Some quotes to kindle the fire...
"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bells; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell."
"We Christians too often substitute prayer for playing the game. Prayer is good; but when used as a substitute for obedience, it is nothing but a blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Pharisaism... To your knees, man! and to your Bible! Decide at once! Don't hedge! Time flies! Cease your insults to God, quit consulting flesh and blood. Stop your lame, lying, and cowardly excuses. Enlist!"
"A lost reputation is the best degree for Christ's service."
"The best training for a soldier of Christ is not merely a theological college. They always seem to turn out sausages of varying lengths, tied at each end, without the glorious freedom a Christian ought to abound and rejoice in. You see, when in hand-to-hand conflict with the world and the devil, neat little biblical confectionery is like shooting lions with a pea-shooter: God needs a man who will let go and deliver blows right and left as hard as he can hit, in the power of the Holy Ghost. Nothing but forked-lightning Christians will count."
"If you don't want the Devil to hit you, hit him first, and hit him with all your might, so that he may be too crippled to hit back. 'Preach the Word' is the rod the Devil fears and hates."
"Christ's call is to save the lost, not the stiff-necked; He came not to call scoffers but sinners to repentance; not to build and furnish comfortable chapels, churches, and cathedrals at home in which to rock Christian professors to sleep by means of clever essays, stereotyped prayers, and artistic musical performances, but to capture men from the devil's clutches and the very jaws of Hell. This can be accomplished only by a red-hot, unconventional, unfettered devotion, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the Lord Jesus Christ."
"I can easily see why the folks at home want to eliminate Hell from their theology, preaching and thought. Hell is indeed awful unless its preaching is joined to a life laid down by the preacher. How can a man believe in Hell unless he throws away his life to rescue others from its torment? If there is no Hell, the Bible is a lie."
"I am getting desperately afraid of going to heaven for I have had the vision of the shame I shall suffer as I get my first glimpse of the Lord Jesus; His majesty, power and marvellous love for me, who treated Him so meanly and shabbily on earth, and acted as though I did Him a favour in serving Him! No wonder God shall have to wipe away the tears off all faces, for we shall be broken-hearted when we see the depth of His love and the shallowness of ours."
Wake us up Lord Jesus... all over this planet!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Soldier of the Cross
Written by Issac Watts in 1709 in response to 1 Cor 16:13
Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause
Or blush to speak His name?
Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease?
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?
Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?
Sure I must fight, if I would reign
Increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy word.
Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
Shall conquer, though they die;
They view the triumph from afar,
And seize it with their eye.
When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all Thy armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be Thine.
1 Cor 16:13 "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
2 Tim 2:3-4 "Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him."
Lord show us our civilian pursuits to shun and give us the focus, intensity, courage, and diligence of a soldier.
Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause
Or blush to speak His name?
Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease?
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?
Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?
Sure I must fight, if I would reign
Increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy word.
Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
Shall conquer, though they die;
They view the triumph from afar,
And seize it with their eye.
When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all Thy armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be Thine.
1 Cor 16:13 "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
2 Tim 2:3-4 "Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him."
Lord show us our civilian pursuits to shun and give us the focus, intensity, courage, and diligence of a soldier.
Monday, June 7, 2010
God of Justice
Love this song... puts me on my face... the cry of my heart - God keep me from just singing. Fill us up and send us out!
John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."
Amos 5:21-24 “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Job 29:14-17 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know. I broke the fangs of the unrighteous and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."
Amos 5:21-24 “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Job 29:14-17 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know. I broke the fangs of the unrighteous and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
Will I follow You?
Or will I just talk?
Will I follow Him sacrificially or only when convienient and popular?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Fear of Man
Luke 6:26 "Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets."
John 7:7 "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it that its works are evil."
Prov 29:25 "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe."
Jn 12:43 "for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."
2 Tim 1:7 "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
1 Pet 3:6 "as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening."
Acts 4:29 "And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants [5] to continue to speak your word with all boldness"
A.W. Tozer quote from Of God and Men...
"If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation it must be by other means than any now being used. If the church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.
Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many) he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the one and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath."
And we pray God that there would not be one but many. Amen
John 7:7 "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it that its works are evil."
Prov 29:25 "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe."
Jn 12:43 "for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."
2 Tim 1:7 "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
1 Pet 3:6 "as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening."
Acts 4:29 "And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants [5] to continue to speak your word with all boldness"
A.W. Tozer quote from Of God and Men...
