The only work of man that will be
found in heaven is the marks of Calvary on the body of the exalted Savior.
When God reveals His power, people
react in one or two ways; One they choose to accept God's hand at work in His
world, or two they turn away and chalk it up to something else.
The message of the gospel rest on
historical facts, coupled with prophetic foundations. When the gospel is
energized by the Holy Spirit it will lead unbelievers to saving faith and
believers to repentance.
Love is the circulatory system of the
spiritual body of Christ, which enables all members to function in a healthy,
harmonious way.
A humble attitude and a willingness
to share are the marks of a Christian who truly ministers to the body of
Christ.
All the doctrine in the world without
practical application is worthless.
We promote our sanctification by
doing good to those who do evil to us.
A biblical leader is a person who is
not seeking status or prominence, but views leadership as an opportunity to
serve and bring glory to God.
Behavior grows out of being. We
expect a dog to act like a dog because that is what it is. No one has to teach
it how to act like a dog, it simply acts out of its true nature. Believers are
new creatures in Christ Jesus, born again in relationship with God. Thus right
behavior should follow new birth.
Christian worship should grow out of
a clear understanding of divinely revealed spiritual truth.
A blending of unity and diversity is
necessary for the health and vitality of the church, just as it is for the
human body.
The church does not set her own
agenda. She has a specific mission given to her by the One who redeemed her
from the world, and a glorious future awaiting her as the eternal bride of
Christ.
In John Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrim’s
Progress’, Christian leaves the main highway and follows a path which seemed
easier. The path leads him to be captured by a giant named Despair and locked
in his dungeon at Doubting Castle. Christian was overcome by Despair until his
companion, Hope reminded him of his previous victories. Christian cried out,
“What a fool am I to be in a dungeon when I might as well be at Liberty. I
have a key in my bosom called Promise that will, I am persuaded, open any lock
in Doubting Castle.” Christian took the key from his bosom and the prison
gates flew open.
Even the greatest of God’s people
sometimes fall into despair. When you feel like giving up, remember all the
blessings and the victories God has given you. For every dark situation God
has given you a way out. Hold on to hope. Use the key of God’s promise and
every door will burst open!
Unless I am convicted by Scripture
and plain reason, I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for
they have contradicted each other. My conscience is captive to the Word of
God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is
neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me,
Amen. (Martin Luther)
Whether you're a person of great
or small stature in the eyes of the world, your life and resources have been
given to you only so that you can reflect glory to the Lord Jesus Christ and
make His praises know. (John MacArthur)
We glorify God by allowing His
attributes to shine through us and by obeying His will in everything we do.
A man is never more noble than
when he stands alone for Christ.
Repentance is a change of the mind
and regeneration is a change of the man.
The man who is called by grace
lives in the same house, but lives not under the influence of the same
motives, nor is he ruled by the same desires. (Charles Spurgeon)
I am not what I ought to be. I am
not what I wish to be. I am not even what I hope to be. But by the cross of
Christ, I am not what I was. (John Newton)
Look at troubling circumstances as
great opportunities for God to display His faithfulness to you.
In God's economy the sacrificial
faithfulness of the giver, not the size of the gift, is the true measure of
the gifts' significance. (John MacArthur)
Religion can make you cold,
critical and mean. (Steve Brown)
The message of the gospel is a
message of grace and freedom. Obedience and holiness are the result of that
grace, not the cause of it. (Steve Brown)
To see the law by Christ
fulfilled, to hear His pardoning voice, changes a slave into a child and duty
into choice. (William Cowper)
Grace brings liberty! It is
patient, understanding, forgiving and allows for differences.
The wonderful thing about grace;
it will make whatever adjustments are needed in the believer's life, to the
glory of God.
Our salvation is worked in by the
Holy Spirit when we trust Christ for salvation. Our salvation is worked out by
the Holy Spirit when we obey God's precepts.
Walking by faith in the fullness
of the Spirit is what the Christian life is all about.
The Christian life is not about
doing better. The Christian life is about a love relationship with God,
through Jesus Christ.
In essentials unity, in
non-essentials liberty. in all things charity.
Selected by the Father, saved by
the Son, sealed (secured) by the Spirit. Wonderful truths from God's Word;
that blesses and at the same time humbles the heart of the believer.
