Picture of a Prophet

Send us true men of God

The prophet in his day is fully accepted of God and totally rejected by men.

Years back, Dr. Gregory Mantle was right when he said, "No man can be fully accepted until he is totally rejected." The prophet of the Lord is aware of both these experiences. They are his "brand name."

The group, challenged by the prophet because they are smug and comfortably insulated from a perishing world in their warm but untested theology, is not likely to vote him "Man of the year" when he refers to them as habituates of the synagogue of Satan!

The prophet comes to set up that which is upset. His work is to call into line those who are out of line! He is unpopular because he opposes the popular in morality and spirituality. In a day of faceless politicians and voiceless preachers, there is not a more urgent national need than that we cry to God for a prophet! The function of the prophet, as Austin-Sparks once said, "has almost always been that of recovery." The prophet is God's detective seeking for a lost treasure. The degree of his effectiveness is determined by his measure of unpopularity.

Compromise is not known to him.

* He has no price tags.
* He is totally "otherworldly."
* He is unquestionably controversial and unpardonably hostile.
* He marches to another drummer!
* He breathes the rarefied air of inspiration.
* He is a "seer" who comes to lead the blind.
* He lives in the heights of God and comes into the valley with a "thus saith the Lord."
* He shares some of the foreknowledge of God and so is aware of impending judgment.
* He lives in "splendid isolation."
* He is forthright and outright, but he claims no birthright.
* His message is "repent, be reconciled to God or else...!"
* His prophecies are parried.
* His truth brings torment, but his voice is never void.
* He is the villain of today and the hero of tomorrow.
* He is excommunicated while alive and exalted when dead!
* He is dishonored with epithets when breathing and honored with epitaphs when dead.
* He is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, but few "make the grade" in his class.
* He is friendless while living and famous when dead.
* He is against the establishment in ministry; then he is established as a saint by posterity.
* He eats daily the bread of affliction while he ministers, but he feeds the Bread of Life to those who listen.
* He walks before men for days but has walked before God for years.
* He is a scourge to the nation before he is scourged by the nation.
* He announces, pronounces, and denounces!
* He has a heart like a volcano and his words are as fire.
* He talks to men about God.
* He carries the lamp of truth amongst heretics while he is lampooned by men.
* He faces God before he faces men, but he is self-effacing.
* He hides with God in the secret place, but he has nothing to hide in the marketplace.
* He is naturally sensitive but supernaturally spiritual.
* He has passion, purpose and pugnacity.
* He is ordained of God but disdained by men.

Our national need at this hour is not that the dollar recover its strength, or that we save face over the Watergate affair, or that we find the answer to the ecology problem. We need a God-sent prophet!

I am bombarded with talk or letters about the coming shortages in our national life:
bread, fuel, energy. I read between the lines from people not practiced in scaring folk. They feel that the "seven years of plenty" are over for us. The "seven years of famine" are ahead. But the greatest famine of all in this nation at this given moment is a FAMINE OF THE HEARING OF THE WORDS OF GOD (Amos 8:11).

Millions have been spent on evangelism in the last twenty-five years. Hundreds of gospel messages streak through the air over the nation every day. Crusades have been held; healing meetings have made a vital contribution. "Come-outers" have "come out" and settled, too, without a nation-shaking revival. Organizers we have. Skilled preachers abound. Multi-million dollar Christian organizations straddle the nation. BUT where, oh where, is the prophet? Where are the incandescent men fresh from the holy place? Where is the Moses to plead in fasting before the holiness of the Lord for our moldy morality, our political perfidy, and sour and sick spirituality?

GOD'S MEN ARE IN HIDING UNTIL THE DAY OF THEIR SHOWINGFORTH.

They will come. The prophet is violated during his ministry, but he is vindicated by history.

There is a terrible vacuum in evangelical Christianity today. The missing person in our ranks is the prophet. The man with a terrible earnestness. The man totally otherworldly. The man rejected by other men, even other good men, because they consider him too austere, too severely committed, too negative and unsociable.

Let him be as plain as John the Baptist.
Let him for a season be a voice crying in the wilderness of modern theology and stagnant "churchianity."
Let him be as selfless as Paul the apostle.
Let him, too, say and live, "This ONE thing I do."
Let him reject ecclesiastical favors.
Let him be self-abasing, nonself-seeking, nonself-projecting, nonself- righteous, nonself-glorying, nonself-promoting.
Let him say nothing that will draw men to himself but only that which will move men to God.
Let him come daily from the throne room of a holy God, the place where he has received the order of the day.
Let him, under God, unstop the ears of the millions who are deaf through the clatter of shekels milked from this hour of material mesmerism.
Let him cry with a voice this century has not heard because he has seen a vision no man in this century has seen. God send us this Moses to lead us from the wilderness of crass materialism, where the rattlesnakes of lust bite us and where enlightened men, totally blind spiritually, lead us to an ever-nearing Armageddon.

