Wednesday, November 23, 2011
How to build a great city
There was once a Master Builder that decided to build a great city, so He began to work. As He was laying bricks His small son came to Him and wanted to help. The Master Builder gave him some brick and mortar and all the tools he needed and gave him a place to work. The young man worked tirelessly to help his Father day after day, because he loved his Father very much and wanted to please his Father.
The young child often bragged to his friends about how he and His Father were building a great city and how hard he worked. All his friends were really impressed that this young man was working so hard to help his Father build this great city.
Many years later the son, now a young man, decided to look over the great city he had helped his Father build. He saw what a great builder his Father was and how everything was perfectly in place. He was amazed at how much care his Father put in everything He did. He soon came to the place his Father had placed him many years before. But as he looked over the bricks that had been laid he realized that it was not the work of a child, but of a Master Builder. His Father had went back over every brick and fixed the mistakes the young boy had made so that the end result would be perfect. It was only then that He realized that he was not helping his Father build a great city, but that his Father was building him. His Father did not need the boy’s help, but allowed the boy to participate so he could learn to be the man the Father wanted his son to be.
If you try to love your family the way you should, you will mess it up, but god will fix it.
If you try to witness to others you will mess it up, but God will fix it.
If you try to live a life without sin you will mess it up, but God will fix it.
God doesn’t need you to build His kingdom but allows us to participate so we can learn to be what He wants us to be.
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Marriage in Hosea
I seem to have ran across a lot of people using the book of Hosea to picture marriage and using it to teach on divorce and saying that infidelity is not always a good reason for divorce. My question is that if Hosea is a picture of marriage, then is chapter 1v2 a picture of how we should seek a wife? "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry ; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD."
I hope no one answers yes.
We must remember that Hosea is a prophetic book and interpret it as prophecy, not wisdom literature or law. Imagine applying the same hermeneutic to Isaiah or Ezekial, I do not see christian people walking through the streets naked (Is.20:2-4), come to think of it I have seen alot of people walking their dogs with poopy bags ( Ez,4:12-15) hopefully not for cooking fuel though.
Through the book of Hosea, God is telling us that even though his people continuosly plays the harlot He will not forsake them. He will let them pay for their sins but He will ultimately purchase them back and cleanse them of their unfaithfulness.
If you disagree with me please post on this topic. I would love the opportunity to think this through from another perspective.
I hope no one answers yes.
We must remember that Hosea is a prophetic book and interpret it as prophecy, not wisdom literature or law. Imagine applying the same hermeneutic to Isaiah or Ezekial, I do not see christian people walking through the streets naked (Is.20:2-4), come to think of it I have seen alot of people walking their dogs with poopy bags ( Ez,4:12-15) hopefully not for cooking fuel though.
Through the book of Hosea, God is telling us that even though his people continuosly plays the harlot He will not forsake them. He will let them pay for their sins but He will ultimately purchase them back and cleanse them of their unfaithfulness.
If you disagree with me please post on this topic. I would love the opportunity to think this through from another perspective.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Did you try to testify?
When your friends stand before Christ at the judgement, many will here Him say "depart I do not know you".
How many of those friends will turn to you and ask "Why didn't you try?" as they are cast into eternal hell ?
Ezekiel 33:2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, 3 and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.
Tell someone about Christ today.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Unconditional Election
The doctrine of unconditional election teaches that before God created the world, he chose to save some people from eternal punishment. God chose those that He would grant mercy according to His own will and purpose and was not based on anything that person did.
This would be similar to a king capturing a hundred rebels, the rebels are tried and condemned to die, but the king pardoned some for his own purposes (maybe to keep as slaves per Rom 6:22), and allowed the others to be executed. The king did not do any injustice to those that were executed, they got what they deserved, but he did show mercy to those that he pardoned, they were spared the punishment they deserved (see Total Depravity).
Many people have a hard time accepting this doctrine even though it is all over the Bible. The objections they raise are that it is not fair or would make God unjust. Paul dealt with each of these in Romans 9.
Romans 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
Romans 9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—
From Romans 8:28 through Romans 9 Paul is trying to help believers understand this hard teaching. They had the very same difficulty with this teaching that people do today.
Jesus on the other hand simply stated the doctrine plainly and clearly without trying to defend it.
John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
John 6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
John 6:64-65 clearly says that those that do not believe have not been granted the ability to do so by the Father.
John 6:37-39 clearly says that all that the Father determines to save will be saved, Christ will not lose one.
Ephesians 1:4 says "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, " . The Father chose those whom are saved before the world was created, before we did anything good or bad and so according to His own purpose.
