Christians nowadays don’t participate
Because we think we’re already literate.
We have our fun day, our work day
We have our DVD day, our shopping day
But when is our serving day?
Are we going through the narrow way?
Or are we just here every Sunday?
We are called to serve Him with all
Not to play around and roll.
We do not answer His call,
And then we wonder why we fall
If not for Him we would be lost
Our death won’t even pay the cost
He died for our sake
His love is true! It isn’t fake
Would we rather have a picnic in a lake?
Or serve Him? Of all forsake
Do not ignore His bidding
The Lord owns everything
So He better receive something
And He better see you smiling
Because giving is just returning.
We are His followers, His worshipers
Not Church goers or mere attenders,
Stop being earthly and be a part of His ministry
Do it for His glory,
He must be your priority.
He is the God of eternity,
He deserves our entity.
Stop holding on to vanity
And start serving officially.
What is your job compared to Him?
Does your work remove your sin?
Join God’s way of handling money
Participate in this ministry.
Be a part of a Bible study
There are many here in CABC.
Stop making excuses,
Do not listen to other voices.
Serve Him and Him alone.
Give it all for His mighty throne.
Today is never too late.
Will you leave it all to fate?
He has given us the greatest gift
We were saved by His grace
Anything less is a slap in His face.
Serve today. That is all I will say.
PS: I made this poem for our Church during the mission's month promotion. Let us serve Him in every way!
By the way, CABC stands for Commonwealth Avenue Baptist Church -- this is the Church where God has placed me
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Paul Washer: Evangelical hoops
Evangelical hoops.. half-truths.. neutral preaching.. What have we done to the Gospel?
WAKE UP!!!! Watch this video and be blessed!
WAKE UP!!!! Watch this video and be blessed!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
An Expression Of Love And Rebuke Towards Believers
Its funny how most preachers act today with regards to the preaching of the Gospel. But make no mistake, this rebuke is for all of us believers. Allow me to demonstrate my points through the following scenarios.
SCENARIO 1:
(After sharing a gospel to Brother "So and So" and leading him in praying the sinner's prayer, Pastor makes an announcement to the congregation..)
Pastor: (Addresses to the crowd) May I have everyone's attention please! Brother "So and So" JUST GOT SAVED!!!! Let us rejoice and thank God for another of His lost sons was found
Congregation: AMEN!!!
Brother: I feel so good! Its like I finally found a second family!
(A week later, he preaches in another Church)
Pastor: You know I preach in many Churches. And in all those Churches I preach, many get saved! You see preachers are not doing their job very well nowadays.. but God has used me to bring glory to His Name! The last time I preach 100 people got saved!
Crowd: AMEN!!!! Praise God!
NOW COMPARE ABOVE SCENE TO THE ONE BELOW..
SCENARIO 2:
(After sharing the Gospel to Brother "So and So" and praying for him, Pastor makes an announcement to the congregation..)
Pastor: (Addresses to the crowd) May I have everyone's attention please! Brother "So and So" HAS PROFESSED HIS FAITH IN CHRIST! Let us rejoice! However! Because we love him, we will not declare him to be saved. We will continually counsel him until he has a Biblical assurance that not only does He know God but God knows him.
Brother: WHY???!!! I professed my faith! I'm supposed to be saved!
Pastor: Brother, we love you but the Bible teaches us that true faith brings about fruits. As what we had talked about, when a man is saved, God transforms him into a new creature. If repentance and separation from the world do not become a reality in your life, then you've got nothing from us here today!
Brother: You are a mean preacher! I professed Christ! I have faith in him. I know Christ already!
Pastor: Brother, we do care about you that is why we are telling you the truth. On that day of judgment, it doesn't matter if you know God, what truly matters is He knows and acknowledges you as His. May will say to Him on that day "Lord, Lord! Have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name drive out demons and performed miracles?" and Jesus will answer, "Away from me you lawless men! I never knew you!"
Brother: But..
Pastor: Let me explain. If I go to the gates of the white house and say "I know George Bush! I know George Bush! Let me in!" They're not going to let me in. They might even arrest me. However, if George Bush comes out and says "Hold it! I know him, let him in" you can be sure that I'll be allowed to enter. Its the same thing in heaven.
Brother: But didn't you just say that it is by faith that one is reconciled with God?
