Monday, September 14, 2009
Book is on hold for a little while
I need to work on the most important things in my life right now. Namely, Family, ministry and pro-life work. I will return.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
13th anniversary
It was our 13th wedding anniversary last night and so Karen and I spent the evening together. Sorry for not announcing it sooner.
So, your new post will come soon.
So, your new post will come soon.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Section 2 ~ Posture: Sub-section 2 ~ Kneeling
You are reading a book and are currently at Section 2.2 (chapter 5)
Please read the following first
Introduction
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 1 ~ Why Get Saved?
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 2 ~ How To Get Saved?
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 3 ~ How To Stay Saved
Section 2 ~ Posture: Sub-section 1 ~ Dead
Then we worship Him! No Christian life has success or victory unless we give Jesus Christ all the praise and glory. (Romans 15:11) Was it not He who drew us to Himself by giving us the law? (Galatians 3:24) Was it not He who saved us by giving us His grace? (Ephesians 2:8) What is not merciful for Him to forgive us our wrong and present us as holy and blameless before God? (Ephesians 1:4) The answer to all these questions is "Yes"!
He is our great God and Savior who throughout all of human history has had the grace, compassion and mercy to spend time with us, His lowly creation.
1. He created all that is and holds it all together (Colossians 1:16-17).
2. He took on human form and walked in the garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8).
3. He again took on human form and walked with, spoke to, ate with and generally fellowshipped with multiple believers in the Old Testament such as Abram/Abraham, Moses, Manoah, Daniel, Ezekiel and others.
4. He emptied Himself, became flesh and was born as one of us (Philippians 2:7).
5. He was tempted like us (Matthew 4:1) and suffered rejection (Mark 14:41).
6. He died for us (Mark 15:37).
7. He rose from the dead (Mark 16:9) and because of that, we have a resurrection as well (First Corinthians 15:22).
8. He sent the Apostle Paul to us so that we might learn of His grace. (Galatians 2:7)
How do we 'kneel' and worship Him? Certainly, we could literally kneel, we definitely would if He were to come and meet us face to face. However, we are not required to literally kneel today in worship of our God. Although, I will add, that when we do physically kneel, it creates in us a sense of reverence that helps us set the world aside for a time. When we join together weekly for church service, we have a tradition of musical praise to our God. Be it through hymns or contemporary praise choruses and songs, we sing in unison the glory of our God. This is a wonderful attitude and action to take. It creates humility in us as we look to His greatness.
Another way to worship God today is through our good works. Those works that please Him. Loving our wives, training our children in righteousness, standing up to wickedness, not compromising the truth, giving to the Lord's work, and so on. What better way to show someone you love that you appreciate them than by working for and serving them? We are in a relationship with God and we can show Him our appreciation of what He's done by laboring for Him. Not just singing on Sunday, but working every day in the Spirit.
Please read the following first
Introduction
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 1 ~ Why Get Saved?
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 2 ~ How To Get Saved?
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 3 ~ How To Stay Saved
Section 2 ~ Posture: Sub-section 1 ~ Dead
Then we worship Him! No Christian life has success or victory unless we give Jesus Christ all the praise and glory. (Romans 15:11) Was it not He who drew us to Himself by giving us the law? (Galatians 3:24) Was it not He who saved us by giving us His grace? (Ephesians 2:8) What is not merciful for Him to forgive us our wrong and present us as holy and blameless before God? (Ephesians 1:4) The answer to all these questions is "Yes"!
He is our great God and Savior who throughout all of human history has had the grace, compassion and mercy to spend time with us, His lowly creation.
1. He created all that is and holds it all together (Colossians 1:16-17).
2. He took on human form and walked in the garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8).
3. He again took on human form and walked with, spoke to, ate with and generally fellowshipped with multiple believers in the Old Testament such as Abram/Abraham, Moses, Manoah, Daniel, Ezekiel and others.
