons.

I'm also excited to be learning to speak in tongues, such as Spanish, as well as bits and pieces of other languages.

My uncle is very sick and in a lot of pain from having Mesothelioma cancer. I'm praying for him daily. Oh how we need the Holy Spirit to awaken our hearts to the truths contained in Scripture, because our time on earth is so short.

My pastor and church are growing in grace along with difficulties that have arisen lately. How I am so grateful to be a part of this small band of believers. We are learning to exhort one another toward love and obedience in faith. May Christ truly be honored by us as we consider ourselves very small in His great Kingdom. May all who join us in praising our Savior be blessed as we worship the Lamb who for us was slain.

Grace to all who read my blog and may God bless you with strength to be able to comprehend with all the saints the overwhelming love of Christ (Ephesians 3:14-21).

Justified by Works or Faith?

2009-06-09T06:32:00.008-04:00

"So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace." (Romans 11:5-6).

What part of the above verse leaves any room for adding works to our salvation?

However, a lot of people insist that because James 2:14-26 says "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone" (James 2:24), that it means we are not justified by faith alone before God. Is that what James is actually saying?

On the surface it may appear that James is teaching something he is not. Context is always key. When James speaks of being justified, he could be using this term differently than when Paul uses it. Just check the Biblical uses in context of the word justified. You will see that there are many different ways that word is used in Scripture.

Some people see this as a contradiction. They claim that James and Paul contradict each other, as any unbeliever would be delighted to point out. But from the perspective of the Bible, this cannot be true, since there are valid explanations of this difference within the Bible itself.

We need to recognize the Bible teaches that the very same faith which works, as well as the power in the new birth in order to work, are both given by the Father of heavenly lights (James 1:17-18). The fact that faith, as well as every other "good gift" named in the Bible comes as a gift from God, is very plain in Scripture. It is stated also in Ephesians 2:8, where we are told that the faith by which we are saved, is the gift of God.

James seems to be proving from the examples of Abraham and Rahab that they were justified in their claim to have faith by the works they performed in faith. I draw this conclusion from the words James used in James 2:18, when he speaks of showing his faith by his works. In other words, "I will justify myself as having real and living faith, by my works." James is contrasting the dead faith without works with that which justifies.

So in the teaching of James, a man is justified as having living (not dead) faith by his works. He does not say that a man (or woman, as in Rahab) is justified as perfectly righteous before a Holy God by works. Rather, he seems to be reasoning that the person God justifies shows or proves it by their works. This is called being justified, since a person is justified as having faith by the works they perform. We see this same concept repeated in Hebrews 11, where many more examples are given.

I recently argued over this with someone, who still does not agree with me. However, I believe we can conclude confidently what Paul says in Romans chapter 3:

"Therefore, we conclude a man to be justified by faith without works of Law." (Romans 3:28).

How to Stand Up For Your Faith

2009-06-04T12:24:00.003-04:00

This post continues my thoughts from the last post.

As Christians, we must always be ready to give a defense for our faith (1 Peter 3:15). But that does not mean that we must know all the historical facts about the Bible, how to explain science in accordance with Biblical revelation, etc. etc..

I believe we must always be learning more about how to defend the Bible in the face of intolerant liberalism using that kind of information. But what is the average Christian going to say to his unbelieving family members who accuse him of being "brain-washed"? What is the average Christian going to say to her co-workers who think she is being "too strict about her beliefs"? and the list goes on.

What better answer can you give than to simply reply:

I cannot do this, behave like that, agree with you, or be a different way, simply because Jesus Christ died for me. The Son of God, whom I serve and love and enjoy, gave His life for me, gave me the Bible by His Spirit, and has reconciled me to His Father. I know God my friends, and so I cannot change.

We have a defense, it is the gospel.

God bless!

Human Reconciliation with God

2009-06-03T19:18:00.003-04:00

"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." (Romans 5:10).

The meaning of this text is simple and clear. We (meaning Christians born again by the work of the Holy Spirit) were reconciled (brought into a peaceful relationship with) God, even while we were His very enemies.

What a statement!

We (Christians) were enemies of God; and while we were His enemies, we were brought back to God in a right relationship and belief in Him.

How did this happen?

By the death of His very own Son, God made us to be reconciled. And not only that, but by the life of Christ (resurrection) we will be saved forever from the ultimate wrath of God (Romans 5:9-10).

This means that our reconciliation was made effective by one act in history -- the death of the Son of God. That is how and when we were reconciled to God.

To the non-believer, or anyone living in unrepentance, there is no peace with God, no friendship with God, no escape from the wrath of God, whether one believes in His existence or not.

The only reason why Christians can claim a right knowledge of God, a right relationship to God and a right hope with God, is because Jesus Christ died and rose again for us.