Pastor: True! However, genuine faith brings fruits. If you truly belong to Him, He will not share you with the world. You might sin or go back to your evil habits but if you truly have been transformed, whenever you go back to sin, you will vomit it. You will be sick of it and you will fear the Lord, cry out to Him and run back to Him in repentance and worship.
Brother: (in tears) I do believe. You are a real preacher because you preach the truth. And you really do love God and men for you do not hold back the truth just to conform with others. I surrender my life to God. Let Him decide for me.
(A week later, he preaches in another Church)
Pastor: You know I preach in many Churches. And in all those Churches I preach, many hate me! But let me tell you this, a real preacher is not someone who can bring everyone to God. A genuine preacher is someone who CAN NEVER BRING EVERYONE TO GOD! Because he preaches the Truth, people will hate him and even mock him! They will stand against him and kick him out of their Churches! They do not want to hear the true words of God. I had been preaching the Gospel and it has been always like this. Still it doesn't matter because this work is God's work and besides, I am servant and as my Lord has been persecuted so will I be. Yet, in face of persecution, I stand boldly not by my works but by my weaknesses and by my Lord. I know at some point, I will fail. BUT THE LORD WILL NEVER FAIL ME!!! I will preach the fullness of the truth! the fullness of the Gospel without holding back! My Lord hath loved me and He hath saved me.. what else can I ask for? Do be persecuted for His sake is a great honor that the Spirit in me rejoices in. And although my flesh is weak and evil, though I fail miserably and weep, my Lord will stand for me on that Day not because I have earned it but because He hath appointed it on His own free and sovereign choice!
Crowd: This is a real preacher.
Some from the crowd: This is not a real preacher! How can a real preacher be hated by men? A real preacher is loved and honored by men! Let us leave.. he is nothing but a tactless, mean-spirited and proud man.
As you compare both scenarios, what have you realized? There's so much that you will learn but I want you to focus on the preaching of the Gospel, the words of both pastors (from both scenarios), the response of both converts (first one versus the second one) and lastly the response of the crowd.
When people make a decision to pray the sinner's prayer, modern day preachers are so quick to rise from their chairs and declare them saved. You will never find this in Scripture. Praying the sinner's prayer is not a genuine act of conversion. Acts of conversion or regeneration that is brought about by the Spirit are in the form of repentance, holiness, godliness, hunger for God and a burning desire to share the Gospel with everyone. Of course there are many more, but these fruits are the most evident especially for new converts.
When a person is saved by God, God makes him a new creature. God takes out our evil hearts and gives us a new one. This is God's new covenant (Hebrews 8). He will be our God and we will be His people. To be regenerated is to live in union with Christ and to live in continual repentance and separation from the world. One cannot claim to be a part of the regenerated body of Christ if he is still attached to the world. Without fruits, your faith is dead. When the Holy Spirit comes into play, you are changed into a new being. You might sin here and then but you do not delight in it anymore. Before, the only time you would be bothered by your sins is when you are caught or someone points out your mistakes. But for a new creature, even the sins in his mind bother him so much that they can even give him sleepless nights! Even though no one sees his mind, the fear of the Lord that is mentioned is Ezekiel thrives in him and he cannot help himself but run straight to the foot of Christ begging for forgiveness, grace and mercy. Therefore, if a man continually denies his faith, he has not been on the faith on the first place. Likewise, if a person continually lives in the world and indulges in its pleasures, even though he goes to Church and prays, he is not really saved. What we have to understand is this: God is not mocked. God's work of salvation and regeneration is a supernatural work. It is not founded upon decisions of puny men. In other words, if there's no repentance in your life, no radical change in your heart, no turning away from the world, then you do not belong to God at all. If there's no work of the Spirit in you, it is not the Spirit's fault. Its is yours because in the first place, you did not have the Spirit at all. Stop declaring people to be saved and start preaching the doctrine of regeneration! It is one of the lost doctrines of this age. By not preaching it, you preach "a half-truth gospel". And half-truths mean nothing. This basically covers the preaching of the Gospel.
Now unto believers, I'd like to express my love, concern and rebuke in a form of a letter.
To the believers who preach like the pastor in the first scenario of this blog, I give this message:
God's work of salvation and regeneration is a supernatural work. Even though we do the preaching, we do so by the power of God's Spirit. If you indeed preach like the first one, hear my rebuke which I give on behalf of my Lord Jesus. I do not have the authority to do so but I do have the right to see that the voice of Scripture is heard.
