I'm studying about 50 feet away from a meeting of the Jewish Club here at USF Tampa. They're discussing the intrinsic moral value of a human being with the hardest feat of having to shed light from Jewish law on complex modern medical issues. Mostly all of their conversations are on the Jewish Law. I recognize that I'm on the outside looking in and am completely ignorant of modern Jeudeism (apart from Biblical Jeudeism, of which I'm fairly familiar as I've read the Bible cover to cover now).
One strong noticeable thought comes to mind from their conversations: their impervious, incessant devotion to the Jewish law is absurd. I'm not Anti-semitic and am a lover and friend of Israel. However, the Jewish people today, largely unregenerate, have become an enemy to the Gospel by rejecting Jesus. I don't care about being politically correct at all when I say this: they waste their time in their devotion to the law. Take the pharisees. They in John 19:31-33 asked that the legs of those who were crucified be broken. Why? Jesus was crucified the day before the Sabbath day. It was the Day of Preparation, and it would have broken the Jewish laws pertaining to the Sabbath day. And that parrticular Sabbath day was the Passover Week. So, breaking their legs would have caused them to die more quickly.
Isn't it funny that the sign that hung above Jesus was, "JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS"? He is still King of the Jews. However, isn't it funny that they were murdering their own King, purposefully, and yet were completely scrupulous about keeping the Jewish law?
It's funny that they're the only other people on the face of the earth other than Christians who can truthfully say, as this Rabbi is saying over and over, "The Bible! The Bible says..." I'm hearing the Rabbi say things like... "Whether it's an energy or whether it's a spirit, something isn't physically functioning. A healthy, fit body..." "There is a goodness in living even if it is seemingly distraught (sp?) We cannot be cavalier or selfish in living this life... We see that when people are focused and living for themselves, it takes apart and divides and ultimately [inaudible]. ...And we act compassionately towards one another because we see the struggle of one another. We don't take life for granted... Our actions make a better world..."
There's a lack of centrality... a lack of purpose... in these words. They're humanistic. They're people-centered. They appear to be just axiomatic, worldly truths that anyone knows. There's more human in these words than biblical truth. There's no God in their speech, just law...
In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think biblically.
First Thessalonians 5:21-22 teaches that it is the responsibility of every Christian to be discerning: "But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." The apostle John issues a similar warning when he says, "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). According to the New Testament, discernment is not optional for the believer-it is required.
The key to living an uncompromising life lies in one's ability to exercise discernment in every area of his or her life. For example, failure to distinguish between truth and error leaves the Christian subject to all manner of false teaching. False teaching then leads to an unbiblical mindset, which results in unfruitful and disobedient living-a certain recipe for compromise.
Unfortunately, discernment is an area where most Christians stumble. They exhibit little ability to measure the things they are taught against the infallible standard of God's Word, and they unwittingly engage in all kinds of unbiblical decision-making and behavior. In short, they are not armed to take a decidedly biblical stand against the onslaught of unbiblical thinking and attitudes that face them throughout their day.
Discernment intersects the Christian life at every point. And God's Word provides us with the needed discernment about every issue of life. According to Peter, God "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3). You see, it is through the "true knowledge of Him," that we have been given everything we need to live a Christian life in this fallen world. And how else do we have true knowledge of God but through the pages of His Word, the Bible? In fact, Peter goes on to say that such knowledge comes through God's granting "to us His precious and magnificent promises" (2 Peter 1:4).
Discernment -- the ability to think biblically about all areas of life -- is indispensable to an uncompromising life. It is incumbent upon the Christian to seize upon the discernment that God has provided for in His precious truth! Without it, Christians are at risk of being "tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14).
The jihad against Rifqa is the same violent ideology that mowed down the righteous men and women at Fort Hood. Would General Casey worry about insulting Muslim sensibilities by attempting to keep safe victims of apostasy fatwas and honor killings?
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR RIFQA: STAND FOR FREEDOM OF RELIGION. JOIN THE RALLY FOR RIFQA NOVEMBER 16.
Please listen as John MacArthur, at his finest, defends the Gospel message against people in false religions:
These people need to hear this message, desperately:
Don't you see the absolute need for the Gospel? These people are enslaved to false religion... If we don't go out of our way to share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they'll remain enslaved to false religion and the foolishness associated. It's not enough to just 'live the Christian life amidst the world,' because the Bible calls us to actively deliver to them the Gospel verbally (see Matthew 28, Luke 24, Mark 16), and to audibly share with them the truth of the crucifixion of Christ, that He was dying to provide a way to escape God's wrath at the expense of His own human life. He offered His soul a sacrifice for sin! He didn't just live a good life in front of people, He told them the truth that set them FREE!
10-04-2009 12:43 AM I'm still up at 12:43 in the morning. I took my MCAT diagnostic at the Tampa Campus and got a 15. Physics is the lowest section I scored in. I won't allow my heart to feel the slightest anxiety anymore. I'm going to believe my Savior. I can trust in Him because, though I fail, He never fails. I can trust Him with the prayers I pray and I know that He'll do all that His servants request of Him -- after all, it's His will! The servant serves. The servant does what He's trained to do. serve. He knows what to do, and all that's left for him is to do it. Sufficient to the day is its own trouble. Therefore, I won't worry about tomorrow - tomorrow can worry about its own things. I'm going to be anxious to be prayerful today, and being faithful, knowing that it's the grace of God at work in me to accomplish these things. And His grace isn't in vain. At all. The lowest section was in Physics. I'm going to do what I did last night and sleep with my MCAT materials in my body. I must get intimately familiar with what God wills for me to do. Intimately involved. To develop a passion for what God wants me to do. I'll pray for it.
Something inside really clicked when reading Thomas Hale's description of the call to missions.
