Seems so clear, it’s amazing how many reject this to rely on themselves to come to God. The gift of Grace; the gift of Faith. Even John confirms Jesus said much the same thing... John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him… Continue reading Saving Faith is a Gift From God by His Grace
Author: Ron Francis
Back from Vacation
Wow it's been a month. Today I revive my postings on reading 66. I listened again to Max read Luke 22. I am struck, with the emphasis on the Passover, and admit in the past I've often been hung up on figuring the exact day in the feast timetable the various account in the Gospels… Continue reading Back from Vacation
What Defiles a Person?
So very well said Mike.
“ In our day we see this sort of thing being used to justify church leaders making their churches appealing to the ‘world’ by secularizing their music and focusing on entertainment of goats rather than the feeding and shepherding of sheep. They void the word of God by this ‘new tradition’ of becoming seeker-sensitive rather than biblical and obedient to God’s Word and the genuine Gospel.”
Btw. This extends not only to the traditions, but the actual commandments. There is an excellent sermon on this by the pastor of a very small reformed church my friends attend. He does not use “catchy” culturally relevant references, teaches exclusively from the Bible and might only be faulted for being a bit long. Readers can find it here…. The Place of Our Good Works, part of his Heidelberg Catechism series…it’s a good listen.
http://trinityurcwc.org/?wpfc_sermon=purpose-of-the-sacraments
by Mike Ratliff
14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. Mark 7:14-15 (NASB)
One very interesting character in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress is a fellow named ‘Ignorance.’ ‘Christian’ and ‘Hopeful’ encounter him after they depart the company of the ‘Shepherds’ as they continue their journey to the Celestial City. The path on which they traveled became crooked and it lay next to a country called ‘Conceit.’ ‘Ignorance’ came from there. Bunyan described him as ‘a very brisk lad.’ After ‘Christian’ learned that ‘Ignorance’ claimed to be on the same journey as he and ‘Hopeful’ he also deduced that this fellow had not begun it at…
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The Keys to Biblical Evangelism
Lot’s of good wisdom in this post.
I love the description.His Law is the instructor that divides the presuppositions in the heart. It cuts through self-righteousness.
So easy to fall into the trap of just doing Good works, the Heidelberg Catechism speaks to that.
Lord’s Day 33
91 Q. A.
What are good works?
Only those which
are done out of true faith,1 conform to God’s law,2
and are done for God’s glory;3
and not those based on our own opinion or human tradition.4
1 John 15:5; Heb. 11:6
2 Lev. 18:4; 1 Sam. 15:22; Eph. 2:10
3 1 Cor. 10:31
4 Deut. 12:32; Isa. 29:13; Ezek. 20:18-19; Matt. 15:7-9BTW specifically on evangelism my fall back passage it:
Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
by Mike Ratliff
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Or you will also be like him.
5 Answer a fool as his folly deserves,
That he not be wise in his own eyes. Proverbs 26:4-5 (NASB)
Evangelism that is biblical is not numbers or results based as if it is a process we can control through methodology. The seeker-sensitive form of evangelism, on the other hand, is totally numbers or results based, and, therefore, uses methodologies to boost perceived effectiveness by increased numbers of “decisions for Christ.” The seeker-sensitive form of evangelism assumes that God is helpless to save anyone outside of their efforts. It ignores passages such as John 3:5-8 and Ephesians 2:1-10.
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Rainbow Trout 