You preachers from the first! All you really care about is the number of people who "get saved"! You do not even know what salvation truly is! If you knew, you would not speak to men in that kind of way. You will tell them the truth about the Lord! But because you want to skip through some hoops, make things easier and avoid conflict, you minimize the Gospel! The Gospel is not a weather forecast of the coming apocalypse! Neither is it the hottest news about a celebrity named jesus! You fools! If you truly love men you would preach the fullness of the truth! But because you had made God's work a business, you chose to conform with the world! Haven't you learned at all? It is by the Gospel that you were saved! And if you really are saved, the Spirit will be talking to you now! If you do not belong to Him, all you will feel is hatred toward me! Let me remind you of something: though they come from my lips, these words are not my own.
Generations of believers were killed for the sake of the Gospel of our Lord and this is what you do? Come back to Him if you truly belong to Him. I do not pretend to know His will but I do know that His Gospel is a living News of His great sacrifice and work! Until this date no one has erased it despite the serious modifications done to it! I do not speak as a man exempted from the judgment of the Father. I too am a preacher who loveth the Lord, by His grace, and hath learned to loveth men through His Spirit. And so I too am under strict condemnation if I preach "the half-true version" of His work. And whatever I throw to you, I throw unto myself. The Lord Jesus is watching.
What superstition has overcome our denominations?! Fancy and attractive illustrations had replaced Biblical theology. Quoting the day you prayed the sinner's prayer against Satan? How far have we fallen? Instead of saying, "My faith has fruits and God is evident in my life therefore I am saved", our converts say "Satan, I accepted Christ on this date so do not make me doubt my salvation!" What has become of us? Do we really think that the Gospel is this cheap? Are not our converts polluting the image of Christianity with their carnality because of our faulty preaching?
Let us come back to Him and drink from Him that we may be put into use for the glory of His Kingdom! He gave His life for us! Do you think He will hold back other things which are far less than His life? We have no reason to be discouraged by what men think. With these I give you my final words: come back to Christ, believe, repent and preach the fullness of His love without fear! If you still haven't known the fullness of the Gospel, be humble to admit it and cry out to the Father that He might save you, transform you and bring you at His foot where all His vindictive lectures are held.
-Michael, a fellow servant in Christ Jesus
And now.. unto the response of the convert and the crowds, I leave you these words for the reader to ponder:
The Truth will hurt but it will set you free. For wherever the Gospel is preached, there will be division among the land. Conflict and rejection may result, for the goats cannot agree with the ways of the sheep. Likewise, the sheep cannot agree with the ways of the goats. Still, goats can be turned into sheep if the goat repents, believes and puts himself at the expectant hands of the strong Shepherd. And this mighty Shepherd will break your heart, for His Words are just and sharp as swords; but He will set you free from that evil nature which you are enslaved in. And you can be sure that He will finish the work He had begun. To Him be the glory!
-Michael, a once fallen but regenerated creature in Christ Jesus
Lastly, I leave this message for the believers of the new covenant who preach like the pastor of the second scenario..
Dear brothers,
I know what it is to be hated for the sake of the Gospel. I know what it is like to be persecuted by fellow believers whom you had loved so much. They do not fully grasp the Lord's salvific work manifested in His Son. I know what its like to be referred to as a radical, volatile and insensitive preacher who proudly bullies other Christians for their "lack" of faith. I know what its like to wish that you haven't been called and to wish that everyone would just understand that true faith bringeth fruits. If no fruits become evident, a soul is still chained in sin, bound to eternal condemnation by God's righteous law. I know what its like to wish for these simple truths to be known. Still, know that this is not our work. This is not our show. This is His work and His show all for His glory and honor. I encourage you to set your eyes on God, Who is our means and end. We hath known what love is because He hath loved us on the first place. We hath known His Truth because He hath revealed it to us on the first place. I do not encourage you to be constant shakers of dust from your foot, but to be foot washers as Christ hath been so that His glory maybe known to man. Do not be discouraged and by your weaknesses rejoice for our Lord is a mighty Shepherd! He is ours to follow! What a great God do we have! We have no reason to be discouraged. Instead rejoice and pray earnestly that He may move among the nations, constantly spreading His fame through the Gospel.
