The Gospel does not need to be Contextualized

"While witnesses do need to present the Gospel through culturally-relevant modes of communication, we must never forget that the message itself is already relevant to all men, everywhere, at all times. The Gospel does not need to be contextualized for non-Western cultures because it is already supra-cultural. Its message will always collide with man’s sinful pride and every cultural expression of that pride. Conversion is never accomplished through the merging of Christianity and culture (syncretism), but rather by calling 'all men every where to repent' (Acts 17:30)." ~ Kevin Brosnan

Resigned and Dead

May this be my testimony at the end of this day: "I think I never felt more resigned to God, nor so much dead to the world, in every respect, as now; was dead to all desires of reputation and greatness, either in life, or after death; all I longed for was to be holy, humble, crucified to the world..." ~David Brainerd's Diary, Monday, Januray 23, 1744.

Where was God?

I met a man today and we began to talk about God (my favorite topic to discuss). smile emoticon He said that he believed in God. I expected a common deistic/Christian Cameroonian explanation, however, he went on to tell me that about 5 years ago he went through a period when he did not believe in God. His daughter was brutally murdered, and he started asking himself, “Where was God when my daughter was killed?” He told me his pastor came to his home and tried to console him and the family. The admittedly bitter man asked his pastor, “Where was God when those men murdered my daughter?” The pastor responded, “God was in the same place He was when men brutally murdered His only begotten Son.” I was in awe and immediately thought of Rom 8:31-32 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” The man went on to say that he realized that day that he was a church-goer but not a child of God. He said he gave his life to Christ that day and he has never “moved his faith from God since that day.” What a testimony!

Ordination

What a joy to be on the ordination counsel this morning of three men who I had the privilege of teaching for 3 years in the Fundamental Bible Institute of Sabga. Praise the Lord for the testimonies and families of Pastor Ernest, Pastor Chrysantus and Pastor Godfred. You men are a blessing and sharpening iron to me!

God's Will for all Believers

In a world with more than a billion people who have never heard of Christ, and billions who have yet to hear a compassionate presentation of the Gospel…”it makes little sense for us to sit over here asking, ‘What do you want me to do, God?’ The answer is clear. The will of God is for you and me to give our lives urgently and recklessly to making the gospel and the glory of God known among all peoples…
The question, therefore, is not ‘Can we find God’s will?’ The question is ‘Will we obey God’s will?’ Will we refuse to sit back and wait for some tingly feeling to go down our spines before we rise up and do what we have already been commanded to do? 
Will we risk everything – our comfort, our possessions, our safety, our security, our very lives – to make the gospel known…?” (Radical, by David Platt, 160)

Practice What You Preach

True Story: I was searching for a book written by Jonathan Edwards in Amazon Kindle books and I came across a book entitled, Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing In Light of God's Everything. Sounds like a good book, but I burst out laughing when I noticed the author is "Anonymous." smile emoticon Nice. Well done, author.

But He Giveth More Grace...

Knowing that he was about to be executed, Sattler told his wife and friends that if God gave grace, he would point to heaven to reassure them that His execution was “bearable and that he remained firm in his faith.” The long execution began in the marketplace of town for all to see. A large part of his tongue was cut out by the executioners, but not enough to quench the discernible prayers and praises of the dying martyr’s final messages and songs. Sattler was tied to a wooden ladder and tossed into a wagon. For one mile he rode to the site of his execution while executioners persistently yanked chunks of flesh from his body with red-hot tongs. During this excruciating journey, with blood pouring from his mouth, Sattler could be heard pleading with the judges, executioners, and bystanders to repent and believe in Christ. Still bound hand a foot to the ladder, Sattler was fed to the fire where his voice could still be heard praying and singing. As the flames consumed his body, they also consumed the ropes that bound his hands. As soon as they were free, Sattler’s index fingers shot toward the heavens bearing witness that even the cruelest martyrdom is bearable with the grace of God!

C.S. Lewis or Pope Francis?

Who said this - C.S. Lewis or Pope Francis?
“Christians have often disputed as to whether what leads the Christian home [to heaven] is good actions, or Faith in Christ…it does seem to me like asking which blade in a pair of scissors is most necessary.”

~ Lewis from Mere Christianity

Who said this - C.S. Lewis or Pope Francis?
“I think that every prayer which is sincerely made even to a false god, or to a very imperfectly conceived true God, is accepted by the true God and that Christ saves many who do not think they know him. For He is (dimly) present in the good side of the inferior teachers they follow. In the parable of the Sheep and Goats those who are saved do not seem to know that they have served Christ.”

~ This was written by C.S. Lewis. This same view of Lewis - sincere worship no matter who or what it is directed to is also seen in his Chronicles of Narnia. There is a character (Emeth) in the last book who sincerely serves and worships a false god (a devil) his entire life. After his death he learns that Aslan is the one true God, but since he was so sincere in his worship of the devil, Aslan allows him into heaven (Aslan's country) anyway.

Who said this - C.S. Lewis or Pope Francis?
“You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don’t believe and who don’t seek the faith. I start by saying – and this is the fundamental thing – that God’s mercy has no limits if you go to him with a sincere and contrite heart. The issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience.”

