Mopping Up the Battlefield of Our Mind - Terry Rayburn

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Courtesy of Terry Rayburn at Grace for Life:

The Gospel, which is the power of God, won you. The enemy's desire to keep you in His kingdom was foiled. You are a child of God. Your sins are forgiven, you have eternal life, and you are destined to forever be present with your King in heaven.

But there are still some snipers out there, there are still some enemies pretending to be dead, there are still some who don’t even know the battle is won. And they will seek to deceive you, and hinder your walk.

They will seek to deny the Word of God, while you don’t even know you’re denying it. They will seek to make you think things that will hinder you from having the fruit of the Spirit in your daily life, because lies have a way of quenching the Spirit and keeping us from being filled with the Spirit.

Read the rest HERE.

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Genuine Love

I thought this was a very good practical sermon on how the gospel frees a person to love.
(http://www.illbehonest.com/blog/?p=351)

"Fear kills love - Faith kills fear"

The Gospel: What It Is and Isn't - Randall Easter

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Let us be clear regarding the gospel. The gospel is not a thing. The gospel is not an event. The gospel is not a promotion. The gospel is not a work of man. The gospel is not a system. The gospel is not a method. The gospel is a proclamation of the person of Jesus Christ. The apostles proclaimed Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected from the dead, and in like fashion, the church of the 21st century ought to do the same.

The gospel is to be proclaimed. The gospel does not need a gimmick. The gospel does not need the wisdom of man. The gospel does not need any help from people who come up with cutting edge ideas. The gospel does not need additions. The gospel does not need subtractions. The responsibility of the church is to rightly proclaim the glory of the person, Jesus Christ, who is the gospel. Men, women, boys and girls, are to respond to Jesus. The proclamation of the gospel is for the glory of God and not the glory of man. To mix the gospel with other things is to detract from the person of Jesus Christ and ultimately to lead men to idolatry and damnation in hell. The apostles proclaimed the person of the gospel without gimmicks.

-- Randall Easter

HT: Mack T

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The "MASB"

The "MASB" on Temporal Needs and Contentment

I hear they are coming out with a new bible translation suited for our present-day cultural adaptation of Christianity called the "MASB" (Modern American Standard Bible). They have been releasing previews to the public to make sure it scratches where they itch before they publish it. Here's a preview:

1 Tim. 6:8 MASB*

If we have good food, nice clothes, a house in a nice neighborhood, air-conditioning, two cars, insurance, and excellent health care, with these we shall be content.

(* I've been asked more than once - no, the MASB isn't real. I made it up.)

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Friends, as much as our world says to the opposite it really is possible to be content with "food and covering" and let all else be stripped away. Beware of changing 1 Timothy 6:8. We change it to our harm according to Paul. The one need is to keep your eyes on Christ.

Think of what Paul taught elsewhere, that Christians live in communion with the now ascended Son of God. Paul said "I have learned the secret" to contentment... that is, "Him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). We often feel strong and content, but when earthly comforts crumble away our true colors show through as to whether we are really looking to Christ, considering him, and waiting on him, so as to find strength and abundant contentment.

Praise God for this spiritual stream that never fails, though every other cistern be broken. Because of this contentment some have suffered much (even willfully have given up much) and have yet been upheld.

Everyday Life

"I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10)

Beloved, if you have trusted Christ then you are a "they". This verse is not only for ministers and missionaries. This verse is for the mother at home whose labors go largely unnoticed. She is a "they". This verse is for the man who works all day against the backdrop of monotonous repetition. He is a "they". Are you a student who has believed on Christ? You are a "they". Those whose lives are common have an uncommon opportunity to manifest the life of Christ. The minister on the front lines is expected to always be full of zeal and joy, and what a blessing they are! The help I get from these laborers could never be calculated. However, it could be that the mother who is able to sanctify the mundane with a holy joy and a fragrance of Christ soars to even greater heights which only her Lord sees. Only the Day will declare it. In the meantime, wherever we find ourselves today, the priority must be cultivating the manifestation of the life and love of Christ to those around us. The world must see in us a life so real and present that it operates wholly apart from every circumstance.

