VERSE TO PONDER
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."
~ Psalm 143:10
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Monday, September 28, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/28/2015
WHO IS CHRIST?
"In his life Christ is an example, showing us how to live; in his death he is a sacrifice, satisfying for our sins; in his resurrection, a conqueror; in his ascension, a king; in his intercession, a high priest."
~ Martin Luther
"In his life Christ is an example, showing us how to live; in his death he is a sacrifice, satisfying for our sins; in his resurrection, a conqueror; in his ascension, a king; in his intercession, a high priest."
~ Martin Luther
Sunday, September 27, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/27/2015
WORSHIP AS LIVING
"If you do not worship God seven days a week, you do not worship Him on one day a week. There is no such thing known in heaven as Sunday worship unless it is accompanied by Monday worship and Tuesday worship and so on."
~ A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), Tozer on Worship and Entertainment, WingSpread Publishers, 2006, p. 9
"If you do not worship God seven days a week, you do not worship Him on one day a week. There is no such thing known in heaven as Sunday worship unless it is accompanied by Monday worship and Tuesday worship and so on."
~ A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), Tozer on Worship and Entertainment, WingSpread Publishers, 2006, p. 9
Saturday, September 26, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY-09/26/2015
WORSHIP AS LIVING
"If you do not worship God seven days a week, you do not worship Him on one day a week. There is no such thing known in heaven as Sunday worship unless it is accompanied by Monday worship and Tuesday worship and so on."
~ A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), Tozer on Worship and Entertainment, WingSpread Publishers, 2006, p. 9
"If you do not worship God seven days a week, you do not worship Him on one day a week. There is no such thing known in heaven as Sunday worship unless it is accompanied by Monday worship and Tuesday worship and so on."
~ A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), Tozer on Worship and Entertainment, WingSpread Publishers, 2006, p. 9
Friday, September 25, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/25/2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/25/2015
GRACE: SWEETER THAN AMNESIA
"Grace isn't about having a second chance; grace is having so many chances that you could use them through all eternity and never come up empty. It's when you finally realize that the other shoe isn't going to drop, ever. It's the moment you feel as precious and handmade as every star, when you feel, finally, at home for the very first time.
"Grace is when you finally stop keeping score and when you realize that God never was, that his game is a different one entirely.
"Grace is when the silence is so complete that you can hear your own heartbeat, and right within your ribs, God's beating heart, too.
"I used to think that the ability to turn back time would be the greatest possible gift, so that I could undo all the things I wish I hadn't done. But grace is an even better gift, because it allows me to do more than just erase; it allows me to become more than I was when I did those things. It's forgiveness without forgetting, which is much sweeter than amnesia."
~ Shauna Niequist, in her book Bittersweet
GRACE: SWEETER THAN AMNESIA
"Grace isn't about having a second chance; grace is having so many chances that you could use them through all eternity and never come up empty. It's when you finally realize that the other shoe isn't going to drop, ever. It's the moment you feel as precious and handmade as every star, when you feel, finally, at home for the very first time.
"Grace is when you finally stop keeping score and when you realize that God never was, that his game is a different one entirely.
"Grace is when the silence is so complete that you can hear your own heartbeat, and right within your ribs, God's beating heart, too.
"I used to think that the ability to turn back time would be the greatest possible gift, so that I could undo all the things I wish I hadn't done. But grace is an even better gift, because it allows me to do more than just erase; it allows me to become more than I was when I did those things. It's forgiveness without forgetting, which is much sweeter than amnesia."
~ Shauna Niequist, in her book Bittersweet
Thursday, September 24, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/24/2015
THE WONDER OF GRACE
"It is grace at the beginning, and grace at the end. So that when you and I come to lie upon our death beds, the one thing that should comfort and help and strengthen us there is the thing that helped us in the beginning. Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace, wondrous grace. By the grace of God I am what I am. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
~ D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
"It is grace at the beginning, and grace at the end. So that when you and I come to lie upon our death beds, the one thing that should comfort and help and strengthen us there is the thing that helped us in the beginning. Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace, wondrous grace. By the grace of God I am what I am. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
~ D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
A PUBLIC NOTICE FOR MY FRIENDS
A PUBLIC NOTICE FOR MY FRIENDS
Many of you know my stance as it pertains to the Institutional Church and my desire to no longer be ensnared in that system.
My choice; mine and mine alone.
It has come to my attention, of late, that my views have had a "negative influence" on some members of the body and they have decided to no longer financially support the fellowships they attend.
I wish to make plain my views on this subject, separate from the snippets you may see from me from time to time.
First of all, I have no problem with people giving. Giving is the New Testament way of supporting one another. Today's New Testament believers will give "till it hurts" to help our fellow man. I just wish more in church "leadership" would make a distinction between freewill giving and "tithing" as taught today.