God have mercy! Send us PROPHETS!

— by Leonard Ravenhill

John Wesley quotes

“The Church recruited people who had been starched and ironed before they were washed.”


“I
look on all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever
part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty, to
declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of
salvation”


“When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few
years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of
most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything
but what God has revealed to me”


“God buries his workmen, but carries on his work”

Be Ye Holy

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

I PETER 1:15-16

Be Ye
Holy

Rise and Shine, There's Work to be Done

God did not save you so that you could just warm a pew bench on Sundays. Oh no, dear friend. He saved you to have intimacy with Him and to work with Him in the beauty of His holiness. When He said, "Be ye holy" it was not a request, it was a command. And God doesn't command us to do anything that He won't empower us to do.

Is your life counting for Jesus Christ? Is anybody impacted by your life? Have you led someone to Christ, or offered an encouraging word in the name of Jesus? Are you exercising your spiritual gifts? Is your lifestyle above reproach? How much time are you spending in front of the t.v. versus reading your Bible?

Read the Bible Everyday

This is the most important piece of advice I can give. When a person tells me that their walk is not going good, I know for a fact that they are not reading God's word. It is our spiritual bread. Without it, our Christian lives are barren. It is also the seed which we sow in other people as we tell them about Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 55:10-11, For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

The Bible can be a challenge to read because the devil and his minions will do their best to keep you from it. Why is the devil so concerned about the Bible? It is the only offensive weapon listed in the armour of God (see Ephesians 6:10-20) . The Word of God is powerful and it will change your life inside out. Read it everyday no matter what. It must be a part of your life. Forget about self-help books and pity-party meetings, tune into Jesus through the Bible and do what He says.

Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

You've Got to Be Serious About Jesus

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 7:21

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Matthew 10:38

Jesus was serious about you and His true disciples are serious about Him. He left His glory in heaven and was born as an infant in this cruel and wicked world. Herod tried to kill Him in His childhood, but it was not yet His time. After He had shared the good news of the kingdom and healed all manner of sickness and disease, He gave His life a ransom for many. Think about all the evil of this world--He suffered and died for all of it! Oh yes beloved, He was very serious about us and He expects us to be serious about Him.

Do you really believe that our God died for your sins and rose from the dead? If you do, then you CANNOT be satisfied living just any ol' kind of way. Dear friend, it's an impossibility because God lives inside of you. If you feel comfortable sinning and you name the name of Christ you need to--

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

What Kind of Fruit Do You Bear?

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Matthew 7:20

Jesus talked about two different types of fruit in Matthew 7:16-27--good fruit and bad fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit any more than an apple tree can bring forth pears. If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, your life should show forth good fruit. GOOD FRUIT, I.E. GOOD WORKS, DO NOT SAVE YOU, BELIEF IN JESUS CHRIST DOES. But good works are the external result of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Below, there are two types of lifestyles--Spirit-filled and flesh-filled. When you examine your everyday lifestyle, which category do you operate in?

THE SPIRIT-FILLED

5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

THE FLESH-FILLED

5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

If you call yourself a Christian, I sincerely hope that you are in the first category. If you are in the second category and you claim to be a Christian, here's some counsel from the Bible:

Galatians 6:7, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

If you are NOT a Christian and you feel that you are in the first category, you are still on your way to hell because you don't have forgiveness for your sins. No amount of good works will get you into heaven. God will only accept those who accept His Son and He will reject all who reject Jesus.

John 3:36, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Look at what God says about the good works of the natural man who tries to earn his way into heaven.

Isaiah 64:6, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Call to Holiness

Dear friend, where are you at today? Is your life a sweet-smelling savour in the nostrils of God or is it a pungent odor? If you are a Christian, your life should mirror the characteristics of God Himself. II Peter 1:4 says that you are to be partaker of the divine nature. That's incredible!

I oftentimes hear preachers and lay-people say, "I'm only a sinner saved by grace." After you are saved, God no longer calls you sinner. Look it up in the Bible--He calls you righteous. I hear people say, "If you're normal, you sin everyday." What a thing to say! When you read I John, the apostle admonishes us to sin not. If we do, we have an advocate with the Father, Christ Jesus.

Instead of being woe-begone about sin, we need to be avoiding and resisting it with all that we have. We need to seek out holiness. There ain't nothin' wrong with being holy. The world uses the phrase, "holier-than-thou" with contempt. I say, "Praise the Lord somebody is trying to live like Jesus!"

