Replies (1 - 45)

[LTTBT]

I was thinking yesterday about the Devil and how he works in the world today, and why/how he is so good at what he does. We think that we can overcome his temptations and his influnces, based on our strength of faith. We can't.
Look at those people that actually walked, talked, and knew God
personally, who fell into the trap of the Devil and sinned, being Adam and Eve, and all those Angles who followed him as He was cast out of Heaven. His temptations are relentless and never ceasing, 24-7.
There is comfort in knowing that my God is my strength, and Jesus Christ is my Salvation, and the Holy Spirit is my guide.

[seeking_truth_1]

I was thinking yesterday about the Devil and how he works in the world today, and why/how he is so good at what he does. We think that we can overcome his temptations and his influnces, based on our strength of faith. We can't.

"1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn`t it the whole army of evil desires at war within you?
2 You want what you don`t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can`t possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don`t have what you want is that you don`t ask God for it.
3 And even when you do ask, you don`t get it because your whole motive is wrong““you want only what will give you pleasure.
4 You adulterers! Don`t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can`t be a friend of God.
5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful?
6 He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble."
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites." (James 4:1-8 NLT)

"But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can`t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

Look at those people that actually walked, talked, and knew God
personally, who fell into the trap of the Devil and sinned, being Adam and Eve, and all those Angles who followed him as He was cast out of Heaven. His temptations are relentless and never ceasing, 24-7.

"8 Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. 9 Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are." (1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT)

There is comfort in knowing that my God is my strength, and Jesus Christ is my Salvation, and the Holy Spirit is my guide.

"The name of the LORD [is] a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe." (Proverbs 18:10 NKJV)

[LTTBT]

I was thinking yesterday about the Devil and how he works in the world today, and why/how he is so good at what he does. We think that we can overcome his temptations and his influnces, based on our strength of faith. We can't.

"1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn`t it the whole army of evil desires at war within you?
2 You want what you don`t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can`t possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don`t have what you want is that you don`t ask God for it.
3 And even when you do ask, you don`t get it because your whole motive is wrong““you want only what will give you pleasure.
4 You adulterers! Don`t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can`t be a friend of God.
5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful?
6 He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble."
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites." (James 4:1-8 NLT)

"But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can`t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

Look at those people that actually walked, talked, and knew God
personally, who fell into the trap of the Devil and sinned, being Adam and Eve, and all those Angles who followed him as He was cast out of Heaven. His temptations are relentless and never ceasing, 24-7.

"8 Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. 9 Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are." (1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT)

There is comfort in knowing that my God is my strength, and Jesus Christ is my Salvation, and the Holy Spirit is my guide.

"The name of the LORD [is] a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe." (Proverbs 18:10 NKJV)

Amen, brother

[LTTBT]

The more we study the Scriptures, the more we see how little we know.

[LTTBT]

I have seen how God provides a way thru his testings, and a way out of temptations, even before we go thru them.

[LTTBT]

May the Lord bless you with peace, joy, love, and understanding , in a measure that will overflow to all others that the Lord puts across your path for today, tomorrow, and in the future.

[ligonier]

Just as the light of Christ should be shining out from us believers and other people should recognize that in us - we believers also should look to recognize this light shining from other believers; greet them (hello), meet them (hey, lets have coffee/lunch together), gather with them (Bible class, church). It's nice to see other Christians, but better to know other Christians.

[LTTBT]

Lord,
Who shall I fear, when I am yours.

[LTTBT]

Forgivness can't be obtained with a "blanket" confession done in the mind and without tears.
We need to confess each and every one of our sins with our mouth, out loud, so we
can hear with our own ears, from our own lips, what unworthy children we really are.
The tears of repentance will wash the eyes so that we may see the Light.

[LTTBT]

Whatever we may be going thru in this very moment in existance, weather it be physical or mental, just knowing the promise, not seen, gives us hope to finish this race we are in because when we are face to face with the Creator...... we will be perfect..

[LTTBT]

Discernment, it goes both ways.......

We all need discernment in what we hear AND in the questions that we ask.

