Proverbs 6:-16-19
"These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
Proverbs 7:1-4
"My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your nearest kin."
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
How Many Works and How Big?
If our Lord said that "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 then how can we expect to know whether or not we are doing a deed that pleases the Lord? We can't even know our own hearts. We lie to God in our prayers when we say we love Him and then proceed to disobey what He told us to do in His Word. We don't even seek His Word for direction from Him.
Our Lord also said, Isaiah 64:6-7: But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind." Mankind can not clean itself up to satisfy the Holiness of God. He is the only Holy One who can remove filth or despirate wickedness.
No where in Scripture do we have a description of the size of the works that count for salvation. Nor does He tell us in His Word how many of the right kinds of works would need to be done to gain heaven.
What a cruel god so many people have, that thier god would expect us to earn our way to heaven, but not explain how many of those works will be enough to balance the scales in our behalf. The Muslims believe that their good works are placed on a scale, if the scale tips just enough in the direction of the good works, then they are able to gain heaven. 51% good works and 49% bad works is enough to save them. What kind of a god would allow 49% evil in his presence. Our God can not tollerate any evil at all in His presence, He is perfectly Holy. We must be perfect to come into His presence. But according to Scripture we can not be perfect. We are despirately wicked as Jeremiah 17 says.
What is the answer? Simply that we have no good works in us at all. That is the reason Jesus Christ had to come and shed His precious blood for us. He was the perfect sacraficial lamb of God that could satisfy the Father's demand for perfect holiness. It is Christ's sacrafice that counts on our behalf. He sits at the right hand of the Father today and pleads on our behalf. The work is begun by Christ and it was finished by Christ. He said while He was on the cross before He died, "It is finished." John 19:30
It is blasphemous to think that we can add to anything that our Lord did when He declared that it was finished. All the work was done by Him then and all the work of righteousness in us is also done by Him now. The day we realize this, is the day we truely begin to trust Him for each day, each work and our future with Him.
I can not imagine that Christ would go through all that suffering and humilations, the perfect God, and it not be enough, ludicrous. Our pride wants us to think that we can do something, anything to earn it. It is our pride that will not humble ourselves and trust what God did. We like to be in control, to say that we are nothing and have nothing to offer, leaves us humble, we don't like that.
What happends after we realize these truths? 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their traspasses to them, and has comitted to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
When we are made a new creation, He changes us and we no longer desire the things we used to do that grieved Him. We begin to love His ways and His Word. He begins to work obedience in our hearts. Then He gives us works to do. There are many good works out there but we must seek Him for the ones He wants us to do. Any works we do in the flesh just to feel good about ourselves will not count, only those that the Lord told us to do, that we did in obedience to Him.
Our hearts like to think that we are special, that we are capable of great things, that we are good, oh so good. We have been raised on self esteem, that we should love our selves and be sure we count for something. This is the reason we have such a hard time accepting that we are nothing and that God is everything. We don't like to beleive that we were helpless and someone else had to save us, so we attempt to add our own works to that of Christ's, this is blaspehmey.
Once we are saved the Lord gives us these instructions from James 2:14-26. Because we have faith and have been saved we will have good works. In verse 22 we are told: "Do you see that faith was working together with his (Abraham's) works, and by works faith was made perfect? The works prove that we had faith.
Galatians 2:16 says, "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by fiath in the Son of God, who love me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 5:25 says: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
When we realize that God is the One that does all the work in us after we are saved, we then have no reason to boast about our good deed, He gets all the glory.
It takes faith to believe that God can do all His good works in us. His good works His way. What a weight is lift from us when we trust Him and then obey.
Blessings to you!!!!
Gwendolyn
Our Lord also said, Isaiah 64:6-7: But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind." Mankind can not clean itself up to satisfy the Holiness of God. He is the only Holy One who can remove filth or despirate wickedness.
No where in Scripture do we have a description of the size of the works that count for salvation. Nor does He tell us in His Word how many of the right kinds of works would need to be done to gain heaven.
What a cruel god so many people have, that thier god would expect us to earn our way to heaven, but not explain how many of those works will be enough to balance the scales in our behalf. The Muslims believe that their good works are placed on a scale, if the scale tips just enough in the direction of the good works, then they are able to gain heaven. 51% good works and 49% bad works is enough to save them. What kind of a god would allow 49% evil in his presence. Our God can not tollerate any evil at all in His presence, He is perfectly Holy. We must be perfect to come into His presence. But according to Scripture we can not be perfect. We are despirately wicked as Jeremiah 17 says.