I was a big-time sinner when Jesus cleaned me up and made me brand new. When I look back, I know I lived the way I did, but I still have trouble understanding how I was so blind. The reading of God's word, the Bible, has continually washed my mind and given me a deadly weapon that Satan hates. I've been commanded to "cast down all imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God". And by God's grace and goodness, I will strive to do it until He calls me home to glory.

I see myself as a living miracle. I didn't grow up in a Christian home and my lifestyle was reprehensible, but God cleaned me up from the inside out. I have taken a 180 degree turn. Lord Jesus, Thou art good and worthy of all praise, honor and glory. He took the life of a world world-class sinner like me and made me a vessel fit for the Master's use. Thank you, Jesus!

I'm not unique, but the God that I serve is. He didn't save you to "chill out" and do what you want. "Ye are bought with a price" the Bible says. That price was the blood of Jesus Christ. He saved you to do good works in the furtherance of His kingdom.

Though you wouldn't know it based on the level of crime and lawlessness in America, most people in the U.S. claim to be Christians. I believe that many of these people have a false hope. Most people want to go to heaven, but they are unwilling to do it God's way. They won't make it in. Remember what Jesus said,

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven...

God in You, the Hope of Glory

When a person gets saved, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost come to live inside of them. As a result, a Christian will bear Christ-like fruits. That's what Christ meant when He said that by their fruits shall ye know them. When you plant an apple seed, you get a tree that bears apples. When you plant Jesus Christ you get Christ-like fruits.

Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

1 John 1:6-7, If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Conversely, when a person is not saved, they bear Satan's fruit e.g., addiction, pride, idol-worship (of money, academic credentials, television, nature etc.), lust of the flesh, humanism, bad language, etc.

Through Christ, we have been reconciled to God.

II Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

If then, we have been reconciled unto God, we should be bringing forth God-like fruits:

II Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The Bible says to "give diligence to make your calling and election sure" (II Peter 1:10) and to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Phillipians 2:12) You say that you believe? That's good, but according to James 2:19 "the devils also believe and tremble." The question is, "Have you been born again?"

What Must I Do to Work the Works of God?

1. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

John 6:28-29, Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him [Jesus] whom he hath sent.

2. Read God's word, the Bible.

Joshua 1:8, This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

3. Do what God commands you to do.

James 1:22-25, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

As a church worker and servant for Jesus Christ, a number of people have asked me for advice on problems, fears and other things like how to live. I try to answer based on the Word of God and many (perhaps most) are turned off by what the Bible says about purity and holiness. There's no shortcut to having a thriving relationship with God.

You've got to seek holiness to be near Him, for He will not fellowship with sin. I Timothy 4:7 says to exercise thyself unto godliness. The only way to do this is to:

- think about the Lord each moment of the day

-pray

-read His Word and do what it says

-testify of His goodness

-serve others in meekness and humbleness

One more thing you must do, learn what your spiritual gift is. The Bible says that every single believer has one because the Holy Ghost gives it to us. I'm not talking about natural ability, but a supernatural ability used for the edification of the body of Christ.

Examples of gifts include teaching, preaching, exhortation, and ministry (helping people). There are other gifts too--ask your preacher about them, or better yet, research the gifts for yourself in the Bible. Lord willing, I'll create a page about spiritual gifts and the characteristics of people who have certain gifts. [Postscript: page on spiritual gifts has been completed.]

The Conclusion of the Matter

...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.

Philippians 2:12-13

Consecration and Worship

Puritan Prayers

The Valley of Vision

My God, I feel it is heaven to please Thee, and to be what Thou wouldst have me be. O that I were holy as Thou art holy, pure as Christ is pure, perfect as Thy Spirit is perfect! These, I feel, are the best commands in Thy Book, and shall I break them? must I break them? am I under such a necessity as long as I live here?

Woe, woe is me that I am a sinner, that I grieve this blessed God, who is infinite in goodness and grace! O if He would punish me for my sins, it would not would my heart so deep to offend Him; But though I sin continually, He continually repeats His kindness to me.

At times I feel I could bear any suffering, but how can I dishonour this glorious God? What shall I do to glorify and worship this best of beings? O that I could consecrate my soul and body to His service, without restraint, for ever! O that I could give myself up to Him, so as never more to attempt to be my own! or have any will or affections that are not perfectly conformed to His will and His love! But, alas, I cannot live and not sin.

O may angels glorify Him incessantly, and, if possible, prostrate themselves lower before the blessed King of heaven! I long to bear a part with them in ceaseless praise; but when I have done all I can to eternity I shall not be able to offer more than a small fraction of the homage that the glorious God deserves. Give me a heart full of divine, heavenly love.

Salvation

Coming to Faith in Christ

by John Benton, published by Banner of Truth

God is the Creator of the world and of every person in it.

