Paul Was A Calvinist!

Or should I say that Calvin was a Paulist. The latter is probably more accurate.

Colossians1:3-4 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus.

Apart from a work of grace in the unbelievers heart, he cannot understand spiritual things nor believe in Christ. Faith is a gift from God that we exercise upon regeneration. Here Paul thanks the Father for the faith of the Colossians. If God were not the author of their faith then why would Paul thank Him? The answer is obvious. Paul thanks the Father for their faith because He is the giver of faith by the word of Christ.

I think it must be true then that every true believer is a practicing Calvinist for no one ever says, "Thank you, so-and-so for getting saved. Thank you for repenting and believing in Christ." Rather, we all say, "Praise God. Thank the Lord they believed." We know it's His work of grace.

Comfortable America

*From Desiring God by John Piper

Being a Christian these days in America is very comfortable, middle-class, and respectable. What are the dangers in that?

The Bible is really clear in 1 Timothy 6:9 that making godliness a means of gain--financial gain--is deadly; and the deadliness of it is in the desire to be rich. It says to not desire to be rich, because "those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." In other words, it is suicidal to want to be rich.

One of the main dangers in being comfortable in our Christianity is that over time comfort tends to begin to feel like something that God--or the world--owes us; and what we once called "luxury" is now called "need." More and more we want things, and securities, and comforts. And we find our conversations with people even drifiting onto the subject of special new things that we have just bought and we're not talking Kingdom language anymore. It's a creeping kind of gangrene with a smiling face on it that eats away at the heart of the Kingdom.

When Jesus said Matthew 6:31-33--"Do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For all the nations seek after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you"--he was pleading for us to not get into a situation where we're drowning in stuff. In other words, "Give yourself to mental and emotional energies that concern Kingdom issues, and let food and clothing and drink take care of themselves." And we get it almost entirely backwards.

We get into situations where we talk about what we wear, and about food and toys and houses, and only now and then a Kingdom issue arises and Christ comes into the conversation. I think Jesus is grieved by that and would have us turn it around.

Talk about Christ, and missions, and ministry, and making an impact for Jesus. Oh yes, you need a place to stay. Sure, you need a way to get around. Sure, you probably need a computer these days, so that you can communicate by email. But let your conversation and your energy flow mainly with Kingdom vision and Kingdom issues.

Albert Mohler On Pre-Schoolers

While sporting some bling-bling, the rapper and Christian theologian, Albert Mohler, said this on his radio program:

A child at five is a very unformed little creature. I think kids at those young ages are not ready for institutionalized educational settings. I think this is what God made home for. I think the most important education a young child needs is the education that he/she receives from mom and dad, and brother and sisters at home.

The focus on this kind of secular academic achievement is very short-sighted for Christian parents. Our concern ought not so much to be whether they can read or add but whether they know anything about the Bible and the Christian faith. We have parents, that in generations past, would have been concerned with catechizing their children, raising their children, educating their children in the Christian faith, who now don't have anything to do with that. Instead they're trying to make sure they get into Harvard by getting in the right preschool.

What a harsh rebuke, but one that is desperately needed.

Last night I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with my daughter through the Old Testament. We read the account of God's judgment upon Israel for their complaining. He sent serpents to bite them. Many died from these poisonous snakes. But God provided salvation for the Israelites. Moses was to make a snake and lift it up on a stake. When someone was biten, if they looked upon the uplifted snake, they would live and be spared from God's judgment.

Jesus states in the John 3:14 that just as Moses lifted up the serpent, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Just at the snake brought death and life to the Israelites, so too, Christ the Judge will bring death or life. If we do not heed the gospel and look to Christ surely we will perish eternally. If we look to the crucified and risen Christ, we too, shall live eternally with Him.

As a parent, I need to continually point my family to Christ. This is what my daughter needs to be educated in. More important than her secular education is her knowledge of the Lord so that she may behold Him and come to know Him as Savior.

May God helps Christian parents to be more diligent in educating their children in the scripture more so than many appear to be with educating them in the world.

AMEN.

I just want to use this post soley for the purpose of saying "AMEN" to the last post - which was written by Daniel.

Romans 12:3-"For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith."

