We’ve come a long way from being Pharisees. We don’t stand and proclaim our righteousness, when we know that inside we are just sepulchres full of old man’s bones. Oh, no. We would be shocked at such hypocrisy and maybe even shun someone who was audacious enough to try it.
We don’t try to come off as righteous. We fully and honestly believe that we are sinners, every day—thought, word, deed—and we take a strange pleasure in confessing it. It is as though we wear our sinfulness as a badge of honour; we pin it on our lapel and make sure it stands out. Nobody’s badge is the same colour, of course, but all of them mean the same thing—I am sinful—and we are almost proud of it. We hold our sinfulness very near and dear; and woe be to the man who suggests that we need not wear such a badge.
This situation is a very interesting twist, I think. I can’t call it hypocrisy—it’s not—it’s not claiming to be something we’re not, or acting one way and talking another. It’s quite the opposite; it’s claiming to be something we really believe we are, acting the way we talk. But it’s such a strange way to talk. Because we talk like we would die if we weren’t sinful. Because we talk like it’s a horrible sin to be un-sinful. Because we cling so dearly to the thought that we are sinful, so tightly to the idea that we are hopeless cases.
I find it intriguing in light of the thought that we are (supposedly, anyway) God’s children. Wisdom is justified of her children. Abraham’s children do the works of Abraham. “Ye do the deeds of your father.”
This strange talk evades a name. What should I call it? Can it be honesty? If I call it honesty, what then do we make of what we claim to be, if “the lusts of your father ye will do?” Can it be, perhaps, taking the Lord’s name in vain? We take his name to ourselves, calling ourselves His children—and yet we speak and act as though sinfulness is the most consistent and true trait of our lives.
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
"You told me to clean my room, but I didn't."
*Grumble grumble*
"I just can't help it. I sin all the time, and I even know better!"
*Grumble grumble*
Seriously? If we are God's children, this is an absolutely ridiculous idea. Imagine telling this to your parents....
"Mom, I just can't help it. I disobey you all the time -- you told me to run to the grocery store for you, and I got in the car and drove to the videogame store and never did pick up your groceries -- I even knew better!"
or,
"Dad, I know you told me to clean my room, but I didn't. Instead, I called my friend up and went over to his house to hang out. I couldn't help it!"
It wouldn't fly. You might manage to say it...before you got taken to the woodshed and punished for being flagrantly disobedient and rebellious.
God isn't an unreasonable Father. We have no reason to complain about what He asks us to do, and we have no reason not to do what He asks us to do.
Don't tell me that you can have sin in your life and still be pleasing to God. It's not true.
"And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him." (I John 3:5-6)
"I just can't help it. I sin all the time, and I even know better!"
*Grumble grumble*
Seriously? If we are God's children, this is an absolutely ridiculous idea. Imagine telling this to your parents....
"Mom, I just can't help it. I disobey you all the time -- you told me to run to the grocery store for you, and I got in the car and drove to the videogame store and never did pick up your groceries -- I even knew better!"
or,
"Dad, I know you told me to clean my room, but I didn't. Instead, I called my friend up and went over to his house to hang out. I couldn't help it!"
It wouldn't fly. You might manage to say it...before you got taken to the woodshed and punished for being flagrantly disobedient and rebellious.
God isn't an unreasonable Father. We have no reason to complain about what He asks us to do, and we have no reason not to do what He asks us to do.
Don't tell me that you can have sin in your life and still be pleasing to God. It's not true.
"And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him." (I John 3:5-6)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
WE Are That Tree!
Jesus could come back. He could come back right now – we’d be caught up in the air with Him, and everything would be “happily ever after,” wouldn’t it? But I when I think that Jesus could come back, my heart aches with sorrow. I want Him to come; I really do; but not yet. Please don’t come yet. Not now when we’re all dead, not now when there’s so many who are still living in sin, not now when oh so many would go to hell, not now when there’s still some chance for us to repent.
God, I love the church. She’s your body, your bride. I love her so much, but she’s dying – dead in sin and loving worldly pleasures – please don’t come back yet. Oh, won’t you be merciful a little while longer? I don’t want all those people to perish; but they will if you come back, because you are righteous and a just judge.
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
But Lord, what if WE are not righteous? If we are ungodly and sinful, how can we even stand – must we not perish along with the rest? We ARE ungodly and sinful. Lord, help us! We must not stay like this; we must be godly, we must be righteous – we need You. We must have revival or we shall die, because we are already dead as it is.
"A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why encumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."
Friends, enemies, people, everyone! WE are that tree! We ought to be serving the Lord, we ought to be bearing the fruit of the Spirit, we ought to be obedient, we ought to have done so by now. But no, we are still disobedient, always rebelling, doing as we know we shouldn’t; regularly bearing bad fruit. WE ARE IN DANGER OF GETTING CHOPPED DOWN! You must change, you must repent, or you shall perish. You must forsake all sin, everything that is not pure, everything that is any less than pure, undefiled religion, all world-likeness – you must turn to God, you must turn and follow Jesus whole-heartedly. Nothing less than ALL is acceptable. You must obey Him in everything, or you might as well forget about it.
Oh, Jesus! How many years have you dug around us, fertilized us, and yet we still haven’t born fruit!?
God, I love the church. She’s your body, your bride. I love her so much, but she’s dying – dead in sin and loving worldly pleasures – please don’t come back yet. Oh, won’t you be merciful a little while longer? I don’t want all those people to perish; but they will if you come back, because you are righteous and a just judge.
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
But Lord, what if WE are not righteous? If we are ungodly and sinful, how can we even stand – must we not perish along with the rest? We ARE ungodly and sinful. Lord, help us! We must not stay like this; we must be godly, we must be righteous – we need You. We must have revival or we shall die, because we are already dead as it is.
"A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why encumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."
Friends, enemies, people, everyone! WE are that tree! We ought to be serving the Lord, we ought to be bearing the fruit of the Spirit, we ought to be obedient, we ought to have done so by now. But no, we are still disobedient, always rebelling, doing as we know we shouldn’t; regularly bearing bad fruit. WE ARE IN DANGER OF GETTING CHOPPED DOWN! You must change, you must repent, or you shall perish. You must forsake all sin, everything that is not pure, everything that is any less than pure, undefiled religion, all world-likeness – you must turn to God, you must turn and follow Jesus whole-heartedly. Nothing less than ALL is acceptable. You must obey Him in everything, or you might as well forget about it.
Oh, Jesus! How many years have you dug around us, fertilized us, and yet we still haven’t born fruit!?