What is the answer? Simply that we have no good works in us at all. That is the reason Jesus Christ had to come and shed His precious blood for us. He was the perfect sacraficial lamb of God that could satisfy the Father's demand for perfect holiness. It is Christ's sacrafice that counts on our behalf. He sits at the right hand of the Father today and pleads on our behalf. The work is begun by Christ and it was finished by Christ. He said while He was on the cross before He died, "It is finished." John 19:30
It is blasphemous to think that we can add to anything that our Lord did when He declared that it was finished. All the work was done by Him then and all the work of righteousness in us is also done by Him now. The day we realize this, is the day we truely begin to trust Him for each day, each work and our future with Him.
I can not imagine that Christ would go through all that suffering and humilations, the perfect God, and it not be enough, ludicrous. Our pride wants us to think that we can do something, anything to earn it. It is our pride that will not humble ourselves and trust what God did. We like to be in control, to say that we are nothing and have nothing to offer, leaves us humble, we don't like that.
What happends after we realize these truths? 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their traspasses to them, and has comitted to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
When we are made a new creation, He changes us and we no longer desire the things we used to do that grieved Him. We begin to love His ways and His Word. He begins to work obedience in our hearts. Then He gives us works to do. There are many good works out there but we must seek Him for the ones He wants us to do. Any works we do in the flesh just to feel good about ourselves will not count, only those that the Lord told us to do, that we did in obedience to Him.
Our hearts like to think that we are special, that we are capable of great things, that we are good, oh so good. We have been raised on self esteem, that we should love our selves and be sure we count for something. This is the reason we have such a hard time accepting that we are nothing and that God is everything. We don't like to beleive that we were helpless and someone else had to save us, so we attempt to add our own works to that of Christ's, this is blaspehmey.
Once we are saved the Lord gives us these instructions from James 2:14-26. Because we have faith and have been saved we will have good works. In verse 22 we are told: "Do you see that faith was working together with his (Abraham's) works, and by works faith was made perfect? The works prove that we had faith.
Galatians 2:16 says, "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by fiath in the Son of God, who love me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 5:25 says: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
When we realize that God is the One that does all the work in us after we are saved, we then have no reason to boast about our good deed, He gets all the glory.
It takes faith to believe that God can do all His good works in us. His good works His way. What a weight is lift from us when we trust Him and then obey.
Blessings to you!!!!
Gwendolyn
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
God's Kind of Love
Romans 12:3-8
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. So we, being many are one body in Christ, and individually member of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith: or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:15-16
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord: rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer: distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your minds on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion."
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. So we, being many are one body in Christ, and individually member of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith: or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:15-16
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord: rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer: distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your minds on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion."
Monday, March 15, 2010
Compassionate Love
I have been pondering the ideas of compassion and empathy. The Bible is very clear that we are to be compassionate toward others and especially those in the household of God. We are to have a burden for souls, desiring to win them to the Lord. A concern that I have had is the misunderstanding that we have about love. Is it loving to rescue a person from their consequences that will teach them to avoid the damaging situation again. When someone has spent the rent money on cigarettes, candy, chips, movies and gambling, should we pay their rent for them? Perhaps it is better to allow them to go through the difficulties they will face when they do not take care of their responsibilites. Too often we mistake selfish emotionalism with compassion. The compassionate thing to do when someone is messing up, is to guide them to the solution and let them make the steps of correction themselves. If I love my neighbor I will do what is best for him, not what makes me feel good. Of course I am not talking about those who have done the right thing and have just fallen on difficult circumstance not of their own making. I believe in being generous with those individuals. There is much said in the Proverbs about this subject. May we show compassion to everyone, according to their need and in accordance with the Word of God.
Blessings,
Gwendolyn
Blessings,
Gwendolyn
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Internet Missionaries
Very recently I have been introduced to Facebook. I had little desire in the beginning to pursue this phenomena. In fact, I went so far as to delete it several times, thinking that it was mostly silliness that was occurring on it's pages. Then one day I became curious, asking myself the question, "is there anything of depth for believers on this new form of communication." So I typed in the words "Christian facebook" into the address line and was pleasantly surprised to find that there is much going on in this arena.
I found a site that had over 2 million facebook visitors. There were strong believers and new believers. There was superficiality, but I found that if we brought up subjects of depth, there were those who desired good strong discussion in the deeper things of the Word of God. AND, we could become friends with those who wanted to continue a Christian relationship in the Word, we could do that one on one with individual personal sites.
The wonderful thing that I discovered was that facebook could become a witnessing tool. There were those on the site that were not believers, that we could share the Gospel with.
