tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543529168113893792024-03-08T10:16:15.987-06:00FencePostDigestCommenting on what is affecting daily living from a Biblical World View with the understanding that Jesus is LordBob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-42846760333257145832010-06-29T15:45:00.000-05:002010-06-29T15:45:31.873-05:00Agenda Driven or Bible Based Christianity<strong>Too many, far too many, individuals, churches and larger organizations within ear-shot of the Body of Christ have been blinded in recent years by what I might refer to as "Agenda Driven" platforms</strong>. These have been covered with good sounding names and sold across the world as being 'Christian'. <br />
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Certainly these efforts are supported by Bible verses, but instead of being in-depth studies of God's Word, they are topical in nature and<strong> Expository Bible Study has been tossed to the side</strong>. The effect upon the doctirnes of the Church is devastating at best and irreversible at worst. <br />
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<strong>Advocation a 'return' to the way the things were kind of mentality is not the correct course to follow</strong>, for there is no return, no turning back and certainly no retreat. We cannot and should not return to the way things were in the 1950's, this is not a solution at all. <br />
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<strong>However, we must simply begin to teach directly from God's Word</strong> and move away from the bright lights of stage production and teach from God's Word rather than from someone's deriviative of the same. Evangelism and strengthening of the Body of Christ is basic faith and Christianity. <br />
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Looking into the Word of God <strong>we will find nothing of Emerging Church movements, no Church Growth efforts, no building programs and none of this, or none of that</strong>.....However, what is found are calls and demands from those who believe in Christ as Savior and Lord to be filled with the Holy Spirit. <br />
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Where do we find "Everything Driven" in the Word of God? Where do we find "Six Steps to Successful Church Growth" in Paul's writings? Neither do we find any kind of "Experiencing Anything" between the books of Genesis and Revelation. <br />
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<strong>But what we do find are statements like these:</strong> <br />
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• "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction." <br />
• "Follow Me and I will make you Fishers of Men." <br />
• "Be filled with the Holy Spirit." "Be strong in the Lord." <br />
• "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able." <br />
• "I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation....." <br />
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"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.” <br />
Psalm 1:1-7. <br />
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<strong>The Agenda Driven mentality</strong> has been successful in charting the course of well meaning churches and larger organizations to focus less on the Message of the Cross and to focus on "How to's". Have we become so blind and have we become totally corrupted by these worldly movements around us? <br />
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<strong>We must teach biblical doctrines in order to live faithful Christian lives</strong> instead of seeking larger numbers and buldings in order to have enormous church organizations that appear successful. The Christian faith is more than this......Jesus is Lord......<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-72814119525193679952010-05-17T15:07:00.000-05:002010-05-17T15:07:15.027-05:00Why I Am a Southern Baptist<em><strong>I believe the Bible to be literally true and that Truth is my world view. Folks who do not hold to this literal truth do not like it and are not interested in it. These have forsaken God’s Truth and the time will come when they will not be able to endure it.</strong></em> <br />
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B.H. Carroll, Founder of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, wrote, “"What is the object of inspiration? It is to put accurately in human words ideas from God. If the words are not inspired, how am I to know how much to reject and how to find out whether anything is from God? <strong><u>When you hear the silly talk that the Bible contains the Word of God, it is not the Word of God. You hear a fools talk</u></strong>.” <br />
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<strong>W. A. Criswell had some enticing words for this topic, too.</strong> “Frequently we hear discussions centering on whether the Bible is the Word of God or only contains the Word of God. If, by the former, it is meant that God spoke every word in the Bible, the answer is, of course, no, but if it is meant that God caused every word in the Bible, true or false, to be recorded, the answer is yes. <strong>In the Bible, there are words of Satan. In the Bible, there are words of false profits, there are words of the enemies of Christ, yet, they are as inspired as being in the Bible.</strong> Not in the sense God uttered them, in a sense God calls them to be recorded infallible, inherently and for our profit. In this sense, <strong>the Bible does not merely contain the Word of God; it is the Word of God."</strong> <em>"<u>Why Preach the Bible as Literally True</u>"</em>, B&H Publishing Group, 1999.<br />
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<em>“Indeed, <strong>all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.</strong> But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that <strong>from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.</strong> All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”</em> 2 Timothy 3:12-17.<br />
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I find it interesting that those who do not receive the Word of God as literally true seem to think that we who do so are ‘twisted in our way of viewing things’. <strong><em>But allow me to remind them that Paul writes, “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived</em></strong>.” v. 13. <br />
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<strong><em><u>Standing with Paul is much better company than those who are deceiving and who are being deceived.</u></em></strong><br />
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<strong>Another reason for being a Southern Baptist is the understanding of who Jesus Christ is.</strong> And this thought is one that is founded in the Literal Truth of God’s Word, <br />
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<em>“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. <strong>In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it</strong>.”</em> John 1:1-5. <br />
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<strong>Salvation that comes through the shed blood of Jesus Christ outside the walls of Jerusalem 2 millennia past is yet another factor for my being Southern Baptist.</strong><br />
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Observe for a moment what Peter writes in 1Peter 1:18. <strong><u>Peter expresses that it is the blood of the Christ that redeems lost mankind.</u></strong><br />
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"…<em><strong>Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things</strong> like silver or gold from your futile way of life that you inherited from you forefathers, but <strong>with precious blood as of the Lamb unblemished spotless the blood of Christ for He was foreknown before the foundations of the World</strong>, but has appeared in these last times, for the sake of you. </em><br />
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The Author of Hebrews continues this thought in chapter 9, verse 22 with these words, "<strong>without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. </strong><em><strong>And according to the Law, one may almost say,</strong> <strong>all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.</strong> Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages <strong>He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so</strong> <strong>Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.</strong>”</em> Hebrews 9:22-28.<br />
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<strong>And then, there is the irrefutable truth concerning the Resurrection of Jesus Christ</strong>. Doctor Luke confirms the words of the Apostle Paul in Acts 26:21-25, <br />
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<em>"For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that <strong>the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."</strong> While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad." But <strong>Paul said, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth</strong>.”</em> <br />
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There are many more statements about why I am a Southern Baptist, and they range from Believers Baptism to the Passion for Evangelism that moves God’s people to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in a dark world.<br />
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<strong>Jesus is Lord</strong><br />
BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-42247186334237382332010-05-14T20:41:00.000-05:002010-05-14T20:41:35.464-05:00Both Sides of the Gospel of Christ<div><span style="font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bodoni MT", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>When we seek to understand the Gospel in Truth we must also seek to understand Salvation history, His Story.</strong></span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: auto 0in 0pt;"><strong><br />
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<strong>It is obvious that no one comes to Christ of his own volition, </strong><br />
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“Jesus answered and said to them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.”<strong> John 6:44. </strong><br />
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<strong>In this Passage, Jesus is speaking to a group of Jews who were “grumbling among themselves” about this Carpenter’s son who is claiming to have come from Yaweh, God the Father.</strong> Because of this gathered group of Jews to whom He is speaking it is important to understand that no longer will the people of God go to the Temple for consecration.<strong> They will only come to the Father through Jesus and all will be drawn by Him and not by their own volition.</strong><br />
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<strong>His Word also tells us that</strong> "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? <strong>But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name "</strong> Then a voice came out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him." Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. <strong>Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out</strong>. <strong>And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."</strong> But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour." John 12:27-33.<br />
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<strong>Jesus later speaks to His disciples and to a group of Greeks who have come to the Disciples seeking Jesus. </strong><br />
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<strong>There are three very important facts that Jesus speaks of here:</strong><br />
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1. <strong>His Purpose</strong> for coming is <strong>to glorify the Name of the Father</strong><br />
2. <strong>Judgment</strong> upon the ruler of Evil has come<br />
3. <strong>Jesus’ death upon the Cross is</strong> <strong>to draw everyone to Himself</strong><br />
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<strong>This is NO contradiction; the simple TRUTH remains that God’s Holy Spirit is at work in the life of every person who hears the Proclamation of His Word. </strong><br />
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"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. <strong>And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment</strong>; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” John 16:7-11. <br />
