since I posted on here. Sorry for the lengthy break! Hopefully I'll be back to post more things about what I've learned more often :) I've had a great summer so far! Josh and I moved into a new apartment that is so spacious! 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms! It's simply a blessing from God! Other than that...I've just ignored my blog. :)
I'm almost finished reading the book "Why Small Groups?" by C.J. Mahaney. It's been a good book...a bit too charismatic for me, but good nonetheless. Here are some highlights: A church should be made up of small groups, small groups should hold each other accountable, sin/issues should be confronted in a private, loving and gentle way, the leaders should be qualified, and the members should be prepared and willing to participate in the group. Those are very vague highlights, but if you want to know more ask, or read it yourself :)
For now that is all...at some point I'll try to write more about what God has taught me! I thank God, though, for providing a way of salvation and opening my eyes to understand His word!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
2 Timothy 4:1-5
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Is this the pattern of the "church" today, heaping up teachers that turn them aside to fables? Sadly, yes it is! I read this in my quiet time this morning and just thought I'd share!
Is this the pattern of the "church" today, heaping up teachers that turn them aside to fables? Sadly, yes it is! I read this in my quiet time this morning and just thought I'd share!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Mr. Newton on Election
I got this from a lady that befriended me on facebook. I do not know her, except that through our common bond of Christ we have a lot in common. She is daily exhorting her friends and imparting scripture and quotes from godly men. This is a note she posted and therefore I am posting it! I loved it!
John Newton used to tell a story, and laugh at it, too, of a good woman who said, in order to prove the doctrine of election, "Ah! sir, the Lord must have loved me before I was born, or else He would not have seen anything in me to love afterwards." I am sure it is true in my case; I believe the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love. So I am forced to accept that great Biblical doctrine. I recollect an Arminian brother telling me that he had read the Scriptures through a score or more times, and could never find the doctrine of election in them. He added that he was sure he would have done so if it had been there, for he read the Word on his knees. I said to him, "I think you read the Bible in a very uncomfortable posture, and if you had read it in your easy chair, you would have been more likely to understand it. Pray, by all means, and the more, the better, but it is a piece of superstition to think there is anything in the posture in which a man puts himself for reading: and as to reading through the Bible twenty times without having found anything about the doctrine of election, the wonder is that you found anything at all: you must have galloped through it at such a rate that you were not likely to have any intelligible idea of the meaning of the Scriptures."
A quote from Spurgeon:
"Whatever may be said about the doctrine of election, it is written in the Word of God as with an iron pen, and there is no getting rid of it. To me, it is one of the sweetest and most blessed truths in the whole of revelation, and those who are afraid of it are so because they do not understand it. If they could but know that the Lord had chosen them, it would make their hearts dance for joy."
Praise God! As Newton so plainly put it, "I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love."
John Newton used to tell a story, and laugh at it, too, of a good woman who said, in order to prove the doctrine of election, "Ah! sir, the Lord must have loved me before I was born, or else He would not have seen anything in me to love afterwards." I am sure it is true in my case; I believe the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love. So I am forced to accept that great Biblical doctrine. I recollect an Arminian brother telling me that he had read the Scriptures through a score or more times, and could never find the doctrine of election in them. He added that he was sure he would have done so if it had been there, for he read the Word on his knees. I said to him, "I think you read the Bible in a very uncomfortable posture, and if you had read it in your easy chair, you would have been more likely to understand it. Pray, by all means, and the more, the better, but it is a piece of superstition to think there is anything in the posture in which a man puts himself for reading: and as to reading through the Bible twenty times without having found anything about the doctrine of election, the wonder is that you found anything at all: you must have galloped through it at such a rate that you were not likely to have any intelligible idea of the meaning of the Scriptures."
A quote from Spurgeon:
"Whatever may be said about the doctrine of election, it is written in the Word of God as with an iron pen, and there is no getting rid of it. To me, it is one of the sweetest and most blessed truths in the whole of revelation, and those who are afraid of it are so because they do not understand it. If they could but know that the Lord had chosen them, it would make their hearts dance for joy."
Praise God! As Newton so plainly put it, "I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love."