The message of the Bible starts with God. What is God like? God is the creator of the world and of every person in it (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16). God rules His creation and everything that happens is decided by Him. Because God made us, we are His property and He has rights over us (Psalm 115:3; Proverbs 16:33; Romans 9:19-21). Though God made all creatures, only man was made a spiritual being as well as a physical body. Originally man was made perfect in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), being closely related to God oas his father and enjoying deep friendship with Him. But the first man spoiled this by rebelling against God. By his action the whole human race has fallen under God's condemnation (Genesis 3:11-12; Romans 5:18).

God is invisible to our eyes but sees and knows all things.

God is invisible to our eyes but sees and knows all things (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 4:13). Without our realizing it, God is in every place, and there is nothing we can hide from Him. He even sees into our minds and knows us better than we know ourselves.

God is Holy

God is holy (Isaiah 6:3; 1 Timothy 6:16; 1 John 1:5). God's holiness means that God is good in the highest possible sense. He differs from us in His absolute moral perfection. God is pure and He hates all evil. The Bible says that God's holiness is light in which there is no darkness at all. He is therefore to be held in respect and fear.

God is Triune

God is triune (Matthew 28:19; John 5:18; Acts 5:3,4). We often have to admit that we do not understand ourselves, and we ought to realize that we will never understand everything about the great God who made us. God's word, the Bible, tells us many things about God which we find above our understanding. It tells us that there is only one God, but there are three persons who are God. They are the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Each of them is God, equal in power and glory, yet there are not three Gods but only one.

God is Love

God is love (Matthew 5:45; John 3:16). We usually love the people who love us. But the love of God is far greater than that kind of love. Every day God shows love and does good to people who are His bitter enemies.

What Sin Is

God, who made men, has given them a law by which to live. This law is for our own good. It can be summed up like this (Exodus 20:1-17; Matthew 5:21-32):

1. We may worship no one else but the true God.

2. We should not have wrong thoughts about God, and should only worship Him as taught in the Bible.

3. We must not use the name of God thoughtlessly or as a swear word.

4. We must keep Sunday as a special day set apart for God, and complete our work on the other six days of the week.

5. We must respect and love our parents and obey them.

6. We must not murder or have hateful thoughts about other people.

7. We must not commit adultery, with our bodies or in our minds.

8. We must not steal.

9. We must not tell lies.

10. We must not be jealous of other's people's possessions.

Sin is the breaking of this law (1 John 3:4).

There is nothing bad in the law and anything that is good does not break the law (Romans 7:12). Jesus said that the two great principles on which the law is built are these: 'You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself' (Luke 10:27-28; Mark 12:30-31).

The Law and Ourselves

Now as we read this law we realize two things. Firstly our conscience tells us that the law is right and good. But secondly, we realize that none of us has kept the law and, if we are honest, we do not even want to keep it. Why? God says it is because we are sinners. Since the first man's rebellion against God, our nature is to love to do those things which break God's law (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10-12; Ecclesiastes 7:20).

When we break God's law we insult Him, we spit in His face. God is not hard. God is not malicious. God is 'slow to anger' (Psalm 103:8). But our sinful hearts and the evil things we do are so serious that God's anger ought to make us afraid. God will punish all sin (Exodus 34:6-7; Psalm 7:11; Romans 1:18).

The fact that God is angry with men and women is the chief explanation for the present state of the world. But further, unless His anger can be turned aside, after we die we will be sent to Hell and experience the wrath of God for ever (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15). 'Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell' (Matthew 10:28).

The Work of Jesus Christ

All people are under God's curse because of their sin. But God has not left it there. He has done a very remarkable thing (Ephesians 2:4).

God the Son became a man. He did not cease to be what He had always been - God. But He became what He was not before - a man. At the beginning of the first century He was born in the town of Bethlehem in Israel and named Jesus. He worked most of His life as a carpenter in the town of Nazareth (John 1:1-14; 1 Timothy 3:16).

As a man He was not different from any other man except for one thing, He was not a sinner. He did not sin. Jesus fully kept the law of God in every detail (Romans 8:3; 1 Peter 2:22).

At about the age of thirty, three years before He was crucified at Jerusalem, Jesus began going about telling people to believe in Him as the Son of God and follow Him. During this time He did many miracles, so that people could see that His claim to be God the Son was true. Why did Jesus urge people to believe in Him? Because God had a plan in all this to save people, to rescue people from the awful consequences of their sin. 'He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him' (John 3:36).

Jesus Christ in the Sinner's Place

A substitute is a person who takes the place of another person. The very heart of the Christian gospel is that Jesus was a substitute. What do we mean?

We have seen that the Bible teaches that all sin will be punished. There is no sin, small or great, which God will pass over. Every sin must be paid for (Romans 6:23; Genesis 18:25; Romans 12:19).

