This video was produced to respond to the claims of Islam. But it contains the strong thread of the Gospel message throughout making it relevant to everyone.
Dec 192011
I like to post videos of Paul Washer. It is because he so confidently stands for the Gospel as proclaimed in the Bible. There is no ambiguity. Every time he speaks you must deal with the truth of God’s Word and how it applies to you. Here is another dose of truth.
Below is the testimony of Paul Washer’s wife who once thought she was saved then realized she wasn’t. We can easily deceive ourselves.
Oct 022011
Here is a short (33 min) movie that challenges us to compare the Holocaust of Nazi Germany to abortion and it manages to weave the truth of God’s Word throughout. Ray Comfort does what he does best. He speaks to people on the street and asks them to think about things they had never considered before.
Warning: The movie is graphic with scenes of death camp victims and scenes related to abortion.
Sep 252011
Because you attend church, listen to Christian music, wear a cross around your neck or have the coolest Jesus t-shirt doesn’t make you a Christian. Although a Christian may do those things, doing those things doesn’t make you a Christian. As Ray Comfort says, “Sitting in church no more makes you a Christian than sitting in a garage makes you a car”.
The apostle Paul wrote,
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 ESV
Paul was writing to professing Christians. If we profess Jesus Christ as our savior, we should examine ourselves as well. Pastor Jeff Parks of Cornerstone Church in Lawson, MO spoke on this topic preceding the baptism of a man that once thought he was saved, yet wasn’t. It is worth hearing this message and taking heed.
Sep 102011
Before the Israelites crossed over to take possession of the promised land, the Lord called for Moses to speak to them a message of remembrance and of obedience.
And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
Deuteronomy 29:2-4 ESV
In the 40 years they had traveled in the wilderness, the Israelites had experienced many blessings of God along with His holy judgment. Yet in all those years they never completely understood. As Moses said to them, “the Lord has not given you a heart to understand”. So it was the Lord that kept understanding from them. They never seemed to learn from their experiences. We see in the New Testament the same concept. When Jesus is asked why he speaks in parables, he does not respond with a popular answer. He says:
And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Matthew 13:11-13 ESV
So the understanding of the parables was a gift of God not a product of the parables themselves. They were used by God either to reveal truth to those He gave understanding or to hide truth from those that did not have understanding. In this we are reminded of the sovereign power of God in salvation. Our ability to understand the truth of the Gospel is a gracious gift of the Lord.
As we take this to heart, believers must…
Respond in humility before the Lord and others. It is not by our own cleverness, birthright, nationality, education, or position that we understand anything of God. It is only by the power and will of God. We did not choose Him, He chose us. John 15:16
Give thanks to the Lord for His gift of understanding that flows from a new heart born from above.
Obey the command of the Lord to share the Gospel message with those we come in contact. The Lord has chosen to work through the weakness of believers to save the souls of people in all walks of life. We must act in faith out of love for God and for mankind to bring the life giving message of the Gospel to others. Romans 10:14-15
Be comforted that the miracle of salvation is not a work we are responsible to perform. We are not even required to create the atmosphere or determine the setting for the proclamation of the Gospel. It will never be because of a convincing argument, the right music, the right prayer, or other contrived methods that brings salvation. It is only and always a work of the Lord in spite of our methods and weaknesses. We are commanded to go and make disciples. As we are faithful to the Lord, He will respond in faithfulness to His Word and bring new life to dead souls.
Aug 072011
Many that struggle with the sovereignty of God in salvation, do so out of a desire to be faithful to God’s Word. Below are three videos that explain key verses that seem to contradict, but do not, God’s election of those that would be saved.
John 3:16
2 Peter 3:9
1 Timothy 2:4
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; Ephesians 5:11 NASB
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14 NASB
My post topics usually consist of the character of God, the character of man, the Gospel and the truth of God’s Word. Everything of God and everything we need is revealed in the Bible. So it would be logical to focus on those topics. But from time to time it is necessary to send a warning against those things that are opposed to the Gospel and God’s Word.
I did not know of The Response event before this week, but I am quickly learning what it is about. Quoted from the event website:
I sincerely hope you’ll join me in Houston on August 6th and take your place in Reliant Stadium with praying people asking God’s forgiveness, wisdom and provision for our state and nation. There is hope for America. It lies in heaven, and we will find it on our knees.
I am certainly not against prayer. But God’s Word calls us not to unite with unbelievers. Once the background of the organizers and participants is examined, it becomes apparent that there is reason to question to whom these prayers will be offered. We should bring the Gospel message to unbelievers and interact with them for that purpose, but we should not join with them in spiritual matters. It confuses the true Gospel testimony to others and validates the beliefs of a false Gospel to an unbeliever. The article by Marsha West called “Texas governor’s Aug 6th prayer event includes cult members?” provides more detail. The non-biblical cult influences are extensive. It begins with the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) and branches from there. She states:
The NAR has dozens of offshoots and an assortment of names such as Dominionists, Latter Rain, Kansas City Prophets, Third Wave, Joel’s Army, Manifest(ed) Sons of God, Five-Fold Ministry, to name a few. Another offshoot, and the one I’ll deal with here, is the International House of Prayer (IHOP), a splinter group of the Kansas City Prophets. Confusing? You betcha!
I encourage you to read Marsha West’s article and follow the links. Also please pray for our country and it’s leadership. We will not receive the Lord’s blessing on our country without humble repentance and supplication. But our prayers can be offered without the means and manner of the August 6th event. I suggest that our prayers be a practice not an event.
Jul 172011
When I become bitter or unforgiving toward others, I’m assuming that the sins of others are more serious than my sins against God.
CJ Mahaney
Living The Cross Centered Life
I am ever humbled when I consider my own rebellion against Holy God. He chose to save me in spite of my sin and now I am forgiven. How arrogant I am if I do not, with a grateful heart, extend forgiveness to others.
Jun 262011
Here is a beautiful song written by Josiah Conder that we sang in church today.
My Lord, I Did Not Choose You
My Lord, I did not choose You,
For that could never be
My heart would still refuse You,
Had You not chosen me.You took the sin that stained me,
You cleansed me, made me new;
Of old You have ordained me,
That I should live in You.Chorus:
My Lord, I did not choose You,
For that could never be;
My heart would still refuse You,
Had You not chosen me.Unless Your grace had called me
And taught my opening mind,
The world would have enthralled me,
To heavenly glories blind.My heart knows none above You;
For Your rich grace I thirst;
I know that if I love You,
You must have loved me first.Josiah Conder (1789-1855)
Mar 302011
“The doctrine of Christ crucified is the grand center of union among true Christians. Our outward differences are many without doubt: one man is an Episcopalian, another is a Presbyterian; one is an Independent, another a Baptist; one is a Calvinist, another an Arminian; one is a Lutheran, another a Plymouth Brother; one is a friend to Establishments, another a friend to the Voluntary system; one is a friend to Liturgies, another a friend to extempore prayer: but after all, what shall we hear about most of these differences in heaven? Nothing, most probably: nothing at all. Does a man really and sincerely glory in the cross of Christ? That is the grand question. If he does, he is my brother: we are traveling in the same road; we are journeying towards a home where Christ is all, and everything outward in religion will be forgotten. But if he does not glory in the cross of Christ, I cannot feel comfort about him. Union on outward points only is union only for time: union about the cross is union for eternity. Error on outward points is only a skin-deep disease: error about the cross is disease at the heart. Union about outward points is a mere man-made union: union about the cross of Christ can only be produced by the Holy Spirit.” – J. C. Ryle
