I have started reading through the Bible using a method designed by Professor Grant Horner. I resisted using it at first because it seemed too complicated. You read ten chapters a day but they all are in different books of the Bible. Some sections like Acts you repeat every month and some like the prophets you repeat every 250 days. Someone figured it out that it will take 15 billion years before you will repeat the system from the beginning.
I love reading just one chapter out of Job, Genesis, etc. When I have tried other reading plans I would get bogged done in certain books, like Leviticus or Job. But when you read just one chapter it starts to sink in. Also there have been a couple days where things came up that made it impossible to read. That is not my preference, but at least I could just do it the next day. I never felt like I was behind because I was off on days, like most One Year Bibles.
I have made it my discipline that I will not read other Christian books unless I have read the ten chapters for the day. I have fallen in love with God and His Word rather than human authors.
To learn more, go to www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46416541831
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Mission Ball
The following is the text from the Mission Ball at www.themissionball.org and it explains the gospel very well. This is also a good ministry to support if the Lord leads you.
God's Simple Plan of Salvation I
The most important question of your life is will you go to Heaven when you die? God says in order to go to Heaven, “you must be born again.”(John 3:7) In the Bible, God gives us the plan of how to be born again. First, you must realize you are a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s standard.”(Romans 3:23) Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to die. "the wages of sin is death"(Romans 6:23) This includes eternal separation from God, in Hell. "Everyone is destined to die once and after that comes judgment"(Hebrews 9:27) But God loved you so much he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sin and die in your place. "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."(Romans 5:8) Although we cannot understand how, God said our sins were laid upon Jesus and he died in our place. “God commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.”(Acts 17:30) Repent means to turn away from your sins and agree with God that one is a sinner, and also agree with what Jesus did for us on the cross. The question: "what must I do to be saved?"(Acts 16:30) The answer: believe in Jesus as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. His resurrection powerfully assures us that we can claim everlasting life when Jesus is received as our Savior. "But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God."(John 1:12)
God's Simple Plan of Salvation II
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."(Romans 10:13) Believe, and you will be saved. No church or good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner and unless you repent and believe on Jesus who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and his gift of eternal salvation by faith. If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this over and over, without laying it down until you understand it. Your soul is worth more than the entire world. "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?"(Mark 8:36) Be sure you are saved. If you lose your soul, you miss Heaven and lose all. Do not trust your feelings because they change. Stand on God's promises which never change. After you are saved, there are three things to practice daily for spiritual growth. The first is to Pray, which is when you talk to God. The second is to read your Bible, so God can talk to you. And lastly share your faith with others, so you can talk for God. "So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord."(2 Timothy 1:8) "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven."(Matthew 10:32) You should be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, as a public testimony of your salvation, and then unite with a Bible-believing church.
How do YOU get to Heaven?
Look at the 10 Commandments. The requirement of the 1st is to love God above all else? Have you broken the 2nd by making a god in your mind to suit yourself? That’s called Idolatry. Have you ever used God's name in vain? Have you always honored your parents? Have you hated someone? The Bible says, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer." The 7th is "You shall not commit adultery." Have you ever stolen or lied? On Judgment Day, will you be found innocent or guilty? Will you go to Heaven or Hell? The Bible warns that all liars, thieves, fornicators, and adulterers will end up in Hell. But God made a way for you to be forgiven. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to satisfy the Moral Law, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death. That means that God can forgive you and grant you the gift of everlasting life. Confess your sins to God today, put your trust in Jesus to save you, and you will pass from death to life. You have God's promise on it. Pray like this: "Dear God, today I turn away from all of my sins (name them) and I put my trust in Jesus Christ alone as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me, change my heart, and grant me Your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen." The sincerity of your prayer will be evidenced by your obedience to God. Read His Word, the Bible, and obey what you read.
The 10 Commandments
1-You shall have no other gods before me. 2-You shall not make any idols. 3-You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 4-Remember the Sabbath Day. 5-Honor your father and mother. 6-You shall not murder. 7-You shall not commit adultery. 8-You shall not steal. 9-You shall not lie. 10-You shall not covet. You will have to face God on Judgment Day. He sees lust as adultery, "Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."(Matthew 5:28) He sees hatred as murder, “Anyone who hates another brother or sister is a murderer at heart.”(1 John 3:15) Will you go to Heaven? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, used God's name in vain, or looked with lust? James 2:10 says, "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.” Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. God sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross. Jesus took the punishment upon Himself, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."(John 3:16) Then Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. Repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus, and God will grant you everlasting life. Read the Bible and obey what you read.
