2009 Reading List

I realize its coming up on the end of the first quarter in this year (2009) and I wanted to post the books that will be on my list to read this year, and the books that I have already read:

*completed
-in progress




*Spectacular Sins and their Global purpose in the Glory of Christ - John Piper

*The Gospel According to Jesus - John MacArthur

*God's Passion for His Glory - John Piper

*John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God - John Piper

*The Doctrine of Repentance - Thomas Watson

*Dont Waste Your Life - John Piper

-The Art of Prophecying - William Perkins

-Justification and Regeneration - Charles Leiter

-The One True God - Paul David Washer

-A Body of Divinity - Thomas Watson

Pilgrims Progress - John Bunyan

12 Sermons on Repentance - Charles Spurgeon

*Finally Alive - John Piper

Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ - John Piper

Institutes of the Christian Religion - John Calvin

Im sure there will be more added to this list, but for now, this is it...
Any recommendations on good Christian literature?

Check out the Resource Site

Hey, check out my new resource site RepentResources !! Ive put some information and articles on this site so far...but its just beginning. I will be posting more sermons and videos in the near future. This is just a site where I can put everything that has helped me in the last few years grow and develop in my relationship with God. Its not just strictly for theology and information, but its to encourage you to know the God of the Bible and study the scriptures to be able to stand firm in the faith.
Be blessed!

Only In America...

It is unfortunate that I didnt come up with this phrase myself, it being so relevant and applicable to todays mainstream Christianity and all. "Only in America"...I must give credit to Don King who so joyusly used this phrase as he stroked a plethora of greenbacks in his hands as he was promoting then champion, Mike Tyson.


With all that aside, its time to bring forth the latest words from "Modern Mainstream Christianity". You know them well, the preachers and teachers we see on TV everyday, coming out of their mouths with doctrinal errors and falsehoods, most of them with sincere hearts, yet sincerely wrong. Before we start our journey on the latest heresies, I would like to say that I am not a heresy hunter. I dont sit around googling "heresy" and looking for faces to match it. Although these false sayings do anger me, I do keep these people lifted up in prayer, hoping that God's grace would work twoard them so that they may see the truth, as God has graciously done for me and so many others. The quotes:

This came from a very prominent evangelists' (prophetess') blog site:

"IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE ONES WHO HEARD THE MESSAGE AND TRIED TO SOW YOUR $21.00 SEED OFFERING THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT THE PAYPAL SYSTEM CRASHED. HOWEVER WE ARE IN A PROPHETIC FLOW AND THAT $21.00 SEED WAS ON THE FLOOR IN THE SPIRIT INSTANT PROPHETIC WORD RELEASED BY WAY OF INTERNET. THE WORD WAS THAT HE WOULD TAKE THIS $21.00 SEED AND TURN IT INTO YOUR MIRACLE.
AS MANY OF YOU KNOW I AM NOT ONE TO GET ONLINE TO SEND OUT LETTERS IF GOD HAS NOT GIVEN ME TO DO SO. MANY HAVE TRIED TO DO SO IN MY NAME AND GOD STOPPED IT. SO, TONIGHT WHEN HE SPOKE OUT ACROSS THE INTERNET THAT THOSE THAT WERE WATCHING WOULD BE OBEDIENT AND SOW THAT $21.00 SEED IT WAS HIS DOING AND HIS DOING ALONE.

I WANT TO URGE YOU THAT IF YOU TRIED TO GIVE IT AND COULD NOT YOU NEED TO GO THE RESOURCE CENTER AND PRESS SOW A SEED AND SOW THAT $21 SEED AND YOU NEED TO DO IT NOW WHILE THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS MOVING UPON ME. GOD IS GETTING READY TO TURN IT AROUND IN EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE OBEDIENCE OF YOUR SEED. HE SPOKE AND SAID BECAUSE OF OUR TIMES HE IS BRINGING THE SEED AMOUNT DOWN TO A LEVEL WHERE ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS OBEY HIM FOR A SMALL AMOUNT AND YOU WILL SEE HIS HAND FROM ALL THAT YOU DO FROM THIS POINT ON.
IF YOU KNOW SOMEBODY THAT DID NOT HEAR THE MESSAGE I URGE YOU TO CALL 12 PEOPLE AND SEND THEM ONLINE TO JUANITABYNUM.COM ON JBETV TO WATCH THIS MESSAGE. FOR JUST AS HE HAS DONE FOR YOU HE DESIRES TO DO THE SAME FOR THEM BECAUSE ALL OVER THE WORLD IT IS TIME FOR US TO WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!"

