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."
Maybe because he said so?
Sad
Yes, indeed, jumping to conclusions is sad.
Okay, what abut people by whose "fruits" you recognize Christ in them and they are not even Christian?
Oh, boy! Please explain what did this "time" measure? Don't you know that eternity is "timelessness?"
Taoists say "Life is the way it is even if you don't understand it." and if God is not rational(measured by our stick)? What are you going to do about it? Hold your breath?
Or don't you believe that?
All believers are the lively stones of His congregation.
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." -- 1 Peter 2:5-10"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
If one takes on the role of clergy, then there are many things that one must take on above and beyond the role of laity.
The role of the clergy is clearly spelled out in Scripture, and it does not include anything about being "another Christ" or sacrificing Christ anew with every worship service.
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." -- Ephesians 4:11-16"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Who are these Saints,Dear Sister?
I have been told by other protestants that all who believe in Christ are Saints
Is Saint Irenaues,Saint Polycarp,Saint Ignatius,Saint Athanasius “perfected” Saints in your mind?
They all taught completely opposite of John Calvin and protestant teaching on Eucharist and the Catholic Church.
Do you think God allows a Saint to be a lier or is God truth?
Either the Saints I mentioned are TRUE Saints and John Calvin is Not a Saint from Christ or vice versa, or God is NOT truth.
Take your Choice?
Dear Saint, even a saint can be wrong, after all, they are only human :>)
I agree.
I may also add... that a Saint is not a pluralist,Dear Brother.
Christianity is unconditional love, even if it means being being separated from the ones you love, because TRUTH is being willing to accept God's will for those who you love and withstand persecution for it even though we might not understand it at the time..
This ,my Dear Brother is what Saints are.
***I may also add... that a Saint is not a pluralist,Dear Brother.***
???????
That's just how God has purposed life to be -- for His glory and the merciful welfare of His family.
As hosepipe is wont to say, Jesus Christ didn't come to establish a religion but a family. Indeed, that is the flow of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
God didn't "need" this heaven and earth, we the adopted children needed it to prepare as members of His family in the new heaven and earth.
To God be the glory!
That was an excellent post as well as your complement to it.
God, as the ground of all being, means there is no such thing as brute or chance facts.
All facts have their basis in Providence.
Why? If the Holy Spirit indwells whomsoever He will, of what use is your witness? If you witness to the elect, that is of no use, since the HS will indwell at His timetable. If you witness to the non elect, are you taunting them with what they cannot have?
We are to share the Gospel because Christ sent us to do so. God uses us as His instruments to preach the word so that others can hear. Those who were predestined will eventually believe. ....... If I preach to a non elect, then it is not a taunt because my witness will be nonsense to him. In addition, as Irish said, we can never know whether we are witnessing to an elect or not. We are commanded to witness to everyone.
There is a huge difference between the reality of the world and what you believe. If you believe something to be true, then shouldn’t you ought to state it that way?
I believe that if I drop a hammer it will fall. I know that the faith God gave me in our Lord Jesus Christ is true. How's that? :)
Exactly to prepare.. Human life "IS" a preparation, a testing..
Not that God needs to know but that WE need to know who we are..
This human experience tests us for our proclivities and quails..
We sort ourselves into groups as herds, flocks, pods and gaggles..
With as much selectivity as any animal, bird or insect..
Yes some humans prefer the Hive.. with drones, queens and workers..
We as humans are being tested whether we like it or not..
Even atheists, agnostics, and pagans of all sort..
All self sorting themselves into groups..
Its quite wonderful really.. God has to do nothing but monitor it..
[ God didn’t “need” this heaven and earth, we the adopted children needed it to prepare as members of His family in the new heaven and earth. ]
Exactly to prepare.. Human life “IS” a preparation, a testing..
Not that God needs to know but that WE need to know who we are..
This human experience tests us for our proclivities and quails..
We sort ourselves into groups as herds, flocks, pods and gaggles..
With as much selectivity as any animal, bird or insect..
Yes some humans prefer the Hive.. with drones, queens and workers..
We as humans are being tested whether we like it or not..
Even atheists, agnostics, and pagans of all sort..
All self sorting themselves into groups..
Its quite wonderful really.. God has to do nothing but monitor it..
= = =
INDEED.
***On what basis do you accept that the Bible is the word of God? On the basis of your faith that it is!***
No, I base it on the activity of the revealed triune God not the abstract god of the greeks. Because God revealed himself and those facts are known through Scripture I can trust his promises. The a priori lies only within the self-revealing God. Without the triune God as the starting point all other (natural) theologies must start with man and are nothing more than tail chasing.
***No, that’s only Church phobia that so many Protestants seem to suffer from. The Greek Church makes no such claims. However, the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church is the Church that defined Christain God as Divine Trinity, and Christ as one Person, in two natures.***
Ya, that’s an example of tail chasing.
Don't be distorting things now. FK said there was a time before the earth existed. What "time?"
I have seen more "refuse" in Christians then in any other faith because they pretend to be "like Christ," possessed of the Holy Spirit and what not, and being like Ann Coulter. I, certainly, do not exclude myself in that group. We all do things we preach others shouldn't!
Those who are not Chirstians are just who they are. They have no reason to be Christ-like. Christians have no excuse. But, I have not recognized Christ in 99.99% of Christians, and the 0.001% that may be, I have not met.
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