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<strong>His Work is to Convict the World:</strong><br />
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1. of sin<br />
2. of judgment<br />
3. of righteousness<br />
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<strong>The Word of God does not return empty when publicly proclaimed although not everyone will believe.</strong><br />
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“I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part,<strong> I am eager to preach the gospel</strong> to you also who are in Rome. For <strong>I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes</strong>, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:14-16.<br />
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<strong>• WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED. </strong><br />
<strong>• How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? </strong><br />
<strong>• How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? </strong><br />
<strong>• However, they did not all heed the good news; </strong><br />
<strong>• Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?" </strong><br />
<strong>• faith comes from hearing, </strong><br />
<strong>• hearing by the word of Christ. </strong><br />
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<strong>But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;</strong><br />
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"THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD." Romans 10:13-14; 16-18.<br />
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<strong>Jesus is Lord</strong><br />
BW<br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-18731075974873548812010-05-11T14:17:00.000-05:002010-05-11T14:17:51.804-05:00The Sovereignty of God is Indisputable<em><strong>Man can only live in short intervals of his faulty reasoning, but is by the absolute sovereignty of God’s compassion that he survives on earth and lives in eternity.</strong></em> ________________________________________<br />
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From the time of Creation until this very moment and until the return of His Son, God’s indisputable sovereignty is witnessed. <strong>Certainly ignorant and faithless men have rejected, by their own humanism, the Light that shines upon their stormy environment. But by his flawed intervention man will find that God reigns.</strong><br />
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<em>"Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; ca<strong>lling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.”</strong></em><strong> </strong>Isaiah 46:9-11. <br />
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Being filled with the darkness of soul and spirit, mankind stumbles along following his skewed thoughts and flawed dreams and accomplishing nothing. <strong>But it was the Event outside the walls of Jerusalem 2 millenia past that He took upon Himself our sin.</strong><br />
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<em>All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; <strong>But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him</strong>.</em> Isaiah 53:6. <br />
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<strong>Not much has changed since that dark Day. Certainly His Glory and Salvation has been freely offered to every person, but to his demise man has simply looked the other way.</strong><br />
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<em>And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And <strong>He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.</strong> </em>Luke 13:22-24.<br />
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The obvious Event outside the walls of Jerusalem was prophetic in every way. But more than prophecy was fulfilled in the course of a week. On that day God fully demonstrated His Sovereignty over sin and the power of evil. <strong>On the first day of the week Jesus demonstrated God’s authority over death.</strong><br />
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<em>The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. <strong>He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. </strong>"Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."</em> Matthew 28:5-7.<br />
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<strong>The message of the Good News is that all who leave behind their sin and commit their lives to the Christ will discover the fullness of God.</strong><br />
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<em>"Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; <strong>For I am God, and there is no other</strong>. I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from <strong>My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.</strong>”</em> Isaiah 45:22-23. <br />
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The majesty of God is not found in the self reliance of the American Dream, in the Light of Hinduism or in the idea of so many virgins on some distant planet. No, <strong>the majesty and sovereignty of God is only found in His Son, Jesus Christ.</strong><br />
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<em>Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.</em> Romans 5:1-2.<br />
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<strong>Jesus is Lord</strong><br />
BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-49746825800862281212010-05-06T07:18:00.000-05:002010-05-06T07:18:55.990-05:00The Failure of TULIP is Inconsistency With God’s Word<div style="text-align: left;">May 6, 2010 </div><br />
<em><strong>The character of human nature is inconsistent with the Nature of God and therefore is forced by that nature to be inconsistent with His Word.</strong></em> <br />
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For a very long time the subject of Predestination and Election has been on my mind, but until recently I have not been motivated to write. In recent years the growth of the so-called TULIP theory of salvation by election has caught my attention. With this heightened sense of interest I began to read, study and now write. <em>With every page that I have read in God’s Word and the failure of TULIP to convince me to look any further, I began to write.</em><br />
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<strong><em>God’s message of Salvation by His Grace and one’s faith in Christ is for everyone who believes, Period.</em></strong> God by His Grace provides everyone an opportunity to respond to Him in faith and to repent of their sin through by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. <br />
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<em>“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; <strong>concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;</strong> and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”</em> John 16:8-11.<br />
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<strong>When the discussion of Predestination surfaces, and is noted, the word appears 4 times in the New Testament, 2 times in Romans and twice in Ephesians</strong>. The word Predestination in the Greek means “to decide beforehand”, and the Greek word Elect makes reference to God’s act of choosing. The two words are almost synonymous and therefore, must be discussed with the damnation of the ELECT as well. <em><strong>Those who have been chosen by God to Hell is the obvious negative side of Predestination. Some call this Reprobation.</strong></em><br />
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<strong><em>Predestination in TULIP cannot remove Reprobation from the dogma if it is to be consistent with the Sovereignty of God.</em></strong> <strong>Theological consequences of including Reprobation with Predestination is the absolute failure of that doctrine.</strong> <em><strong>However, if one is predestined for salvation, another must also be predestined for eternal damnation and the location of that damnation is HELL.</strong></em><br />
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<strong>The Apostle Peter tells us that</strong><br />
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<em>“<strong>But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.</strong> But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The <strong>Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.</strong>”</em> 1 Peter 3:7-9.<br />
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<em>“Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother <strong>Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.</strong></em> 2 Peter 3:14-16.<br />
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<strong>One of the many statements of the Christ that should bring issue for the TULIP theory of salvation is found in Matthew 28:18-20</strong>. There is no indication for the purpose of Election or Predestination in this message from Jesus, <em>“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. <strong>Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,</strong> baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." </em><br />
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<strong>Paul seems to underscore the unlimited bounds of God’s Saving Grace in his short letter to Titus</strong>, <em>“For the grace of God has appeared,<strong> bringing salvation to all men</strong>, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, <strong>Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession,</strong> zealous for good deeds.” </em>Titus 2:11-14. <br />
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<em><strong>There are 3 very obvious points made to Titus:</strong></em><br />
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1. God brings salvation to everyone <br />
2. Jesus gave Himself for the Believer’s redemption <br />
3. His Possession are those whom He purifies for Himself. <br />
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The Apostle writes quite clearly in Romans 10:8-13,<strong><em> "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"</em></strong>--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, <strong><em>"WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."</em></strong> For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for <em><strong>"WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."</strong></em> <br />
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<em><strong>THE TULIP THEORY CANNOT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS.</strong></em><br />
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<em>“ <strong>'AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.'</strong> Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know-- <strong>this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.</strong> But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”</em> Acts2:21-24.<br />
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<strong><em>The Predetermined plan is that everyone who believes and calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved.”</em></strong><br />
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Take notice of what John the Baptizer said about the One who was to follow after him, <em>“<strong>But as many as received Him</strong>, to them <strong>He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”</strong></em> John 1:12-13. <strong>And then Jesus himself repeats the same thought to Nicodemus in John 3:3-7</strong>, <em>"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "<strong>Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.</strong> That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. <strong>Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'</strong>” </em><br />
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<em><strong>AGAIN, THERE IS NO MENTION OF PREDESTINATION OR ELECTION BY THE CHRIST.</strong></em><br />
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<em><strong>Eternal Life or Eternal Damnation is found completely in every person’s man’s response to God’s call to repent,</strong></em><br />
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<em>“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; <strong>repent and believe in the gospel</strong>."</em> Mark 1:14-15. <br />
