Below is a letter from my best friend, my brother and a fellow recipient of the sovereign grace that grants what no man deserves. I am but filled with joy to hear from "another" who knows Him as I do if not more, loves Him as I do if not more and serves Him as I do if not more.
What grace is this indeed!
___________
Hi Mike,
Happy Birthday!!!
Let me tell you about my birthday hope and wishes for this new year in your life.
Whenever I think of you I always think of myself. Everything I wish for myself and pray for myself I pray and wish also for you, and more. If I would pray to God to give me a greater burden for His church, I'd increasingly pray more that He would be more gracious in the same for you. If I would pray to God to give me a greater anguish for His Word and His people, I pray more so for you. If I would pray to God to give me greater boldness and wisdom in Christ, I would pray that it would be more for you. I pray the best for you. And as it is God's appointed method to put us through pain, hurt and heart ache in able to conform us to the image of the Lord Christ Jesus, I pray that He would do so increasingly in your life.
Never was there a time in my life that I felt more comfortable to be "me." To be just me. I never felt so free from insecurities, ego and vanity. Never in my entire life before this time. When we give so much of ourselves and give ourselves away for the cause that is Christ, I feel peace. There is no greater goal. Having said that, I can't thank the Lord enough that He has predestined our lives to be entwined together, that in hardships and sorrow He would, at times that I needed the most, send you. To use you that you too may give yourself away for my sake, in simple words, in a simple letter, in a simple article, above all else as we would do to the Lord.
What grace is this to be alive and well? The great privilege to be able to see and hear the wonders of the Gospel. What grace is this? In the words of John, "What manner of love is this?" How joyful I am that you have been given another year dear brother! How joyful I am that even to this day you hold fast to the truths of Scripture! How joyful I am that even through fire and brimstone, by grace alone, you still press on.
Stand firm, Mike. Stand strong. I pray that the Lord would grace you with so much more. An ever increasing love for His Word. An ever increasing love for His Gospel. An ever increasing love for His people. An immensely more increasing love for Him.
May you go deeper, higher and wider... that you may see, grasp and understand, like never before... the heights, the depths, and the extents of God's love for us, His people.
May the Lord keep you. May His grace shine upon you and give you peace.
Yours for His sake,
JM
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
SALVATION: A DEMONSTRATION OF GOD'S POWER
We have heard that salvation is a demonstration of God's love and mercy for His elect. True that salvation magnifies the essence of God's mercy and undeserved favor. The extent of God's great love for His people can be seen through the cross of Calvary, where the only begotten Son gave up His life for hell-bound sinners, such as myself. Ah, but we also should not forget about the sovereignty of God, manifested in the work of the Son, transforming the devil's most wicked trap to God's most sovereign act. How the cross reveals the infinite beauties of God's character!
In this season of grace and empowerment, the Lord has advanced my faith in His power. No wonder the Apostle Paul proudly boasts with all delight and passion in the Book of Romans, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto the salvation of man"! Ah, yes, salvation is a supernatural work of God where He regenerates a spiritually dead corpse to the glory of His Name. If only Pastors could grasp the essence of this whole truth, there will be no more need to resort to psychological manipulation, Gospel reductions to suit the flesh, cheap invitations or easy believism to coerce a person to go to the altar. There will be no more need to entertain men to keep them coming.
A true prophet of God knows that he stands hopeless in a dead valley and has no choice but to speak the Gospel which he hath received, boldly with tears of grief and joy, trembling with the knowledge that if God does not move, no true conversion will succeed. Ah, yes, if only we Christians could grasp this, all foolishness that man can be dead while under the power of God would fade! All our pathetic heresies that deny the power of God by saying that saved men can be both owned by the devil and Jesus will be lost! The doctrine of "carnal believers" will find no space in our pulpits and our Churches would flourish, rid of corruption!
Apprehend the power of God unto the salvation of men, blessed believer, and you would no longer need to search for motivation in any other place but the finished work of Christ. The terrible and glorious event in Golgotha will be our one and only inspiration and hope, driving us to forever worship Him in His holy presence. There will be no more need to confirm His sovereignty, His holiness, His wrath, His love, His mercy, His justice or His power. I cannot say this enough - How indeed does the cross reveal the full counsel of God!
