I recommend any Christian to listen to Revival Hymns. This editorial cut that I put together to give you a taste on the Sermon edit. I enjoyed this sermon mix and would recommend it to anyone. You can find it at Sermon Index.net and also the link from my blog. After listening to that you should download 10 shekels and a Shirt by Paris Reidhead. Paris is a native and years ago pastored here in the state of Minnesota. I enjoy listening to his sermons and also would recommend them too. When you listen to Duncan Campbell preach on Revival, how amazing it would be to have that today. I was just thinking how Satan uses so much stuff to distract us these days with computers, T.V., cell phones, video consuls, etc… Just think of it back one-hundred years ago…NONE of that! Man, people would totally think about God more and rely on him, wouldn’t you think? Yep, and that is why there was so much revival going on in those countries. Man, can you picture that, people getting saved all over the world! Wow! Amazing, Big Amen’s to our Father.
Webster’s Dictionary Defines Revival as:
Main Entry: RevivalFunction: noun1: an act or instance of reviving: the state of being revived: as a: renewed attention to or interest in something b: a new presentation or publication of something old c (1): a period of renewed religious interest (2): an often highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meetings2: restoration of force, validity, or effect (as to a contract)
May we pray for REVIVAL these DAYS!!!!!!!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
The 1st Seed
While down in Arlington, Texas in 2000 I had the first seed planted in my heart what church was all about. I attended this Bible-Based Church in Dallas, Texas called Oak Cliff Bible Church. Their pastor was the famous evangelical Tony Evans. Once you become a Christian you try to remember back to the seeds that were planted by fellow Christians that were trying to convert you to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Well, this church and pastor left an impression that I would never forget. It wasn’t until 5 years later that I recall seeing Tony Evans face on a book in my grandma’s apartment. At the time I was down in Texas, I was playing basketball and serving my god Ms. Spaulding the basketball. But when I attended this church on a Sunday in January, my eyes were opened to a totally radical way to worship the True and Living God Jesus Christ. It wasn’t till another four years after that before I became a Christian, but Tony Evans and his church left a joyful impression on my soul and God used that day to shine light on his glorious plan of salvation and my response I had to that.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Firefighters
Imagine seeing a group of firefighters sitting outside a burning building with people trapped at a top floor window. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with firefighters resting outside – but not while people are trapped in a burning building! Instead of ignoring their cries, the firefighters should have an overwhelming sense of urgency to rescue them. That’s the spirit that should be behind the task of evangelism. But according to Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ, “ONLY 2 % of Believers in America regularly share their faith with others.” That means that 98 % of the professing Body of Christ are “lukewarm” when it comes to obeying the Great Commission (Mark 16:15). Oswald J. Smith said, “Oh, my friends, we are loaded down with countless church activities, while the real work of the Church, that of evangelizing and winning the lost, is almost entirely neglected.” We have sat comfortable and rested in worship, prayer, and praise and neglected the sober task given to us by God. A firefighter who ignores his responsibilities and allows people to perish in flames is not a firefighter; he is an imposter. How can we ignore our responsibility and allow the world to walk blindly into the fires of hell? If God’s love dwells in us, we must warn them. The Bible tells us to “have compassion…save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 22, 23). If we don’t have love and compassion, then we don’t know God – we are imposters (1 John 4:8). Charles Spurgeon said, “Have you no wish for others to be SAVED? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that.” Please, examine yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Don’t be part of the great multitudes who called Jesus “Lord”, but refused to obey HIM. It will be professing believers who will hear those fearful words, “I never knew you: depart from me” (Matthew 7:21-23). If God is speaking to you about your lack of evangelistic concern, pray something like this now: Father, please forgive me for my lack of love for this dying world. From this day forward I will strive to be a “TRUE & FAITHFUL WITNESS”. Please become first in my life for everything and wisdom to know what to say to reach the lost. In Jesus name I pray. Amen
Thomas Watson 1620 - 1686 Puritan
Sir, Madaam...? Why you Must Repent
!!!!!!!!!!!