[LTTBT]

Who am I, that my King died for me?

[LTTBT]

Why is it so hard for people to believe the truth, but easy for them to believe a lie?

The last place that I worked at had people like that.
They would ask a question, I would answer them truthfully, then laugh and not believe me, and say, "no really what happened?"
I would make up a story about alian abductions, then they would believe me and want to know
all the details.
What's up with that?

[LTTBT]

In which direction is your walk with Christ going?

[LTTBT]

Seek the Lord and live.

[little koshka]

Pride and ignorance - barriers that block out God's truth.

God's truth must be acted upon to be retained.
Truth rejected or unused is lost.


and...
Complacency is one of Satan's tools.

[little koshka]

Ask yourself -
How has your faith in Jesus Christ grown in the last week, month, year, or decade?
What are you doing to nurture your faith in Jesus Christ?

Also,
Exclusive belief in Jesus Christ as your Savior is essential to eternal salvation.

Salvation is eternal, it equals unfathomable blessings and joy.

On the flip side -
Hell is also eternal, it equals unfathomable torment and pain.

Where do you stand with Jesus Christ?

[LTTBT]

Look
on the path you have been
where you are now
where you will be

then the love, grace, and mercy of God will be seen.

[little koshka]

Build your house on a solid foundation.

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

My Choice
By Bill McChesney (Smiling Bill)

I want my breakfast served at eight,
with ham and eggs upon the plate;

A well-broiled steak I’ll eat at one,
and dine again when day is done.

I want an ultramodern home
and in each room a telephone;

Soft carpets, too, upon the floors,
and pretty drapes to grace the doors.

A cozy place of lovely things,
like easy chairs with inner springs,

And then I’ll get a small TV—
of course, “I’m careful what I see.”

I want my wardrobe, too,
to be of neatest, finest quality,

With latest style in suit and vest:
Why should not Christians have the best?

But then the Master I can hear
in no uncertain voice, so clear:

“I bid you come and follow Me,
the lowly Man of Galilee.”

“Birds of the air have made their nest,
and foxes in their holes find rest,

But I can offer you no bed;
no place have I to lay My head.”

In shame I hung my head and cried.
How could I spurn the Crucified?

Could I forget the way He went,
the sleepless nights in prayer He spent?

For forty days without a bite,
alone He fasted day and night;

Despised, rejected—on He went,
and did not stop till veil He rent.

A man of sorrows and of grief,
no earthly friend to bring relief;

“Smitten of God,” the prophet said—
Mocked, beaten, bruised, His blood ran red.

If He be God, and died for me,
no sacrifice too great can be

For me, a mortal man, to make;
I’ll do it all for Jesus’ sake.

Yes, I will tread the path He trod,
no other way will please my God;

So, henceforth, this my choice shall be,
my choice for all eternity.”

Bill McChesney (Smiling Bill)

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

Worshiping At The Altar Of Success

Though you may find it hard to believe, there is an addiction more subtle and more powerful than either drugs or pornography. It’s older than prostitution, more prevalent than alcohol, more addictive than cocaine. It doesn’t discriminate between male and female, black or white, young or old, rich or poor. Its strength is greater than all other addictions combined. It’s as rampant in the Church as it is in the world. It leaves the body unscathed but destroys the soul. The vast majority of people addicted have little if any understanding of its power or perils.

The history of the worship of success dates back to Lucifer, the rebellious archangel who wanted to relegate God to a subordinate role and take the ‘top gun’ position for himself. This desire for success soon spread throughout the earth like a cancer, reaching its pinnacle with mankind seeking to build a tower and to make for themselves a name. What a contrast in attitudes we find between Genesis 11 and 12. Chapter 11 exposes man striving for recognition, while chapter 12 we find God promising humble Abraham that He would make his name great.

A clear picture of this obsession with success can be found in the story of King Ahaz. His numerous sins had brought judgment upon himself and the nation of Judah. This punishment came through the king of Aram who carried off a great number of his people as captives. Embarrassed and distressed over his glaring defeat, the Jewish king made the monumental mistake of attributing the Aramean victory to their gods. Whatever small faith he may have had in Jehovah was completely discarded in favor of idol worship. “Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them,” he reasoned, “I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” (II Chronicles 28:23) It seems that Ahaz was prepared to pay any price for success.