How merciful and loving is this God?! How sovereign is He?! Yes, we are the victims of God's grace! We, sinners, are now glorified saints, walking in inexpressible gratitude and persevering for all eternity! Ah, let us follow Him! Let us glory in such things! Oh blessed believer! How blessed are thee?! As Bro. Paul Washer says, to the wind with your problems! To the wind with your insecurities! To the wind with your worries! To the wind with you! Look what's ahead of you dear Christian!! Look what's ahead of you!
Saved one of God, you are a living demonstration of His power! You are a speck of dust breathing holy breath if God has indeed converted you with His untamed power! Ah, remember that power! For the power that gave you life in your deadness, the power that changed your wicked soul, the power that freed you from the strong man, the power that continually works in you until this very day so as to conform you to the image of its Source, all that power is the power of the almighty and omnipotent God! Oh dear believer! What more can you ask?? Shall you still seek these silly things that men crave? Shall you still concern yourself with the dung of this world that offers no true satisfaction? You owe every breath and beat of your heart to God! You will never be satisfied by your lusts because you were never meant to be satisfied by them! Only He can truly give you joy and peace! Cast down all your weights, you men and women of God, and sprint until you've emptied your hands and filled them with wounds! Pray earnestly, labor for God, discipline your body to make it your slave, box not against the air but against the principalities of this world and know that you have a great God behind you! Esteem Him as He ought to be and recognize every other activity as absurd unless done for His glory!
In this season of grace and empowerment, the Lord has advanced my faith in His power. No wonder the Apostle Paul proudly boasts with all delight and passion in the Book of Romans, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto the salvation of man"! Ah, yes, salvation is a supernatural work of God where He regenerates a spiritually dead corpse to the glory of His Name. If only Pastors could grasp the essence of this whole truth, there will be no more need to resort to psychological manipulation, Gospel reductions to suit the flesh, cheap invitations or easy believism to coerce a person to go to the altar. There will be no more need to entertain men to keep them coming.
A true prophet of God knows that he stands hopeless in a dead valley and has no choice but to speak the Gospel which he hath received, boldly with tears of grief and joy, trembling with the knowledge that if God does not move, no true conversion will succeed. Ah, yes, if only we Christians could grasp this, all foolishness that man can be dead while under the power of God would fade! All our pathetic heresies that deny the power of God by saying that saved men can be both owned by the devil and Jesus will be lost! The doctrine of "carnal believers" will find no space in our pulpits and our Churches would flourish, rid of corruption!
Apprehend the power of God unto the salvation of men, blessed believer, and you would no longer need to search for motivation in any other place but the finished work of Christ. The terrible and glorious event in Golgotha will be our one and only inspiration and hope, driving us to forever worship Him in His holy presence. There will be no more need to confirm His sovereignty, His holiness, His wrath, His love, His mercy, His justice or His power. I cannot say this enough - How indeed does the cross reveal the full counsel of God!
How merciful and loving is this God?! How sovereign is He?! Yes, we are the victims of God's grace! We, sinners, are now glorified saints, walking in inexpressible gratitude and persevering for all eternity! Ah, let us follow Him! Let us glory in such things! Oh blessed believer! How blessed are thee?! As Bro. Paul Washer says, to the wind with your problems! To the wind with your insecurities! To the wind with your worries! To the wind with you! Look what's ahead of you dear Christian!! Look what's ahead of you!
Saved one of God, you are a living demonstration of His power! You are a speck of dust breathing holy breath if God has indeed converted you with His untamed power! Ah, remember that power! For the power that gave you life in your deadness, the power that changed your wicked soul, the power that freed you from the strong man, the power that continually works in you until this very day so as to conform you to the image of its Source, all that power is the power of the almighty and omnipotent God! Oh dear believer! What more can you ask?? Shall you still seek these silly things that men crave? Shall you still concern yourself with the dung of this world that offers no true satisfaction? You owe every breath and beat of your heart to God! You will never be satisfied by your lusts because you were never meant to be satisfied by them! Only He can truly give you joy and peace! Cast down all your weights, you men and women of God, and sprint until you've emptied your hands and filled them with wounds! Pray earnestly, labor for God, discipline your body to make it your slave, box not against the air but against the principalities of this world and know that you have a great God behind you! Esteem Him as He ought to be and recognize every other activity as absurd unless done for His glory!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
COURTSHIP VS DATING (PART 1)
For some reason and partly because of my "nudging" friends out there, "courtship" has been constantly in my mind. I guess I'll have to blog about this to express my thoughts on this matter.