The question was asked by a couple of older more seasoned believers, "I wonder how many of these over 2 million Christians are really saved." That was my question too. It became evident that many were not, and do not understand the Gospel message in truth, they have been raised on a superficial gospel of good works and positive statements. That gave me an excitement for this medium as being God's way of getting the Gospel out to those who have searched out this site and desire something they are missing, but don't know what it is.
I had the privilege of dialogue with a practicing Muslim, an atheist, a liberal Christian and a professed Nazi. I was able to give God's Word and other believers would join in and support what I said. I would also do that same for them. Oh!!! how wonderful it is to tell the truth and have others agree and add to what we have said. This is what a true family looks like. Each personality allowed to be who they are without recrimination only love and concern for another persons salvation and well being.
We can now be missionaries right from our own homes as we speak the Word to the unsaved through the internet. We can also use these sites to encourage the lonely believers who are finding it difficult to engage in spiritual conversation in their own homes or towns. The most exciting discussions are with those who take seriously the scripture that says "iron sharpens iron." Most believers who discuss the Word these days fight to win their point of view, not to discuss for the purpose of coming to a common agreement, based on the Word of God. We need to lay aside our arrogance, stop fighting to win and begin listening and responding in humility, using the Word of God as our benchmark for our beliefs. We may actually learn something we didn't know and encourage someone else into a closer walk with our Savior.
Blessings,
Gwendolyn
I found a site that had over 2 million facebook visitors. There were strong believers and new believers. There was superficiality, but I found that if we brought up subjects of depth, there were those who desired good strong discussion in the deeper things of the Word of God. AND, we could become friends with those who wanted to continue a Christian relationship in the Word, we could do that one on one with individual personal sites.
The wonderful thing that I discovered was that facebook could become a witnessing tool. There were those on the site that were not believers, that we could share the Gospel with.
The question was asked by a couple of older more seasoned believers, "I wonder how many of these over 2 million Christians are really saved." That was my question too. It became evident that many were not, and do not understand the Gospel message in truth, they have been raised on a superficial gospel of good works and positive statements. That gave me an excitement for this medium as being God's way of getting the Gospel out to those who have searched out this site and desire something they are missing, but don't know what it is.
I had the privilege of dialogue with a practicing Muslim, an atheist, a liberal Christian and a professed Nazi. I was able to give God's Word and other believers would join in and support what I said. I would also do that same for them. Oh!!! how wonderful it is to tell the truth and have others agree and add to what we have said. This is what a true family looks like. Each personality allowed to be who they are without recrimination only love and concern for another persons salvation and well being.
We can now be missionaries right from our own homes as we speak the Word to the unsaved through the internet. We can also use these sites to encourage the lonely believers who are finding it difficult to engage in spiritual conversation in their own homes or towns. The most exciting discussions are with those who take seriously the scripture that says "iron sharpens iron." Most believers who discuss the Word these days fight to win their point of view, not to discuss for the purpose of coming to a common agreement, based on the Word of God. We need to lay aside our arrogance, stop fighting to win and begin listening and responding in humility, using the Word of God as our benchmark for our beliefs. We may actually learn something we didn't know and encourage someone else into a closer walk with our Savior.
Blessings,
Gwendolyn
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Can You Read This?
Yesterday I received this e-mail from our granddaughter. This is very interesting!!!
Is it possible that those who can read this, are people who see the entire big picture in life matters and have a little more discernment in the bigger picture? Whereas those who can not read it have greater discernment in the details for fine tuning a matter? There was a saying I learned as a young person that went like this: "we can't see the forest for the trees." In other words we are so focused on the details that we miss the bigger picture. According to this e-mail, 55 out of 100 people can read this and the other 45 can not. The Lord made all of us the way He did that we may help one another according to our strengths and weaknesses. Some will see the details to be able to fine tune a matter. While those who see the bigger picture will contribute wisdom about the ramifications down the road, of a matter. In engineering there is need for those who are architects who design a plant or building with all it's rooms, landscapes and functionality. Then the engineers come along and design all the intricacies of piping, machinery setting, specialties in safety. Everyone has a job to do, no one can do another persons job, and each person must respect and encourage those who contribute their portion of the work with their special expertise. When a job is finished well, it is because all people involved have cooperated and respected one another's talents. Everyone contributes to the quality of a job right down to the janitor who cleans things up to keep an area clear for the workmen who build. Each job is necessary and valuable. I marvel at the way we are made and the abilities God has given each of us. It seems that we can more fully enjoy our gifts and talents when we realize that they all have value and purpose, no one is without a job to do. And, everyone can do his job well..as unto the Lord. These principles hold true in spiritual things too. We must respect the spiritual gifts of others and enjoy learning from them as they can learn from us. "All things work together for good, to those who love the Lord."
