Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Trial Sermon of B.R. Graves

This is it!! I really cant stand watching myself, so i only watched this once,...but I pray that this be a blessing to you as it was to me..God is Infinitely and Joyously Good and this day was truly awesome. I preached on the Refiner's Fire and may the same power that was present on this day be present in your hearing this. God's words are spirit and life and may they be exactly that as you hear this message....Ive also posted some pictures below that were taken during the service ( A big THANK YOU to Donnie Burgess who recorded the video, and Carla Burgess who took these awesome pictures)


Refiner's Fire from Rayshawn Graves on Vimeo.

















Resources for the Family





















SermonIndex.com just posted a new web page on "The Godly Home". I believe that this is a very helpful tool for the Christian Family and any family so that they may be rooted in Christ and produce a godly seed (Mal. 2:1). It is so so so important that the Father be the head of his home, the Mother be called blessed by her children, and that the children be obedient to parents.

These are all things that the Bible commands and today when we live in a culture where the family is torn apart by things such as divorce, miscommunication, and even murder, God's will is that the family flourishes amidst the enemy's attacks against it. In a day where church participation and volunteering and service in ministry is so heavily pushed into the minds of its members, the family can at times be dismembered and scattered in the name of "Christian service".

Now dont get me wrong, Christian service and volunteering is needed and vital because it provides the opportunity produce fruit in our lives, but when it is at the expense of being at church 7 days a week and the family gets neglected, then its a distraction of the enemy. I pray that you be blessed by this site on "The Godly Home" and may its resources and teachings strengthen the FIRST ministry that God has called you to...Your Family


The Godly Home: A ministry of SermonIndex

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Wow...Well Said!!

This was a post, and a response that I saw on Sermonindex.com. PaulWest, one of the moderators of the site responded to this brother with truth and boldness that truly blessed me. He is speaking about the baptism in the Holy Ghost and what it really means, versus what man has made it to be(knowingly or unknowingly).


Quote:
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"Your description of how the Pentecostal Churches today go about their initiation of the baptism of the holy Ghost was most discouraging. If I were a new believer reading this I would want nothing to do with any of the spiritual workings of God, lest I'd be deceived."
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PaulWest:I realize your concern, and yes, what I described is most discouraging. However, my hope is not that it would discourage a believer from having anything to do with the "spiritual workings of God", but that it would instead discourage a believer from seeking supernatural manifestations of God in today's typical charismatic setting; furthermore, when I think of the spiritual workings of God (as you put it), I am actually inclined to think more of fruit than gifts. Genuine fruit is more excellent, and certainly more demonstrative of God's true "spiritual working" in the life of a believer than anything else...including supernatural gifts, which are not partial and can (and often do) flow through the most ungodly of vessels.

In just about every case that I know of, believers abounding in fruit automatically abound in gifts - gifts of helps, governments, tongues, healings. The difference here is that the gifts exhibited by fruit-bearing believers do not strut or need emotional music to kick-start a service. I am 100% opposed to today's charismatic agenda of just "come forward and get baptized in the Holy Spirit if you want to" with the obligatory tongues to seal the deal. I've seen enough of it; heard enough testimonies, and observed the final product of the majority of these ostensible baptisms, and in the end almost all of the recipients have nothing but a testimony of how they spoke in tongues and just felt God's awesome presence all around them.

I always ask them: "How do you know it was God's presense you felt and not a soulish euphoria?" and they can tell me nothing more but circular reasoning. Mind you, if the genuine fruit of the Spirit followed - with an increased appetite for God's Word and prayer and a sobriety and fearless burden to proclaim the gospel - I would not have to ask this question, but as a youth pastor I beheld these baptisms taking place on many occasions...and afterwards only to see the kids go back to their XBoX video games and cliques and gossip and unholy dating. How can this be? What we see brethren is wholesale deception going on right before our eyes, and with ministers (often without the genuine baptism themselves) telling these kids that they're baptized in the Holy Ghost and congratulating them.

The kids that do get genuinely filled with the Spirit go in the opposite direction, and I will readily admit that a kid can get filled at one of these meetings, but such is the exception and not the rule. In fact, most people I've talked to (and many on this site) have been filled with Spirit while alone, communing with God or reading the Bible or during a period of quiet prayer time...sometimes with tongues, sometimes without. God then sends people your way and the gifts just happen - sometimes the gifts of healing, sometimes helps; sometimes governments, sometimes tongues. It's spontaneous, not at all premeditated or worked-up or planned out.

Brother Paul "


Praise the Lord for this truth! Ill write more later....

Friday, November 28, 2008

The Real "Once Saved Always Saved"..part 1

These verses are focusing on what it really means to say "once saved, always saved". That little cliche that so many people use is not meant to tell the "professing believer" that they can live however they want to live , in sin and in wickedness after they have prayed the magical prayer. What it means to be "once saved, always saved" is that at the point of conversion, when a man recognizes his sin, and then realizes his need for a Savior to eliminate that sin, God imparts into that person a supernatural faith that causes that person to lean entirely on God and disregard everything else. That supernatural faith that is imparted because of the power of the gospel, reveals God's righteousness; and that imparted faith,because it is supernatural, a given gift by the grace of God, will last and persevere until the end.Why? because that faith is connected to the everlasting love of God, which nothing can separate the believer from.(Jer 31:3;Rom 8:35-39)So,because God has imparted a supernatural faith into the chosen believer, that faith will last and will endure because it originates from God. The believer may stumble, fall, mess up, and be tempted, but the believer, when they fall, cannot remain in a fallen state. They cannot remain in sin and in wickedness, because the faith within them will carry them and give them strength in their weakness.God willcome after His child with conviction,and chastening which will produce repentance. The true Christian cannot be comfortable in sin and comfprtable in a life of rebellion, they hate it. Because God started the work of supernatural persevering faith within the believer He will finish it and bring that believer into completion.( Philipians 1:6).
Once Saved Always Saved is not a lisence to sin...its not a magical 5 minute prayer and you can live how you want...its a supernatural faith that produces a hatred for sin, a faith that longs for God and holiness and righteousness until the end...no matter what it costs...