Should we still be sending missionaries? If the answer is "no," then you can skip the rest of this book. But, in fact, the answer is a resounding "yes." Whenever missionaries go on furlough they are likely to be asked to speak on the biblical basis of missions. It's as if people needed to be reassured that missions and missionaries were really necessary. After all, a lot of hard-earned money is flittering off int othose foreign lands, when what the church at home really needs is a new parking lot. Oddly, when it comes to defending their calling, missionaries themselves are among the most inarticulate. Many simplay say, "I was called." And that is the heart of it. It is not "we" who send missionaries' it is God. (Click) Throughout the Bible, God is revealed to be a sending God. He sent Abraham to the land of Canaan; he sent Joseph to Egypt; he sent Moses to resuce his people; and he sent prophet after prohpet to the Jews with both warnings and promises. Finally he sent John to announce the coming of the Messiah. And then he sent his Son. So, what about us? Does he send us too? The answer is "yes." Jesus told us to proay for workers fo rthe harvest fields. The workers are us. Jesus said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (Jn 20:21). And he means all of us. ... What did Jesus mean by saying, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you"? Certainly we are not sent as saviors. No, we are sent as servants. Jesus "did not come to be served, but to serve" (Mk 10:45). And, in the same way, he is sending us to serve. He is our example. After he had washed the disciples' feet, Jesus said to them, :I have set you an example..." (Jn 13:15).
...Why not just send money to support missionaries from th eThird World? They are a lot cheaper and usually more effective. True. Supporting a Third World missionary costs a fraction of what it costs to support a Western missionary, and the Third World Missionary is often (but by no means always) more effective in evangelism than his Western counterpart. But there are simply not ehough Third World missionaries to do the job alone - even given their increasing numbers. And there are many places Third World missionaries can't easily get to. Sending missionaries is the responsibility of the entire worldwide church: "All nations to all nations." Furthermore, if Western churches were to begin sending only checks, their vital commitment to missions would decrease. Our commitment will only be maintained by sending our own sons and daughters out as missionaries - and ourselves as well. God didn't send a check; he sent his son.
...It is God who opens doors. And he has opened more doors today than there are Christians ready to go through them.
-- Thomas Hale
You know... that whole sending a check idea...the Lord seems to have taught me that yesterday, as you can read in my previous blog. And that's such an important lesson. Money isn't a substitute for service. Money isn't a substitute for the true treasure that we can give to someone God is using us to minister to. Alongside it we can minister to them of the gifts God's given us to use. We can also just very practically give them a hand, which goes a long way. The Lord may not ever allow me to heal someone, but I can certainly carei for the sick when they're sick. I might not be able to put eyes in the heads of the blind as my Lord did because the Spirit doesn't need me to do that, but I can certainly show people the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Christian kindness, Christian love, Christian patience, any time of the day! And with these I'll offer myself to be used of the Lord in any capacity. Including Missions.
"From these [parables] we see that first-century masters expected their servants to do many menial tasks: gather and burn useless weeds and collct wheat into a barn (Matt 13:30), call invited gusts to a wedding feast (Matt 22:3), bund an improperly dressed wedding guest and throw him out (Matt 22:13), bring clothing and kill a fatted calf (Luke 15:22-23), plow and tend sheep (Luke 17:7), and serve food (Luke 17:8). God may expect us to do lowly, ignoble tasks. The servant does not choose his work, the master does. On the other hand, the master could assign ighly responsible jobs. Four times the parables mention tasks that involve authority: collect rent (Matt 21:34), be in the charge of a household (Matt. 24:45), and invest money (Matt 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27). Abraham sent Eliezer to get a bride for Isaac (Gen. 24:2-4). God may call upon His servants to do the lowest or the highest tasks. In four of the parables, the servants are pictured as taking intiiative and even volunteering service. In Matthew 13:27-28, the servants reported to the master after an enemy sowed weeds in his crop. The servants volunteered to pull them up. In another parable, a rich man demanded an accounting of an unjust manager. The manager excused large portions of the debts of his master's debtors (Luke 16:5-7), and so ingratiated himself with the debtors. The master commended his shrewdness. In the parables of the talents and the minas, the servants invested money. Initiative and shredness are commendable within the confines of obedience, both in the menial tasks of the parable of the weeds and in the responsible tasks of the parables of the talents and minas. Also implicit in these is that the good servants worked diligently."
I thought this was so great and I know that T. W. Hunt would appreciate reminding the Church of these important aspects of servanthood and God's Word, but I do want to adhere to copyright law, so please check out his book, The Mind of Christ, here: http://books.google.com/books?id=exsKAAAACAAJ &" title="http://books.google.com/books?id=exsKAAAACAAJ &" target="_blank"http://books.google.com/books...;dq=TW+Hunt&source=an &hl=en&ei=F-G2StC 4EIXO8Qb2isiTDw&sa=X& amp;oi=book_result&ct =result&resnum=4 I myself bought a copy from Amazon a long time ago. It sat on my shelf, but when I began to read it, God's used this man's teachings dramatically to change some of my more fleshly convictions. It'll certainly do this to you also as T. W. Hunt really delivers the Word in his teaching.
I just wrote out an entire blog on Christian giving and got half-way when the page reset. I was being too long-winded. Well, here are the most important parts.
Paul exhorted the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 8 to excel in giving and in another place highlighted how God enjoys a cheerful giver. However, giving isn't to be restricted to just money. I think the Church in the United States, including myself, has made a grave area for just giving money at times when Christian service is really what is needed. Monetary distribution is never to supercede servanthood distribution. I think it's why when in the Gospels Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan didn't just give the guy a bag of money and leave him on the side of the road to just pay for everything. No, he gave him a ride, he lead him to a place to stay, ensured it was safe and that his future needs would be taken care of, spent at least a night on his wounds and caring for him, probably gave him something to eat... that's much more than just a bag of shiny coins that only have 'potential' to help someone.
I think God's given me much more valuable things to give than just money. I'm convicted that I'm not a cheerful giver. I give very grudgingly many times. However, I desire not to just grow as someone who's pleased to give as God's pleased that I give, but to give fully of everything God's given me. My time, my witness of Jesus in teaching, the effort of my hands in servanthood, my participation as a friend or counselor, and yes, my money. But not just monetary value, but every value God's given me that I can share with a body of people. I think this witnesses of God's goodness greatly. My money's no good just sitting in the bank, I agree. And yes, money should be given, and cheerfully as the verse says. But, I'd rather see it in the hands of lost people as Bibles after I'd taken the time to share the Gospel with them. I'd rather see it on the faces of satisfied, full people after we shared a meal. I'd rather see it on the backs of people who couldn't clothe themselves.