Monday, February 8, 2010
What Have We Become?
What have we become!?
We complain about divorce rates being higher than ever before, crime being rampant, society being inundated with immorality. But WHAT HAVE WE DONE? What of us!? We look at ourselves – the church – and then complain about the same things; divorce rates are high, crime and immorality are at an all-time high. We’ve become just like the world, and just like the world, we are dead. We are not a sick church that might be nursed back to health….would to God that was so! But the church is DEAD. So dead, and we don’t even realize it. There are a few, ever so few and oh so far between, that urgently rush through the field of Christendom, examining the bodies strewn about, desperately trying to find one that is still alive, but to no avail. One corpse will moan, and the survivor will rush over in hopes that he’s found someone else still alive, but it’s dead; another will twitch, and the searcher will shout with joy and run to its side, but it’s not alive. One church wears a t-shirt that says “I’m ALIVE,” but it’s just as cold as the rest; some are lying down; some sit up, propped up against others; some even still stand, but as a tottering mannequin, and not as a living soul. The survivor still looks, but as far as he can see, there is little hope. How can there be any hope in such a situation as this?
God, we need a miracle. You’re the only one who can raise the dead. I can’t love the church even a tenth as much as you – you’ve got to do something! If we have not because we ask not, then Lord I’m asking. We need revival so badly. No. we need YOU. You are the breath of life; You are the living word; You alone are life. Only if we are in You can we ever be revived. We need your Holy Spirit; we need Your rivers of living water to flood this place; we need to You to raise the dead.
The wages of sin is death. And oh, how we’ve earned it! We make excuse for sin yesterday, today, and all the tomorrows to come. We preach that actual holiness is not required to see God. We teach that sin is an inevitable part of even a Christian’s life. We say that God overlooks our constant and ongoing sin. We have a hundred thousand reasons why we can’t possibly be righteous. And so we find that we practice what we preach. Sin. But sin must NOT be allowed. Sin is NOT okay. Sin is NOT acceptable nor excusable, nor can it have ANY place with godliness. Sin is the cause of death. There isn't any other reason for death -- spiritual death especially. How can the church possibly be alive if it's not obedient, if it's not righteous, if it's not holy; how can the church be alive if it's sinful? Of all the things that it might be – it might be warm, friendly, casual, open, or any other positive adjective we might care to use, if the church is sinful, the one thing it can't possibly be is alive.
We have GOT to change. You, friend, have got to change. If we go on as we are, we shall surely taste brimstone, just as Sodom did.
God, we must have revival. We must have revival or judgment. But Lord have mercy, for we cannot stand in judgment; we would stand wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Let us come to buy gold from You, to procure white clothes, to find a little eye salve so we might see.
Let us be zealous and REPENT! We MUST have life, and it MUST come from God. Let’s go to Him, and perhaps it is not too late; perhaps He might still yet let us taste of His holy waters; perhaps He might be merciful. But we must go to Him, we must, and we dare not delay.
We complain about divorce rates being higher than ever before, crime being rampant, society being inundated with immorality. But WHAT HAVE WE DONE? What of us!? We look at ourselves – the church – and then complain about the same things; divorce rates are high, crime and immorality are at an all-time high. We’ve become just like the world, and just like the world, we are dead. We are not a sick church that might be nursed back to health….would to God that was so! But the church is DEAD. So dead, and we don’t even realize it. There are a few, ever so few and oh so far between, that urgently rush through the field of Christendom, examining the bodies strewn about, desperately trying to find one that is still alive, but to no avail. One corpse will moan, and the survivor will rush over in hopes that he’s found someone else still alive, but it’s dead; another will twitch, and the searcher will shout with joy and run to its side, but it’s not alive. One church wears a t-shirt that says “I’m ALIVE,” but it’s just as cold as the rest; some are lying down; some sit up, propped up against others; some even still stand, but as a tottering mannequin, and not as a living soul. The survivor still looks, but as far as he can see, there is little hope. How can there be any hope in such a situation as this?
God, we need a miracle. You’re the only one who can raise the dead. I can’t love the church even a tenth as much as you – you’ve got to do something! If we have not because we ask not, then Lord I’m asking. We need revival so badly. No. we need YOU. You are the breath of life; You are the living word; You alone are life. Only if we are in You can we ever be revived. We need your Holy Spirit; we need Your rivers of living water to flood this place; we need to You to raise the dead.
The wages of sin is death. And oh, how we’ve earned it! We make excuse for sin yesterday, today, and all the tomorrows to come. We preach that actual holiness is not required to see God. We teach that sin is an inevitable part of even a Christian’s life. We say that God overlooks our constant and ongoing sin. We have a hundred thousand reasons why we can’t possibly be righteous. And so we find that we practice what we preach. Sin. But sin must NOT be allowed. Sin is NOT okay. Sin is NOT acceptable nor excusable, nor can it have ANY place with godliness. Sin is the cause of death. There isn't any other reason for death -- spiritual death especially. How can the church possibly be alive if it's not obedient, if it's not righteous, if it's not holy; how can the church be alive if it's sinful? Of all the things that it might be – it might be warm, friendly, casual, open, or any other positive adjective we might care to use, if the church is sinful, the one thing it can't possibly be is alive.
We have GOT to change. You, friend, have got to change. If we go on as we are, we shall surely taste brimstone, just as Sodom did.
God, we must have revival. We must have revival or judgment. But Lord have mercy, for we cannot stand in judgment; we would stand wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Let us come to buy gold from You, to procure white clothes, to find a little eye salve so we might see.
Let us be zealous and REPENT! We MUST have life, and it MUST come from God. Let’s go to Him, and perhaps it is not too late; perhaps He might still yet let us taste of His holy waters; perhaps He might be merciful. But we must go to Him, we must, and we dare not delay.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
A Word from William
"Come, let us pursue this interesting and important inquiry. How far can God save from sin here? This question can be satisfactorily answered only by hearing what the Lord says on the subject and, having listened to the Scriptures, you may then with propriety and advantage listen to the testimony of those who boldly profess to have an experience on the subject.