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<strong>Suggesting that God has predestined a select few is ludicrous in light of what Jesus says about himself,</strong> <br />
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"These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:44-48. <br />
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Certainly, those folks who are not yet Believers in the saving Grace of God are on their way to eternal damnation in a place called Hell. These are living on the precipice of eternal separation from the Almighty. <br />
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“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.” Jude 3-5.<br />
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BEFORE ONE SAYS, “AH HA, HERE IS ELECTION IN V. 4, LOOK FURTHER TO VERSE 5, “DESTROYED THOSE WHO DID NOT BELIEVE.” PAUL, IS SPEAKING ABOUT THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVER AS BEING MARKED FOR CONDEMNATION.<br />
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In the closing moments of his vision to the Church, John writes in Revelation 22:17, The Spirit and the bride say, "Come " And let the one who hears say, "Come" And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” There is not a single hint of election uttered here by the Apostle.<br />
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Through out Holy Writ we find the freedom to choose or deny the Grace of the Almighty, and those who have fallen into eternal death have rejected God. <br />
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"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord GOD. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live." Ezekiel 18:30-32.<br />
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The doctrine of Predestination and Election for Eternal Life or Death simply does not coincide with the message of the Gospel of God. Simply stated, “All” and “Whosoever” indicate that God’s plan of salvation is for everyone and not for a select few. All are spiritually lost until they receive by faith the Saving Grace of God in Christ. Tragically, the opposite is true, too. That is, all who hear have opportunity to repent and become sons of God and do not are eternally damned at death. <br />
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Jesus tells everyone in Matthew 11 28-30, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." <br />
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Jesus is the Lord of Freedom to Choose<br />
BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-21243669057524907982010-04-29T10:09:00.000-05:002010-04-29T10:09:01.595-05:00Salvation by Election or by Grace?<strong><em>The reason that so many people believe in doctrines that are untrue is there is an enormous void of Bible reading among ‘Believers’. Those who are strident Followers of Christ read and know what God’s Word teaches.</em></strong><br />
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The subjects of Election and Free Will are possibly among the most studied topics in the organized church. <strong><em>However, I am certain that the Church, the Body of Christ, is made up of individual Believers, Christians, who have been born again by the blood of Jesus Christ as they were drawn by the Holy Spirit.</em></strong> The Bible clearly teaches that Salvation by Faith in Jesus Christ has been predestined by the Father, but not everyone will come to acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord. <strong><em>And the underscore should be drawn under <u>2 Peter 3:9</u> as a place of beginning.</em></strong><br />
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<em>“<strong>But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.</strong> But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.“</em> <u>2 Peter 3:7-9</u>.<br />
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Many well meaning folks, including John Calvin, Martin Luther and many very well known individuals within the Church define salvation as an event in the life of elect that is predestined only for a very select group.<strong><em> I would go so far to say that these mislead folks follow systems of human thought rather than the Savior who died on a Cross.</em></strong><br />
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God’s Word tells us that He is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” This does not imply nor suggest nor declare that a few lucky winners will go to Heaven<em><strong>…….This does tell us that the Cross Event is indeed for everyone who believes and Jesus himself is speaks His Truth when he speaks to Nicodemus, </strong></em><br />
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<em>"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,</em> <strong><em>that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.</em></strong> <em>For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. <strong>He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.</strong>”</em> <u>John 3:16-18</u>. <br />
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This does not sound as if the Christ had any one particular group of people in mind when He states,<em><strong> “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”</strong></em> However, I am convinced that if Predestination had been the issue Jesus would have said as much.<br />
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<strong><u>God’s Grace in Salvation History…..</u></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Furthermore, the Hebrew Nation in the Old Testament and the Bride of Christ, His Church, are the elect of God.</em></strong> And both groups will have found their peculiar spots in Heaven when Christ returns. The Salvation History of Scripture is about these two groups, not about individuals. <strong><em>Christ will come again to receive unto Himself His Church. He will not return specifically for me, but rather for His Church.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Those who park in the Predestination Space declare that salvation is nothing more than God’s choosing and freedom to reject has no place there.</em></strong> There are others holding to the other side of the Standard that it is all man’s free will and choice rather than God’s ability to secure what has been done. The reality is that Salvation is mostly God’s doing and by His grace and humankind must respond to His Grace. However, <strong><em>God does know who will respond why He knows who His people are BEFOREHAND. </em></strong><br />
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<em>“Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. <strong>But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.</strong> My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. <strong>"My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”</strong></em> <u>John 10:25-29</u>.<br />
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<strong><em>Those who decide to follow the Christ will be saved.</em></strong> They were even more astonished and said to Him, "<strong><em>Then who can be saved?"</em></strong> Looking at them, Jesus said, <em>"With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." Jesus said, <strong>"Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.</strong> But many who are first will be last, and the last, first."</em> <u>Mark 10:26-31</u>. <br />
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<strong>There is absolutely no hint of Predestination for those who are being saved, but we do find that the freedom of man to follow Him is obvious.</strong><br />
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<strong><em>Election in Salvation History:</em></strong><br />
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Matthew 22:14,24: 22, 24, 31<br />
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Mark 13:20,22,25<br />
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Luke 18:7; Ro. 8:33; Col 3:12<br />
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2 Timothy 2:10; Ti. 1:1<br />
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1 Peter 1:1<br />
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<strong><em>There are but 16 verses in the New Testament which give testimony to ‘Election’ for salvation; not so many as most might think.</em></strong> The reason that so many people believe in doctrines that are untrue is there is an obvious void of Bible reading among local church members. <strong><em>Those who are strident followers of Christ read and know what God’s Word teaches.</em></strong><br />
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<strong>In search of the meaning of God’s grace in election, there are several Scriptures that must be entertained:</strong><br />
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<strong><em>Careful examination of this word from Paul to Titus reveals that God does not lie and in His time His word was revealed. This is an obvious reference to His Son.</em></strong><br />
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<em>“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—<strong> a faith and knowledgeresting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,</strong></em> <em>and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior.”</em> <u>Titus 1:1</u><br />
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<strong><em>Be reminded that Paul is writing to the Church in Rome as he speaks about about predestination, glorification, justification and glorification of those who are Believers.</em></strong><br />
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<em>"And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? <strong>Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies</strong>"</em> <u>Romans 30-33</u>.<br />
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<em>"For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. <strong>Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short</strong>.“</em> <u>Matthew 24:22</u>.<br />
<strong><em>God does have an Elect people. Does election surface when folks believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, or were they chosen for salvation beforehand?</em></strong> <br />
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<strong>The Apostle Peter writes,</strong> <em>“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: <strong>May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you</strong>, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.</em> <u>1 Peter 1:1-5</u>. <br />
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<em><strong>It is not so difficult to see that obedience to Christ, His cleansing blood and His sanctification comes through the resurrection of Christ. God knows who will become followers of His Son Jesus Christ.</strong></em> Why should this be so difficult to accept or to some, abhorrent, unless Predestination is involved.<br />
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<strong><em>Prophetic utterances are given hundreds of years beforehand that tell us of God’s obvious foreknowledge. Judas’ betrayal of the Christ is, perhaps the most infamous of all. God is omniscient….that is, He knows all things before time.</em></strong> <br />
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Isaiah writes, <em>“<strong>You have not heard, you have not known even from long ago your ear has not been open, because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; And you have been called a rebel from birth.</strong> "For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, and for My praise I restrain it for you, in order not to cut you off."</em> <u>Isaiah 48:8</u>. <br />
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<strong><em>The Prophet is speaking to the House of Jacob and their lack of obedience toward God. And, yes, this House has rebelled from Jacob’s spirit of rebellion.</em></strong><br />
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<em>“But I said, "I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD, and My reward with My God." <strong>And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and My God is My strength),</strong> He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”</em> <u>Jeremiah 49:4-6</u>. <br />