1. God's sovereign command'He commandeth all men every where to repent' (Acts 17:30). Repentance is not arbitrary. It is not left to our choice whether or not we will repent, but it is an indispensable command. God has enacted a law in the High Court of heaven that no sinner shall be saved except the repenting sinner, and he will not break his own law. Though all the angels should stand before God and beg the life of an unrepenting person, God would not grant it. 'The Lord God, merciful and gracious, keeping mercy for thousands, and that will by no means clear the guilty' (Ex 34:6-37). Though God is more full of mercy than the sun is of light, yet he will not forgive a sinner while he goes on in his guilt: 'He will by no means clear the guilty'!2. The pure nature of God denies communion with an impenitent creatureTill the sinner repents, God and he cannot be friends: 'Wash you, make you clean' (Isa 1:16); go, steep yourselves in the brinish waters of repentance. Then, says God, I will parley with you: 'Come now, and let us reason together' (Isa 1:18); but otherwise, come not near me: 'What communion hath light with darkness?' (2 Cor 6:14). How can the righteous God indulge him that goes on still in his trespasses? 'I will not justify the wicked' (Ex 23:7). If God should be at peace with a sinner before he repents, God would seem to like and approve all that he has done. He would go against his own holiness. It is inconsistent with the sanctity of God's nature to pardon a sinner while he is in the act of rebellion.3. Sinners continuing in impenitence are out of Christ's commissionSee his commission: 'The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted' (Isa 61:1). Christ is a Prince and Saviour, but not to save men in an absolute way, whether or not they repent. If ever Christ brings men to heaven, it shall be through the gates of hell: 'Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance' (Acts 5:31); as a king pardons rebels if they repent and yield themselves to the mercy of their prince, but not if they persist in open defiance.4. We have by sin wronged GodThere is a great deal of equity in it that we should repent. We have by sin wronged God. We have eclipsed his honour. We have infringed his law, and we should, reasonably, make him some reparation. By repentance we humble and judge ourselves for sin. We set to our seal that God is righteous if he should destroy us, and thus we give glory to God and do what lies in us to repair his honour.5. If God should save men without repentance, making no discrimination, then by this rule he must save all, not only men, but devils, as Origen once held; and so consequently the decrees of election and reprobation must fall to the ground. How diametrically opposed this is to sacred writ, let all judge.There are two sorts of persons who will find it harder to repent than others: (1) Those who have sat a great while under the ministry of God's ordinances but grow no better. The earth which drinks in the rain, yet 'beareth thorns and briars, is nigh unto cursing' (Heb 6:8). There is little hope of the metal which has lain long in the fire but is not melted and refined. When God has sent his ministers one after another, exhorting and persuading men to leave their sins, but they settle upon the lees of formality and can sit and sleep under a sermon, it will be hard for these ever to be brought to repentance. They may fear lest Christ should say to them as once he said to the fig-tree, 'Never fruit grow on thee more' (Matt 21:19).(2) Those who have sinned frequently against the convictions of the word, the checks of conscience, and the motions of the Spirit. Conscience has stood as the angel with a flaming sword in its hand. It has said, Do not this great evil, but sinners regard not the voice of conscience, but march on resolvedly under the devil's colours. These will not find it easy to repent: 'They are of those that rebel against the light' (Job 24:13). It is one thing to sin for want of light and another thing to sin against light. Here the unpardonable sin takes its rise. Men begin by sinning against the light of conscience, and proceed gradually to despiting the Spirit of grace.A REPREHENSION TO THE IMPENITENTFirstly, it serves sharply to reprove all unrepenting sinners whose hearts seem to be hewn out of a rock and are like the stony ground in the parable which lacked moisture. This disease, I fear, is epidemical: 'No man repented him of his wickedness' (Jer 8:6). Men's hearts are marbled into hardness: 'they made their hearts as an adamant stone' (Zech 7:12). They are not at all dissolved into a penitential frame. It is a received opinion that witches never weep. I am sure that those who have no grief for sin are spiritually bewitched by Satan. We read that when Christ came to Jerusalem he 'upbraided the cities because they repented not' (Matt 11:20). And may he not upbraid many now for their impenitence? Though God's heart be broken with their sins, yet their hearts are not broken. They say, as Israel did, 'I have loved strangers, and after them will I go' (Jer 2:25). The justice of God, like the angel, stands with a drawn sword in its hand, ready to strike, but sinners have not eyes as good as those of Balaam's ass to see the sword. God smites on men's backs, but they do not, as Ephraim did, smite upon their thigh (Jer 31:19). It was a sad complaint the prophet took up: 'thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved' (Jer 5:3). That is surely reprobate silver which contracts hardness in the furnace. 'In the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz' (2 Chron 28:22). A hard heart is a receptacle for Satan. As God has two places he dwells in, heaven and a humble heart, so the devil has two places he dwells in, hell and a hard heart. It is not falling into water that drowns, but lying in it. It is not falling into sin that damns, but lying in it without repentance: 'having their conscience seared with a hot iron' (1 Tim 4:2). Hardness of heart results at last in the conscience being seared. Men have silenced their consciences, and God has seared them. And now he lets them sin and does not punish — 'Why should ye be stricken any more?' (Isa 1:5) — as a father gives over correcting a child whom he intends to disinherit.