* I didnt know that my money could "spiritually be on the floor" and "spiritually pay for my miracle" and then I "spiritually get it over the internet"...all while the omnipotent, omnipresent Spirit of God moves upon...her??? I think I got it,...as long as I give my money to you (specifically $21 dollars) God can give me a miracle ( a special Internet one) and Ill see his Soverign hand on my life starting after I click "Buy Now"...ok.. Where was His hand in saving a wrtetched sinner like myself and graciously sending His son to bear the sins of many (Isa 53:12)??


Moving forward...
I read this little bit of information in a magazine the other day and it just made me sick....

"One of the biggest misconceptions I have found in my ministry experience, is people assuming God will fight our batles for us. Please notice that passage by Isaiah
to start my article ( Isaiah 54:17 ), it doesent say God will condemn the tounges that rise up against you. It says you will condemn them.
Misinformed teachers have been telling the body of Christ that God will handle everything for them. God has no intention of fighting our battles for us." He later goes on to say, "Nonsense!We do not pull down evil strongholds when we just leave it all up to God, then our ignorance gives occasion to the enemy....Wake up! God is your Father, and He is a good one! Good fathers dont teach their children by putting them through trials and tribulations."

Wow, this is a big bite of misinformed teaching. While I understand where he could be coming from in saying that we shouldnt be "lazy Christians"...a lazy Christian might find himself to be no Christian at all....but this isnt where he is coming from. He is preaching a gospel that glorifies man and not God. In the Bible, if the nation of Israel went to war without God...they lost...who was the cause of the win then? Israel? Their weapons? No. God was. Who told them whether they should even go to war in the first place knowing if they would win or not? Did Israel? No. God did.
I recall that when David tried to do things in his own strength and counted his men...did he win?? No, he lost more people than he even started with.
2 Chronicles 20:15 :And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
1 Samuel 17..when David slew the lion and bear, who did he give credit to for slaying the lion and bear? Himself? His ability? No. "David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." (1 Sam 17:37 )
Then David went on further to say in the same passage :

" This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.1 Sam 17:46-47 (KJV)"

Now, Mr.Avanzini's verse in Isaiah that he uses out of context...Isaiah 54:17
How are the people able to be weapon proof? Why is it that they are able to condemn tounges rising against them? Verse 17 "This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." So who gets credit? Who makes them weapon proof? Who gives them the right and ability to condemn tounges against them? God.
GOD HAS EVERY INTENTION OF FIGHTING OUR BATTLES FOR US!!! HE ALWAYS HAS AND ALWAYS WILL!!

How is the Christian even able to do greater things than Christ...its because of Christ...and wait wait...context, always remember context!!! there is an AND that connects that verse to the next one...lets look...

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
John 14:12

So who's really doing the work here? Who's really doing it all? Christ...whats mans role in this? Asking, thats all...He does..."I will do it". You cant do a thing of yourself. Youre not great apart from God, as a matter of fact...apart from the grace of God we are losers of every battle, losers from the beginning and will end up losers in the end, in hell losing under the wrath of God.

This modern mainstream stuff glorifies a man that cant even breathe without the grace of the living God, much less fight your own battle. You'd better give it to the Lord, and you dont even have to give him $21 dollars for Him to fight it for you. Just ask...and "I will do".

Furthermore, God is the most Wonderful Father and yes he does put His children in the fire of affliction and tribulation. Being that we all deserve His wrath...right??..Is He unjust for putting His children in a fire to purify, rather than in a fire to consume? I wonder if Mr.Avanzini has read Isaiah 48:10 or Ezekiel 22:18-20, or 1 Peter 1:6-7?? I wonder if he has ever taken a look at Hebrews 12:5-8??