A Call for Discernment
I wanted to post a link to a sermon by John Macarthur that I recently listened to. It is the first of 3 parts. I am only posting the first part, as that is all I've listened to thus far. I am sharing this, because it basically summarizes why we must be so strong on doctrine. It explains why it's so important to know scripture and doctrine as Christians! It's something I used to think was only important for pastors to know, but have realized that many pastors today lack a basic understanding of theology. It's sad! Therefore, I am sharing the treasure I have found in this sermon! Please listen...it's only an hour. I have it on CD and listen in the car. I would love to hear what you think!
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/52-32
I apologize for being so absent on my blog recently. It has been a whirlwind of a month and I'm still not at the point where I have time to really sit down and impart to you what I've been reading. School will be out in 8 days and I think after that I'll have some time to share :) In the meantime, I'll update when I can!
Oh, and John Macarthur's sermons are now ALL free on his grace to you website! You can hear a sermon on just about any scripture....well, not all, but a lot! Enjoy!
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/52-32
I apologize for being so absent on my blog recently. It has been a whirlwind of a month and I'm still not at the point where I have time to really sit down and impart to you what I've been reading. School will be out in 8 days and I think after that I'll have some time to share :) In the meantime, I'll update when I can!
Oh, and John Macarthur's sermons are now ALL free on his grace to you website! You can hear a sermon on just about any scripture....well, not all, but a lot! Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
I'm still here...
but I've been super busy! I just got back from Texas and with 18 days of school left I'm finding it hard to have the time to write on here. I will be finished with Repentance next week! It's been a long book, but very sobering and humbling! In small group we will be reading a new book the week after which I will probably post about then. I just wanted to let you readers know, if there are any, that I am still alive!
Any interesting reading you've been doing?
Any interesting reading you've been doing?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
View of God
Have you ever truly stopped to think about your view of God? I think there are many people in America who have a view of God far from what the bible says He is like. The reason I bring this up, is because I've been reading more in Repentance and it was brought up to me. The idea that some people think they worship the true and living God, but it's only a mere idol that has only a few of the many qualities of God, is truly sad. These are some questions that God posed to Job to help open his eyes to who he is and how Sovereign God is:
#1 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? (Job 38:4)
#2 Did you set the dimensions of the earth and draw the plans by which it was created? (38:5)
#3 On what were the foundations of the earth set? (38:6a)
#4 Who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (38:6b)
#5 Who shut the sea behind doors and keeps it from bursting forth and flooding the land? (38:8-11)
#6 Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the ends of the earth? (38:12-15)
#7 Have you ever journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked the ocean floors of Planet Earth? (38:16)
#8 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or even the shadow of death? (38:17)
#9 To what extent do you understand the vast expanse of the earth? (38:18)
#10 What direction should you take to the abode of light? And darkness where is its place? What path would you take to its territory? (38:19-21)
#11 Have you ever entered the storehouses of the snow or ever seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserved for the time of distress, for the days of war and battle? (38:22-23)
#12 Which direction should you take to reach the place where the lightning is dispersed? (38:24a)
#13 From whence are the east winds scattered over the earth? (38:24b)
#14 Who cuts the channel for the torrent of rain or makes way for the thunderstorm to bring rain on a land without people or a desert without a man in it, to satisfy the waste and desolate land and to make the seeds of grass to sprout? (38:25-27)
#15 Does the rain have a father, and who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb has the ice come and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? Are you the one who makes ice hard like stone and imprisons the fish under the winter ice? (38:28-30)
#16 Do you control the planets? Can you bind the chains of Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, and guide the Bear with her satellites? (38:31-32)
#17 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? (38:33a)
#18 To what extent do you understand and control natural law or fix its rule over earth? (38:33b)
#19 Can you speak to the clouds and produce rain? (38:34)
#20 Are the lightning bolts subject to you? (38:35)
#21 Do you endow the heart with wisdom or the mind with understanding? (38:36)
#22 Can you tell how much water the clouds hold, and can you dip out the exact amount needed when the earth is dry? (38:37-38)
#23 Do you feed the wild lions and satisfy their needs and desires? (38:39-40)
#24 Can you assume responsibility for the food of the ravens? (38:41)
#25 Do you know every occasion when a mountain goat gives birth? (39:1a)
#26 Are you the one who observes each time a doe drops her fawn? Or do you even know when they will do so? Do you know when the fawn leaves home for the first time? (39:1b-4)
#27 Were you the one who set the wild donkeys free and provided their roaming places? (39:5-8)
#28 Will the wild ox willingly consent to serve you? And when you invite him to spend the night in your manger, does he gladly come? When he is finally harnessed to your plow, can you take a long rest while he does your work? (39:9-12)
#29 Did you make the ostrich what it is? (39:13-18)
#30 Did you design the horse with its mane and provide him with strength? (39:19-25)
#31 Was it your skill by which the hawk was created, and were you the one who taught him his wondrous abilities in flight? (39:26)
#32 Does the eagle fly at your command, and is it at your instigation that he makes his nest on high? (39:27-30)
Then in verses 40:1-5, Job is left speechless and then the Lord continues asking questions through verse 34. Then Job, left speechless and with a heart that sunk, concedes to God's authority and character and repents in dust and ashes.