How and why He hath loved us I do not know. But I believe that by His sovereign decision He hath made a choice to make His Name known to man. Men might spit on the Gospel, trample it or dodge it's mighty sword, but they will know that HE IS LORD! They can resist and submit to their worldly passions and think that God tolerates sin, but they will know HE IS GOD!
I encourage you then to seek the lost even more earnestly than before. There are a few of us in this world. Don't get me wrong, God does not need us. He needs no one. But we do not sit and watch our race fall to darkness. We preach with madness as this Gospel is a message of hope one cannot just bear inside. It must be preached all for the glory of His Name; that His greatness might be known to the elect and the wicked.
He is coming brothers! Endure and depend upon His grace! Drink from His cup! This is our true prosperity! Not that prosperity that is taught now in many churches... Live for Him alone and be assured that your scars will be rewarded. And even if they aren't, can we ask for anything else? The Lord hath laid and given the greatest gift to us, a sinful, fallen and totally unworthy race! Yet He did this out of mercy so that His Name might be acknowledged as the one Name that is above all other names! And all people will bow down and confess that He is Lord at that coming Day! So do not be troubled and bear the hope that we hold unto. Christ is coming! Our Lord is coming! Rejoice and be glad! Our time here is almost up and we shall soon see the fullness of His glory.
-Michael, a fellow prisoner of the Lord Jesus
SCENARIO 1:
(After sharing a gospel to Brother "So and So" and leading him in praying the sinner's prayer, Pastor makes an announcement to the congregation..)
Pastor: (Addresses to the crowd) May I have everyone's attention please! Brother "So and So" JUST GOT SAVED!!!! Let us rejoice and thank God for another of His lost sons was found
Congregation: AMEN!!!
Brother: I feel so good! Its like I finally found a second family!
(A week later, he preaches in another Church)
Pastor: You know I preach in many Churches. And in all those Churches I preach, many get saved! You see preachers are not doing their job very well nowadays.. but God has used me to bring glory to His Name! The last time I preach 100 people got saved!
Crowd: AMEN!!!! Praise God!
NOW COMPARE ABOVE SCENE TO THE ONE BELOW..
SCENARIO 2:
(After sharing the Gospel to Brother "So and So" and praying for him, Pastor makes an announcement to the congregation..)
Pastor: (Addresses to the crowd) May I have everyone's attention please! Brother "So and So" HAS PROFESSED HIS FAITH IN CHRIST! Let us rejoice! However! Because we love him, we will not declare him to be saved. We will continually counsel him until he has a Biblical assurance that not only does He know God but God knows him.
Brother: WHY???!!! I professed my faith! I'm supposed to be saved!
Pastor: Brother, we love you but the Bible teaches us that true faith brings about fruits. As what we had talked about, when a man is saved, God transforms him into a new creature. If repentance and separation from the world do not become a reality in your life, then you've got nothing from us here today!
Brother: You are a mean preacher! I professed Christ! I have faith in him. I know Christ already!
Pastor: Brother, we do care about you that is why we are telling you the truth. On that day of judgment, it doesn't matter if you know God, what truly matters is He knows and acknowledges you as His. May will say to Him on that day "Lord, Lord! Have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name drive out demons and performed miracles?" and Jesus will answer, "Away from me you lawless men! I never knew you!"
Brother: But..
Pastor: Let me explain. If I go to the gates of the white house and say "I know George Bush! I know George Bush! Let me in!" They're not going to let me in. They might even arrest me. However, if George Bush comes out and says "Hold it! I know him, let him in" you can be sure that I'll be allowed to enter. Its the same thing in heaven.
Brother: But didn't you just say that it is by faith that one is reconciled with God?
Pastor: True! However, genuine faith brings fruits. If you truly belong to Him, He will not share you with the world. You might sin or go back to your evil habits but if you truly have been transformed, whenever you go back to sin, you will vomit it. You will be sick of it and you will fear the Lord, cry out to Him and run back to Him in repentance and worship.
Brother: (in tears) I do believe. You are a real preacher because you preach the truth. And you really do love God and men for you do not hold back the truth just to conform with others. I surrender my life to God. Let Him decide for me.