!!!!!!!!!!!1. God's sovereign command'He commandeth all men every where to repent' (Acts 17:30). Repentance is not arbitrary. It is not left to our choice whether or not we will repent, but it is an indispensable command. God has enacted a law in the High Court of heaven that no sinner shall be saved except the repenting sinner, and he will not break his own law. Though all the angels should stand before God and beg the life of an unrepenting person, God would not grant it. 'The Lord God, merciful and gracious, keeping mercy for thousands, and that will by no means clear the guilty' (Ex 34:6-37). Though God is more full of mercy than the sun is of light, yet he will not forgive a sinner while he goes on in his guilt: 'He will by no means clear the guilty'!2. The pure nature of God denies communion with an impenitent creatureTill the sinner repents, God and he cannot be friends: 'Wash you, make you clean' (Isa 1:16); go, steep yourselves in the brinish waters of repentance. Then, says God, I will parley with you: 'Come now, and let us reason together' (Isa 1:18); but otherwise, come not near me: 'What communion hath light with darkness?' (2 Cor 6:14). How can the righteous God indulge him that goes on still in his trespasses? 'I will not justify the wicked' (Ex 23:7). If God should be at peace with a sinner before he repents, God would seem to like and approve all that he has done. He would go against his own holiness. It is inconsistent with the sanctity of God's nature to pardon a sinner while he is in the act of rebellion.3. Sinners continuing in impenitence are out of Christ's commissionSee his commission: 'The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted' (Isa 61:1). Christ is a Prince and Saviour, but not to save men in an absolute way, whether or not they repent. If ever Christ brings men to heaven, it shall be through the gates of hell: 'Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance' (Acts 5:31); as a king pardons rebels if they repent and yield themselves to the mercy of their prince, but not if they persist in open defiance.4. We have by sin wronged GodThere is a great deal of equity in it that we should repent. We have by sin wronged God. We have eclipsed his honour. We have infringed his law, and we should, reasonably, make him some reparation. By repentance we humble and judge ourselves for sin. We set to our seal that God is righteous if he should destroy us, and thus we give glory to God and do what lies in us to repair his honour.5. If God should save men without repentance, making no discrimination, then by this rule he must save all, not only men, but devils, as Origen once held; and so consequently the decrees of election and reprobation must fall to the ground. How diametrically opposed this is to sacred writ, let all judge.There are two sorts of persons who will find it harder to repent than others: (1) Those who have sat a great while under the ministry of God's ordinances but grow no better. The earth which drinks in the rain, yet 'beareth thorns and briars, is nigh unto cursing' (Heb 6:8). There is little hope of the metal which has lain long in the fire but is not melted and refined. When God has sent his ministers one after another, exhorting and persuading men to leave their sins, but they settle upon the lees of formality and can sit and sleep under a sermon, it will be hard for these ever to be brought to repentance. They may fear lest Christ should say to them as once he said to the fig-tree, 'Never fruit grow on thee more' (Matt 21:19).(2) Those who have sinned frequently against the convictions of the word, the checks of conscience, and the motions of the Spirit. Conscience has stood as the angel with a flaming sword in its hand. It has said, Do not this great evil, but sinners regard not the voice of conscience, but march on resolvedly under the devil's colours. These will not find it easy to repent: 'They are of those that rebel against the light' (Job 24:13). It is one thing to sin for want of light and another thing to sin against light. Here the unpardonable sin takes its rise. Men begin by sinning against the light of conscience, and proceed gradually to despiting the Spirit of grace.A REPREHENSION TO THE IMPENITENTFirstly, it serves sharply to reprove all unrepenting sinners whose hearts seem to be hewn out of a rock and are like the stony ground in the parable which lacked moisture. This disease, I fear, is epidemical: 'No man repented him of his wickedness' (Jer 8:6). Men's hearts are marbled into hardness: 'they made their hearts as an adamant stone' (Zech 7:12). They are not at all dissolved into a penitential frame. It is a received opinion that witches never weep. I am sure that those who have no grief for sin are spiritually bewitched by Satan. We read that when Christ came to Jerusalem he 'upbraided the cities because they repented not' (Matt 11:20). And may he not upbraid many now for their impenitence? Though God's heart be broken with their sins, yet their hearts are not broken. They say, as Israel did, 'I have loved strangers, and after them will I go' (Jer 2:25). The justice of God, like the angel, stands with a drawn sword in its hand, ready to strike, but sinners have not eyes as good as those of Balaam's ass to see the sword. God smites on men's backs, but they do not, as Ephraim did, smite upon their thigh (Jer 31:19). It was a sad complaint the prophet took up: 'thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved' (Jer 5:3). That is surely reprobate silver which contracts hardness in the furnace. 