Well not yet but I am still working on her.
This is a great little diddy I found on youtube, I hope you enjoy.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
How to grow a church
There are hundreds upon hundreds if not thousands of books and programs addressing the topic of "How to grow a Church", yet thousands upon thousands of Churches are fading away. Many of those that are growing are built upon trends, gimmicks or motivational speakers that will eventually die or become so common they will no longer hold anyones interest.
What is the difference between todays churches and those that were led by men like Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, John Wesley, John Calvin and Jonathon Edwards?
When you read the writings about these men and the books they have written the difference is unmistakable. They had a love and desire to know God, and a fear
and understanding of His holiness and wrath not just a desire "to grow the Church."
George Whitefield preached to tens of thousands at a time yet would walk into the market square and preach for an hour or more while people threw tomatoes and rocks at him.
Jonathon Edwards preached about hell while people fainted in the aisles in fear.
Charles Spurgeon pastored the largest Church in London by the time he was 20yrs of age and his sermons were printed in the newspaper. Almost every sermon He preached called sinnersto repentence.
John Wesley rode on horseback from town to town and preached 2 to 3 sermons a day and died in poverty.
When John Calvin first came to Geneva He could not walk down the street without someone throwing a rock at him or siccing their dog on him but after he eventually left they called him back.
These are Men that people of God look up to hundreds of years after their death, The real difference between them and the Churches of today are that they had a love and desire for God, not just a love and desire to see their Churches grow.
Do you have a love and desire for God?
When people have a love and desire for God:
They will be at Church early and leave late desiring to fellowship with the Saints of God.
They will pray continually and read the Bible daily, not because they are supposed to, but because they want to.
They will witness regularly, not to build the Church but because they love people enough to warn them about hell and God's jugement if they don't repent.
They may purposefully turn on the radio and listen to sermons of preachers that are condemning them of their sins, because they know their sins are separating them from the God they love so much.
Psalm 42:1 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Jeremiah 9:23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
What is the difference between todays churches and those that were led by men like Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, John Wesley, John Calvin and Jonathon Edwards?
When you read the writings about these men and the books they have written the difference is unmistakable. They had a love and desire to know God, and a fear
and understanding of His holiness and wrath not just a desire "to grow the Church."
George Whitefield preached to tens of thousands at a time yet would walk into the market square and preach for an hour or more while people threw tomatoes and rocks at him.
Jonathon Edwards preached about hell while people fainted in the aisles in fear.
Charles Spurgeon pastored the largest Church in London by the time he was 20yrs of age and his sermons were printed in the newspaper. Almost every sermon He preached called sinnersto repentence.
John Wesley rode on horseback from town to town and preached 2 to 3 sermons a day and died in poverty.
When John Calvin first came to Geneva He could not walk down the street without someone throwing a rock at him or siccing their dog on him but after he eventually left they called him back.
These are Men that people of God look up to hundreds of years after their death, The real difference between them and the Churches of today are that they had a love and desire for God, not just a love and desire to see their Churches grow.
Do you have a love and desire for God?
When people have a love and desire for God:
They will be at Church early and leave late desiring to fellowship with the Saints of God.
They will pray continually and read the Bible daily, not because they are supposed to, but because they want to.
They will witness regularly, not to build the Church but because they love people enough to warn them about hell and God's jugement if they don't repent.
They may purposefully turn on the radio and listen to sermons of preachers that are condemning them of their sins, because they know their sins are separating them from the God they love so much.
Psalm 42:1 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Jeremiah 9:23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
You might be a Calvinist ...
A friend of mine sent this to me. They thought someone might be spying on me.
It is kind of scary!!
If your child’s first word was “Westminster”, you just might be a Calvinist.
Or,
if you send your mother tulips on Mother’s Day,
… you might be a Calvinist.
If you still remember the 8 speakers in order from the recent T4G conference,
or
If a free Bible has ever arrived in the mail to you from John MacArthur,
or
If you have ever purchased 100 or more copies of the same John Piper book to hand out to random people you meet,
…you just might be a Calvinist.
If you purchased an MP3 player with the sole purpose of downloading sermons,
or
If you were shocked to just discover that some people download MP3 files that are not sermons,
or
If you have adjusted the default passage setting at www.biblegateway.org from “NIV” to “ESV”
… you might be a Calvinist.
If your preacher says to turn to Obadiah and you do not use the index,
or
If you think a 50-minute sermon is too short,
or
If you’ve ever heard a wave of groans sweep through Sunday School when you refer to Romans 9,
…you just might be a Calvinist.
If you find yourself talking to the Lord Jesus more than to your family,
and
If you find yourself wanting to read your Bible instead of watching television,
and
If quotes from Pink, Spurgeon, Luther, Piper, and MacArthur pop into your head at random times during the day
…you might be a Calvinist.
If you are confused when someone uses the term “my Bible” as if they only have one,
and
If your Bibles must be replaced in less than a year due to pages separating from the spine,
and
If you smile, nod and hold your tongue with your teeth after a lively church service when someone says, “God showed up today”
…you might be a Calvinist.