"If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation it must be by other means than any now being used. If the church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.
Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many) he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the one and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath."
And we pray God that there would not be one but many. Amen
Monday, April 12, 2010
Pray for Kate McRae
6 year old girl in Phoenix Arizona having a really tough fight with brain cancer... parents are believers and are asking the Lord to heal... asking the body of Christ to pray... Jesus please heal!... join in that prayer with Faith... check out her story at:
www.prayforkate.com
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate
www.prayforkate.com
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Empowered to suffer these light mometary afflictions...
How's this for an invitation...
2 Timothy 1:8 - ...but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God (you mean one of the functions of the Holy Spirit in our lives is empowerment (Acts 1:8)? and one of the things that God empowers us to do is to SUFFER? I wonder how that would preach at most churches? We love for God to empower us for giftings, for ministry, for spiritual warfare, but suffer... I think not...
Have you ever heard this verse? Rom 8:37 - No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
What do you think that means? I wonder if the previous verses shed any light on what that means?
v.35-36 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? We are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. (Have you every heard that preached out of context? So God calls us to be more than conquerors WHILE we are being slaughtered, and in famine (hungry), and naked (impoverished), and endangered in everyway. For some reason I just don't hear stuff like that alot...
Philippians 1:29 - For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake. ("granted" is echaristhe in greek - which is important because the root word is charis - which means grace... so the idea is that suffering from this text is actually a gracious gift that God gives His children... no less a gift than "believing in Him")... How about that for prosperity theology... suffering as a gift from God?
Acts 14:21-22 - When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. (How many times are we caught saying Lord if I just had the next step, enough money, better health, less stress, a better marriage, a better family, a better job, more friends, an easier life, less persecution THEN I would be happy?... Instead we are encouraged to continue in the faith and rest in the Sovereign hand of God , Who has ordained that walk through MANY tribulations before we enter the kingdom of God.)
Acts 5:40-41 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
(When is the last time that you responded to anything negative in your life like this?)
This is why we can count it all joy in the midst of our troubles... not just when our troubles are over... they will never completely cease in this life ... no matter how hard we try...
2Cor 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Paul's description of martyrdom was a "light momentary affliction" v.11,17
I want his view of suffering... he wasn't minimizing suffering as though it didn't happen or that it wasn't difficult... he was comparing it to something that he said was "beyond all comparision" -
THE GLORY OF GOD. PRAISE THE LORD!
Rom 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
2 Timothy 1:8 - ...but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God (you mean one of the functions of the Holy Spirit in our lives is empowerment (Acts 1:8)? and one of the things that God empowers us to do is to SUFFER? I wonder how that would preach at most churches? We love for God to empower us for giftings, for ministry, for spiritual warfare, but suffer... I think not...
Have you ever heard this verse? Rom 8:37 - No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
What do you think that means? I wonder if the previous verses shed any light on what that means?
v.35-36 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? We are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. (Have you every heard that preached out of context? So God calls us to be more than conquerors WHILE we are being slaughtered, and in famine (hungry), and naked (impoverished), and endangered in everyway. For some reason I just don't hear stuff like that alot...
Philippians 1:29 - For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake. ("granted" is echaristhe in greek - which is important because the root word is charis - which means grace... so the idea is that suffering from this text is actually a gracious gift that God gives His children... no less a gift than "believing in Him")... How about that for prosperity theology... suffering as a gift from God?
Acts 14:21-22 - When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. (How many times are we caught saying Lord if I just had the next step, enough money, better health, less stress, a better marriage, a better family, a better job, more friends, an easier life, less persecution THEN I would be happy?... Instead we are encouraged to continue in the faith and rest in the Sovereign hand of God , Who has ordained that walk through MANY tribulations before we enter the kingdom of God.)
Acts 5:40-41 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
(When is the last time that you responded to anything negative in your life like this?)
This is why we can count it all joy in the midst of our troubles... not just when our troubles are over... they will never completely cease in this life ... no matter how hard we try...
2Cor 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Paul's description of martyrdom was a "light momentary affliction" v.11,17
I want his view of suffering... he wasn't minimizing suffering as though it didn't happen or that it wasn't difficult... he was comparing it to something that he said was "beyond all comparision" -
THE GLORY OF GOD. PRAISE THE LORD!
Rom 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