Behold, from faith thus flow forth
love and joy in the Lord, and from love a joyful, willing, and free mind that
serves one's neighbor willingly and takes no account of gratitude or
ingratitude, of praise or blame, of gain or loss. For a man does not serve
that he may put men under obligations. He does not distinguish between friend
or enemies or anticipate their thankfulness or unthankfulness, but he most
freely and most willingly spends himself and all that he has, whether he
wastes all on the thankless or whether he gains reward. As his Father does,
distributing all things to all men richly and freely. (Martin Luther)
Christians are called to live
their lives based on different standards than those of the pagan culture
around us. Our thinking and living must be captive to the Word of God. (J
Ligon Duncan)
Every believer must be continually
in the presence of God, constantly breathing in His truths to be fully
functional. (John MacArthur)
I'm constrained by God's love, not
His judgment. That's what radical freedom is all about. (Steve Brown)
Because God is responsible for the
success of the gospel, be bold in your testimony and witness for Christ.
Greatness and humility must sleep
together, or there is no greatness or humility. (Steve Brown)
Faith, without the evidence of
good works, is vainly pretended, because fruit ever comes from the living root
of a good tree. (John Calvin)
"Our little time
of suffering is not worthy of our first night's welcome home to Heaven."
(Samuel Rutherford)
"I have been
driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had
nowhere else to go." (Abraham Lincoln)
"We turn to God
for help when our foundations are shaking only to learn that it is God shaking
them." (Charles West)
"A ship in
harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."
(John Shedd)
Faith, confident trust, derives
it's value not from the one who expresses it, but from the object in which it
rest.
Jesus takes your sin, past,
present and future, dumps it in the ocean and puts up a sign that reads
"no fishing." (Corrie Ten Boom)
Lack of faith produces hardness of
heart and dullness of spiritual perception.
Selective obedience is not really
obedience at all, it is merely convenience.
If you do not understand the
spirit and purpose of the law; you can make the Bible say whatever you want.
Observance of external rules does
not correct the nature of the heart. The heart is the core for motivation,
deliberation and intention.
God does not always do away with
all of our troubles, but He always provides a refuge.
To live by faith, not by sight, is
to live in light of ultimate rather than immediate realities. To be obedient
to God's commands despite the hardships that obedience produces.
There are many people who know the
last word about everything and the first word about nothing.
Being rooted in Christ by faith
provides sustenance, stability and spiritual growth. This is the essence of
the Christian life.
One may tire in
doing what is right, he should never tire of doing what is
right.
If Christians do not provide
answers to the gnawing questions about the future and the end time, who will?
(David Jeremiah)
Holy Scripture contains all things
necessary to salvation.
Either the Bible will keep you
away from sin, or sin will keep you away from the Bible! (C. S. Lewis)
Make worship the guiding light of
your very existence, the goal of your life mission, and you will know love as
you've never know it. (David Jeremiah)
Whoever marries the spirit of this
age will find himself a widower in the next. (W. R. Inge)
There is no one so far lost that
Jesus cannot find him and cannot save him. (Andrew Murry)
The glory of God.... is the real
business of life. (C. S. Lewis)
When you go to church to worship,
the issue is not how well prepared the choir or the preacher is. The issue is:
How well prepared are you to worship God? (John MacArthur)
The Gospel is only good news if it
gets there in time. (Carl F. H. Henry)
The church that will not
evangelize will fossilize.
Everything that happens to you is
for your own good.... This is the best promise of this life. (Charles
Spurgeon)
Dressed in His righteousness
alone, faultless to stand before the throne. (Edward Mote)
A mighty fortress is our God, a
bulwark never failing. (Martin Luther)
Lord, give me a submissive spirit
and the wisdom to live my life according to the standards of Your Word.
God gives success when we maintain
responsive hearts and teachable spirits.
A consistent lifestyle of adhering
to godly principles is the greatest inheritance we can give anyone watching
our life.
Do you feel energized in your
Christian service? If not, examine whether you are using your spiritual gift.
Doctrine does matter, believers
must be students of the Word and devoted worshippers of Jesus Christ, and the
Church must be ever vigilant to the subtle attempts of the enemy to bring
destruction from within.
True evangelistic zeal grows out
of love for, not antagonism against, sinners.
