“The treacherous enemy facing the church of Jesus Christ today is the dictatorship of the routine, when the routine becomes “lord” in the life of the church. Programs are organized and the prevailing conditions are accepted as normal. Anyone can predict next Sunday’s service and what will happen. This seems to be the most deadly threat in the church today. When we come to the place where everything can be predicted and nobody expects anything unusual from God, we are in a rut. The routine dictates, and we can tell not only what will happen next Sunday, but what will occur next month and, if things do not improve, what will take place next year. Then we have reached the place where what has been determines what is, and what is determines what will be.”
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
treacherous enemy facing the church of Jesus Christ today is...
“The treacherous enemy facing the church of Jesus Christ today is the dictatorship of the routine, when the routine becomes “lord” in the life of the church. Programs are organized and the prevailing conditions are accepted as normal. Anyone can predict next Sunday’s service and what will happen. This seems to be the most deadly threat in the church today. When we come to the place where everything can be predicted and nobody expects anything unusual from God, we are in a rut. The routine dictates, and we can tell not only what will happen next Sunday, but what will occur next month and, if things do not improve, what will take place next year. Then we have reached the place where what has been determines what is, and what is determines what will be.”
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Must Be Well Thought of By Outsiders
1 Timothy3:7. An overseer must also (15) have a good reputation with outsiders (cf. Col. 4:5; 1 Thes. 4:12). Paul’s thought here seems to be that church leaders, as representatives of the congregation, are constantly susceptible to the snares of the devil (cf. 2 Tim. 2:26). Satan likes nothing better than to disgrace God’s work and God’s people by trapping church leaders in sin before a watching world. It is important therefore that overseers achieve and maintain a good reputation before unbelievers.
A. Duane Litfin, “1 Timothy,” ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 737.
Just a quick thought from my quiet time this morning
Most believers profess that the chief and if man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. However, when we try to practically work out our believe we tend to focus on improving ourselves in order that we may please God and make ourselves useful for God. This is completely backwards!
As a child of God I am already accepted in the beloved and there is no need for me to try to earn my acceptance. My acceptance has already come to the blood of Jesus Christ. When focusing on my own self improvement I will constantly be discouraged, disheartened, and disgusted as I look at myself. However, when looking at Christ the very opposite is true.
Believing that my life is to bring glory to God and that I should enjoy Him forever should drive me to my knees on a daily basis consistently seeking God's mind in everything. This does not mean that there will be no improvement in my life, but rather my focus is on what the Lord desires in my life and not what I think will please the Lord. There is a vast difference between pleasing God and thinking you are pleasing God.
Is the presence of God smiling upon your life today?
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
The habit of praying day by day that God would be pleased
“Let each one of us put the question to ourselves,—Are we in the habit of praying day by day that God would be pleased, by the power of His Spirit, to work, through the preaching of the gospel, that whenever and wherever His word is set forth He would work? Not only on Lord’s-day morning, just before we go out of our houses, is it right to do this, but day by day. On Monday we should begin with this, on Tuesday we should repeat the request, and again on Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday. Oh, what blessing would come to them, if believers thus acted day by day!”
http://ref.ly/o/jehvahmagnfd/
Friday, February 14, 2014
love One Another
http://ref.ly/o/jehvahmagnfd/34139 via the Logos Bible Android app.
New Phone Number
In order to make this as quick and painless as possible, I have decided to post my new cell phone number here on the blog, on Facebook, on Google Plus, and some you text message.
old cell phone:6304418921
new cell phone: 3075755797
Rebecca's number will remain the same and my old number will not be dead right away.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
We ought to be missed even by the world
“We should live in such a manner as that, if we were called hence, our dear brethren and sisters might feel our loss, and from their inmost souls exclaim, “Oh that such a one were in our midst again!” We ought to be missed even by the world. Worldly persons should be constrained to say of us, “If ever there was a Christian upon earth, that man was one.””
http://ref.ly/o/jehvahmagnfd/
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Quote from George Mueller
http://ref.ly/o/jehvahmagnfd/11934 via the Logos Bible Android app.
Finally found a milk bottle big enough
Today we found a milk bottle that's big enough for John. It's to bad we didn't think of this until now.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
As long as there is growth, there is an air of unpredictability....
“As long as there is growth, there is an air of unpredictability. Certainly we cannot predict exactly, but in many churches you just about can. Everybody knows just what will happen, and this has become our deadliest enemy. We blame the devil, the “last days” and anything else we can think of, but the greatest enemy is not outside of us. It is within—it is an attitude of accepting things as they are. We believe that what was must always determine what will be, and as a result we are not growing in expectation. The progressive stages”Monday, February 10, 2014
Where To Find Knowledge And Wisdom
“If you lack knowledge, go to school. If you lack wisdom, get on your knees! Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge.”
Vance Havner
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Christianity is not a book-religion, but a...
“In this sense we may say with Clarke, Christian Theology, 20—“Christianity is not a book-religion, but a life-religion. The Bible does not give us Christ, but Christ gives us the Bible.””
Are you learning or dying
Learners are willing to unlearn what they shouldn't have learned so they can learn what they should have learned in the first place.
Monday, February 3, 2014
As We Advance In Years, Let Us...
“As we advance in years, let us not decline in spiritual power; but let us see to it that an increase of spiritual vigour and energy be found in us, that our last days may be our best days.”
http://ref.ly/o/jehvahmagnfd/
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