I think that Christian service accompanied with monetary giving witnesses much more of the Gospel than just monetary giving alone. And it certainly doesn't replace or substitute it. This is a grace that we should abound in -- the grace of giving. 2 Corinthians 8 says that it includes service or ability.
2 Corinthians 8:1-6, "Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing,"
2 Corinthians 8:4-7, "imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. But as you abound in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us - see that you abound in this grace also."
I'm learning from Missions 101 at my church that missionaries don't just need money support. They don't just need material support. They also need prayer support and encouragement support or exhortation. They need letters of encouragement. And prayer, no spiritual work the Christian undertakes really gets done. Because we can do nothing of ourselves except we abide in the Vine, as Christ pointed out even from His own life. This also relates to that post I wrote a few months ago on the guy that fell over backwards in his head at Wal-Mart, wow.
This is why I no longer care to be wealthy at all. And don't plan on retiring as I originally thought of retiring - a vacation. God's given me much more valuable things to give than just money - and things to give than any amount of money can't really buy or prepare for me (like prayer, encouragement, and so forth). I freely give up the pursuit of riches for the pursuit of greater godliness in order to give things that have true eternal value (1 Tim. 4:8, etc.).
From what I've read so far, Reformed Theology is that system of scriptures that primarily teaches God's Sovereignty with comparison to Human Responsibility. So, a Reformed Christian is a Christian that believes that the Bible teaches the teachings (or doctrines) usually associated with the historical event of The Reformation. People who affirm Refo rmed Theology as what the Bible teaches have been traditionally called 'Calvinists.' Calvinism isn't a denomination of Christianity as one would think of Baptists, Methodists, Anabaptists, Assemblies of God, and so on. Rather, it's a system of thought or a theology, a way of reckoning the scriptures. So, you can have Christians who call themselves Reformed Baptists and so on (Christians in different denominations that affirm Reformed Theology). So, a Reformed Christian is someone who believes the Bible teaches teachings&nb sp;associated with the Reformation. This is sort of the same way we call ourselves Trinitarian. But we don't call Trinitarianism a particular denomination or group or class of Christians. Rather, a Trinitarian believes that the Bible teaches that God is triune.
Reformed Christians are traditionally called 'Calvinists' after a theologian named John Calvin, who wrote a work in Church History (The Institutes of the Christian Religion) that includes these teachings. He is recognized with these teachings because&nb sp;his particular treatment of them was so prolific and thought-through. Because of his book, his name is associated with these teachings as 'Calvinism.' However, Reformed Christianity didn't begin with John Calvin. Martin Luther, who is associated with starting Protestantism, was as Calvinist in his theology as John Calvin was! You can say the same about Augustine of Hippo, who lived in the 4th century many hundreds of years earlier. So, it would be an anachronistic fallacy to call it Calvinism and associated with men born before John Calvin. But, it is associated with the Reformation, the event in the history of Christianity, lead by Martin Luther, where the Church began to put an emphasis back on the Scripture's authority rather than the authority of church leaders. Even though Martin Luther was born 50 years or so before John Calvin, he said about Calvin and his works, "Now here's a theologian with hands and feet!" And this is the guy that was associated with starting Protestantism!
Think of it This Way: Most Christians in America today would think of themselves as Evangelical Christians. Do we really understand what Evangelicalism is? Evangelicalism - it is a protestant movement which began in my country, Great Britain, in the 1730s that considers its key characteristics to be: a belief in the need for personal conversion (or being "born again"); some expression of the gospel in effort; a high regard for biblical authority; and an emphasis on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Definition taken right from Wikipedia.)
So, an Evangelical is a Christian who puts an emphasis in four areas of their teaching or system of Bible-thought: (1) Conversion, (2) Activism, (3) Biblicism, and (4) Crucicentrism. This is the basis of Evangelicalism. These are four distinctives, or priorities, if you will, in their Bible-teaching. So, when listening to an Evangelical preacher's sermon many times you'll hear him very slowly creep into a message about how someone should be saved and come to Christ (because they emphasize (1) conversion), or you'll hear them all throughout their teaching basing their point on scripture (because they emphasize (3) Biblicism).
Now, let's look at Reformed Christianity, or Calvinist Christianity as it's often referred to: Since Reformed Christianity has an emphasis on the Sovereignty of God and Human Responsibility, its major distinctives or priorities are: (1) Total Depravity, (2) Unconditional Election, (3) Limited Atonement, (4) Irresistible Grace, and (5) Perseverance of the Saints. These are also called the 5 Points of Calvinism. So, someone who would say that these teachings are what the Bible says is sometimes called a 5 Point Calvinist. These teachings also have another historical name - the Doctrines of Grace. The word 'doctrine' just means teaching! So, the 'doctrine' of the Trinity just means 'the teaching of the Trinity.'
So, it's a form of Christianity that puts an emphasis on these five areas. There is a deep history that is associated with how we have these five emphases that I hope to describe in another post later on! But, in my next post I hope to very straightforwardly break down the 5 teachings of Calvinism and how a Reformed Christian derives these 5 teachings from Scripture. :-) Also, we'll delve into its heavy scriptural foundation and Biblical basis. For example, Evangelical Christianity is often associated with John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, and so on. Well, Reformed Christianity is associated with the bottom half of Romans 8, Romans 9, Romans 10, and Romans 11.
Introduction
I'm very gradually being introduced to Reformed Theology. So, this is meant to be a very loving introduction to Calvinism for everyone else, too. :-) I hope and pray that you are edified with the same loving care that God's shown me. Also, I've noticed that there really are no good introductions to Reformed Theology! It's really a shame because it descends from such a rich Christian heritage of loving pastors and teachers such as Charles Haddon Spurgeon, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, and so on.