~ Pope Francis

Biblical Hope

"When an unbeliever goes through suffering, he loses hope; but for a believer, suffering only increases his hope." ~ W. Wiersbe

Titus 2:13-15 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Identical twin studies prove homosexuality is not genetic:

You won't see this on any mainline news outlet. Homosexuality (like all sin) is a choice. While a disagree with the unscientific argument "I was made this way." I will agree with the moral argument, "I cannot help myself - it's just the way I am." We are all sinners and born under the law of sin. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 15:57) There is HOPE and GRACE and VICTORY through the Lord Jesus Christ!

http://www.hollanddavis.com/?p=3647

Every text is a road to Christ!

C. Spurgeon: Don’t you know young man that from every town, and every village, and every hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road that leads to London?... So from every text in Scripture there is a road toward the great metropolis – Christ. And my dear brother, your business is when you get to a text to say, “Now what is the road that leads to Christ?”... I have not ever found a text that had not got a road to Christ in it, and ever I do find one... I will go over hedge and ditch but I would get at my Master, for the sermon cannot do any good unless there is a savor of Christ in it.

Sacrifice?

"If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" - David Livingstone

Unloving?

Contending for the truth of God is an act of love, not a sign of an absence of love. If we love God, if we love Christ, if we love the church, we must love the truth that defines the very essence of Christianity. (Who is the Holy Spirit? by R.C. Sproul, p 42)

Sproul earlier stated that many people refuse to contend for the faith and argue, “’I don’t care about this controversy or about doctrine in general, I just think we need to be more loving toward one another.’ But is it loving to allow serious theological error to continue unchallenged? Was Paul unloving when he disputed daily in the marketplace about the things of God (Acts 17:17)? Was Jesus unloving when He contradicted the teaching of the Pharisees? Were the prophets of ancient Israel unloving when they rebuked and admonished the false prophets? Was Elijah unloving when he disputed with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18)? I cannot imagine someone in the crowd on Mount Carmel that day saying: ‘You people can follow Elijah if you want to, but I’m not going to. He may have truth on his side, but he is not loving. Look what he did to these prophets of Baal. How unloving!’”

Enjoy His Bounty!

“Can you leave the choice with your King and trust him to plan what's best for you? Emmanuel knows what's best for you, lad, and if you leave the choice to him, he will give you what's best. Many times we seek our own happiness rather than seeking to please the King and we miss out on the life of joy and fulfillment that he has planned for us… Emmanuel’s children miss the Banquet of Joy because they scramble for the scraps and crumbs of their own happiness, rather than yielding to the will of their King and enjoying his bounty!” (The Quest for Thunder Mountain, by Ed Dunlop p. 154)

"The Greatest Book Ever Written."

I have the best “job” in the world. I had the opportunity to preach to a total of about 1,000 students in 3 schools this morning (2 of them public schools). The third school was a first time invitation in the village of Belo. More than 400 students in one room – and you could hear a pin drop for close to an hour (30 min. video plus 30 min message). More than 300 kids responded to the Gospel invitation! Praise God! We also gave every student and teacher a NT in this school. You should have heard the cheers, applause and shouting that erupted when the principle announced they would all be receiving “a free copy of the greatest book ever written – the Bible.”

God is and does good - ALWAYS

“Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances… Be content with such things as you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

Ouch

"Neglect of prayer signals serious deficiencies in a ministry even if other signs of success have not diminished. We must always remember that popular acclaim is not necessarily the same as spiritual effectiveness." ~ Bryan Chapell (Christ-Centered Preaching)

Preach and Preach!

"It is no use , my son, to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk!" ~ F.W. Boreham

Who defines marriage?

I would just like to take this moment to say that when an Individual creates something, He has the right to name it and define it. God created marriage in Genesis chapter 2. Because God created marriage, He defines it. No state or court has the right to redefine it. 
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Matt 19:5 For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
The redefinition of marriage WILL open the door to heretofore, unimaginable new types of marriage. Mark my words. People-Pet Marriage, People-inanimate objects, consensual adult-minor marriages, are already being consummated and argued for. These things already exist! Tell me why the people who have married inanimate objects do not also receive federal benefits.
Let me be clear, I love homosexual people as much as I love heterosexual people (and so does Jesus). Hate and/or equal rights are not the issue. All people in America have equal rights to marry anyone according to the Creator’s definition (opposite gender). However, man does not have the right to redefine, or declare moral, what God has declared immoral (Lev 18:22-24). I just wanted to remind us that no matter what the supreme court rules or declares, they are not the Supreme Definer of marriage. The Creator of marriage is its ultimate definer – and He never changes (Heb 13:8).

Oh, I Wonder...

“My heart was so full of joy [at the service of the first 12 baptisms on the island of Anawa] that I could do little else but weep. Oh, I wonder, I wonder, when I see so many good Ministers at home, crowding each other’s heels, whether they would not part with all their home privileges and go on to the Heathen World and reap a joy like this – ‘the joy of the Lord.’” ~John Paton

That moment when...

"At the moment when I put the bread and wine into those dark hands, once stained with the blood of Cannibalism but now stretched out to receive and partake the elements and seals of the Redeemer's love, I had a foretaste of the joy and Glory that well-nigh broke my heart to pieces. I shall never taste of a deeper bliss till I gaze on the glorified face of Jesus Himself." ~ Missionary John Paton after conducting his first communion service in the New Hebrides islands

The Key to Unlock Every Heart

"Oh, Jesus! to Thee alone be all the glory. Thou hast the key to unlock every heart that Thou has created." ~ Said by John Gibson Paton, 19th century missionary to the cannibals of the New Hebrides, following the conversion of a man who had recently tried to kill him.

"I can plod."

"I can plod." -- William Carey