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Both my father and my father-in-law served our country in the military. In their honor and in honor of all men and women who have served to protect and defend our country, I say, “Thank you and may God richly bless you!”
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Non-Christians cannot understand the Bible.
A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them.
1 Corinthians 2:14
The reason we have any understanding at all of God’s word is because the Holy Spirit, living in us, discloses His truth to us (John 16:13). The natural man, or unsaved man/woman, does not have the Spirit of God living inside and therefore has no spiritual discernment or understanding.
“…whenever Moses (scripture) is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
2 Corinthians 3:15,16
“…the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things.”
John 14:26
So, when you see a non-Christian trying to figure out the Bible, or eternal things, realize they CAN’T understand what you know.
”And the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”
2 Timothy 2:24-26
From Good Morning, LORD!
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See a related story Witnessing to a Unitarian Universalist.
Psalm 148
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
6 And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
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I have not read any of John Piper’s writings, so this is not an endorsement. Many Christians whom I respect appreciate what he says, however, so this is a great way to find out for myself.
Christian Audio gives away a free audio book each month and this month’s offering is Desiring God. You can download your free mp3 version here.
Let me know what you think…
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Having worked in children’s ministry for a number of years, I find the following to be quite refreshing. Notice there is no mention of Jesus being your ‘forever friend’, ‘accepting Jesus into your heart’ or ’sinner’s prayer’. Rather we are pointed to Scripture and its power to save.
from John MacArthur
Question:
How can parents explain the gospel to their children without toning down the commands of Scripture?
Answer:
Certainly children are limited in their ability to understand spiritual truth, but so are adults. Very few people intellectually understand all the gospel truth at the moment of salvation. Fortunately, the essential truths are basic enough that even a child can understand. Jesus Himself characterized saving faith as childlikeness (Mark 10:15). True belief is not a function of advanced intellect, sophisticated theological understanding, or complex doctrinal knowledge.
Children old enough to be saved can grasp the concept of coming to Christ with an obedient heart, and letting Him be boss in their lives.
When sharing the gospel with a child, keep these points in mind:
- Remember that repetition and restatement are especially helpful. Give the gospel simply and briefly, but don’t assume the first positive response means they got all the truth they need to know. Continue explaining and expanding your explanations. Too many ministries to children equate every positive response with a real conversion.
- Use Scripture and explain it clearly. Even with children, God’s Word is the seed that produces life (1 Peter 1:23). Don’t use approaches that give gospel outlines with no Scripture. Only the Bible can speak with authority to the human heart–including a child’s heart.
- Understand the inherent danger in any outline or prefabricated presentation: they tend to follow a predetermined agenda that may bypass the child’s real needs or fail to answer his or her most important questions.
- Finally, remember that the issues in salvation are the same for a child as for an adult. The gospel is the same message for every age group. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote,
We must be careful that we do not modify the gospel to suit various age groups. There is no such thing as a special gospel for the young, a special gospel for the middle-aged, and a special gospel for the aged. There is only one gospel, and we must always be careful not to tamper and tinker with the gospel as a result of recognizing these age distinctions. At the same time, there is a difference in applying this one and only gospel to the different age groups; but it is a difference which has reference only to method and procedure (Quoted in Knowing the Times [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1989], 2).
Children must be able to understand that sin is an offense to God’s holiness and that they are personally guilty (though because of their limited experiences, most kids obviously won’t have as deep a sense of personal guilt as adults). There’s nothing wrong with telling children about hell and God’s wrath. Children do not have a difficult time grasping such concepts. They understand punishment for wrongdoing and are capable of understanding that Jesus died to take the punishment for the sins of others. They need to be told that Jesus expects to be obeyed, and they will understand even better than some adults that trusting Jesus means obeying Him. The importance of obedience needs to be emphasized repeatedly, even after the child makes a profession of faith.
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This true story, shared by Dr. Bob Griffin of Grif.Net, illustrates a pitiful view of Christ’s atoning blood that many hold today. I intend to ponder this one long and hard.
One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her
heart. She responded to God’s call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and
Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and
prostitution. But, the change in her was evident.As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually
became involved in the ministry, teaching young children.It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and
heart of the pastor’s son. The relationship grew and they began to make
wedding plans. This is when the problems began.You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past
such as hers was suitable for a pastor’s son. The church began to argue and
fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting. As the people
made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting
completely out of hand.The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up
about her past. As she began to cry, the pastor’s son stood to speak. He
could not bear the pain it was causing his wife-to-be. He began to speak and
his statement was this:“My fiance’s past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is
the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the
blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?”The whole church fell silent as they realized that they had been slandering
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God, the blood DOES wash away
all sin!
“And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done, says the LORD God.” Ezekiel 16:6-63
“In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…” Ephesians 1:7
“Cast your burden on the Lord–and He will sustain you.”
Psalm 55:21
Cast your troubles where you have cast your sins; you have cast your sins onto Jesus–cast your troubles there also! As soon as the
trouble comes, quick, the first thing, tell it to your Father in heaven! Remember, that the longer you take telling your trouble to God–the more your peace will be impaired. The longer the frost lasts–the more likely the ponds will be frozen.
Oh! It is a happy way of smoothing sorrow, when we can cast our burden upon the Lord. Oh, you agitated Christians, do not dishonor your religion by always wearing a ‘frown of concern’. Come, cast your burden upon the Lord. I see you staggering beneath a weight, which He would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden–would be nothing but a bit of dust to Him. See! The Almighty bends His shoulders, and He says, “Here–put your troubles here!”
“Cast all your cares upon Him–because He cares about you!”