GOD’S WORD I
You need to be saved “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3) All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own (Isaiah 53:6) But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve (Jeremiah 17:10) You will perish unless you repent of your sins and turn to God (Luke 13:3) You cannot save yourself God saved us, not because of good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death (Proverbs 14:12) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6) No one can be made right with God by doing what the law commands. It simply shows us we are sinful (Romans 3:20) God has provided for your salvation Jesus carried our sins to the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds we are healed (1 Peter 2:24) Christ died for sins. Jesus was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:8-9)
GOD’S WORD II
Believe God’s word and be saved Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”(John 6:29) “I tell you the truth; those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life (John 5:24) Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life (1 John 5:12-13) Confess Jesus before men If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person (Luke 9:26) If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (Romans 10:9-10) Saving faith produces good works What good is it, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? (James 2:14) For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13) Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. (Romans 14:12) But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve, as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
God's Simple Plan of Salvation I
The most important question of your life is will you go to Heaven when you die? God says in order to go to Heaven, “you must be born again.”(John 3:7) In the Bible, God gives us the plan of how to be born again. First, you must realize you are a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s standard.”(Romans 3:23) Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to die. "the wages of sin is death"(Romans 6:23) This includes eternal separation from God, in Hell. "Everyone is destined to die once and after that comes judgment"(Hebrews 9:27) But God loved you so much he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sin and die in your place. "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."(Romans 5:8) Although we cannot understand how, God said our sins were laid upon Jesus and he died in our place. “God commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.”(Acts 17:30) Repent means to turn away from your sins and agree with God that one is a sinner, and also agree with what Jesus did for us on the cross. The question: "what must I do to be saved?"(Acts 16:30) The answer: believe in Jesus as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. His resurrection powerfully assures us that we can claim everlasting life when Jesus is received as our Savior. "But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God."(John 1:12)
God's Simple Plan of Salvation II
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."(Romans 10:13) Believe, and you will be saved. No church or good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner and unless you repent and believe on Jesus who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and his gift of eternal salvation by faith. If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this over and over, without laying it down until you understand it. Your soul is worth more than the entire world. "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?"(Mark 8:36) Be sure you are saved. If you lose your soul, you miss Heaven and lose all. Do not trust your feelings because they change. Stand on God's promises which never change. After you are saved, there are three things to practice daily for spiritual growth. The first is to Pray, which is when you talk to God. The second is to read your Bible, so God can talk to you. And lastly share your faith with others, so you can talk for God. "So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord."(2 Timothy 1:8) "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven."(Matthew 10:32) You should be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, as a public testimony of your salvation, and then unite with a Bible-believing church.
How do YOU get to Heaven?
Look at the 10 Commandments. The requirement of the 1st is to love God above all else? Have you broken the 2nd by making a god in your mind to suit yourself? That’s called Idolatry. Have you ever used God's name in vain? Have you always honored your parents? Have you hated someone? The Bible says, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer." The 7th is "You shall not commit adultery." Have you ever stolen or lied? On Judgment Day, will you be found innocent or guilty? Will you go to Heaven or Hell? The Bible warns that all liars, thieves, fornicators, and adulterers will end up in Hell. But God made a way for you to be forgiven. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to satisfy the Moral Law, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death. That means that God can forgive you and grant you the gift of everlasting life. Confess your sins to God today, put your trust in Jesus to save you, and you will pass from death to life. You have God's promise on it. Pray like this: "Dear God, today I turn away from all of my sins (name them) and I put my trust in Jesus Christ alone as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me, change my heart, and grant me Your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen." The sincerity of your prayer will be evidenced by your obedience to God. Read His Word, the Bible, and obey what you read.