But God has ordained two places where sin is finally punished. One is hell. The other is the cross of Jesus Christ. Hell is where finite people suffer eternally the punishment for their own sin. The cross is where the infinite God-man, Jesus Christ, suffered in history for sins which were not His own. He suffered for the sins of others (Mark 9:43-48; Isaiah 53:4-12; 1 John 4:10).

'For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh' (1 Peter 3:18).

The pain which Jesus endured on the cross was far more than that of a violent death. He suffered the wrath of God as He bore the penalty for sin in full (Matthew 27:46). Jesus was the God-appointed substitute. He took the punishment due to others, so taking away their sin.

He did not die for everybody. He died in the place of particular individuals. Which individuals? Anyone who believes in Him. He died in the place of all who in every age trust in Him. Jesus said: 'I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.... My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me' (John 10:11-27; Romans 8:28-32).

Right Standing With God

Jesus died on the cross and was taken down and buried. But three days later He was alive. God had raised Him from the dead, never to die again (John 20:1-23; Acts 2:24-32; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8). This was God's proof that the guilt which Jesus bore for others had been fully taken away. It was God's way of showing that Jesus really had delivered people from the penalty of sin.

'God raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God' (1 Peter 1:21).

Jesus died for those who were in God's love and plan united to Him from eternity past (Ephesians 1:3-14). It is only, however, when a sinner trusts Christ for the forgiveness of his sins that union with Christ becomes a fact in his experience. The Christian gospel is that God treats believing sinners as though they had personally obeyed and suffered all that Jesus obeyed and suffered, because they are united to Him. God dealt with Jesus on account of what we deserved, and He deals with us on account of what Christ deserves (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9). The believer must therefore say:

Upon a life I did not live,

Upon a death I did not die,

Another's life, Another's death,

I trust my whole eternity.

The sins of Christ's people have been paid for and forgiven, and the perfect obedience of Christ positively guarantees their acceptance with God. This is how it is that people are put right with God.

How Can I Be Saved?

'Will I be accepted by God if I try to live a good life?' NO. (Isaiah 64:6)

'Will I be saved if I promise God I'll do better?' NO.

'How can I be saved then?' There is only one way to be saved (Acts 4:12). That is by turning from your sins and receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior (Acts 16:31). Jesus said: 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me' (John 14:6).

The Bible teaches us some most wonderful things, but perhaps one of the most wonderful is the fact that ordinary men and women may have their sins forgiven by God. The door of salvation stands wide open. The Lord Jesus Christ says: 'Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest' (Matthew 11:28).

A person whose sins have been forgiven by God, and who therefore knows and obeys Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Friend is called a Christian. Perhaps you have some questions about becoming a Christian. In the remainder of this [article] we will consider some common questions.

Is there a cost involved in becoming a Christian?

We cannot buy forgiveness of sins. It is a free gift of God. But if you become a Christian it means that in the future Christ's will must rule your life. He will tell you to give up some things which you have done all your life. He will tell you to do other things which you have never done before. God's word is the rule of life for Christians. People may laught at you for being a Christian. Perhaps you will find opposition from your friends or even from members of your family. All this is not easy to bear. Some of it is very hard. But it is the cost of being a friend and follower of Jesus Christ (Luke 14:25-35).

How do I know that Christ will accept me?

'Do I have to do anything before I can ask God to save me?' NO! 'Is it necessary that I feel God's presence in a special way before I can ask Him to save me?' NO! 'Am I too sinful to be saved?' NO.

The answer to these questions and all questions like them is that Christ is ready to receive anybody. Whoever you are, whatever you have done, whatever you feel, Jesus invites you, just as you are, to come to Him and be saved (Acts 17:30; 1 John 3:23). You do not have to come to Christ pretending that you are a better person than you really are. Remember, Jesus knows you better than you know yourself, and He has said: 'Him that comes to me I will never cast out' (John 6:37). In becoming a Christian a person must repent of his sin and believe and trust in Jesus Christ to save him.

What does it mean to repent of sin?

Without Christ we are all sinful people and are always doing and thinking things which make God angry. We willingly go the way of sin. To repent is to turn round and go the other way. It means to hate sin and to seek to finish with it so as to please God (Ezekiel 14:6; Acts 26:20).

What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ?

You must believe that God sent His Son into the world for the purpose which He has declared: 'God so loved the world [i.e., He loved the world in this way], that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life' (John 3:16).

Put your trust in Him to save you. Depend on Him alone. How do you know if you have put your trust in Him? When you trust a person, you listen to Him and do what He says. It is the same when we trust Jesus (Acts 15:11; 2 Timothy 1:12).

I feel too weak to repent and trust Jesus; I would give up too easily; what can I do?