What God begins, he finishes
Psa 138:8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Ecc 3:14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.
Isa 46:4 even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.
Jer 32:40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.
Rom 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Phi 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safety into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Recorded Sounds from Hell?...

This is a video about Hell...the reality of it..This video supposedly contains the sounds of Hell recorded with a microphone used by some Russian drillers when they drilled so deep into the earth that their drill started spnning rapidly, meaning it had reached a hollow place. The drillers found that the hole they had reached contained heat that reached temperatures of 2000 degrees Farenheight (HOTTT!!) These drillers placed the microphone in this hole and were only able to record for 19 seconds before the microphone burnt up...wow! Now im no 'X-Files' type of guy...I dont go looking for aliens, and weird manifestations, so im not saying if I totally believe this or not...I was not there 40 years ago when they supposedly found this...but this is what I am saying..What if this is Hell?...what if these are the cries of the damned?...close your eyes as you listen to this and just imagine the reality of hell ..eternal damnation...eternal.....while there is life going on all around you on earth, there are living souls of millions of people condemned in hell...people you may know, friends, family, people you sit beside at work and school...we only get 70, or 80 or more years on this earth before eternity...and that eternity is spent in either heaven with God for being chosen by Him, becoming His son by faith in Jesus Christ, or that eternity is spent in Hell becasuse you lived your life as you pleased..sinning against God and condemning yourself...WHERE WILL YOU BE in 50 years, 60 years,...crying out in rejoicing with God..or crying out for mercy with the damned...something to think about...WATCH...





Here is the full story if you would like to read more about it...

Drilling into Hell


David Wilkerson's Sermon on Hell

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Trial Sermon

I guess I've just been so excited about this wonderful event, that I actually forgot to blog about it....I really dont blog too much about myself, because I really dont think that theres too much going on with me that is actually interesting...well,if there is, its way too much to type out in words...but anyway...here it is:
I will be giving my trial sermon on December 14th, 2008 @ 3:00pm at Springfield Baptist Church! Im like through the roof on this one because its been a long time coming...but God is Infinitely Good! You are more than welcome to come if you would like, I would be honored to share this day with all my friends and family, so if you want any information or directions, just let me know. Im so excited about what God is doing...may He and He alone be glorified!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Tozer on Salvation


This is an excerpt from A. W. Tozer's " The Divine Conquest ". Tozer is talking about the Soverignty of the Holy Ghost in salvation and how salvation is not based on decisionism ( man's judgment of the sincerity of his decision ), but only on the will of God. John 1:12-13 says "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13 (KJV)

"There is another and worse evil which springs from this basic failure to grasp the radical difference between the natures of the two worlds. It is the habit of languidly "accepting" salvation as if it were a small matter and one wholly in our hands. Men are exhorted to think things over and "decide" for Christ, and in some places one day each year is set aside as "Decision Day," at which time people are expected to condescend to grant Christ the right to save them, a right which they have obviously refused Him up to that time. Christ is thus made to stand again before men's judgment seat; He is made to wait upon the pleasure of the individual, and after long and humble waiting is either turned away or patronizingly admitted. By a complete misunderstanding of the noble and true doctrine of the freedom of the human will salvation is made to depend periously upon the will of man instead of upon the will of God." - A.W. Tozer

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Miracle Maker

This is a video i saw just now on Youtube, the song behind it has become one of my favorite songs ever, its by Delirious? and its called Miracle Maker. Its awesome to see this song mixed with scenes from the movie "The Passion of Christ". I pray that you will be blessed by it, and remember the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, bearing the sin of the world and the wrath of God upon Himself so that you and I might be justified.


Monday, October 27, 2008

Great Awakening and Persecution

This is some of the most straightforward talk about Christianity and where its going that I have heard in a long time. Paul Washer is discussing the need for another Great Awakening in this country and the alarm of another great persecution. Watch carefully...This is truth that sugar coated Christianity might not be able to handle...


Monday, October 13, 2008

The Fall of a Nation

Doesent this sound just like our nation today? Its kind of amazing that this was written about an ancient empire that existed over thousands of years ago, and the article itself was written over 300 years ago....








The Fall of a Nation

Historian Edward Gibbons'(1737-1794) five reasons for the decline and fall of Rome

1. The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.
2. Higher and higher taxes; the spending of public money for free bread and circuses for the populace.
3. The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting, more brutal, more immoral.
4. The building of great armaments when the great enemy was within; the decay of individual responsibility.
5. The decay of religion, fading into a mere form, losing touch with life, losing power to guide the people.

-From The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon





* Pray for America: we have fallen into the same category as all of the other nations that have sinned against God and collapsed because of it...

Saturday, October 4, 2008

The Depravity of Man



The doctrine of total depravity (or total inability) says that all men, as a consequence of the Fall, are born morally corrupt, enslaved to sin, at enmity with God, and unable to please Him or even of themselves to turn to Christ for salvation. (Thus the necessity of a gracious, unconditional election.) Here is a sweeping survey of the biblical support for the doctrine.


Is man basically good or basically evil?
Ecclesiastes 7:29 - "Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices."
Romans 5:7-8 - For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:12,19 - through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned... through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners
Job 15:14-16 - "What is man, that he should be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in His sight; how much less one who is detestable and corrupt, man, who drinks iniquity like water!"
c.f. Job 25:4-6; Ecclesiastes 9:3

All men? Are there any exceptions?
Psalm 143:2 - And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no man living is righteous.
Galatians 3:22 - the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin
Romans 11:32 - For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
2 Chronicles 6:36 - there is no man who does not sin
Isaiah 53:6 - All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;
Micah 7:2-4 - The godly person has perished from the land, and there is no upright person among men. All of them lie in wait for bloodshed; each of them hunts the other with a net. Concerning evil, both hands do it well. The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe, and a great man speaks the desire of his soul; so they weave it together. The best of them is like a briar, the most upright like a thorn hedge.
Romans 3:9-12 - What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one. (c.f. Psalm 14:1-3, 53:1-3)
1 John 1:8,10 - If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we say we have not sinned, we make [God] a liar and His word is not in us.
Mark 10:18/Luke 18:19 - And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone."
c.f. 1 Kings 8:46; 116:11, 130:3, 143:2; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Jeremiah 2:29; Micah 7:2-4, Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19; Romans 5:12-14; 1 Corinthians 5:9-10; James 3:2; etc., etc.