The 10 Commandments
1-You shall have no other gods before me. 2-You shall not make any idols. 3-You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 4-Remember the Sabbath Day. 5-Honor your father and mother. 6-You shall not murder. 7-You shall not commit adultery. 8-You shall not steal. 9-You shall not lie. 10-You shall not covet. You will have to face God on Judgment Day. He sees lust as adultery, "Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."(Matthew 5:28) He sees hatred as murder, “Anyone who hates another brother or sister is a murderer at heart.”(1 John 3:15) Will you go to Heaven? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, used God's name in vain, or looked with lust? James 2:10 says, "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.” Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. God sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross. Jesus took the punishment upon Himself, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."(John 3:16) Then Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. Repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus, and God will grant you everlasting life. Read the Bible and obey what you read.
GOD’S WORD I
You need to be saved “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3) All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own (Isaiah 53:6) But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve (Jeremiah 17:10) You will perish unless you repent of your sins and turn to God (Luke 13:3) You cannot save yourself God saved us, not because of good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death (Proverbs 14:12) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6) No one can be made right with God by doing what the law commands. It simply shows us we are sinful (Romans 3:20) God has provided for your salvation Jesus carried our sins to the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds we are healed (1 Peter 2:24) Christ died for sins. Jesus was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:8-9)
GOD’S WORD II
Believe God’s word and be saved Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”(John 6:29) “I tell you the truth; those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life (John 5:24) Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life (1 John 5:12-13) Confess Jesus before men If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person (Luke 9:26) If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (Romans 10:9-10) Saving faith produces good works What good is it, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? (James 2:14) For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13) Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. (Romans 14:12) But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve, as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Win Ray's New Book
You can win a copy of Ray Comfort's new book at Fish with Trish.
Ray Comfort's new book "You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can't Make Him Think" is written in a question and answer format and is filled with answers to questions from angry skeptics. One atheist said, "In reading your books...seeds of doubt about my atheism have been sown."
Ray Comfort's new book "You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can't Make Him Think" is written in a question and answer format and is filled with answers to questions from angry skeptics. One atheist said, "In reading your books...seeds of doubt about my atheism have been sown."
Friday, January 9, 2009
Escape from Hamas
Here is an interview with Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of one of the Hamas founders, who converted to Christianity. It all started because a Christian tourist to Israel gave him a Bible. Watch this and you will never again question the importance of sharing our faith. This young man could literally change the face of Islam, but in doing so he also puts his own life in danger.
I have included part of the transcript from the FoxNews Special because his testimony is so powerful.
Mosab Hassan: I’m not trying to offend Muslims. I love them. Those Muslims are my family.
Jonathon Hunt: But you are going to offend people and you are going to put your own life in danger, aren’t you, by doing this?
Mosab: Some of them will be offended. Some of them will be offended, but I am sure, I believe that many of them will wake up.
Jonathon: Some of them will try to kill you.
Mosab: They will, they will. If they will kill me, they will kill this body, but the question, what about my soul, what about my ideas, what about my beliefs that I shared with everybody. Will they be able to kill this? I don’t think so.
Announcer: Within days (of the August report), Al-Qaeda, the world’s most notorious terrist group responded, issuing a lengthy statement criticizing Hamas for allowing this young man to convert to Christianity and concluding by quoting the chilling words of Mohammed, “Whoever changes his religion - Kill him”
Jonathon: Are you scared?
Mosab: I don’t want to die and I don’t want to pretend that I like to die. I love to live. I love to serve my Lord. But if this will be the challenge, and this is how I prove my faith, I ask God to give me patience to do it.
Announcer: And Mosab Hassan says his family will likely also suffer.
Jonathon: How does that make you feel? Do you think you shouldn’t have done this? You shouldn’t have gone public?
Mosab: No, I had to do this. I had to do this because this is going to change so many people lives. Hopefully, my family’s life.
Jonathon: Do you believe your father will one day become a Christian?
Mosab: He is not too far from Christianity. He is very close. I told him that. I told him you are very far of Islam and very close to Christianity. That was my last sentence to him.
Jonathon: How do you think he reacted to that?
Mosab: He cried.
Jonathon: Tears of joy or despair.
Mosab: I don’t think it was joy at that moment. One day he will understand.
Jonathon: You’re depending on the charity of others. Your family back home is in tears. How do you cope with all of that?
Mosab: It’s a low price for Jesus. It’s even nothing. It’s like comparing to what He has done to us, it’s nothing.
I have included part of the transcript from the FoxNews Special because his testimony is so powerful.
Mosab Hassan: I’m not trying to offend Muslims. I love them. Those Muslims are my family.