(A week later, he preaches in another Church)
Pastor: You know I preach in many Churches. And in all those Churches I preach, many hate me! But let me tell you this, a real preacher is not someone who can bring everyone to God. A genuine preacher is someone who CAN NEVER BRING EVERYONE TO GOD! Because he preaches the Truth, people will hate him and even mock him! They will stand against him and kick him out of their Churches! They do not want to hear the true words of God. I had been preaching the Gospel and it has been always like this. Still it doesn't matter because this work is God's work and besides, I am servant and as my Lord has been persecuted so will I be. Yet, in face of persecution, I stand boldly not by my works but by my weaknesses and by my Lord. I know at some point, I will fail. BUT THE LORD WILL NEVER FAIL ME!!! I will preach the fullness of the truth! the fullness of the Gospel without holding back! My Lord hath loved me and He hath saved me.. what else can I ask for? Do be persecuted for His sake is a great honor that the Spirit in me rejoices in. And although my flesh is weak and evil, though I fail miserably and weep, my Lord will stand for me on that Day not because I have earned it but because He hath appointed it on His own free and sovereign choice!
Crowd: This is a real preacher.
Some from the crowd: This is not a real preacher! How can a real preacher be hated by men? A real preacher is loved and honored by men! Let us leave.. he is nothing but a tactless, mean-spirited and proud man.
As you compare both scenarios, what have you realized? There's so much that you will learn but I want you to focus on the preaching of the Gospel, the words of both pastors (from both scenarios), the response of both converts (first one versus the second one) and lastly the response of the crowd.
When people make a decision to pray the sinner's prayer, modern day preachers are so quick to rise from their chairs and declare them saved. You will never find this in Scripture. Praying the sinner's prayer is not a genuine act of conversion. Acts of conversion or regeneration that is brought about by the Spirit are in the form of repentance, holiness, godliness, hunger for God and a burning desire to share the Gospel with everyone. Of course there are many more, but these fruits are the most evident especially for new converts.
When a person is saved by God, God makes him a new creature. God takes out our evil hearts and gives us a new one. This is God's new covenant (Hebrews 8). He will be our God and we will be His people. To be regenerated is to live in union with Christ and to live in continual repentance and separation from the world. One cannot claim to be a part of the regenerated body of Christ if he is still attached to the world. Without fruits, your faith is dead. When the Holy Spirit comes into play, you are changed into a new being. You might sin here and then but you do not delight in it anymore. Before, the only time you would be bothered by your sins is when you are caught or someone points out your mistakes. But for a new creature, even the sins in his mind bother him so much that they can even give him sleepless nights! Even though no one sees his mind, the fear of the Lord that is mentioned is Ezekiel thrives in him and he cannot help himself but run straight to the foot of Christ begging for forgiveness, grace and mercy. Therefore, if a man continually denies his faith, he has not been on the faith on the first place. Likewise, if a person continually lives in the world and indulges in its pleasures, even though he goes to Church and prays, he is not really saved. What we have to understand is this: God is not mocked. God's work of salvation and regeneration is a supernatural work. It is not founded upon decisions of puny men. In other words, if there's no repentance in your life, no radical change in your heart, no turning away from the world, then you do not belong to God at all. If there's no work of the Spirit in you, it is not the Spirit's fault. Its is yours because in the first place, you did not have the Spirit at all. Stop declaring people to be saved and start preaching the doctrine of regeneration! It is one of the lost doctrines of this age. By not preaching it, you preach "a half-truth gospel". And half-truths mean nothing. This basically covers the preaching of the Gospel.
Now unto believers, I'd like to express my love, concern and rebuke in a form of a letter.
To the believers who preach like the pastor in the first scenario of this blog, I give this message:
God's work of salvation and regeneration is a supernatural work. Even though we do the preaching, we do so by the power of God's Spirit. If you indeed preach like the first one, hear my rebuke which I give on behalf of my Lord Jesus. I do not have the authority to do so but I do have the right to see that the voice of Scripture is heard.
You preachers from the first! All you really care about is the number of people who "get saved"! You do not even know what salvation truly is! If you knew, you would not speak to men in that kind of way. You will tell them the truth about the Lord! But because you want to skip through some hoops, make things easier and avoid conflict, you minimize the Gospel! The Gospel is not a weather forecast of the coming apocalypse! Neither is it the hottest news about a celebrity named jesus! You fools! If you truly love men you would preach the fullness of the truth! But because you had made God's work a business, you chose to conform with the world! Haven't you learned at all? It is by the Gospel that you were saved! And if you really are saved, the Spirit will be talking to you now! If you do not belong to Him, all you will feel is hatred toward me! Let me remind you of something: though they come from my lips, these words are not my own.
