Teach Your Children at Home!

“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 1:13    Let me exhort you, as much as lies in you, to give your children sound instruction in the great doctrines of the gospel of Christ. I believe that what Irving once said is a great truth. He said, “In these modern times you boast and glory, and you think yourselves to be in a high and noble condition, because you have your Sabbath-schools and British-schools, and all kinds of schools for teaching youth. I tell you,” he said, “that philanthropic and great as these are, they are the ensigns of your disgrace; they show that your land is not a land where parents teach children at home. They show you there is a want of parental instruction; and though they be blessed things, these Sabbath-schools, they are indications of something wrong, for if we all taught our children there would be no need of strangers to say to our children ‘Know the Lord.’” I trust you will never give up that excellent puritanical habit of catechising your children at home. Any father or mother who entirely gives up a child to the teaching of another has made a mistake. There is no teacher who wishes to absolve a parent from what he ought to do himself. He is an assistant, but he was never intended to be a substitute. Teach your children; bring out your old catechisms again, for they are, after all, blessed means of instruction, and the next generation shall outstrip those that have gone before it; for the reason why many of you are weak in the faith is this, you did not receive instruction in your youth in the great things of the gospel of Christ. If you had, you would have been so grounded, and settled, and firm in the faith, that nothing could by any means have moved you. Suggested Further Reading: Deuteronomy 6:4-7, 20-25 For meditation: Faithful teaching from his mother and grandmother had prepared Timothy for his further education from the apostle Paul (Acts 16:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:5, 3:14-15). Sermon no. 79,  11 May (1856) by C.H. Spurgeon

Treat It like your Cell Phone?

   Just some food for thought.The more you read the Bible; and the more you meditate on it, the more you will be astonished with it. 

   I found this the other day and thought it was so true to today's Christian. Think of all the things we would solve if we did this?

 "If you find a professing Christian indifferent to his Bible, you may be sure that the very dust upon its cover will rise up in judgment against him. I venture to say that the bulk of Christians spend more time in reading the newspaper than they do reading the Word of God." ~ C.H. Spurgeon

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Good Friday - What is it?

   Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday, and is traditionally celebrated as the day Jesus died on the cross. Although we don’t know for sure that Friday was the day Jesus was crucified (there are many arguments that it may also have been a Thursday or even a Wednesday), this day was chosen as a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice for us.

   Protestants across denominations usually observe the day with solemn services consisting of hymns, Scripture readings, prayer, and retelling of Christ’s death on the cross. Some families choose to have a quiet service of remembrance at home. God does not require us to celebrate Good Friday, but it can be a spiritually enriching experience as we remember the pain Jesus went through both before and during His crucifixion. It can also be a preparation for the joy that comes when we celebrate Easter—the day of Jesus’ resurrection—on Sunday.

   If Good Friday is such a solemn occasion, then why do we refer to it as “good”? Although there was technically nothing good about the day Jesus suffered and died for us, the outcome certainly is! It was the day Jesus became the perfect, sacrificial Lamb who shed His blood for the remission of our sins (Romans 5:8; 6:23; 1 Peter 3:18). This was the greatest act of love known to man—God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place. And because of Jesus’ Sunday morning resurrection, those who place their trust in Him believe in a living Savior who will one day return to claim His own (John 14:1–3).

   Even if we choose not to celebrate on Good Friday, we should always have Jesus’ death and resurrection on our minds and hearts. We can commemorate this throughout the year with prayers of thanksgiving and by celebrating the Lord’s Supper, which Jesus commanded His followers to do in order to “proclaim [His] death until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

A brief visual reminder and great song of this day and its importance!

Merry Christmas, "The True Reason"

   I wanted to take a minute to wish each of you a "Merry Christmas" and share with you a few of my favorite treats of this Holiday! With all the hustle and bustle we sometimes forget the the real reason of Christmas. Here is my favorite song to as a reminder of the true reason,  "O Holy Night"!  God Bless you all!

Luke 2: ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

¹⁵ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Making the Nation Right, But NOT on Election Day?