Read and enjoy. By the way, I didn't spell check this, it would have been an exercise in futility.
Eonverye taht can raed tihs rsaie yuor hnad.
To my 'selected' strange-minded friends:
If you can read the following paragraph, forward it on to your friends and the person that sent it to you with 'yes' in the subject line.
Only great minds can read this
This is weird, but interesting!
fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it
FORWARD ONLY IF YOU CAN READ IT
Forward it & put 'YES' in the Subject Line
Is it possible that those who can read this, are people who see the entire big picture in life matters and have a little more discernment in the bigger picture? Whereas those who can not read it have greater discernment in the details for fine tuning a matter? There was a saying I learned as a young person that went like this: "we can't see the forest for the trees." In other words we are so focused on the details that we miss the bigger picture. According to this e-mail, 55 out of 100 people can read this and the other 45 can not. The Lord made all of us the way He did that we may help one another according to our strengths and weaknesses. Some will see the details to be able to fine tune a matter. While those who see the bigger picture will contribute wisdom about the ramifications down the road, of a matter. In engineering there is need for those who are architects who design a plant or building with all it's rooms, landscapes and functionality. Then the engineers come along and design all the intricacies of piping, machinery setting, specialties in safety. Everyone has a job to do, no one can do another persons job, and each person must respect and encourage those who contribute their portion of the work with their special expertise. When a job is finished well, it is because all people involved have cooperated and respected one another's talents. Everyone contributes to the quality of a job right down to the janitor who cleans things up to keep an area clear for the workmen who build. Each job is necessary and valuable. I marvel at the way we are made and the abilities God has given each of us. It seems that we can more fully enjoy our gifts and talents when we realize that they all have value and purpose, no one is without a job to do. And, everyone can do his job well..as unto the Lord. These principles hold true in spiritual things too. We must respect the spiritual gifts of others and enjoy learning from them as they can learn from us. "All things work together for good, to those who love the Lord."
Read and enjoy. By the way, I didn't spell check this, it would have been an exercise in futility.
Eonverye taht can raed tihs rsaie yuor hnad.
To my 'selected' strange-minded friends:
If you can read the following paragraph, forward it on to your friends and the person that sent it to you with 'yes' in the subject line.
Only great minds can read this
This is weird, but interesting!
fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it
FORWARD ONLY IF YOU CAN READ IT
Forward it & put 'YES' in the Subject Line
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Workers All Over The World
I have been watching the facebooks of people who are strong believers. They are all over the world. The United States has indulged for so long in superficial Chritianity, that we forget there is a deeper commitment and walk among believers in other parts of the world. While we are seeking pleasure and enjoyment, taking advantage of our prosperity, there are those in God's family who are laboring and suffering to bring the Gospel to the oppressed peoples. We are afraid to cross the street and clearly tell a neighbor his need for a Savior, but we will go to his party and talk about our boats, our trips, our prosperity, proving to him that we are just like him. Why on earth would he need whatever we have, he already has it. I have read of people in Malasia, Turkey, Indonesia and India, who spend all their time in the work of the Lord. They don't worry about winning a friend by a soft squishy Gospel. They preach and teach clearly and straightforwardly, the bad news...we are lost sinners on our way to hell...and then the good news....Christ paid our debt, if we trust Him we will be with Him forever. Let's pray for those who labor in oppressive countries, where their lives are in danger much of the time because of the Gospel. Then let's pray for our own churches here in America to develop a depth of Christianity that goes beyond superficial rules and enjoyments. The time is short, He will be here soon and the work is not yet finished.
Blessings,
Gwendolyn
Blessings,
Gwendolyn
The Sheep of His Pasture
"Then Jesus said to them again. "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But he who is a hireling and not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."....."And, I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."
Thursday, March 4, 2010
How to Preach Worldly Sermons and Get No Results
by Charles Finney
New York, September 7, 1871
"The design of this article is to propound several rules by a steady conformity to any one of which a man may preach so as not to convert anybody. It is generally conceded at the present day that the Holy Spirit converts souls to Christ by means of truth adapted to that end. It follows that a selfish preacher will not skilfully adapt means to convert souls to Christ, for this is not his end.
1. Let your supreme motive be to secure your own popularity, then, of course, your preaching will be adapted to that end, and not to convert souls to Christ.