However, there really is no way to be introduced to what it is or, from really searching around, know what it is without learning copious amounts of Church history or books on systems of theology and the like. So, as I'm introduced to it I'm going to try to track that progress and record it on my blog here. So this is really my introduction to Reformed Theology as well as an introduction I write for other fellow believers.
I'd like to also keynote the controversies it is causing today. I get that Calvinism gets a bad rep. today. However, mostly all of the 'bad' that I'm seeing is on the opposing side. I've seen a lot of hatred come from those who oppose Calvinism. And when I ask them why, they have no other reason than Calvinists themselves, their arguements against the theology or shallow or unbased, and/or they don't really know or understand what Calvinism is yet alone why its so bad. They just see its effects and judge it based on that.
However, I'd like to focus on Calvinism as a system of theology or thought and Calvinism or Reformed Theology in the Bible and what God has to say about the topic rather than just man. This is sorely needed, in my opinion. A lot of the troubles people are having with the reformed system of Bible-thought is that they think its alien to the scriptures and something being brought in, not many Calvinists are really supporting it from scripture but are primarily using Church History first before Scripture (when the Body of Christ responds best to the God-given Holy Bible and Church History to back it up, in priority), and are being told that they're to join the 'Calvinist' club -- not that this is a Bible-based teaching to be believed by all believers.
No one seems to be making things simple for everyone else! No one really knows the Five Point Teaching of Calvinism very well enough to give scriptural reasons for the teachings as to why it should be believed by all the Body! So, this is my attempt on digesting these teachings and showing why they're to be believed by the whole Body.
* I put the introduction at the bottom so that people would read the most important part of this blog first. I didn't want to scare anyone away by my introduction and get the wrong idea before they got the point of it - the definition.
Here's a poem I wrote when I was lost. I found among a bunch of papers for a book I attempted to write once, which started when I was in Middle School. Even the title of it is a Zinger.
Life Is a Fruitless Mobius
Lost in the quaint memory is he, the one that must Bear the pain. Fruitless memories of broken love And mind shattered of grave labor, to his disdain. An odessey, the journey of a nomad in search of Lucrative knowledge. His great pain known Only to Yahwey his ubiquitous father to whom Only he might acknowledge. Why does he waste His youth on the journey to stop for fruitless Adventures of delving in whimsical Lust? Opposites repulsed by his words that scoff at His purity in disgust. Long and treacherous is his Journey of endless formation. For success is not A destination but a journey nomadic for the Consumption of information; adventure forever Forever encircling, stopping not even for death. Odessey that surpasses time, crossing where it Began.
- Isaac D.
You even get a sense of my false view of who belongs to God and who can properly be called His 'child', my distorted view of God the Father, the vanity of my youth, my pursuit of riches and knowledge, my false view of success, my acknowledgement of death as my end, my awareness of my own sinfulness, my longing for some sort of a rest or comfort, my false view of self as good or pure, my brokenness of heart from not being able to find a mate and resorting to lust as a replacement, and the perpetuation of work and toil that I looked forward to as a dismall future for myself. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ that His death, burial, and resurrection was at work to change all of this and give me a lasting joy in walking with Him that changed everything!!! :-)
There's just nothing I can do... I feel completely helpless... Jesus save me from this present hour. And every other hour, for that matter.
When will it all end? This life is hard. :-( Life is amazing, especially eternal life. It is this world that's the main concern. People think I'm speakign in vain when I say that the only one who can save us from it is Jesus. But, that's the only realist perspective anyone can ever have... I turn to the only one who can ransom me from death and this world...
As a male, I must lift the toilet seat. Not just the cover, but the seat that has the hole in the center. Since I was a little child, I'd always wondered why this seat has to be lifted in addition to the cover because I hadn't given it much thought. But, raising this seat significantly increases accuracy due to the widened diameter of the bowl as opposed to the restrictions of just trying to shoot through the seat. Sure, at this age I may be able to shoot through the hole with great aim and reach my target destination with good results, but upon closer examination and inspection of the seat one notices the residual residues on the edges of the seat that reveal the flaws of even flawless accuracy and precision -- the toilet was engineered for males to lift the seat and use the widened bowl. The added circumference is necessary.
All of these things should be intuitive to a male of my stature -- 23 years, 5 months old. But, what if I didn't know any of these things? Would it be ludicrously laughable for a college-educated 23 year old male in a 21-century day and age to not know how to use the toilet or its many facets? What if I had lousy aim? What if I didn't know the seat cover from the seat? Shoot -- what if I didn't didn't know the toilet from the trash can sitting next to it and considered them equal? I think that this is the concept the writer of Hebrews had in mind when they penned by the Holy Spirit's authorship Hebrews 5 and 6:
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
Spiritual Immaturity
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will[a] do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away,[b] to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
Just as I should be well toilet-trained after 23 years of aiming and shooting through the hole, we Believers should be well-trained at a daily walk with Christ. It should be something so simple and so fine-tuned after so many days of practice that it is laughable and embarrassing if we don't know what we're doing or if we find someone who's fallen into carnality. Only babes are excepted. For anyone else in the body, why they should be a 'whiz' at walking with God (pun intended).
Quote from Charles H. Spurgeon (June 19, 1834 – January 31, 1892)
"Away from the old-fashioned belief of our forefathers because of the supposed discoveries of science. What is science? The method by which man tries to conceal his ignorance. It should not be so, but so it is. You are not to be dogmatical in theology, my brethren, it is wicked; but for scientific men, it is the correct thing. You are never to assert anything very strongly; but scientists may boldly assert what they cannot prove, and may demand a faith far more credulous than any we possess.
"Forsooth, you and I are to take our Bibles, and shape and mould our belief according to the ever-shifting teachings of so-called scientific men. What folly is this! Why, the march of science, falsely so-called, through the world, may be traced by exploded fallacies and abandoned theories. Former explorers, once adored, are now ridiculed; the continual exposure of false hypotheses is a matter of universal notoriety. You may tell where the learned have encamped by the debris left behind of suppositions and theories as plentiful as broken bottles. As the quacks, who ruled the world of medicine in one age, are the scorn of the next, so has it been, and so will it be, with your atheistical savants and pretenders to science . . .