The "tithe" was an ordinance given to the children of Israel to support the Levitical priesthood because the tribe of Levi had no inheritance, land nor any other way to support themselves (Joshua 13:33; Deuteronomy 10:9; Joshua 13:14.) Also, according to Deuteronomy 14:22,23,28; 26:12; and Amos 4:4, the tithe was only given every three years. The Levites' only function was the care of the temple and offering burnt sacrifices in the temple. When the Levitical priesthood ended (no more temple), tithing ended. Also, when Christ died on the cross and the veil was torn, the Law was fulfilled and was not to be followed by believers in Christ.
Now I could spend an extended amount of time outlining the Biblical tithe as opposed to the modern day fund raising campaigns disguised as the "tithe," but the only thing I would suggest is that you become like the Bereans and TEST (not challenge) the words and teachings of those that are in "leadership" of the body.
For those of you that gather as a fellowship, in a church building, you know, (as with your own house) that the building needs funds to survive and to continue offering you a place to gather in fellowship. Simply put, to gather in the building and not help in it's support is not a good witness of Christian charity (not to be confused with "tithing".)
From what I've seen among my contemporaries, it has become more and more apparent, to me, that "tithing" (as taught today) has become a do or die test for fellowship in today's "church."
END OF NOTICE
Many of you know my stance as it pertains to the Institutional Church and my desire to no longer be ensnared in that system.
My choice; mine and mine alone.
It has come to my attention, of late, that my views have had a "negative influence" on some members of the body and they have decided to no longer financially support the fellowships they attend.
I wish to make plain my views on this subject, separate from the snippets you may see from me from time to time.
First of all, I have no problem with people giving. Giving is the New Testament way of supporting one another. Today's New Testament believers will give "till it hurts" to help our fellow man. I just wish more in church "leadership" would make a distinction between freewill giving and "tithing" as taught today.
The "tithe" was an ordinance given to the children of Israel to support the Levitical priesthood because the tribe of Levi had no inheritance, land nor any other way to support themselves (Joshua 13:33; Deuteronomy 10:9; Joshua 13:14.) Also, according to Deuteronomy 14:22,23,28; 26:12; and Amos 4:4, the tithe was only given every three years. The Levites' only function was the care of the temple and offering burnt sacrifices in the temple. When the Levitical priesthood ended (no more temple), tithing ended. Also, when Christ died on the cross and the veil was torn, the Law was fulfilled and was not to be followed by believers in Christ.
Now I could spend an extended amount of time outlining the Biblical tithe as opposed to the modern day fund raising campaigns disguised as the "tithe," but the only thing I would suggest is that you become like the Bereans and TEST (not challenge) the words and teachings of those that are in "leadership" of the body.
For those of you that gather as a fellowship, in a church building, you know, (as with your own house) that the building needs funds to survive and to continue offering you a place to gather in fellowship. Simply put, to gather in the building and not help in it's support is not a good witness of Christian charity (not to be confused with "tithing".)
From what I've seen among my contemporaries, it has become more and more apparent, to me, that "tithing" (as taught today) has become a do or die test for fellowship in today's "church."
END OF NOTICE
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/22/2015
CONSIDER
"Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues."
~ John R. W. Stott
"Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues."
~ John R. W. Stott
Sunday, September 20, 2015
WORK IN PROGRESS
I am still a work in progress. I must admit to a level of impatience when it comes to sharing the freedom God has shown me when it comes to what the institutional "church" has done to the Body of Christ. (That is creating a body of anemic, powerless pew-sitters, that are spoon fed pablum and then repeat scriptures out of context, just like their "leaders," while demonic spirits rule and reign in the very edifices they hold holy)....oops, I'm supposed to be apologizing with this post.
I just completed a broadcast where I used a few examples that I was later told could possibly be "offensive" to some in the Institutional Church (Hereafter referred to as "IC".) I'm supposed to back-track and explain a little more why I said what I said because many of these "offended" people are so scripturally inept that THEY NEED A LITTLE HELP UNDERSTANDING BASIC BIBLICAL TRUTHS....oops, I'm supposed to be apologizing with this post.
My broadcast is an open forum and I encourage feedback during these sessions. Got a problem with what I said, bring it. Offended by what I said and/or post on social media, bring it; but don't forget your Bible. I don't want to hear what thus saith "Creflo-T.D.-Marvin-Rick-Joel-etc..." OR ANY OTHER TV CROOK.....oops, I'm supposed to be apologizing with this post.
Better yet, don't "bring it;" we're just gonna play "who interprets the Bible better" games and bring reproach to the Body of Christ.
Lord HELP ME!!!