  I have been watching and listening how people have been acting and conversing, leading up to the 2012 Presidential Election. It pains me to see how Christians can take up for, acted and talk about their party or candidate but they can't even defend their Savior Jesus Christ or His teachings! I am not gonna go into a rampage about this subject. I just want to post what God's Word says to do about turning a nation like the U.S. around and putting it back on track. This is truly the only way it will happen folks!

2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place" 

   We must also pray for our leaders and not destroy them with our mouth! Why? Because God's Word says that "He sets Kings and deposes them (Daniel 2:21)." Because “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes (Daniel 4:17).” So if we humble ourselves and do as Gods Word says. God says HE will heal our nation, not a politician!! Even though evil men abuse their political power, meaning it for evil, God means it for good, working “all things together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 2:28). Here is the promise but we must do our part first!

2 Chronicles 12:6 "So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “The Lord is righteous.”⁷ Now when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak" 

Here is a good article on "Got Questions", "How should a Christian view Politics?" 

  So if you are a Christian reading this, please do your part! Humble yourself, Pray, Seek God and turn from your wicked ways. He will hear from you and He will heal your lands!! God Bless each of you!


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"The Journey" by Robert Brunell

  My wife found this story years ago, and before I published it I wanted to explain a couple of things. When I first read the story, it really made me madder than a wet hen. Because I saw a lot of myself, at that, time in this story. I saw a lot of the people that I was around the same way and well I got mad, okay, lol! So I post this with caution in hope that you will read the whole thing and just take it all as a teaching of where we can slip as the body of Christ if we are not cautious and do as God tells us in 1 John 4:1-6 and "test everything". It is a lengthy read and must of you probably wont read it but for you that do, I promise you will be blessed! Or maybe mad like I was but God taught me a lot from this! This isn't an "Escape from our Savior Jesus Christ". God Bless you all!
Numbers 22:24 "Then the Angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side."

"Escape from Christendom"

"The Journey"  by Robert Burnell, 1980

In my dream I see the lone figure of a man following a road.

As the sun sets beneath the hills, a city comes into view. Nearing it, the traveler sees what appears to be a large group of churches. Spires and crosses pierce the skyline. His pace quickens. Is this his destination? He passes an imposing structure, a neon sign flashing “Cathedral of the Future.” Farther on a floodlit stadium supports a billboard boasting that fifty thousand people crowd into evangelistic meetings there three nights a week. Beyond this, modest “New Testament” chapels and Hebrew Christian synagogues cluster together on the street front.

“Is this the City of God?” I hear the traveler ask a woman at the information booth in the central square.

“No this is Christian City, “she replies.

“But I thought this road led to the City of God!” He exclaims with great disappointment.

“That’s what we all thought when we arrived,” she answers, her tone sympathetic.

“This road continues up the mountain, doesn’t it?” He asks.

“I wouldn’t know, really,” she answers blankly.

I watched the man turn away from her and trudge on up the mountain in the gathering darkness. Reaching the top, he starts out into the blackness; it looks as though there is nothing, absolutely nothing, beyond. With a shudder he retraces his steps into Christian City an takes a room at a hotel.

Strangely unrefreshed, at dawn he arises and follows the road up the mountain again; in the brightening light of the sun he discovers that what seemed like a void the night before is actually a desert–dry, hot, rolling sand as far as the eye can see. The road narrows to a path which rises over a dune and disappears. “Can this trail lead to the City of God?” He wonders aloud. It appears to be quite deserted and rarely traveled.

Indecision slowing his steps, he again returns to Christian City and has lunch in a Christian restaurant. Over the music of a gospel record, I hear him ask a man at the next table, “That path up the mountain, where the desert begins, does it lead to the City of God?”

“Don’t be a fool!” his neighbor replies quickly. “Everyone who has ever taken that path has been lost… Swallowed up by the desert! If you want God, there are plenty of good churches in this town. You should pick one and settle down.”

How will Jesus come the second time?