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<em><strong>The foreknowledge of God cannot be denied.</strong></em> Paul further explains to the Church in Rome, <em>“And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that <strong>God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls</strong>"</em> <u>Romans 9:10-11</u>.<br />
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“Jesus answered and said to them, <em>"Do not grumble among yourselves.<strong> "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. "It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.”</strong></em> <u>John 6:43-45</u>. <br />
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<em>"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. <strong>But there are some of you who do not believe For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.</strong> And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." </em><u><em>John</em> 6:63-65</u>.<br />
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<em>"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. <strong>You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you</strong>”.</em> John 15:13-16. <br />
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<strong><em>Do we forget that Jesus walked along the shores of Galilee calling men to follow Him and others he sought from their businesses and other walks of life</em></strong> Yes, Jesus Chooses and seeks His Followers to bring forth effective fruit. <br />
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<u><em><strong>It is of utmost urgency that we understand that by simply repeating a “sinners prayer” is erroneous unless God the Father has drawn them,</strong></em></u> opened their spiritual eyes and given them a revelation of Christ that they might repent and be born-again. Anything different is merely a “Hallelujah Moment,” a religious experience.<br />
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<u><strong><em>John again reminds us that Jesus came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.</em></strong></u> <br />
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<em>“<strong>But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, </strong>even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."</em> <u>John 1:11-13</u>.<br />
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<strong><em>This is NOT a statement supporting Predestination, but rather a statement explaining that man cannot save himself…..but is fully the work of Jesus at the Cross Event.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>According to the Bible, salvation is specifically and only by the will and grace of God.</em></strong> As many as received him, received him because they had their minds opened to see the truth of Christ and were given the power by the Holy Spirit to become sons of God by believing on His name, which in other scripture means they did something with what they were given by God for to believe means to act on that which you believe. <strong><em>They were given the faith to believe and they acted on that faith and repented of their sin and received Jesus as their LORD and SAVIOR, for if He is not LORD then HE is not SAVIOR.</em></strong> <br />
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“But what does it say? <strong><em>"THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--</em></strong>that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, <strong><em>"WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."</em></strong> <u>Romans 10:8-11</u>.<br />
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<em><strong>Believers are empowered by the Spirit of God to believe on Jesus’ name to be born again, not by works of man, but by His Spirit.</strong></em> The work of the Holy Spirit to open the heart of sinful man, to convict him of his sin, repentance, and to be saved is not spoken of in Scripture as being predestined from God. <em><strong>However, we must understand that the ability and desire to respond to the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ and His finished work at Calvary only comes through the Presence of God.</strong></em> <br />
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While speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus emphasizes to him in John 3:3, <strong><em>"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."</em></strong> People cannot respond to salvation in Christ unless the Holy Spirit convicts of sin. <br />
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Paul writes in Romans 2:4 , <em>“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? <strong>But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”</strong></em><strong> </strong><br />
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<strong><em>We do not choose repentance, but rather, it is the Holy Spirit who leads the lost to repentance and further to salvation. He calls us while we are dead in our sin.</em></strong><br />
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The Apostle Paul goes on to say to the Church at Ephesus, <em>" But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ <strong>(by grace you have been saved),</strong> and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." </em> <u>Ephesians 2:4-7</u> . <br />
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It is not us, but He. He does it all. He draws us. He convicts us. He opens our eyes to see the truth and it is He who gives us the faith to believe. <strong><em>The Holy Spirit works in us and salvation comes by His grace and mercy, and through our faith.</em></strong> We must accept His offer and by the faith that comes from Him we are then saved. <br />
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<strong><em>We must not discount the following:</em></strong><br />
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• Not all are called because NOT everyone is of the Faith <br />
• Not all accept the call because only those who follow Him will receive the Call<br />
• Not all remain His followers because they did not follow Him<br />
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<em>“They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”</em> <u>1 John 2:19</u>.<br />
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Moses writes,<em> "All the nations will say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?' Then men will say, <strong>'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they have not known and whom He had not allotted to them. Therefore, the anger of the LORD burned against that land,</strong> to bring upon it every curse which is written in this book; and the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger and in fury and in great wrath, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.'”</em> Deuteronomy 29:24-28.<br />
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Verse 29 then reveals, <em>“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”</em> <br />
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<strong>This is Food for Thought, is it not?</strong><br />
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<strong>Jesus remains Lord</strong><br />
BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-81314163645449485142010-04-24T07:50:00.000-05:002010-04-24T07:50:29.495-05:00What IS Biblical Predestination? Part 2<strong><em>Standing amazed in the presence of God’s resurrected Son, He extends His hand of love promising eternal salvation by His grace alone, “whosoever believes in me will find eternal life in Heaven.”</em></strong> <br />
<em>28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.</em> <u>Romans 8:28-30.</u><br />
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<strong><u>The third time the word "predestined" is used is in Romans 8:29.</u></strong><br />
<em>"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren”</em><br />
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<em>Note once does this verse say, "predestined to be saved."</em><br />
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<strong><u>Why is the Believer Predestined?</u></strong><br />
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<strong><em>“….He also predestined (the Believer) to become conformed to the image of His Son. Being conformed to the image of His Son is the object of predestination ... NOT salvation.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><u>When shall we be "conformed to the image of his Son"?</u></strong><br />
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<em>"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."</em> <u>1 John 3:2-3</u>.<br />
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When shall we be like Him? When shall we be conformed to the image of His Son? This will occur when Christ returns for His Church. God alone assures salvation and accomplishes His "eternal purpose" in every Born again Believer. <strong><em>We are born again by His grace through faith in His Son…..not by the crazy notion of salvation by predestination.</em></strong><br />
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“<em>But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”</em> <u>Ephesians 2:4-10</u>.<br />
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God extends to every Believer<br />
1. His love<br />
2. His grace<br />
3. His gift of faith<br />
4. His workmanship…not our own<br />
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However, there is one important factor that must be underlined…..note that God PREPARED good works beforehand so that we would walk in them…..NOT salvation.<br />
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<strong>The Fourth time we see "predestine" is in Romans 8:30.</strong><br />
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<em>" these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified...”</em><br />
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Verse 30 must be observed in the context of verse 29. God predestines the Believer to be conformed to the image of His Son and this is a daily maturing of faith in the life of the Christian. However, we will not be as HE IS until the day that He comes to meet HIS BRIDE…HIS CHURCH.<br />
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<strong>Notice three important actions of God in this verse:</strong> <br />
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Those He calls, He justifies and those He justifies He also glorifies. These acts of God demonstrate His grace toward the Believer His Grace in the life of the Believer indicates the completeness of the nature of God’s gift of redemption at the Cross. <br />
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<strong><em>Compare with verse 32.</em></strong><br />
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<em>"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS."</em><br />
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GOD has predestined that the Believer will be eternally saved. HE GAVE HIS OWN SON ... HE CALLS THE BELIEVER ... HE JUSTIFIES THE BELIEVER ... HE MAKES CERTAIN THE BELIEVER WILL BE GLORIFIED.<br />
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<strong><em>Having observed the four occurrences of the word "predestination" in the Bible, GOD has predestined the Believer to accomplish His purpose of becoming as His Son is.</em></strong><br />
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<em><u>Open your Bible and seek the instruction of His Truth from Him…..NOT John Calvin.</u></em><br />
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<strong>JESUS ALONE IS LORD AND HIS TRUTH IS FOUND IN HIS WORD</strong><br />