I just completed a broadcast where I used a few examples that I was later told could possibly be "offensive" to some in the Institutional Church (Hereafter referred to as "IC".) I'm supposed to back-track and explain a little more why I said what I said because many of these "offended" people are so scripturally inept that THEY NEED A LITTLE HELP UNDERSTANDING BASIC BIBLICAL TRUTHS....oops, I'm supposed to be apologizing with this post.
My broadcast is an open forum and I encourage feedback during these sessions. Got a problem with what I said, bring it. Offended by what I said and/or post on social media, bring it; but don't forget your Bible. I don't want to hear what thus saith "Creflo-T.D.-Marvin-Rick-Joel-etc..." OR ANY OTHER TV CROOK.....oops, I'm supposed to be apologizing with this post.
Better yet, don't "bring it;" we're just gonna play "who interprets the Bible better" games and bring reproach to the Body of Christ.
Lord HELP ME!!!
Saturday, September 19, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/16/2015
ON PRAYER
"Christian prayer is always a response to a presence already felt. The awareness of a desire to pray again is already prayer. As the desert fathers so often said, 'If you want to pray, you are already praying.'"
~ Edward J. Farrell, from Gathering the Fragments
"Christian prayer is always a response to a presence already felt. The awareness of a desire to pray again is already prayer. As the desert fathers so often said, 'If you want to pray, you are already praying.'"
~ Edward J. Farrell, from Gathering the Fragments
Friday, September 18, 2015
ARE YOU PERFORMING DEAD WORKS?
ARE YOU PERFORMING DEAD WORKS? - 15/09/18
Just what are "Dead works?" They are pretty much what it says in the Scriptures: works that do not have the life of Christ in them.
Let's look at what constitutes dead works and why we should repent of them.
TONIGHT @ 10:00pm CENTRAL
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thepath/2015/09/19/are-you-performing-dead-works
Just what are "Dead works?" They are pretty much what it says in the Scriptures: works that do not have the life of Christ in them.
Let's look at what constitutes dead works and why we should repent of them.
TONIGHT @ 10:00pm CENTRAL
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thepath/2015/09/19/are-you-performing-dead-works
Thursday, September 17, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/17/2015
CONSIDER
"The impulse of love that leads us to the doorway of a friend is the voice of God within and we need not be afraid to follow it."
~Agnes Sanford
"The impulse of love that leads us to the doorway of a friend is the voice of God within and we need not be afraid to follow it."
~Agnes Sanford
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/16/2015
DISCIPLINE AND DEMANDS
"Sometimes God will give us what we demand and let us take the consequences. This is not because he hates us or has given up on us. As harsh as those consequences may be, they are still under the control of a God who loves us and a God who sees. He sees the big picture. He sees what's coming. He knows the events and challenges for which we need to be prepared. In Hebrews, we read, 'No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it' (12:11).
"God's discipline trains us. It produces righteousness and peace. And God knows we desperately need these things. Just as a caring coach disciplines a player, God, in his care, may send a corrective discipline into the lives of his children. His discipline is intended to prepare us for the challenges and conflicts that lie in our future."
~Jeff Manion, in his book The Land Between
"Sometimes God will give us what we demand and let us take the consequences. This is not because he hates us or has given up on us. As harsh as those consequences may be, they are still under the control of a God who loves us and a God who sees. He sees the big picture. He sees what's coming. He knows the events and challenges for which we need to be prepared. In Hebrews, we read, 'No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it' (12:11).
"God's discipline trains us. It produces righteousness and peace. And God knows we desperately need these things. Just as a caring coach disciplines a player, God, in his care, may send a corrective discipline into the lives of his children. His discipline is intended to prepare us for the challenges and conflicts that lie in our future."
~Jeff Manion, in his book The Land Between
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/15/2015
CONSIDER
"Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that you may understand."
~St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel according to St. John, vol. i, Marcus Dods, ed., as vol. x of The Works of Aurelius Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Edinbugh: T & T Clark, 1873, p. 405
"Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that you may understand."
~St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel according to St. John, vol. i, Marcus Dods, ed., as vol. x of The Works of Aurelius Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Edinbugh: T & T Clark, 1873, p. 405
Monday, September 14, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/14/2015
VERSE TO PONDER
"I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
~Psalm 16:8
"I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
~Psalm 16:8
Saturday, September 12, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/12/2015
HE IS NOT SILENT
"Both the Old and New Testaments affirm that God is immortal, invisible, immutable, and self-existent. He is not a created being and is not therefore subject to the laws of nature. He created those laws, and all of nature and the cosmos adhere to them. God the Creator is outside time and space and cannot be proved or disproved by science, but he has given us a record of himself in the testimony of the prophets and apostles and, most important, through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son.
"The good news is that there is a God and he is not silent. There is a Creator who made the world, a Creator who made it possible for us to communicate with him, and, through simple faith, to find answers to life's most challenging questions. As more and more of us come to recognize this truth, the schools and colleges, and perhaps even the philosophy of science will have to change. And who knows where that could lead?"
