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."
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. - John 6:63
Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word. – John 8:43
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. - I Corinthians 2:14
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it. - Isaiah 55:10-11
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. – Romans 8:1-9
Indeed, the Obama candidacy is quite revealing of how easily people are convinced by a charismatic leader. The interview of one of his supporters recently was a classic example because when asked for just one of his legislative accomplishments, couldn't think of any.
Maranatha, Jesus!!!
” Not everyone can perceive the difference between the words of God and the words of men.”
I take it you can? :)
Why do you suppose +John’s gospel is called the “Holy Good News according to John”? and not as I had otherwise proposed. A plot of those Roman Catholics established by Constantine the Great? Why not perhaps called something along the lines of “Holy Good News according to John which The Church understands one way but which those of you who are self defined as the elect or God’s sheep will know is actually God’s very words taken down by his secretary +John for you alone, well maybe along with Calvin et al, to really, honest to goodness understand and not for mega sinners like +John Chrysostomos or +Gregory Palamas let alone the common run of sinners who humble themselves in churches and monasteries to understand?
Why yes, Alamo girl can! !.
3 reasons:
1.Unity
2.Prophecy (Thus saith the Lord)
3. Power, authority
“1.Unity”
With whom? Clearly not The Church; something newer then?
“2.Prophecy (Thus saith the Lord)”
By whom about what?
“3. Power, authority”
From whom to whom and how?
(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. - Romans 11:8
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. - Matthew 13:9
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. – Matthew 13:10-13
Please consider yourself pinged to 2746.
Like I said, I take it YOU can? :)
2:Prophecy: Revelation from God to His prophets, divine pathos: all prophecy points to Christ and ends in Christ
3: Power and authority: the power contained in the Gospel of Christ to change lives, to change the world.
The gospel of John, or according to John does not affect the message of John. The book is not history or a biography of Jesus. It is pure theology, and written for theological reasons.
Yes, any grade school “scientist” can dissect a mouse. The trick is in putting it back together again.
It is through love for one another that must always be the first step for protestants and Catholic/Orthodox or any group to have open dialog.
That said,I find illogical for anyone to try and compare Joseph Smith,Ron L Hubbard to the Dogmatic teaching of the Catholic Church.
You further go on to say..
“”To me, all of the doctrines and traditions of men – all of them across the board - are broken cisterns that can hold no water.””
Can you imagine where we would be today if the Catholic Church had NOT made the Divinity of Christ and Trinitarian Baptism and many other things Dogmatic, thus “concrete truth”?
You already have groups like Joseph Smith (who you felt compelled to compare to Catholic teaching) who deny the Divinity of Christ.
I thank God for the Dogmatic teaching of the Church that makes things “concrete” to protect against mass heresies from arising.
AMEN!
“1. Unity: the bible is One book. there is One God and One revelation of that God. There is One Shepherd, and One flock.
2:Prophecy: Revelation from God to His prophets, divine pathos: all prophecy points to Christ and ends in Christ
3: Power and authority: the power contained in the Gospel of Christ to change lives, to change the world.
The gospel of John, or according to John does not affect the message of John. The book is not history or a biography of Jesus. It is pure theology, and written for theological reasons.”
Just so I get this straight, lest I accuse anyone of something they neither believe nor claim, are you saying that the foregoing is why AG can discern the very words of God from those of +John, or +Luke etc? Is she assuredly part of that One Flock? Is she a prophet? Does a life changed by familiarity with the Gospels necessarily empower one to spot God’s words among the background noise of other Apostolic writings? :)
INDEED.
A bit rushed so no detailed response. I just agree with all you said.
Incredibly sobering, imho.
Seems like the globalist puppet masters have mostly selected actors for quite some time . . . folks who are very maleable, directable, controllable . . . who’s only claim to fame is intense identification with the globalists traitorous goals and methods. Shrillery is the perfect example. Obumma is not far behind. And McChurian is not that far behind Obumma.
And still some folks think it’s just another bona fide election instead of a huge charade.
That EARS TO HEAR issue is going to increasingly be a life or death issue in this sphere literally; as it has always been vis a vis eternal life.
God has been putting broken souls and bodies back together for quite a long time. Quite easy enough for Him who’s Word is the paragon example of obedient action in this time/space dimension and every other . . . poured forth.
NARROW, RIGID, DOGMATIC
assumptions, presumptions, fabrications, fantasies, extrapolations, inferences
based on . . . faint fog, sky hooks and quick sand
are common to most RELIGIOUS groups sooner or later—the longer they exist, the worse it tends to get.
It’s shocking the numbers of RC edifice folks who are blind to such a common human and group phenomena.
I know there are RC edifice sociologists and psychologists. I guess it must be selective teaching as well as selective perception and rubberized texts.
Oh, yes, the God's mouthpiece in flesh.
Yes, the words of God. When you ascribe John 6:63 to the Apostle John and not God, it shows the impassable divide between us.
I don't know what Bible you use, but all the bibles I have seen say Accoding to John, not Accodring to God. Now you are re-writing the Bible too?
Let me see: so far we have a self-appointed mouthpiece of God, and now changing the Bible, by being "inspired," I presume?
Again you demand physical proofs of the Spirit
I am simply responding to your matter-of-fact claims. If you can't back up your claims, keep them to yourself, or simply state them as your belief and not a fact.
T_c: If this were the case then God could never had revealed himself. This has never been the position of the Church
Wrong. The Church always taught that God is incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, eternal, etc., in other words something other than creation.
God condescends to reveal himself mediated through the categories of the human mind...God is so very different from the ‘categories’ of the human mind that He isn’t even ‘one’ the way we usually think of ‘one’*** If this were the case then God could never had revealed himself. This has never been the position of the Church. God condescends to reveal himself mediated through the categories of the human mind...
Yes, God did condescend (finally, after the Jews failed Him over and over), by taking on the human nature and appearing to us as a rather unlikely man, poor, born of a teenage unwed mother, almost as a reminder than that our fancy should not "create" God the way we want Him to be.
BTW, the Old Testament God was abything but condescending.
and not that we can utterly know his essence but we certainly are capable of knowing of his nature...
That's an oxymoron. Nature and essence are one and the same thing. We can enver know His essence/or nature.
otherwise we could say nothing about him.
What we can say about God is what the believers hold was revealed. No single word can describe Him, nor can a thousand words descirbe Him. Nothing can describe Him.
But there is really very little we can say about God as He really is.
I referenced the Bible. I know you reference the Bible when it fits your purposes and trash it when it hurts but I don’t engage in such incoherent logic
Nothing in the bible says anything that you concocted.
I don't trash the Bible. I call it the way it is. I don't worship it as some do.
kosta: But, that’s not our theology, as t_c claims.
t_c: My post showed the logical conclusions of holding to the freedom of man and it still holds, to your chagrin
Your logical conclusion is wrong. It does not accurately describe our theology.
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