Grace Abounding: Back in the United States

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Penn

Grace Gems: A Truly Thoughtful Person

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

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

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

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

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

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

From GraceGems.org

Grace and Understanding Justice

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

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

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

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

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

They do not understand God as just and holy.

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

they don't understand right versus wrong,

judgment versus rebellion.

Those who love another god do not understand justice.

They don't understand the fall of unbelieving man,

pain, suffering, death.

They don't understand wrath,

the fire that burns injustice.

But those who seek Yahweh,

the Maker of heaven and earth,

understand all.

They understand their sin,

they understand the fall,

they understand the judgment

they understand hell.

They understand the Son of God and Son of Man.

They understand the cross of calvary.

They understand the propitiation of the Savior,

the suffering, the death, the burial,

the substitution, the satisfaction.

They understand the resurrection,

the need for a new birth,

the reconciliation and life everlasting.

The mercy and justice that provide forgiveness.

 

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

The Gracelessness (and Evil) of Self-Esteem Teachings

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

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

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

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

Grace Abounding: Evangelism and Missions

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

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

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

(Matthew 28:19-20).

Encouragement to be Sober and to Build Each Other Up

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

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

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

"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

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!

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