Reader, my encouragement to you is to not be fooled by some man-centered, fleshly, "its up to you" gospel. Let it be accursed and those teachers who speak it be accursed. While it may not be some totally off the wall-"there is no God" teaching, it is incomplete; and by partaking of it, it will make you incomplete, always searching and running after "the newest revelation". Youll be dropping money in the bucket and running to the stage to put it down until your blue in the face...Yes there are laws of sowing and reaping, seedtime and harvest...but where is your heart at? after the "blessing" promised to you...or after a Soverign God?


MORE LATER....

A Refusal to Shun the World - John MacArthur

Part of an essay by Dr.John MacArthur called " The Rise of Reckless Faith"


"We have already hinted at another factor contributing to the decline of discernment in the contemporary church. It is a preoccupation with image and influence. Many Christians have the misconception that to win the world to Christ we must first win the world's favor. If we can get the world to like us, they will embrace our Savior. That is the philosophy behind the user-friendly church movement, which I have evaluated in an earlier book.11

The express design of this user-friendly philosophy is to make unconverted sinners feel comfortable with the Christian message. People won't come to hear the Gospel proclaimed? Give them something they want. Put on a show. Entertain them. Avoid sensitive subjects like sin and damnation. Accommodate their worldly desires and felt needs. Slip in the Gospel in small, diluted doses. The whole point is to make the church a place where non-Christians can enjoy themselves. The strategy is to tantalize non-Christians rather than confront their unbelief. That is altogether incompatible with sound doctrine. It is compromise with the world. James called it spiritual adultery (James 4:4).

Look at the effect of this philosophy on the church. In order to entice sinners, preaching has been replaced with entertainment. The preacher who once took his stand for truth and made the biblical message clear is now asked to take his seat. He's a problem. He's an embarrassment. He's an offense to non-Christians.

But if the truth cannot be fearlessly proclaimed in the church, what place is there for truth at all? How can we build a generation of discerning Christians if we are terror-struck at the thought that non- Christians might not like hearing the unvarnished truth?

And since when has it been legitimate for the church to woo the world? Didn't the apostle John write, "Do not marvel, brethren, if the world hates you" (1 John 3:13)? And did not Jesus say, "The world ... hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil" (John 7:7)? Biblical Christians have always understood that they must shun the world. Here are our Lord's own words:

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose vou out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, "A slave is not greater than his master." If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute vou; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me (John 15:18-21).
Does that sound like it gives any latitude for an evangelistic strategy that soft-pedals the offense of the cross?

The Gift of Faith

God has granted or given to sinful, ungodly men, who are enemies and haters of Him, the gift of saving faith to those whom He draws to His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. If you are saved today, you were saved not by your own human faith: the kind of faith that sits in a chair not knowing if it will hold you or not; human faith that believes youll get out of bed every morning and put your feet on the floor; human faith that takes its next breath as if it was promised to you, or generated by you because you've done something right. No, we arent speaking of human faith, because human faith will not save you. Ephesians 2:1 says that men are dead in trespasses and sins, walking to the course of this world, and sons of disobedience. Because men are spiritually dead, their human faith is dead and cannot do anything to please a Holy God, who is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity.






There is a supernatural faith which comes to the one God draws to Himself to believe on His Son, Jesus. Saving faith is a gift, given to the elect by God, and this saving faith is kept by the power of God and will never fail or be snuffed out, but will endure until the end. Saving faith is not of ourselves, therefore men cannot boast about it. Lets look at the scripture to see how saving faith which leads to salvation is a gift, given by the Soverign Almighty God, to those He forknew and predestined to be conformed to the image of His dear Son.


John 6:65 No man can come to me unless it has been granted him from the Father.
“Coming to Christ is faith. But no man can have that unless God gives it to him. This explicitly
teaches that God gives the faith to come to Christ. Note also that this verse is similar to vs. 44,
“... unless the Father who sent me draws him.” When the Father irresistibly draws a sinner to
Christ, He grants saving faith to him.
2 Peter 1:1, “...to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours...”
If faith is received, then it follows that faith is given. We do not give ourselves saving faith; it has
to be given to us. Note that Peter says that all Christians have received this faith. Faith is a gift
for all believers; there are no exceptions. And it is the same gift of faith in every Christian.