If you’ve ever shouted “YES!” when the pastor says to turn to 1st Thessalonians,
and
If you see 6:37 on a digital clock and think of the Lord Jesus’ words in John,
and
If you’ve muted a Thanksgiving football game because it’s interfering with your family discussion of Ephesians 1
…you might be a Calvinist.
If you have bookmarked three or more preachers’ scripture index webpages,
and
If you’ve ever been banned from a Sunday School class for quoting scripture,
and
If you have ever purposefully sung a different word in a hymn to conform to scripture,
… you might be a Calvinist.
If your kids own more Bibles than televisions,
and
If your children never ask you “Where are we going?” on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night,
and
If you’ve ever read parts of “The Bondage of the Will” to children under ten and prayed that it would change their lives
…you just might be a Calvinist.
If your child received detention at his Christian school after shouting, “But I am a Hedonist Pyromaniac!”
or
If your children argue and you require them to listen to a Piper Sermon as punishment,
or
If you visit pyromaniacs, tominthebox, spurgeon.org, desiringgod.org, and gty.org, more than once a day, yes…
You just might…. I say you just might….
Yes… you just might be a Calvinist
It is kind of scary!!
If your child’s first word was “Westminster”, you just might be a Calvinist.
Or,
if you send your mother tulips on Mother’s Day,
… you might be a Calvinist.
If you still remember the 8 speakers in order from the recent T4G conference,
or
If a free Bible has ever arrived in the mail to you from John MacArthur,
or
If you have ever purchased 100 or more copies of the same John Piper book to hand out to random people you meet,
…you just might be a Calvinist.
If you purchased an MP3 player with the sole purpose of downloading sermons,
or
If you were shocked to just discover that some people download MP3 files that are not sermons,
or
If you have adjusted the default passage setting at www.biblegateway.org from “NIV” to “ESV”
… you might be a Calvinist.
If your preacher says to turn to Obadiah and you do not use the index,
or
If you think a 50-minute sermon is too short,
or
If you’ve ever heard a wave of groans sweep through Sunday School when you refer to Romans 9,
…you just might be a Calvinist.
If you find yourself talking to the Lord Jesus more than to your family,
and
If you find yourself wanting to read your Bible instead of watching television,
and
If quotes from Pink, Spurgeon, Luther, Piper, and MacArthur pop into your head at random times during the day
…you might be a Calvinist.
If you are confused when someone uses the term “my Bible” as if they only have one,
and
If your Bibles must be replaced in less than a year due to pages separating from the spine,
and
If you smile, nod and hold your tongue with your teeth after a lively church service when someone says, “God showed up today”
…you might be a Calvinist.
If you’ve ever shouted “YES!” when the pastor says to turn to 1st Thessalonians,
and
If you see 6:37 on a digital clock and think of the Lord Jesus’ words in John,
and
If you’ve muted a Thanksgiving football game because it’s interfering with your family discussion of Ephesians 1
…you might be a Calvinist.
If you have bookmarked three or more preachers’ scripture index webpages,
and
If you’ve ever been banned from a Sunday School class for quoting scripture,
and
If you have ever purposefully sung a different word in a hymn to conform to scripture,
… you might be a Calvinist.
If your kids own more Bibles than televisions,
and
If your children never ask you “Where are we going?” on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night,
and
If you’ve ever read parts of “The Bondage of the Will” to children under ten and prayed that it would change their lives
…you just might be a Calvinist.
If your child received detention at his Christian school after shouting, “But I am a Hedonist Pyromaniac!”
or
If your children argue and you require them to listen to a Piper Sermon as punishment,
or
If you visit pyromaniacs, tominthebox, spurgeon.org, desiringgod.org, and gty.org, more than once a day, yes…
You just might…. I say you just might….
Yes… you just might be a Calvinist
Friday, January 2, 2009
Do Babies go to Heaven? What about the mentally disabled?
This is a difficult question to answer, but one you hear quite often, so I thought I would spend some time trying to figure it out. I hope what I have learned will bring some comfort to someone.
First let's look at how God passes judgement:
Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
In the above passage those written in the book of life were sparred, and those not written in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire.
Those not written in the book of life are judged and condemned by their on works.
So now we have to determine how someone gets in the book of life and what are the works they are judged by.
I can show you scripture upon scripture telling you that you must be reborn or that you must come by faith and repentance, but we are dealing with people that cannot do that. Babies or the mentally disabled will not have the ability or opportunity to come by faith and repentance. So could babies possibly get in the Lambs book of life?
Well I went to my favorite Bible study website and did a search on 'book of life” and found these two verses....
Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.
Revelation 13:8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
So those that are written in the Lambs book of life were written there before they were born, before they did anything good or bad. Strictly by God's sovereign decree. For more on Election click here.
Ephesians 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
So now lets look at the second part of our question...