Are people good deep down?
Mark 7:21-23 - "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." (c.f. Matthew 15:19)
Psalm 5:9 - There is nothing reliable in what they say; their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.
Are men totally depraved? Is every faculty of the person corrupted?
Heart (Hardened, Deceitful)
Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?"
Ecclesiastes 9:3 - the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.
Matthew 15:19 - "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders." (c.f. Mark 7:21-23)
Genesis 6:5 & 8:21 - Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually... from youth.
Psalm 36:1-2 - Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For it flatters him in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it.
Proverbs 28:26 - He who trusts in his own heart is a fool
Matthew 13:14 - "In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, 'You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.'"
c.f. Psalm 58:4-5; Ecclesiastes 8:11; Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26; Psalm 94:11; Mark 7:21-23; Ephesians 4:17-18

Mind (Depraved)
Romans 1:28-31 - And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being... without understanding
Titus 1:15-16 - to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled
Ephesians 4:17-18 - So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
Jeremiah 10:7-8,14 - For among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You. But they are altogether stupid and foolish. Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge
c.f. Romans 8:7

Will/Choosing (Enslaved)
John 8:34 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin."
2 Peter 2:19 - by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.
Titus 3:3 - For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
Galatians 4:8-9 - However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?
Romans 6:6,16,17,19,20 - our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin... Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey...? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart... For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Romans 7:14 - For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.
Romans 6:20 - For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
2 Timothy 2:25-26 - 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.
c.f. Isaiah 42:6-7; John 8:31-32,36

Affections/Desires (Perverted)
Romans 1:24-27 - Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
2 Timothy 3:2-4 - For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God
Proverbs 21:10 - The soul of the wicked desires evil
Isaiah 32:6 - For a fool speaks nonsense, and his heart inclines toward wickedness
John 3:19 - "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil."
John 8:44 - "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father."
c.f. Genesis 3:16; Psalm 4:2, 140:8; Proverbs 10:23; 2 Peter 2:13

et al (Utter Ruin)
Titus 1:15-16 - to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled
Romans 7:18 - I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh
Isaiah 1:5-6 - The whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts and raw wounds, not pressed out or bandaged, nor softened with oil.
Can men change themselves or still do good when they want to?
Jeremiah 13:23 - Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil.
Job 11:12 - An idiot will become intelligent when the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.
1 Samuel 24:13 - "As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness'"
Matthew 7:18 - "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit." (c.f. Luke 6:43)
Matthew 12:34 - "how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil."
Romans 8:7 - the mind set on the flesh... does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so
Genesis 6:5 & 8:21 - Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually... from youth.
Titus 1:15-16 - to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
c.f. Job 14:4; Matthew 12:34; John 15:5; Romans 14:23; 1 John 5:18-19

Are men at least born pure? What about the "tabula rasa"?
Psalm 51:5 - Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
Genesis 8:21 - the Lord said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth
Psalm 58:3 - The wicked are estranged from the womb; those who speak lies go astray from birth.

Isaiah 48:8 - "You have not heard, you have not known. Even from long ago your ear has not been open, because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; and you have been called a rebel from birth."
c.f. Proverbs 22:15

What is the natural disposition of man toward God?
John 3:20 - "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."
Romans 8:7-8 - the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Colossians 1:21 - you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds
James 4:4 - You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
c.f. Romans 1:28-30

What is man's relationship to God?
Psalm 58:3 - The wicked are estranged from the womb; those who speak lies go astray from birth.
Ephesians 2:12-13 - remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:3 - Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
c.f. Isaiah 59:2

Can man then do anything to please God?
Proverbs 15:9 - The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord
Proverbs 15:8/21:27 - The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord
Proverbs 28:9 - He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
Isaiah 64:6 - For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
Romans 8:7-8 - the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please [God]
c.f. Psalm 50:16; Proverbs 21:4; Isaiah 1:10-15; Amos 5:21-24

Are men at least seeking God?
John 3:20 - "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."
Isaiah 65:1 - "I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me."
Isaiah 64:7 - There is no one who calls on Your name, who arouses himself to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us and have delivered us into the power of our iniquities.
Romans 3:10-12 - "there is none who seeks for God"
c.f. Romans 10:20

Can the natural man comprehend the gospel or come to saving knowledge of God on his own?
1 Corinthians 2:14 - But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 - our gospel is veiled... to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18,21-24 - For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Crist crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness
Matthew 11:27 - "no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.'
c.f. Psalm 119:18; Proverbs 4:19; Isaiah 42:6-7; Hosea 14:9; Matthew 16:17; John 8:43; Acts 22:14; Ephesians 4:17-19; 2 Corinthians 2:15-16; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 1 John 5:20

Can men of themselves accept God's gift of salvation? Do men choose God or come to Him on their own?
John 3:27 - John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven."
John 14:16 - "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him
John 1:12-13 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 6:44 & 64 - "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;" And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."
Romans 9:16 - So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
Romans 11:35-36 - Or who has first given to [the Lord] that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
1 Corinthians 1:30 - But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:13 - for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
c.f. Jonah 2:9; Zephaniah 3:9; John 15:16; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Philippians 1:6; James 1:18

Who supplies faith/belief/repentance?
Romans 12:3 - God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
2 Peter 1:1 - Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours
1 Corinthians 3:6 - I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
Acts 5:31 - "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 11:18 - When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."
Philippians 1:29 - For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake... to believe in Him
Acts 18:27 - And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace
Acts 3:16 - "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all."
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
2 Timothy 2:25 - The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, [etc.]... if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth
1 Corinthians 12:3 - no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit
2 Peter 1:3 - His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence
Romans 11:36 - For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
1 Corinthians 4:7 - For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
John 3:6 & 6:63 - "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit... It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing;"
c.f. 1 Chronicles 29:14; John 5:44; Ephesians 6:23

Can men do anything to help themselves?
Romans 5:6 - For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Colossians 2:13 - When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions
Ephesians 2:1-2 & 4-5 - And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked... But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
c.f. Psalm 49:7-9; Jeremiah 2:22; Ezekiel 16:6, 37:1-3

Who then can be saved?!
Matthew 19:26 - Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
c.f. Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Like Natural Like Spiritual





Like natural, like Spiritual...