So yeah, why do I firmly believe in courtship and reject dating? Well to make my point easier, I'll just illustrate the differences and you decide which is more Biblical of the two. To be honest, dating isn't even Biblical or "cultural".
Recreational dating is a modern day phenomenon. It is non-existent 100 years ago (go ask your good great grandmas about this ^_^), which means its not even in secular culture or history. Dating is a "testing the waters" kind of thing where a man can go out with a girl without assuming the responsibility and at the same time, go out with her without even thinking of marriage as the end goal. In other words, its just "recreational". I'm not trying to sound godly here. I am guilty of this too. (sigh) We men really need to grow up. Or should I say boys?
Anyways, enough with my vicious talk ^_^ Time to see the difference between dating and courtship. (I don't believe I can write about all the differences since each difference needs a lot of explanation for clarity, so I'll just write about at least two for now and just continue when I get the free time again.. ^_^)
By the way, this note is generally for men who are dead serious with women. It may be a little helpful to women too but you'll find most of the content directed to men. Some of the things here may also be offensive. I'm always open to comments so please feel free to comment if you happen to read this note.
Difference number 1:
Courtship says pursue a woman only if you are ready to assume the responsibility of caring for her and you are considering marriage as a possible end-point of your relationship. Dating says, "test the waters, you don't really have to bother yourself with marriage, as long as you're both happy, that's it".
This may be hard to hear but I really believe there's no sense in courting a woman unless you are READY to assume the responsibility of caring for her and you are CONSIDERING the possibility of marriage. Any other reason outside the above mentioned is selfish, inconsiderate, unfair and immature. I'm not saying that you should be constantly thinking of marriage or obsessed with progressing to that end. My point here is that, if you're not ready for marriage or your not even considering her as a future spouse, why court her?
I also mentioned being ready to "assume the responsibility of caring for her". This doesn't just mean that you can provide for her financially. The responsibility of caring for her also goes beyond giving her time and attention. What I mean here is that you are spiritually able to lead and protect her with your life. Yep, no misspelled phrases or exaggeration. As men and initiators, we must be able to lead our women spiritually and protect her purity from our flesh with all the strength we can muster. Sure,we all have problems with lust, but this is exactly why spiritual leadership is the first measure of courtship. If you know that your still not "man enough" to lead her, then humbly drop it for now, seek the Lord in prayer, trust Him and allow Him to work in you BUT continue praying for her as you grow in holiness and discernment. Perceive your "singleness" as a time of prayer and growth.
Difference number 2:
Dating says, "When your heart starts to beat for a lady, its a green light. Its a GO signal to pursue her. Do what you feel is right and you'll be fine". Courtship says the opposite: When your heart starts to beat for a lady, it is not a GO signal to start a relationship. It is a yellow, caution signal. It means its time to be cautious of your feelings and prepare yourself for Biblical manhood/womanhood.
Yes, the feelings that we have for the opposite sex are from God. God has created them and ordained that both members of the opposite sex should feel them. But to interpret such feelings as a go signal is foolish. First of all, feelings should not be the basis of our decisions. "Doing what you feel is right" sounds good in movies but in reality, that's utter crap. "What you feel is right" isn't necessarily the right thing. Most importantly, Jer 17: 9 says that the human heart is wickedly deceitful. Your heart can deceive you and we've seen that far too many times already.
Now what does it mean to be "cautious of our feelings"? This means to keep our feelings in check and to guard our hearts from misplaced passions that may arise from such attraction. This also means to never allow your emotion to interfere with your spiritual life and service to God.
I also mentioned about Biblical manhood and womanhood. Although both may be a part of a whole another topic, I'd like to define Biblical manhood and womanhood briefly. I would define Biblical manhood as a stage where a boy is starting to assume the responsibilities of a man and is preparing himself to lead a woman spiritually, which means being capable of assisting her in growing in sanctification and protecting her from things that may harm her relationship with the Lord, with her family and her ministry.
For Biblical womanhood, you can just check this link: http://www.heartcrymissionary.com/resources/articles and look for the article "Becoming Esther", written by Charo Washer, wife of Pastor Paul Washer and one of the godliest women of this generation.