Lamentably, it seems that much of the American Church holds this same misguided logic. Pastors around the nation are flocking to follow the ‘mega church’ pattern, believing that what worked somewhere else will work for them as well. We now have the mentality that success is purely numerical. Witness what the Barna Research Group stated as the result of a recent study:

“The most discouraging study we ever conducted was one in which we attempted to identify churches in the U.S. that consistently and intelligently evaluate life transformation among the people to whom they minister. We found that very few churches - emphasis on very - measure anything beyond attendance, donations, square footage, number of programs and size of staff. None of that necessarily reflects life transformation.” (Italics mine)

How tragic! Success is now measured by attendance, donations, square footage, etc. It’s time we stopped worshipping the ‘gods of success’ and turned our gaze afresh upon the Lord, for beholding we will be changed. I think that is the definition of SUCCESS in the Kingdom of God.
David Ravenhill

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

I Can Plod
June 12
At nine o’clock on Thursday night, June 12, 1806, pioneer missionary William Carey, weary from the day’s labors, sat at his desk and wrote this letter in the flickering light of his oil lamp:
"I rose this day at a quarter before six, read a chapter in the Hebrew Bible, and spent the time till seven in private addresses to God and then attended family prayer with the servants in Bengalee. While tea was pouring out, I read a little in Persian with a Moonshi [a native assistant] who was waiting when I left my bedroom. Read also before breakfast a portion of the Scriptures in Hindoosthanee. The moment breakfast was over sat down to the translation of the Ramayuna [an Indian epic] from Sangskrit, with a Pundit … continued this translation till ten o’clock, at which time I went to College (Fort William), and attended the duties there (teaching Bengali, Sanskrit, and Marathi) till between one and two o’clock—When I returned home I examined a proof sheet of the Bengalee translation of Jeremiah, which took till dinner time. … After dinner translated with the assistance of the chief Pundit of the College, greatest part of the 8th Chap. of Matthew, into Sangskrit—this employed me till six o’clock, after six sat down with a Tilingua Pundit … to learn that Language. Mr. Thomas (son of the Rev. Tho. Thomas of London) called in the evening; I began to collect a few previous thoughts into the form of a Sermon, at seven o’clock, and preached in English at half past seven. … The Congregation was gone by nine o’clock. I then sat down to write to you, after this I conclude the Evening by reading a Chapter in the Greek testament, and commending myself to God. I have never more time in a day than this, though the exercises vary."

Eustace Carey said that her uncle never displayed resentment at interruptions.
He could give visitors his undivided attention then return immediately to his work.
And he never took a furlough from missionary service, living and working in India for nearly 41 years.
“I can plod,” he once said. “To this I owe everything.”

Teach us to use wisely all the time we have. Psalm 90:12

Morgan, Robert J.: On This Day : 265 Amazing and Inspiring Stories About Saints, Martyrs & Heroes. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000, c1997, S. June 12

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

I heard someone say once that all we need to do in the molokan church is to maintain what has been given us.
Implying the tradition and our current interpretation of the scriptures.
This quote is an interesting comparison.


. . . another way in which this attitude manifests itself is that the main concern is, of course, defensive. Seeing that we are right, as we certainly are, the only thing we have to do, is to defend our position. So you will find that an individual, or a church, that is guilty of this state, spends most of the time purely on the defensive. What is called apologetics becomes very prominent. It becomes the main interest . . . It [the Church] has withdrawn itself, as it were, and has erected some kind of iron curtain, or protective mechanism, and most of the energy has been given to defence, to apologetics. And it is so pathetic to notice the way in which almost anything is clutched at and used . . . It is a defensive and negative attitude, and it is a part of this dead orthodoxy which is content simply with maintaining its own position.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)

[jtolmachoff]