Jonathon Hunt: But you are going to offend people and you are going to put your own life in danger, aren’t you, by doing this?
Mosab: Some of them will be offended. Some of them will be offended, but I am sure, I believe that many of them will wake up.
Jonathon: Some of them will try to kill you.
Mosab: They will, they will. If they will kill me, they will kill this body, but the question, what about my soul, what about my ideas, what about my beliefs that I shared with everybody. Will they be able to kill this? I don’t think so.
Announcer: Within days (of the August report), Al-Qaeda, the world’s most notorious terrist group responded, issuing a lengthy statement criticizing Hamas for allowing this young man to convert to Christianity and concluding by quoting the chilling words of Mohammed, “Whoever changes his religion - Kill him”
Jonathon: Are you scared?
Mosab: I don’t want to die and I don’t want to pretend that I like to die. I love to live. I love to serve my Lord. But if this will be the challenge, and this is how I prove my faith, I ask God to give me patience to do it.
Announcer: And Mosab Hassan says his family will likely also suffer.
Jonathon: How does that make you feel? Do you think you shouldn’t have done this? You shouldn’t have gone public?
Mosab: No, I had to do this. I had to do this because this is going to change so many people lives. Hopefully, my family’s life.
Jonathon: Do you believe your father will one day become a Christian?
Mosab: He is not too far from Christianity. He is very close. I told him that. I told him you are very far of Islam and very close to Christianity. That was my last sentence to him.
Jonathon: How do you think he reacted to that?
Mosab: He cried.
Jonathon: Tears of joy or despair.
Mosab: I don’t think it was joy at that moment. One day he will understand.
Jonathon: You’re depending on the charity of others. Your family back home is in tears. How do you cope with all of that?
Mosab: It’s a low price for Jesus. It’s even nothing. It’s like comparing to what He has done to us, it’s nothing.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Elvis's Last Words
I was watching Mike Huckabee this past weekend and he was having an Elvis special. He talked to Rick Stanley, who is a step brother to Elvis and may have been the last person to talk to Elvis before his death 8 hours later. This is the conversation according to Rick.
Rick: There is this girl that keeps telling me I need the Lord.
Elvis: She's telling you the truth.
Rick: I've tried to kick this, I've tried to kick all that stuff. (I was under the impression that to become a Christian you have to stop, you have to kick something to come to Christ. I didn't know that you come to the Lord; that is how you kick. I had it backwards.)
Elvis: It's those people who talk to you about Jesus, they're the ones who truly care.
It's those people who talk to you about Jesus who truly care. Do we care?
Rick: There is this girl that keeps telling me I need the Lord.
Elvis: She's telling you the truth.
Rick: I've tried to kick this, I've tried to kick all that stuff. (I was under the impression that to become a Christian you have to stop, you have to kick something to come to Christ. I didn't know that you come to the Lord; that is how you kick. I had it backwards.)
Elvis: It's those people who talk to you about Jesus, they're the ones who truly care.
It's those people who talk to you about Jesus who truly care. Do we care?
Monday, January 5, 2009
Comments by an Atheist
Do we really care that people are headed to hell? Here is an interesting video by atheist Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller.
Here is a transcript of a portion of the video.
Penn says: If you believe there is a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell, or not get eternal life, and you think it is not really worth telling them this, because it would make it socially awkward ... how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?
Why is it that an atheist realizes the necessity of evangelizing more than most Christians? This should be a wake up call for all Christians.
Penn says: If you believe there is a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell, or not get eternal life, and you think it is not really worth telling them this, because it would make it socially awkward ... how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?
Why is it that an atheist realizes the necessity of evangelizing more than most Christians? This should be a wake up call for all Christians.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Minimalistic View of Conversion
What is the least we have to do to be saved? That seems to be the question that people seem to want to know without actually saying it out loud. After all, we have boiled down salvation to saying a prayer and saying we believe that Jesus died for our sins. It does not matter that we do not care about holiness and glorifying God in all we do. I have yet to read in the Bible where it says that we must pray to accept Jesus into our heart. The closest I can get is Romans 10:9 where it says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Yet this is talking to early Christians who were being sent to the lions if they publicly confessed Jesus as Lord. That is a far cry from a simple prayer of acceptance. No wonder there is so little evidence of regeneration in the lives of so-called Christians today.