Well, this is it for now.. I'll see if I can still continue with the series.. this will be a looong one though ^_^
So yeah, why do I firmly believe in courtship and reject dating? Well to make my point easier, I'll just illustrate the differences and you decide which is more Biblical of the two. To be honest, dating isn't even Biblical or "cultural".
Recreational dating is a modern day phenomenon. It is non-existent 100 years ago (go ask your good great grandmas about this ^_^), which means its not even in secular culture or history. Dating is a "testing the waters" kind of thing where a man can go out with a girl without assuming the responsibility and at the same time, go out with her without even thinking of marriage as the end goal. In other words, its just "recreational". I'm not trying to sound godly here. I am guilty of this too. (sigh) We men really need to grow up. Or should I say boys?
Anyways, enough with my vicious talk ^_^ Time to see the difference between dating and courtship. (I don't believe I can write about all the differences since each difference needs a lot of explanation for clarity, so I'll just write about at least two for now and just continue when I get the free time again.. ^_^)
By the way, this note is generally for men who are dead serious with women. It may be a little helpful to women too but you'll find most of the content directed to men. Some of the things here may also be offensive. I'm always open to comments so please feel free to comment if you happen to read this note.
Difference number 1:
Courtship says pursue a woman only if you are ready to assume the responsibility of caring for her and you are considering marriage as a possible end-point of your relationship. Dating says, "test the waters, you don't really have to bother yourself with marriage, as long as you're both happy, that's it".
This may be hard to hear but I really believe there's no sense in courting a woman unless you are READY to assume the responsibility of caring for her and you are CONSIDERING the possibility of marriage. Any other reason outside the above mentioned is selfish, inconsiderate, unfair and immature. I'm not saying that you should be constantly thinking of marriage or obsessed with progressing to that end. My point here is that, if you're not ready for marriage or your not even considering her as a future spouse, why court her?
I also mentioned being ready to "assume the responsibility of caring for her". This doesn't just mean that you can provide for her financially. The responsibility of caring for her also goes beyond giving her time and attention. What I mean here is that you are spiritually able to lead and protect her with your life. Yep, no misspelled phrases or exaggeration. As men and initiators, we must be able to lead our women spiritually and protect her purity from our flesh with all the strength we can muster. Sure,we all have problems with lust, but this is exactly why spiritual leadership is the first measure of courtship. If you know that your still not "man enough" to lead her, then humbly drop it for now, seek the Lord in prayer, trust Him and allow Him to work in you BUT continue praying for her as you grow in holiness and discernment. Perceive your "singleness" as a time of prayer and growth.
Difference number 2:
Dating says, "When your heart starts to beat for a lady, its a green light. Its a GO signal to pursue her. Do what you feel is right and you'll be fine". Courtship says the opposite: When your heart starts to beat for a lady, it is not a GO signal to start a relationship. It is a yellow, caution signal. It means its time to be cautious of your feelings and prepare yourself for Biblical manhood/womanhood.
Yes, the feelings that we have for the opposite sex are from God. God has created them and ordained that both members of the opposite sex should feel them. But to interpret such feelings as a go signal is foolish. First of all, feelings should not be the basis of our decisions. "Doing what you feel is right" sounds good in movies but in reality, that's utter crap. "What you feel is right" isn't necessarily the right thing. Most importantly, Jer 17: 9 says that the human heart is wickedly deceitful. Your heart can deceive you and we've seen that far too many times already.
Now what does it mean to be "cautious of our feelings"? This means to keep our feelings in check and to guard our hearts from misplaced passions that may arise from such attraction. This also means to never allow your emotion to interfere with your spiritual life and service to God.
I also mentioned about Biblical manhood and womanhood. Although both may be a part of a whole another topic, I'd like to define Biblical manhood and womanhood briefly. I would define Biblical manhood as a stage where a boy is starting to assume the responsibilities of a man and is preparing himself to lead a woman spiritually, which means being capable of assisting her in growing in sanctification and protecting her from things that may harm her relationship with the Lord, with her family and her ministry.
For Biblical womanhood, you can just check this link: http://www.heartcrymission
Well, this is it for now.. I'll see if I can still continue with the series.. this will be a looong one though ^_^
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