Greetings in the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ of whom was in the beginning as the Word and came to this wicked earth and dwelt among us wicked and sinful people. But praise be unto Him that He chose to come and live among us and show us the way unto His heavenly Father thru His shed Blood upon the cross for the remission of our sins. Thank you Jesus.!!! To start with I thank the Lord Jesus Christ that you are so bold in your conversation on this site. There are so many people among our brotherhood the Molokans that don't know who to turn to or they can't trust anyone with what they want to say. I can relate to that because we as human beings don't want the whole world to know everything about us. So we can come on this site and vent our minds hearts or whatever annonomously. Staying in the status quo will lead to spiritual death. The elders of our churches must be told that their flocks are suffering and that NO amount of memorized prayers or malenias will help. What the flock needs is to be feed with the Word of God without any additional side helps ( 2nd book ) then followed by prayer from the heart, not memorized prayers, but prayers from the heart in the Name of Jesus Christ with thanksgiving to the Heavenly Father. And we don't need to have a so called "confirmation " from what the church says is the "Holy Spirit" . But we as born again believers in Christ know different. Matthew 6:5-8 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who see in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetiitons as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be llike them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." Don't get me wrong, our people are not heathen , but they are just in the dark as to how they should really pray. So when we pray we know that our Heavenly Father hears us. It is time, way past time, that the curtain, that they have erected be torn down. The elders are too comfortable with their ways. Let us pray for a spiritual awakening among our people, because we are in the end times of the world

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

I found these words to ponder on by JM...


Do evangelicals still believe without reservation that biblical truth has divine authority? Evidently not.
It has become trendy to speak of the clash between truth and error as a “dialogue.”
Every time a conflict arises between Christianity and another worldview,
some evangelical leader will issue a call for dialogue with leading advocates of the other point of view.
Over the past decade or so, well known evangelical leaders have sponsored formal dialogues
with a wide variety of non-Christian religious figures, cult leaders, advocates of various alternative lifestyles,
and representatives of practically every worldview that is hostile to biblical Christianity.

Shortly after the September 11 terrorist event, one of the best known evangelical churches in America
sponsored a dialogue with an Islamic cleric (imam) in their weekend worship services, ostensibly to
bring Christians and Muslims closer together. “I thought it was interesting how much we have in common,”
one church member told a reporter after the meeting. Another said the dialogue with the imam had “opened up doors
to communicate and showed [Muslims are] people just like we are.” According to a reporter who covered the event,
those responses were “the kind of impact [the pastor] had hoped for.”

Why is it that the goal of such dialogue always seems to be to minimize the differences
between Christianity and false religion—and never to draw the lines of distinction more clearly?
John MacArthur

[seeking_truth_1]

6 ¶ My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. It is all your fault, you priests, for you yourselves refuse to know me. Now I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.
7 The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the disgrace of idols.
8 "The priests get fed when the people sin and bring their sin offerings to them. So the priests are glad when the people sin!
9 ‘Like priests, like people’––since the priests are wicked, the people are wicked, too. So now I will punish both priests and people for all their wicked deeds.
10 They will eat and still be hungry. Though they do a big business as prostitutes, they will have no children, for they have deserted the LORD to worship other gods.
11 "Alcohol and prostitution have robbed my people of their brains. (Hosea 4:6-11)

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

Good words from David Wilkerson...
(in bold added by me)




A MIRROR

"But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55-56).

Stephen represents what a true Christian is supposed to be: one who is full of the Holy Ghost with eyes fixed on the Man in glory. He is one who mirrors that glory in such a way that all who see it will be amazed and filled with wonder. He is one with a steady gaze fixed on Christ, always looking up to him, fully occupied with a glorified Savior.

Look at the hopeless condition Stephen was in, surrounded by religious madness, superstition, prejudice, and jealousy. The angry crowd pressed in on him, wild-eyed and bloodthirsty, and death loomed just ahead of him. What impossible circumstances! But looking up into heaven, he beheld his Lord in glory, and suddenly his rejection here on earth meant nothing to him. Now he was above it all, seeing him who was invisible.