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BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-85617899113515692682010-04-22T14:47:00.000-05:002010-04-22T14:47:48.161-05:00What IS Biblical Predestination? Part 1<strong>God’s Salvation provided for through the death, burial and resurrection of his son is sure, but this is not the purpose of our redemption. We are saved for holiness, to be conformed of Jesus Christ…For He alone is Lord.</strong><br /><br /><strong>The study of Predestination takes many twists and turns, but every time that a confrontation with folks like John Calvin occurs there seems to be an impasse of thought and human systems of religion.</strong> The Bible does not suggest Calvinism as a doctrine of faith and neither are Calvin’s thoughts found in the Bible as a system of practice. the work of John Calvin must be organized extra biblically in order to be cohesive and practical for Implementation.<br /><br /><strong>Scriptures do provide the origins of Creation of the earth and the history of the Hebrew people and of the birth of Christianity.</strong> The miraculous birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are events that are recorded historically, but the problems surrounding the doctrines of men, ie Calvinism are numerous and fallible. The facts of Calvinism are presented to us with little recognition for logic or relational order. <strong>Theologically, Calvin arranged his efforts to erect a Fallible system of theology at an attempted effort to reflect the immutable Person of God found in Holy Writ. </strong><br /><br /><strong>The Bible contains nothing of what anyone might reference as Systematic Theology.</strong> Interestingly enough, men have mapped systems of faith and therefore bewildered the search for Christ. erroneous interpretation is not surprising and we have Calvinism as one of the best examples of biblical error.<br /><strong>"Predestined" is used only 4 times in the Bible and this we find in Ephesians and Romans.</strong><br /><br /><em>“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”</em> <u>Ephesians 1:3-8</u>.<br /><br /><strong>Paul writes, "He predestinated US." And addresses the Ephesians as "…the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:"</strong> The Apostle addresses those who are Saints, those who are saved and not lost folks. Pause momentarily and inhale Paul’s expressions: "Who has blessed us" (vs. 3). "just as He chose us in Him" (vs. 4). " that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love " (vs. 6). " In Him we have redemption through His blood " (vs. 7). " He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him” (vs. 9). "also we have obtained an inheritance " (vs. 11). " we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. " (vs. 12). " In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, " (vs. 13). <br /><br /><strong>Note that Paul is writing to believers, NOT to unbelievers.</strong> This epistle addresses those who have heard the Gospel, believed the message and were saved by God’s Grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10. Paul references the work of God toward the believer after salvation, "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…” <strong>We are predestined “To adoption as sons through Jesus Christ…." </strong><br /><br /><strong>Unger’s Bible Dictionary:</strong> "Adoption is a word of position rather than relationship. The believer's relation to GOD as a child results from the new birth (John 1:12), whereas adoption is the divine act whereby one already a child is, through redemption from the law, placed in the position of an adult son." <br /><br /><strong>This verse is addresses those who were already saved.</strong> They had heard, believed and established in the Christian faith. These believers were predestinated for the adoption as God’s Redeemed children. Predestination has to do with what GOD did for the believer for eternal relationship with him! this alone is GOD's "eternal purpose." "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children." GOD gives us the Blessed assurance that by the exercise of His will, all who come to JESUS, will be adopted. <strong>They will receive the redemption and will forever be with the LORD. GOD has predestined those who are saved will be adopted as his children. They can never again be lost ... GOD decrees it! </strong><br /><br /><strong>"PREDESTINED" is also used in Ephesians 1:11. <br /></strong> “<em>In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.</em>.”<br /><br /><strong> Verse 11, as does verse 5, addresses those who are saved and what GOD is now doing for the saved.</strong> The lost are not the recipients of the acts of God for the saved. This verse does not teach nor indicate in any way that a sinner is predestined to salvation by the irresistible move of god. Predestined for what reason? It will be noticed that verse 11 continues in verse 12, “to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.” Paul addresses those, " who were the first to hope in Christ." Those who had first trusted in Christ for the praise of his glory this is the topic of Predestination….NOT SALVATION. <strong>GOD has determined that the believer will bring praise to His glory, and that His "eternal purpose" will be effected in the life of the believer. </strong><br /><br />Jesus is Lord<br />BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-73544886522625545842010-04-21T07:19:00.000-05:002010-04-21T07:19:47.145-05:00Biblical Predestination is NOT Calvinism<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><strong>The Spirit of God does not hold to any particular Statement of Faith or Confessional, but what He does do is enlighten us to the truth of His Word.</strong></em></span> <br />
What does the word "Predestination" mean when studied etymologically? <br />
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<em><strong>The etymology of the English word "predestine" or "predestinate" is that it comes from the Latin word praedestino which meant "to determine beforehand", "to provide beforehand". </strong></em>The Latin word prae meant such things as "before", "in front of", "in advance of"; the word destino meant "to make fast", "to make firm", "to bind", "to establish", "to determine", "to resolve", "to consider"; "to design", "to intend", "to devote", "to appoint", "to choose", "to elect", and so on. The meaning of the relevant Greek words in the NT text are explained below.<br />
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In the New Testament text, the Greek word proorizô (Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:5 and 11), combines the preposition pro and the verb horizô which had to do with "marking out" and "separating" and also with "boundaries". The word horizô also had the meanings "to take possession of", "to take to oneself" and "to mark out for oneself". That is very similar to the meaning of the related Greek word horizôn which really meant "limits", "a separating circle". The Greek preposition pro, when used with verbs, meant such things as "forth", "forwards", "before" (in preference), and also, regarding time, "before" or "beforehand".<br />
<em><strong><span style="color: blue;">www.biblepages.web.surftown.se/eb03d.htm</span></strong></em><br />
<span style="background-color: blue;"><em><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
</em></span><em><strong>Calvinism is distinguished by the basic principle of the sovereignty of God.</strong></em> There is a weak interpretation of Scripture in reference to Calvin’s Institutes seems to detour God's attributes of love, justice, mercy and grace. <em><strong>His definitions of sovereignty and sin have given a perversion of the truth of God’s Word.</strong></em><br />
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<em><strong>Calvinism teaches that God "elects" some folks to be saved while damning the pitiful others to Hell with no hope salvation.</strong></em> This doctrine directly opposes God who is "not willing that any should perish." If salvation is dependent on the sovereignty of God as Calvin writes then none of us would perish. God’s Word teaches us that our salvation is given freely for everyone to believe what Christ provides on the Cross.<br />
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“But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” <strong>2 Peter 3:9.</strong><br />
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<em><strong>Yes, I understand that God is sovereign. But I also see that Calvin incorporates His sovereignty in teaching opposition to God's many other attributes.</strong></em> Unconditional Election and Limited Atonement as presented by Calvin direct souls to eternal separation from God whose attributes of love, justice, mercy and grace are ignored. <br />
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<em><strong>According to the definition in any dictionary God is sovereign.</strong></em> God is the Most High and He does not use a remote control to direct movements of people as if they are androids. Such is the suggestion of Calvinism. <br />
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<strong><em>The Psalmist demonstrates the compassion of Yaweh for Israel in the wilderness as they rejected His extended hand of love.</em></strong> According to Calvin, God cannot be limited in His judgment or in capacity to love. Scripture suggests that does place some limitations upon himself. God did not secure the entry of the Children of Israel into the promised land as He desired because they would not cooperate with him. Therefore, God allowed them to wander for 40 years because of their unbelief, arrogance and rebellion.<br />
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“For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant. But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; and often He restrained His anger and did not arouse all His wrath. Thus He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not return. How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! Again and again they tempted God, and pained the Holy One of Israel.” <strong>Psalms 78:37-41</strong>. <br />
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<strong><em>Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:4-8</em></strong>, ”First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.” <br />
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<strong><em>Calvinism presents a god who decides which people will spend eternity in hell by withholding faith from them.</em></strong> This god taunts the unbeliever with the verse "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9) while withholding faith to do so. Calvin’s false gospel offers no eternal life for those who believe in the Son of God who comes to us in truth.<br />
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<strong><em>For this reason alone, the fallacy of those who follow Calvinism gives no validity to the numerous demands upon the Believer to proclaim the Gospel Message to a lost world.</em></strong><br />
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<strong>Jesus is Lord</strong><br />
BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-2836207826388638382010-02-24T13:26:00.000-06:002010-02-24T13:26:48.515-06:00We Do Not Need Revival, We Need Christ________________________________________ <br />
<em><strong>Why should I spend my time consumed with revival for dying religious organizations when there are people all around who are in need of the Christ who has been forgotten inside those decaying buildings?</strong></em><br />
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<em>”But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”</em> Philippians 4:10-13.<br />
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<em>“But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”</em> Galatians 2:17-20.<br />
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<strong>Revival by definition is a reawakening of faith or renewal of commitment to religion, and this simply does not describe biblical faith in Christ.</strong> Faith, as demonstrated in Scripture is alive and is not generated by human means and is therefore not sustained by the same. <strong>Faith in Christ is</strong> <br />
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1. Confession all sin <br />
2. Removal of anything that prevents fellowship with God<br />
3. Obeying the Holy Spirit and<br />
4. Proclaiming Christ publicly <br />
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<strong><em>No, we do not need revival, we need for Christians to stand where they are and proclaim, not their religion, but the Resurrected Christ. Revival is not the answer, Christ is the answer.</em></strong> <br />
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<em>"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. "And you know the way where I am going." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”</em> John 14:1-6. <br />
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<em><strong>Jesus is Lord</strong></em><br />
BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-37112504788513009652010-02-16T14:32:00.000-06:002010-02-16T14:32:40.715-06:00For the Love of Peter<em><strong>The risk of loving others as Christ loves us requires transparency and vulnerability, and our personal cost is extremely high.</strong></em> <br />