Phil. 1:29, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but to
suffer for His sake.” God grants two things to every person when he becomes a Christian:
saving faith and persecutions for that faith in Christ. Justas every believer should realize that
God sovereignly gives us persecutions, so we need to recognize that faith is a sovereign gift,
too. Paul uses the word “grant”, as in John 6:65. The word speaks of a sovereign bestowal from
a superior.
John 3:27, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from Heaven.” John the
Baptist had been a great prophet. He realized that this was not his doing. The gift of prophecy
was a sovereign gift. By the same standard, no Christian can have faith unless it is given to him
from Heaven (that is, from God). Notice how the text uses the two verbs “receive” and “given”.
God gives, we receive.
I Cor. 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” Paul preached the
Gospel and thereby planted the Gospel seed. Apollos followed up on that with further preaching
and teaching. But God “gave” the increase. Some versions render this, “God was causing the
growth” (NASB). God alone causes the Gospel seed to germinate. It is a sovereign gift of God
alone.
I Cor. 4:7, “And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do
you boast as if you had not received it?” Paul reminded the proud Corinthians that they had
nothing to boast of. Spiritual gifts were sovereignly bestowed, not earned (cf. ch. 12). By the
same standard, no man can boast of his faith, for even that faith is a gift. All Christians have
faith, but if it had not been received as a gift, then they could boast. Such is the case with those
who deny that faith is a gift. In effect, they are boasting, “Well, salvation may be a gift, but at
least I contributed to it with my faith.” No, even that faith is a ; gift. Hence, “Let him who boasts,
boast in the Lord” (I Cor. 1:31. Cf. Eph. 2:9).
I Cor. 12:3, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.” Now obviously Paul is
not saying that no one can utter those three words unless by the Holy Spirit. Unbelievers are
capable of that. Rather, Paul is saying that no one can say it as a heartfelt confession of faith
unless the Spirit gives it to him (cf. Rom. 10:9-10). Did you notice how this verse sounds like
John 6:65?
I Cor. 12:8-9, “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit... to another, faith by
the same Spirit...” Paul is reiterating that the charismatic gifts are gifts, not badges of merit.
“Faith” in this verse is not saving faith, but the faith to accomplish great things for God (George
Mueller is frequently cited as an example). The principle is valid, however. Faith is a gift.
Someone has pointed out that miracle-working was a gift, and would anyone claim that it was of
their own power to work miracles? Of course not. The same is true with faith.
Gal. 3:23, “But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law...” Paul is speaking
of two developments in this passage: the macrocosm of the history of God’s covenants, and the
microcosm of individuals coming to faith in Christ. Just as the Law preceded the coming of
Christ, so a person is under bondage and condemnation before Christ comes into his life. Note
the words “before faith came”. We speak of our ”coming to faith”, but it might be more Biblically
precise to say “before faith came to me.” Not only do we come to faith in Christ, but Christ
comes into us with the gift of faith.
Gal. 5:22, “The fruit of the Spirit is... faith...” Some versions render this as “faithfulness”, but
faithfulness springs from faith. Either way, we see that faith is something grown in us by the
Holy Spirit. He produces it, not us.
Rom. 10:17, “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Some versions
have “word of Christ” or “preaching of Christ”. In either case, Paul’s point is that faith is given by
458
means of the Word of God. Note also how it is given. Through the Word, God opens the ears of
the heart (cf. Gal. 3:2, Matt. 13:9, 13). That is part of regeneration. And in that, He also gives the
gift of faith.
Matt. 13:11, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven,
but to them it has not been granted.” Notice how the word “granted” is again used. Knowledge
of these spiritual mysteries comes through the Word and produces faith. But it is sovereignly
bestowed only on a few, not all.
Luke 22:32, “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail...” Christ knew that Peter
would soon deny Him. But Christ had given him faith and prayed that that gift of faith would be
revived. We receive the gift of faith, from God in answer to Christ’s prayers. Hence, he will
continue to supply us with faith to the end (cf. Phil. 1:6).
Acts 18:27, “...those who had believed through grace.” Why is it that some people believe
and others do not? It is only because God has extended special” grace to some and not to
others. When He gives this grace, they believe. Without such grace, no one can believe. All
Christians “believe through grace”, God’s gift.
I Tim. 1:14, “and the grace of our Lord was more abundant, with the faith and love which are
found in Christ Jesus.” Paul is recounting how Christ saved him (vss. 12-13). He is sure to
remember that he was converted by God’s grace. Grace was freely given to Paul “with faith and
love”. When God converts a sinner, He gives him grace, love and faith. Faith is as much a gift
as grace and love.
Heb. 12:2, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...” How is it that we
can fix our eyes on Jesus in faith? We can believe in Him only because He began it in us. He
“authors” it. Moreover, if He starts it, then He will also finish it. Faith is the gift, which the Good
Shepherd gives to His sheep.
1 Pet. 1:21, “...who through Him are believers in God...” Christians believe in God unto
salvation, but only “through Him”, that is, Christ. If it were not for Christ’s gift of faith, nobody
would believe savingly in God