As i have read through Romans, this verse has jumped out to me so much...Joey (guy) may have already touched on this in past posts as well. Anyways, in verses 3-8 of chapter 12, Paul is talking about service and our spiriutal gifts. God has allotted or given to us the ability to be faithful in whatever He has led us to do...it has absolutleyl nothing to do with us. For us to think highly of ourselves and think we have something that is so great about us that God "must use" for His service is unbelievable. God has graciuosly sought fit to use us according to gifts HE has given to us. He has granted us the ability to be faithful in those gifts of service as well....As we continue on in our walks and in our ministries, remind yourselves that we are not serving because there is something great about us but due to the fact that God has graciously allowed us to faithfully serve Him.

All for Good

Testing and trials come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Never before have I truly understood the truth that "through many trials, we must enter the kingdom" (Acts 14:22). Yet that continues to be the underlying theme throughout my life thus far. Two months ago I had bought a plane ticket for my dad to go to the Desiring God conference in Minneapolis. Due to his continuing battle with finances and child-rearing hardships, I wanted to bless him with an opportunity to be refreshed. I had recently got message that he cannot go due to unforeseen financial hardships, so opted for me to go in his stead. Little had I realized I bought a non-transferable plane ticket and therefore cannot transfer it to my name, so I can fly. I would have to buy another plane ticket. So, unless he goes, I'm basically out $300. Ok. That sucks. Just so everyone knows, saving the extra $30 dollars for a cheaper plane ticket that is non-flexible is SO NOT WORTH IT. If something happens and you have to change your flight, you can expect to fork out another chunk of dough.

I've been reading through this book by Austin Pryor called "Sound Mind Investing", and it basically deals with managing your money and possessions in a Biblical, God-honoring way. He touches on all important and practical topics such as: Credit Card debt, mortgages, student loans, retirement, and investing. It's a valuable read, and I'm learning life-shaping strategies to utilize my money in a smart way. Even if I can't buy a new car for a while or travel the world just yet.

It's easy to get carried away in the practicalities of life, when in fact even if you think you are doing all the right things and dotting your i's and crossing your t's, the hoped for outcome may not happen. Tomorrow is not even promised to us (James 4:13-17), and we should be living our time out in urgency and expectation that there is no tomorrow. I think perfect credit and wise money-managing can compete with love for God and become idols in the hearts of the "do gooders" of today. I know I can struggle with it, and God constantly reminds me that I am a pilgrim here, and I ought not to be acting in a prideful manner, storing up my barns and dying with nothing to give. Jesus had a few words on the matter:

Luke 12: And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness,[b] for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Retirement, investing, and prideful savings accounts are considered foolish by God. Now, obviously this does not mean we should not be wise and fruitful in our possessions and investments. In verse 21 it seems that Jesus expects certain individuals to become wealthy and have large produce, yet there is a purpose in that wealth- to be rich towards God. If God so chooses to bless certain individuals with incredible amounts of wealth it is to be used for His purposes because tomorrow is not guaranteed to us.

Immediately after this passage, Jesus goes on to address the cares of this life continuing in verse 22:
"22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things[c] shall be added to you."

We are not to focus on the the things to be gained in this world, in a material sense, but to gain treasure in heaven and to be wise in investing in heaven. I'm currently being convicted of this right now as I write this, feeling the guilt of not investing the time I can and should into my eternal home. What a promise we have to rest in God's providence for each day, and to let the anxiety of what tomorrow will bring load us down in despair. Take time to thank God for the blessings He's given us, and offer sacrifices of joy. As for the wasted plane ticket, God may give grace and I can change it, or He may use it to bring about good in another form. Next time I'm going to just buy the flexible ticket.

knowledge.

It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate.
-A.W. Tozer

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

"12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect[a] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

words.

Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

We have the opportunity to take part in distributing God's grace to people with our words.

Shout out to Kurt Gebhart.

On Worship

Pastors are called to help the people of God worship Him by singing the Word of God, praying the Word of God, preaching the Word of God to them, reading the Word of God and showing the Word of God in the sacraments. It is by the Word of God that we are stirred towards Him as we see His excellencies. Sadly, many worship "leaders" think that they are leading in worship because they are leading songs and playing instruments. Real worship is taking delight in God as He reveals Himself in His Word. I fear there are some that do the outward task of leading in worship while neglecting the heart of the matter. Alistair Begg offers similiar sentiments in On Being a Pastor.

"Worship is what we were orginally created for, and then recreated for in Christ. It is tragic if we feel obliged to lead God's people in public praise and worship but are devoid of heartfelt praise and worship when we come before Him in secret--and yet that can be the case."
-- Alistair Begg

May we taste and see that the Lord is good as we behold Him in the Word.