None of us by ourselves has the strength and will-power to repent and believe. We are unable to do these things. We are all weak. But God is all-powerful. We must turn from our sin, but we must ask God to make us truly turn from it. We must put our trust in Christ, but ask God to make it real trust. It is God who enables us to repent and believe. 'By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God' (Ephesians 2:8).

When we become Christians we are not only forgiven, we are in an entirely new and permanent relationship to God. We are adopted into God's family. He is then our heavenly Father. And God the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. The Spirit gives us new desires to live for Jesus Christ. The Christian knows love for Christ and a feeling of debt that can never be repaid. The Almighty Holy Spirit is at work within the Christian and He is committed to bringing him safe to heaven (Romans 8:14-17; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Philippians 2:12-13; Philippians 1:6). The Christian is able to sing:

From Him who loves me now so well

What power my soul can sever?

Shall life, or death, or earth, or hell?

No! I am His forever!

Can anyone else speak to God for me?

Other people can pray for you, but no one else can make you a Christian. Becoming a Christian, being saved, is something between you and Jesus Christ. It has nothing directly to do with anyone else. Are you sorry for your sin and do you want to finish with it ruling your life? Do you want to be saved from the judgement to come? Do you want to know Christ as your Friend and Lord? Then God's word to you is: 'Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon' (Isaiah 55:6-7). You should find a place where you can be alone, and there seek God in prayer.

What shall I say when I pray?

God is not interested in fine words or speeches. But He will listen to anyone who is sincerely wanting to speak to Him, whatever words are used. As you pray you should:

Confess your sins to God.

Confess that these sins are evil in God's sight and you deserve to be sent to Hell for them.

Tell God that you have no power to save yourself.

Ask the Lord Jesus to help you repent and believe.

Ask Him to save you.

Tell Jesus that you want Him as the Lord of your life.

Then trust God to hear and answer your prayers because of Jesus Christ, according to His promises in the Bible.

'Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved' (Romans 10:13; Psalm 34:6; Acts 2:21; Hebrews 10:23; John 5:24).

Jesus spoke of a man praying for forgiveness of sin: '...the tax collector standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house right with God...' (Luke 18:13-14).

What should I do next?

There are two important things you should do. Firstly, if you do not have a Bible you must get one and begin to read it. You could start by reading John's gospel (John 20:31). God is the author of the whole Bible. The Lord Jesus always speaks to His people as they read it.

Secondly, as soon as possible, you must go and tell a Christian friend what you have done. If you have no friends who are Christians you should try to find a church which believes the Bible and tell people there. It is very important that you find Christian friends as soon as possible. You will recognize them because they love Christ and trust Him, and obey His word, the Bible.

'Look unto me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is no other' (Isaiah 45:22).

David's secret

In spite of his failures and falls, I believe David's secret lay in the fact that he understood God, who "searcheth all hearts" and his heart's cry was, 'My heart is fixed. Oh! God, my heart is fixed.' In an old phrase David "knew his heart's home."
There is a difference between losing ones way and losing ones destination. One may find himself temporarily thwarted by the enemy for one reason or another but God's faithfulness will bring the soul which longs for Him to ultimate triumph - that which is His will not be taken from His hands.
We live in a day of 'positive teaching;' of emphasis on the mechanics of faith and of following God. Sometimes it can be devastating to realize that with all our understanding we are so exposed to failure when we try to do it together and make it all work.
Paul's cry, "when I am weak then am I strong," will be our cry also when we realize that God takes full responsibility for the hearts and lives which are given Him. - And HE, not our wishful dreaming - will give us the desires of our hearts.
-Leonard Ravenhill

Pour Thyself through Me

Spirit of the living God, pray Thy mind through me;

Nothing less than Spirit-power do I ask of Thee.

Purge me, urge me, guide me, hide me-

Spirit of the living God, pray Thy mind through me.

 

Power of the eternal God, flow Thy power through me;

Holy, Pentecostal power do I ask of Thee.

Lowly, holy, for Thy glory-

Power of the eternal God, flow Thy power through me.

 

Mercy of the living God, channel love through me;

Nothing less than Calvary love meets the need for me.

Love that's burning, love that's yearning-

Mercy of the living God, channel love through me.

 

Grace of God, eternal grace, reach the lost through me;

Tenderness for every race do I ask of Thee.

Love them, lift them, reach them, teach them-

Grace of God, eternal grace, reach the lost through me.

 

Life of God, eternal life, pour Thyself through me;

Nothing less than Thine own life do I ask of Thee.

Life compelling, life that's telling-

Life of God, eternal life, pour Thyself through me.

 

-Leonard Ravenhill

Spurgeon on Acts 18:10

Acts 18:10
I have much people in this city.

