"Don’t go to your church if one of these three things are present:"
6.16.2009
Don't Go To Your Church If.....
I found this on Tenth Avenue North's website.
"Don’t go to your church if one of these three things are present:"
"Don’t go to your church if one of these three things are present:"
Old Hymn, Ageless Words
This is a lot more than an old hymn. The words are amazing.
Man of Sorrows! What a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
"Full atonement!" can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Lifted up was He to die;
"It is finished!" was His cry;
Now in Heaven exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we'll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Man of Sorrows! What a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
"Full atonement!" can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Lifted up was He to die;
"It is finished!" was His cry;
Now in Heaven exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we'll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
6.14.2009
Patriotism In Church
With Memorial Day just behind us and Independence Day in a couple weeks, now is a very good time to write about the role of patriotism's place in corporate worship. I honestly don't know when it started, but Fundamentalist churches around the nation have started reserving a Sunday service to celebrate America. This can be done in different ways, from having prayer for America to singing songs and giving testimonies about America and patriotic people.
The logic behind these special Sundays ranges from ludicrous fact embellishing to some solid reasons. I've heard songs sung in church that claimed the American Revolution was a struggle of good versus evil; that the colonies were fighting for religious freedom. This is not true. The Pilgrims and many others may have come to the New World to find religious freedom, but the colonies rebelled 150 years later purely for economic and political reasons. Nothing to do with religious freedom. Read the Declaration of Independence. Nothing about religious freedom in there.
Many people claim that we should celebrate America in churches because the nation was founded by Christians on Christian principles. This has some credence to it. Many of the founding fathers were deeply religious men, but the fact that they used flowery religious language does not mean that they were truly born again. It was standard back then to be religious. Everyone was. It was the culture of the day. Of course they talked about God, it just came with living in the deeply religious time right after the Great Awakening.
The fact is that there is nothing in the Bible about celebrating one's nation in church. Read the book of Acts; then read the rest of the New Testament. Nothing about the nation in corporate worship. The only responsibilities of the Christian to his nation are to pray for its leaders, obey the laws, and pay the taxes (please note that the founding fathers failed on the last two). Jesus said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." The government has its own realm that it governs, and the church has its realm. Those two should stay separate.
There is one way to have a patriotic Sunday and stay within the principles the Bible lays out for worship. The goal of our existence and the goal of our worship is to glorify God. If at any time worship glorifies a man or country above God, it has become idol worship. We can thank God for we he has given us in our nation, as long as the focus stays on him.
I'm not against patriotism. I consider myself patriotic. I just don't think that someone has to be patriotic to be godly.
The logic behind these special Sundays ranges from ludicrous fact embellishing to some solid reasons. I've heard songs sung in church that claimed the American Revolution was a struggle of good versus evil; that the colonies were fighting for religious freedom. This is not true. The Pilgrims and many others may have come to the New World to find religious freedom, but the colonies rebelled 150 years later purely for economic and political reasons. Nothing to do with religious freedom. Read the Declaration of Independence. Nothing about religious freedom in there.
Many people claim that we should celebrate America in churches because the nation was founded by Christians on Christian principles. This has some credence to it. Many of the founding fathers were deeply religious men, but the fact that they used flowery religious language does not mean that they were truly born again. It was standard back then to be religious. Everyone was. It was the culture of the day. Of course they talked about God, it just came with living in the deeply religious time right after the Great Awakening.
The fact is that there is nothing in the Bible about celebrating one's nation in church. Read the book of Acts; then read the rest of the New Testament. Nothing about the nation in corporate worship. The only responsibilities of the Christian to his nation are to pray for its leaders, obey the laws, and pay the taxes (please note that the founding fathers failed on the last two). Jesus said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." The government has its own realm that it governs, and the church has its realm. Those two should stay separate.
There is one way to have a patriotic Sunday and stay within the principles the Bible lays out for worship. The goal of our existence and the goal of our worship is to glorify God. If at any time worship glorifies a man or country above God, it has become idol worship. We can thank God for we he has given us in our nation, as long as the focus stays on him.