1 Peter 5:7
~Charles Spurgeon quoted on Grace Gems
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“I hate vain thoughts–but I love Your law!” Psalm 119:113
“Many of you know more about your magazines and novels–than what God has written! Many of you will read a novel from the beginning to the end, and what have you got? A head full of froth when you are done! But you cannot read the Bible–that solid, lasting, substantial, and satisfying food goes uneaten, locked up in the cupboard of neglect–while anything that man writes, a best-seller of the day–you greedily devour!” ~Charles Spurgeon
“Set your minds on things above–not on earthly things!” Colossians 3:2
from Grace Gems
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October brings with it many changes. Along with the delightful weather, I look forward to Mike Gendron’s quarterly publication called ‘Proclaiming the Gospel’. This newsletter’s main article is on repentance. which has been addressed on a previous post. May you be blessed by his article: The Role of Repentance in the Salvation of Sinners.
I recently found an excellent resource for Bible study. Precept Austin is a web ministry that has a plethora of information! From commentaries to charts and hymns to maps, this site has anything you could possibly need to aid you in your study. Here’s the link: http://preceptaustin.org/
This past January I started studying the book of Daniel. I used Dr. John Walvoord’s commentary as my guide. It took me over eight months to finish, however, it was a thorough study. One of the aspects of Dr. Walvoord’s teaching that I truly appreciate is the fact that he includes interpretations from others that differ from his, while offering reasons why he disagrees with biblical support for his view. Very insightful. Here’s the link to that series: http://www.walvoord.com/series.php?series_id=24
Lastly, may I suggest you spend some quality time reading the latest from the Berean Call. Dave Hunt and T.A. MacMahon consistently point us to the truth of Scripture. Here’s their latest offering: http://www.thebereancall.org/node/8076
Have a blessed weekend!
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It’s an awesome responsibility for a man to take on the role of husband. Let’s consider some ways that a wife can help her husband to be a good one. In Genesis 2:18 we read that God provided Adam with a helper suited to his needs. Today’s “suitable helper” will desire to do her husband “good and not evil all the days of her life.” That’s Proverbs 31:12.
One: The suitable helper will make home a place of shelter and refuge. When the door is closed, the world’s turmoil is left outside. I like to think of the Christian home as a temporary abode where husband and children are sheltered and cared for on the way to their heavenly home.
Two: She will communicate wisely. I believe a wife should be her husband’s chief counselor, but in dispensing wisdom, “Let your speech always be with grace,” we’re told in Colossians 4:6. An alternative to discussing an issue verbally is to write it down. You’ll have no interruptions. You won’t get off track. Your emotions won’t spill over, and you can think as you write and revise. Your husband can then read, re-read, ponder, and respond by whatever means he chooses.
Three: She will have a genuine interest in her husband’s problems and concerns. Six PM is the danger hour of the day in many homes. Our husband comes through the door, and we can be so hung up on our horrible day that we can hardly wait to unload. The solution has something to do with Philippians 2:3: “Let each esteem others better [more important] than themselves.” Then there’s Galatians 6:2, where we’re told to “Bear one another’s burdens.” Best of all, we’d be following Christ’s example. He gave His very life for us, and He gives us His full attention when we pour out our hearts to Him in prayer.
Four: She will be trustworthy when he shares confidences. They are for her ears only. He doesn’t want his poorer moments advertised with the girls over coffee, or his confidences given away, even to her best friend, or her mother.
Five: She will be courteous. The sweet, gracious ways that won his heart during courtship are sometimes left behind at the altar. Consistent courtesy smooths the path in every situation.
Six: She is submissive to her husband. In God’s wisdom, it’s a command: “Wives, be in subjection to your own husbands,” we’re told in 1 Peter 3:1. Way back there, Satan wanted to be “like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14). But how many “most Highs” can there be in any relationship? Satan was cast out of heaven for demanding equal rights with God. God commands wives to obey their husbands (in the Lord). He commands husbands to love their wives “even as Christ loved the church [His bride].” That’s Ephesians 5:25. It shouldn’t be difficult to decide which is the greater challenge.
Seven: She is a good manager, a good executive over her little kingdom. “She looketh well to the ways of her household,” says Proverbs 31:27. The whole chapter is a recital of all that this amazing woman accomplishes. She had to be organized. And the result? Her husband could relax and do his job more efficiently because she was doing hers.
Eight: She will be contented with her lot. “Godliness with contentment is great gain,” says 1 Timothy 6:6. How can we be godly and not contented, when our Lord “daily loadeth us with benefits,” as Psalm 68:19 reminds us. Try thanking God for things you never dreamed of being thankful for before: the wildflowers growing among the weeds in your yard, the sun that’s drying your clothes because you don’t have an electric dryer, the coupons that have come just in time to buy the groceries you need. Practice being thankful for all those little things, which aren’t really little because they’re also God’s gifts.
Nine: A gracious wife accepts his love, however offered. Husbands are not all poets and romantics. They may work hard, be loyal, faithful, helpful, but have a problem saying the words she longs to hear. Love can be unspoken and just as real. Accept it.
Ten: Most important of all, the wise woman attends to her inner beauty because “Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who feareth the Lord will be praised,” Proverbs 31:30 tells us. Those many virtues listed throughout chapter 31 add up to a zero if her relationship with the Lord is not the priority. So–number ten is really number one.
A final thought from an unknown author: “Who are better suited to wedlock than men and women who have already died to self? Already they have learned to serve and please Another [our Lord Jesus Christ].”.
Happily, in this way, our relationship with our Heavenly Bridegroom can be the pattern for our earthly marriages.
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–from September 2009 Berean Call newsletter