One glimpse of the Lord's glory, one vision of his precious holiness, and Stephen could no longer be hurt. The stones and the angry cursing were all harmless to him because of the joy set before him. One glimpse of Christ's glory places you above all your circumstances. Keeping your eyes on Christ, consciously reaching out to him every waking hour, provides peace and serenity as nothing else can.

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Stephen caught the rays of the glorified Man in heaven and reflected them to a Christ-rejecting society.

How true that we become what we behold. The proper translation should read, "We all, with open face mirroring the glory, are changed!" The idea is that the Christian reflects, like a mirror, the glory on which he gazes continually. It is we who are "in the glass"—a mirror—looking on Christ, the object of our affection and becoming like him in the process of beholding.

When the enemy comes in like a flood and troubling circumstances get us down, we need to both amaze and condemn the world around us by our sweet, restful repose in Christ. Since we see by our spiritual mind, this is accomplished by keeping our minds stayed on Christ.
David Wilkerson

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

The church of God is never so well built up as when it is built up with men of broken hearts.
I have prayed to God in secret many a time, of late, that he would be pleased to gather out from among us a people
who have a deep experience, who should know the guilt of sin, who should be broken and ground to powder under a sense
of their own inability and unworthiness... He who has never been in the dungeon, who has never been in the abyss,
who has never felt as if he were cast out from the sight of God, how can he comfort many who are outcasts,
and who are bound with the fetters of despair?”

Charles Spurgeon

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

'It is those who walk the closest with God who are most conscious of their sins.'
Arthur W. Pink




6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
1 John 1:6-10 NASB

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

Rick Appleton (Brainiac) from Wretched Radio...



Unity and Diversity


The Trinity is one God who is three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. The Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit, the Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. There is unity and diversity in the Trinity.



Jesus Christ is one person with two natures, both divine and human. The divine nature is not the human nature; the human nature is not the divine nature. There are two natures but one Christ. There is unity and diversity in the person of Christ.

The redeemed are one with Christ. The redeemed are not Christ. The redeemed are in Christ. Christ is in the redeemed. Yet, there is a redeemer and there are the redeemed. The redeemer is not the redeemed nor are the redeemed the redeemer. There is unity and diversity in redemption.

The Church is one body but many members. Every member is in the body. No member is the body. There is unity and diversity in the Church.

The universe is one creation and many creatures. Every creature is distinct from every other creature. No creature is the creation. There is only one creation. There is unity and diversity in the universe.

Marriage is one flesh and two people. The man is not the woman. The woman is not the man. In marriage, the two become one. In marriage, the two remain man and woman. There is unity and diversity in marriage.

Man is one being that is body and soul. The body is not the soul. The soul is not the body. Man is both a body and a soul but only one man. There is unity and diversity in man.

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

May God move in every single one of our lives....
K.



Prepare to see Me move!
If you are in rebellion, soon I will say "Enough."
Prepare to see Me move!
If you are in a refiner's fire, soon your answers will come.
Prepare to see Me move!
If you are in need, soon I will be your provision.
Prepare to see Me move!
If you are longing to be like Jesus,
soon I will do a mighty work in your heart.
Prepare to see Me move!
You need to be prepared for the time when I move on your behalf.
The day will come that all of My promises to you will come to pass.
Prepare now for that day, for it will surely come.
Prepare to see Me move!


[Earnestly] remember the former things, [which I did] of old; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like Me.
10) Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose. Isaiah 46:9-10 AMP

I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. Isaiah 48:3 NIV


God is always faithful. No matter what happens in between the time He initiates something and its conclusion, you can be sure that what He has said will happen. There is no doubt.
If you are rebellious, it is just a matter of time before He tightens your life so that you fully submit. If you have needs, it's just a matter of time before they are met if you have submitted them to Him. If you are in a refiner's fire, you can be sure to see His hand move when your lesson is learned.
You and I serve a faithful God. All of His promises are true. All of His Word is true. All that He has said about Jesus is true. You can count on it!