Generations of believers were killed for the sake of the Gospel of our Lord and this is what you do? Come back to Him if you truly belong to Him. I do not pretend to know His will but I do know that His Gospel is a living News of His great sacrifice and work! Until this date no one has erased it despite the serious modifications done to it! I do not speak as a man exempted from the judgment of the Father. I too am a preacher who loveth the Lord, by His grace, and hath learned to loveth men through His Spirit. And so I too am under strict condemnation if I preach "the half-true version" of His work. And whatever I throw to you, I throw unto myself. The Lord Jesus is watching.
What superstition has overcome our denominations?! Fancy and attractive illustrations had replaced Biblical theology. Quoting the day you prayed the sinner's prayer against Satan? How far have we fallen? Instead of saying, "My faith has fruits and God is evident in my life therefore I am saved", our converts say "Satan, I accepted Christ on this date so do not make me doubt my salvation!" What has become of us? Do we really think that the Gospel is this cheap? Are not our converts polluting the image of Christianity with their carnality because of our faulty preaching?
Let us come back to Him and drink from Him that we may be put into use for the glory of His Kingdom! He gave His life for us! Do you think He will hold back other things which are far less than His life? We have no reason to be discouraged by what men think. With these I give you my final words: come back to Christ, believe, repent and preach the fullness of His love without fear! If you still haven't known the fullness of the Gospel, be humble to admit it and cry out to the Father that He might save you, transform you and bring you at His foot where all His vindictive lectures are held.
-Michael, a fellow servant in Christ Jesus
And now.. unto the response of the convert and the crowds, I leave you these words for the reader to ponder:
The Truth will hurt but it will set you free. For wherever the Gospel is preached, there will be division among the land. Conflict and rejection may result, for the goats cannot agree with the ways of the sheep. Likewise, the sheep cannot agree with the ways of the goats. Still, goats can be turned into sheep if the goat repents, believes and puts himself at the expectant hands of the strong Shepherd. And this mighty Shepherd will break your heart, for His Words are just and sharp as swords; but He will set you free from that evil nature which you are enslaved in. And you can be sure that He will finish the work He had begun. To Him be the glory!
-Michael, a once fallen but regenerated creature in Christ Jesus
Lastly, I leave this message for the believers of the new covenant who preach like the pastor of the second scenario..
Dear brothers,
I know what it is to be hated for the sake of the Gospel. I know what it is like to be persecuted by fellow believers whom you had loved so much. They do not fully grasp the Lord's salvific work manifested in His Son. I know what its like to be referred to as a radical, volatile and insensitive preacher who proudly bullies other Christians for their "lack" of faith. I know what its like to wish that you haven't been called and to wish that everyone would just understand that true faith bringeth fruits. If no fruits become evident, a soul is still chained in sin, bound to eternal condemnation by God's righteous law. I know what its like to wish for these simple truths to be known. Still, know that this is not our work. This is not our show. This is His work and His show all for His glory and honor. I encourage you to set your eyes on God, Who is our means and end. We hath known what love is because He hath loved us on the first place. We hath known His Truth because He hath revealed it to us on the first place. I do not encourage you to be constant shakers of dust from your foot, but to be foot washers as Christ hath been so that His glory maybe known to man. Do not be discouraged and by your weaknesses rejoice for our Lord is a mighty Shepherd! He is ours to follow! What a great God do we have! We have no reason to be discouraged. Instead rejoice and pray earnestly that He may move among the nations, constantly spreading His fame through the Gospel.
How and why He hath loved us I do not know. But I believe that by His sovereign decision He hath made a choice to make His Name known to man. Men might spit on the Gospel, trample it or dodge it's mighty sword, but they will know that HE IS LORD! They can resist and submit to their worldly passions and think that God tolerates sin, but they will know HE IS GOD!
I encourage you then to seek the lost even more earnestly than before. There are a few of us in this world. Don't get me wrong, God does not need us. He needs no one. But we do not sit and watch our race fall to darkness. We preach with madness as this Gospel is a message of hope one cannot just bear inside. It must be preached all for the glory of His Name; that His greatness might be known to the elect and the wicked.