These refrences and commentary are from Dr. Curt Daniel from his book "The History and Theology of Calvinism"

Holiness is not Contagious..

Holiness is not Contagious from Rayshawn Graves on Vimeo.



Audio - Holiness is not Contagious mp3






This sermon comes from Haggai 2:10-14, and in these verses the Lord poses an illustration through His prophet, Haggai, to the priests. The summary of verse 12 is that Holiness is not contagious. The holiness which God Himself lights in our lives at the point of conversion is not contagious, meaning that it will not transmit to things or rub off on people that we desire. God calls us to be lights, and not matches and only a Holy God can spark holiness in the life of an ungodly sinner. Christians cannot take the culture and sanctify it, Christians cannot sanctify personal ungodly relationships, music, sights, or friendships which are not of God. To the sinner, Holiness is not contagious because good works, or doing good things which would be deemed as service in God's eyes will not make you holy. All of our righteousness is as filthy rags outside of Jesus. Church attendance, feeding the poor, serving in ministries, and baptism and communion will not make the ungodly person holy. Only salvation from sin and God's wrath and a personal experience and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ will cause one to be holy.

Unholiness is contagious means that sin is contagious, unrighteousness is poisonous, and ungodliness is infectious. Sin corrupts the heart, soul, mind and every faculty of every human being. Sin is not learned, its a nature every person is born with and without the grace of God, all men would be the darkest and most wicked of all creatures. A "Christian" who chooses to willingly play in sin, and willingly contaminate themselves with the unfruitful works of darkness will only find out that at the end of the road they really had no Christianity at all. Everyday we come in contact with gossip, lies, adultery, pride, malice,anger, jealousy, and so many more sins and they are all brought on by ungodly people. The temptation to give into these works of the flesh may be small or great, but the Christian is kept by the power of God and has dominion over the power of sin through Christ Jesus.

God has called Christians to a life of holiness, for without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter the kingdom of Heaven. The life of holiness is not taken begrudgingly by the Christian, but rather the Christian loves the way of holiness, and would have no other way. Because Christ was sanctified, we must be sanctified. Christ is the only one who can sanctify, who can transform. His holiness calls us out, sanctifies us and sets us apart from the world, although we are in the world we are not of the world. Our holiness is not contagious....

A Message to President Obama...

This is an awesome video by John Piper, an awesome man of God....the rest speaks for itself...glory to God!