"So the bubbles go on bursting, and meanwhile more are being blown, and we are expected to believe in whatever comes, and wait with open mouth to see what comes next. But we shall not just yet fall down and worship the image of human wisdom, notwithstanding all the flutes, harps, sackbuts, psalteries, dulcimers, weekly papers, quarterly reviews, and boastful professors. Show us a man of science worthy of the name, and then we will not follow him if he dares to oppose revealed truth; but show us one in whom the next generation will believe; at present, there is not one alive worthy to be compared with Newton and other master-minds reverent to the Scriptures, compared with whom these men are mere pretenders."
There are some that get offended by the fact that certain preachers preach against other people from the pulpit. On several occasions you can hear John MacArthur preach against certain false teachers by name, mentioning their errors concerning the faith and refuting them. People get angry and consider it making judgements about others.
Well, it is a judgement on others. However, it's a legal judgement when it's concerning their doctrine (or teaching) and their representation of the faith. Here is the first biblical reason why we are allowed to name names concerning false teachers. For example, in 1 Corinthians 5 Paul explains how the church of Corinth is not to keep company with people that are sexually immoral. These apply to people that are cohabitating with girlfriends, committing fornication, the married that are sleeping with someone other than their spouse, etcetera. But, in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 he offers a clarification - not people that don't profess Christianity. No, not the lost, but the saved! It's to be expected from the lost -- they don't know Christ, and we're attempting to witness the Gospel to them, and to live as shining examples of God's work of regeneration on the human heart to compliment our preaching. However, if someone is a professing believer and yet lives as though they were lost, Paul mentions in verse 12 that we certainly have the right to judge them. And we can apply this principle to anyone that professes to be a teacher of the faith. We can expect them to properly quote scripture, to give us the clear meaning of the text and not cut-and-paste different verses from certain places to force the Bible to say what it doesn't to vocalize their own message over the scriptures, using them as a means to their own agenda. We can expect them to not twist the scriptures. And that's why we can know the true from the false -- by the their fruit -- their actions and words (and this includes their teachings). We can name names and identify both false teacher and false teaching because we can expect true teaching or true, biblical doctrine from those who profess to be Christian teachers. We certainly have the right to judge the teaching of those who are preaching from the same Bible that declares the Gospel that saves us. They have to get it right. We certainly can judge those who are within the faith. Based on the principles behind 1 Corinthians 5, this is a right judgment. Paul says, Verse 12, "For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?" Verse 13, "But those who are outside God judges. [Quoting Deuteronomy] Therefore, 'put away from yourselves the evil person.'"
Anyone who teaches the Bible should be aware of this passage in James 3:1, "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." (And that's the NIV.) Anyone that picks up the Bible and begins to teach anything is expected to be fully aware of this passage and why it's there. They are fully aware of the implications. Bible teachers know that they face a stricter judgment -- they know not to preach anything false. So, when they err and put words in the mouth of Paul or any of the other New Testament writers or twist verses to say what the context of the entirety of those verses don't permit them to say -- we certainly have the right to point them AND their false teaching out. We certainly have the right to preach against their false teaching and to mention them by name. Because they should know better. We expect Bible teachers to know better -- how is it "[possible] for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age" to lead a life that sent Jesus to the cross in full rebellion against God? In the same way, how is it possible for those who say that they're a New Testament bible teacher to teach the body of Christ things that are false?
Jesus said there would be false teachers among us. (Matthew 7:15-20), "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits."
"Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
You can identify the false teacher by the false teaching. Someone's words are as much their fruit as their actions are their fruit. And if they're speaking falsely, we can identify them as either (1) a false teacher teaching false things to people, (2) as someone who's receiving teaching from someone teaching false things and doesn't know better, or (3) someone who is confused about the meanings of certain scriptures or is a new believer and just hasn't studied the passage carefully enough. The latter two: the uninformed or confused, can be excused, and simply needs some bible-based admonition and to be given some scriptural clarity on the matter. They can be pointed in the right direction. However, the false teacher isn't confused at all. They're deliberately deluding the people and preaching damnable heresies for ungodly reasons.
Here's another biblical reason why we can name names. The apostles named names.
These men didn't take false teachers lightly at ALL. They KNEW how destructive false teachers were.
Peter said in 2 Peter 2:1-3, "1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. "
'False words' rendered here by the NIV, or 'feigne d words' in some other translations, is plastos logos in Greek, plastos being the Greek word by which we get our word 'plastic.' It also means "moulded, formed, as from clay, wax, or stone." So it's like waxed fruit as compared to real fruit. So, a false teacher comes in sheep's clothing, using a sound bible teacher's vocabulary and choice of words, maybe even quoting a scripture hear and there. But, the heart of what they're saying doesn't agree with Jesus or His apostle's teaching or contradicts some aspect. Or, they'll only say positive-sounding things and leave out any sound teaching from their sermons. Or, they'll only mention something in passing without ever explaining it. There's no greater lie than a half-truth and by only telling us part of what God wants us to know their mouths are filled with lies and they fulfill these warnings of the apostles. They mention some aspect of the Gospel such as the death or resurrection of Jesus, but never exposit it and explain its meaning. They'll talk about Romans 3:23, but they'll never mention. Some avoid words like 'sin' and 'repentance' altogether. Some barely even quote the scriptures. With others, even when they quote scripture, it's out of place and they use the words of the text to agree with their message rather than preaching the scripture's meaning. This is called Eisegesis. They assign a meaning to a verse or choose scriptures that agree with what they want to say. Rather than exegesis (e-x-e-g-e-s-i-s), which is deriving the meaning from scripture rather than assigning a meaning to the scriptures, and preaching what God wants to say to the people. This is important because the major role of any pastor, teacher, evangelist, preacher, or proclaimer of the Gospel is to declare what scripture has to say to the 21st century listener. They are to properly interpret and explain scripture, not use it as a way to deliver a self-help message to soothe the itching ears of the congregation. To tell them what God has to say, not what the people want to hear. And certainly not to turn the Word of God into a cash-machine and only preach the parts that allow them to manipulate an audience of people into sending their ministry money, or as a means to gain as Peter mentions in 2 Peter 2. (Read 2 Peter 2:12-22.)