"What says the word of the Lord? What people say -- whether they be learned or unlearned, official or unofficial, or anything else -- if they speak not in harmony with the direct and plain teaching of the word of God, they speak not the truth on this subject, whatever they may do on any other. And as the opinions of other men are not our standard, neither are their lives. If A and B say I cannot be saved from sinning -- if they say I must go on in unbelief and unfaithfulness and evil tempers unto the end of my earthly days, if they say I cannot love God with all my heart and be loyal with simple obedience to my heavenly King -- I ask A and B for their authority. If they confess that, after some two or three disjointed, misapprehended texts of Scripture, they rely upon the fact that this unholy, inconsistent, Spirit-grieving life is the common confessed experience of Christians, and therefore nothing better is possible to me, I reject their authority. I won't accept the backsliding experience of any number of people as the standard of religious attainment for me. It is not what men are, but what God wants them to be; not what they actually possess and enjoy of purity and peace and power, but what Christ, the blessed Christ, with his agony and Blood bought for them; what the Father freely offers, and what the pleading, long-suffering Holy Spirit waits to bestow. If I live at Ephesus, am I to conclude that it is impossible for me to keep my first love with its self-consuming, soul-saving power? Or if my lot is cast in Laodicea, am I to teach that it is the right and acceptable thing before God and men not to be enthusiastic, not to be be eaten up with the zeal of God's house, not to be burning hot, but to be miserably, contemptibly lukewarm in His service?
"O my brethren, my comrades in The Salvation Army, to you I write, Beware of this measuring yourselves with yourselves. It is not wise. Endless loss and sorrow and backsliding have been caused by it, contenting ourselves with being as good as other people. And yet many will do it, no matter how warned or cautioned they may be; and therefore let us hurry up to the high levels of attainment, so that instead of dragging men down to Ephesus and Laodicea we may lift them up to Mount Beulah, and draw them on to that blessed highway, the highway of holiness."
-- William Booth
"What says the word of the Lord? What people say -- whether they be learned or unlearned, official or unofficial, or anything else -- if they speak not in harmony with the direct and plain teaching of the word of God, they speak not the truth on this subject, whatever they may do on any other. And as the opinions of other men are not our standard, neither are their lives. If A and B say I cannot be saved from sinning -- if they say I must go on in unbelief and unfaithfulness and evil tempers unto the end of my earthly days, if they say I cannot love God with all my heart and be loyal with simple obedience to my heavenly King -- I ask A and B for their authority. If they confess that, after some two or three disjointed, misapprehended texts of Scripture, they rely upon the fact that this unholy, inconsistent, Spirit-grieving life is the common confessed experience of Christians, and therefore nothing better is possible to me, I reject their authority. I won't accept the backsliding experience of any number of people as the standard of religious attainment for me. It is not what men are, but what God wants them to be; not what they actually possess and enjoy of purity and peace and power, but what Christ, the blessed Christ, with his agony and Blood bought for them; what the Father freely offers, and what the pleading, long-suffering Holy Spirit waits to bestow. If I live at Ephesus, am I to conclude that it is impossible for me to keep my first love with its self-consuming, soul-saving power? Or if my lot is cast in Laodicea, am I to teach that it is the right and acceptable thing before God and men not to be enthusiastic, not to be be eaten up with the zeal of God's house, not to be burning hot, but to be miserably, contemptibly lukewarm in His service?
"O my brethren, my comrades in The Salvation Army, to you I write, Beware of this measuring yourselves with yourselves. It is not wise. Endless loss and sorrow and backsliding have been caused by it, contenting ourselves with being as good as other people. And yet many will do it, no matter how warned or cautioned they may be; and therefore let us hurry up to the high levels of attainment, so that instead of dragging men down to Ephesus and Laodicea we may lift them up to Mount Beulah, and draw them on to that blessed highway, the highway of holiness."
-- William Booth
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Worth Reading.
I read this on Mike's profile (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/note.php?note_id=86434649709&ref=nf). Mike reposted it from Fariss' profile...and I am passing it along to you (with some spelling corrections), because it is worth reading, and more than worthy of being read, it is worth being acted on. So read on...
-------------------------------------------------
Fariss' opening statement:
As of late my good friends Jonathan and Britt have been noticing more and more of the immodesty this culture has grown into a habit of accepting.
Our notes are aimed at trying to start change. so i encourage you to come along side us and write, and promote change in your area whether it be writing your own note/blog or copying and pasting ours.
Attention craving, conformitism, and immodesty are crippling our society, our churches, and our schools from behind and we don't even notice it. so please be the change.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan's Note:
Ah, I'm not really sure how to start this.
I just want to thank all the female friends of mine for being modest.
I went bowling the other night, with a bunch of friends, and it was just so...man, there were a lot of girls who were not dressed modestly, let's just say. I felt bad for them, it was weird. I don't understand why girls dress like that. It's like, why demean yourself, just to get attention from guys who don't value YOU. That only attracts guys who only care about your body. And that's not someone you want to spend the rest of your life with...immature, selfish, and perverted.
So, my point.
Thank you ladies, for being modest. Because, it's hard for guys as it is, not to be looking at ladies like that. So when girls dress like that it just makes it harder. That is NO excuse though, guys make their own decisions, and you aren't responsible for that.
Be proud about who you are. Because you are a loved creation of the Most High. So don't feel like guys won't notice you if you don't wear less.
GAH! ok, ha, side note. Whoever came up with the saying "less is more" should....I don't even know, But it has messed a lot of brains up, and that's NOT cool.
anyway.
Yes, so guys WILL notice you. Ha, ok, little secret of the male mind. Guys like a challenge, so if you're dressed modestly, and act mature, and aren't totally open about EVERYTHING, they notice that. Maybe it seems like a short term loss, and long term gain. But don't worry about such things. Be who you are, and you will be amazed.
Also, I want to apologize for the perverted ways of males. I really do feel bad for girls a lot of the time. You girls have so much pressure on you to "look your best" and to be current and fashionable. Not to mention school, and all the stuff you have to deal with there. It's not cool that guys use ladies as eye candy.
Mmmm, you my friends know my thoughts about that, if not, you don't know me all that well.
I am for love...but one of the few things I hate, is how guys use girls for eye candy.
But my main point of this note, was to say thank you for being modest. So, thank you. Keep doing so, and be proud about it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Britt's note:
Goody goody, now its time to write about Guys and modesty.
In our culture today, Just as Girls feel that the best way to fit in is to look a certain way, Guys feel that that the best way to fit in is to grab attention and beat other Guys down.
if you haven't notcied already most guys tend to CRAVE ATTENTION!
Guys Crave the validation that comes from getting attention.. it can be negative attention, or it can be positive attention done with the wrong motivations. That's why you sometimes have the guy at youth group that will never stop talking and being annoying, and you can have the goody goody hypocrite that volunteers for every youth event because he gets kudos for it. Both guys are seeking validation from the attention these actions produce.