4. He emptied Himself, became flesh and was born as one of us (Philippians 2:7).
5. He was tempted like us (Matthew 4:1) and suffered rejection (Mark 14:41).
6. He died for us (Mark 15:37).
7. He rose from the dead (Mark 16:9) and because of that, we have a resurrection as well (First Corinthians 15:22).
8. He sent the Apostle Paul to us so that we might learn of His grace. (Galatians 2:7)
How do we 'kneel' and worship Him? Certainly, we could literally kneel, we definitely would if He were to come and meet us face to face. However, we are not required to literally kneel today in worship of our God. Although, I will add, that when we do physically kneel, it creates in us a sense of reverence that helps us set the world aside for a time. When we join together weekly for church service, we have a tradition of musical praise to our God. Be it through hymns or contemporary praise choruses and songs, we sing in unison the glory of our God. This is a wonderful attitude and action to take. It creates humility in us as we look to His greatness.
Another way to worship God today is through our good works. Those works that please Him. Loving our wives, training our children in righteousness, standing up to wickedness, not compromising the truth, giving to the Lord's work, and so on. What better way to show someone you love that you appreciate them than by working for and serving them? We are in a relationship with God and we can show Him our appreciation of what He's done by laboring for Him. Not just singing on Sunday, but working every day in the Spirit.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Section 2 ~ Posture: Sub-section 1 ~ Dead
You are reading a book and are currently at Section 2.1 (chapter 4)
Please read the following first
Introduction
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 1 ~ Why Get Saved?
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 2 ~ How To Get Saved?
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 3 ~ How To Stay Saved
Now that we've tackled the issue of why and how to get saved and how to stay saved, we must begin addressing what transformation process a Christian goes through as they move from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. First, we must die. You read that right, death needs to happen. Our old self, our old man, needs to die in order to have a successful Christian life.
My dad's favorite verse was always Galatians 2:20. Let's read it together out of the New King James Version. "I have been crucified with Christ; 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 the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Wow, what a neat proclamation from the Apostle Paul. First, we must be crucified and die. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the flesh and its desires are put on the cross with Christ so that they hold no power over us anymore (Galatians 5:24).
We must bury our old self as well. Just as Christ was put in a tomb, we too must inhume our old man. You might ask why this aspect of the Christian life is significant. It is significant because if we don't bury our flesh, then it will be ever present before us, as a reminder of who we were. It will be there as a temptation and a lure to live the old life and hang out with the old crowd. For instance, if I was on a high protein diet, I would make carbohydrate laden foods scarce. I wouldn't allow them near me as they would be a large temptation. In fact, it's difficult to be on a diet when the rest of the family is eating different foods. You may have heard the phrase, "When mama's on a diet, everyone's on a diet!" That's simply due to the fact that 'mama' doesn't want to be around unhealthy foods. It's the same for Christians. We need to remove ourselves from the world's temptations and trappings.
This is not to say that we should not be in the world. Heaven forbid! We live here in our earthly bodies and must work, have acquaintances and friends, and interact with the world to survive. But we are not to love the world or the things in it. Rather, we are to properly use them and have dominion over them (Genesis 1:26). We are to be responsible visitors to this planet while showing moderation in all things.
In December of 2003, my wife and I made a decision to turn off the television in our home. This was for multiple reasons, but one of the main reasons was due to it's prominence in our home. While we were never avid TV watchers, we did watch a fair amount as it was on at least once a day for a show or two. What we found though, was that when my wife and I would watch a show that interested us, our children were not being trained, discipled, served and loved as they ought to be. I remember being so frustrated when one of them would enter the room to speak with me, especially during an important point in the program I was watching. I would get so agitated! So, we turned it off. I found that there were more hours in the day than I had ever imagined. My relationship with my children grew where it had diminished. The bond between my wife and I became strong. This is not to say that we don't still own a TV with which to watch rented movies from time to time, but it is manageable and takes a low place of importance in my home.
In Second Timothy 4:10, we learn about Demas. Demas was a man who at one time loved God and followed Paul's ministry and gospel. He is here judged by Paul as one who loved the world. It's interesting to notice that the word for loved in that verse is agape. In the Greek language, this is the kind of love that is self-sacrificing, volitional and thoughtful. This is a love that is much greater than saying 'I love pizza.' or 'I love the Indianapolis Colts.' It connotes that Demas left his ministry to spend time with the world and partake regularly of the things in it. He was devoting his affections to this world, not Heaven above where his citizenship is. What a dangerous path when the world takes prominence over Christ in our lives!
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)."
Please read the following first
Introduction
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 1 ~ Why Get Saved?
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 2 ~ How To Get Saved?