Paul named names. Here are some of the things Paul says about false teachers. 1 Timothy 6:3-5, "3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings[a] of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself."
2 Timothy 2:16-18, "But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some." Paul here mentions very clearly 2 false teachers AND their false teaching. The teaching was false because of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15. Paul hung everything of the faith on the one solitary peg of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:13-19 that "13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. " So, their false teaching was pretty serious. Paul named them by name and marked them and their heresy out in his epistle. Bible teachers teach the Bible. Gospel teaches teach the Gospel. If anyone who teaches the Gospel, they'll examine 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul explains his Gospel. Paul identified the resurrection as Gospel teaching, a principle teaching someone would believe if they professed to be saved in Romans 10:9. How can anyone deny it? Therefore, we can say with Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:12, "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?" Therefore, if we hear of anyone altering an essential teaching of the faith, be sure we can name them like Paul. Do it with boldness and authority!
In 1 John, Chapter 2 mentions specific teachings. John mentions in verse 22 of some denying the Son or denying the Father, specific false teachings. He says that they are antichrist and talks about the implications of denying the Son. And after that in Verse 26 says, "These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you." Why? Because if the people believed these false teachings, they wouldn't be saved. They'd worship an idol, a false Christ that had no power to save them from their sins, described from false teaching, because they willingly received from false teachers rather than believed the Gospel the apostles preached. John closes the epistle in Chapter 5, Verse 21, asking them to keep from idols. John himself names names. He mentions troublesome leaders in 3 John 1:9-10, "I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church." Yet, in his rebuttal to this he corrects the false behavior of Diotrephes in verse 11, "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God." People also have problems with quote enquote "comparing teachers" and saying which ones are good to listen to and which ones are bad (maybe because of a misunderstanding of 1 Corinthians Chapter 1). But, John does this and mentions a positive example of exempliary Christian behavior for them to follow (Demetrius) in verse 12, "Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone--and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true." It's not wrong at all -- true teaching is always to be distinguished from false teaching. If anyone of the open theistic, emergent church movement, oneness, or word-of-faith teachers suddenly publically repented from their respective heresies and began preaching solid biblical truth we would certainly have a biblical grounds to receive them and recommend them as bible teachers. We identify the teacher by the teaching, and not the reverse which would be the bias. If they're teaching truth we recommend them. If falsehood, we discourage others from running to them. This is exactly what Paul, Peter, and John did in their epistles when they mentioned names. We're not [intentionally] making fun of anyone's hairstyles, creepy smiles, face-lifts, or fashion sense, we're marking them out because they identify themselves by their false teachings or associate with those who are false teachers.
By naming names we seek to warn you of destructive heresies and false teachings. But, we hope that we can, like the Apostles, accompany our naming of names with the correction of their false teachers. We hope to teach the teachings of our Lord Jesus and the apostles with depth and clarity so you would know true teaching well and easily identify false teaching when you hear it, even without having heard of the false teacher. We ask as Peter asks in 2 Peter 3:1-2, paraphrasing, " Dear friends... I have written [my letters] as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles."
"My soul desires to feel itself more of a pilgrim and a stranger here, that nothing may divert me from pressing through the lonely desert." -- David Brainerd
(1) Scripture calls me to defend the faith. The scriptures say, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;" (1 Peter 3:15). We're commanded to defend our faith. Not in the world's means and methods of defense, such as with arguments and heavy, angry debates. But, with the ability which God supplies: with meekness and fear. The verse says to give a defense. This defense is to be given in response to someone asking the reason why we are waiting on the Lord Jesus. Why we consider ourselves saved by grace through faith not by works.
(2) So many believers today that do evangelism and witness of their faith avoid apologetics because they fear it will needlessly complicate the message they want to convey to their hearers. They avoid it because they think that with apologetics they would be "arguing someone into the kingdom" or that by using an apologetical reply they are making a conscious effort to "save" someone by their own means or power. And, I would agree with them, partly. The message shouldn't be complicated by needless intellectual arguments, absolutely. We want to retain the simplicity of the Gospel and agree with 1 Corinthians 2 that it isn't by human wisdom that someone is saved, but by the power of God. And yes, salvation is of the Lord and no man can posit by human effort what divine effort was exerted on the cross to save a human soul (Eph 2:8-9), absolutely. But, using apologetics isn't complicating the Gospel at all, it is defending it; and we by no means are attempting to save someone by apologetics anymore than we are trying to save someone by praying for the salvation of their soul or representing the Gospel with accompanying Christian behavior - or any other facet of evangelism that would go along with the Lord using us to accomplishing His salvific end for a human soul.
(a) In 1 Peter 3:15, the apostle Peter necessitates us to want to show our hearers that we have a reasonable faith. Why is this important? Because truth is always true! For example -- Darwinian organic biological evolution is wrong. If it is wrong, and what the Bible says is true, the arguments that the Bible presents, that all of organic life and biology is a product of a work of God as stated by the first book of the law of Moses, Genesis, are going to fit the available evidences and observable aspects of biology and organic life even better than the reasonings of a fallible human argument that anyone with the faulty assumptions of Darwinian evolution could ever impose upon them. We need not worry at all about studying those things because no matter what is studied, the creationist view always fits the given data better and will always prove the Bible to be accurate and correct in all the areas it describes.
(b) No amount of human effort could save us -- Ephesians 2:8-9 declares this very clearly. For it is by grace that we are saved, through faith, and that no of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. It's not only not of ourselves, but not of anyone else, either. You can't save anyone you witness to by any form of evangelism. Yes, men can certainly hear the Gospel and be saved -- Romans 1:16 declares that "...it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" it. BUT that is because God has moved to save that person after they'd heard it. Jesus said no one can come to Him except the Father draws them. Many, many have heard the Gospel and have rejected it. In the same respect, men can reject a perfect apologetic of their many questions and life problems and a perfect presentation of the death, burial, and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1-4) if God hasn't moved to save that person.
