Tuesday, June 24, 2008

AMAZING GRACE



I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me
it was not I that found, O Saviour true;
No, I was found of Thee



God's people fail a hundred times
Before each day is done.
But Grace, in whispers, lifts them up ˜
One hundred times and one.
William D. Blake


When I go home to be in the presence of my Lord, I want this song to be played at my funeral. This is the one song that I love most, Amazing Grace is how I look at my salvation. This wretched old soul did not deserved His mercy and yet He saved me anyway. Amazing Grace How sweet the sound I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.


Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.


The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.


When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.

My chains are gone.....I've been set free...
My God,My Savior has ransomed me...

Cristina

Thursday, June 19, 2008

BIRTH PANGS?


I look at all that is going on in the world and I think of "the Pangs" the Bible speaks of are upon us.

Wars and talks of more wars, gas prices soaring, flood after flood destroying homes, ruining crops, killing people. Immorality growing rapidly, the number of job losses getting higher and higher, businesses closing, stock Market dropping more then rising.

False Prophets in the pulpits deceiving folks with a watered down message. People actually looking up to men like Todd Bentley and his wacky message and calling it the Gospel. Benny Hinn's "ministry" reportedly takes in over $100 million a year, which allows him to maintain a $3.5 million home, and to spend $8,000 on airline fares and stay in $2,000/night hotel rooms. Joel Osteen proudly wears the title of "the smiling preacher". We need to ask our self, "What is behind that smile?" The man hardly uses his bible when preaching, his messages seemed to wrapped our "Feelings"...Even the church is being deceived today.

"Paul said that these false teachers (Romans 16:17,18) are effective in deceiving believers. They're effective for two reasons: (1) These false teachers are very effective communicators -- 'They use smooth and flattering speech to deceive people;' ... (2) Believers aren't paying attention. Believers are unsuspecting ... They're [the false teachers] using smooth and flattering speech. They have personal magnetism about them. Our attention gets turned away from what they are saying to how they are saying it, to the impression they are making with their own personality. And when we are put in that situation, we turn our attention from the content of what is being taught, and ... we open ourselves up to be deceived and turned away from our purity and devotion to Jesus Christ.Do you find the church seems to be more concerned about our feelings and our experiences than we are with the Truth of God? Do we twist the truth to conform to our audiance? Do we do use what ever works to bring folks into the church even at the compromise of God's Word?
If Satan wants to disrupt the work of God in your life, what does he do? He attack the Word, so that the power of God does not work ...We could never have gotten saved without the Word, if we want to grow we need keep in the Word. The world around us is falling apart. Folks are desperate and in need of a Savior, what will it take for folks to open thier eyes to the truth? Only God can make a dead man alive, we were born dead in our sins and only God can remove the blinders every man and women are born with. Is He using wars, famine, immorality to show folks that they are in need of a Savior...He sure is.....

Matt.24:4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

MY DEAR SON

My son just got back from a trip to Halifax and had this picture taken with a statue of Winston Churchill. I remember as a child how much my grandfather admire this man.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

FALSE PROPHETS TODAY

The Apostle Paul warned that the last days would bring a marked increase in false teaching. “In the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). The last days are described as “perilous times” because of the increasingly evil character of man and people who actively “resist the truth”

2 Timothy 3:1-9¶ This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,7Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.9But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.


1)What does this teacher say about Jesus?
2) Does this teacher preach the gospel?
3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord?

Now listen to this and ask yourself "Is this of God?"


There are so many deceivers out there, so many folks that are so blind to a false prophet like this. Pray fellow believers...pray for this man to be exposed so those wrapped in this garbage will know the true gospel and pray for this man also.

Cristina

Friday, June 06, 2008

NO GREATER LOVE THEN THEE



I often wonder why God loves me so much? I think back at my life when I was lost and remember the sin in my life. How vile I was at times, how the weakness of my flesh caused me to sin and not even look back twice. I see folks today that have such a loving and kind heart who deserve it more then I...but then I remember For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)
There is nothing I could have done to get saved, it was all of Him.I never went out looking for Him, He sought me first, He loved me first, He will love me for Eternity. "We love Him because He first loved us." ~1 John 4:9-10~ It just blows my mind at times that Jesus went through all He went through for this me... I have always been on His mind, He has loved me even before I knew He loved me. I sometimes sit alone and think on these things and I cry so much because I know the alternative. I know without Christ my destiny would be so bleek, my life would be so empty, Eternity would be spent separate from Him and being a christian I can understand a little bit of what hell is because I love my Lord so much that the thought of being separate from Him would be unbearable.

For those that do not know Christ as their Savior, today is the day of salvation, don't wait...until it is too late.

Take a pilgrimage in thought, to Gethsemane
and Calvary! Gaze upon His sufferings! He knew
all the sorrows that await Him--the shame, the
suffering, the anguish--but He takes the bitter
cup, and, with His heart set on the salvation
of His people--with His heart set on you--the
blessed Savior drains it to the very dregs!

See Him on Calvary . . .
unpitied by the crowd;
deserted by His disciples;
forsaken by His Father;
the Lamb led to the slaughter;
and all for you!

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

FUNDAMENTALISM


I think some folks give Fundamentalism a bad name by their action. To me a Fundametalist is someone that follows the Fundametal Truths and I have no problem being called one. Here is how John Piper feels about it.....

20 Reasons I Don't Take Potshots at Fundamentalists
By: John Piper

1. They are humble and respectful and courteous and even funny (the ones I've met).

2. They believe in truth.

3. They believe that truth really matters.

4. They believe that the Bible is true, all of it.

5. They know that the Bible calls for some kind of separation from the world.

6. They have backbone and are not prone to compromise principle.

7. They put obedience to Jesus above the approval of man (even though they fall short, like others).

8. They believe in hell and are loving enough to warn people about it.

9. They believe in heaven and sing about how good it will be to go there.

10. Their "social action" is helping the person next door (like Jesus), which doesn't usually get written up in the newspaper.

11. They tend to raise law-abiding, chaste children, in spite of the fact that Barna says evangelical kids in general don't have any better track record than non-Christians.

12. They resist trendiness.

13. They don’t think too much is gained by sounding hip.

14. They may not be hip, but they don’t go so far as to drive buggies or insist on typewriters.

15. They still sing hymns.

16. They are not breathless about being accepted in the scholarly guild.

17. They give some contemporary plausibility to New Testament claim that the church is the “pillar and bulwark of the truth.”

18. They are good for the rest of evangelicals because of all this.

19. My dad was one.

20. Everybody to my left thinks I am one. And there are a lot of people to my left.