2. Aim at pleasing, rather than at converting your hearers.
3. Aim at securing for yourself the reputation of a beautiful writer.
4. Let your sermons be written with a high degree of literary finish.
5. Let them be short, occupying in the reading not to exceed from twenty to thirty minutes.
6. Let your style be flowery, ornate, and quite above the comprehension of the common people.
7. Be sparing of thought, lest your sermon contain truth enough to convert a soul.
8. See that you say nothing that will appear to any of your hearers to mean him or her, unless it be something flattering.
9. Make no distinct points, and take no disturbing issues with the consciences of your hearers, lest they remember these issues, and become alarmed about their souls.
10. Avoid a logical division and subdivision of your subject, lest you should too thoroughly instruct your people.
11. Give your sermon the form and substance of a flowing, beautifully written, but never-to-be-remembered essay, so that your hearers will say “it was a beautiful sermon,” but can give no further account of it.
12. Avoid preaching doctrines that are offensive to the carnal mind, lest they should say of you, as they did of Christ, “This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?” and that you are injuring your influence.
13. Denounce sin in the abstract, but make no allusion to the sins of your present audience.
14. Keep the spirituality of God’s holy law, by which is the knowledge of sin, out of sight, lest the sinner should see his lost condition and flee from the wrath to come.
15. Preach the gospel as a remedy, but conceal or ignore the fatal disease of the sinner.
16. Preach salvation by grace, but ignore the condemned and lost condition of the sinner, lest he should understand what you mean by grace, and feel his need of it.
17. Preach Christ as an infinitely amiable and good-natured being; but ignore those scathing rebukes of sinners and hypocrites which so often made his hearers tremble.
18. Avoid especially preaching to those who are present. Preach about sinners, and not to them. Say they, and not you, lest any one should make a personal and saving application of your subject.
19. Aim to make your hearers pleased with themselves and pleased with you, and be careful not to wound the feelings of any one.
20. Preach no searching sermons, lest you convict and convert the worldly members of your church.
21. Avoid awakening uncomfortable memories by reminding your hearers of their past sins.
22. Do not make the impression that God commands your hearers now and here to obey the truth.
23. Do not make the impression that you expect your hearers to commit themselves upon the spot and give their hearts to God.
24. Leave the impression that they are expected to go away in their sins, and to consider the matter at their convenience.
25. Dwell much upon their inability to obey, and leave the impression that they must wait for God to change their natures.
26. Make no appeals to the fears of sinners, but leave the impression that they have no reason to fear.
27. Say so little of hell that your people will infer that you do not believe in its existence.
28. Make the impression that, if God is as good as you are, He will send no one to hell.
29. Preach the love of God, but ignore the holiness of His love, that will by no means clear the impenitent sinner.
30. Often present God in His parental love and relations, but ignore His governmental and legal relations to His subjects, lest the sinner should find himself condemned already and the wrath of God abiding on him.
31. Preach God as all mercy, lest a fuller representation of His character should alarm the consciences of your hearers.
32. Try to convert sinners to Christ without producing any uncomfortable convictions of sin.
33. Flatter the rich, so as to repel the poor, and you will convert none of either class.
34. Make no disagreeable allusions to the doctrines of self-denial, cross-bearing, and crucifixion to the world, lest you should convict and convert some of your church members.
35. Admit, either expressly or impliedly, that all men have some moral goodness in them, lest sinners should understand that they need a radical change of heart, from sin to holiness.
36. Avoid pressing the doctrine of total moral depravity, lest you should offend, or even convict and convert, the moralist.
37. Do not rebuke the worldly tendencies of the church, lest you should hurt their feelings and finally convert some of them.
38. Should any express anxiety about their souls, do not probe them by any uncomfortable allusion to their sin and ill-desert, but encourage them to join the church at once, and exhort them to assume their perfect safety within the fold.
39. Preach the love of Christ not as enlightened benevolence that is holy, just, and sin-hating, but as a sentiment, an involuntary and undiscriminating fondness.
40. Be sure not to represent religion as a state of loving self-sacrifice for God and souls, but rather as a free and easy state of self-indulgence. By thus doing you will prevent sound conversions to Christ, and convert your hearers to yourself.
41. So select your themes and so present them as to attract and flatter the wealthy, aristocratic, self-indulgent extravagant, pleasure-seeking classes, and you will not convert any of them to the cross-bearing religion of Christ.
42. Be time-serving, or you will endanger your salary and, besides, if you speak out and are faithful, you may convert somebody.
43. Do not preach with a divine unction, lest your preaching make a saving impression.
44. To avoid this, do not maintain a close walk with God, but rely upon your learning and study.
45. Lest you should pray too much, engage in light reading and worldly amusements.
46. That your people may not think you in earnest to save their souls, and, as a consequence, heed your preaching, encourage church-fairs, lotteries, and other gambling and worldly expedients to raise money for church purposes.