He is coming brothers! Endure and depend upon His grace! Drink from His cup! This is our true prosperity! Not that prosperity that is taught now in many churches... Live for Him alone and be assured that your scars will be rewarded. And even if they aren't, can we ask for anything else? The Lord hath laid and given the greatest gift to us, a sinful, fallen and totally unworthy race! Yet He did this out of mercy so that His Name might be acknowledged as the one Name that is above all other names! And all people will bow down and confess that He is Lord at that coming Day! So do not be troubled and bear the hope that we hold unto. Christ is coming! Our Lord is coming! Rejoice and be glad! Our time here is almost up and we shall soon see the fullness of His glory.
-Michael, a fellow prisoner of the Lord Jesus
Monday, March 24, 2008
Persecution In Open-Air Preaching
"I am sending you like sheep among ravenous wolves"
"Whoever wants to save his life will lose it and whoever loses His life for My sake will gain it"
"If anyone wants to follow Me, he must first deny Himself, take up his cross then follow me."
"If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you on that Day that the Son of Man comes back, with the angels, in the fullness of His glory"
How much has the preaching the Gospel cost you? Do you even preach at all? Are your hands scarred for preaching the Gospel? Or are you just sitting back and leaving everything to chance?
Let us not cheapen the Gospel. The Lord Jesus saved us from our sins and gave us a future to look forward to. If not for Him, we would be nothing but rotting corpses in hell. If not for Him, we would be nothing. It is only by drinking from Him that we can gain righteousness. We are not worthy, rather, we are made worthy by His sacrifice. The cross is a reminder of how depraved we really are that it took the death of God's only Son so that we may be reconciled with Him. By our own hands, we cannot be saved. Has the Gospel become a reality in your life? Are you living in the fullness of the truth? Have you suffered for the sake of Jesus? Watch this video and be blessed.
"Whoever wants to save his life will lose it and whoever loses His life for My sake will gain it"
"If anyone wants to follow Me, he must first deny Himself, take up his cross then follow me."
"If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you on that Day that the Son of Man comes back, with the angels, in the fullness of His glory"
How much has the preaching the Gospel cost you? Do you even preach at all? Are your hands scarred for preaching the Gospel? Or are you just sitting back and leaving everything to chance?
Let us not cheapen the Gospel. The Lord Jesus saved us from our sins and gave us a future to look forward to. If not for Him, we would be nothing but rotting corpses in hell. If not for Him, we would be nothing. It is only by drinking from Him that we can gain righteousness. We are not worthy, rather, we are made worthy by His sacrifice. The cross is a reminder of how depraved we really are that it took the death of God's only Son so that we may be reconciled with Him. By our own hands, we cannot be saved. Has the Gospel become a reality in your life? Are you living in the fullness of the truth? Have you suffered for the sake of Jesus? Watch this video and be blessed.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
A Prayer Of An Exhausted Believer
Praise be to Your Holy Name! As usual, I am in awe with the mere fact that I can talk to you. I come before Your mighty Throne, that no angel can utter without reverence and fear. How wonderful is it that a depraved man, such as me, can speak to the Great Creator anytime and anywhere without any restrictions. How many people do not understand the value of prayer? The fact that I can seek You Lord and address you as my Father means so much for me that even I do not see Your Hand, I would still be in awe and worship.
Father, move among us. Let Your will be done. Let Your Kingdom come Lord. And if you please, let revival begin in our perishing world for the good of Your elect and most important of all, for the glory of Your Son Jesus, our merciful Lord who suffered and became a curse in our place. Father I ask you to step into our lives. We need You in our land. There is no other hope for us but You. May Your sustaining grace be with us if you please so that our hearts would in tune to Your voice all the time. Move among the nations: raise missionaries, evangelists, teachers, trainers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, engineers, and anything else that will bring honor to Your Holy Name, all for Your glory.
I am so tired Father.. so tired.. My body is starting to give up. My mind feels like throwing up. My heart is starting to breed anger and bitterness over senseless things.. things not even worth mentioning to You, the Holy of Holies. My soul is crumbling and I am lost in my weakness. If it would please You and glorify You more to heal me then so be it! Heal Your servant and let Your Name be honored! But if my testimony and witnessing would be more powerful if I am deprived of Your healing words, if by encasing me in this room of impulsions and loss more people would be drawn to you, if by crushing my soul I would be prepared for heaven or if it would be Your pleasure to damn my remaining ounces of strength, then so be it! Crush me for the sake of Your glory. I am Your servant. I answer to no one but You. I do not respond even to my own command. What torment it would be to me but if that glorifies Your Name more, then I have no say, let Your will be done! You know what's best for me. Like I always say, this is Your show, its no longer mine.