I'm not against patriotism. I consider myself patriotic. I just don't think that someone has to be patriotic to be godly.
6.05.2009
Random, Mindless Utterings
I don't know why, but God decided to give us the blog to allow our strange thoughts in the wee hours of the morning to seep into public. I'm too caffeinated to go to sleep (trips to McDonalds at one in the morning will do this), so I'm listening to music/trying to organize my iTunes.
Interesting things going on in my life, well not really, but who cares. I had an interview at Stanley Steamer on Wednesday. I don't know if I get the job or not, but if I do I'll be able to pull in $30,000 a year and work full time. This seriously tempts me to sit out of college for a semester or two, or possibly just stay at this job for a few years and take classes by correspondence from Bob Jones.
I really would like to be a pastor somewhere, to have a semi-big church, and a happy life. The thing is, I think all I really want is a successful career doing something, and that something could be making money at a Stanley Steamer in Saginaw, Michigan. But I really doubt that's what God wants for me to do. Sigh, I pray for wisdom.
Interesting things going on in my life, well not really, but who cares. I had an interview at Stanley Steamer on Wednesday. I don't know if I get the job or not, but if I do I'll be able to pull in $30,000 a year and work full time. This seriously tempts me to sit out of college for a semester or two, or possibly just stay at this job for a few years and take classes by correspondence from Bob Jones.
I really would like to be a pastor somewhere, to have a semi-big church, and a happy life. The thing is, I think all I really want is a successful career doing something, and that something could be making money at a Stanley Steamer in Saginaw, Michigan. But I really doubt that's what God wants for me to do. Sigh, I pray for wisdom.
5.19.2009
5.18.2009
Assurance of Salvation from I John
When God changed us at salvation, we were changed from sinners to children of God. He changed not just what we do, he changed who we are. A truly converted Christian will have fundamentally different behavior than an unconverted sinner. From the book of I John, there are four different proofs of a Christian's salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:17
A true Christian will have the Holy Spirit. At salvation, the Christian becomes indwelled by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will bring the fruit found in Galatians 5:22-23. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faith will all be the fruit that a Spirit filled Christian has in his life.
A true Christian will not follow after false doctrine. Most Christians do not struggle with right doctrine. Some, however, will get caught up in books like The Shack and Velvet Elvis: books that look good, and sound good but are filled with things that aren't true. Beware of anyone who doesn't believe that Christ was God or that Mary was a virgin when she was pregnant with Christ.
A true Christian will love other Christians. He will enjoy having fellowship with other people who believe the same thing as he does. Someone who is converted will go to church when he can. Someone who avoids church should check out his salvation. Someone who is converted will not hate a brother in Christ.
A true Christian will not love the sin that is in the world and make a practice of sinning. Preachers often use I John 2:15-17 about how Christians should not love the world. John is saying that Christians should not love sin, not necessarily things that aren't sinful but are part of the world.
When we are converted, we will will not continue to sin without conviction. Lot lived for years in one of the most wicked cities in the world, and II Peter 2:7 says Lot was greatly distressed with the sin around him. If you sin consistently, without conviction or regret, you according to the Bible, are probably not saved.
I John 2:3-5; I John 2:15-17; I John 3:4-10; I John 5:18
4.30.2009
The Voice of Truth
There are few things better in life than real truth. The kind of truth that is refreshing, like walking from the sweltering heat into an air conditioned room. Very few preachers today give that kind of truth. We send our children to camps and youth retreats and youth rallies to hear preachers that lie to them. They are told that all they have to do is pray a prayer to go to heaven. Emotional music is played and sad stories are told to build up an emotional hype so an evangelist can add one more to the number that defines his success.
Paul Washer isn't like that. He has his priorities straight. He preaches the Bible. Download the message from sermonaudio.com, listen to it, and be refreshed by truth.
Paul Washer isn't like that. He has his priorities straight. He preaches the Bible. Download the message from sermonaudio.com, listen to it, and be refreshed by truth.
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