   How will Jesus one day return to earth when He comes back to the Mt. of Olives at His second coming? Lets turn to scripture and see. Acts 1: 9-11 answers this for us: "Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” It appears that when Jesus returns for His children, He will return on the clouds. This is for those that are saved (in Christ Jesus).
    There is another return of Christ, this time spoken of in Revelation 19:11-14. This time the Heavens will open up and Christ is seen setting on a White horse. This is event is different then the rapture, this time Christ is coming to set up His kingdom, that He has promised. There will be an army following Him made up of His church, OT believers and even angles. On this return Christ is bringing "judgment and war", the Holy wrath of God will be poured out on all of sinful mankind that did not except the salvation He offered through His son Jesus. He will destroy all sin and corruption that is left on the earth, so His perfect and eternal Kingdom can be set up.
     A song that I have listen to and sang in the past keeps coming back to me over the past few months. A song that has lots of truth in it, a "Christian" song. But God's word tells us that a little leave will spoil the whole batch (Gal. 5:9). The song is call "Make way for the King", by Lenny Leblanc, the song towards the end sings like this. "Make Way for the King, Cause He's Comin' on a white horse to carry me home." An example of why we need to do as James said and test everything or like the Bereans in Acts 17:11. Jesus isn't coming on a White Horse for His children, His redeemed. He is coming on a white horse because God patience will be gone with all the rebellious, sinful, corruption that mankind has become! Christ is coming on the white horse of Judgment and His followers will be right behind Him.

"Jesus will come bathed in radiant splendor, enveloped within an atmosphere of indescribable brilliance, surrounded by the ear-piercing praise of angels and saints. Scintillating light shining from His eyes. Irresistible power pouring from His hands. None will deny His beauty or escape its transforming energy." ~ Sam Storms


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"Understanding of God's Divine Providence"

  Understanding of God's Divine Providence helps us understand the teaching of "predestination,  justification, sanctification, glorification, perseverance of the saints, ect.)  In my study of this I found that gotquestions.org had a very good teaching and summary on this subject. So instead of me muttering on, I will use it and give them the credit, lol!

  So what is “divine providence?" Divine providence is the means by and through which God governs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. This includes the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human birth and destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8). This doctrine stands in direct opposition to the idea that the universe is governed by chance or fate.
   The purpose, or goal, of divine providence is to accomplish the will of God. To ensure that His purposes are fulfilled, God governs the affairs of men and works through the natural order of things. The laws of nature are nothing more than a depiction of God at work in the universe. The laws of nature have no inherent power, nor do they work independently. The laws of nature are the rules and principles that God set in place to govern how things work.
   The same goes for human choice. In a very real sense we are not free to choose or act apart from God’s will. Everything we do and everything we choose is in full accordance to God’s will—even our sinful choices (Genesis 50:20). The bottom line is that God controls our choices and actions (Genesis 45:5; Deuteronomy 8:18; Proverbs 21:1), yet He does so in such a way that does not violate our responsibility as free moral agents, nor does it negate the reality of our choice.
   The doctrine of divine providence can be succinctly summarized this way: “God in eternity past, in the counsel of His own will, ordained everything that will happen; yet in no sense is God the author of sin; nor is human responsibility removed.” The primary means by which God accomplishes His will is through secondary causes (e.g., laws of nature, human choice). In other words, God works indirectly through these secondary causes to accomplish His will.
  

"The Process of Reconciling"

Biblical conflict control!

by Clint Baker

   Romans 12:18 Says  "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men."  God told us right before this not to repay evil for evil. In vrs. 18 He says "if possible",  God wants us to do everything possible to live in peace, he also expects, even though we may not be the one at fault, to go be the one to try to make it right. But it will not always come because it also depends on the others persons attitudes and responses. But we as mature Christians need to be the ones to make the first move, God expects this. The Bible makes it clear that no church is exempt from conflict but this offers opportunities for personal and spiritual growth.

   To help us with this, Jesus gave us the example of the work of a peacemaker (Mat.18:15-20, 5:9).  In doing this, Jesus is the ultimate role model (Eph. 2:14-18). All Christians in conflict should use God's pattern for making peace to show unbelievers their shared faith and the love of Christ.  Each party involved, whether directly or indirectly has a role in the process of mending the conflict. Jesus tells us this in Mathew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God." Those who study the Bible refer to this as showing "common grace", an small example of the grace that God has given us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus!