Loving God More - Michele Rayburn

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Courtesy of Michele Rayburn at Grace for Life:

In his book, The Attributes of God, in the chapter on The Love of God, A.W. Pink expresses his concern about the "low state of spirituality among professing Christians", and that there is so little real love for God. He says that if we realize how much God loves His people then "the more will our hearts be drawn out in love to Him."

This is good to point out, because we want to be like Him, be imitators of Him. And our love for others is an outward expression of our inward love for the Lord, and it’s what we are called to do.

But I think that the problem of the low state of spirituality is more than just not being "acquainted with His love" for His people, but that we are not better acquainted with Jesus Christ. If we want to love God more, it begins with knowing Jesus intimately. "In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily..." (Col. 2:9).

Our hearts need to be occupied with Jesus Christ Himself. Our thoughts need to be directed to Him continually. If we would develop our relationship with our Lord, not only would we love Him more, but we would find in Him, and through our relationship with Him, a greater capacity to love others. If we abide in Christ, we will be filled with the Spirit, and when we are filled with the Spirit, we will have the fruit of the Spirit, the first of which is love.

God’s love is uninfluenced by anything that is in us, and God’s love is eternal and everlasting. To be loved not because of who we are, but simply because we are His is so important for Christians to know and rejoice in. And that is what sets us free to love God more and to love others more.

Pink sums it up by saying: "...let no Christian call into question God’s love when he is brought under painful afflictions and trials. God did not enrich Christ on earth with temporal prosperity..." But He did give Him the Spirit "without measure" (John 3:34).

It makes me think of the Scriptures that say "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21), and "seek those things which are above" (Col 3:1). And Romans 8:5-6, which says, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

We just need to be more spiritually minded in order to be of any earthly good!

-Michele Rayburn at Grace for Life

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Marriage or Singleness? - Mack Tomlinson

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God's Will: Marriage or Singleness?

A Question From a Believer

"If marriage is the foundation of family, which is the foundation of church, society, etc., and God uses the family as a picture of the church's relationship to His Son, then why does Paul say to the Corinthian church it is better not to be married? Is it God's desire for us to be married and have families or not? if so, then why Paul's instruction to the widows and unmarried?"

"It doesn't seem as though Paul is saying "God may not want some of you to be married" or "God wants some of you to be married". Instead it seems that he says "it's better to be single" and only to be married *if* you can't handle otherwise, or if you are already marry; to me, that seems as if he's going against "it's not good for man to be alone" and other verses like this. Is it possible this was special instruction for this church or something?"

My Reply

A short answer is that God's will about marriage is not the same for all believers; it is His will for some to be married, probably most, and it is His will for some to remain single; both conditions are a calling and each person has to see God's will for them; this is the very reason why it can be confusing, because God can have one to be single and another to be married. A person can desire marriage very much, and yet it is God's will for them to be single; in other situations, a single person feels contented and happy being single and suddenly-- boom!-- God brings a marriage partner out of nowhere! The bigger issues are-- contentment in Christ and submission to His will.

Paul's teaching to the Corinthians first has primary application to the particular context of what was occurring at Corinth; he is giving principles that will apply in different situations; so he says that it is better for some to remain single and then it is allowable and better for others to marry.

The bottom line is for every unmarried believer to say with contentedness and conviction- "Lord, You have a perfect will for me; I am not anyone else; I am the person You made me to be; if Your purpose for me is singleness, let me see that as a high calling and as not less than marriage; if so, confirm that and make me contented & joyful in it and let me have undivided devotion to You. And if Your will for me is marriage, then bring me to that person in Your time and way and let Your will be done; until then, let me seek Your kingdom and see You work divine purposes-- after all, its about You and not about me ultimately."

God will always perfectly bring about His will in the lives of those who trust Him genuinely; It cannot fail, whether that is a fruitful life of singleness for His glory or a fruitful life of marriage for His glory. Either way, the true Christian cannot lose.