Men fit themselves for hell, but
it is God that fits men for heaven.
It is far better for Christians,
when uncertain about some difficult Bible truth, to keep quiet until they
receive light from the Holy Spirit.
God acts, in ways consistent with
His character. Humanity benefits from the way that God has elected to exercise
His authority. He has chosen to deal with us with mercy and patience rather
than to impose the immediate judgment we deserve because of our sin.
The Bible teaches that God's
election; His gracious purpose according to which He regenerates, justifies,
sanctifies, and glorifies sinners, is consistent with the free agency of human
beings.
God has blessed us with the task
of sharing good news. Rejoice in the task. Celebrate with those who find new
life through Jesus Christ. Continue to pray for those who turn away from the
gospel message.
God is kind, but He's not soft. In
kindness He takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life
change. (The Message)
Our lives get in step with God and
all others by letting Him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to
run the parade. (The Message)
The only accurate way to
understand ourselves is by what God is and by what He does for us, not by what
we are and what we do for Him. (The Message)
God's gifts and God's call are
under full warranty, never canceled, never rescinded. (The Message)
The world doesn't rest on our
shoulders; it rests on God's shoulders. And aren't you glad? (Steve Brown)
The Christian life is not a life
of power without pressure. It is power under pressure.
Sickness can be God's gift as much
as health.
No matter how tired you get, no
matter how weak you are, God knows that you are an earthen vessel and He will
love you and use you anyway.
The only purpose of doctrine is to
describe the reality of Christian experience. (Steve Brown)
God tends to guide us in stages,
He rarely if ever gives us a roadmap to follow, instead He asks us to trust
and follow Him, without doubting.
The fact of Jesus' resurrection is
the culmination of redemptive history and the essential basis of the Christian
faith.
To reject Jesus and the promises
of the resurrection is to reject life, hope, and all that the heart desires.
(Charles Stanley)
The circumstances are never to
adverse, nor the hour to late, to offer the Gospel of Christ to someone.
Grace is the good pleasure of God
that inclines Him to bestow benefits upon the undeserving. (A. W. Tozer)
The more we receive the Word of
God, the more we will want to fellowship with the God of the Bible.
Studying the Bible must begin with
a dedication of your mind and heart to God, and with a willingness to listen
and obey God as He speaks to you through His Word.
We understand God's Word only as
the Holy Spirit opens our minds and becomes our teacher, and we experience
God's blessings only when we obey God's Word.
Bible knowledge can lead to a big
head; but receiving Bible truth and walking in the fullness of the Spirit will
lead to a burning heart.
The Lord places tremendous value
on our faith, and He desires our cooperation in making it grow stronger.
Choose to believe that the Lord
will work on your behalf. Then focus your attention upon Him, and claim a
promise from Scripture that applies to the situation challenging you. When
those three actions regularly become a part of your life, you will stop
swaying between belief and unbelief.
Our faith will be put on trial. If
we are wise believers, we will respond by trusting God to stretch and develop
our conviction until we are the men and women He desires us to
be.
God designs opportunities for
every believer. Shifting us to greater areas of service, so that we may grow
in the faith.
As our faith increases, other folk
witness the reality of the transforming work of Christ in us. We also benefit
personally by having greater confidence and anticipation of His blessing.
Weak faith says, "God
can." Great faith says, "God will." But perfect faith says,
"It's done." Your faith is your testimony. What does your faith say
about God?
Praying in faith means earnestly
seeking the Lord's wisdom and power for your life. It means laying down any
claims you have, any personal motivations and complaints, and surrendering
yourself fully to whatever He has for you. When you move yourself out of the
way, you give God room to maneuver. And that's when you'll see His power
displayed. (Charles Stanley)
Weak foundations produce weak
faith. If your faith is centered around church attendance, ministry work,
discipleship programs, and seemingly good things, then your faith is built on
foundations of sand. Only faith built on the rock-solid foundation of Jesus
Christ, and Christ alone, can withstand the winds of adversity.
JESUS
The
Word of God became flesh...
The
Son of God became man...
The
Lord of All became a servant...
The
Righteous One was made sin...
The
Eternal One tasted death...
The
Risen One now lives in men...
The
Seated One is coming again!
Hallelujah
to the only One who is worthy of all that we have... of all that we are!
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