   We should also as Christians be the first to try to reconcile a conflict between ourselves and nonbelievers in the same way. If they do not except apology, then we again have done all we can do. The one thing that we can do in both cases though is as God's Word says, Pray and be kind to your enemies, "for it is like pouring hot coals upon their necks." Because at this point it is between them and God, not you and them. (Matt.5:44, Proverbs 25:22)

   I will close by this quote, I believe by Richard Baxter, "Do all you can to be reconciled to others, but remember that you cannot force others to do what is right.  If you have done everything within your power to resolve a conflict, you have fulfilled your responsibility to God and may stop  trying to solve the problem (Rom. 12:18)… It is not necessary or wise to waste time, energy, and resources fretting about someone who stubbornly refuses to be reconciled."

December 2011
Clint Baker

"The mission of the Son of man"

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

Suggested Further Reading: Luke 15:1-7

It is strange what unusual places Christ finds some of his people in! I knew one of Christ’s sheep who was found out by his Master while committing robbery. I knew another who was found out by Christ, while he was spiting his old mother by reading the Sunday newspaper and making fun of her. Many have been found by Jesus Christ, even in the midst of sin and vanity. I knew a preacher of the gospel who was converted in a theatre. He was listening to a play, an old-fashioned piece, that ended with a sailor drinking a glass of gin before he was hung, and he said, “Here’s to the prosperity of the British nation, and the salvation of my immortal soul;” and down went the curtain; and down went my friend too, for he ran home with all his might. Those words, “The salvation of my immortal soul,” had struck him to the quick; and he sought the Lord Jesus in his chamber. Many a day he sought him, and at last he found him to his joy and confidence. But for the most part Christ finds his people in his own house; but he finds them often in the worst of tempers, in the most hardened conditions; and he softens their hearts, awakens their consciences, subdues their pride, and takes them to himself; but they would never come to him unless he came to them. Sheep go astray, but they do not come back again by themselves. Ask the shepherd whether his sheep come back, and he will tell you, “No, sir; they will wander, but they never return.” When you find a sheep that ever came back by himself, then you may hope to find a sinner that will come to Christ by himself. No; it must be sovereign grace that must seek the sinner and bring him home.

For meditation: We all like sheep have gone astray; we have all gone our own way (Isaiah 53:6); we have all ended up like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). The Lord Jesus Christ is the great shepherd (Hebrews 13:20), the good shepherd (John 10:11,14) and the giving shepherd who gave his life for his sheep (John 10:11) and who gives eternal life to his sheep (John 10:28). Have you been found by him and returned to him (1 Peter 2:25)?

Sermon no. 204365  from sermons preached by Charles  H. Spurgeon on 11 July (1858)

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Are You Behaving Like A Christian Should?

"We will be known by our fruit"

  I have been going through a struggle as of late in a few different areas of my life! Sometimes when we have to face our past and it can be very testing on the new corrector that God has given us. We start to drift from the way God would have us act and carry ourselves and move more into a fleshly state of mine. There is a fine line between standing for God and being revengeful. While I never become revengeful, I very well could have and God got my attention before I did! We never want to fall into the revengeful camp, that is the camp of the enemy. Many times when people hurt us our fist response is to get back at them. But there is always a Biblical way of handling things. Always look to Gods word and see what that might be for your  specific problem. Seems like we pray a lot to God but we don't pick up the one thing quick enough, that He has given us as His way of communicating back to us, our Bible! Through His Word God shows us how we are to handle ourselves as we should!

    {Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law"}

   After getting off the phone a while back with a really good friend of mine about one of these situation, I am going through, my wife asked me a question. She said , "What are you seeking to get out of this?" I gave her my answer and she recommended that I listen to this sermon by R.C. Sproul, so I did. As I listened to it, I kept saying, "that sounds like them", she said keep listening. Let me say, God has placed a great woman of His in my life because she was right. I could have slipped into what Sprouls was speaking on. He was doing an expository teaching on Romans 12:16-21, its the second part of a series but stands alone as something we all need to be reminded of. I hope each of you will take about 45 minutes and listen to this, it was an eye opener! "Behave Like A Christian", Part 2  May God bless you as He did me with this and to my wife thank you for your obedience!

