Monday, May 27, 2013

God was under no constraint

God was under no constraint, no obligation, no necessity to create. That He chose to do so was purely a sovereign act on His part, caused by nothing outside Himself, determined by nothing but His own mere good pleasure.
A.W. Pink

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Christ is with us until the world’s end

Christ is with us until the world’s end. Let his little flock be bold therefore.
For if God be on our side, what matter maketh it who be against us, be they bishops, cardinals, popes, or whatsoever names they will? ~ William Tyndale

Saturday, May 25, 2013

There is nothing more important than...

There is nothing more important, more practical, more relevant, or more missional than the Gospel. True seekers are not looking to be entertained by a church, they are looking for the remedy to the guilt of their sins before a Holy God. ~ Doug Eaton

You won't find scripture in context teaching that

FRIEND, you might find a community of people that will ease your conscience that the SIN you're living IN is nothing to be too worried about, yeah you might find a couple preachers, a couple books, that'll convince you that your sinful lifestyle is in fact acceptable or that God at least 'tolerates' it. You might search the scriptures for verses that will comfort you that no matter what, God will love, accept, and forgive you without real repentance.
HOWEVER.....you won't FIND scripture IN CONTEXT teaching that, you won't be able to find ONE book in the bible that will lead you to that conclusion, you won't be able to face or argue against the plethora of scripture verses ALL throughout the BIBLE warning and condemning such a wicked twisting of the scriptures. In other words your willful ignorance will do nothing but help you sleep better on your journey towards an eternity in Hell.
Turn from such lies, repent of your wickedness, turn to Christ, believe upon the Lord and pursue righteousness............for this is what Christ has accomplished taking the place of vile God-hating rebels, He bore the full punishment of those who believe and gives the fullness of His righteousness to them. Despite what we deserve, God chose to love us, He chose to save us, and in that salvation that God freely provides, He supplies the powerful working of the Holy Spirit to create that new heart which loves what God loves and hates what God hates, yes IN Christ we are given new desires and the power to act upon them, in other words we don't save ourselves, we don't change ourselves, it is ALL of God from beginning to end, it's His work and it's for His glory! ~ Julius Mickel

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Stop the cowardice

I notice it's very common today for Christians to speak a truth from the scriptures and preface it with a 'Well, I believe..' and it sounds a whole lot like 'This is what's true to me' (I know, I know, some do this just out of habit...but).
If it's concerning SOUND DOCTRINE, something you KNOW is TRUE because the Word of God declares it as such, then Christians should be careful not to express the truth as though it is a personal opinion.
Stop the cowardice, speak God's ABSOLUTE truth in an ABSOLUTE way! ~ Julius Mickel

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Shame on those who can speak 'truth' without passion


The pattern found in scripture concerning God's purpose and working in times of tragedy especially mass tragedy is 3 fold: 1. To cause men to cry out to Him 2. To judge men 3. To strengthen His people
I believe one reason why there still exists a large number of people who think there is one type of God in the Old Testament and another type of God in the New is because of well meaning Christians and they're unwillingness to face and wrestle with how active God truly is in affairs of men, just a glance at the pattern of the book of Judges testifies to His sovereignty in bringing people back to Him! This makes me think of something Paul Washer often tells of the time where he warns the pastor that wants him to preach on the attributes of God, that he doesn't want to split their church.....explaining their will be nice long attending members who will get upset declaring that's not my God, i could never love a God like that.."
Is it all just theory? Do u really believe, do you ever share the gospel with any urgency??? Are men really in danger, does God's wrath really abide on people?

Such truths need explanation, but shame on those who can speak 'truth' without passion, without carefulness, without great concern for souls, without deep longings for men to be reconciled to God, without love to God and to men. ~ Julius Mickel

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Inconsistent professing Christians injure the gospel more than...

"Inconsistent professing Christians injure the gospel more than the sneering critic or the heretic" ~ Charles Spurgeon

Saturday, May 18, 2013

I do not believe that it is appropriate that I spend my time defending my name.