Teach me to trust You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

The sinner is indeed dead to God but very much alive to all wickedness. Some years ago I heard John Gerstner, a former professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, compare Paul's description of our sinful state to what horror stories call a zombie. In case you are not up on zombie literature, let me explain that a zombie is a person who has died but who is still up on his feet walking around. It is a pretty gruesome concept, which is why it is in horror stories. But it gets worse. This upright, walking human corpse is also putrefying. It is rotting away. It suppose that it is the most disgusting thing most people can imagine. But this is a fair description of what Paul is saying about human nature in its lost condition. Apart from Jesus Christ, these sinning human corpses are the living dead.
James M. Boice (20th century)


19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ga 5:19-21 NASB

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

Today in Christian History

1925 - Following a sensational 12-day trial, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution in his Dayton, TN classroom and was fined $100.

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

‎"Before faith and obedience become acts of man they are gifts of God." - R.B. Kuype

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

[stevepiv]

"Nobody is born into this world a child of the family of God. We are born as children of wrath. The only way we enter into the family of God is by adoption, and that adoption occurs when we are united to God’s only begotten Son by faith. When by faith we are united with Christ, we are then adopted into that family of whom Christ is the firstborn." ~ R.C. Sproul

[stevepiv]

"We are not sanctified by our good works, rather, because God sanctified us, by grace, He produces good works in our lives. In fact, we do not sanctify ourselves any more than we justify ourselves. Sanctification is God’s work, and His work in us produces good works." ~ Kim Riddlebarger

[stevepiv]

Anchored in Christ's Hands:

" I want you to know the length and breadth of your portion in Christ. I want you to understand the full amount of the treasure to which faith in Jesus entitles you. You have found out that you are a great sinner. Thank God for that. You have fled to Christ for pardon and peace with God. Thank God for that. You have committed yourself to Jesus for time and eternity - you have no hope but in Christ's blood, Christ's righteousness, Christ's mediation, Christ's daily all-persevering intercession. Thank God for that. Your heart's desire and prayer is to be holy in all manner of conversation. Thank God for that. But oh, lay hold upon the glorious truth - that believing on Jesus you shall never perish, you shall never be cast away, you shall never fall away! It is written for you as well as for the apostles, "My sheep shall never perish." "~ J.C. Ryle

[stevepiv]

Christ Cricified:

"The doctrine of Christ crucified is the strength of a Minister. I, for one, would not be without it for all the world. I would feel like a soldier without arms, like an artist without his pencil, like a pilot without his compass, like a laborer without his tools. Let others, if they will, preach the law and morality; let others hold forth the terrors of hell, and the joys of heaven; let others dwell on the sacraments and the Church. Give me the cross of Christ. This is the only lever which has ever turned the world upside down up to this point, and made men forsake their sins: and if this will not, nothing will." ~ J.C. Ryle

[Disciple]

I would like to add to this the doctrine of the believer crucified with Christ, buried with him, risen with him and seated with him in heavenly places. For in this is the key, the thing that God did to us; that we should no longer walk after the flesh and the lusts thereof. But that we should walk in righteousness and newness of life. In short, victory over sinning.

Romans 6 3-4, 9-13
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

My friends, let us pray tonight that the text may do its work. The sermon is of very little account after all. It is the text we want. The sermon is just to drive down the nail. - D.L. Moody (1837-99)



5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
2 Corinthians 3:5–6 AV

5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.
6 He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:5–6 NLT

[stevepiv]

The Best Safeguard Against False Teaching, quote from J.C. Ryle

"What is the best safe-guard against false teaching? Beyond all doubt the regular study of the word of God, with prayer for the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The Bible was given to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. (Psalm. 119:105.) The man who reads it aright will never be allowed greatly to err. It is neglect of the Bible which makes so many a prey to the first false teacher whom they hear. They would have us believe that "they are not learned, and do not pretend to have decided opinions." The plain truth is that they are lazy and idle about reading the Bible, and do not like the trouble of thinking for themselves. Nothing supplies false prophets with followers so much as spiritual sloth under a cloak of humility." ~ J.C. Ryle

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

My Utmost for His Highest

Are You Ever Disturbed?
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you."
John 14:27

There are times when our peace is based upon ignorance, but when we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When Our Lord speaks peace, He makes peace, His words are ever "spirit and life." Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? "My peace I give unto you" - it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing His undisturbedness.

