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Quote - Martin Luther

"Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved. Now choose what you want." Martin Luther

Parenting Questions - Christianity Today

What answers does the Bible give to parents? Check out the link that connects you to brief answers to some of these common questions...

Evaluating Charities - Giving Wisely

How many phone calls, mailings, and emails have you received this holiday season that attempted to solicit your donation for a worthwhile cause? If you are like me, you have received A LOT. So many of them sound worthwhile and effective, but there are several resources out there that can help you navigate the endless list of charities.
When giving to charities (separate from and above your church tithe/offering), there are some things to consider:
  • Is it legit and approved by the Better Business Bureau?
  • How much money goes towards the actual end-goal and purpose of the charity?
  • How much money goes towards administration?
  • How much money goes towards fundraising? (you'd be surprised the number of charities that sink 15% or more into fundraising...i.e. your donations are paying the wages of the fundraisers)
  • What is its evaluation by others? (some evaluations have extensive standards for giving 'ratings' of charities)
  • If it is a "Christian" charity, is there a direct connection to the Gospel in the ministries they perform?
  • Is there a more effective and efficient charity in the area in which I am choosing to give?

Some resources to use:

As you give it is important to consider:

  • Your resources are ultimately God's and not your own. You are but a steward called to be a wise caretaker of what God has entrusted you with.
  • The most important treasure you have been given to share is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ...are you sharing and giving Him to others?

Proverbs 11:24-25 "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

Matthew 10:7-8 "7As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

Ephesians 3:8 "8Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ"

1 Timothy 6:17-19 "17As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life."

Quote - Martin Luther

"My teaching is not of doing nor of leaving undone, but of being. It is not new works done, but a new man to do them; not another life only, but another birth." Martin Luther

Study Bibles - Got One?

Do you have a favorite Bible to use? Do you have a study Bible in your collection?
Dr.Albert Mohler speaks about the use of study Bibles and recommends his three favorite ones in his blog today. Check it out HERE.
Also, here are links to previous blogs I wrote about "My Favorite Bibles" and the "ESV Bible."
An update: I think Santa has found and is bringing me an ESV Bible for Christmas

Impatient for the Lord's Return?

2 Peter 3:9-10 "9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed." Do you eagerly await the return of the Lord? It is an exciting thing to think about, study, and anticipate. At the same time we must never forget the many descriptions of it by Scripture, showing how it cannot be predicted or known, but will come upon us "like a thief"; unexpected and instantaneous. One important thing to also pull out of the above passage is that God's patience towards Christ's return is so that we should have more time to preach the Good News of Christ so that "all should reach repentance." This is not a promise of universal salvation or conversion (that the coming of Christ will only occur once all are evangelized/converted/or saved), but rather a description of the fact that our work is not done. If the Lord returned today, would you be excited and joyous? If you are a Christian I expect that you would be. Do you realize though, that once He returns you will no longer have the chance to evangelize the lost and to share the Gospel with your friends and family? It is an urgent and dire circumstance that the lost are in and we must not lose sight of the opportunities that we now have to share Jesus Christ before His ultimate return.

Sheep without a Shepherd - Neglecting the Bountiful Harvest?

Matthew 9:36-38 "36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'" Is your response when seeing the confused and lost masses today one of compassion? Do you understand them to be 'harassed' and 'helpless' under the attacks of Satan, who like a lion who desires to kill and destroy? Is your next response (following compassion) one of prayer and action? Do you pray and long to see more people (including ourselves) more effectively mobilized to harvesting the fruit that the Holy Spirit is preparing? This is a convicting passage for me...to more consistently respond with compassion, earnest prayer, and a longing to seize the many opportunities available for bringing others into the flock of Christ.

Psalm 71 - The Lord is my rock, my refuge, my deliverer

Psalm 71:1-8 "1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. 2 Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. 3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 4 Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. 5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. 6 From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. 7 I have become a marvel to many, but you are my strong refuge. 8 My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long."

Quote - G.K. Chesterton

"Hell is God's great compliment to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human choice." G.K. Chesterton

The Bridge Video & Isaiah 53

A powerful video is below...I highly recommend reading the entirety of Isaiah 53 considering Jesus Christ as the suffering servant; written and prophesied 700 years before His birth, sacrificial death on the cross, and resurrection from the grave. Isaiah 53 (ESV) “1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

Quote - Martin Luther

"My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen." Martin Luther

Quote - Richard Baxter

"That will be most in their ears, which is most in your hearts." Richard Baxter

Quote - Jonathan Edwards

"Two things exceedingly needful in ministers as they would go about any great matters to advance the kingdom of Christ are zeal and resolution...A man of but ordinary capacity will do more with zeal and resolution than one of ten times the parts in learning without them." Jonathan Edwards

Quote - R.C. Sproul

"Here then, is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not because it is dull and boring, but because it is work...Our problem is that we are lazy." R.C. Sproul

Quote - Charles Spurgeon

"Whatever 'call' a man may pretend to have, if he has not been called to holiness, he certainly has not been called to the ministry." C.H. Spurgeon

Quote - R.A. Torrey

"Power is lost through self-indulgence. The one who would have God's power must lead a life of self-denial." R.A. Torrey

Quote - Robert Murray McCheyne

"Lord, make me as holy as a saved sinner can be." Robert Murray McCheyne

Quote - C.S. Lewis

"We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin." C.S. Lewis From http://www.christianquotes.org/

Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth

Ever hear about Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth as heavily promoted earlier this year by Oprah? Do you want a short and concise summary of the heresies taught within this New Age work? HERE is a review by Dr.Donald Whitney on the subject. Some excerpts:
  • "Tolle's teaching is the oldest blasphemy in the world. It is the same lie to which Satan wanted Eve to "awaken" in the Garden of Eden: "You will be like God" (Gen. 3:5). Sadly, just like Eve, many still fall for it."
  • "Tolle's chief heresy about man is his teaching that each of us is god."
  • "the "salvation" (p. 13) we need is not the forgiveness of sin, but enlightenment."
  • " Tolle clearly admires Jesus, and quotes Him several times in A New Earth, but only as a great spiritual teacher. The events which are not only the most important in the life of Jesus, but also the most important in the entire Bible and indeed in the history of the world—namely the crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and second coming of Jesus Christ—Tolle completely ignores."
  • "Like Rhonda Byrne in The Secret, Tolle is shrewd enough to scour the Scriptures and wrench a few verses from their contexts to give the false impression that the Bible supports his views. And yet, in the end he points his readers to themselves as the ultimate authority: "Yes, you are the Truth. If you look for it elsewhere, you will be deceived every time" (p. 71). "

Dr. Whitney also has a helpful review of another book heavily promoted by Oprah: Rhonda Byrne's The Secret

  • "In the final analysis, The Secret is nothing more than Name It-Claim It, Positive-Confession, Prosperity Theology (without God and the Bible), built on a foundation of New Age self-deification. In other words, the book is just another version of what some TV preachers have taught for decades, namely, if you will sustain the right thoughts, words, and feelings, you will receive whatever you want. But The Secret adds this important twist: your thoughts can bring anything into your life because you are god."
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