Prov. 3:5-6

-- Mack Tomlinson

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On Being Hard To Encourage

I've been thinking about this article a good bit. If we are not able to receive encouragement from the lowliest Christian sharing the most simple truth we are beneath the level of basic Christianity.

Unknown Late Repentance - Bob Jennings

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Some promote the idea that we cannot say a departed non-Christian is in hell, in that he might have repented secretly just before he died. Here are some thoughts on unknown late repentance.

1. We must remember the fact that there is no reason to think they did repent, if indeed there was no genuine evidence of it before death.

2. The Bible does not give encouragement or comfort about such thinking – that they might have made some secret repentance.

3. The Bible makes salvation contingent upon a confession. (Rom 10:.9-10)

4. The Bible boldly assumes men perish, if there is no reason to think they repented; for example:

a. Judas Iscariot

b. the false workers, Phil. 3.19, "their end is destruction", and, 2 Cor 11.15, "their end is according to their deeds."

5. The devil would like to promote such thinking, as he would rob God of His glory, the glory God would get from putting the person in hell, or receiving a confession, as in the case of the thief on the cross.

6. The sinner would like to hear such thinking, for it would encourage him to continue in his sin and slip in to heaven the way he presumes the deceased hopefully did. After all, that is what these Christians are saying and hoping, and they claim to be ‘in the know.’

Death-bed repentance is rare. “There is one death bed repentance recorded in the Bible (the thief on the cross), so that no one despair, but there is ONLY one, so that no one will presume.”
Matthew Henry

Death-bed repentance is rarely true. True repentance can be late, but late repentance is seldom true. “Late repentance is seldom satisfactory.”
J.C. Ryle.

-- Bob Jennings

HT: Mack T

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Justification of Life - J. Gresham Machen

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“The atoning death of Christ, and that alone, has presented sinners as righteous in God’s sight; the Lord Jesus has paid the full penalty of their sins, and clothed them with His perfect righteousness before the judgment seat of God.

But Christ has done for Christians even far more than that. He has given to them not only a new and right relation to God, but a new life in God’s presence for evermore. He has saved them from the power as well as from the guilt of sin.

The New Testament does not end with the death of Christ; it does not end with the triumphant words of Jesus on the Cross, “It is finished.” The death was followed by the resurrection, and the resurrection like the death was for our sakes.

Jesus rose from the dead into a new life of glory and power, and into that life He brings those for whom He died. The Christian, on the basis of Christ’s redeeming work, not only has died unto sin, but also lives unto God.”

—J. Gresham Machen, Christianity & Liberalism

HT: Of First Importance

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We Should Never Be Discouraged

Have you ever thought about the line from the song What a Friend We Have in Jesus? It says, “We should never be discouraged...” What?! Never? Can that be right?

There is a temptation in the Christian life to treat discouragement as a part of the Christian’s spiritual existence. “Discouragement is right,” the mind says, “things aren’t going well.” Be careful here.

First, yes, admit there is a need. Be it sin or a lack of the Holy Spirit in day to day life and service, we should never pretend we are walking on a level that we’re not. But is the way to go forward with God really to get discouraged? I don’t think so. I find that discouragement is often a form of settling for less in disguise. It's a good way to thicken on your lees. It’s a subtle sin of unbelief and inward murmuring and complaining and inaction. No, the way forward is to walk the path of faith.

- Faith will tell you that Christ died to set you free from every sin and idol (1 Pet. 2:24,Titus 2:14).

- Faith will tell you that Christ died to secure the fullness of the Spirit in your life (Gal. 3:13-14).

These are awesome realities held out to us! All this, and more is the Christian’s blood bought birthright. Christ as an ever-living risen savior brings a salvation to his people that can be described as nothing less than, “to the uttermost.” Don’t be discouraged, believe!

Even in fighting discouragement, Christ is our supreme example. Whoever had more of a right to be frustrated and disheartened but the lonely savior that the world rejected?