I saw some things on the news today while I was at work, pulled out my journal and really listened to what God had to say. There are crisis' that go on in the world that at times reflect whats going on in the church or the body of Christ. The Lord pointed out two of the world's issues that are reflecting whats happening in the church. This long lasting oil crisis and the contaminated milk that has been killing and affecting over 53,000 babies in Asia and other continents are the two issues that really stuck out to me today.
The oil crisis because there is a lack for genuine oil in the church just as its hard to come by in the world; and this milk crisis because i believe the sincere milk of the Word has been tainted in the church by a man centered gospel being preached instead of a God-centered gospel.

Let me know what you think...

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Disciplined and Free

I was listening to this hymn on the radio the other morning... it actually woke me up..and i didnt catch all the words of the song ( mostly because of my loud alarm clock) but i did seem to catch these words in the song: " I am a Christian, disciplined and free..." I was already thinking about the role of discipline in Christianity and it plays a very big role, especially because our flesh naturally leans twoard not doing the will of God.
We cannot be loose with our Christianity, customizing Jesus in order to make up for our lack of discipline. The whole book of Proverbs talks about the role of instruction and correction, reproof and discipline. Words like chastisement, warning, and training are all words that are synonomous with discipline. We cannot live in a Christianity where "anything goes" and we are "free to serve Jesus". You see alot of people in this "freedom" wearing whatever, talking however, and cant seem to ever get rid of their bad habits, blaming them on Christ because "He's still working on me." Proverbs 22:15; 29:15; and 13:24 all apeak on discipline, even discipline concerning the rod of correction. Most people just think that these verses are talking about children and parents, but its also dealing with the Christian who is still a immature and hasn't been disciplined. Hebrews 12 talks about discipline, right after one of the most powerful chapters on faith in the Bible, Hebrews 11. With faith must come discipline. The one who forsakes and rejects discipline is a fool is what Proverbs teaches us.

Proverbs 10:17- He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
Prov 10:17 (KJV)

Proverbs 13:18-Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.
Prov 13:18 (KJV)

Proverbs 15:5-A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.
Prov 15:5 (KJV)

There are many more verses in Proverbs and all throughout the Word dealing with discipline. Its in discipline and holiness that the Christian is free. The Holy Spirit will always correct, convict, and keep the believer on the right path, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty (2 Cor 3:17). In other words, there is no liberty outside of the Lord's correction, and conviction, and his light and easy yoke. (Matt 11:30)

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Sight of Sin

So, Ive been reading these Puritan Paperbacks, and they are some great books by the way; I'm currently reading The Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson, and it is an awesome book, and its straight to the point when it talks about true and false repentance.
I wanted to list something I saw in the earlier chapters of the book about the Nature of True Repentance
There are 6 ingredients of true repentance and each ingredient is a key factor in true repentance.
1.Sight of sin
2.Sorrow for sin
3.Confession of sin
4.Shame for sin
5.Hatred for sin
6.Turning from sin

I just want to talk about the first, and you can check out the rest of these if you buy the book ( I hightly recommend it!)
Sight of sin is so important when we live in a world that accepts sin more and more everyday. Its important that we know what sin is, and how to identify it when it comes up in our lives. Things ranging from the most adulterous affair to the slightest bit of manipulation need to be identified immediately as sin and repented for in our lives. Many parents watch their children engage in acts of sin, and rebellion and all along, watch as they plunge deeper into sin without repenting. The parents refuse to call sin what it is and the children refuse to turn from it. The addict is seen nowadays as someone who has a problem, a self-esteem issue, or a rough childhood, but they are never seen as one who is willfully sinful and needs true repentance. More and more women become pregnant out of wedlock, abortions are higher and more men and women make the godless decision to "come out of the closet" professing their homosexuality, and the world calls them different...they applaud the unmarried woman with child, they approve the woman that aborts and pat her on the back , and the judicial system sides with the serial murderer that had a rough childhood. The courts have legalized a total abomination in the eyes of the Supreme Judge and theyve done it in the name of "love".There is a difference between appeasement and compassion and the latter is not seen a whole lot today.
Yes, people need a break...they need to be broken lol...we need to call sin what it is and tell man to turn from it because its death. God will not pat the sinner on the back on Judgment Day and tell him "its ok, mistakes happen.." Mistakes do happen, but people also sin willfully...because theyre born that way and they need to repent and turn to Christ. Sin and its reality need to be seen for what it really is..death, separation. Sin not only needs to be seen as something to be punished for, but something that causes a loving holy God to separate Himself from you...and thats the ultimate low thats found in sin. As in Isaiah 6, sin must be seen for what it is and repented for, sorrowed over and God is faithful to cleanse sin because of true repentance. To the Christian, sin must be sighted for in our lives and repented for immediately. To the world, dont remain blinded by ignorance and self- love. Call sin what it is, realize the crime behind it, and dont be sorry for the consequences of it, be sorry because it grieves a holy God. Lets not appease sin any longer, lets take a stand and call sin out for the wickedness that it really is and show compassion to the man that desires to turn from it.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Deception and Counterfeit Revival

Here is an article on deception and counterfeit revival by Zac Poonen, an awesome man of God whose sermons and articles can be found at SermonIndex.com
Be Blessed!!



DECEPTION AND COUNTERFEIT REVIVAL
Zac Poonen
Jesus and the apostles repeatedly warned that the last days would be characterized by widespread deception and a multitude of false prophets (Matt.24:3-5,11,24; 1 Tim.4:1) – and we have seen plenty of them in the last few decades.

Why are millions of Christians deceived by these false prophets and these counterfeit “revivals”? And why are so many preachers falling prey to immorality and greed?

Here are what I see to be some of the main causes:

1. Most Christians today are not aware of what the New Testament teaches, because they have not studied it carefully; and so they follow the teachings of their leaders and not the teachings of the New Testament.

