When we remove words like sin, repentance, judgment, and Hell from our message, we are in danger of preaching "another Gospel." If it’s not the whole truth, it’s no longer the truth at all. It becomes illegitimate and produces illegitimate children, who call God their father, but still serve the devil. The great key to making sure that we are never guilty of this is to say with Paul, "In the sight of God we speak in Christ." In other words, the words we speak are never dictated by a fear of offending sinners on earth. Instead, they are dictated by the fear of offending a holy God in Heaven. Nothing compromises truth like seeking the approval of men. And nothing ensures the truth like seeking the approval of Almighty God. There goes another minute. Gone forever. Go share your faith while you still have time. ..
wayofthemasterminute.com
"Everything is a trifle to a man who is a Christian except the glorifying of Christ." ~ Charles Spurgeon
Music
Movies
See a very important clip from "Fireproof" on the top right side of my page!
Television
WRETCHED ~ Brian McLaren And The Dangers Of The Emergent Church
WRETCHED ~ Are We Believers Just Too Soft?
WRETCHED ~ Christians that use Porn?!
WRETCHED ~ An Inadequate Gospel (John MacArthur & Todd Friel)
Books
"God himself has condescended to teach the way: for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price give me the Book of God!"
THE MOST IMPORTANT AND PERSONAL THING I CAN SHARE WITH YOU
I spent many years of my life calling myself a Christian, fooling others, even fooling myself but never fooled God. Praise God for the wake up call that drastically changed everything!
This is my story ~
I grew up in a church where there is not even mention about salvation. I think they basically believe that if you believe in God that you are a Christian. However, the Bible says "even the demons believe and tremble" so clearly just believing in the existence of God does not make someone a Christian any more than it makes a demon one!
In elementary school a friend continually invited me to her church to their Wednesday night Awanas program. I got involved in that but all I honestly learned there were a bunch of rules they had. Gobs of "don't"s with no explanation. They told me the way to become a Christian was to parrot a prayer and then basically stop doing bad stuff. What they said gave me no understanding of the Gospel so I thought to myself when I'm coming up on my teenage years why would I want to miss out on all the fun?
Teenage years arrived and in Jr. High one of my best friends invited me to his church everything there was extremely emotional. I did feel guilty because of my sins so I prayed a "sinner's prayer" and thought I had become a Christian by doing what they told me would make me one "asking Jesus into my heart". (Although that's not how the Bible says one becomes a Christian). I had not heard the Gospel presented Biblically therefore I didn't truly understand the magnitude of it all. I didn't see that my sin was a serious offense to God because the only talk of "sin" or "judgment" was thrown in the mix ever so subtly almost so that no one would stop to think about something like that because well it's so unpleasant and somewhat offensive even.
I thought I was sorry and wanted forgiveness of my sins but since I didn't truly see my sin as God did, the sorrow that I felt for my sin was a metamelomai sorrow, a worldly sorrow, the type Judas (who betrayed Jesus) had before he hung himself. I didn't truly have metanoia, godly sorrow of true repentance followed by fruit of repentance.
So I spent YEARS of countless Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings crying up to the altar "rededicating" and "re-rededicating" and "re-re-rededicating" my life to Christ... you get the idea.
Why did I have no victory over sin? Why did I continue to dive back into sin, not fall but dive willingly in wanting to please my high school friends,ect.. far more than please God? Because I had not truly repented and turned from my sin and trusted in Jesus Christ.
Then a few years back I came across an amazingly Eye-Opening, Biblically sound teaching called Hell's Best Kept Secret. I'll share some of what I learned that completely transformed my understanding...
What do YOU think the Ten Commandments were given to us for? Think about that for a second before you read on.
If you would have asked me a few years back what the Ten Commandments were for I would have told you they are what we should try to live our lives by to please God. I COMPLETELY missed the point of God's purpose in giving us His Law, the 10 Commandments!
Romans 3:19-20 says:
"Now we know that whatever the law says it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
...so what does that say about the Law?
It says it silences every mouth, that the whole world be held accountable to God and that no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by keeping the Law but that RATHER THROUGH the LAW we become CONSCIENCE of SIN!
What else does the Word have to say about it?
Romans 7:7 says "what shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet."
...so the Law shows us what sin truly is.
Galatians 3:24 is Extremely Important to understanding the purpose of God's Law it says:
"So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith."
The Law is what God designed to be used TO LEAD US TO CHRIST! The Law illuminates our heart and reveals our guiltiness before Almighty God.
Let's take a look at just a few of the Commandments, the standard the Bible says is God's measuring rod by which He will judge...
Have you ever told a lie?
Have you ever stolen anything (The size of the item doesn't matter if you take one dollar from someone else's pocket that would make you as guilty of theft as if it were a hundred. Have you EVER taken anything from anyone that did not belong to you?)
Have you ever taken the Lord's name in vain? (Using the name of the One who gave you your life, your breath, all that is precious to you and used it as a filthy cuss word.)
God looks even further than our actions. He knows our hearts and is concerned about our thoughts and desires just as much as He is our deeds.
