Grace Baptist Church (1882) - steeple (Photo credit: origamidon)
Believe. Such a simple command.
Yet see how many build on the sand.
“Upon the Solid Rock I stand.”
His voice, a whisper, so true and dear.
Reminding me that He is near.
The Way. The Way! It is so clear.
But eyes transfixed on wickedness,
Will miss His Grace; that Blessedness.
Believe. So lovely to confess.
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Father in Heaven, Glory to You! Beautiful is Your Holy Law. And wonderful is Your Way. All You are is marvelous to behold. You uphold those who love you. And You provoke us to love you by the Love You have shown in that You loved us before we loved You.
You have protected Your servant with a powerful and gentle hand. When I was at the mercy of the blood drenched animals, You came to me to support me. For this I give you all the praise my tiny soul can muster. I thank you!
I have spoken to You about this. And I said, “Oh Lord, if you will promise to provoke me to speak I will continue to speak for You till You open eternity upon me.” Your reply was, “You have My promise.” For these things I worship You with a full heart. Honor is Yours. Integrity was born by Your Holy name.
I place this message here so that You might receive the Glory due Your name:
I ask You, Living God of Israel, to open the door of ministry in this place. Fling open the window of blessing that You, in Your Wisdom, have kept shut. I see the Love You offer. I see it with eyes anew. I see the strength You abundantly give. And I know that I can trust Your protection forever. By the magnificent name of Your Son Jesus, I present myself as a willing servant. Teach me what to say. Teach me what to do. Teach me what humility is. And I will embrace you with a great love forever.
All I ask, Lord, is that You save souls by Your work in this servant. May Your Beautiful will be done forever! Billions will praise You, for You are worthy of all praise forever!
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They whisper to me, “silent, be still. Do not speak of the Lord, so much, in public.” And in days past I tried to remain silent. Time would pass and I would speak again. Some would attack my words. And in unpreparedness, I drew back. But now I speak with a fluent desire. I will be with Him forever. What is it to me that I should be ridiculed for such a short time. He, the Lord Jesus, received far worse from His own people and had no sin in Him. Who am I to think I should not encounter opposition and isolation because of His word? He speaks for me to the Father, why should I keep my lips closed for Him?
And I think of another man who spoke for the Holy name of the Lord, Jeremiah. What do we hear him speak regarding this plight even now?
Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Report him! Let’s report him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.” But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten. (Jeremiah 20: 8-11)
Therefore, I will speak. For I know I am not alone! I will not allow Jeremiah to stand alone. Though he is now at peace, we will all stand together as one on the day of God’s judgment and release for those who love Him. And what shall be said of the tens of thousands of men, women and children who stood their ground in the face of certain death for the sake of the Gospel?
No, I say. As long as the Lord gives me breath I will speak of His Lovely Way. And what shall I say to those who watch with desire. In their hearts they say, “Oh please don’t stop speaking the word of the Lord.”
By His Grace.
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There is a people who live in a land of darkness. The darkness is so dense that even the glimmer of a candle is swallowed up within inches. They grope about doing things they consider to be “good works”. And they gather black coal gems for each good work they perform. They drill holes in those coals and place them on black thread. Then they adorn their necks with the “glories” they have gathered.
They say to one another, “Look at my beautiful gems. Aren’t they gorgeous!” The other looks with blind eyes through that impenetrable darkness and replys, “Oh they’re lovely! How blessed you are to own such wonderous good works!”
There is a King who reigns in splendor. His majesty fills the courts with a brilliant light. From His glorious bounty He gives “works eternal”. He dresses His people in prayers, deeds, and praises which they are blessed to return to Him. He gives Light Everlasting to those who worship Him. And the promise is sure, that they will live with Him forever in His land of Pure and Brilliant Light!
The masses in darkness laugh at such tales of hope. But they are the ones who praise each other for things they cannot see, let alone keep.
AMEN!!!!!
The “Jesus freaks” of the 70’s have gone. Other “movements” for the Lord have come and gone. There are some who continue to proclaim the Gospel with a rather loud voice. And I am not speaking of pastors, evangelists, or TV preachers. There are some who simply can’t keep their lips closed. And these are blessed to continue. They are not enduring a fad. They are completely consumed with the message of God.
Now the question is, is their state of affairs a direct gift from God? Or is it a purposeful and singular dedication to what is right, good, and eternal? In the end, does it matter? Isn’t it true that, in the end, all that matters is that the Gospel was preached to every corner of the world?
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They eat from a rotten table, covered with fine gold. The plates are made of pressed garbage, yet covered with shining porcelain. Every meal is fit for a king. And with great joy they eat their fill with laughter and love for each one at the table. They invite others to join them. And each one is praised for the work they have done during the day. “We are wonderful!” This is the constant melody spoken, whispered, sung, and written. “Great are the people of the world! For we have set ourselves to do what is good. We are to receive praise, for we do not allow intolerance, hatred, or bigotry. We recognize that each one of us dabbles in pleasures of differing kind. And we support this within our brothers and sisters. We will teach the children that freedom to do as you please is above every law. All we ask of each other is that we tolerate the others around us with a great and praise worthy patience.”
Eat, celebrate, find every pleasure pleasurable to your heart. Your day of pride will not last much longer. Then you will find the One who made you greeting you face to face. Then you will find out that He has set a day to judge your indulgent nature. You did not think it right to seek out His ways. And you considered the life in this body to be the end of all things. You will be surprised to note that you were expected to seek His ways. You will realize that this place was prepared for Jesus. And you will come to understand that this was a place where men’s hearts were to be tested. Failing the test, you will cry great tears. Some of you will be horribly angry, yet unable to vent your wrath.
Awake! Consider what is written here. This is just one man of God speaking what is true. Perhaps you hate my words. What will you think when they come from the lips of the Most High God, and are spoken directly to YOU. What then, my fellow men? What then?
We: Live, Die, Face Judgment. Jesus or die twice.
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