Isa. 49:1-7

¹Listen to Me, O islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar
The LORD called Me from the womb;
From the body of My mother He named Me.
²He has made My mouth like a sharp sword,
In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a select arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
³He said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel,
In Whom I will show My glory."
⁴But I said, "I have toiled in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity;
Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD,
And My reward with My God."
⁵And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am honored in the sight of the LORD,
And My God is My strength),
⁶He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light of the nations
So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
⁷Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
To the despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers,
"Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also bow down,
Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You."

Did Christ give in to discouragement? No. Neither should you. You’ve been united to him. Consider one final passage.

Isaiah 42:3-4

³"A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
⁴"He will not be disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."

King James perhaps says it better in verse 4: “He will not be discouraged…”

Hard things come. They are appointed for you and God knows why. Don’t be discouraged, rather take it to the Lord in prayer. Fight the fight of faith and cling to God all the more. There are too many promises for us to go moping around in the dumps, beloved!

David Livingstone

Has anyone read a good biography on the life of David Livingstone (missionary to Africa)? If so please send me an email at masonvann[at]gmail[dot]com. I'm looking for a good one to read.

Slave Girl

Do You Love the Bride of Christ?

Derek Webb wrote a song called, "The Church." The story goes that at some point in his performing concerts people kept coming up to him griping about the state of the church and how his music has helped them to see how they need to bail on the church (keep in mind he's kind of a left-ist, with many left-ist type followers). Though Webb has written a lot of songs trying to stir up and purify the professing church of our day, his intention was never for people to abandon the bride of Christ. That's why he wrote this song.

Notice not only the overarching theme and purpose of redemption, but his use of both the symbols of baptism and the Lord's supper. These two ordinances are hard to do alone.

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I have come with one purpose 
to capture for myself a bride 
by my life she is lovely 
by my death she’s justified 

I have always been her husband 
though many lovers she has known 
so with water i will wash her 
and by my word alone 

So when you hear the sound of the water 
you will know you’re not alone 

Chorus:
‘Cause i haven’t come for only you
but for my people to pursue
you cannot care for me with no regard for her
if you love me you will love the church

I have long pursued her 
as a harlot and a whore 
but she will feast upon me 
she will drink and thirst no more 

So when you taste my flesh and my blood 
you will know you’re not alone 

Chorus:
There is none that can replace her 
though there are many who will try 
and though some may be her bridesmaids 
they can never be my bride

A Good Depression - Paul Miller

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“I was scrubbing the kitchen floor depressed about the lack of progress in the lives of people I was discipling. As I continued to scrub, I realized I had the same problems, which made me even more depressed. Then it dawned on me that my inability, my minidepression, was my door to God. In fact, God wanted me depressed about myself and encouraged about his Son.”

—Paul Miller, A Praying Life (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress 2009), 57

HT: Of First Importance

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A Great Kingdom for a Great King

I was stirred up recently by remembering one of Christ's servants of days past, William Carey. In fullness of zeal, Carey once preached a sermon that is no longer extant, but is hailed by the title "The Deathless Sermon." Why if all record of it is lost, is it said to be deathless? Because it was not the finely crafted sermon manuscript that mattered so much (for that is lost), it was the truth of the word of God and powerful application Carey brought out. The sermon had one text and two main points (listed below), this is all we know:

Isaiah 54:2-3

"Enlarge the place of your tent;
Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not;
Lengthen your cords
And strengthen your pegs.

For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left

And your descendants will possess nations
And will resettle the desolate cities."

Point 1 - Expect great things (from God)

Point 2 - Attempt great things (for God)

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Church, we must let the word of God speak into our lives in all of our believing, and hoping, and expectation. You might not fully agree with Carey's post-millenial missionary optimism, but can you hear the text above speaking? This is about Christ. His kingdom is great and his rule knows no boundaries. He is the sovereign Lord of all and we must look to him with great faith and expectation if we are to see the kingdom of this world become the kingdom of Christ.

If you say to me, "Young man, sit down; when God pleases to convert the heathen, he will do it without your aid and mine..." then you show yourself to be just as unbelieving and confused as the hyper-calvinists of Carey's day.

Now is not the time for shrinking visions or being overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. Christ says, "Stop your murmuring! Know that I am God. I will be exalted among all the nations. I will be exalted in all the earth."