What are the works they(those who are condemned to hell) are judged by?
Luke 10:16 The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.
Rejecting Christ is the ultimate sin, the one that cannot be forgiven. But it is also one that babies or the mentally disabled cannot commit. Nor can they themselves commit any other sin to be judged by.
Romans 2:14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Notice in Romans 2:14-15 above says that Gentiles that do not have the law will be judged by their consciences. There consciences will either accuse them or excuse them. If they acted against what they knew to be right they are accused by their conscience, If their conscience finds no fault in them they are excused. Wouldn't this also apply to those that never had an opportunity to act against their conscience?
My contention at this point is that babies and the mentally disabled die without sinning because they are written in the Lambs book of life.
But to hold this position we must deal with two other problems that others may bring up...
1. Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mother conceive me.
We are born with a fallen sinful disposition, in other words we are sinners by nature. But babies have not yet acted on that nature and acquired sins in need of repentance.
Now all we have to worry about on this question is the inherited guilt we receive from Adam. If we have inherited Adams guilt how can a baby be innocent even if they have not sinned? I believe the answer to this is in Christ's atoning work on the cross. Christ paid the price for inherited guilt as well as personal guilt for those who are written in the Lambs book of life. When I came to Christ I repented for my sins and I continue to do so, but I never felt the need to repent of Adams sin only my own.
2. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.
Certainly it is through Christ that anyone is saved. But the answer to number 1 also works for number 2. Christ's work on the cross also covers the inherited guilt from Adam, at least for the elect. And since babies and the mentally disabled are not capable of sinning and cannot be judged for their sin then it is reasonable to conclude that they are elect and they are written in the Lambs book of life.
2 Samuel 12:21 Then his servants said to him, What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food. 22 He said, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.
David certainly believed His child was in heaven and if you have lost a baby or someone with a mental disability that made them incapable of understanding you can see them again if you make your salvation sure. (If you are not sure of your salvation click here)
Other links on this subject:
From RBC.org
From the refinersfire.org
From Gotquestion.com
From DesiringGod.org
From GTY.org (John Macarthur)
First let's look at how God passes judgement:
Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
In the above passage those written in the book of life were sparred, and those not written in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire.
Those not written in the book of life are judged and condemned by their on works.
So now we have to determine how someone gets in the book of life and what are the works they are judged by.
I can show you scripture upon scripture telling you that you must be reborn or that you must come by faith and repentance, but we are dealing with people that cannot do that. Babies or the mentally disabled will not have the ability or opportunity to come by faith and repentance. So could babies possibly get in the Lambs book of life?
Well I went to my favorite Bible study website and did a search on 'book of life” and found these two verses....
Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.
Revelation 13:8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
So those that are written in the Lambs book of life were written there before they were born, before they did anything good or bad. Strictly by God's sovereign decree. For more on Election click here.
Ephesians 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
So now lets look at the second part of our question...
What are the works they(those who are condemned to hell) are judged by?
Luke 10:16 The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.
Rejecting Christ is the ultimate sin, the one that cannot be forgiven. But it is also one that babies or the mentally disabled cannot commit. Nor can they themselves commit any other sin to be judged by.
Romans 2:14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Notice in Romans 2:14-15 above says that Gentiles that do not have the law will be judged by their consciences. There consciences will either accuse them or excuse them. If they acted against what they knew to be right they are accused by their conscience, If their conscience finds no fault in them they are excused. Wouldn't this also apply to those that never had an opportunity to act against their conscience?
My contention at this point is that babies and the mentally disabled die without sinning because they are written in the Lambs book of life.
But to hold this position we must deal with two other problems that others may bring up...
1. Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mother conceive me.
We are born with a fallen sinful disposition, in other words we are sinners by nature. But babies have not yet acted on that nature and acquired sins in need of repentance.
Now all we have to worry about on this question is the inherited guilt we receive from Adam. If we have inherited Adams guilt how can a baby be innocent even if they have not sinned? I believe the answer to this is in Christ's atoning work on the cross. Christ paid the price for inherited guilt as well as personal guilt for those who are written in the Lambs book of life. When I came to Christ I repented for my sins and I continue to do so, but I never felt the need to repent of Adams sin only my own.
2. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.
Certainly it is through Christ that anyone is saved. But the answer to number 1 also works for number 2. Christ's work on the cross also covers the inherited guilt from Adam, at least for the elect. And since babies and the mentally disabled are not capable of sinning and cannot be judged for their sin then it is reasonable to conclude that they are elect and they are written in the Lambs book of life.
2 Samuel 12:21 Then his servants said to him, What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food. 22 He said, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.
David certainly believed His child was in heaven and if you have lost a baby or someone with a mental disability that made them incapable of understanding you can see them again if you make your salvation sure. (If you are not sure of your salvation click here)
Other links on this subject:
From RBC.org
From the refinersfire.org
From Gotquestion.com
From DesiringGod.org
From GTY.org (John Macarthur)
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