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Glorification, God's Finished Wok!

God's finished work, Glorification.

   Glorification is God's final removal of sin from the life of those who have excepted the precious gift of eternal life. This comes in the eternal state (Romans 8:18, 2Corinthians 4:17). When looking at glorification, as Christians we should focus on Christ, for He is our blessed hope (Romans 5:2). Consider final glorification as reaching the highest point of sanctification. Until Christ returns we are burdened with sin, for our final glorification we have to wait on the return of our Savior Jesus Christ, (Titus 2:13, 1 Tim. 6:14, 1 Corn. 13:12). Each day that we wait on His return we should work hard by the Holy Spirit to put to death what is sinful and worldly in us (Romans 8:13). Only through prayer, the study of God's Word and direction of the Holy Spirit can we do this.

   When and how will this happen? 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 says " Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."  So at the last trumpet, when Jesus comes for the saved (saints) an instant transformation will take place, at this time our sinful, decaying bodies will put on a body that is perfect and without sin ( 2 Corn. 3:18). To be glorified is another way of saying the believer will be "conformed" to the character of Christ which is God’s ultimate purpose for the Christian. No longer will the Christian "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

   Jesus prayed in John 17, to sanctify us (make us holy) in the truth of His Word, This is necessary if we want to be with Jesus in eternal fellowship. Verse 24 says, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world." If the glorification of the saints follows the pattern revealed in Scripture, it must entail our sharing in the glory (the holiness) of God. We will be perfectly conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus and be like Him free from sin and its consequences (1 John 3:2, Phill. 3:20-21).

   Philippians 1:6. “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  So when the devil tries to make you question and doubt your being a "chosen vessel" of God's, just remember God is still working on you, working towards the final part of our salvation. God is in the process of perfecting us for that final day when Jesus returns for us,(His bride).

References: Mathew Henry Commentaries; The Holy Bible; Baker's Evangelical Dictionary

By: Clint Baker


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"My Prodigal Son and God's Love"

"One Day, I Pray"

  I would like to thank each of my blog family members who have and are going to keep my son Caleb lifted up in you prayers! We have had a long couple of years with him. He has kept me, my wife and other friends and family on our knees for a while! It isn't that he doesn't know better it's just that he is"The Prodigal Son" at this stage of his life! We continue to trust God with Caleb's soul, that one day He will call him to repentance, humble him and save his soul. It has been a long and stressful process as we continue to love Caleb as Jesus loves us. Daily we try to show Caleb, Christ's love through us but it can be rough at time, lol! We ask you to continue to pray for his salvation, and pray for grace to handle him for the rest of us.

"Living the Christian life is often described in the Bible with words and phrases such as:  “warfare,” “fight,” “run the race,” “yield not,” “work out,” and “press on.” The Christian life is a disciplined life of constant vigilance, of taking up the cross daily. There are no short-cuts. The spiritual conflict will continue till we step on the other side of glory."  John Napier

  Hopefully I can get back to blogging in some type of normal fashion, lol! If there is some sort of normalcy around here, lol! We had to take a week or so off to collect ourselves and get in God's Word and in prayer with Him. I do hope you all understand! One thing that I have come to understand more than anything during this time of trial is that God loves His children more than we love our own and if you have children, sit back and think about that! God Bless you all!

Gods Love:

"He spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how shall He not with him freely give us all things" (Romans 8:32)? How is it imaginable that God should withhold, after this, spirituals or temporals, from His people? How shall He not call them effectually, justify them freely, sanctify them thoroughly, and glorify them eternally? How shall He not clothe them, feed them, protect and deliver them? Surely if He would not spare this own Son one stroke, one tear, one groan, one sigh, one circumstance of misery, it can never be imagined that ever He should, after this, deny or withhold from His people, for whose sakes all this was suffered, any mercies, any comforts, any privilege, spiritual or temporal, which is good for them."  John Flavel

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Are You A Secret Follower of Jesus?