2. Miracles (supernatural gifts) have become more important to them than their character (a supernatural life).

3. Material wealth has become more important to them than spiritual wealth.

4. They are unable to distinguish between soulish frenzy or psychological manipulation, and the genuine moving of the Holy Spirit; the cause again is ignorance of the New Testament.

5. They are unable to distinguish between psychosomatic healing (healing that comes by right attitudes of the mind), and supernatural healing in Jesus' Name.

6. Emotional excitement and strange physical manifestations have become more important to them than the inward joy of the Lord.

7. For the leaders, their ministry to people has become more important than their inner walk with God.

8. The approval of men has become more important to these leaders than the approval of God.

9. The number of people attending the meetings has become more important to these leaders than whether those people are totally committed to Christ.

10. Building their personal kingdoms and their financial empires has become more important to these leaders than building a local church and making themselves servants in that local church (Jeremiah 6:13).

All this is the VERY OPPOSITE of what Jesus taught. The opposite of Christ is called the "anti-Christ" in the New Testament. If Christians do not see this clearly, then when the Antichrist turns up on the world’s stage, with his false signs and wonders (2 Thess.2:3-10), they too will blindly accept him. To be led by the Spirit of Christ is to have the very opposite spirit to that mentioned in the points above.

Here is a paraphrase of Jesus' words in Matthew 7:13-27 (read in the context of Matthew Chapters 5 to 7:

Saturday, August 16, 2008

The Immutability of God




The Immutability of God: this wonderful attribute of God talks about the aspect of God that has never changed and never will change. The Lord says in Malachi 3:6 " I am the Lord, I change not..." He has been the same loving, awesome, all powerful, perfect God who hates sin and condemns unrighteousness, from the beginning. In a world thats full of constant change and shifting, its good to be hooked into a God who changes not! Check out the video, be blessed

The Immutability of God- A.W. Pink

Immutability- Boyce's Abstract Systematic Theology

The Will of God- R.C. Sproul

Friday, August 15, 2008

Hell...

This is just a couple of minutes of a sermon called "Hell..what is it like?" by David Wilkerson. This is one of the most awesome messages I've ever heard, If you would like to hear the whole thing, go to sermonindex.com and look under the 10 most downloaded messages. I pray this moves on your heart and causes you to think about the reality of Hell.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

$5000 pen? watch closely...

I am in no way a "heresy hunter"...but this...this is ridiculous...now normally I would kind of brush this whole thing off as someone being "too critical" or taking something "way out of context"...but this goes beyond that...check out the video..really, ...listen to whats being said and think about it...its not just someone picking on another preacher, it really is just some non word based junk coming out of the speakers mouth...let me know what you think...


Saturday, July 26, 2008

The Infinitude of God




The Infinitude of God: Its not an easy thing to describe infinitude. One cant point to an earthly material object or even describe something thats infinite because there is nothing that we know of that is infinite. We think of things such as space, time, or unlimited quantity of something as being infinite, but all these things are contained and measured by One who is their creator: God. God is the only Infinite Being. He cannot be measured, boxed in or limited; He fills all in all and everything that makes God, God is infinite, His nature, His attributes, His presence, His Being. There is no place where He is not, and there is no place where His Love, Mercy, Strength, Power cannot reach. Check out the Video and the articles on the infinitude of God.

The Self-Existence of God

The Love of God

The Immutability of God

Friday, July 4, 2008

The Oneness of God (God all by Himself)




Check out these articles: God's glory

The Supremacy of God


The Oneness of God: I am the Lord, and there is no one else. God is One and there are no other dieties or authorities outside of God. If there were, He wouldnt be God and we would have to look to "another"; but God is the only God, the only One True God and therefore all worship and glory belong to Him. All worship and glory will go to Him, and all things will give Him glory because He is the God of all things and the Creator of all things.Nothing exists outside of Him. So knowing that, why do people continue to run to "others" to find satisfaction, to find purpose? Why do people still seek to give honor and dedication to other things in their lives: carers, education, other religions, their goals and desires? In the end all of those things will perish and men still wont be satisfied until they give glory to The One.
God , in Exodus, says that He is a jealous God: not because He is in competition with some other "gods" for your affection and wants your attention. He is jealous for His glory, the worship that a man gives to other things and people that soley belongs to God. Romans 1:20-26 talks about that. God is One and there is no other, therefore all of our worship, all of the glory goes to Him first, not because we can do anything to make Him anymore glorious or exalted, but because He is God and all glory and worship belongs to Him. Seek to worship no one else besides Him, seek to glorify no one besides Him. He is the only One true God.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

This is a must see message!!





This is a message by Paul Washer, a really powerful man of God. It is one of the most moving messages that Ive ever heard and I encourage you to listen to this with caution...watch your toes! They will be in pieces by the end lol. Take notes,play it as many times as you can because there is so much truth in this message that this generation needs!
Be Blessed!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

The Attributes of God part 1



check out this link:
The Knowability of God


Check out the video...I will also be posting some articles and sermons by men of God who dove head first into the study of the attributes of God. Knowing God and what He is like is so important because having the right conception of Him will determine the depth of your relationship with Him. Studying God's attributes and getting to know Him more intimately helps us from just knowing ABOUT God to knowing of God and knowing Him personally. When we think of the word attribute, being humans, we usually relate it to ourselves
attribute: something attributed as belonging to a person, thing, group, etc.; a quality, character, characteristic, or property:

attributes belong to men because we are created: we are composed, made up of parts, and therefore we possess attributes, we are influenced and can add to our character or subtract from our character. We can be happy one day and be sad the next, we can be sensitive for ten years and then become hard for the rest of our lives; we can be influenced to become angry and then become influenced to become happy again. We possess attributes and characteristics but it is not the same way with God.