The following is a quote by Ravi Zacharias. See the rest of his article click here.
"Therefore, as Christians, we ought to take time to reflect seriously upon the question, “Has God truly wrought a miracle in my life? Is my own heart proof of the supernatural intervention of God?” In the West we go through these seasons of new-fangled theologies. The whole question of “lordship” plagued our debates for some time as we asked, is there such a thing as a minimalist view of conversion? “We said the prayer and that’s it.” Yet how can there be a minimalist view of conversion when conversion itself is a maximal work of God’s grace? “Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV).
If you were proposing marriage to someone, what would the one receiving the proposal say if you said, “I want you to know this proposal changes nothing about my allegiances, my behavior, and my daily life; however, I do want you to know that should you accept my proposal, we shall theoretically be considered married. There will be no other changes in me on your behalf.” In a strange way we have minimized every sacred commitment and made it the lowest common denominator. What does my new birth mean to me? That is a question we seldom ask. Who was I before God’s work in me, and who am I now?"
Do I simply want heaven and nothing else? Do I want to have the ability to do whatever I want, without Christ interfering in my fun? Do I want to be able to watch whatever garbage there is on TV and in the theater without my conscience convicting me of my sin? People often ask “What Would Jesus Do?’, but since that is a standard so above our ability, we simple say that we are just being human. That is true, but if we are abiding in Christ shouldn’t the work of the Holy Spirit be at least somewhat visible in our life? A better question, is what would the apostle Paul or Peter do? Would they spend their time in worldly entertainment, or would they be trying to spread the Gospel wherever they go? Do I love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates?
Jerry Bridges says, “I think one of the common misunderstandings of the grace of God is, “God’s cutting me some slack. Grace is God’s letting me get away with a few things.” That’s the furthest thought from the grace of God. The grace of God comes to us through Jesus Christ as a result of his sinless life and sin-bearing death for us, but that grace is more than just God’s kindness and benevolent feeling toward us. The grace of God is dynamic. The grace of God is God in action for our good. And so when the apostle Paul said, “By the grace of God I am what I am,” he was speaking about the empowering of the Holy Spirit that God in his grace supplies to each of us as we seek to live for Him.”
The following is a quote by Ravi Zacharias. See the rest of his article click here.
"Therefore, as Christians, we ought to take time to reflect seriously upon the question, “Has God truly wrought a miracle in my life? Is my own heart proof of the supernatural intervention of God?” In the West we go through these seasons of new-fangled theologies. The whole question of “lordship” plagued our debates for some time as we asked, is there such a thing as a minimalist view of conversion? “We said the prayer and that’s it.” Yet how can there be a minimalist view of conversion when conversion itself is a maximal work of God’s grace? “Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV).
If you were proposing marriage to someone, what would the one receiving the proposal say if you said, “I want you to know this proposal changes nothing about my allegiances, my behavior, and my daily life; however, I do want you to know that should you accept my proposal, we shall theoretically be considered married. There will be no other changes in me on your behalf.” In a strange way we have minimized every sacred commitment and made it the lowest common denominator. What does my new birth mean to me? That is a question we seldom ask. Who was I before God’s work in me, and who am I now?"
Do I simply want heaven and nothing else? Do I want to have the ability to do whatever I want, without Christ interfering in my fun? Do I want to be able to watch whatever garbage there is on TV and in the theater without my conscience convicting me of my sin? People often ask “What Would Jesus Do?’, but since that is a standard so above our ability, we simple say that we are just being human. That is true, but if we are abiding in Christ shouldn’t the work of the Holy Spirit be at least somewhat visible in our life? A better question, is what would the apostle Paul or Peter do? Would they spend their time in worldly entertainment, or would they be trying to spread the Gospel wherever they go? Do I love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates?
Jerry Bridges says, “I think one of the common misunderstandings of the grace of God is, “God’s cutting me some slack. Grace is God’s letting me get away with a few things.” That’s the furthest thought from the grace of God. The grace of God comes to us through Jesus Christ as a result of his sinless life and sin-bearing death for us, but that grace is more than just God’s kindness and benevolent feeling toward us. The grace of God is dynamic. The grace of God is God in action for our good. And so when the apostle Paul said, “By the grace of God I am what I am,” he was speaking about the empowering of the Holy Spirit that God in his grace supplies to each of us as we seek to live for Him.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