<em>So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love you." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep.”</em> John 21:15-17.<br />
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<strong>A couple of sessions ago I addressed the topic of the Greek words ‘agape’ and ‘phileo’.</strong> These three verses in John’s Gospel most likely contain the very best illustration of their use, a conversation between Jesus Christ and his often hesitant disciple, Peter.<br />
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With two succeeding questions, Jesus inquires of Peter his love for Him. The Master utilizes the word ‘agape’ and the Disciple returns with the term ‘phileo’. <strong>However, because the Lord knows the human heart and also understands Peter’s, He returns to this bewildered follower with the use of ‘phileo’. </strong>Peter, no doubt embarrassed and perhaps relieved as well that his Lord finally has understood answers by this third attempt with ‘phileo’. Peter simply was not prepared to love the Lord Jesus with ‘agape’ love.<br />
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<strong>For the love of Peter……and us.</strong><br />
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<strong>My opinion of this strange event demonstrates a couple of things,</strong> and I am certain there are more. <br />
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1. Jesus demonstrates that He knows us much better than we know ourselves.<br />
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2. His love for us goes beyond our abilities to love Him in return.<br />
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<strong><em>Everyone would like to think that our love for Christ is unfettered, that is to say, “with all of our hearts.” But this is not possible unless we are able to fellowship with the Christ just as the Apostle Paul has written, </em></strong><br />
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<em>“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”</em> Philippians 3:7-11.<br />
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<strong><em>Jesus is Lord</em></strong><br />
BobW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-13344132940893301452010-02-15T09:09:00.001-06:002010-02-15T09:09:27.372-06:00Wrong Ideas About the Human BodyTwo Olympians have been quoted that we should be proud of our bodies and they obviously are. "Teter is selling undies for Haiti relief, slogans like "Do your civic booty" and "Baby gave back" scroll over the boy shorts that say 'Make love not war.' Like Teter, Vonn isn't bothered by nudity." http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics<br /><br />This is a real problem for Christian faith. Scripture tells us that our bodies are not to be worshipped, but only God is to be worshipped. We are to put Him on display, not our bodies....especially in nude forms. <br /><br />Humanism has wrong ideas about the human body and only Christ has the answer.<br /><br />Jesus is Lord<br />BW<br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-9332326761369386552010-02-07T08:53:00.000-06:002010-02-07T08:53:24.580-06:00Much More than Etc.<em><strong>Man continues to be divided only because the human heart has not ceased the desire to supersede the presence of the Almighty.</strong></em><br />
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<strong>If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do, and how to do it.</strong> We are now far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only not ceased, but has constantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached and passed. "A house divided against itself cannot stand." I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. – Abraham Lincoln, June 16, 1858.<br />
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"Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:47-49.<br />
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The issues that plague us have forever been the same. We want to blame the Liberals, Conservatives, the poor, the rich, the Black skinned and the White skinned, the Hispanics, and the list is ad infinitum. <strong>Not one of these excuses brings solution because they are what they are….excuses. However, God tells us that on He is the solution to each and every problem of man.</strong><br />
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Jesus tells us that, "Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like……” He is directing His thoughts at everyone who rejects Him. <br />
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"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil. exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." John 3:18-21.<br />
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Jesus is Lord<br />
BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-3419512742596192012010-02-07T08:50:00.000-06:002010-02-07T08:50:51.233-06:00God’s Faithful are to Follow the Laws of Men<em><strong>Sometimes we cannot prevent injustice even to the powerless, unless to circumvent law is in keeping with God's Law. Do things correctly and the change of wrong can be achieved.</strong></em> <br />
<strong>There are many places in God’s Word that address the Christian's relationship to the State.</strong><br />
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Paul reminds Christians that they must obey the government and respect worldly authority wherever possible. <br />
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Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Romans 13:1-7.<br />
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Paul then tells Timothy to pray for those who have authority over Believers that they may live with dignity. <br />
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First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.<br />
1 Timothy 2:1-2.<br />
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Paul encourages Believers to submit to those who rule over them and to be obedient to what is good. <br />
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Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. Titus 3:1.<br />
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<em><strong>Peter reflects the heart of Paul that Christians are to hold proper respect to all who are in authority.</strong></em> <br />
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Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 1 Peter 2:13-17.<br />
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<em><strong>However, having said that, there is one overwhelming principle: God's law should be the foundation of man's law.</strong></em> <br />
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In Acts 5:29, when Peter and the apostles were forbidden by the Jewish authorities to preach the Gospel, they flagrantly disobeyed that edict saying, "We ought to obey God rather than men. " <em><strong>In any conflict between what God says is right and what the laws of man demand of us, we must be prepared to stand up for God's law at whatever personal cost. </strong></em><br />
True enough, these Jewish leaders did not represent the laws of Rome, but their traditions of religion held sway over a large population. For this reason Peter stood firm in his desire to follow the directions of God.<br />
We are reminded by the writer of Hebrews that we are "strangers and pilgrims" wherever we live. <em><strong>We must obey the law of the land insofar as these laws do not contradict God's law.</strong></em> We must pay our taxes and honor our Nation’s leadership. However, our citizenship is in Heaven and our loyalty is to Christ Jesus as Lord. <br />
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<em><strong>In following the laws of men that are not contrary to the laws of God for man we must remember that by doing so we are more able to proclaim the Good News.</strong></em><br />
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But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:13-18.<br />
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<strong>Jesus is Lord</strong><br />
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BobW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-2958703999437533482010-02-07T08:45:00.000-06:002010-02-07T08:45:27.848-06:00God’s Faithful are Rugged Individuals<strong><em>Committed Christians are rugged individuals who, while facing opposition, have great courage to proclaim the word of God without fear for increased success of the Gospel. </em></strong><br />
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But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: "Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.” Acts 12:14.<br />
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<strong>Finding it amusing and troubling, it is difficult to believe that the early Church was made of individuals who were nothing less than ‘rugged’ in the purest since of the word.</strong> There are several definitions, but the inclination is to be a person of strong constitution. People of Faith have always been people who love God and are committed to the task of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.<br />
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The New Testament chronicles the accounts of Paul’s beatings, incarceration and certain humiliation because of his habit of public proclamation. Traditions maintain the manners by which early Christian martyrs died in horrible and painful situations. History records the deaths of those who stood proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. <strong>At this very moment there are hundreds if not thousands of Christians who are tortured because of their refusal to disavow their faith in Christ. Indeed, God’s People are powerfully rugged individuals.</strong><br />
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“Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:35-40.<br />
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In all of the persecution through the ages, <strong><em>God’s people have withstood the forces of evil because they understand the promise of eternity. </em></strong>But more than the promise, the Presence of the Almighty empowered each one to stand firm.<br />
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For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 1 Timothy 1:12.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-20292681659109960822010-02-02T07:53:00.000-06:002010-02-02T07:53:18.512-06:00Are the Gatekeepers Self-Seeking?<strong><em>We must share the Message of the Cross, not protect the symbol.</em></strong><br />
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“The gatekeepers were on the four sides, to the east, west, north and south. Their relatives in their villages were to come in every seven days from time to time to be with them; for the four chief gatekeepers who were Levites, were in an office of trust, and were over the chambers and over the treasuries in the house of God. They spent the night around the house of God, because the watch was committed to them; and they were in charge of opening it morning by morning.” <u>1 Chronicles 9:24-27</u>. <br />
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There were approximately 4 thousand Gatekeepers numbered in the Old Testament, “and 4,000 were gatekeepers.” 1 Chronicles 23:5. <strong>Reading the history of the Gatekeeper is interesting and in some ways quite profound, but the most noteworthy ‘were over the chambers and over the treasuries of the house of God.’</strong> However, the most important statement of all is that these people were appointed and commanded by King David, the Man of God. None applied or sought the service and took the jobs.<br />
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All these who were chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds were 212. These were enrolled by genealogy in their villages, .” 1 Chronicles 9:21-22.<strong>whom David and Samuel the seer appointed in their office of trust</strong><br />
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Now according to the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their duties of praise and ministering before the priests according to the daily rule, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; <strong>for David the man of God had so commanded</strong>. 2 Chronicles 8:14.<br />
