Category Archives: the gospel

Steps to Christian Maturity

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5 “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1)

Curiously enough, I have found personally, that the order of these qualities can be trusted.  Attempt the last one first and you will find yourself in error. 

Maturity in Christ begins with faith filled repentance, and finds its culmination in love.  It is written that the fear of the living God is the beginning of wisdom.  It should be well noted the Godly love is dispensed in Godly wisdom.

By His Grace

Preferring the Child

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Any master of a trade will tell you, it is better to train up an ignorant young man as your apprentice, then to expect obedience from a man who thinks he has already accomplished your trade.

Why has God chosen the weak, the outcast, the wicked, and the sinful to become a part of his Holy Kingdom?  Because they will not put themselves first.  They will never spit in the face of his teaching.  And they will love him with a blazing heart of faith.

It isn’t any more complicated than that.  If you want to serve the Sovereign God in Christ, you have to become like a child.

By His Grace

The Broken Machine

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How the accusations fly!  That anyone who scurries around in society with a big Holy book, should be considered obscene.  Whether he speaks the words that are contained in that book with a soft and loving voice, or yells and screams them as he runs, to Man he is worthless and a fool.

In fact you don’t have to say a word to be considered a fool, an obscene man, and a nuisance.  Try it someday.  Simply take your Bible with you everywhere you go. 

If you really want to prove that people hate God, take your Bible with you when you go shopping at all the major department stores.  You know precisely what the response will be.

You don’t have to speak a word about God.  You don’t have to be seen praying.  Just blatantly associate the Bible with your hands.  And watch them back off with wide eyes.

Tell me how that’s right!  Tell me how it is that you could carry any other book (ANY OTHER) and they would love you.  They would pat you on the back and laugh if you carried pornography in your hand.  But they will fear you, and deplore your very existence if you lift up the Holy One of God.  Or even if they see you associated with his Holy things!

That’s fine.  Because that’s the way things are! 

I want you to hate me, you people of the world who think you are more righteous than the One who made you.  For I can prove that you hate him, by simply carrying his Holy book into your presence.

I don’t hate you.  Though that’s how you accuse me.  And not only I, but every man who dares to stand in your presence and proclaim that God “ALONE” is good.

For such people blatantly proclaim that everything man is, is unholy.  And how deeply we scar your sense of self-righteous pride. 

Shall we apologize?  Do we need to grovel at your feet and beg you to include us?  Some do.  But you never receive them back, as if this display of a love for God never happened.  They are labeled among man to the end of this place of time.

Are you correct to think you are righteous?  You submit that you have good thoughts.  Provide proof of the end of your day, that everything you have thought has produced a perfect action or word.  My friend if it has not produced holiness, then you did not have good thoughts.  At the very best, you had sporadic reasonable intent.  What a blight in your eye, to say such a thing about you.

In business you make machines to produce a certain product.  If the product that comes out of the machine is faulty, you call the machine broken.  Man is a broken machine!

I will not take your time with more words than is appropriate.  The volume of this testimony lay in that Holy book that scares you so very much.  Its called the Bible.

It’s  the repair manual for broken humanity.  And in that Holy book there are two sections.  The first portion contains intricate descriptions of humanity’s brokenness and need for repair.  The second portion, called the “New Testament”, contains the description of the repairman.

It speaks of his training, so that you can know you can trust him.  It gives proof that he has repaired many broken machines.  And it makes a statement that is deplorable among you.  It often makes the statement that he is the singular Master of his singular trade.

The New Testament will highlight obvious failures.  And it will tell you what to do when you encounter them. 

My friends of flesh, you do not need to repair the machine you currently have.  (As if you have the tools to get the job done.) You need an entirely new one.  Why should you balk at this?  “New” and “fresh” are the buzz words of the day!   And the New Testament provides the blueprint to the epitome of “value added” activity.

By His Grace

The Remedy

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Oh how the list grows long, when people let the world get them down.

The remedies range from busy to murder, from sleep to whatever is found.

I have tried them all, short of blood on my hands.

From drugs, to the movies, and nothing commands

My joy.

Do you dare hear my words, will you let them be true?