Another argument put forth against this doctrine is that it will kill evangelism, nothing could be further from the truth. William Carey, "the father of modern missions", held strongly to these doctrines. And John Calvin himself trained and commissioned hundreds of missionaries. Having a proper understanding of the doctrine of election will not weaken evangelism it will strengthen it. Most of todays evangelism is man centered but biblical evangelism will be God centered.
Man centered evangelism is concerned with getting someone to make a confession of faith and can lead to manipulation or using sales tactics or other gimmicks. It can also lead to weakening the gospel message by leaving out the parts that may be offensive. Telling someone they are a depraved sinner and deserve to go to hell is not exactly seeker friendly.
Biblical evangelism on the other hand is concerned with glorifying God by our witness and telling the whole truth to the world and allowing the Holy Spirit convict whom it will. Knowing that God's purpose will be accomplished even when we do a poor job of explaining the Gospel. God's will is that we stand and give witness, regardless of whether it is received by others. This knowledge gives us the courage to stand strong because we know everything is in God's hands, we are simply to be faithful servants.
We could talk all day about the advantages and disadvantages of the doctrine of unconditional election, but the real question is, does God really choose whom will be saved? Here are a few verses that support this doctrine, this is not by any means comprehensive:
* John 15:16: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."
* Acts 13:48: "And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."
* Romans 9:15-16: "For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."
* Romans 9:22-24: "What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessles of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make the riches of his glory for vessles of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory - even us whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?"
* Ephesians 1:4-5: "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,"
* Ephesians 1:11: "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,"
* Philippians 1:29: "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake"
* 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5: "For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake."
* 2 Thessalonians 2:13: "But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth."
* 2 Timothy 1:9: "who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,"
This would be similar to a king capturing a hundred rebels, the rebels are tried and condemned to die, but the king pardoned some for his own purposes (maybe to keep as slaves per Rom 6:22), and allowed the others to be executed. The king did not do any injustice to those that were executed, they got what they deserved, but he did show mercy to those that he pardoned, they were spared the punishment they deserved (see Total Depravity).
Many people have a hard time accepting this doctrine even though it is all over the Bible. The objections they raise are that it is not fair or would make God unjust. Paul dealt with each of these in Romans 9.
Romans 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
Romans 9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—
From Romans 8:28 through Romans 9 Paul is trying to help believers understand this hard teaching. They had the very same difficulty with this teaching that people do today.
Jesus on the other hand simply stated the doctrine plainly and clearly without trying to defend it.
John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
John 6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
John 6:64-65 clearly says that those that do not believe have not been granted the ability to do so by the Father.
John 6:37-39 clearly says that all that the Father determines to save will be saved, Christ will not lose one.
Ephesians 1:4 says "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, " . The Father chose those whom are saved before the world was created, before we did anything good or bad and so according to His own purpose.
Another argument put forth against this doctrine is that it will kill evangelism, nothing could be further from the truth. William Carey, "the father of modern missions", held strongly to these doctrines. And John Calvin himself trained and commissioned hundreds of missionaries. Having a proper understanding of the doctrine of election will not weaken evangelism it will strengthen it. Most of todays evangelism is man centered but biblical evangelism will be God centered.
Man centered evangelism is concerned with getting someone to make a confession of faith and can lead to manipulation or using sales tactics or other gimmicks. It can also lead to weakening the gospel message by leaving out the parts that may be offensive. Telling someone they are a depraved sinner and deserve to go to hell is not exactly seeker friendly.
Biblical evangelism on the other hand is concerned with glorifying God by our witness and telling the whole truth to the world and allowing the Holy Spirit convict whom it will. Knowing that God's purpose will be accomplished even when we do a poor job of explaining the Gospel. God's will is that we stand and give witness, regardless of whether it is received by others. This knowledge gives us the courage to stand strong because we know everything is in God's hands, we are simply to be faithful servants.
We could talk all day about the advantages and disadvantages of the doctrine of unconditional election, but the real question is, does God really choose whom will be saved? Here are a few verses that support this doctrine, this is not by any means comprehensive:
* John 15:16: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."
* Acts 13:48: "And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."
* Romans 9:15-16: "For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."
* Romans 9:22-24: "What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessles of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make the riches of his glory for vessles of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory - even us whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?"
* Ephesians 1:4-5: "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,"
* Ephesians 1:11: "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,"
* Philippians 1:29: "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake"
* 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5: "For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake."
* 2 Thessalonians 2:13: "But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth."
* 2 Timothy 1:9: "who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,"
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