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 3 ~ How To Stay Saved
Now that we've tackled the issue of why and how to get saved and how to stay saved, we must begin addressing what transformation process a Christian goes through as they move from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. First, we must die. You read that right, death needs to happen. Our old self, our old man, needs to die in order to have a successful Christian life.
My dad's favorite verse was always Galatians 2:20. Let's read it together out of the New King James Version. "I have been crucified with Christ; 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 the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Wow, what a neat proclamation from the Apostle Paul. First, we must be crucified and die. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the flesh and its desires are put on the cross with Christ so that they hold no power over us anymore (Galatians 5:24).
We must bury our old self as well. Just as Christ was put in a tomb, we too must inhume our old man. You might ask why this aspect of the Christian life is significant. It is significant because if we don't bury our flesh, then it will be ever present before us, as a reminder of who we were. It will be there as a temptation and a lure to live the old life and hang out with the old crowd. For instance, if I was on a high protein diet, I would make carbohydrate laden foods scarce. I wouldn't allow them near me as they would be a large temptation. In fact, it's difficult to be on a diet when the rest of the family is eating different foods. You may have heard the phrase, "When mama's on a diet, everyone's on a diet!" That's simply due to the fact that 'mama' doesn't want to be around unhealthy foods. It's the same for Christians. We need to remove ourselves from the world's temptations and trappings.
This is not to say that we should not be in the world. Heaven forbid! We live here in our earthly bodies and must work, have acquaintances and friends, and interact with the world to survive. But we are not to love the world or the things in it. Rather, we are to properly use them and have dominion over them (Genesis 1:26). We are to be responsible visitors to this planet while showing moderation in all things.
In December of 2003, my wife and I made a decision to turn off the television in our home. This was for multiple reasons, but one of the main reasons was due to it's prominence in our home. While we were never avid TV watchers, we did watch a fair amount as it was on at least once a day for a show or two. What we found though, was that when my wife and I would watch a show that interested us, our children were not being trained, discipled, served and loved as they ought to be. I remember being so frustrated when one of them would enter the room to speak with me, especially during an important point in the program I was watching. I would get so agitated! So, we turned it off. I found that there were more hours in the day than I had ever imagined. My relationship with my children grew where it had diminished. The bond between my wife and I became strong. This is not to say that we don't still own a TV with which to watch rented movies from time to time, but it is manageable and takes a low place of importance in my home.
In Second Timothy 4:10, we learn about Demas. Demas was a man who at one time loved God and followed Paul's ministry and gospel. He is here judged by Paul as one who loved the world. It's interesting to notice that the word for loved in that verse is agape. In the Greek language, this is the kind of love that is self-sacrificing, volitional and thoughtful. This is a love that is much greater than saying 'I love pizza.' or 'I love the Indianapolis Colts.' It connotes that Demas left his ministry to spend time with the world and partake regularly of the things in it. He was devoting his affections to this world, not Heaven above where his citizenship is. What a dangerous path when the world takes prominence over Christ in our lives!
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)."
Monday, August 10, 2009
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 3 ~ How To Stay Saved
You are reading a book and are currently at Section 1.3 (chapter 3)
Please read the following first
Introduction
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 1 ~ Why Get Saved?
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 2 ~ How To Get Saved?
I have an acquaintance named Brian who I met a few months ago at a local coffee shop. It's been a blessing to interact with him about the things of God. Brian is an unashamed man of God who gladly and boldly proclaims his faith publicly. Recently, he related a story to me of when he was at work and was having a stressful day. There was a lot of physical work to be done and he was having a rough time laboring with his tasks. At some point in the day, Brian said something evil which raised the eyebrows of an unbeliever he works with. This other man, in response to what Brian said, remarked, "Now you're going to Hell with me!" At that, Brian aptly responded, "No, I'm saved by grace, not by works!" Brian's quick, and correct, response has hopefully caused his coworker to reevaluate his take on salvation. Now, Brian was and is repentant for what he said, and has grown spiritually since that time, but it is important to note that what he said did not change who he was. Brian was, and is still, a Christian today.
As I mentioned earlier, we do good works in direct and thankful response to what Christ has done for us. In fact, Ephesians 2 tells us that we were created for good works in Jesus Christ. But this should not lead us to believe that our good works keep us saved. Oh what a state of fear some Christians live in by trying to do good works all the time in order to remain a Christian and keep their salvation. Again, we do works in response to what Christ has done, and that is the fact to remember. He has done the work. He died once on that cross to forgive all sins, past, present and future. Both Ephesians 1 and Colossians 1 tell us that we have forgiveness. That's present tense. It doesn't say that we are obtaining forgiveness, or that we need to obtain forgiveness, but rather that we have forgiveness.