  I have heard people say that they just didn't feel as though they should talk to people about the gospel of Jesus Christ! Or they felt like just living a right life in front of people was enough. Yes, living a right life in front of others is awesome, but at the end of 2 of the Gospels (Matthew and Luke) we are all given not only a commission but a command (that is if you are a born again christian)! A command to proclaim the gospel or speak the Gospel, but don't take my word for it, look in the Bible for yourself. 
   So this gets me to the titled question: "Are you a secret follower of Jesus?" Are you afraid to tell people that their Debt of Sin has been paid by your Savior Jesus Christ? Do you just go to church on Sundays to stay in good graces with Jesus or your Pastor and just try to not cuss or lie, try not to drink, try to just do the best you can and not break any of the Ten Commandments, the rest of the week? If your answer is yes, then you may want to read these next few scriptures.

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.¹⁴  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Mark 8:38 "For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Psalm 34:5 "Those who look to him are radiant,  and their faces shall never be ashamed."

Romans 1:16 " For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

1 Peter 4:16 "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."

  So if we are to be the salt of the earth and shine the light of Jesus. If we are not to be ashamed of Jesus and share His gospel message with others. If we are supposed to glorify God with the name of Christian! Then how then  can we be a secret disciple of Jesus? How can we go to church on Sunday and not talk about Him as the week goes on? Well, I will let scripture answer these questions!

Matthew 15:18 "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person."

  In simple terms, "What is truly in a persons heart comes out of a persons mouth" or "whatever you are truly into or interested in you will talk about". I didn't say this scripture has! God bless you! 


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"CHURCH IN THE WEEDS"

I was sent this in an e-mail the other day and had to share with you all!

"CHURCH IN THE WEEDS"

From Google Image

Just two little boys walking down this dusty lane...
They came upon this old white house...
With broken window panes
The paint was faded, the shine was gone...
The grass had grown so high...
Still they made their little feet,
Go see what was inside.
They opened up the squeaky door and then it came to light...
This must have been an old church house... Once upon a time.
Dirty, dusty wooden pews...
A pulpit that still stood....
A Bible lay upon it... Though the pages weren't too good..
An offering plate and song books too... Were lying on the floor.
They must have left this old church fast... The day they closed these
doors.
And over in the corner... A piano was still there, It must have played a
pretty tune... But I guess nobody really cared.

So little Bill looked up at Tommy... And Tommy looked at Bill...
Why don't we clean this old church up, and get these old pews filled?'
They took a rag and wiped the dust... To try and make things shine...
And then they took the offering plate... And put in it their last dime.
They took a broom and swept the floor...
And picked up broken glass...
They got it all so nice and neat...
And then they mowed the grass.
They lifted up the old church sign... And stood it by a tree....
Right down by that old dirt road where every one could see.

They ran back home, to find Daddy gone but their Momma was inside..
Just to find her hurt again... Where Daddy had made her cry.
'Don't cry Momma, wipe those tears,' Little Bill and Tommy smiled...
'Cause we have a big surprise for you... Just down the road a mile.'
Hand in hand they tugged at her, until they made her run....
'What is it Bill, Oh Tommy, just what have you two kids done?'
And then they came upon the house... Once hidden by the weeds...
And there it stood a country church... Just like it used to be.

'But what is it, Mother? What's with your tears?
We thought this would bring you joy.'
'Yes, but hush kids now and listen close...
My two sweet precious boys.'

They both got quiet and stood real still... For the words they heard so
true...
Was Daddy praying in the church... With his head bowed on the pew.
'Forgive me Lord! Forgive me Lord! Though I'm not worthy of Your love...
Shine down on this sinner man, sweet Salvation from above.'
'For I've been out in the world, you know... Living my life all wrong...
Until I came upon this church; the place where I belong.'
'I never noticed it before... All those times I passed it up...
I guess I wasn't looking, Lord.... Or maybe I was drunk..'
'Bless oh Lord, yes, bless oh Lord.... The one who made me see..
This little church that used to hide.... Behind all those tall weeds.'