(3) The Gospel is more than worth defending in speech -- it's worth our very lives. One thing about false religion is that it stems out of the violation of the first and second commandments -- men have a distorted view of God because they've received a man-made system of a God not like the holy One who's image is revealed through a right reading of His own words in His own scriptures. Therefore, because they have this false view of God, they worship a false image -- an idol. Buddhism is one peaceful religion. No war ever waged over Buddhism. Could it be that it's because it isn't worth defending? It isn't worth anyone's life or any shedding of blood. And it isn't worth defending intellectually. One reason why you find all of these Christian books that attempt to defend Christianity as a world religion is because it's true. "Christianity" isn't a comparative religion, it's a superlative one -- there isn't one like it among all other things that claim to be the only true religion and it far exceeds anything this world can produce in all areas. We have a reasonable faith that can and should be defended with not only intellectual arguments, but our own lives.
I was at Wal-Mart about a half hour ago standing in line at Register 16 when a young man suddenly fell backwards on his head unconscious. Though I was completely calm and responded by calling an ambulance, this put the fear of God into me, as a Believer. There was a huge pop-sound that could be heard half across the Wal-Mart. He lay there with his eyes starring straight up, glazed over – no tremors. He was unconscious with his eyes open for about 30 seconds, then started moving around slightly. He was still breathing and mentally alert and able to respond to the people surrounding him to help him. There was blood on the floor and on his face. I pulled out my cell-phone and called for an ambulance and described to them what was in front of me, calmingly. I had First-Responder training a few months prior to today and knew how to describing the scene, at least. I said, “He's stable,” to which someone else replied, “No he isn't,” but they didn't know that from an emergency-medicine perspective stable means breathing and alert. They told me what to do for the nose-bleed and I handed the phone to his girlfriend for them to speak to her. The paramedics came. Let me tell you what lead up to these events and why I was out shopping at 1:30 AM in the morning.
I was in my room when I got a call from a friend of mine who's an associate Pastor, Joseph Pittano. He's coming into town tomorrow morning and wanted to see me (awesome friend). He wanted me to drive him. So, I wanted to clean out my car – it was 12 AM or so. So, I drove to the gas station to use the vacuum. I vacuumed it out and everything when a man rode up on his bike with a flat tire and asked me for some food, a shower, and a place to sleep. I got out $2 and put it in a One Heartbeat Away and got ready to witness. He told me he just left jail and is going to work a temp. job tomorrow but has rode 30 miles or so and is just really tired. I told him I was a broke college student with very little. So, I witnessed to him. He almost rolled his eyes like he'd heard it all before. I prayed with him for his needs. He thanked me and took off. Then I realized something:
James 2:14-17, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” (KJV)
Matthew 25:41-43, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.” (KJV)
As I drove away, I asked the Lord to forgive me for not fulfilling this. Though I'm a broke college student, I have a small room in a student housing apartment where he could have spent the night on my couch – I'm single with no family to endanger, am allowed by my lease to have guests up to 3 days, have extra clothes and sheets, and could have spared him my food and everything. He might have been more open to receiving what I had to say if I'd have given him these things. I also possess nothing really valuable and can lock my room-door at night. I knew this well when I was with him but didn't want to be burdened with upsetting my normal routine and thinking about security. What a joke. Fell for one of Satan's lies, I suppose.
Well, after this I was really dismayed with myself. I decided to go to Wal-Mart to pick up some items to prepare for tomorrow. I was walking through the door-way when someone in a dirty wife-beater asked me for $0.18. It's so funny when people ask for such an exact amount. I handed him a quarter and immediately asked him if I could buy him some food. He followed me and we walked the aisles as he picked out what he wanted. Apparently I'd witnessed to him before! I met him in front of Walgreens and I'd given him my personal copy of the Bible after witnessing to him and he said he'd been reading it. He had a place to stay with a relative and a place to store food. So, after that we went to wait in line. We remembered that he forgot to get the $0.16 noodles, so he went back. That's when it happened and the young man fell.
He was surrounded by paramedics, all of which didn't do very much. I told them what I'd seen and they said, “Thank you, have a good night.” to get rid of me. I returned and told them that he'd fallen on the back of his head really badly (which no one seemed to have mentioned) and probably had a concussion and that is why his nose is bleeding. They accepted it and told me that they were C-spining him and that it was fine. But, the man didn't know that I'd taken the class and knew what C-spining was for – just for axial spine stabilization in order to transport the patient safely and so that they aren't a liability. They C-spine everybody for everything! If he fractured a rib or sprained an ankle they'd C-spine him! I felt really bad for the young man because his girlfriend mentioned that he wasn't diabetic at all and it certainly wasn't a seizure – he had no prior history of falls. They don't know what it was. The paramedics walked in. They didn't rush in. And they walked very slowly.
I gave my former witnessee a ride back to where he was staying after we prayed for the young man together. On the way back to my apartment, it really hit me: men trust in doctors and trained professionals because they know exactly what to do for a given situation and to make them better. At that time if that young man were unconscious and not breathing, I as a first-responder wouldn't know what to do – I'd forgotten everything in my training. And the paramedics weren't doing very much. Who could have helped this man? He could have been dead in 3 minutes.
Pastor Dave Dodge of Calvary Chapel Saint Petersburg once said in a sermon – Christians are like tow-trucks. The world looks to us when they're on the side of the highway with a flat tire. And how much does it hurt when they're stranded and we just pass them by? We have the ability to help them it is clear. We have the authority to help them. But when we just do nothing – how awful is it a witness of our Lord's grace, love, and kindness as His chosen people through whom He chooses often to dispense His grace along with His gospel? If we don't bear witness to the Gospel message with our actions in actively seeking to help people, what good is it to try and preach to people? The Gospel is still the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16) and can salvation is still of God (Psalm 68:20) who can very easily save without our works – but we're still called to do what we're called to do – works apportioned to us from the foundation of the world (Eph 2:10).