'In the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz' (2 Chron 28:22). A hard heart is a receptacle for Satan. As God has two places he dwells in, heaven and a humble heart, so the devil has two places he dwells in, hell and a hard heart. It is not falling into water that drowns, but lying in it. It is not falling into sin that damns, but lying in it without repentance: 'having their conscience seared with a hot iron' (1 Tim 4:2). Hardness of heart results at last in the conscience being seared. Men have silenced their consciences, and God has seared them. And now he lets them sin and does not punish — 'Why should ye be stricken any more?' (Isa 1:5) — as a father gives over correcting a child whom he intends to disinherit.
Friday, September 7, 2007
17 Wins 7 Loses
Softball Season Completed...
My 3rd Season in a Church League Softball Association. I was 1st time coach and player this season. We finished in 4th place in our Divisional play. We started out the season 0-4 and then went on a 14 game winning streak and then finished strong. It was great to play with other Christians. It was a time to “Glorify God” and fellowship with other Believer’s in Christ. Our team was young with guys as young as fifteen years old and a couple of old men around forty year’s old. Our main strategic goal was to bat first and get as many hits and runs in the first inning as possible. It worked! So, if any of you coach a softball team in the near future, try that strategy. May God receive His Glory!
How do you get to my Living Room? The Door
Picture this…My house has only one door of enter / exist. You enter through it to come in and out of the house right? You might say duh, yeah!!! But check this out; many people think there is many ways to come to God. But, that contradicts what Jesus Christ has said. He says he is the Way, the Truth, the Life, no man comes to the father except through Him John 14:6. That means He is right, or the other religions are right, but not both are right. Jesus Christ doesn’t allow for it. Let’s go back to my house analogy. The only way to get in and out of my house is by my front door. You might think you can get in my house through the other boundaries of my house and probably could, but that is not the right absolute way to get in. That is my little house and not heaven. Just imagine “Heaven” perfect without sin, holy, house of God almighty. The standards are much higher. The reason why all other religions are wrong is because Jesus Christ payment on the Cross would make no sense. The reason Jesus came to early as the “Perfect Lamb of God” was to come on one mission. That was to come and to seek and to save the lost. He came to set sinners, like you and I free from our sins. Do you know what keeps us out of heaven? It is called “Sin”. Sin separates us from God. Sin is what caused this world to fall when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Since that sin, we the fallen race of mankind have been covered with a curse. Unless we repent of our sins and trust is Jesus Christ to be our perfect substitute / propitiation person to take our sins away, then we can enter heaven. But if we die in our sins, we then will not enter heaven. The Bible says we can’t earn it, work for it, or do anything to get into heaven. The Bible says that Jesus Christ came as God incarnate to live a perfect sinless life, without sin, and die a horror able death on the cross to be our propitiation and take God’s Wrath by himself and then conquer death and live on. That is the gospel. Do you see, the Bible says for forgiveness of sin, there has to be shedding of blood. So whose blood will be shed when you die? Yours or Christ’s? Do you see, if you sin one time, you are automatically disqualified for heaven. Only way to get to heaven is be perfect or repent and trust Jesus Christ to die in your place and live for him daily. If you are not perfect, you need your sins forgiven. The only religion that can do that is Christianity. God had it like that. All the other religions are work-righteous religions. Christianity says the opposed. Christianity says the only way to God is through Jesus Christ. No other roads lead to heaven. You might say that is harsh and why is that so? First, you have to understand God’s amazing plan for mankind. He knew from the beginning that man would sin and that we would follow our own way. But he was so loving that he sent his ONLY begotten Son, the Son of God to come to the early and live that perfect life and die the horrorable death and be our propitiation for us. Then he offered us free will. We have the choice to accept his amazing plan and repent and trust it or we have the choice to reject it and go to hell as we choose. Do you see the picture? He doesn’t send people to hell, they choose hell. Remember, to get into a house, there must be a door to go through! Smile!