Nature Change

Nature Change - audio






This Sunday I ministered on Transformation, coming from Romans 12:1-2. The Word of God calls us to present all of who we are to God, as living sacrifices, daily getting on the altar of holiness and conformity to God's will and lighting the match and staying there. The Bible calls us to stay on the altar even when things get heated, throughout good times and bad times, the Christian is to give God all of who he is. The way that men are able to present themselves as holy acceptable sacrifices to God is through making the decision to be sanctified by God and not conforming to this world. Non- conformity to this world means that the Christian is not to be molded by the external, shallow, empty devices of this age or fashioned by this world, the culture or any of its standards. Many on this path of conformity would even attempt to conform Christ to an image rather than conforming themselves to the Jesus who never changes yesterday, today and forever. Today we see largely in the American church a "Jesus" that embraces homosexuality, abortion,and the external devices of the flesh. We see a "rock" Jesus, a black, white, asian, and Indian "Jesus" a hip-hop "Jesus" a "contemporary" Jesus. This conforming Jesus relates to men by "meeting them halfway" and relates to their culture. The God of the Bible relates to all men equally and did so by becoming flesh, being born of a woman, and walking the earth as a man for 33 years. Neither Christ or any of the Biblical figures in the Bible ever conformed to the culture in order to reach men. God has done everything necessary to relate to man.....by becomming a man.., and for men to say that He cannot relate to this present age without all these external shallow methods that will "attract people" is blasphemy.
We must be transformed on the altar of the living sacrifice ,if we are ever to see the kingdom of heaven and enter in. We must be born again, made a new creation, putting off the old man and putting on the new and we must be sheep in sheep's clothing...not sheep in wolves clothing..we must be good trees with good fruit,and houses built on the rock. We must be transformed by the renewing of the mind, the changing of our hearts and by the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

In the Beginning was the Word...

John 1:1-5 audio click here


This is a Bible Study teaching I did on John 1:1-5. I originally intended to get through verse 5, but I only managed to get through verse 3. Lord willing, verses 4 and 5 should be up by next week. The Lord has been showing me the importance of expository teaching and preaching, and how the Christian can get a full understanding of the Word of God when they "study to show themselves approved" verse by verse in context of the Word. So many times, we grab "one liners" and cling to those scriptural cliches, when the Holy Spirit wants to inspire and give us the full revelation of scripture that He gave to the men who were writing these eye witness accounts by the unction of the Spirit of the Lord.
I dont know how long it will take me to even get through the first chapter of John, but I encourage you to take this journey with me, or even begin one of your own, taking a book from the Bible and unpacking it. It will greatly benefit your life spiritually, mentally and in your daily walk.

The Narrow Way

The Narrow Way - audio ( click here to hear the sermon )


This sermon of the "Narrow Way" is the second part to the previous sermon I gave called "The Broadway". The Narrow Way and the Narrow Gate is the only way to salvation and eternal life. The Narrow Gate represents Jesus Christ and His unchanging goodness and severity. Men must conform to enter this gate rather than conforming the gate to fit their desires. We cannot add to or take away anything from Christ and His gospel and men must be saved on His terms. The narrow gate is fixed and intolerant, it is a personal gate which only allows entrance for one at a time. The cares of friends, family and the pleasures of this life will not fit through the gate, and the Christian on his journey will have to forsake all to enter in. Will you put forth all effort to enter in?




The narrow way is not an interstate where men can speedily rush twoards their desires and pleasures eventually leading to everlasting destruction. The narrow way is a path where men are given a lamp unto their feet and a light that gives guidance one step at a time. The narrow path is a disciplined path, a path of holiness; it is not trodden begrudgingly but those who are on it love it, they would have no other way. The narrow way is a lifestyle change, a total course change, from going with the world and its ways, to going totally against it in all things
Are you on the narrow path?

The Broadway

The Broadway - audio


This is a sermon that I was graciously given the opportunity to preach last Sunday, January 11th. The title of the sermon is called "The Broadway" and it comes from Matthew 7:13-14. All men start off on the Broad way and the road is wide, generous, pleasurable and accepting, all the while deceiving men by telling them that it leads to eternal life. This path leads to the unbearable wrath of God in hell, and many are on the path and enter through its wide, accepting gate. Because men start out dead in trespasses and sins, having their reason and understanding darkened, we were totally helpless to do anything that would take us off the broad way. The broad way is an interstate where men are traveling at high speeds, going from newborns to aged men in their lives, for they are only a vapor, and there are no rest stops or U- turns on the way.
Only Christ, because of the love for which God loved us, can open men's blinded eyes and pour out grace upon sinful hearts and take men off of the broadway which leads to destruction, and set them on the narrow path which leads to eternal life. I pray that you will be blessed by this message and look for "The Narrow Way" to follow next week...