47. If you do not approve of such things, make no public mention of your disapprobation, lest your church should give them up, and turn their attention to saving souls and be saved themselves.
48. Do not rebuke extravagance in dress, lest you should uncomfortably impress your vain and worldly church members.
49. Lest you should be troubled with revival scenes and labors, encourage parties, picnics, excursions, and worldly amusements, so as to divert attention from the serious work of saving souls.
50. Ridicule solemn earnestness in pulling sinners out of the fire and recommend, by precept and example, it jovial, fun-loving religion, and sinners will have little respect for your serious preaching.
51. Cultivate a fastidious taste in your people, by avoiding all disagreeable allusions to the last judgment and final retribution.
52. Treat such uncomfortable doctrines as obsolete and out of place in these days of Christian refinement.
53. Do not commit yourself to much-needed reforms, lest you should compromise your popularity and injure your influence. Or you may make some branch of outward reform a hobby, and dwell so much upon it as to divert attention from the great work of converting souls to Christ.
54. So exhibit religion as to encourage the selfish pursuit of it. Make the impression upon sinners that their own safety and happiness is the supreme motive for being religious.
55. Do not lay much stress upon the efficacy and necessity of prayer, lest the Holy Spirit should be poured out upon you and the congregation, and sinners should be converted.
56. Make little or no impression upon your hearers, so that you can repeat your old sermons often without its being noticed.
57. If your text suggest any alarming thought, pass lightly over it, and by no means dwell upon and enforce it.
58. Avoid all illustrations, repetitions, and emphatic sentences that may compel your people to remember what you say.
59. Avoid all heat and earnestness in your delivery, lest you make the impression that you really believe what you say.
60. Address the imagination and not the conscience, of your hearers.
61. Make it your great aim to be personally popular with all classes of your hearers.
62. Be tame and timid in presenting the claims of God, as would become you in presenting your own claims,
63. Be careful not to testify from your own personal experience of the power of the gospel, lest you should produce the conviction upon your hearers that you have something which they need.
64. Encourage church socials and attend them yourself, because they tend so strongly to levity as to compromise Christian dignity and sobriety, and thus paralyze the power of your preaching.
65. Encourage the cultivation of the social in so many ways as to divert the attention of yourself and your church members from the infinite guilt and danger of the unconverted among you.
66. In those socials, talk a little about religion, but avoid any serious appeal to the heart and conscience of those who attend, lest you should discourage their attendance, always remembering that they do not go to socials to be earnestly dealt with in regard to their relations to God. In this way you will effectually so employ yourself and church members as that your preaching will not convert anybody.
The experience of ministers who have steadily adhered to any of the above rules will attest the soul-destroying efficacy of such a course, and churches whose ministers have steadily conformed to any of these rules can testify that such preaching does not convert souls to Christ."
This discourse was taken from churchofgog.net
The article was written in 1871, everything in it has increased a thousand fold in this 21st century. Where will we go from here?
Gwendolyn
New York, September 7, 1871
"The design of this article is to propound several rules by a steady conformity to any one of which a man may preach so as not to convert anybody. It is generally conceded at the present day that the Holy Spirit converts souls to Christ by means of truth adapted to that end. It follows that a selfish preacher will not skilfully adapt means to convert souls to Christ, for this is not his end.
1. Let your supreme motive be to secure your own popularity, then, of course, your preaching will be adapted to that end, and not to convert souls to Christ.
2. Aim at pleasing, rather than at converting your hearers.
3. Aim at securing for yourself the reputation of a beautiful writer.
4. Let your sermons be written with a high degree of literary finish.
5. Let them be short, occupying in the reading not to exceed from twenty to thirty minutes.
6. Let your style be flowery, ornate, and quite above the comprehension of the common people.
7. Be sparing of thought, lest your sermon contain truth enough to convert a soul.
8. See that you say nothing that will appear to any of your hearers to mean him or her, unless it be something flattering.
9. Make no distinct points, and take no disturbing issues with the consciences of your hearers, lest they remember these issues, and become alarmed about their souls.
10. Avoid a logical division and subdivision of your subject, lest you should too thoroughly instruct your people.
11. Give your sermon the form and substance of a flowing, beautifully written, but never-to-be-remembered essay, so that your hearers will say “it was a beautiful sermon,” but can give no further account of it.
12. Avoid preaching doctrines that are offensive to the carnal mind, lest they should say of you, as they did of Christ, “This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?” and that you are injuring your influence.
13. Denounce sin in the abstract, but make no allusion to the sins of your present audience.
14. Keep the spirituality of God’s holy law, by which is the knowledge of sin, out of sight, lest the sinner should see his lost condition and flee from the wrath to come.
