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."
I want to thank you for this post and your previous one on this thread, which I believe are examples of an authentic Christian approach to these kind of “discussions”.
I have noticed in the past that you have shown this attitude and I commend you for it. You provide a light in the darkness.
What kind of guppy gobbler are you?
Don’t you know the Catholic Church came up with the Creeds so they wouldn’t have to let the illiterate peasants read the Bible ;o)
sorry, my mistake.
**Such a relief, eh, Gamecock? 8~)**
Only in that I thought that I had missed something. I didn’t think that I saw you paperwork over at Calvinist Swarm Central.
How can it go astray at all?
However, the OPC still publishes the complete 1646 version and there is nothing in its by-laws that forbids the use of the earliest Confession.
I and many others prefer its clarity. But in no way does it effect one's salvation, one's membership in Christ's church, or in our Scriptural understanding of God's purpose in our lives.
Here's a quick run-down of the American revisions to the original English/Scottish Westminster Confession for anyone who's interested. (Remember we Americans are an ecumenical bunch, even sometimes to the detriment of the truth.)
And Mark, I am just thrilled you continue to show such interest in the WCF which, IMO, is second only to the Bible and then Calvin's Institutes as the finest reiteration of God's will and word ever written.
Keep reading it. And please remember that salvation isn't in the letter of the law, or in punctuation or syntax, but in God's mercy alone. The WCF doesn't save anyone. Christ alone saves the fallen sinner.
He's not the one that said
I'd much rather be silly than blasphemously believe the Word of God only gains effectiveness with approval of man.YOU are...
riiiight.
Then I pointed you to the one “dopey enough”.
Sorry, I thought the inference was clear. my bad.
No, see I KNOW he's not dopey enough to believe that, so I'm wondering who'd think he did.
A lot of PD sufferers can't deal with distinctions and nuance. A few months back a Catholic was upset because I was explaining sin, penance, and purgation by comparing it to injury and physical therapy. She couldn't wrap her mind around the concept of an unofficial comparison shedding light on official doctrine. Too subtle.
In general unanticipated distinctions are derided as "parsing", nit-picking, and "logic-chopping". Outside this forum I've encountered narcissistic PD victims who cannot tolerate and get abusive in the face of a distinction they didn't think of first.
Here the concept of the one, holy, universal, and chosen as Christ 's body, representative, and agent to the world assembly of God being as Spirit-Filled as the Bible is not only one with which there is disagreement (fair enough) but one which is simply inconceivable to the S-E/STS sufferers.
who’d think he did what?
For clarification: please, what are “PD sufferers”?
Thanks for reminding me . . . about having to add one to the growing list of attributes I’m seen to have by some . . .
—apostate
—on another world
—committed to an asylum
—a sodomite
—a friend of dogs with fleas
—having only a passing interest in the [UN]rubberized Bible
—psychopathology
—self-delusional mind
—psychopath
All wonderful examples of archetypal Marion EARTH MOTHER’s warmth and charity brought graciously to my attention by the kind ministrations of the RC magicsterical reps hereon.
Thanks indeed. The points do add up bit by bit!
And in addition—the mirth provided—what a bonus!
You know, I can’t wait till you publish for peer review, but I don’t think your paper will be well received by the general freepulation.
Should be interesting to see the answer.
Could take one of two likely choices . . . will see if the FREEPMAILED one gets owned.
But then, you could check the list of my purported attributes out just above.
....sodomite?
I’m still a bit puzzled how anyone came to that conclusion.
LOL.
Maybe it was projection. I don’t even recall who the poster was on any of them except the last one . . . which was by FREEPMAIL.
Thankfully, I’m rather . . . extremely celebate! LOL.
However, once the mirth dies down . . . the judgments are sobering business. Folks seem to generally fail to realize the hazards they call down on themselves for unfitting, flesh-driven, critical judgments. Very sobering.
S-E paranoia?
In virtually any other context, I would presume “PD sufferers” to mean those Christians who have suffered in a church infected by the “Purpose Driven” cancer.
***archetypal Marion EARTH MOTHER***
Excellent discription. Spot on.
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