~Jim Nelson Black, in his book The Death of Evolution
"Both the Old and New Testaments affirm that God is immortal, invisible, immutable, and self-existent. He is not a created being and is not therefore subject to the laws of nature. He created those laws, and all of nature and the cosmos adhere to them. God the Creator is outside time and space and cannot be proved or disproved by science, but he has given us a record of himself in the testimony of the prophets and apostles and, most important, through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son.
"The good news is that there is a God and he is not silent. There is a Creator who made the world, a Creator who made it possible for us to communicate with him, and, through simple faith, to find answers to life's most challenging questions. As more and more of us come to recognize this truth, the schools and colleges, and perhaps even the philosophy of science will have to change. And who knows where that could lead?"
~Jim Nelson Black, in his book The Death of Evolution
Thursday, September 10, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/10/2015
CONSIDER
"I should as soon attempt to raise flowers if there were no atmosphere, or produce fruits if there were neither light nor heat, as to regenerate men if I did not believe there was a Holy Ghost."
~Henry Ward Beecher
"I should as soon attempt to raise flowers if there were no atmosphere, or produce fruits if there were neither light nor heat, as to regenerate men if I did not believe there was a Holy Ghost."
~Henry Ward Beecher
Wednesday, September 09, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/09/2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/09/2015
"For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith."
Philippians 3:8-9
"For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith."
Philippians 3:8-9
Monday, September 07, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/07/2015
ON PRAYER
"Prayer lays hold of God's plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit's prayer."
~Elisabeth Elliot
"Prayer lays hold of God's plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit's prayer."
~Elisabeth Elliot
Saturday, September 05, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/05/2015
CONSIDER
"Until our Master summons us, not a hair on our head can perish, not a moment of our life be snatched from us. When He sends for us, it should seem by the message that the child is wanted at home."
~Anthony Thorold
"Until our Master summons us, not a hair on our head can perish, not a moment of our life be snatched from us. When He sends for us, it should seem by the message that the child is wanted at home."
~Anthony Thorold
Friday, September 04, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/04/2015
CONSIDER
"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary -- the evil it does is permanent."
~Indira Gandhi
"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary -- the evil it does is permanent."
~Indira Gandhi
Thursday, September 03, 2015
A QUICK RANT FOR MY "LAW" KEEPER FRIENDS
Someone recently admonished me for saying we no longer had to keep "the law."
Then used the following verse to close their thesis:
" "He said This: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:17" "
They were putting great emphasis on the words "not come to abolish."
I responded:
Not abolished because it (the law) is written to show us that we could not keep it and needed a savior. The Christ said: "I have not come to abolish them but to FULFILL them."
The fulfilling was accomplished ON THE CROSS.
The written words are still there as a reminder that we need a Savior. The law shows us that we are not perfect and that we cannot ever reach perfection (performing all that is written in "the law").
"Man" is performance oriented. Give "him" something to do, and "man" is happy even if "man" cannot do it, "he" has a measure wherewith "he" can compare "himself" with others.
"Man" has a hard time understanding GRACE because it is UNMERITED FAVOR. The cross is the ultimate example of UNMERITED FAVOR; meaning we don't have to DO anything (LAW KEEPING) to receive grace.
You keepers of the law, continue if that's YOUR measure of faithfulness.
I, however, prefer to receive the GRACE afforded me ON THE CROSS.
Then used the following verse to close their thesis:
" "He said This: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:17" "
They were putting great emphasis on the words "not come to abolish."
I responded:
Not abolished because it (the law) is written to show us that we could not keep it and needed a savior. The Christ said: "I have not come to abolish them but to FULFILL them."
The fulfilling was accomplished ON THE CROSS.
The written words are still there as a reminder that we need a Savior. The law shows us that we are not perfect and that we cannot ever reach perfection (performing all that is written in "the law").
"Man" is performance oriented. Give "him" something to do, and "man" is happy even if "man" cannot do it, "he" has a measure wherewith "he" can compare "himself" with others.
"Man" has a hard time understanding GRACE because it is UNMERITED FAVOR. The cross is the ultimate example of UNMERITED FAVOR; meaning we don't have to DO anything (LAW KEEPING) to receive grace.
You keepers of the law, continue if that's YOUR measure of faithfulness.
I, however, prefer to receive the GRACE afforded me ON THE CROSS.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/03/2015
VERSE TO PONDER
"The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
~Romans 13:9
"The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
~Romans 13:9
Wednesday, September 02, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 09/02/2015
CONSIDER
"One hallmark of freedom is the sound of laughter."
~Harry Ashmore
"One hallmark of freedom is the sound of laughter."
~Harry Ashmore
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