Eidōlon "Idol" What is Yours?
IdolDefinition:
1: a representation or symbol of an object of worship; broadly: a false god
2 a: a likeness of something obsolete: pretender, imposter
3: a form or appearance visible but without substance
4: an object of extreme devotion
5: a false conception: fallacy
“If you love anything better than God you are idolaters: if there is anything you would not give up for God it is your idol: if there is anything that you seek with greater fervor than you seek the glory of God, that is your idol, and conversion means a turning from every idol.”
–Charles H. Spurgeon
Can I ask do you have any Idols in your life? My life before I came to Christ, I had many idols. I want to give you a list of my idols and I want you to see and exam your life to see if you have any idols. First, I broke the first and second commandment, you shall have no other gods before me and you shall not make for yourself an idol. For twenty five years of my life I was my god. I served “Myself” and did not want to submit to the God of the Bible. I wanted to serve a God that all “loved” and all “Forgiving” that suited my needs. If you examine what I just said, the God I was creating, it was breaking that second commandment, because that God doesn’t exist. It was a figment of my imagination. Second, I would like to submit now that the God of the Bible has those two attributes that I just mentioned, but he was so many other attributes. He was “Holy” I could go for pages about the Holiness of God. Next, he was “Just”, he demanded complete perfect Justice. Then, he was full of “Wrath”, he hates Sin. Then, he was “Righteous” he could do no wrong. Next, he was full of “Mercy” and “Loving-kindness”. Those are the major attributes of God and I just wanted to clarify that before we went on.
Now that we established the beginning, lets move on to my previous idols in my life. Growing up, I loved sports and basketball. For 15 some years, I told many people that “Ms. Spalding” was my god. (She really was!) Ms. Spalding was my name of my basketball. I thought about her, desired her, and lived for her and where she would take me. Then, when I got into my college years, the weekend god was my idol. I lived for Friday nights and Saturday nights. I served the Bing-beer god. I coveted her for a good 10 years of my life. Next, it was the lake-god. For 5 some years, I earned for going to the lake and relaxing and serving her. I lived for her each week. Do you see who I was serving? May I ask have you ever or are serving any of these idols? It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I surrendered over my gods and repented of those idols and started to serve the “Living-God (Jesus Christ)” and trusted in his sacrifice for my sins personally. I started to read my Bible and obey its teaching and commit my life totally to Jesus Christ my Savior. Have you repented & trusted Christ yet? He will make you a new creation from the inside out. He did it for me and guess what; he is waiting for you to do it too. Listen to that, you hear that, it was another breath of air that he gave you. He is waiting for you to Repent. He just gave you another second of air. He is waiting. But one day your breath will be too late. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but for all to come to repentance “2 peter 3:9”. So, I plead with you now that you have read this, go and make a list on a piece of paper all your idols. Then, offer all them over to god to crush them and serve him the rest of your life. He wants to save you from them and His wrath that he will pour on you when you die, if you are not in Christ Jesus. He promises. But he is full of loving-kindness and mercy, but is waiting for you to come serve him ALONE! He is a Jealous God and the One True God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last and no other. I have committed, now until I die I will continue to fight these idols and continue to put my hand over their mouths!
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