Are you painfully disturbed just now, distracted by the waves and billows of God's providential permission, and having, as it were, turned over the boulders of your belief, are you still finding no well of peace or joy or comfort; is all barren? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord Jesus. Reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, you are either disturbed or you have a false security.

Are you looking unto Jesus now, in the immediate matter that is pressing and receiving from Him peace? If so, He will be a gracious benediction of peace in and through you. But if you try to worry it out, you obliterate Him and deserve all you get. We get disturbed because we have not been considering Him. When one confers with Jesus Christ the perplexity goes, because He has no perplexity, and our only concern is to abide in Him. Lay it all out before Him, and in the face of difficulty, bereavement and sorrow, hear Him say, "Let not your heart be troubled."
________________________________________
Oswald Chambers l935
http://www.studylight.org/col/utm/

[stevepiv]

Getting Beyond a Hearer of Truth:

The man who hears Christian teaching, and never gets beyond hearing, is like "a foolish man who built his house on the sand" [Matt. 7:26]. He satisfies himself with listening and approving, but he goes no further. He flatters himself, perhaps, that all is right with his soul, because he has feelings, convictions, and desires, of a spiritual kind. In these he rests. He never really breaks off from sin, and casts aside the spirit of the world. He never really lays hold of Christ. He never really takes up the cross. He is a hearer of truth, but nothing more.

~ J.C. Ryle

[stevepiv]

Beware of Being a Christian Pharisee:

"There is something sadly wrong in our spiritual condition, when the only thing we look at in others is their outward Christianity, and the principal question we ask is, whether they worship in our communion, and use our ceremonial, and serve God in our way. Do they repent of sin? Do they believe on Christ? Are they living holy lives? These are the chief points to which our attention ought to be directed. The moment we begin to place anything in religion before these things, we are in danger of becoming as thorough Pharisees as the accusers of the disciples." ~ J.C. Ryle

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

In two decades of theology I have had countless students ask me why God doesn't save everybody. Only once did a student come to me and say, 'There is something I just can't figure out. Why did God redeem me?' We are not really surprised that God has redeemed us. Somewhere deep inside, in the secret chambers of our hearts, we harbor the notion that God owes us His mercy. Heaven would not be quite the same if we were excluded from it. We know that we are sinners, but we are surely not as bad as we could be. There are enough redeeming features to our personalities that if God is really just He will include us in salvation. What amazes us is justice, not grace.
R.C. Sproul (20th century)


44 The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.
45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.
46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
47 “For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’ ”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region.
50 But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
52 And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:44–52 NAS


12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Colossians 2:12 NAS

5 Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.
Ezra 1:5 NAS

[KevinPolyaNazaro...]

In two decades of theology I have had countless students ask me why God doesn't save everybody. Only once did a student come to me and say, 'There is something I just can't figure out. Why did God redeem me?' We are not really surprised that God has redeemed us. Somewhere deep inside, in the secret chambers of our hearts, we harbor the notion that God owes us His mercy. Heaven would not be quite the same if we were excluded from it. We know that we are sinners, but we are surely not as bad as we could be. There are enough redeeming features to our personalities that if God is really just He will include us in salvation. What amazes us is justice, not grace.
R.C. Sproul (20th century)


44 The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.
45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.
46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
47 “For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’ ”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region.
50 But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
52 And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:44–52 NAS


12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Colossians 2:12 NAS

5 Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.
Ezra 1:5 NAS

Beyond the theology of it, I think the most important part is that God would stir my spirit.

I pray that God would stir me and give me the hunger and desire to seek Him and do His will.
I hope that God would stir each and every one of you.
Every reader of the above scriptures, and that God would get your attention on His word and His will.

9 “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.”
2 Chronicles 16:9 NAS


2 The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God.
Psalm 14:2 NAS

God is constantly looking into your very soul.
He is before and behind you.
He is very real and very present with you right now, this very moment.
May the presence of God be real and magnified in your lives.