WHEN GUYS CRAVE ATTENTION IT BREEDS IMMODESTY
Guys don't have to wear nothing to be immodest. A guy can be immodest by the way he conducts himself, the way he talks, what he talks about, what activities he participates in, his motivation for doing things and so on.
I was talking to a middle school boy about 3 years younger then me and i was talking to him about dating (sidenote: I am very much against dating before the age of 18, its pointless until your actually ready to get married) he was in a relationship and i asked him why he was dating this girl even though they were only in middle school. he said "Because everyone i know is doing it, and she's hot, so it makes all the other guys jealous and it just feels good to have the ATTENTION because she is so popular and hot", i asked him if really did like her, and after some thought he said "No but the attention is really nice".
GAHH! that is disturbing! The new generation of men are becoming pathetic wimps that are desperate for attention! its not wonder we are having so many moral failures in men now days!
Craving Attention breeds immodesty
Please o please guys, our culture is in a place that we need Guys to step up and be leaders. The Bible has said that just as the men of the church fall, the est of the church will fall also. Men/Guys that crave attention and are immodest will NEVER be able to lead.
strive to redefine what the media says about Men being wimps that are dependent on sexual desires and attention, Redefine how we lead, Redefine the norms, Redefine "Love", Redefine on fire for Jesus, Redefine Passion, Redefine our schools, Redefine Christianity
Redefine our Culture
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fariss' addition:
It's very obvious at this point in time the way our world is going is down hill... When I look around I'll tell you what I see in a list:
1. Pre-marital Sex as something OK, something that "everyone is doing" (a lie)
2. Sexual confusion--- you are who God made you to be, not who you feel you should be.
3. Drugs & Alcohol...... and with them I hear all the lies being put in peoples heads such as
---------->They Don't Hurt Me
----------->I'm not addicted and I can't be...
------------>I do it because I'm bored
------------->I do it because It feels like I won't gain the attention of the world otherwise.
4. Lies... I see people believing the lie that "they should be satisfied on this earth" when the only true satisfaction can come from a loving God.
I'm here to tell you that there is HOPE... there is LOVE... but they can only come in their true from a loving and mercyful God.
I'm tired of sitting down and watching friends and acquaintances get sucked into their worldly desires...
I know that God is for lack of words to describe him, The Best Thing That Has Ever Happened To Me.
I've seen the above and have practiced lust and sin as a habit... It's the biggest part of my testimony I'm ashamed of. It's sick, repulsive, disgusting and LITERALLY POISON (not joking) to dwell upon.
I hope this encourages you all. I pray you all come to a point in your relationship with Christ that you come to realize what is of God and what is not. I wish for every one of you who read this note to grow exponentially in your love with God.
Step out...... Be a REBEL!....... Everyone is conforming and instead of the unbeliever being the rebel, they have be come the norm.
We need to be rebels in our communities reading our Bibles, Spreading God's Love, Spreading the Gospel and the reason for the HOPE that is in us.
God Bless,
Fariss
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I can't add too much more.
Jesus said "go and sin no more...I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
Our actions will speak volumes more than the words in this note ever will. I don't want to have passed along a note that "is encouraging" to make us "feel better;" I want to influence actions: godly, righteous, holy zeal for the Love and Truth that God is and stands for. That means that you and I need to be filled with the Spirit of God, renewed in our minds to have the mind of Christ, and to have put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man. Action. Faith is all fine and well, but without obedient action, it is worse than useless, and gives a reason for unbelievers to despise and blaspheme the God they so desperately need.
-------------------------------------------------
Fariss' opening statement:
As of late my good friends Jonathan and Britt have been noticing more and more of the immodesty this culture has grown into a habit of accepting.
Our notes are aimed at trying to start change. so i encourage you to come along side us and write, and promote change in your area whether it be writing your own note/blog or copying and pasting ours.
Attention craving, conformitism, and immodesty are crippling our society, our churches, and our schools from behind and we don't even notice it. so please be the change.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan's Note:
Ah, I'm not really sure how to start this.
I just want to thank all the female friends of mine for being modest.
I went bowling the other night, with a bunch of friends, and it was just so...man, there were a lot of girls who were not dressed modestly, let's just say. I felt bad for them, it was weird. I don't understand why girls dress like that. It's like, why demean yourself, just to get attention from guys who don't value YOU. That only attracts guys who only care about your body. And that's not someone you want to spend the rest of your life with...immature, selfish, and perverted.
So, my point.
Thank you ladies, for being modest. Because, it's hard for guys as it is, not to be looking at ladies like that. So when girls dress like that it just makes it harder. That is NO excuse though, guys make their own decisions, and you aren't responsible for that.
Be proud about who you are. Because you are a loved creation of the Most High. So don't feel like guys won't notice you if you don't wear less.
GAH! ok, ha, side note. Whoever came up with the saying "less is more" should....I don't even know, But it has messed a lot of brains up, and that's NOT cool.
anyway.
Yes, so guys WILL notice you. Ha, ok, little secret of the male mind. Guys like a challenge, so if you're dressed modestly, and act mature, and aren't totally open about EVERYTHING, they notice that. Maybe it seems like a short term loss, and long term gain. But don't worry about such things. Be who you are, and you will be amazed.
Also, I want to apologize for the perverted ways of males. I really do feel bad for girls a lot of the time. You girls have so much pressure on you to "look your best" and to be current and fashionable. Not to mention school, and all the stuff you have to deal with there. It's not cool that guys use ladies as eye candy.
Mmmm, you my friends know my thoughts about that, if not, you don't know me all that well.
I am for love...but one of the few things I hate, is how guys use girls for eye candy.
But my main point of this note, was to say thank you for being modest. So, thank you. Keep doing so, and be proud about it.
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Britt's note:
Goody goody, now its time to write about Guys and modesty.
In our culture today, Just as Girls feel that the best way to fit in is to look a certain way, Guys feel that that the best way to fit in is to grab attention and beat other Guys down.
if you haven't notcied already most guys tend to CRAVE ATTENTION!
Guys Crave the validation that comes from getting attention.. it can be negative attention, or it can be positive attention done with the wrong motivations. That's why you sometimes have the guy at youth group that will never stop talking and being annoying, and you can have the goody goody hypocrite that volunteers for every youth event because he gets kudos for it. Both guys are seeking validation from the attention these actions produce.
