Posted on 01/27/2008 7:56:14 PM PST by Manfred the Wonder Dawg
January 25, 2008
ESV Romans 1:16 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.
In recent days I have spent time in Lima and Sullana Peru and Mexico City and I have discovered that people by nature are the same. Man has a heart that is inclined to selfishness and idolatry. Sin abounds in the remotest parts of the land because the heart is desperately wicked. Thousands bow before statues of Mary and pray to her hoping for answers. I have seen these people stare hopelessly at Mary icons, Jesus icons, and a host of dead saints who will do nothing for them. I have talked with people who pray to the pope and say that they love him. I talked with one lady who said that she knew that Jesus was the Savior, but she loved the pope. Thousands bow before Santa Muerte (holy death angel) in hopes that she will do whatever they ask her. I have seen people bring money, burning cigarettes, beer, whiskey, chocolate, plants, and flowers to Santa Muerte in hopes of her answers. I have seen these people bowing on their knees on the concrete in the middle of public places to worship their idol. Millions of people come into the Basilica in Mexico City and pay their money, confess their sins, and stare hopelessly at relics in hope that their sins will be pardoned. In America countless thousands are chained to baseball games, football games, material possessions, and whatever else their heart of idols can produce to worship.
My heart has broken in these last weeks because the God of heaven is not honored as he ought to be honored. People worship the things that are created rather than worshiping the Creator. God has been gracious to all mankind and yet mankind has hardened their hearts against a loving God. God brings the rain on the just and unjust. God brings the beautiful sunrises and sunsets upon the just and unjust. God gives good gifts unto all and above all things he has given his Son that those who would believe in him would be saved. However, man has taken the good things of God and perverted them unto idols and turned their attention away from God. I get a feel for Jesus as he overlooked Jerusalem or Paul as he beseeched for God to save Israel. When you accept the reality of the truth of the glory of God is breaks your heart that people would turn away from the great and awesome God of heaven to serve lesser things. Moses was outraged by the golden calf, the prophets passionately preached against idolatry, Jesus was angered that the temple was changed in an idolatrous business, and Paul preached to the idolaters of Mars Hill by telling them of the unknown God.
I arrived back at home wondering how I should respond to all the idolatry that I have beheld in these last three weeks. I wondered how our church here in the states should respond to all of the idolatry in the world. What are the options? First, I suppose we could sit around and hope that people chose to get their life together and stop being idolaters. However, I do not know how that could ever happen apart from them hearing the truth. Second, I suppose we could spend a lifetime studying cultural issues and customs in hope that we could somehow learn to relate to the people of other countries. However, the bible is quite clear that all men are the same. Men are dead in sin, shaped in iniquity, and by nature are the enemies of God. Thirdly, we could pay other people or other agencies to go and do a work for us while we remain comfortably in the states. However, there is no way to insure that there will be doctrinal accuracy or integrity. If we only pay other people to take the gospel we will miss out on all of the benefits of being obedient to the mission of God. Lastly, we could seek where God would have us to do a lasting work and then invest our lives there for the glory of God. The gospel has the power to raise the dead in any culture and we must be willing to take the gospel wherever God would have us take it. It is for sure that our church cannot go to every country and reach every people group, so we must determine where God would have us work and seek to be obedient wherever that is.
It seems that some doors are opening in the Spanish speaking countries below us and perhaps God is beginning to reveal where we are to work. There are some options for work to be partnered with in Peru and there could be a couple of options in Mexico. The need is greater than I can express upon this paper for a biblical gospel to be proclaimed in Peru and Mexico. Oh, that God would glorify his great name in Peru and Mexico by using a small little church in a town that does not exist to proclaim his great gospel amongst a people who desperately need the truth.
I give thanks to the LORD for allowing me the privilege of going to these countries and broadening my horizons. The things that I have seen will be forever engraved upon my heart. I will long remember the pastors that I spent time with in Peru and I will never forget Adolfo who translated for me in Mexico. I will relish the time that I spent with Paul Washer and the others. When I think of church I will forever remember being on top of that mountain in Sullana at that church which had no electricity and no roof. I am convinced that heaven was looking down on that little church on top of that mountain and very few people on earth even know that it exist. Oh, God I pray that the things of this world will continue to grow dim and that God’s people will be caught up in his glorious presence.
Because of the truth: Pastor: J. Randall Easter II Timothy 2:19 "Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases."(Ps. 115:3) "He predestined us according to the good pleasure of His will."(Eph. 1:5) Those who have been saved have been saved for His glory and they are being made holy for this is the will of God. Are you being made holy? Spurgeon says, "If your religion does not make you holy it will damn you to hell."
You seem to believe that you have a lock on Christian truth. It's clear from your demeanor, however, that you do not.
C.S.Lewis
He whom I bow to only knows to whom I bow
When I attempt the ineffable Name, murmuring Thou,
And dream of Pheidian fancies and embrace in heart
Symbols (I know) which cannot be the thing Thou art.
Thus always, taken at their word, all prayers blaspheme
Worshipping with frail images a folk-lore dream,
And all men in their praying, self-deceived, address
The coinage of their own unquiet thoughts, unless
Thou in magnetic mercy to Thyself divert
Our arrows, aimed unskilfully, beyond desert;
And all men are idolators, crying unheard
To a deaf idol, if Thou take them at their word.