This should be a great encouragement to try to do good, since God has among the vilest of the vile, the most reprobate, the most debauched and drunken, an elect people who must be saved. When you take the Word to them, you do so because God has ordained you to be the messenger of life to their souls, and they must receive it, for so the decree of predestination runs. They are as much redeemed by blood as the saints before the eternal throne. They are Christ's property, and yet perhaps they are lovers of the ale-house, and haters of holiness; but if Jesus Christ purchased them He will have them. God is not unfaithful to forget the price which His Son has paid. He will not suffer His substitution to be in any case an ineffectual, dead thing. Tens of thousands of redeemed ones are not regenerated yet, but regenerated they must be; and this is our comfort when we go forth to them with the quickening Word of God. Nay, more, these ungodly ones are prayed for by Christ before the throne. "Neither pray I for these alone," saith the great Intercessor, "but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word." Poor, ignorant souls, they know nothing about prayer for themselves, but Jesus prays for them. Their names are on His breastplate, and ere long they must bow their stubborn knee, breathing the penitential sigh before the throne of grace. "The time of figs is not yet." The predestinated moment has not struck; but, when it comes, they shall obey, for God will have His own; they must, for the Spirit is not to be withstood when He cometh forth with fulness of power-they must become the willing servants of the living God. "My people shall be willing in the day of my power." "He shall justify many." "He shall see of the travail of His soul." "I will divide him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong."

Proverb 28:13 "Forsake sin"

Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Repent! It is the message that has been spoken throughout the Bible from beginning to end. It was the message of the prophets, John the Baptist, and especially Jesus Christ. Repent, turn away from sin, look unto God and His mercies. We are born again and live a regenerated life. This life cannot live in sin. It is repulsive and vile to the regenerated soul. A child of God can no longer digest and live on sin as without pain, conviction, and the discipline of God. We may believe the lies of this world enough to bite down into sin, we may even chew on it for a while, but those who are truly saved will vomit up sin and be broken in repentance.
Forsake sin. The Old Testament gives us a picture of what we must do with regards to sin and all that is sinful, the law stated that any people with leprosy were to be cast out no matter who they are. Whether family or friends, the least or the greatest, those who are unclean were to be put out from among the people. This is the same way we must treat our own sin. We repent of and forsake sin. In other words, we turn from our sin and confess it to God, and then we cast it, and all that would cause us to sin, completely out of our presence.

The Tried Believer (C.H. Spurgeon)

1. His power may be gone. Personally he becomes helpless. Bodily health fails, prudence is baffled, skill is taken aeay, courage sinks, even spiritual force departs. Lamentations 3: 17And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. 18And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD.

2. His earthly help may fail. "There is none shut up or left." A man without a friend moves the compassion of God.

3. He may be assailed by doubts and fears, and hardly know what to do with himself Job 3: 23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?
24For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.
25For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. 26I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came. In all this there may be chastisement for sin. It is so described in the context.

4. His hope lies in the compassion of God: he has no pleasure in putting his people to gries. "He will turn again, he will have compassion" Micah 7: 19He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Such sharp trials may be sent because:

• Nothing less would cure the evil hidden within Isaiah 27: 9By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.
• Nothing less moght suffice to bring the whole heart to God alone.
• Nothing less might affect the believer's future life. Isaiah 38: 16 O LORD, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.
• Nothing less might complete his experience, enlarge his acquaintance with the Word, and perfect his testimony for God.

Idolatry

When we think of the word Idolatry, we think "the golden calf". Israel in the absense of Moses' teaching constructed a god for themselves in which they then worshipped. In the absence of truth we create an idol. Many in this day and age call themselves christian but the god that they worship is not God. In the absence or denial of truth, people create for themsleves an idol. If we pick and choose or fill gaps with our own beliefs and devices, we have ceased to worship God and have created an idol.

Isaiah 2:19-21

19And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth

20In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;

21To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

This passage speaks of fearing the Lord. The problem is that this fear is not the godly fear that is healthy and brings us to repentance and love for God. This fear is similar to the fear that is manifested in Judas Iscariot after Jesus is betrayed. Satan and his demons fear God but it is a loathing and spiteful fear. Many people live in this ungodly fear of God. This pushes them to create a god/idol that is not scary to them. They then stand up this god before themselves and begin to worship it. Most people end up with a god that can do nothing to for them, but they like it that way because their god can do nothing to them (Paul washer). The Israelites in their fear of God, and ignorance of Him, created their golden calf and then raised it above themselves in order to worship it.

Seek the true God. His attributes are awesome and powerful, His is the thrice Holy God worthy of praise. Are role is not to scrutinize God and decide which parts agree with us. whether we like everything about God or not, means nothing. We will all bow and worship the true God, whether under grace through salvation, or under the condemnation of judgement for sin.