WHEN GUYS CRAVE ATTENTION IT BREEDS IMMODESTY
Guys don't have to wear nothing to be immodest. A guy can be immodest by the way he conducts himself, the way he talks, what he talks about, what activities he participates in, his motivation for doing things and so on.
I was talking to a middle school boy about 3 years younger then me and i was talking to him about dating (sidenote: I am very much against dating before the age of 18, its pointless until your actually ready to get married) he was in a relationship and i asked him why he was dating this girl even though they were only in middle school. he said "Because everyone i know is doing it, and she's hot, so it makes all the other guys jealous and it just feels good to have the ATTENTION because she is so popular and hot", i asked him if really did like her, and after some thought he said "No but the attention is really nice".
GAHH! that is disturbing! The new generation of men are becoming pathetic wimps that are desperate for attention! its not wonder we are having so many moral failures in men now days!
Craving Attention breeds immodesty
Please o please guys, our culture is in a place that we need Guys to step up and be leaders. The Bible has said that just as the men of the church fall, the est of the church will fall also. Men/Guys that crave attention and are immodest will NEVER be able to lead.
strive to redefine what the media says about Men being wimps that are dependent on sexual desires and attention, Redefine how we lead, Redefine the norms, Redefine "Love", Redefine on fire for Jesus, Redefine Passion, Redefine our schools, Redefine Christianity
Redefine our Culture
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Fariss' addition:
It's very obvious at this point in time the way our world is going is down hill... When I look around I'll tell you what I see in a list:
1. Pre-marital Sex as something OK, something that "everyone is doing" (a lie)
2. Sexual confusion--- you are who God made you to be, not who you feel you should be.
3. Drugs & Alcohol...... and with them I hear all the lies being put in peoples heads such as
---------->They Don't Hurt Me
----------->I'm not addicted and I can't be...
------------>I do it because I'm bored
------------->I do it because It feels like I won't gain the attention of the world otherwise.
4. Lies... I see people believing the lie that "they should be satisfied on this earth" when the only true satisfaction can come from a loving God.
I'm here to tell you that there is HOPE... there is LOVE... but they can only come in their true from a loving and mercyful God.
I'm tired of sitting down and watching friends and acquaintances get sucked into their worldly desires...
I know that God is for lack of words to describe him, The Best Thing That Has Ever Happened To Me.
I've seen the above and have practiced lust and sin as a habit... It's the biggest part of my testimony I'm ashamed of. It's sick, repulsive, disgusting and LITERALLY POISON (not joking) to dwell upon.
I hope this encourages you all. I pray you all come to a point in your relationship with Christ that you come to realize what is of God and what is not. I wish for every one of you who read this note to grow exponentially in your love with God.
Step out...... Be a REBEL!....... Everyone is conforming and instead of the unbeliever being the rebel, they have be come the norm.
We need to be rebels in our communities reading our Bibles, Spreading God's Love, Spreading the Gospel and the reason for the HOPE that is in us.
God Bless,
Fariss
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I can't add too much more.
Jesus said "go and sin no more...I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
Our actions will speak volumes more than the words in this note ever will. I don't want to have passed along a note that "is encouraging" to make us "feel better;" I want to influence actions: godly, righteous, holy zeal for the Love and Truth that God is and stands for. That means that you and I need to be filled with the Spirit of God, renewed in our minds to have the mind of Christ, and to have put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man. Action. Faith is all fine and well, but without obedient action, it is worse than useless, and gives a reason for unbelievers to despise and blaspheme the God they so desperately need.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Could You?.......Did You?........What Then?
If you could live your whole life to the fullest and honestly love everyone (not just LOOK like you love everyone), yes, God would have to let you into heaven...the only problem is that you've already blown your chances at a pure, holy life, because somewhere along the line, you have broken God's law:
Have you ever told a lie (or a "half-truth")? Have you ever stolen something? (I have...and I was raised by God-fearing Christian parents). Have you ever used God's name as a curse word? Have you ever hated your brother? (Jesus said that to hate someone is just the same as murdering them). Have you ever looked at a girl (or a guy) and lusted after her (or him)?...that's adultery (or fornication) Have you ever envied your neighbor's (or brother's/sister's/friend's/etc.) stuff?
If you (like me) have broken even one of these laws, you are a lawbreaker...and God doesn't let criminals into heaven - you can't make it if you've messed up just once...and if you don't make it into heaven, there is only one place left for you.
BUT...there is a way. Because God loves us humans so much, He wanted there to be a way for us to be saved ('cause by our own works, there is no way we would make it). So He sent His Son, Jesus (who didn't sin), to become human, just like the rest of us, to live a perfect life, and then to be sacrificed, so that God could forgive us.
Now, in order to make up for a sin that I've done, I would have to do over and above what God's law requires of me. But since it was hard enough to even live up to the law, it would be absurd to think that I could surpass it and do more good than the law requires...so how can my sins be forgiven, if I can't make up for them?
Jesus had not sinned even a single time...he did not have to die...but He chose to die -- this was the one thing that He could do that was over and above His duty...Jesus had to keep the law just like everyone else - He couldn't obey for us (He had to obey for himself), but since He had never broken the law, he didn't need to be punished. Jesus suffered in order to "make up" for my (and your) sins; public justice was satisfied - this means that all could see that God upholds the punishment of the law, and at the same time, was willing to forgive people who have sinned.
If you have sinned -- you have two options; you can suffer the consequences (not a pretty thought), or, thanks to God's grace (Jesus' sacrifice), you can be forgiven.
How does a sinner receive this forgiveness? It is not by trying our best to do better (we tried that already), and it is not by any merit of our own (we deserve to be punished). It is through faith in Jesus Christ...this means two things: that you believe that He died for your sins (and that He will forgive you), and you repent (this means that you stop serving yourself, and give yourself wholly to God). These two things, repent and believe, are all God requires...these are easy, and yet at the same time hard. There is no work involved (all we can do is accept the gift of forgiveness), but at the same time, we are giving our entire lives to God - we are not our own anymore.
If you have accepted God’s gift, God has said that he will give you the power to actually keep His law, so that, as a believer, you don’t ever have to sin again – “live in holiness and righteousness all the days of your life” is how the Bible puts it – and God will admit you to heaven.
Have you ever told a lie (or a "half-truth")? Have you ever stolen something? (I have...and I was raised by God-fearing Christian parents). Have you ever used God's name as a curse word? Have you ever hated your brother? (Jesus said that to hate someone is just the same as murdering them). Have you ever looked at a girl (or a guy) and lusted after her (or him)?...that's adultery (or fornication) Have you ever envied your neighbor's (or brother's/sister's/friend's/etc.) stuff?
