Decisions or Disciples?

"It is a serious injury to a person to receive him into the number of the faithful unless there is good reason to believe that he is really regenerate. I am sure it is so, for I speak after careful observation. Some of the most glaring sinners known to me were once members of a church; and were, as I believe, led to make a profession by undue pressure, well-meant but ill-judged. Do not, therefore, consider that soul-winning is or can be secured by the multiplication of baptisms, and the swelling of the size of your church. What mean these despatches from the battle-field? "Last night, fourteen souls were under conviction, fifteen were justified, and eight received full sanctification." I am weary of this public bragging, this counting of unhatched chickens, this exhibition of doubtful spoils. Lay aside such numberings of the people, such idle pretence of certifying in half a minute that which will need the testing of a lifetime. Hope for the best, but in your highest excitements be reasonable. Enquiry-rooms are all very well; but if they lead to idle boastings, they will grieve the Holy Spirit, and work abounding evil" ~ Charles Spurgeon

God loves the world - do you love people enough to tell them?

"We will not be disposed to invite wayward transgressors to Christ, or reason with them, or bring to them the overtures of the gospel, unless we are convinced that God is favorably disposed to them. Only if we are genuinely persuaded that He will have them to be saved are we likely to make the effort. If God does not love them it is hardly likely that we will make it our business to love them. Especially is this the case when there is so much that is repulsive in the ungodliness and sinfulness of Christ-rejecters." ~ Erroll Hulse

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." ~ 2 Peter 3:9

Can you know the Real God?

Do you believe the Gospel? Then why have you not preached it today?

"Oh, if you have the hearts of Christians or of men in you, let them yearn towards your poor ignorant, ungodly neighbors. Alas, there is but a step betwixt them and death and hell; many hundred diseases are waiting ready to seize on them, and if they die unregenerate, they are lost forever. Have you hearts of rock, that cannot pity men in such a case as this? If you believe not the Word of God, and the danger of sinners, why are you Christians yourselves? If you do believe it, why do you not bestir yourself to the helping of others?"

~ Richard Baxter

The Firefighter

Hell's Best Kept Secret -- Part 4 of 4

Hell's Best Kept Secret -- Part 3 of 4

Hell's Best Kept Secret -- Part 2 of 4

Hell's Best Kept Secret -- Part 1 of 4

This Was Your Life

Where will you spend eternity?

Life's Grandest Privilege

"When a man knows God he finds that two things are true. First, he has a motive for telling others about God. The more a man knows about God the more he finds God worthy of being proclaimed. Then, second, the fact that the man knows God supplies that man with a good part of his message. Life's grandest privilege is to help others to learn to know God in all the glory of His character and His deeds." ~ Tom Wells

Quote for the Day

"If sinners will be dammed, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for." ~ Charles Spurgeon

"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;" 2 Cor 5:11

Addition or Subtraction?

What is biblical salvation? Is salvation a matter of addition or subtraction? Most people in our culture think of salvation as:

Me + Jesus = salvation (happiness)

Freedom from the punishment of our sins is important and most people associate salvation with this result. Thus, salvation brings them happiness. Happiness is what is sought after. But when you think about the equation, other things bring us happiness also. We could substitute money, stocks, boats, cars, girlfriends (boyfriends or husbands or wives), promotions, a particular sin, and any number of other commodities into the equation which would bring us the end product of happiness. Jesus becomes interchangeable, expendable or only necessary in case of emergency. He becomes no more than one toy in a stuffed toy box. We see life as really all about me and what makes me feel good or happy. I’m going to be happy not going to hell; I’m happy not getting the punishment I deserve; I’m happy receiving God’s grace and mercy; I’m going to be happy living in a mansion for eternity, etc. So, while I’m living my life here and now, Jesus gets my attention, sometimes, but practically I live as a hedonist and/or atheist. This is a common mindset in America and especially among the younger generation. There is a major problem with this view. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other: or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” Matt 6:24. God said it a different way in Exodus 20:3, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

Biblical salvation is more accurately viewed as:

Jesus – me = Righteousness

Biblical salvation is when I’m taken out of the equation. I have nothing to add because in me dwells no good thing (Rom 3:10-12). Jesus is everything and I’m nothing. He is not just a toy, or stock, or insurance policy. Furthermore, salvation is more than freedom from the penalty of our sin. It is also freedom from the power of sin (Rom 6:2); freedom from the future presence of sin (Rev 22:14-15); freedom to serve God (Rom 6:13); freedom to worship God (Jn 4:24; Phil 3:3); freedom to have a relationship with God (Jn 1:12-13); freedom to be in a right relationship with God because of the completed work of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf (2 Cor 5:21). Righteousness is a matter of being right with God. Only when I come to God in humility, recognizing my total inability to please him because of my sinful and desperate condition, can I then embrace the righteousness which Christ gives freely as my Savior – for the purpose of me being in a right relationship to God the Father. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:3. Happiness is then the byproduct and result of being in a right relationship with God, but not what is primarily sought. The tax collector as recorded in Luke 18:14 had the right approach when he said, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

What does this short mathematical lesson mean? It means we live in an idolatrous country. We have numerous gods. Like the residents of Athens in Acts 17:23, we have many gods and worship ignorantly, but we do not worship the true God. Who we worship is who we obey; who we obey is who we love; who we love is who we serve; and who we serve is our god. Many people who think they are Christians have a god in their lives of their own making, but it is not the God of the Bible. Like King Saul of 1 Samuel, they are wise in their own eyes and have selectively chosen to construct a religion and a god which benefits them. Jesus is no more than just one of many additions in their life for the end purpose of some advantage for themselves. The believer's mission is to influence those around them to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matt 22:37).

In our evangelizing and discipleship we must be holding forth the word of life (Phil 2:16), confronting the world with the true God, and persuading men of a subtraction equation!

My first blog!

The evil world system is traveling at hyper speed. I see Daniel's words concerning the end when "knowledge shall increase." Dan 12.4 We MUST take every opportunity to proclaim the Gospel of God's Grace concerning His Son Jesus Christ. This is my purpose for blogging - evangelism and discipleship for the glory of God.

"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Cor 5:14-15, 17-21