Father, how good it is that by Your sovereign grace, I could breathe at this moment without any interruption. How great it is that I still have a sane mind after experiencing Your glory and love through Your Son Jesus. Thy grace sustains me forever. With that I am in total gratefulness. And if Thou choose to withdraw Thy grace from me, I do not know what will happen. I do not pretend, I am a mere sapling at Your good house. Still, being at Your mercy and being under Your mighty shade drives me to toil night and day. For if I was left alone in control, I would have nothing but loss and despair. All I will ever have is worldly success but how can I call it success if You're not in it? Oh that we men so depraved, after seeing Your holiness, crushes all our resolve. No man can see Your face for it would vaporize his soul. The greatness and power of Your Holy Essence was restrained by Your Son because You hath loved us even though we were not, after the fall, Yours. You freed us from that bondage, with that I am forever in awe. Thy sovereign grace, if it did not pull me out from the darkness, bounded my nature in chains and delivered me from the evil one, I do not know where I would be. A prisoner of grace am I! What a beautiful, everlasting love you have. If You left me on my own, I would have faced the judgment I so deserved and I would have suffered, as is Your justice and in that I have nothing to say against. But You hath called me from the darkness that I may share in Your wonderful glory! Or at least take a part of that righteousness that You had been keeping for man through Your Son Jesus.. With that I am content. I might moan and cry as a foolish being of little faith, here and then, but I am content of having known You and how much more in sharing Thy greatness! As if we men deserved anything from you.. still isn't it through this that the fullness of Your love is manifested? Angels watched in horror as You, in flesh and blood, was nailed to a a vile cross while You had done nothing wrong but sincere and perfect goodness. Through this great work, we had become the envy of angels and bearers of a righteousness that is not ours. We had become jars of clay, constantly molded by the Potter's Hand.. all for Thy glory.
You had loved the world and how many times did You want to cradle such civilizations but we would not let You. No one did. From the beginning, after the fall, apart from Your unconditional election that is based on no human merit, there can be nothing left for us but judgment. But Thy purest of pure! Pristine are Your deeds! You hath called men, shared to them freely the glory of Your Son and even if you have kept such righteousness on Your bidding would be no offense. The sovereign God is sovereign, with Him all things are possible. I am awe, grateful and madly seeking to lean at the pillars of Your Temple.
I pray Father for the advancement of Thy Kingdom and Your Holy Gospel that delivereth man from his own damnation. I pray for the continuity of the miraculous work of thy Spirit here on earth. Oh that sinners can become saints through Your Son! What words can man form but "PRAISE YOUR NAME!" I pray for the arising of Your disciples among the nations, that everyone would be kept safe until the Day of Your Coming in glory, power and majesty. I do not pray that You strike down the wicked, for how am I different from them? Have mercy on us Father. I pray for Your mercy and beg for Thy gift that no one deserveth. Apart from the grace, love and work of Your Son who lives, there can be no hope nor reconciliation for us. So move among us and shake the mountains with Your glory so that everyone will hear Your thundering voice that there is hope only through Him. Reveal Your magnificence under the protection of Thy shielding cloud, so that men and woman, slave or free, oppressed and poor, wicked or deceitful.. makes no difference, see Your mighty love, believe, worship yet still be sane. All these are my prayers but You have the final say, let Your will be done! That I can even request is more than a privilege to me, still let a prisoner's voice be heard in Your halls above.
Great Lord, I ask You to give me the strength I need to survive this short life of mine, till the day You want me to see the fullness of Thy glory in the essence of Your Truth. Until that day that all men's hearts would be bare before You, sustain me with Thy grace and sovereign power. And also all those who You have chosen to be a part of Your Kingdom, let Your hand be with us as You use us for your glory and praise. Reach out to those who haven't heard and grant them faith and repentance so that they can seek Thy glory in the mountains and worship, falling flat on the ground, speechless with no other words to utter but Your greatness.
In Jesus Name, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Amen and Amen!
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