Jesus said you have heard it said of old you shall not commit adultery but I say to you whoever has looked at someone to lust after them as already committed adultery of the heart. That is a huge statement showing How pure God is and how sinful we truly are in His sight! Have you ever looked with lust?
Have you ever coveted? (Wanted something that someone else had.)
Looking at those five of the Ten Commandments how did you do?
I'll tell you after having looked at just half of God's Law I realized that He saw me as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, covetous, adulterer-at-heart and I knew I had to stand before a Holy and Just God on the day of Judgment and that I was indeed fully deserving of Hell! What a terrifying and awakening thought!!
Looking at the Law I saw my true predicament! I understood that I was guilty of sinning against God Himself and it was no light thing! Furthermore, because God has given each each a conscience (con meaning with and science meaning knowledge) I had sinned "with knowledge". The Bible says that God's Law is written upon our hearts and that our conscience bears witness so when we sin we are without excuse!
Here's the truth of the Gospel... God is so good, Just and Holy that He cannot tolerate sin. Just as a good human Judge could not allow a lawbreaker to go free without paying for his crime, neither can God! If you heard of a Judge that let a criminal who was obviously guilty of serious crimes go unpunished you would call that Judge corrupt and people would be outraged! How much more good is God ... How much more will He see that justice is served on the day of Judgment! He will punish all rapists, murderers and thieves ... But He won't stop there. He will also punish all liars, the lustful, adulterers, idolaters, and blasphemers, (Revelation 21:8).
The Bible says that the God of the Universe became a man (Jesus Christ), and suffered and died on the cross for your sins and mine so that we could be set free. It's as simple as this - we broke the Law, and Jesus paid our fine.
"God demonstrated His own love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us." (Galatians 3:13)
Through all of this I saw God's great love for me. I also saw my desperate need for forgiveness! I did what God commands of us in Acts 3:19 "Repent ... that your sins may be wiped out and times of refreshing may come from the Lord." and then I put my faith in Jesus Christ.
Putting my faith in Jesus Christ meant to personally trust in Jesus the same way you'd trust in a parachute if you had to jump 25,000 feet out of an airplane. You wouldn't just "believe" in the parachute; you would put it on! In the same way, the Bible says, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ..." and you will be saved. There are millions of people who "believe" Jesus exists ... but they have not put on the Savior - there's a BIG difference. And the difference will be obvious when you "jump" through the door of death.
Through Repenting, turning my back on and completely forsaking my sins and putting my faith and trust in Jesus Christ I have been born again, a new creation in Christ. He has given me a new heart with new desires. I now love the things I once hated and hate the things I once loved.
So, that is my conversion story. Many people may think I have been a Christian for many, many years. I was in the church calling myself one. Even believing that I was one. But until I truly understood the seriousness of my sins and was broken before the Lord coming before Him truly repenting ~ not just apologizing only feeling bad about my sins because they were bad things to do but apologizing and being done with them once and for all because they were direct offenses against the very One who gave me my life! Not until I saw my sin in the light of God's Law and truly repented and fully understood what it meant to put my trust in Him, not until then was I a Christian.
Fellowship of the unashamed
(An African Martyr's Last Words)
I am part of the "Fellowship of the unashamed." The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I won't give up, back up, let up or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear. "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ." (Romans 1:16).
Be part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. It is the only way to live this life. Remember this: To be a missionary you don't have to cross the sea, you just have to see the cross.
Hi! Yes, I slept like a rock last night. Thanks! I have bouts of crazy insomnia sometimes, and last Friday night was one of my worst. I've learned one thing though, there's not much good t.v. on at 3 a.m. :)
Hi Bren! I just saw the 'PICTURE' on my profile page here in MYSPACE sent on 3/24/09. That was/is SO CUTE! YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL, thank you :) You find the neatest stuff to send!! Love you,CHAS
So, let's see I have lost track of you my friend. It has been a rollercoaster of a ride since August. God is getting me through but I must admit there have been some difficult times and issues lately. Please just pray for me and my family. Pray God's will upon us. I hope you'll catch me up on your life soon. Miss you, Ashley
HELLO!!! Oh gosh, it's been too long since we've chatted! I have an email msg. to type you back to... hope all is well Bren. Thinking of your Mom and Dad too.
Thanks for the comment and for the prayers. :) He's been running a fever for the past three days and is just congested and super tired. I feel bad since I'm obviously the one who gave it to him. :(
I've been thinking of you A LOT and hoping and praying that you're doing well and hanging in there. Sending a big bear hug your way. Love you!
oh honey, i am SOOOO sorry to hear about your grandma. she was such a sweet and wonderful lady...i know you will miss her a lot. my heart is truly broken for you sweetie and i just wish i could be there for ya. we are definitely praying for your family. :..(
keep me posted on the visitation and funeral dates and such so i can pass it along to my grandma, i'm sure she will want to go.
LOVE YOU LOTS SWEETIE PIE!!! i'm sending LOTS of big hugs for you and your family! ♥
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