And then he raised his head and stood... With his hands high in the
air...

Explaination of Election

  I have always been asked do I believe that God chose some for salvation and some not. Well, this short explanation is a very good Bible teaching that explains it. By know means am I trying to change your belief that you have. All I am doing is answering a question that has been asked by many, I would do it myself but he does it so well. Please take the short time needed to hear and understand what being "Chosen" or "Elected" really means with scripture. Remember Scripture always backs up scripture!

  Here is the Part 2 to "Sovereign election": Renewing your mind with Dr. R.C. Sprouls. Again, just listen and give it a good study for yourselves. Many have debated this for centuries but this makes the most since to me. And I would like to add, I didn't grow up believing this way but after truly studying the scriptures for myself and allowing the Holy Spirit to show me, I stated to really understand scripture!

Romans 9: ¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! ¹⁵ For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” ¹⁸ Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” ²⁰ But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

²² What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, ²⁴ even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 



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What Is A Christian?

"Defining the word Christian"

     Many people call themselves a Christian or say the believe in God. But what makes a true Christian, a true follower of Jesus? This may not seem like an important question but it is because if the definition is misunderstood it is the difference between eternity with Jesus or damnation in Hell.

   First lets see what a Christian is NOT! A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer, or walked down an aisle, or been raised in a Christian family, or a member of a church. It is not a person that goes to church every time the doors open, tithe's, does good works, been baptized, even walk and talk like a "Christian" (Titus 3:5). While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what “makes” a Christian. Each of of these things are fruit of being saved by God's grace, they are things that are done because we are a changed person and want to do them out of love for Jesus and not out of obligation! Just simply doing and saying these things doesn't make a person Christian. Unfortunately over time, the word “Christian” has lost a great deal of its significance and is often used of someone who is religious or has high moral values but who may or may not be a true follower of Jesus Christ.

   The word “Christian” is used three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). Followers of Jesus Christ were first called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts 11:26) because their behavior, activity, and speech were like Christ. The word “Christian” literally means, “belonging to the party of Christ” or a “follower of Christ.” A true Christian is one who understand the gospel message (1 Corin. 15:1), has repented of their sins, and trust that Jesus has fully payed their debt of sin, that is was nothing they did or deserve but a gracious gift from God.  From:"What is a Christian" Q&A

  John 1:12 tells us, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” So, a Christian is someone who has been born again by God (John 3:3; John 3:7; 1 Peter 1:23) and has put faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that it is “,by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

     So what defines a Christian? 

1) A Christian is a new creation(2 Corinthians 5:17). Becoming an entirely new creature as a result of being “in Christ.”

2) A Christian is redeemed (1 Peter 1:18-19). The word “redeemed” refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid.

3) A Christian has been justified (Romans 5:1). To “justify” means to “declare righteous.” All those who receive Jesus as Savior are “declared righteous” by God

4) A Christian has been promised eternal life (John 3:16). Eternal life is a promise of eternity (forever) in heaven with God. God promises, “Believe and you will have eternal life.”

5) A Christian has been guaranteed glorification. “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). Glorification refers to a Christian receiving a perfect resurrection body in heaven.

6) A Christian has been promised that we can not be separated from God's love (Romans 8:38-39), we can not be removed from His hand (John 10:28-29), And God is both willing and able to guarantee and maintain our salvation (Jude 24-25).

    A Christian lives by faith in that which we can't see and that in trusting that Jesus has already paid the price for our debt of sin. We are supposed to die to self daily (Gal. 2:20). Being crucified with Christ means that our old nature has been nailed to the cross and has been replaced by a new nature which is Christ’s (1 Corinthians 5:17). He who loved us and died for us now lives in us and the life we live is by faith in Him. It means sacrificing our own desires, ambitions, and glories and replacing them with those of Christ. We can only do this by His power through the faith that He gives us by His grace. Part of the Christian life is praying and trusting God's power of perseverance until the end.

I heard this quote one time but I don't have any idea who said it though.

 "Sitting in a church building makes one as much of a Christian as sitting in a garage makes one an automobile."