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<strong><em>One of the issues that clouds the work of the Lord’s Church is position of authority held because of assumption.</em></strong> Because some do not belong in such positions the ministry of the local church is often subdued by self-indulgence. “We do not do it that way here.”<br />
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<strong><em>But this is not what the Lord wants and demands of His Church, </em></strong>"But he answered and said to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 'Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?' "So the last shall be first, and the first last." Matthew 20:13-16.<br />
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<strong><em>Jesus is Lord</em></strong><br />
BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-25869892653605652492010-02-01T15:36:00.000-06:002010-02-01T15:36:36.179-06:00Essential Ingredients<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Man’s knowledge and understanding of God are limited until, by faith, Jesus Christ is embraced.</em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“<strong>Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Your presence--</strong> As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil--To make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things which we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence. For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.” <strong>Isaiah 64:1-4.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>There have been and there are many who seem to have an acute understanding of the Bible and say that they also understand God.</strong> Many of them are revered as being Biblical Scholars and correctly so. Unfortunately, not all of them have what we might refer to as ‘faith understanding’. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Someone once said, “If you are on the right track and sit still you will get run over.” Understanding without faith is very much like that.<strong> One may be on the right track when the Bible is read and understood from academia. However, until faith becomes a part of the formula, the Essential Ingredient is missing.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“<strong><em>Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.</em></strong> For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:1-3. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-86484700455100817582010-02-01T15:03:00.002-06:002010-02-01T15:06:58.327-06:00Are We Committed to the Church?<div align="center"><br /><strong>Are there too many “Gate Keepers” in the local church and far too few Committed?<br /></strong><br /><strong>“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!</strong> "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” <a title="Deuteronomy 6:4-5" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=49&search=Deuteronomy%206:4-5"><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>Deuteronomy 6:4-5</strong></span></a><strong>.</strong></div><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span><strong>The call of God upon the heart, soul and strength of every Believer is to simply love Him.</strong> However, the most obvious testament of most who attend the local church is that they are lovers of self.<br /><br /><strong>Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord</strong>, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. <strong>Ephesians 4:1-3</strong>.<br /><br /><strong>Prisoners of the Lord</strong> will be compelled by the indwelling Holy Spirit of God to walk according to the manner of the language spoken. The problem is that many who are members of the local church are also members of the ‘local whatever’ and their language of body and mouth make that certain.<br /><br /><strong>Ephesians 4:11-16.</strong><br /><strong><br />And He gave</strong> some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.<br /><strong>Vv 11-13</strong>.<br /><br /><strong>Those who are given the task to lead the Church of Christ</strong> must preach the Word in and out of season allowing our hearts (in Christ) to be testaments of the Person of Christ to the His Church.<br /><strong>As a result,</strong> <strong>we are no longer to be children</strong>, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love <strong>Vv. 11-16</strong>.<br /><strong><br />As the Church is the Body of Christ, our children will become the Voice of Truth in community rather than the Children of Lies in the street.</strong><br /><strong><br />Jesus is Lord<br /></strong>BW<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-61039880763301436792010-01-31T09:36:00.002-06:002010-02-01T15:17:17.248-06:00Why Go to Haiti?<div align="left"> <br /><strong>Most news agencies, whether they be CNN or Fox, focus on the temporal reasons for the world to reach out to ravage torn Haiti.</strong> However, there is another reason that seems to be mundane and without reason for rushing to the aide of those millions. <strong>Certainly there is death and pain due to injury, but there is much, much more.<br /></strong><br /><strong><em>Amid the rubble of destroyed buildings and among the dead and injured of Haiti is heard the message of the Christ of Hope.</em></strong><br /><br />And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,<span style="color:#000000;"> </span><span style="color:#000000;">AND</span> RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." <strong>Luke 4:17-19.<br /></strong><br /><strong>Almost daily there are messages of news that creates sympathy among the hearers, and news agencies dutifully share the horrid details of life, death, murder and terror.</strong> But very little is said of the world-wide efforts of Christians volunteering time, effort and resources to bring the message of hope and eternal salvation to those who are afflicted.<br /><br /><strong>The people of the world,</strong> represented by governments and social agencies such as the International Red Cross, hold out to the injured a sense of well-being and hope for the moment. These international efforts are newsworthy as are the presence of untold sources of Christian organizations who do much of the same and more. <strong>The note of assurance that goes mostly unnoticed is the Gospel Message that is shared by the hundreds of Christian volunteers who are on site, too.<br /><em><br />So why go to Haiti and other places like that who fall under the illusive hand of pain and suffering?</em></strong><br /><br /><strong>The Apostle Paul simply wrote in Galatians 2:1-2; 7-10: <br /></strong><br /><strong>Vv 1-2.</strong> Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. was because of a revelation that I went up; and <strong><em>I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles,</em></strong> but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.<br /></div><div align="left"><strong>Vv 7-10.</strong> "But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles), and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. <strong><em>They only asked us to remember the poor--the very thing I also was eager to do.</em></strong>"<br /></div><div align="left"><strong>A Note of interest:</strong><br />Paul uses the <strong><em>Present Active Subjunctive</em></strong> which is best translated <strong><em>“that we should keep on remembering”</em></strong>, and this brings the up the issue of how long should we remember those among us who are ‘poor’?</div><div align="left"><br /><strong>But, what about the poor, “Who are they?” </strong></div><div align="left"><strong><br /><em>The Greek word translated as ‘poor’ is best translated as one who crouches and cowers, and therefore the short meaning of beggarly or poor.</em></strong> The normal use of the word is only for those of material poverty. However, I would submit that the New Testament use of the word must include and emphasize spiritual poverty as well.</div><div align="left"><br /><em><strong>This summarily brings us the intent of Christians traveling very long distances and using enormous amounts of resources to unashamedly proclaim the Gospel Message.</strong></em><br /></div><div align="left">"So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." <strong>Romans 1:15-17</strong>.</div><div align="left"><br /><em><strong>Unselfish and meaningful proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus is the most noted event in the lives spent in eternal Glory.</strong></em></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">Jesus is Lord</div><div align="left">BobW<br /><br /><br /> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-62573674683571442052010-01-27T07:46:00.001-06:002010-01-27T07:50:00.497-06:00Either You Are or You Are Not<em><strong>Christians speak from the heart of Christ because it is He who lives in their hearts.</strong></em><br /><br /><em>"For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”</em> Luke 6:43-45.<br /><br />“One is and one is not and that is the difference between a ‘real’ Christians and one who is not.” My question is, “Is that a ‘real’ horse or is it simply a mule?” Either the animal is a horse or it is not. The point is, a person is a Christian or is not a Christian. <strong><em>There is no such thing as a ‘real Christian’ as opposed to one who is simply a ‘Christian’. The idea of thinking like this is simply foolishness.<br /></em></strong><br />The Lord Jesus says it best,<br /><em><span style="color:#000000;">"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? "Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house</span><span style="color:#000000;"> who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."</span></em> Luke 6:46-49.<br /><br /><em><strong>People are who they are, either they are Born Again or they are not.</strong></em> Nicodemus, no doubt, was shocked when he heard the Teacher say to him,<em> "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."</em> John 3:19-21.<br /><br />Well, you are who you are. Either you are in Christ or you are not. You cannot be ‘real’ unless you are Born Again.<em><strong> Without the Christ you are simply unsaved and there is nothing more that can be said. </strong></em><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><strong><em>For Jesus is Lord</em></strong><div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-72974078587644444462010-01-27T07:43:00.002-06:002010-01-27T07:46:32.906-06:00Faith Cannot Stand Alone<em><strong>People of faith have always been easy to identify and those who have no faith are just as easily forgotten.</strong> </em><br /><em><strong>_________________________________________________________________</strong></em><br /><em></em><br /><em>What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.</em> James 2:14-18.<br /><br /><strong><em>People of faith have always been easy to identify and those who have no faith are just as easily forgotten.</em></strong> And the difference between them is quite obvious. One with faith is normally going about living without saying a great deal about who they are, but those without faith are normally very boisterous about their identity. Those who live without attempting to draw attention have no identity crisis while the folks who speak loudly are seeking the spotlight. People of faith demonstrate their faith as they carve memories in stone and those without faith fade away just as footprints fade with the receding tides.<br /><br /><strong>Faith is recognized as flowing from the heart of the bearer not from the clanging of bells and cymbols. Faith is clearly demonstrated by our response to the Christ in all that we do, no matter how it may appear.</strong><br /><br /><em>But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it." Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.”</em> Matthew 8:8-10.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-18542441378855572832010-01-22T07:24:00.001-06:002010-01-22T07:25:17.366-06:00The Difficulty of Being Christian<strong>Living the Christian life is very much like walking into a cornfield maze……it is very easy to make a wrong turn….the difference being that God has given every Believer directions.</strong>
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<br /></strong>"'So the LORD'S anger burned in that day, and He swore, saying, 'None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the LORD fully.'" Exodus 32:10-12.