15. Preach the gospel as a remedy, but conceal or ignore the fatal disease of the sinner.
16. Preach salvation by grace, but ignore the condemned and lost condition of the sinner, lest he should understand what you mean by grace, and feel his need of it.
17. Preach Christ as an infinitely amiable and good-natured being; but ignore those scathing rebukes of sinners and hypocrites which so often made his hearers tremble.
18. Avoid especially preaching to those who are present. Preach about sinners, and not to them. Say they, and not you, lest any one should make a personal and saving application of your subject.
19. Aim to make your hearers pleased with themselves and pleased with you, and be careful not to wound the feelings of any one.
20. Preach no searching sermons, lest you convict and convert the worldly members of your church.
21. Avoid awakening uncomfortable memories by reminding your hearers of their past sins.
22. Do not make the impression that God commands your hearers now and here to obey the truth.
23. Do not make the impression that you expect your hearers to commit themselves upon the spot and give their hearts to God.
24. Leave the impression that they are expected to go away in their sins, and to consider the matter at their convenience.
25. Dwell much upon their inability to obey, and leave the impression that they must wait for God to change their natures.
26. Make no appeals to the fears of sinners, but leave the impression that they have no reason to fear.
27. Say so little of hell that your people will infer that you do not believe in its existence.
28. Make the impression that, if God is as good as you are, He will send no one to hell.
29. Preach the love of God, but ignore the holiness of His love, that will by no means clear the impenitent sinner.
30. Often present God in His parental love and relations, but ignore His governmental and legal relations to His subjects, lest the sinner should find himself condemned already and the wrath of God abiding on him.
31. Preach God as all mercy, lest a fuller representation of His character should alarm the consciences of your hearers.
32. Try to convert sinners to Christ without producing any uncomfortable convictions of sin.
33. Flatter the rich, so as to repel the poor, and you will convert none of either class.
34. Make no disagreeable allusions to the doctrines of self-denial, cross-bearing, and crucifixion to the world, lest you should convict and convert some of your church members.
35. Admit, either expressly or impliedly, that all men have some moral goodness in them, lest sinners should understand that they need a radical change of heart, from sin to holiness.
36. Avoid pressing the doctrine of total moral depravity, lest you should offend, or even convict and convert, the moralist.
37. Do not rebuke the worldly tendencies of the church, lest you should hurt their feelings and finally convert some of them.
38. Should any express anxiety about their souls, do not probe them by any uncomfortable allusion to their sin and ill-desert, but encourage them to join the church at once, and exhort them to assume their perfect safety within the fold.
39. Preach the love of Christ not as enlightened benevolence that is holy, just, and sin-hating, but as a sentiment, an involuntary and undiscriminating fondness.
40. Be sure not to represent religion as a state of loving self-sacrifice for God and souls, but rather as a free and easy state of self-indulgence. By thus doing you will prevent sound conversions to Christ, and convert your hearers to yourself.
41. So select your themes and so present them as to attract and flatter the wealthy, aristocratic, self-indulgent extravagant, pleasure-seeking classes, and you will not convert any of them to the cross-bearing religion of Christ.
42. Be time-serving, or you will endanger your salary and, besides, if you speak out and are faithful, you may convert somebody.
43. Do not preach with a divine unction, lest your preaching make a saving impression.
44. To avoid this, do not maintain a close walk with God, but rely upon your learning and study.
45. Lest you should pray too much, engage in light reading and worldly amusements.
46. That your people may not think you in earnest to save their souls, and, as a consequence, heed your preaching, encourage church-fairs, lotteries, and other gambling and worldly expedients to raise money for church purposes.
47. If you do not approve of such things, make no public mention of your disapprobation, lest your church should give them up, and turn their attention to saving souls and be saved themselves.
48. Do not rebuke extravagance in dress, lest you should uncomfortably impress your vain and worldly church members.
49. Lest you should be troubled with revival scenes and labors, encourage parties, picnics, excursions, and worldly amusements, so as to divert attention from the serious work of saving souls.
50. Ridicule solemn earnestness in pulling sinners out of the fire and recommend, by precept and example, it jovial, fun-loving religion, and sinners will have little respect for your serious preaching.
51. Cultivate a fastidious taste in your people, by avoiding all disagreeable allusions to the last judgment and final retribution.
52. Treat such uncomfortable doctrines as obsolete and out of place in these days of Christian refinement.
53. Do not commit yourself to much-needed reforms, lest you should compromise your popularity and injure your influence. Or you may make some branch of outward reform a hobby, and dwell so much upon it as to divert attention from the great work of converting souls to Christ.