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References: Matthew Henry Commentaries, MacArthur Study Bible, Smith's Bible Dictionary

By:Clint Baker

"A Challenge From Neglection"

  I was blog reading this morning and I ran across a challenge that I felt the need to extend! But before I do let me explain a little about it. We all neglect things in life (myself included), look at our plants that we take such a long tedious time to plant the seed, water, keep enough light, warmth and breeze on them. Everyday we go out and check on them, taking much care and paying close attention to detail, BUT what if we start to neglect them? I would venture to say they would wither up and probably die! As their care givers though, as soon as we see something wrong with the little plants, we take great care to quickly hurry and troubleshoot what is happening with them. We grab our trusty "How To Fix It Book", computer, we ask a friend, we will take as much time and effort that it takes to nurse our dieing plant back to perfect health, so that it will grow up and produce a heavy crop for us to consume! You know I am right, I do it too! That's just an example of something we may neglect. It could be you neglect projects around the house, relationships,exercise,anything can fall in this category! Things get away from us!
  Well, whats this have to do with the challenge? Just like neglecting the plant as it grows, if we neglect our bodies they will get sickly, hurt and maybe even wither up! But that's still not the area of concern. The area of concern is our soul. Just like the plant we must feed, water and take much care of our soul. Paying close attention to detail. This is how the soul stays healthy and grows to produce fruit. (Keep in mind that it is only by God's grace that we can and would even want to do this! In my unsaved state, I didn't want nothing to do with anything of God's, I was His enemy!)

You might say, "Well Clint, I pray, go to church and follow the Lord". 
I would say, "If you only feed and paid attention to your plants once a week they would probably die".
You might say, "Well, I pray everyday".
I would ask, "Do you read you Bible everyday"?
You might say, "Not everyday or every once in a while".
I would say, "Prayer is two way communication between you and God and if all you are doing is praying (talking) to God and not reading His word (listening) to God, then its a one sided conversation!

http://www.bibledesignblog.com/

  So if you don't read God's Word everyday, we are not taking as good of care of your spiritual soul as we are those tender little plants. If you do read Gods Word Daily, great don't quit. If you need a Bible Click Here for a free one!
  The Challenge is this: pick up your "How To Fix It Book", "The Holy Bible" at least 5 minutes a day (we do spend an average of 4 hours a day watching T.V., isn't God More important?) and listen to what God has to tell you. The answers to your side of the conversation are in there, all the food and water, all the things you need to grow up as strong, healthy and fruitful as the plant that you your self have taken such a delighted care to raise. You have given the plant everything it needs and it trusted you enough to receive it. Well, God has done the same for you, He has given you everything you need, you just need to open it and read! http://www.biblegateway.com/

Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

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The Gospel of Jesus

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

  This is the Scriptural Gospel of Jesus Christ. Anything added to this for you to receive salvation is adding to His simple gospel. All that is necessary for forgiveness of your sins and eternal life is to understand, repent and trust this with all of your heart.This is the simplicity of it, in a nut shell!

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-19

 1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

"The portrait of Jesus in the gospels is altogether different from the picture contemporary evangelicals typically imagine. Rather than a would-be redeemer who merely stands outside anxiously awaiting an invitation to come into unregenerate lives, the Savior described in the New Testament is God in the flesh, invading the world of sinful men and challenging them to turn from their iniquity. Rather than waiting for an invitation, He issues His own – in the form of a command to repent and take on a yoke of submission."   John MacArthur

"Calming The Storm"

   I know that we need to pray often. But I am asking each of you that believe in the Almighty God to set forth just a few extra special minutes this evening to pray for a few different areas. First we all have loved ones that are sick physically and spiritually. Second, we need to pray for our Nation in general! Also with the horrible shooting that happened at the school in Ohio, we need to be lifting up all of those involved. We also need to be praying for all those that are being hit by tornado, massive snow and flash flood type rain. Please pray for their protection! There are many other needs I know and if you have one in particular that you would like for us to pray for and you feel safe to post it please feel free! All this In Jesus Name we pray!

Psalm 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.



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