How shall we live? Psalm 116

How do we respond to God? Psalm 116 reads like the testimony of God's saving grace and the psalmist's response to that grace. in verse 3, the state of man without God is described; The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. This is the state of all that are not saved. The weight of their sin swallows them up. God alone can save us from the punishment of His holy hatred for sin. But redemtion is found in the Lord and Him alone verses 4,5 :4Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. 5Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. What is the tangible effect of salvation? The testimony of the psalmist is seen in seen in verse 8:For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. And now How shall we live? verse 9: I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. In this verse, the word walk comes from a Hebrew word meaning to be continually conversant. Now what is the confession of this man who has been redeemed,12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. This is a declaration of worship and a seeking of God's will that He might be glorified. It is saying I will drink down and seek all that you have for me. It is putting on all that God's will has purposed. These are the words of one who has "counted the cost" as Paul wrote. It is a life of surrender and living in the presence of God. Out of love and devotion the psalmist declares in verses:
16 O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. 18 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people, 19 In the courts of the LORD’S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD. In reading this psalm, you can practically feel the thankfulness and love that the psalmist has for God. You see that as we come to know and understand God and what He has done in saving us, a love and devotion to God erupts out of the repentant heart.

Salvation is of the Lord

In our culture on a daily basis, we are being pitched to by people, corporations, companies, and politicians. It has has almost become second nature for us to be cynical the moment these situations occur. It is also a problem that today's style of evangelism mirrors a used car salesman , and looks like anyone else trying to sell us a bill of goods. This creates huge opposition from a people that are defensive doubting and cynical.
The only answer is to abandon the slick words, the catch phrases and the "evangelical pick up lines". Salvation is of the Lord, by the Lord, and through the Lord. Salvation is 100% the work of God. " If salvation were 99% God and 1% man, man would still fail in the 1%"(Paul Washer).
In most sermons, classes, and books about evangelism, the focus seems to be about what we say and knowing how to answer common questions. How ridiculous is this? I am so glad that the power of salvation has nothing to do with my intellectual knowledge and skills as a salesman. If it did then there is no hope. Do you want to see people receive salvation? Throw away all those books on evangelism and pick up your Bible. Seek God and His truths. When Jesus would feed the multitudes, He would first multiply the bread and disperse it to His disciples who would then give it to the people. The disciples themselves had nothing to give; their hands were empty. In order to minister the bread and fish to the people, the disciple must first go to Jesus and receive from Him. He is the source, He will give you truth and send you to deliver that truth in His name and His authority.
In ancient days, a messenger for the king would be given the kings ring, or the message itself would have a seal on it. These markings, symbols, or items, of the king would then give this simple lowly servant all authority to declare the message of the king.
Salvation is of Jesus Christ, who is the Lord and King. Today's evangelism fails because people are told that they need to construct or memorize methods, messages, concepts, and phrases. We are empty handed and have nothing to give. Go to Jesus, who whenn asked will give you living waters. Go to Jesus who is the bread of life. Take what you receive from the Lord and minister it to the people.

The Word is hope

In this world that is dying, where is hope? Isn't it heartbreaking how on the surface our culture portrays happiness and satisfaction in life, but underneath, our culture is as unhappy, lost, and empty as ever? It is so easy to tell someone that they need Jesus when there life is going good. But what do you say to someone who is truly lost and at rock bottom? It has been God's will to place me in a place where I am confronted with the dying and lost every day. For the last three and a half years, I have been continually confronted with and broken by the reality that I have no power to save men. I can give them nothing. Apart from Christ I am in the same boat as they are. We act like we are not in need because we do so much under our own power, it it this that blinds us to our true needs. What do you say to or give to somone who has needs and hurts that no man can satisfy? Many would say that you should tell them of God's love. We tell them that God loves them ad promises to provide for their material needs. But how does that free them? Is the love of God boiled down to the fact that He will give you stuff? The apostle Paul said, "I preach Christ and Him crucified". The love of God is that though He is just in condemming us to death for our sins, He reigned down His Holy hatred for our sins onto His only begotten son. So what hope do we give to wicked dying people that are apart from God? The most freeing thing that you can give them is the message of the Gospel. Without God enabling us, we would never know Him or seek Him, without Christ we stand justly condemned for our many sins and deserve death. But because of the propitiation of Christ's death, righteousness is given to those who's faith is in Him. That faith is preceded and followed by repentance and turning from sin.

11/13/07

To Jesus, who is my all and all. As I begin to write this first post, I suddenly realize the purpose of this Blog. May my life bring glory to God and the recording of my walk with Christ be a witness to His awesome power in the life of this sinner. I pray that all who stumble upon these ramblings would be blessed as they see God work through my life. Phillipians 1:6 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."