54. So exhibit religion as to encourage the selfish pursuit of it. Make the impression upon sinners that their own safety and happiness is the supreme motive for being religious.
55. Do not lay much stress upon the efficacy and necessity of prayer, lest the Holy Spirit should be poured out upon you and the congregation, and sinners should be converted.
56. Make little or no impression upon your hearers, so that you can repeat your old sermons often without its being noticed.
57. If your text suggest any alarming thought, pass lightly over it, and by no means dwell upon and enforce it.
58. Avoid all illustrations, repetitions, and emphatic sentences that may compel your people to remember what you say.
59. Avoid all heat and earnestness in your delivery, lest you make the impression that you really believe what you say.
60. Address the imagination and not the conscience, of your hearers.
61. Make it your great aim to be personally popular with all classes of your hearers.
62. Be tame and timid in presenting the claims of God, as would become you in presenting your own claims,
63. Be careful not to testify from your own personal experience of the power of the gospel, lest you should produce the conviction upon your hearers that you have something which they need.
64. Encourage church socials and attend them yourself, because they tend so strongly to levity as to compromise Christian dignity and sobriety, and thus paralyze the power of your preaching.
65. Encourage the cultivation of the social in so many ways as to divert the attention of yourself and your church members from the infinite guilt and danger of the unconverted among you.
66. In those socials, talk a little about religion, but avoid any serious appeal to the heart and conscience of those who attend, lest you should discourage their attendance, always remembering that they do not go to socials to be earnestly dealt with in regard to their relations to God. In this way you will effectually so employ yourself and church members as that your preaching will not convert anybody.
The experience of ministers who have steadily adhered to any of the above rules will attest the soul-destroying efficacy of such a course, and churches whose ministers have steadily conformed to any of these rules can testify that such preaching does not convert souls to Christ."
This discourse was taken from churchofgog.net
The article was written in 1871, everything in it has increased a thousand fold in this 21st century. Where will we go from here?
Gwendolyn
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Two Wolves
This is a story that I have heard repeated several times in my life. The thought is a good one, it can be related to a scriptural standard. It is interesting that so many of the stories of the seculars are taken from scriptural principles and changed a little to accommodate the writers bent. Here is the story as it was written in the daily news one day.
"One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said: "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil - it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good - it is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
We all have one or the other that we tend to feed the most. We all want to strive to feed the good one. Hopefully, all The Daily News readers are challenged by this old Cherokee's explanation and strive to make our communities better by trying to live by this example."
Ernie Gerald
Longview"
The story of the two wolves can be likened to the struggle that goes on in a Christian's heart. We have two natures, the old man that is dying, our flesh, and the new spiritual man that is living, controlled by the Holy Spirit. If we feed our egos and our desires we will become selfish and arrogant. If we feed on God's Word, trusting in the Holy Spirit to change us, we will be more and more Christlike in direct proportions to our seeking God. Without God's food, The Bible, we will starve spiritually and become less and less like Christ and more and more like the world. If we feed ravenously on the Word of God, we will become more and more like Christ.
"One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said: "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil - it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good - it is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
We all have one or the other that we tend to feed the most. We all want to strive to feed the good one. Hopefully, all The Daily News readers are challenged by this old Cherokee's explanation and strive to make our communities better by trying to live by this example."
Ernie Gerald
Longview"
The story of the two wolves can be likened to the struggle that goes on in a Christian's heart. We have two natures, the old man that is dying, our flesh, and the new spiritual man that is living, controlled by the Holy Spirit. If we feed our egos and our desires we will become selfish and arrogant. If we feed on God's Word, trusting in the Holy Spirit to change us, we will be more and more Christlike in direct proportions to our seeking God. Without God's food, The Bible, we will starve spiritually and become less and less like Christ and more and more like the world. If we feed ravenously on the Word of God, we will become more and more like Christ.
As Paul once said, "more of Him and less of me." Each day we need to ask the questions, "Did I live for myself today, or did I live for Christ." "Did I carry out my duties in deference to others, or did I do what I wanted for my own pleasure or aggrandisement." These are hard questions to be honest about, but necessary for growth. Thank the Lord that He can make us Christlike, if we want Him to do so, He will do it.
We must remember that the story of the wolves as it was told in the paper is not Biblically acurate. We can not do our own changing. If we try, it will not last because it will be in the flesh and not a true change and will foster pride in our own accomplishment. When the Lord changes us, it is permanent producing humility and true Christlike love, AND, will last for eternity.Blessings to all today!
Gwendolyn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)