“Here stands God on the day of creation. He looks at stars and He says “All you stars move yourself to this place And start in this order And move in a circle And move exactly as I tell you, Until I give you another word.
Planets-pick yourself up and whirl, Make this formation at my command, Until I give you another word.
He looks at mountains and says “Be lifted up” and they obey him.
He tells valleys “Be cast down” and they obey him.
He looks at the sea and says “You will come this far”, and the sea obeys.
Then, he looks at man and says “Come” and he goes “No!
Does that bother anyone?”
Michael Adams's comment: Isn't it amazing how many people, within church buildings alone, have problems with the Almighty Creator. I am finding more and more, many self made lawyers. I say lawyers because it seems that they spend a great deal of time trying to find legal loop-holes around Gods loving commands He gives us. Loop-holes that will allow them to dress sensual, to watch "R" rated movies, to pass along that racy e-mail, or to listen to that filth radio-station.
Maybe we need a rating system for our churches. And maybe we should have different seating assignments in our churches.
With many families it would go like this if their actual lives were reflected: Mom and dad would be seated in the "R" rated section. They would want their kids in the "PG or "G" section, but with what many kids are exposed to and are enjoying, they would see them either sitting in the "PG-13" or even right next to them in the "R" section.
I do not share these thoughts in judgment or in a legalistic view, although many would be shouting "Legalist" at me. I share these with you as a result of over 4 years now of meeting and talking to literally thousands of people.
I send now at the end of this post a message to my TA notifying him that my paper is in his mailbox: this represents the last component of the last assignment of the last class of the last semester of my Biomedical Science degree. I'll note the exact time I push the button at the end. But, I look back upon these 5 years of the degree...and I see a constant failure. Then, I see repentance and response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Then, I see the grace of God at work pouring out His love and kindness on me in over several hundred (or I would say thousands - His grace was at work every day) different situations that coordinate together to show God's faithfulness on a very grand scale. I see the Lord at His finest to meet my needs and move on my behalf to do things greater than myself and my own ability. I see the Holy Spirit empowering me to do things that are superhuman and above my own natural abilities in order to get things complete and done. And last of all I see a man who's given himself to what he knew to be the will of God, being totally carried by the Holy Spirit. I give all of the credit to Jesus Christ. And none to myself. And it is my greatest and utmost pleasure to be able to bow down and point to one who deserves way more than I could ever credit to Him...the man Christ Jesus, still alive today. And He doesn't need high GPA and MCAT numbers to be as all-powerful as He is.
What I have seems so small, but I wanna give it all to you...
I've slept very little for the past week and a half. Last Thursday I spent all night into Saturday night studying for Microbiology without sleep. I finished the slides on Sunday...after missing church because my car was down and I missed my ride. I got them done. Done! That rarely happens like that. Then, I started studying for the Microbiology lab exam - slept a short amount of time. Then, there was no sleep all night and all day until the lab had been studied for. I studied hard, hard, hard. Got a 97.5 out of 120 on the practical (Praise the Lord!) and a 58 out of 60! The final score was a 90 on these two exams. Then, now it was time to study for the Microbiology Final Exam. But, I had to do a 16-20 paged lab report for Cell Biology lab. Well, they were both due on Thursday. But, I decided that rather than attempt to do the report, I should focus on the Microbiology Exam and scoring a top score on it (since there are only 3 exams) and do the lab report and turn it in a day late. Well, the studying for the Microbiology exam was so intense that there was no time to even get an introduction down on the Lab Report. No sleep on Wednesday either - and I'd already had Tuesday as a sleepless night. So, I spent my time doing that. I prayed and I knew that the Lord would move on my behalf. And so I was confident. I went to leave the EDU building on Thursday and come back. I guess I made too much noise because the security guard came over and threatened to kick us out of the building for trespassing. I told him that our test was in 5 hours (it was 3 AM at that time) and that we'd been doing this for 2 years now. He told us to get our things, but he took off when we went upstairs. So, I kept studying -- up until the very last minute sitting in the testing room. I took the exam...and got a 90!!! Praise the Lord! God did it -- He gives me the strength to do the superhuman and stay awake for nearly 7 days with less than a few hours of sleep!
Now, the lab report...It was due Thursday, I submitted a time-stamped draft on Friday, but the building was locked and so I couldn't turn it in on Friday. I have to wait until Monday. Well, my body won't rest until I can turn it in today. It's 2 AM and I will not rest until it's turned in. The turning in of this paper completes my degree. Please, Lord Jesus, help me tonight!
Oh Lord, there's just so much to be done. Oh Lord, so many souls to be won, Oh Lord, this world is falling apart, Dying for love from a broken heart.
Here am I, send me, though there's really not that much I can do. What I have seems so small, but I want to give it all to you.
Oh Lord, you said the harvest was great, But Lord, looks like the workers are late. It's getting hard to understand, How they ignore your great command.
Here am I, send me, though you said the ones who labor are few, Still my heart hears the call, and I wanna give it all to you. Oh, to reach the ones nobody does, Give up my pride and even work in the mud, I wanna be like those who spilled their blood, And gave it like water to you.
Oh Lord, there's just so much to be done. Oh Lord, so many souls to be won, It seem this world is falling apart, Lord won't you send me?
Oh Lord, there's just so much to be done. Oh Lord, so many souls to be won, Oh Lord, this world is falling apart, Crying for love from a broken heart.
Here am I, send me, though there's really not that much I can do. What I have seems so small, but I want to give it all to you. Here am I, send me, Though you said the ones you've chosen are few, Still my heart hears you call, And I wanna give it all to you.
Wow, I just saw the Holy Spirit move in such an awesome way! Praise the Lord! He made my prayer requests with the exam come true a thousand fold!
Please continue in prayer for me, please!!! I have this 20 page paper that is due by Thursday and a big quiz on Wedsnesday that is very difficult to study for - they ask very specific, minute-detailed questions that makes it very difficult to prepare for and I need to read through the lab manual and have memorized every thing. Please continue to pray! Thank you!
In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think biblically.