Or must trial and error come visit you too?

To enjoin my heart to remember, His word, Holy firm as spoken.

To consider his promise established, and never, no never, be broken.

Then to speak with my mouth, a request to the Lord.

Revealing my heart as he sees:

“Come help me my God lest the darkness surround me.

Come grant me your promise of peace.

There is quite nothing here that can equally blessed me,

As when you’re sweet presence, kills fear .”

You don’t need the drugs, nor trifles, nor murder, when gloominess calls your name.

He responds to the earnest, the humble, contrite, who call for relief from the games.

His name is Christ Jesus, compassion his fame.

Those who call out in earnest, restrain.

By His Grace

The Constitution of the Faithful

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Do you realize that in heaven there will be all manner of men.  Among the faithful will be people who were formerly child molesters, murderers, vicious kings, prostitutes, corrupt men who embezzle, cheaters, and adulterers of every kind.  Look around they are in the kingdom of heaven today.

By His Grace

Ungodly, Unholy Homeless

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With my wife and two children, we walked down the sidewalks of Salem Oregon, suitcases in hand.  My irresponsible behavior had driven my family to homelessness.  We were not victims of the economy.  We were victims of my hatred for righteousness.

Even then I did not turn to God for help.  I turned to the system of men that we could find shelter.  We found some shelter for our bones, but we did not find shelter from my behavior.

Regardless how the bleeding hearts want to paint the homeless as helpless and pathetic little people, there are many of them who are unholy, ungodly, and unworthy of anything good.

Just like every other man, they had opportunity, but they squandered it for the sake of selfish gain. 

I will not hide that fact, for I have known many who were just like me.  We take advantage of the bleeding hearts and consume all their energy and money.  We are a thankless brood; for while we say “Thank you”, we do not use their gifts to do what is right.  And why should we?  They are as foolish men, who walk into a band of thieves, knowingly holding out their hands full of money.  What do they think is going to happen?

You may look at the things I write and substantiate your liberal gifts to the poor.  “See how he has finally gotten out.  See what glorious thing we have accomplished!”  My friend you have done nothing but give me a few days more before I died!

It was God who gave me understanding.  It was God who opened my eyes to my own irresponsible behavior.  It was God who counseled me to be responsible in poverty.  And from there the steps up were clear.

I read God’s Holy Word and saw the condemnation that waited for me.  And as he has spoken it was true, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.  Man did nothing but prolong my personal agony of irresponsible and unholy doings.

There are unholy and ungodly homeless men and women, yes.  And there are unholy and ungodly responsible and rich men and women, yes. 

I have been told that pointing out the condemnation of everyone of us, will save no one.  Well how can that be true when that is precisely what turned this wayward soul?

There is a passage that, if you believe it, will shake your soul to the ground.  The more you believe it, the more you will desire the better things of God. 

If you want to make change in others.  If you want to see change in yourself.  Believe the following words.

“. . . and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face” (Deuteronomy 7:10)

Can you imagine the Holy One getting right down into your face, and accusing you rightly of the things you have done?  If a man does this to us, we may fight back.  But when God does this, you will be utterly helpless.  You will know that your destruction is imminent.  And fear like you have never felt, will consume you.

Allow yourself to believe this and you will start to desire Life.  There will be no bleeding hearts to come and save you.  There will be no hand out that you might pick up to offer God.

You are like wayward bums, who settled on the land of the king.  You did as you pleased and trashed his beautiful meadow.  You called the land by your own name.  And there you made a unrighteous home for yourself.

The righteous King will appear with his vast army.  He will see what you have done without asking.  He will see that you disrespect his authority.  He will not consider your personal excuses.  He will order his men to thrust you through.

He will tear down all that you have built, toss it into a pile, and with great discompassion, he will set it on fire to clear his land.

No one will come to your aid.  No one will remember your name.  Your plight belongs to you.  And at the last effort of your silent scream, you will be obliterated for eternity.

These words are written in a place that is conspicuous.  I do not fear you, and I would be glad to say these things to your face.  But would you listen to me there?  Or would you turn your face like you do when you see me at a distance?

These things are true.  Do with them as seems best to you.

By His Grace