Sayings Worthy of Acceptance


Sayings that are worthy of retention, contemplation, and sharing:

1.  Receiving the Gospel from a man makes the receiver twice blessed.  For you have kissed your sweet brother with an eternal joy, and you have the assurance of sharing that joy together for eternity.

2.  Christ Jesus is first in absolutely everything.  He is not some passing fanciful and ecstatic joy during a worship session.  He is first and comfort even in the most extreme and horrific circumstances.

3.  Rejection of the Gospel does nothing to eternity.  You were dead before you heard it, and you remain dead as you reject it.  The dead are no loss to the Living God.  Pride makes you think you’re something.  Frankly, you’re just not that important.

4.  A Gospel of extortion is no gospel at all.  God does not desire a people who are under duress to serve Him.  The Gospel is free of manipulation.  It does not demand acceptance.  It is a declarative call for free will.  As we love Jesus we will obey.

5.  God is not isolated from anything.  Only the perception of man can isolate one thing from another.  The concept of “Object Permanence” is taught in pediatrics.  Hide a baby’s fingers and watch his face turn to anxiety. 

God owns eternity, for eternity is of God.  Equally, God owns this wicked place of testing.  For every sin is a distortion of eternity.  Just because the hand of God is unseen, doesn’t mean it’s gone

6.  Every man knows he lives a lie.  Ignoring the truth of Christ Jesus does nothing to fix a lie.  Receiving the fullness of the Gospel of Christ, this is the fix. 

7.  Nostalgia brings no permanent joy.  Soon enough, you will be nostalgia for others.

8.  Everything in this world points to Christ Jesus.  For nothing is created here that was not created by him.  And our misuse of his creation does not nullify his signature.

9.  Fear is no excuse for remaining ungodly.  For Christ did not fear to do the will of His Holy Father in heaven.  Fear has to do with unbelief.  As if the one who fears, calls the Holy Son a liar.  What kind of reception should the fearful receive on that Great Day of Judgement?

10.  There is a difference between weakness of flesh and rebellion of soul.  God is able to distinguish between the two.  The one he will comfort and encourage toward boldness.  The other he will dismiss without regret.  The wisdom of God among men gives discernment.

11.  Death brings an eternal seal to every man; what we had become in life, to that we are sealed forever.  It is of the father of lies to speak anything differently.

12.  Let the acceptable threshold of Christianity remain elevated.  The expectation is godliness.  How then shall we set the bar at 0?  Not one man but Christ can reach 100%.  Yet surely there is a number in between, which we can grasp with an iron grip.

There are hundreds more worthwhile sayings.  But these are enough to keep us busy for the remainder of our life.

By His Grace

Necessary Pain


In the Gospel of Christ Jesus, I bring you life. 

It is painful by reason of necessity.

For you have not moved your limbs since a little while after you had been born.

Now the Gospel tells you to move your limbs.

It tells you to believe and do.

But in the wickedness of desire you have let your soul become lazy.

Spiritual atrophy belongs to you.

Now the message I bring you is of difficult work.

You must let yourself believe.

Endure the pain or die.

By His Grace

In the Blink of an Eye


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By His Grace

Truth Flew In


Standing on the balcony, I stood in silence.  Listening to the natural noises, as opposed to the noises of man.

From the trees flew a Blue Jay.  His intent was the railing of the balcony; his perch to search for food on the ground below.

I didn’t move as I watched his intent.  His target was 15 feet from my body.  But having stood still, he didn’t perceive me.

He came within inches of setting his feet on his intent.  But just as he neared landing, he perceived a man standing there.

With a tiny squeak, he turned as though he had bounced off the railing, and bolted back to the trees.  Safety is his primary concern, eating is his second.

“Look at him with understanding.”  So my soul whispers to my heart.  See how quick he is to turn from his desire at the slightest provocation against his safety.

Does man do these things?  Doesn’t man head into his desire without consideration for safety?  Look how we run headlong into destruction without the slightest perception of danger.

Where we go matters.  What we choose to do matters.  Who we desire to become matters.  Freely God gives wisdom.  Who, among men, is willing to take his warnings and freedom?

22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”  (Luke 13)

Blasphemous Murmurings


Have you listened to the murmuring of the waters?  Do you understand the definitions of the words they use?

Language is from God.  But wickedness defines the sounds.

There is nothing innocent in the definitions of man.  In everything man says, there is desire to manipulate.

The ear of God plainly hears the blasphemous prattle.  Are your ears tuned to his perception?

Do not think we cannot Hear.  Christ’s promise offers wisdom to discern.

Or do his people also render blasphemous prattle?  Is that the reason why we embrace man’s definitions so readily?  Is that the reason why we are restrained from “becoming”?

By His Grace

“Keeping” our Brother


Have Christians coddled one another to the point of eternal death?  Have many gone to the grave destined to suffer eternal loss?  And has the reason been, that no one confronted them in regard to the seriousness of rebellion?

let every man do what he knows the Gospel demands.  If our brother displays a weakness that is inherent from his former life, then let us encourage him towards strength.  Let us fill his mind with the promises of God for those who are faithful.  Let us continually remind him of those who have gone before us through great sufferings.  Let us strive to point out how trivial our sufferings of this day are, compared to that which is to come.  By all means let us encourage such a one.

But let us make a distinction between weakness and rebellion!  Is Christ in us not wise enough to make the distinction?

Coddle weakness in the hopes of overcoming.  But confront rebellion for what it is!  Even our unwillingness to distinguish between the two, is rebellion in itself.  For God has promised us the gift of wisdom, given freely and without judgement.

We do well to point out rebellion as an abomination before the Living God.  We do well to encourage such ones with Holy Terror.  Let us bring a simlatude of the Judgement Day before their eyes.  Let us help them perceive their destiny as eternal death. 

We will most assuredly regret our fear of confrontation.  Gather together the boldness of Christ that lays dormant within you.  Strike out with confidence, and Christ will bless your way.

Jude said these things best.  22 “Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

But I must also add this.  Do these things with the utmost of godly care.  If the beam in your eye remains, you will not weild the wisdom of God with reliability.  But if you are submissive to the will of God in Christ.  If you have endured the purification offered by the Holy Spirit.  If your own life begins to depict the righteousness of Christ.  You have an obligation to apply these things. 

The putrid reply of Cain is unacceptable.  Yes we are our brothers keeper!  Yes we will be held accountable the death of many.  If you are not willing, then prepare yourself for the rebuke of God.

Amen.  Even so, come Lord Jesus.

By His Grace