If you (like me) have broken even one of these laws, you are a lawbreaker...and God doesn't let criminals into heaven - you can't make it if you've messed up just once...and if you don't make it into heaven, there is only one place left for you.
BUT...there is a way. Because God loves us humans so much, He wanted there to be a way for us to be saved ('cause by our own works, there is no way we would make it). So He sent His Son, Jesus (who didn't sin), to become human, just like the rest of us, to live a perfect life, and then to be sacrificed, so that God could forgive us.
Now, in order to make up for a sin that I've done, I would have to do over and above what God's law requires of me. But since it was hard enough to even live up to the law, it would be absurd to think that I could surpass it and do more good than the law requires...so how can my sins be forgiven, if I can't make up for them?
Jesus had not sinned even a single time...he did not have to die...but He chose to die -- this was the one thing that He could do that was over and above His duty...Jesus had to keep the law just like everyone else - He couldn't obey for us (He had to obey for himself), but since He had never broken the law, he didn't need to be punished. Jesus suffered in order to "make up" for my (and your) sins; public justice was satisfied - this means that all could see that God upholds the punishment of the law, and at the same time, was willing to forgive people who have sinned.
If you have sinned -- you have two options; you can suffer the consequences (not a pretty thought), or, thanks to God's grace (Jesus' sacrifice), you can be forgiven.
How does a sinner receive this forgiveness? It is not by trying our best to do better (we tried that already), and it is not by any merit of our own (we deserve to be punished). It is through faith in Jesus Christ...this means two things: that you believe that He died for your sins (and that He will forgive you), and you repent (this means that you stop serving yourself, and give yourself wholly to God). These two things, repent and believe, are all God requires...these are easy, and yet at the same time hard. There is no work involved (all we can do is accept the gift of forgiveness), but at the same time, we are giving our entire lives to God - we are not our own anymore.
If you have accepted God’s gift, God has said that he will give you the power to actually keep His law, so that, as a believer, you don’t ever have to sin again – “live in holiness and righteousness all the days of your life” is how the Bible puts it – and God will admit you to heaven.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
How to Overcome Sin [Part 2 of 2]
[By Charles G. Finney, originally published in the Independent of New York in 1874]
All such efforts to overcome sin are utterly futile, and as unscriptural as they are futile. The Bible expressly teaches us that sin is overcome by faith in Christ. "He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." "He is the way, the truth, and the life." Christians are said to "purify their hearts by faith" --(Acts xv, 9). And in Acts xxvi, 18 it is affirmed that the saints are sanctified by faith in Christ. In Romans ix, 31,32 it is affirmed that the Jews attained not to righteousness "because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law." The doctrine of the Bible is that Christ saves His people from sin through faith; that Christ's Spirit is received by faith to dwell in the heart. It is faith that works by love. Love is wrought and sustained by faith. By faith Christians "overcome the world, the flesh, and the Devil." It is by faith that they "quench the fiery darts of the wicked." It is by faith that they "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and put off the old man, with his deeds." It is by faith that we fight "the good fight," and not by resolution. It is by faith that we "stand," by resolution we fall. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. It is by faith that the flesh is kept under and carnal desires subdued. The fact is that it is simply by faith that we receive the Spirit of Christ to work in us, to will and to do, according to his good pleasure. He sheds abroad his own love in our hearts, and thereby enkindles ours. Every victory over sin is by faith in Christ; and whenever the mind is diverted from Christ, by resolving and fighting against sin, whether we are aware of it or not, we are acting in our own strength, rejecting the help of Christ, and are under a specious delusion. Nothing but the life and energy of the Spirit of Christ within us can save us from sin, and trust is the uniform and universal condition of the working of this saving energy within us. How long shall this fact be at least practically overlooked by the teachers of religion? How deeply rooted in the heart of man is self-righteousness and self-dependence? So deeply that one of the hardest lessons for the human heart to learn is to renounce self-dependence and trust wholly in Christ. When we open the door by implicit trust he enters in and takes up his abode with us and in us. By shedding abroad his love he quickens our whole souls into sympathy with himself, and in this way, and in this way alone, he purifies our hearts through faith. He sustains our will in the attitude of devotion. He quickens and regulates our affections, desires, appetites and passions, and becomes our sanctification. Very much of the teaching that we hear in prayer and conference meetings, from the pulpit and the press, is so misleading as to render the hearing or reading of such instruction almost too painful to be endured. Such instruction is calculated to beget delusion, discouragement, and a practical rejection of Christ as he is presented in the Gospel.
Alas! for the blindness that "leads to bewilder" the soul that is longing after deliverance from the power of sin. I have sometimes listened to legal teaching upon this subject until I felt as if I should scream. It is astonishing sometimes to hear Christian men object to the teaching which I have here inculcated that it leaves us in a passive state, to be saved without our own activity. What darkness is involved in this objection! The Bible teaches that by trusting in Christ we receive an inward influence that stimulates and directs our activity; that by faith we receive his purifying influence into the very center of our being; that through and by his truth revealed directly to the soul he quickens our whole inward being into the attitude of a loving obedience; and this is the way and the only practicable way to overcome sin. But someone may say: "Does not the Apostle exhort as follows: 'Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure[']"? "And is not this an exhortation to do what in this article you condemn?" By no means. In the 12th verse of the 2d chapter of Philippians Paul says: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure." There is no exhortation to work by force of resolution, but through and by the inworking of God. Paul had taught them, while he was present with them; but now, in his absence, he exhorts them to work out their own salvation, not by resolution, but by the inward operation of God. This is precisely the doctrine of this article. Paul had too often taught the Church that Christ in the heart is our sanctification, and that this influence is to be received by faith, to be guilty, in this passage of teaching that our sanctification is to be wrought out by resolution and efforts to suppress sinful and form holy habits. This passage of Scripture happily recognizes both the Divine and human agency in the work of sanctification. God works in us, to will and to do; and we, accepting by faith his inworking, will and do according to his good pleasure. Faith itself is an active and not a passive state. A passive holiness is impossible and absurd. Let no one say that when we exhort people to trust wholly in Christ we teach that anyone should be or can be passive in receiving and co-operating with the Divine influence within. This influence is moral, and not physical. It is persuasion, and not force. It influences the free will, and consequently does this by truth, and not by force. Oh! that it could be understood that the whole of spiritual life that is in any man is received direct from the Spirit of Christ by faith, as the branch receives its life from the vine. Away with this religion of resolutions! It is a snare of death. Away with this effort to make the life holy while the heart has not in it the love of God. Oh! that men would learn to look directly at Christ through the Gospel, and so close in with him by an act of loving trust as to involve a universal sympathy with his state of mind. This and this alone is sanctification.