God has no origin, He was not created, He has no beginning and has no end, therefore He is not composed of parts, such as man is. He is one with Himself, a unit...three in One. If someone were to compose God, then we would have to go to that "One" says A.W. Tozer. Just as a diamond is pure and whole, with no other minerals that make up its substance, so is God...but even more...God is without parts and cannot be influenced by anything outside of Himself.He cannot be influence and therefore change His attributes. He doesent change and he doesent fluctuate as man does..just as man can be happy about one thing and become even happier about another, God is the fullness of happiness, He is its essence. Just as man chooses to love what he wants and when he wants, God is the essence of love, He is the fullness of love. There is no love outside of God, no happiness outside of God, no life, no truth, no righteousness outside of Him. He embodies His attributes and is them.

God's definition of attribute: something which God has declared to be true about Himself.

God's attributes cannot be studied and researched and found by the intellect, 1 Corinthians chapter 2 tells us that The Spirit of God reveals the deep things of God. His attributes and the things that He declares to be true about Himself are revealed to those who seek Him. Knowledge of God can only be revealed by the Spirit.

Be blessed

Monday, June 2, 2008

Christians with Opinions




Check out the Video, its about Christians with Opinions....those of us who choose to hold on to our opinions even though we desire to seek God and do His will. This can be a dangerous thing , and is something we are all guilty of, but we must choose to be Kingdom minded people and let God's thoughts become our thoughts and His ways our ways. When we let God's Word reign supreme in our lives then there will be no room to formulate opinions of our own, we will delight in God's Law, and we will be able to stand in the day of adversity and look sin and problems in the face and call them what they are. Today we deal with so many issues in this world that are becomming more and more accepted by society...things like fornication, homosexuality, abortion,..things like murder and crime go un noticed and passed over. Our perspective on these issues and our response to these issues doesent need to be based on and formed by the world. We need to find our answers and base our opinions on the Word of God and let His word remain the standard of morality.
(Morality - Gods Word = hypocrisy)
Stand firm on the Word as a Kingdom citizen and as someone who seeks God, let His Word be your standard and not your own opinion...

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Worship the King




Check out the video and check out the blog....worshipping God is the most important thing that you can ever do in your life! Worship needs to be the foundation of anyone and everyone who seeks to draw nearer to God. " God's Kingdom will never come where His name is not regarded as holy."
Be Blessed

Worship the King Blog


Ill start off by saying this. We live in a democratic country where we have been given freedoms, of opinion, religion, speech, whatever... Those things are good but as with anything that is man made, there are some flaws. Taking on that mindset (a democratic one) can be dangerous for the one who seeks after and desires to follow God. Ill explain... See, a democracy involves opinion, whether its ones opinion about the leadership, the laws, the government, the economy... You are "free" to your own opinion in a democracy, whether its right or wrong. Well in a kingdom its different, the thing that makes a kingdom different from any other government on earth is that a kingdom involves worship... Worship of the leader(king), reverence for His laws and His ways, respect for His property, and conforming to His standards. His opinion becomes yours, His thoughts become yours, His ways become yours.. although a person may live in a democracy and totally loathe the president and his authorities, he is still free to live in the country and he is entitled to his own opinion. Not so in the kingdom, a person cannot live in the kingdom and be partial to the king. One cannot seek to receive the benefits that God wants to give in the kingdom and not like God and what He stands for. You can't live in the kingdom and not want to worship the king. You can't live in the kingdom and have your own image or opinion of the king. To live in the Kingdom, you must see Him as He is and worship Him for who He is, and not just what His kingdom can do for you. See, when the economy is great and the people are benefitting, the presidents approval rating goes up, and when its bad, the approval rating falls in a democratic country...it can never be like that in the kingdom.The King has no approval rating among the people because He never changes, He is and has always been the same. Hebrews tells us that God has been the same yesterday, today and forever...and the Kings approval isn't based on the opinions of the people, because He is self sufficient, He needs no approval or like or dislike to be King. He was and is King before we even got here, and He would be King if we never existed. Furthermore, our worship of Him does not make Him anymore a King than if no one worshiped Him. Worship in the Kingdom is because God is King, has been King, before any and everything and because He has always been King, it is our duty, our rightful place as His creation to give Him worship.all other Kings of the earth need(key word) followers and subjects to remain kings but not so witn the King of the Kingdom. He has no need.never has, never will. We must worship Him because of Who He is, was and has been...and because all things were made by Him. A democracy allows you to like or dislike the leader, to say what you want about him, to pick and choose what you like and dislike about the government, and when it comes to laws, he doesent even have the ultimate authority in some cases. People change laws, vote, protest, etc. And make things happen...but in the Kingdom, this type of governing doesent happen, the King must be worshipped with love. If you're in the kingdom, and your worshiping the King, and you find that you really don't love Him and His laws, chances are you were probably never in the kingdom in the first place. In the Kingdom, the subjects love the King, they love His laws, His decrees, they love what He stands for! Lol.. If you find an "opinionated Christian", you probably won't see them in the kingdom very long... So many people approach the Kingdom of God with a democratic mentality, ...almost like a person shopping in the supermarket. They approach the word of God and see things like "give and it shall be given unto you...","brethren I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers" I am the Lord, who gives you the power to get wealth" and they say, "I like this, put it in the cart.." then they come across things like "be holy, for I am holy,"and things like "I love righteousness and hate iniquity" and things like "don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers"..or "be angry and sin not" .. And they say, "eh, I think ill leave those on the shelf, they sound ok, but just a little too hard...I like those other things better..." and people pick and choose in Gods law the things that they like and dislike instead of having a kingdom attitude like David in psalms that says "I love your law, o'Lord" . We cannot approach the kingdom with a democratic mindset. We cannot choose the days and times that we love God, or choose when we will follow His word. It has to be constant, a lifestyle of loving the King and obeying His laws out of delight for Him and His laws. Worship God , not just out of what His government can Do for you, or what it has done for you, worship Him with the proper conception of Him, worship Him for who He is and because He is that..God..and there is no one like Him. Gods kingdom wil never come where His name is not regarded as Holy first.(Matt. 6:9-10)....so much more...ill write it later...