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<br />“…for they did not follow me fully….” This is the standard problem among people everywhere, everyday, they do not know two very important things:
<br />1. They do not know Who to follow
<br />2. They refuse to follow if they know Who to follow
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<br />This is the difficulty of life in Christ.<strong> Far too often we stress ‘becoming’ rather than the task of ‘being’.</strong> We run around attempting to round up people to become Christian ‘easily and freely’ but do not instruct the issues of the difficulties that lie ahead. I would say to everyone that becoming a Believer in Jesus Christ is NOT as easy as one would be lead to believe.
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<br /><strong>Christ issues the warning in John 8:31-32, </strong>
<br />So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
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<br />Far too many overly zealous Evangelicals issue the ‘freely given’ without the insistence of ‘fully following.’ For this reason alone there are, I would guess, literally millions of folks who have walked triumphantly down a church aisle somewhere to receive the free gift without understanding that there are rules that must be followed. <strong>It is the following that they find difficult.
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<br /><strong>My guess is that every Believer knows some of those who are not Believers because they could not follow.
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-5528838585867716832010-01-21T14:43:00.002-06:002010-01-21T14:51:44.832-06:00I Have Been Wondering<span style="font-family:arial;"><em><strong>Meaning to your life truly has birth in the moment that you respond to the event close by.....</strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">January 12, 2010<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3333ff;"><u>School Bus Crash Kills Police Officer in Arlington, Texas</u><br /></span><span style="color:#000000;">January 10, 2010<br /></span></span><a href="http://www.dallasfortworthcaraccidentlawyer.com/2010/01/plano_crash_kills_dallas_man_a.html"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3333ff;">Plano Crash Kills Dallas Man After He Is Thrown From Truck</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;">January 7, 2010<br /></span><a href="http://www.dallasfortworthcaraccidentlawyer.com/2010/01/car_crash_kills_preteen_in_flo.html"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3333ff;">Car Crash Kills Preteen in Flower Mound, TX</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3333ff;"><span style="color:#000000;">January 6, 2010</span><br /></span><a href="http://www.dallasfortworthcaraccidentlawyer.com/2010/01/automobile_crash_kills_teenage.html"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3333ff;">Automobile Crash Kills Teenager near Krum, Texas</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;">December 22, 2009<br /></span><a href="http://www.dallasfortworthcaraccidentlawyer.com/2009/12/texas_accidents_highlight_cons.html"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3333ff;">Texas Accidents Highlight Construction Zone Risks</span></a><br /><br />How many of us heard about these vehicle accidents in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on the <strong>National News Networks</strong>??? This last week I witnessed the results of two very serious accidents on Interstate 40 in Tennessee and <em><strong>heard nothing on Fox News</strong></em>. <strong><em>How many Christian organizations have responded to any of these tragedies? </em></strong><br /><br /><strong>My simple questions are these:<br /></strong>· “Are we more involved with those events that are ‘news worthy’ than with those that are only ‘local events’. <br />· Do we concern ourselves only with the ‘uttermost parts of the world’ rahter than all of the other events that are taking place around us?<br />· Are those things that are only important to a few individuals important to all of us?<br /><br /><em><strong>Certainly we must respond to such horrible events such as the Earthquake in Haiti, but are giving the same amount of energy to everyday events that are unfolding around us?</strong></em> I do not have the answer to that question, but I do believe that those tragedies that take place in Podunk, USA are just as important as the same kind of event that takes place in Podunk, Chile. <strong><em>Do we respond with equal energies?</em></strong> Are they less important? Or, are only politics moving such tragedies as the Quake in Haiti? I hope not.<br /><br /><strong>Just a thought…….</strong><div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-33099737947454267252010-01-14T07:16:00.006-06:002010-01-15T09:11:12.140-06:00Standing in the Path of Wrath<span style="font-family:arial;">For Believers in Jesus Christ....that is, those who are obedient to Him and follow His call....the following statement written to the church at Rome is of no concern. <strong>However, there is a very large segment of population that is standing in the path of God's wrath.</strong></span><br /><br /><em><span style="font-family:arial;">For </span></em><a name="36"></a><a id="36" title="Rom 5:9; Eph 5:6; Col 3:6" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3354352916811389379#cr-descriptionAnchor-36" jquery1263475095970="453"></a><em><span style="font-family:arial;">the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who </span></em><a name="37"></a><a id="37" title="2 Thess 2:6f" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3354352916811389379#cr-descriptionAnchor-37" jquery1263475095970="454"></a><em><span style="font-family:arial;">suppress the truth </span></em><a name="l"></a><a id="l" title="'Or" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3354352916811389379#fn-descriptionAnchor-l" jquery1263475095970="407"></a><em><span style="font-family:arial;">in unrighteousness, because </span></em><a name="38"></a><a id="38" title="Acts 14:17; 17:24ff" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3354352916811389379#cr-descriptionAnchor-38" jquery1263475095970="455"></a><em><span style="font-family:arial;">that which is known about God is evident </span></em><a name="m"></a><a id="m" title="'Or" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3354352916811389379#fn-descriptionAnchor-m" jquery1263475095970="408"></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>within them; for God made it evident to them. </em>Romans 1:18-19.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Most folks will not express a belief in God simply because unless they have seen, they cannot believe.</strong> These are not the only people who have this attitude of 'seeing is believing'. Thomas, one of Jesus' disciples, could not believe without seeing and Jesus said to him, <em>"Because you have seen Me, have you believed ? </em></span><a name="43"></a><a id="43" title="1 Pet 1:8" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3354352916811389379#cr-descriptionAnchor-43" jquery1263475573330="324"></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."</em> John 20:29.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Secular Humanists involve themselves inside many churches and some are standing in their pulpits, teaching from God's Word that which serves them best. <strong>We call them liberals because they have changed the truth of God's Word into a lie. God simply uses the term 'unrighteous'.</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><em>Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you they are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the LORD. "They keep saying to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You will have peace"'; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, they say, 'Calamity will not come upon you.'</em> Jeremiah 23:16-17.<br /><strong><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The stench of human depravity is all around and cannot be covered, but the sad truth is there is no effort to hide the acts of those multitudes who are participants<strong>. Apart from that, there is no place to hide.</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>'For My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will know that I am the LORD!'</em> Ezekiel 7:4.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Jesus is Lord</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">BW</span><br /><strong></strong><div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354352916811389379.post-51152129569396517322010-01-13T07:38:00.001-06:002010-01-13T07:40:54.056-06:00There is a DifferenceAnd He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons. Mark 3:14-15.<br /><br />So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:6-8.<br /><br /><strong>One of the many misconceptions of the Christian life is that Believers are whimps.</strong> The reality is far different than the perception that is supposed. The perception is present because there are far fewer Believers than there are imposters.<br /><br /><strong>Believers in Christ are those who have received the call of Christ and are involved in proclaiming the Good News of His Message throughout the world.</strong> For this reason Believers are everywhere, though small in number when compared to world population.<br /><br />Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matthew 9:37-38.<br />Imposters are large in numbers even though they may attend places of worship and carry Bibles. But Imposters do not possess the Name of Christ and are what may be referenced as Inclusive. This simply means that they accept a lifestyle that is not in keeping with the Word of God and are ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.<br /><br /><em>For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh This is the deceiver and the antichrist.</em> 2 John 1:7.<br /><br /><strong>The earmark of every Christian is one who follows the Christ and these are easily distinguished.</strong><br /><br /><em>"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”</em> Matthew 7:19-21.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.....</div>Bob Willifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851167543624211493noreply@blogger.com0