Friday, January 16, 2009
How to Overcome Sin [Part 1 of 2]
[By Charles G. Finney, originally published in the Independent of New York in 1874]
In every period of my ministerial life I have found many professed Christians in a miserable state of bondage either to the world, the flesh, or the Devil. But surely this is no Christian state, for the apostle has distinctly said: "Sin shall not have dominion over you, because ye are not under the law, but under grace." In all my Christian life I have been pained to find so many Christians living in the legal bondage described in the 7th chapter of Romans--a life of sinning, and resolving to reform and falling again. And what is particularly saddening, and even agonizing, is that many ministers and leading Christians give perfectly false instruction upon the subject of how to overcome sin. The directions that are generally given on this subject, I am sorry to say, amount to about this: "Take your sins in detail, resolve to abstain from them, and fight against them, if need be, with prayer and fasting, until you have overcome them. Set your will firmly against a relapse into sin, pray and struggle, and resolve that you will not fall, and persist in this, until you form the habit of obedience and break up all your sinful habits." To be sure, it is generally added: "In this conflict you must not depend upon your own strength, but pray for the help of God." In a word, much of the teaching, both of the pulpit and the press, really amounts to this: Sanctification is by works, and not by faith. I notice that Dr. Chalmers, in his lectures on Romans, expressly maintains that justification is by faith, but sanctification is by works. Some twenty-five years ago, I think, a prominent professor of theology in New England maintained in substance the same doctrine. In my early Christian life I was very nearly misled by one of President Edwards's resolutions; which was, in substance, that when he had fallen into any sin he would trace it back to its source, and then fight and pray against it with all his might until he subdued it. This, it will be perceived, is directing the attention to the overt act of sin, its source or occasions. Resolving and fighting against it fastens the attention on the sin and its source, and diverts it entirely from Christ.
Now it is important to say right here that all such efforts are worse than useless, and not infrequently result in delusion. First, it is losing sight of what really constitutes sin, and, secondly, of the only practicable way to avoid it. In this way the outward act or habit may be overcome and avoided, while that which really constitutes the sin is left untouched. Sin is not external, but internal. It is not a muscular act, it is not the volition that causes muscular action, it is not an involuntary feeling or desire; it must be a voluntary act or state of mind. Sin is nothing else than that voluntary, ultimate preference or state of committal to self-pleasing out of which the volitions, the outward actions, purposes, intentions, and all the things that are commonly called sin proceed. Now, what is resolved against in this religion of resolutions and efforts to suppress sinful and form holy habits? "Love is the fulfilling of the law." But do we produce love by resolution? Do we eradicate selfishness by resolution? No, indeed. We may suppress this or that expression or manifestation of selfishness by resolving not to do this or that, and praying and struggling against it. We may resolve upon an outward obedience, and work ourselves up to the letter of an obedience to God's commandments. But to eradicate selfishness from the breast by resolution is an absurdity. So the effort to obey the commandments of God in spirit--in other words, to attempt to love as the law of God requires by force of resolution--is an absurdity. There are many who maintain that sin consists in the desires. Be it so. Do we control our desires by force of resolution? We may abstain from the gratification of a particular desire by the force of resolution. We may go further, and abstain from the gratification of desire generally in the outward life. But this is not to secure the love of God, which constitutes obedience. Should we become anchorites, immure ourselves in a cell, and crucify all our desires and appetites, so far as their indulgence is concerned; we have only avoided certain forms of sin; but the root that really constitutes sin is not touched. Our resolution has not secured love, which is the only real obedience to God. All our battling with sin in the outward life, by the force of resolution, only ends in making us whited sepulchers. All our battling with desire by the force of resolution is of no avail; for in all this, however successful the effort to suppress sin may be, in the outward life or in the inward desire it will only end in delusion, for by force of resolution we cannot love.
Monday, November 10, 2008
I Will Stand Up
And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
"Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.
And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them."
-Numbers 33:50-56
_________________________________
Like the Children of Israel, we were once wandering in the wilderness of Sin, but we are come to the land of promise -- let us therefore enter in with boldness and drive out EVERY inhabitant...leave none, lest they be pricks in our eyes and thorns in our sides; lest God do to us what He thinks to do to those who fill up their sins alway, in their forsaking His commands.
I will stand up and declare unto you all, as Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh did, that we ought to "go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it." I will tell you how the land - the life promised to us "is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us [and He does, hallelujah!], then He will bring us into this land and give it us, a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not."
Will you go with me to possess the land in righteousness, or will you turn back and say "it is too hard for us, the nature of the people is too strong for us"? Will you drive every inhabitant out and live in the good land of rest, or will you go in only half-heartedly and leave them to torment you and be your downfall?
"Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.
And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them."
-Numbers 33:50-56
_________________________________
Like the Children of Israel, we were once wandering in the wilderness of Sin, but we are come to the land of promise -- let us therefore enter in with boldness and drive out EVERY inhabitant...leave none, lest they be pricks in our eyes and thorns in our sides; lest God do to us what He thinks to do to those who fill up their sins alway, in their forsaking His commands.
I will stand up and declare unto you all, as Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh did, that we ought to "go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it." I will tell you how the land - the life promised to us "is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us [and He does, hallelujah!], then He will bring us into this land and give it us, a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not."
Will you go with me to possess the land in righteousness, or will you turn back and say "it is too hard for us, the nature of the people is too strong for us"? Will you drive every inhabitant out and live in the good land of rest, or will you go in only half-heartedly and leave them to torment you and be your downfall?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Low Expectations
Recently, there has been a movement gaining ground in the church regarding the low expectations for teenagers (the major proponents being the Alex and Brett Harris, through their ministry, The Rebelution) and how those low expectations lead to low achievement levels; as far as that goes, I believe it is altogether true. I would say, however, that it is not merely that adults have low expectations of teenagers, but that it is farther-reaching than that...people have low expectations all around - even adults are not expected to stand up and say "Yes, by the grace of God, I can and will live like God wants me to live, shunning sin, and actively obeying His will!" Instead, we have an "Oh woe is me, I'm a miserable wretched sinner, and I'll never live up to God's will for me!" kind of Christianity. This attitude is insipid childishness, and ought to be laid aside along with all the other weights and the sin so that we can run our race in righteousness and true holiness.