"The answer is simple: for myself, I do not believe that it is appropriate that I spend my time defending my name. My name is nothing – who really cares about it? And I am not called to waste precious hours and energy in fighting off every person with a laptop who wants to have a pop at me. As a Christian, I am not meant to engage in self-justification any more than self-promotion; I am called rather to defend the name of Christ; and, to be honest, I have yet to see a criticism of me, true or untrue, to which I could justifiably respond on the grounds that it was Christ’s honor, and not simply my ego, which was being damaged. I am called to spend my time in being a husband, a father, a minister in my denomination, a member of my church, a good friend to those around me, and a conscientious employee. These things, these people, these locations and contexts, are to shape my priorities and my allocation of time. Hitting back in anger at those who, justly or unjustly, do not like me and for some reason think the world needs to know what they think of me is no part of my God-given vocation. God will look after my reputation if needs be; He has given me other work to do." ~ Carl Trueman

Friday, May 17, 2013

Prayer is the highest activity of the human soul

"Prayer is the highest activity of the human soul, and therefore it is at the same time the ultimate test of a 
man´s true spiritual condition (there is nothing so much as prayer life that tells the truth about us as Christian people). Everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer."
~ Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones

Saturday, May 11, 2013

There are only two religions in the world:

There are only two religions in the world: divine accomplishment and human achievement.
~ John MacArthur

Friday, May 10, 2013

Christian contentment is that sweet, inward...

Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.
Jeremiah Burroughs ~ The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

All the sheep rightfully belong to Jesus.

All the sheep rightfully belong to Jesus. Before they ever came to Him, they had already been given to Him as a gift by the Father ages ago." ~ Steve Lawson

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

There can be no saving faith till the soul is filled with...

There can be no saving faith till the soul is filled with evangelical repentance, and repentance is a godly sorrow for sin, a holy detestation of sin, a sincere purpose to forsake it. The Gospel calls upon men to repent of their sins, forsake their idols, and mortify their lusts, and thus it is utterly impossible for the Gospel to be a message of good tidings to those who are in love with sin and madly determined to perish rather than part with their idols. ~ A.W. Pink

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

No one can do as much damage to the church of God as the man who...

No one can do as much damage to the church of God as the man who is within its walls, but not within its life. ~ C. H. Spurgeon

Monday, May 6, 2013

"Hot mince pies!"

A boy in the streets, selling mince pies, kept crying, "Hot mince pies!" A person bought one and found it quite cold. "Boy", he said, "why do you call these pies hot?" "That's the name they go by, sir," said the boy. So there are plenty of people who are called Christians, but they are not Christians--that's simply the name they go by. ~ C. H. Spurgeon

Saturday, May 4, 2013

The doctrine of the Fall

Few preachers of religion do believe thoroughly the doctrine of the Fall, or else they think that when Adam fell down he broke his little finger, and did not break his neck and ruin his race.
~ C.H. Spurgeon

Friday, May 3, 2013

The fact is that “foreknowledge”....

The fact is that “foreknowledge” is never used in Scripture in connection with events or actions; instead, it always has reference to persons. It is persons God is said to “foreknow,” not the actions of those persons. ~ A.W. Pink

Thursday, May 2, 2013

The new birth is monergistic

The new birth is monergistic, that is it is the single work of almighty God. Infants do not cooperate in their birth. Infants do not induce their own procreation. And no more than those who are dead in trespasses and sin give themselves life, it is the work of almighty God. The verb here makes you passive, you were born again. You didn't give birth to yourself, God did it...God did it. It is thus an irresistible work. It is the work of God "An unwilling people are made willing in the day of God's power." ~ John MacArthur

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

The amazing sinfulness of sin

I am convinced that the first step toward attaining a higher standard of holiness is to realize more fully the amazing sinfulness of sin. ~ J.C. Ryle