Another Gospel

4For if someone comes and(H) proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept(I) a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
2 Corinthians 11:4




The gospel of Satan is not a system of revolutionary principles, nor yet a program of anarchy. It does not promote strife and war, but aims at peace and unity. It seeks not to set the mother against her daughter nor the father against his son, but fosters the fraternal spirit whereby the human race is regarded as one great "brotherhood." It does not seek to drag down the natural man, but to improve and uplift him. It advocates education and cultivation and appeals to "the best that is within - It aims to make this world such a comfortable and congenial habitat that Christ’s absence from it will not be felt and God will not be needed. It endeavors to occupy man so much with this world that he has no time or inclination to think of the world to come. It propagates the principles of self-sacrifice, charity and benevolence, and teaches us to live for the good of others, and to be kind to all. It appeals strongly to the carnal mind and is popular with the masses, because it ignores the solemn facts that by nature man is a fallen creature, alienated from the life of God, and dead in trespasses and sins, and that his only hope lies in being born again.
A.W. Pink











In these days we must be careful not to fall into the deceptive trap of Satan's gospel, which presents another Jesus, another Spirit ,and another Gospel. Notice that this false gospel doesent come as Bhuddah, Mohammed, or Scientology or any other "religious" form...It takes the name of Christ, and as Jesus said in Matthew 24:4-5 "Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,[a]' and will deceive many." The false gospel isnt entirely different from the true pure gospel and the false Christ doesent appear totally contrary to the true Word made flesh...likewise the "other Spirit" doesent portray itself to be any different than the Holy Spirit...so whats the deception? The false Christ appeals to the people, he preforms signs and wonders (Mark 13:22), he brings hope, joy, and peace and happiness to people, and once again ...He comes in the name of Christ.The false Christ gives no glory to God, he brings glory to himself and preaches a man-centered message the focuses the glory on man. "Another Spirit" feels like the Spirit, it ignites like the Spirit, it moves you like the Spirit, but it caters to the soul and the flesh, to the emotions. The false spirit doesent convict of sin, it promotes self- esteem and appeases sin, it doesent convict of righteousness, it advises you of how to conform to the world while trying to serve Jesus too...it tells you how to serve two masters. The false spirit also doesent convict of judgment, it tells you that you can have your best life now here on earth and not worry about eternity. It doesent inform you that there is appointed unto everyman once to die and then the judgment. The false Spirit also doesent discern between what is acceptable in God's eyes and whats not. It believes that it can take the things of the world and conform them to the image of God. The false Gospel doesent inform men that they are sinners, depraved criminals in God's eyes and that His wrath is set upon them. The false Gospel tells men that they can do good works and evangelical activities in order to be right with God. The false Gospel preaches a salvation that is based on the sincerity of man's decision in praying a repeated prayer rather than telling Him to cry out to God with all his being...

Another quote by A.W. Pink in conclusion:

The apostles of Satan are not saloon-keepers and white-slave traffickers, but are for the most part ordained ministers. Thousands of those who occupy our modern pulpits are no longer engaged in presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned aside from the Truth and have given heed unto fables. Instead of magnifying the enormity of sin and setting forth its eternal consequences, they minimize it by declaring that sin is merely ignorance or the absence of good. Instead of warning their hearers to "flee from the wrath to come" they make God a liar by declaring that He is too loving and merciful to send any of His own creatures to eternal torment. Instead of declaring that "without shedding of blood is no remission," they merely hold up Christ as the great Exemplar and exhort their hearers to "follow in His steps." Of them it must be said, "For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3). Their message may sound very plausible and their aim appear very praiseworthy, yet we read of them—"for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves (imitating) into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing [not to be wondered at] if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Cor. 11:13-15).