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Chambers of the Heart part 2





Chambers of the heart part 2....well, i guess i just wanted to add something from the first one. I find it interesting how today, we have so many ways of expressing ourselves, of showing who we are and what we are like just by the things that we associate with and give our attention to. Things like Myspace, Facebook, Avatars, Images, Digital cameras, we can expres ourselves in so many ways through these things; but in all these aveues...what do our Ipods and MySpace's say about us? What do they express about who and what we give our attention to. These priests in Ezekiel 8:7-13 had the same issue. They posted and expressed themselves about what they worshipped through images on the wall and inscence burned in that secret chamber in the temple. Do you have a secret chamber in your temple of the Holy Spirit? What are we giving attention to in our lives? Is God Supreme, and does our lives express that we serve Him and worship Him ? Just some questions to think about
Be Blessed

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

just at work....

Hey, I'm just at work, thinking, not really doing anything, so I thought I would post a blog. I'm using my cellphone to post this, so if its not the most grammatically correct, then hallelujah lol.
I was reading psalms 50 the other day and I began to think about something that is just so simple, yet kinda deep. Psalm 50:9-13 is talking about how God doesent need any sacrifices or offerings from the people as food or for anything. He doesent use the offerings to judge between the people, he doesent taste the offering and decide if Billy or Jackie cooks it better then answer Billy's prayers because he offered it better. Gods whole point in these couple verses is to get across to the people 2 main points (well at least ill just talk about 2) 1.God was trying to change these peoples mindset, because when they were offering sacrifices, they were giving it with the mentality that God wanted a good meal before he could do anything for you. They saw it like God needed these sacrifices for food and since He couldn't get it himself it would please him if people just sacrificed it to Him. Wrong!this is how the pagans worshipped their gods, with this mentality. "God needs us, in order to do what He does, so He can do what we want." make sense?the pagans gave lil food on lil plates to their gods because they got "hungry". And in return for the food, the gods would please the people. So the whole point was that the god needed the people, in order to be god. The isrealites were doing the same thing to God.they were also so focused on all the external methods that of how they could please God and never tried to know or please Him internally, which was the whole point of sacrifices anyway(a type and shadow). The isrealites did not honor or glorify God as God, for who he is and this is why he was corecting them in psalms 50.
2. God is nothing like any idol or false god. In the previous verses in this chapter God says to isreal, "I am God, even your God." he was saying that he was the one and only true God and therefore he must be treated as that , not like some idol. The next point is, that since he is God, he is the all sufficient, all powerful, all knowing one who needs nothing or nobody. These people we're treating God like he was like them, like he had some need, or desire that he had to have from them. And because God is God, he never has had, and never will have a need. He is just as much sufficient now as he has always been.if God were to have a need, he wouldn't be God. If there were something that man could give him in order to satisfy some void He had, then God wouldn't be God. He has no need, no appetite, no void He has to fill, He never will. And He needs nothing from anyone.peoples mindarts have been warped when it comes to serving God. Lol, he is not in need of service. But it is for our sake that we serve him, because we are the ones with the needs; and true service to him is not by external ways, but by honoring Him and worshiping Him as God and knowing Him, internally. What could we ever give, or how much could we ever do, or how many sermons or ministries could we teach, or how many fasts and offerings could we take to please God anyway?if he had a need, what could we really do about it ? Could humans really solve the needs of a Deity?never! Babies can't pay an adults bills, and no insect could meet the needs of a human. But back to the point, God has never had a need and can't ever have a need, and if he did why would He tell us? He says that In psalm 50 verse 9-13.if I were hungry, why would I tell you, for the whole earth is mine."
So what are we to do, if God has no need, and accepts no external rituals and traditional forms of worship only? We are to do as he says in psalms 50:14-15, offer to God thanksgiving.and our vows to the most high, lol your vows...not cows .the whole point is to honor God as God, worship Him because He is that.and to know him to the point where in verse 15 , you can call on him and He will answer you.don't let your perception of God be formed by the things you think you have to do for Him. Honor and thank Him and get to know Him for who He is.

Hope this wasn't too long, lol...but praise God, now its lunchtime. Be blessed, share your thoughts.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Reality...it really happened

The Real Mt. Siani..check this out!!!


Im a person who appreciates history. I love hearing the stories of how those in the past reacted, moved, changed and formed and lived. With that said, the Bible is history, its full of history of how God has been interacting with His people, the israelites, and it tells the "stories" of how God has and continues to do so much to reach out to the hearts of His people. In God's Word, there are miraculous things, supernatural things, laws, demonstrations of power and things have happened that remain in a class all by themself. Many times, because of the present and all the pressure thats put on reality (whats happening right in front of you) I think that at times we water-down the stories of the Bible and dont realize the reality of them. The effects and choices made and power demonstrasted in the Word have changed the course of history. Men and women who chose to follow God, not some fairy-tale figure, but The Creator of the Universe Himself have experienced and seen things that nowadays a man's imagination can only make up. I mean, look at the experiences and look at the results, Imagine the reality of a burning bush that is blazing with white-hot flames, yet not consumed...or an entire sea split in two forming a path for 2 million people to pass through....or even God Himself, coming down from Heaven, to visit earth with a physical presence ...fire, sulfur, a foundation of the most clearest, precious stones, descending upon a mountain . Picture the reality of a man that could walk on water, whose DNA was so molecularly different from our own that if He were to take a blood test, it would be proven that he was created without a human father. Or the reality of a city that was literally destroyed with the hottest of sulfur and fire, killing everyone in its path. So many people look at the Bible, with this metaphorical, unreal perspective, and thus they see a God who is the same way...Go through the Word, look at the stories and let the Life of the Word take you back and allow you to feel the experience that these people felt....

This is just an example of what Im talking about...Look at this article, see how nature doesent lie, then take a look at Exodus and re live what went on at that holy mountain. Its not some "dedication or tribute" to what happened. Men arent set up like workers at an amusement park waiting to take tourists on a "show" to these supernatural monuments...they have a legacy, a reality , a residue left by God Himself. Check it out, be changed

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Chambers of the Heart



I was reading Ezekiel 8:7-12 , and this just really stood out. I encourage you to really just read it over and over and let the Spirit of God speak to you about the chambers of your own heart. Whats painted on the walls of our spirits? To what and to whom is our devotion and worship going to. It may not be to gold or silver or wood idols, but it may be to something such as "self", or it may be a devotion to fill a void in our lives, and we may search to fill it with everything and anything. What about the things that we watch or listen to on a daily basis, are they recieving the worship in our temple that only God deserves? We may even be calling the thing we devote our attention to a good thing in the name of "God" and we might be replacing His blessings for Him. Lets not take the glory of God and exchange it for images resembling not just things like beasts and birds like the Israelites did, but lets not exchange His glory and change his image to that of a corruptible man. (Romans 1:23). Self can be a tyrant, a dictator, and a lord to the man who lives for himself. What and who are you serving in the chambers of your heart?