As an acquaintance named Dave once posted in an internet forum, "If your good works didn't save you, then what makes you think they can keep you saved?" Dave was right. We can't keep ourselves saved any more than a triangle can be a square. It's just not possible. Again, we turn to God's word for the answers, for it would be foolishness to turn anywhere else, right? Second Timothy 2:13 clearly says that if we are faithless, God remains faithful. This means that God holds onto us through this stormy sea of life and He doesn't let go. It is through His faithfulness that we have hope and assurance that we will remain part of the Body of Christ, no matter what befalls us here on earth. The Holy Spirit of God has sealed us "for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30) and we must hold onto that fact if we are to experience peace in our Christian life .
Therefore, if you have believed in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess Him as Lord of your life (Romans 10:9), then you are saved (Romans 10:10) and you are sealed (Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30) and have been delivered to the highest of the heavenlies where you are now seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:6) and no one, not even you, can take that away. In these rough and troubling times, that is something you can take to the bank.
Please read the following first
Introduction
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 1 ~ Why Get Saved?
Section 1 ~ Saved: Sub-section 2 ~ How To Get Saved?
I have an acquaintance named Brian who I met a few months ago at a local coffee shop. It's been a blessing to interact with him about the things of God. Brian is an unashamed man of God who gladly and boldly proclaims his faith publicly. Recently, he related a story to me of when he was at work and was having a stressful day. There was a lot of physical work to be done and he was having a rough time laboring with his tasks. At some point in the day, Brian said something evil which raised the eyebrows of an unbeliever he works with. This other man, in response to what Brian said, remarked, "Now you're going to Hell with me!" At that, Brian aptly responded, "No, I'm saved by grace, not by works!" Brian's quick, and correct, response has hopefully caused his coworker to reevaluate his take on salvation. Now, Brian was and is repentant for what he said, and has grown spiritually since that time, but it is important to note that what he said did not change who he was. Brian was, and is still, a Christian today.
As I mentioned earlier, we do good works in direct and thankful response to what Christ has done for us. In fact, Ephesians 2 tells us that we were created for good works in Jesus Christ. But this should not lead us to believe that our good works keep us saved. Oh what a state of fear some Christians live in by trying to do good works all the time in order to remain a Christian and keep their salvation. Again, we do works in response to what Christ has done, and that is the fact to remember. He has done the work. He died once on that cross to forgive all sins, past, present and future. Both Ephesians 1 and Colossians 1 tell us that we have forgiveness. That's present tense. It doesn't say that we are obtaining forgiveness, or that we need to obtain forgiveness, but rather that we have forgiveness.
As an acquaintance named Dave once posted in an internet forum, "If your good works didn't save you, then what makes you think they can keep you saved?" Dave was right. We can't keep ourselves saved any more than a triangle can be a square. It's just not possible. Again, we turn to God's word for the answers, for it would be foolishness to turn anywhere else, right? Second Timothy 2:13 clearly says that if we are faithless, God remains faithful. This means that God holds onto us through this stormy sea of life and He doesn't let go. It is through His faithfulness that we have hope and assurance that we will remain part of the Body of Christ, no matter what befalls us here on earth. The Holy Spirit of God has sealed us "for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30) and we must hold onto that fact if we are to experience peace in our Christian life .
Therefore, if you have believed in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess Him as Lord of your life (Romans 10:9), then you are saved (Romans 10:10) and you are sealed (Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30) and have been delivered to the highest of the heavenlies where you are now seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:6) and no one, not even you, can take that away. In these rough and troubling times, that is something you can take to the bank.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Good afternoon readers
Hello!
The writings have generated some lively discussions here and elsewhere. Thanks for your readership and support.
Adam
The writings have generated some lively discussions here and elsewhere. Thanks for your readership and support.
Adam
Monday, August 3, 2009
Signing off for the evening
Well folks, I'm off to bed. Thanks for your graciousness, support and participation tonight. You all are a blessing, more than you know.
See you in the future...
~Adam
See you in the future...
~Adam
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