Think of it, this section of triumph and the glory of Christ's kingdom (Isa. 54) flows with unstoppable force from his work on the cross (Isa. 53). 

Isa. 53:11-12

"As a result of the anguish of his soul, he will see it and be satisfied; by his knowledge the Righteous Ones, my Servant, will justify the many, as he will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great..." 

No wonder we'll need to pull up our stakes and enlarge the tent! He is bringing many sons to glory! Spare not! Don't sell Christ short. If you see a harvest field too vast for your own powers, what has Christ told you to do, settle for the little acre you can manage?! No. Pray for more laborers (Matt. 9:37)! Or perhaps, join in the labor if you're watching others struggle to push the plow. God uses men's mouths, and feet, and prayers. The Spirit of God indwelling and filling his people is how he has chosen to remain in this world.

Both points in Carey's deathless sermon are vital. We must see the surety of our Lord's kingdom (expect), and we must ourselves put all our soul into this evangelistic act of worship (attempt). If you have only expectation with no involvement, you'll be a lazy servant. If you have only attempting with no faith, you'll more than likely end up a worn-out, discouraged, fruitless basket case.

Walking With Jesus - John Newton

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Walking with Jesus

(Letters of John Newton)

When I speak of walking with Jesus, my idea is helped by considering how it was with His first disciples--they lived in His presence! While He stayed in a place--they stayed; and when He moved--they went with Him. Having Him thus always near, always in view--the sight of Him undoubtedly gave a composure to their whole behavior; and was a check upon their eyes, their tongues, and their actions!

When they had hard questions upon their minds--they did not puzzle themselves with vain reasonings. When they were in need--they looked to Him for a supply. When they had difficulties and dangers--they little doubted of deliverance, knowing that He was with them.

Just so, I need a faith that shall have such an abiding, experimental conviction of His nearness and presence--as if I actually saw Him! "Lord, increase my faith!"

Surely, if He were now upon earth, and I expected a visit from Him this afternoon--my heart would bound at the thought! With what a mixture of joy and fear would I open the door to receive Him! How cautious would I be--not to do or say anything that might grieve Him, and shorten His stay with me! And how gladly, if He gave me permission to speak, would I catch the opportunity of telling Him all my concerns! Surely I would be unwilling to let Him go--until He had healed the wounds in my soul, and renewed my spiritual strength; until He had taught me better how to serve Him, and promised to support me in His service. And if I heard Him say, with an audible voice, "Though they fight against you--they shall not prevail, for I am always with you to deliver you!" I would bid adieu to fear!

But, alas, my unbelieving heart! Are not these things true, even at present? Is He not as near and as kind? Have I not the same reasons and the same encouragement to set Him always before me--and to tell Him . . .
all my needs,
all my fears, and
all my troubles--
as if I saw Him with my bodily eyes!

"Be sure of this: I am with you always--even to the end of the age!" Matthew 28:20

HT: Grace Gems

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Behold the Potter and the Clay

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Taken from The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts - Book 1 - Hymn 117:

Behold the potter and the clay,

He forms his vessels as he please:
Such is our God, and such are we,
The subjects of his high decrees.

Doth not the workman's power extend
O'er all the mass, which part to choose
And mould it for a nobler end,
And which to leave for viler use?

May not the sov'reign Lord on high
Dispense his favours as he will,
Choose some to life, while others die,
And yet be just and gracious still?

What if, to make his terror known,
He lets his patience long endure,
Suff'ring vile rebels to go on,
And seal their own destruction sure?

What if he means to show his grace,
And his electing love employs
To mark out some of mortal race,
And form them fit for heav'nly joys?

Shall man reply against the Lord,
And call his Maker's ways unjust,
The thunder of whose dreadful word
Can crush a thousand worlds to dust?

But, O my soul! if truths so bright
Should dazzle and confound thy sight,
Yet still his written will obey,
And wait the great decisive day.

Then shall he make his justice known,
And the whole world before his throne
With joy or terror shall confess
The glory of his righteousness.