Reminds me of the Newsboys song "I'm Not Ashamed"
"What are we sneakin' around for -- who're we tryin' to please?
Shruggin' off sin, apologizin' like we're spreadin' some kind of disease
I'M SAYIN' NO WAY...NO WAY..."
The life of groveling as a miserable (yet saved) sinner is easy, because sin does not have to be given up - merely confessed...and those who are thus wallowing in the mire will try their hardest to drag down any who would truly take the Saviour's hand and stand out of such a vile existence - which makes it even harder for us who desire righteous, godly living to stand, since everyone around us is doing their best to make us fall back. We must therefore do as Paul instructs Timothy, and be as warriors,taking the whole armour of God and remaining untangled with the affairs of this life, in order that we may fight the good fight and receive the prize that awaits those who endure to the end.
Perhaps I am just rambling to no effect, but I hope to God that I am not. I only desire to provoke my brothers and sisters in the Lord to follow after holiness, without which, not one of us shall see the Lord.
Reminds me of the Newsboys song "I'm Not Ashamed"
"What are we sneakin' around for -- who're we tryin' to please?
Shruggin' off sin, apologizin' like we're spreadin' some kind of disease
I'M SAYIN' NO WAY...NO WAY..."
The life of groveling as a miserable (yet saved) sinner is easy, because sin does not have to be given up - merely confessed...and those who are thus wallowing in the mire will try their hardest to drag down any who would truly take the Saviour's hand and stand out of such a vile existence - which makes it even harder for us who desire righteous, godly living to stand, since everyone around us is doing their best to make us fall back. We must therefore do as Paul instructs Timothy, and be as warriors,taking the whole armour of God and remaining untangled with the affairs of this life, in order that we may fight the good fight and receive the prize that awaits those who endure to the end.
Perhaps I am just rambling to no effect, but I hope to God that I am not. I only desire to provoke my brothers and sisters in the Lord to follow after holiness, without which, not one of us shall see the Lord.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Putting Others On The Right Path
"Charity shall cover a multitude of sins" (I Peter 4:8)
To return Christians who have erred from the way of salvation is just as important as saving the souls of those who have not yet tasted of the heavenly gift. Fortunately, we should not be apprehensive about approaching these people, since (hopefully) they have been in the church, and we have a chance to acquaint ourselves with them.
How then shall charity cover sins? Should it simply gloss over them as if they were nonexistent? God forbid. James speaks of it in his epistle, chapter 5, verse 20: "He which converteth a soul from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins" -- that is, many sins shall not be committed because of the corrective influence. Jesus even gives us protocol for dealing with people who persist in iniquity: first talk to him (or her), then bring others to talk to him, if he won't listen, then tell the church, and if worst comes to worst, "let him be to thee as an heathen" (Matthew 18:15-17).
We must at all times show in our conduct the righteousness and holiness that is in our hearts ("be holy for I am holy"), because of what our Lord Jesus has done for us - that others might see our good works and glorify God.
Sin is the very antithesis of God's character. Therefore, as His representatives, we should always strive to keep one another out of sin, and in the way of righteousness.
To return Christians who have erred from the way of salvation is just as important as saving the souls of those who have not yet tasted of the heavenly gift. Fortunately, we should not be apprehensive about approaching these people, since (hopefully) they have been in the church, and we have a chance to acquaint ourselves with them.
How then shall charity cover sins? Should it simply gloss over them as if they were nonexistent? God forbid. James speaks of it in his epistle, chapter 5, verse 20: "He which converteth a soul from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins" -- that is, many sins shall not be committed because of the corrective influence. Jesus even gives us protocol for dealing with people who persist in iniquity: first talk to him (or her), then bring others to talk to him, if he won't listen, then tell the church, and if worst comes to worst, "let him be to thee as an heathen" (Matthew 18:15-17).
We must at all times show in our conduct the righteousness and holiness that is in our hearts ("be holy for I am holy"), because of what our Lord Jesus has done for us - that others might see our good works and glorify God.
Sin is the very antithesis of God's character. Therefore, as His representatives, we should always strive to keep one another out of sin, and in the way of righteousness.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Unity
"All efforts of union but that of God's holiness is as pounding cold, crooked pieces of iron toegether. The more blows, the more crooks and differences. Put them into a furnace of white heat and they will lose their cold, stiff, crooked individuality, and flow into one mass...Freedom from sin knits together in love." --D. S. Warner
Thus, if righteousness, the righteous life that we ought to live through Christ, is not preached, we will never have any more than a superficial "unity". If we preach that "we must sin in thought, word, and deed," we will most assuredly have sects and factions; so long as this insidious doctrine is preached and believed, we will only be as cold-hearted crooked, stiffnecked individuals. Unless we preach for the purpose of right, godly, blameless living; unless we call each other to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God", we will never see true unity in the professed body of Christ. But, if we live in holiness and righteousness, we can then call to our brothers and sisters, and say, "receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man...ye are in our hearts to die and live with you." (II Cor. 7:1,2).
"There is therefore no real cause of division but sin." --D. S. Warner
Can you say to every man, that you have behaved yourself in all holiness and righteousness and honesty? If you cannot, is not this the very reason that you have not true fellowship in the body of Christ? If you are not one with the true followers of Christ, DO something about it! Don't just sit and wonder where it went, for you know where it is -- it is in the obedience to Christ -- for "hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments", and if we know Him, we will know and fellowship with those who are His.
Thus, if righteousness, the righteous life that we ought to live through Christ, is not preached, we will never have any more than a superficial "unity". If we preach that "we must sin in thought, word, and deed," we will most assuredly have sects and factions; so long as this insidious doctrine is preached and believed, we will only be as cold-hearted crooked, stiffnecked individuals. Unless we preach for the purpose of right, godly, blameless living; unless we call each other to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God", we will never see true unity in the professed body of Christ. But, if we live in holiness and righteousness, we can then call to our brothers and sisters, and say, "receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man...ye are in our hearts to die and live with you." (II Cor. 7:1,2).
"There is therefore no real cause of division but sin." --D. S. Warner
Can you say to every man, that you have behaved yourself in all holiness and righteousness and honesty? If you cannot, is not this the very reason that you have not true fellowship in the body of Christ? If you are not one with the true followers of Christ, DO something about it! Don't just sit and wonder where it went, for you know where it is -- it is in the obedience to Christ -- for "hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments", and if we know Him, we will know and fellowship with those who are His.
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