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Visiting Royalty

"God is treated as visiting royalty in a democratic country." - A.W. Tozer

I cant help but be fascinated everytime I pick up one of A. W. Tozer's books and read. When I saw this statement , there was so much truth in it for so few words. This statement makes me think of how this country and so many others have treated God, today, in the past, and in how our children will treat God in the future.
This is just a thought, but I think that overall, mankind (worldly man) likes and thinks that he has adjusted well to the realization that "this is his world". What i mean by that is , after the fall of man in Genesis 2, when Adam decided to disobey God, and essentially made the choice to be under the dominion of Satan, and when Adam chose to be "on his own", I think that throughout the years and all through the centuries, man is "proud" and "ok" with Adam's decision. Today we would say that "man has made the most of it" and the world is comfortable with Adam's decision in the begining to forget God and choose himself. That attitude is wrong and thats why this statement is so true. Today people are comfortable choosing themself and working on themselves, rather than choosing God and working on doing His will. I mean, when it comes down to it, Are we really doing what God wants us to be doing? Or have we made the democratic decision to make our own plans ideas and goals and then honor God and celebrate Him in the process of doing what we want to do?
Just look around you, God is honored, but he isnt Supreme. People respect God, but dont fear Him. People like the fact that they are "in control" of their own decisions and Self has taken the throne in the kingdom of decision making. And when along comes another Authority, with another Law and some different decisions, "self" feels threatened and holds on tighter than ever to the achievements and acomplishments and the goals that "I " want to meet. Thats why its so easy for people to accept Jesus as Savior, but not as Lord; and that is one of the biggest misunderstandings that have been made.
Lets not make God a guest; lets stop treating Him as visiting royalty in a democratic country. Let's dethrone self and let the Lord God rule and reign in our lives. Let's stop treating God as a guest in our government, in our churches, and in our homes. Let's switch to a Kingdom mentality and give Him the rightful honor, reverence, and devotion thats given to a King.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

The Most Important Question Youll Ever Ask...


So the question is ....." What comes into your mind when you think about God?" I believe that this is the foundational question that every man should ask himself to determine his relationship with God. We have so many different things that we believe about God, and sometimes all that we do is take another mans beliefs about something and make them our own instead of seeking and searching for the answers ourselves. God is not hidden, He desires to reveal Himself to those who will seek Him and in Romans 1: 21, He says that He has revealed Himself and His attributes through His creation, but man chose not to call that which is revealed, God. So what comes into your mind when you think about God? I also think that in this modern era, we tend to leave out alot of who He is and alot of His attributes....things like His wrath , His hatred of sin, His thoughts of vomiting out lukewarmness....I mean, we hear so much and so much about His goodness and light, that we have redefined those words, part of what makes Him so good is His hate for evil; part of what make Him so full of light is His elimination of and power over darkness....I mean, to get to the greatest day of glory and His Kingdom and His new earth and perfection and glorification for us, His wrath has to be revealed against all sin. To get to the peak of happiness and eternal life, His judgment of unrighteousness must be brought forth. What im saying in short is, that God is complete, He is perfect and He is perfect in His opinions, ideas, convictions, thoughts and ways...but the question is, how does His perfection in all of these areas relate to us in our daily lives? Are we following Him and viewing Him through His perspective, or are we claiming that we are following Him and viewing Him through this world's perspective of Him ? through "our grandma's perspective of Him?" or through the media's perspective of Him?" What comes to your mind when you think about God???

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Whats Wrong with The Gospel?

Whats Wrong with The Gospel by A.W. Tozer

So, I was reading this at work the other day and it really blew my mind. I mean it was awesome! Ive been reading some of A.W. Tozer's books and he is really on point with what the Lord was showing him. In this article, he is talking about some of the traditions that the church has picked up in the last 150 years. These things arent bad, and theyre not totally non-effective, but my question is like Tozer's in this....why do we do them? Are these traditions lined up in the Word? Is what we are doing just another part of Americanized Christianity? These are some of the questions running around in my spirit as i was reading this....what questions will come up in yours? Enjoy the article,its very on point with some humor in it as well...God Bless

Saturday, February 9, 2008

A Liar?

So I was asked a question the other day. More people are beginning to ask about me and ministry, rather me in ministry. My MySpace page, the Bible Studies, I dunno, but it just seems this year like more people are asking about ministry; which is absolutely fine with me. So I was at work last week, the ministry "are you a preacher" question comes up and so I answer as usual, "Yes I teach at my church, and Ive been called to ministry" . So everything was great until I was asked by another person, "You plan on making a living lying to people?" Wow, now that was a first!! I wasnt mad, but indignant. Lying to people? So I responded, not to defend the Word, or the many ministers out there, because I really cant speak for them, but I spoke for myself and said, "No, Ive never lied, and will never lie when it comes to sharing the Word of God." And then I thought...and thought...and a certain image came to mind; and it made me say "That was the most ignorant statement/question that Ive ever heard. " This was the image i saw..

and what I thought about was all the persecution, all of the hate, the martyrs, all of the ignorance and blindness of all the people who killed the prophets, who stoned the martyrs, all of the persecutors who jeered and cursed Jesus that day on the cross, who said that these people were liars, and blasphemers...all because they spoke for God in the midst of people who really thought they knew God. So back to this "statement/question"....I thought to myself...By you saying that Im going to be a liar, are you saying that all of these men and women are liars...all of the great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 12:1...are they all liars? Is God's word a lie then? Is everything spoken by the mouth of God through His people a lie? Its a dangerous thing to fall in the hands of an angry God.