Mark 1:1-8
"1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way;
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.’”
4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.
7 And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals.
8 I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Saturday, March 7, 2015
It's Only A Shell
I recently saw a post in which someone was lamenting the fact that a cross marking the roadside place of death, had been destroyed by vandals. Personally I am not for the ritual of placing a cross at the road side. I presume it might be a warning to others to be more careful on the highway, however I fear that sometimes it is more of a remembrance of the person who died there.
Upon reflection I feel it is a little macabre, to commemorate where someone died, it seems more appropriate to honor his life not his death, unless they are a believer, then we can celebrate their home going.
1 Corinthians 15:55 ""O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 "
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words."
The world is full of meaningless rituals that produce nothing outside of good feelings temporarily. Often the Lord allows us to go through the dark valleys that we might search for Him. He is the only means by which we can derive comfort in times of deep sorrow. Playacting with ritual only scratches the surface with superficial strokes, that do not last and cannot be a catalyst to growth, perhaps even preventing it because the focus is feelings rather than depth of character.
Speaking to the grave as though the person is in it, is another worthless activity concocted by psychology to help a person to feel better. Sometimes we try to take away the sting of life for people, when all we do is pretend to make things better, when time, prayer and faith is needed to carry on.
Our culture tends to look for quick fixes and superficial frosting, only delaying the inevitable wound, that must happen for someone to begin to seek Christ.
We like to gloss over the pain, so we don't have to deal with others, instead of getting down there with them, that their pain would be borne by others.
Who was it that said; "a trial that is shared is half a trial, and a trial alone is twice the trial."?
Believers are meant to share one another's burdens.
Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."
When we substitute speaking to a dead person for weeping with a live person, we become more solitary and less open to the body of Christ.
Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."
People in the grave cannot hear us, nor can those who have gone to heaven, they are gone and only their lifeless shell remains in that grave. Pretending that they are there does not make it so, denying truth has no healing power.
Doing things God's way has power, letting go, realizing that dead person is no longer with us, helps us rely more on Christ and less on the memory of someone who will no longer walk with us.
The answer: Walk so closely with Christ that when someone passes there is no longer a need to pretend they are with us. Christ is always with us when we are born again. When all others have left us, He is still with us, we must depend on Him alone.
Upon reflection I feel it is a little macabre, to commemorate where someone died, it seems more appropriate to honor his life not his death, unless they are a believer, then we can celebrate their home going.
1 Corinthians 15:55 ""O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 "
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words."
The world is full of meaningless rituals that produce nothing outside of good feelings temporarily. Often the Lord allows us to go through the dark valleys that we might search for Him. He is the only means by which we can derive comfort in times of deep sorrow. Playacting with ritual only scratches the surface with superficial strokes, that do not last and cannot be a catalyst to growth, perhaps even preventing it because the focus is feelings rather than depth of character.
Speaking to the grave as though the person is in it, is another worthless activity concocted by psychology to help a person to feel better. Sometimes we try to take away the sting of life for people, when all we do is pretend to make things better, when time, prayer and faith is needed to carry on.
Our culture tends to look for quick fixes and superficial frosting, only delaying the inevitable wound, that must happen for someone to begin to seek Christ.
We like to gloss over the pain, so we don't have to deal with others, instead of getting down there with them, that their pain would be borne by others.
Who was it that said; "a trial that is shared is half a trial, and a trial alone is twice the trial."?
Believers are meant to share one another's burdens.
Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."
When we substitute speaking to a dead person for weeping with a live person, we become more solitary and less open to the body of Christ.
Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."
People in the grave cannot hear us, nor can those who have gone to heaven, they are gone and only their lifeless shell remains in that grave. Pretending that they are there does not make it so, denying truth has no healing power.
Doing things God's way has power, letting go, realizing that dead person is no longer with us, helps us rely more on Christ and less on the memory of someone who will no longer walk with us.
The answer: Walk so closely with Christ that when someone passes there is no longer a need to pretend they are with us. Christ is always with us when we are born again. When all others have left us, He is still with us, we must depend on Him alone.
Repentance for Salvation by Fred Banner
There has been much discussion lately on repentance. Many teachers like Ray Comfort and others teach that a person must repent from their sins to be saved. Iactually heard him say "stop sinning and trust Christ". This is false.
We're the sinner which includes each of us able to stop sinning or repent from specific sins then that world mean we are co-redemptive with Christ. Romans 5:8 says "while we were yet sinners. Also, if we could repent from sins for salvation then we really wouldn't need Jesus. Would we?
Let me show you a few verses that speak of the repentance required for salvation;
"And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15 KJB)". What does this verse say we are to repent from. Disbelief. Repentance is believing that Christ paid your sin debt. (1 COR 15:1-4).. It's not believing the facts about Christ but believing in your heart that He paid your sin debt in full and placing your faith in Him alone.
Here is another;
"But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. (Acts 26:20 KJB)". Again no mention of sins for salvation. Repent and turn to God. Believe in your heart He paid your sin debt. Notice that salvation should produce a life that avoids sin or good works.
At the moment of salvation the believer is justified ( made sinless) and sanctified (made Holy). Both of these are a work of God. "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11 KJB)".
Ray Comfort is but one that teaches the false doctrine of sin repentance for salvation or lordship salvation.
We're the sinner which includes each of us able to stop sinning or repent from specific sins then that world mean we are co-redemptive with Christ. Romans 5:8 says "while we were yet sinners. Also, if we could repent from sins for salvation then we really wouldn't need Jesus. Would we?
Let me show you a few verses that speak of the repentance required for salvation;
"And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15 KJB)". What does this verse say we are to repent from. Disbelief. Repentance is believing that Christ paid your sin debt. (1 COR 15:1-4).. It's not believing the facts about Christ but believing in your heart that He paid your sin debt in full and placing your faith in Him alone.
Here is another;
"But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. (Acts 26:20 KJB)". Again no mention of sins for salvation. Repent and turn to God. Believe in your heart He paid your sin debt. Notice that salvation should produce a life that avoids sin or good works.
At the moment of salvation the believer is justified ( made sinless) and sanctified (made Holy). Both of these are a work of God. "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11 KJB)".
Ray Comfort is but one that teaches the false doctrine of sin repentance for salvation or lordship salvation.
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