Take not, O Lord, our literal sense. Lord, in thy great
Unbroken speech our limping metaphor translate.
Sorry I wasn’t clear. I intended it as a joke.
No my friend, your first post from Randall was pulled because it was venemous libels with no touchstone in the Truth. That would be, it was pulled, because it was an outright lie.
***Instead, he relates what he saw with his own eyes in terms of actual PRACTICE by Catholics.***
Sometimes I wonder if Catholics really don’t know it is their own beliefs and practices which keep causing idolaters to pop up in their garden. Ranting about the “puppet master god of Calvin” doesn’t do anything except make Catholics look petty and silly. WE are not responsible for the Mary worshippers and Saint worshippers and Pope worshippers and idol worshippers that spring up in the Catholic garden.
Now, if Catholics start believing in TULIP’s, carrying “The Institutes,” and have a bobble-head Calvin on the dash of their cars.... (Its not like we don’t convert Catholics to the truth of Calvinism all the time.)
No sweat.
Human communications tend to be imperfect routinely.
Soooo, what Romanist Council did Jesus and the Apostles fall back on to know what was Scripture?
Great question —
= =
INDEED.
Though I wouldn’t expect a quality answer until there’s ice skating in . . .
You seem to believe that you have a lock on Christian truth. It's clear from your demeanor, however, that you do not.
Oh really??? I never said that. So just how could it be clear?
Perhaps you would do better to read and respond to the words of others rather than purporting to have the ability to read their demeanors.
What would have happened to any Israeli
. . . bowing down to, praying toward, prostrating himself in front of, focusing incessantly on . . . kissing, carrying around a replica thereof in his donkey cart . . . framing replicas of in his home in places of honore for rituals fo ‘adoration,’ ‘veneration,’ in a home focus . . . made hymns and poetry to and about . . . .
of the temple ornamentations?
Thank you for your blessings,
my faithful temple pomagranite.
Your rosey cheeks cheer me
daily as I dream of your
Precious juice and life giving
benefits. Thank you for your
hanging nearer my God to thee.
. . . . riiiiiggggghhhht
ZAP.
At a minimum there’d have been a new pile of stones.
= = = =
Now, dear Prottys, we’ll see how they rubberize themselves out of the truth about that. But, I’m confident that rationalizations spring eternal.
I've read the posts, compared them to what I've observed in real life, and rejected the idiocy that attempts to pass itself off as a "manly" theological stand.
I have no time or patience for that kind of crap. Have a nice life.
It seems more than a little odd and concerning
when folks have endless patience for
Marion adorations . . .
Marion venerations . . .
Marion image building, polishing, embellishing . . .
Marion poetry writing . . .
Marion hymn writing and singing . . .
Marion rituals . . .
Marion blather . . .
but none for the truth about Mary and their practices related thereto.
Impressive.
Really? Why? As a good "Bible believing" Calvinist, there should not be one word of Scripture that your unfamiliar with. That being the case, what good would it do to use what you have already rejected or misinterpreted in an attempt to help you see the errors of your ways? No good at all, at least that has been my experience.
In any event, the author of the article does not comment so much on what the official position of your Church is via the Catechism. Instead, he relates what he saw with his own eyes in terms of actual PRACTICE by Catholics.
No, he relates what he imagines he sees with his eyes, what he expects to see and what he wants to see. He, like not a small number of the Protestant contingent here on FR seem to have the remarkable ability to read the hearts and minds of other people as they pray. Uncanny.
You little rant about the Churches teachings and the ability of the flock to adhere to those teachings is pathetic, but not unexpected from a Calvinist. The simple fact of the matter is that the Church, that is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, proclaims the faith, many if not most who call them selves "Catholic" conform themselves in not in action (thought they probably pray in earnest for the strength to turn from the sin that holds them back) at least in faith, to the teachings of Christs Church, some don't. The fact that some fail in some way to assent or conform them selves to the teachings of the Church have no influence on the truth of those teachings any more than the thousands of murders a year committed by people who call them selves "Christian" detract from the 10 Commandments.
is "Romanist" the preferred term now? What ever happened to "Papist"?
The rest of your question, like you tag line is silly.
So . . .
Is the contention now that RC edifice folks
NEVER
assess anyone else’s anything
based on the BEHAVIORS of said individuals?
Fascinating.
Thank God that every day, men and woman abandon the evil weed and the satanic verses of the Institutes and convert to Christ!
I'm working on my invectives just in case I decide I'm one of the elect and need to embrace reformed Calvinist theology.
I never employ superlatives.
. . . EXCEPT . . . when . . .
Convenient.
***Thank God that every day, men and woman abandon the evil weed and the satanic verses of the Institutes and convert to Christ!***
Oh, yeah, it’s REAL sporty in the Religion Forum, now.
There is plenty of assessing going on in this forum and Protestants are doing their part to keep all that assessing according to templates of behavior.
It doesn’t serve truth or good purpose to assign all that assessin’ that’s goin’ on to just one “side”.
The place is fraught with marauders of all stripes.
Relax, while I don't have any respect for Calvin, I do have fondness for reformed Christians. As a group, their command of the Pauline epistles is unsurpassed!
Also, I would never use hyperbole in any of my posts, ever.
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