That is our only boast.

We are nothing but recipients of undeserved mercy, and so we have become Christians because Christ died to bring us into peace with Him. The unreconciled are left fighting against God and ultimately defeated by Him without reconciliation.

So in order to explain ourselves, the reason why Christians are the way we are and have the hope we have is one reason -- Jesus died for us.

You cannot ask us to change our minds, we cannot change our minds, because God has reconciled us to Himself by the death of His Son. This is our solid defense and unfailing hope.

He has done it, we can't deny it.

"While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son."

The Bible is Always Unshakably True

2009-06-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

Truly Objective

by John MacArthur

Biblical truth is objective. It is true by itself. It is true whether or not we feel it’s true. It is true whether or not it has been validated by someone’s experience. It is true because God says it is true. It is wholly true, and it is true down to the smallest jot and tittle. Psalm 119:160 says, “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”

That is the very starting point and the necessary foundation for a truly Christian world-view. Give up the ground of biblical truth, and whatever belief-system you have left is not worthy to be labeled Christian, even if it retains vestiges of Christian symbolism and terminology.

Many who would call themselves Christians today are in precisely that situation. They use the language and symbolism of Christianity, but their real source of authority is something besides Scripture. Some simply live by their feelings and shape their beliefs in accord with their own personal preferences. Others actually claim God speaks directly to them through voices, strong impressions, or vague feelings which they interpret as direct revelations from the Holy Spirit. Still others think of the Scriptures as an improvisational script, which they can modify or interpret any way they please. In any case, their lives and beliefs are ordered in accord with their own personal preferences.

But historic Christianity is based on the objective revelation of Scripture. That is why our first key word for describing the Christian world view is objectivity. Our faith is grounded in the conviction that God has spoken, and His Word is objective truth. What He has given us is absolute and unshakable — and it is the truth by which all other truth-claims are measured.

Called to be Slaves of Jesus - Llamados a ser Esclavos de Jesús

2009-06-02T21:16:00.002-04:00

Romans 1:6 says that we were "called to belong to Jesus Christ".

Romanos 1:6 dice que fuimos "llamados a ser de Jesucristo".

Don't be afraid of the world's hatred

2009-06-01T21:29:00.013-04:00

If you say in your heart, 'These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?' You shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharoah and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So will the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.
(Deuteronomy 7:17-19).

The advice God gave through Moses to the wandering Israelites, about capturing the promised land, is good for Christians today. Especially those Christians feeling a little afraid of all the threats, blasphemies and hatred being expressed from unbelievers in our own country.

I'm hearing story after story in the US news lately, expressing extreme prejudice from people in public, against Christians.

Much of this hatred toward Christians attempts to seem veiled behind the gay rights movement. It is nothing more than an attack on the very children of God. Hatred for those sheep for whom God the Father sent His Son to die on a cross.

We as Christians should be very bold at a time like this. Ready to give a defense of the gospel with great patience, gentleness and kindness. Praying for those who oppose us, standing firmly on the solidness of Biblical doctrine and truth. Remembering that we serve a King who is alive and enthroned in Heaven.

We should not be surprised at all that we are seeing prophecy fulfilled today, this is just stronger evidence for the truth of our faith.

Simply roll your mouse over the following Scripture references to read it:

John 15:18-19,
John 15:20.

John 16:1-2,
John 16:3,
John 16:4.

1 Peter 3:13-14,
1 Peter 3:15,
1 Peter 3:16-17.

And the list could go on... but each verse here is selected for your encouragement!

Grace be with all my fellow Christians. We are so blessed to be washed by the blood of our Lord! Thanks be to our Triune God!

"Nobody Can Know What is Really True?"

2009-05-31T20:11:00.003-04:00

I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. (1 John 2:21).

People today are taught to glorify contradiction, to embrace that which is absurd, to prefer that which is subjective, and to let feelings (rather than intellect) determine what they believe.

Scripture itself is completely free of all errors and deficiencies. "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail" (Luke 16:17). That is how Christ viewed Scripture, and anyone who takes a different approach is not in that respect a genuine follower of Christ.

Scripture should be both the starting point and the final test of truth in all our thinking. If Scripture is wholly true, then anything that contradicts Scripture is simply false, even if we're talking about the fundamental beliefs upon which the world's most popular ideologies are based.

That sort of black and white rationality is one of the main reasons biblical Christianity is intolerable in a generation that despises the very idea of absolute truth.

(From the small book, Why One Way? by John MacArthur. Recommended reading for everybody!!! IF I WERE RATING THIS LITTLE BOOK, IT WOULD BE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST, even before all those other books you are reading! and the good news is that its on sale at gty.com or get it at Amazon.com.).