I think this is a beautiful portrait of how God is completely sovereign. Man is nothing. Our control apart from Christ is limited to a bondage of sin. Our view of God is imperative to our salvation. If we think that we are even slightly above God we are not converted. Our right place is beneath God, our Creator! We must bow to Him, not the other way around. What an amazing few chapters to meditate on and to humble us! Our God truly is amazing!
#1 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? (Job 38:4)
#2 Did you set the dimensions of the earth and draw the plans by which it was created? (38:5)
#3 On what were the foundations of the earth set? (38:6a)
#4 Who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (38:6b)
#5 Who shut the sea behind doors and keeps it from bursting forth and flooding the land? (38:8-11)
#6 Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the ends of the earth? (38:12-15)
#7 Have you ever journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked the ocean floors of Planet Earth? (38:16)
#8 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or even the shadow of death? (38:17)
#9 To what extent do you understand the vast expanse of the earth? (38:18)
#10 What direction should you take to the abode of light? And darkness where is its place? What path would you take to its territory? (38:19-21)
#11 Have you ever entered the storehouses of the snow or ever seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserved for the time of distress, for the days of war and battle? (38:22-23)
#12 Which direction should you take to reach the place where the lightning is dispersed? (38:24a)
#13 From whence are the east winds scattered over the earth? (38:24b)
#14 Who cuts the channel for the torrent of rain or makes way for the thunderstorm to bring rain on a land without people or a desert without a man in it, to satisfy the waste and desolate land and to make the seeds of grass to sprout? (38:25-27)
#15 Does the rain have a father, and who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb has the ice come and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? Are you the one who makes ice hard like stone and imprisons the fish under the winter ice? (38:28-30)
#16 Do you control the planets? Can you bind the chains of Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, and guide the Bear with her satellites? (38:31-32)
#17 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? (38:33a)
#18 To what extent do you understand and control natural law or fix its rule over earth? (38:33b)
#19 Can you speak to the clouds and produce rain? (38:34)
#20 Are the lightning bolts subject to you? (38:35)
#21 Do you endow the heart with wisdom or the mind with understanding? (38:36)
#22 Can you tell how much water the clouds hold, and can you dip out the exact amount needed when the earth is dry? (38:37-38)
#23 Do you feed the wild lions and satisfy their needs and desires? (38:39-40)
#24 Can you assume responsibility for the food of the ravens? (38:41)
#25 Do you know every occasion when a mountain goat gives birth? (39:1a)
#26 Are you the one who observes each time a doe drops her fawn? Or do you even know when they will do so? Do you know when the fawn leaves home for the first time? (39:1b-4)
#27 Were you the one who set the wild donkeys free and provided their roaming places? (39:5-8)
#28 Will the wild ox willingly consent to serve you? And when you invite him to spend the night in your manger, does he gladly come? When he is finally harnessed to your plow, can you take a long rest while he does your work? (39:9-12)
#29 Did you make the ostrich what it is? (39:13-18)
#30 Did you design the horse with its mane and provide him with strength? (39:19-25)
#31 Was it your skill by which the hawk was created, and were you the one who taught him his wondrous abilities in flight? (39:26)
#32 Does the eagle fly at your command, and is it at your instigation that he makes his nest on high? (39:27-30)
Then in verses 40:1-5, Job is left speechless and then the Lord continues asking questions through verse 34. Then Job, left speechless and with a heart that sunk, concedes to God's authority and character and repents in dust and ashes.
I think this is a beautiful portrait of how God is completely sovereign. Man is nothing. Our control apart from Christ is limited to a bondage of sin. Our view of God is imperative to our salvation. If we think that we are even slightly above God we are not converted. Our right place is beneath God, our Creator! We must bow to Him, not the other way around. What an amazing few chapters to meditate on and to humble us! Our God truly is amazing!
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