Year: 2013

Biblical Descriptions of the Atonement

Published by

Sometimes we read the bible and it all seems like gibberish, nothing makes sense and nothing connects. But with a closer look, everything falls in place. When it comes to getting a message across, the Lord has done a great job making himself amply clear. Nothing is vague, hidden or obscure, if, through the eye of the Holy Spirit, we could just stay patient and dig a little deeper – That’s when all these gems, treasures begin to unfold. Type of Language Biblical Words Human Need The Result Language of OT sacrifices Blood, lamb, sacrifice We are guilty We are forgiven Language of personal relationships Reconciliation We are alienated from God We are brought back into intimate fellowship with God Language of righteous anger at wrongdoing Propitiation We are under God’s holy wrath God’s wrath is satisfied/quenched Language of the marketplace Redemption, ransom We are enslaved We are set free Language of the law court Justification We are condemned We are pardoned and counted as righteous Language of the battlefield Victory, deliverance, rescue We are …

To Love is to be vulnerable

Published by

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” C.S. Lewis (The Four Loves)

7 Livingstones

Published by

1. “God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.” 2. “All that I am I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed to me in His divine Book.” 3. “I will go anywhere, provided it be forward.” 4. “If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.” 5. “Nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair.” 6. “There is one safe and happy place, and that is in the will of God.” 7. “I will place no value on anything I have or may have except to the kingdom of Christ. ” _______________________ 7 Quotes from David Livingstone

He’s got the Whole World in His Hands

Published by

…he upholds the universe by the word of his power… Hebrews 1:3 God is the one calling the shots, running the show… not you… You may as well get used to it! He’s got the world in his hand. That includes you, your dreams, your hopes and your aspirations. It will do you good to just step out of His way, because he never relinquishing the power.

In Christ Alone

Published by

I will not boast in anything No gifts, no power, no wisdom My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. On Christ the solid Rock I stand All other ground is sinking sand On May 28, 1972, the Duke of Windsor, the uncrowned King Edward VIII, died in Paris. On the same evening, a television program recounted the main events of his life. Viewers watched film footage in which the duke answered questions about his upbringing, his brief reign, and his eventual abdication. Recalling his boyhood as Prince of Wales, he said: “My father [King George V] was a strict disciplinarian. Sometimes when I had done something wrong, he would admonish me, saying, ‘My dear boy, you must always remember who you are.’ ” It is my conviction that our heavenly Father says the same to us every day: “My dear child, you must always remember who you are.” The record shows in Colossians: He is my all in all! 1:14 in Christ we have redemption 1:16 in Christ all things were created …

3 Things my children will never do

Published by

I’m the youngest son of two very loving and generous parents, brother to six beautiful ladies and four handsome guys. I’m the youngest man in this soccer team of 11, but I have two younger sisters. My mother made all the boys in the family take turns, with the girls, preparing dinner for the entire family during the week. Where I’m from, it is considered a thing only women do. But not in my mother’s house. Everything the girls did we did: we cooked, we wash dishes, we did laundry. Growing up, it was important to talk to my parents and older siblings in a way that was polite and respectful. So, Mama and Papa was acceptable, nothing else. I called Marcus – “Boy Marcus” – Florence – “Sister Florence” anything else was not necessarily disrespectful, but a little impolite. Older people, outside our home were politely called – Mr. or Mrs – uncle or aunt – sir or madam, never by their first name. Now, you may argue – “different strokes for different folks” and I’m totally cool with that, but in my home there are three things …

One song that messes up all my idol pursuits

Published by

Little children, keep yourselves from idols… Somebody once said that an idol is not necessarily the statutes that we physically set up to worship, but those things we set up in our hearts to take first place above our devotion to Jesus. Anything that competes for first place in one’s life is an idol. I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold The challenge Jesus vs King of a vast domain: Which would you rather have? I expect to hear a resounding – ‘JESUS’ But I warn you, it is very challenging… I hope you can see the challenge in the following: I’d rather be His than have riches untold – who doesn’t appreciate a bit of Benjamin? Everybody does. I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands – who doesn’t fancy a good-looking villa in the city or country side? I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand. I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause – who doesn’t like the number of likes on their posts going up, the number of followers increasing, a little …

Persevere: Don’t throw your away confidence

Published by

In 1866 an amateur geologist noticed some South African children playing with a glistening rock. Intrigued, he asked the children’s mother if he could buy it. She said it wasn’t worth anything and simply give it to him for free. Later when he examined it more closely, his hunch was confirmed, it was a diamond. He calculated its weight at 21 carats. Are you a young christian thinking that your new-found faith is worth nothing? Have you given up trying to find a new church for your family because of the bad experience you had in your last church? Are you being tested and tried by some problem and it seems like God is nowhere to be found? Are you thinking about ending your marriage because the situation still looks hopeless? Please don’t give up. Don’t throw away your confidence, for there is great reward in store for you. If you’ll just persevere and not give up, there is a crown of glory awaiting you. You have in you something that money can’t buy – something worth more than 21 carats, …

The Uninformed Evangelical vs The Uncompromising Orthodox Theologian

Published by

We know that “all of us have knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up and causes us to fall into the condemnation of the devil… 1 Cor. 8:1; 1 tim. 3:6 Getting doctrine right is a matter of life and death, but holding that doctrine in the right spirit is essential too A great deal of damage is done by those who hold the truth of Christ with the spirit of satan One of the mistakes Christians often make is that we learn to rebuke like Jesus but not love like Jesus But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first Revelation 2:4 I bought Joshua Harris’ Humble Orthodoxy last night and it is really a great book. In a chapter in he calls “With Tear in our Eye,” (Page 243), he retells a story found in the gospel of Luke chapter 18: One day two men went to church to pray. The first man was a shallow, uninformed evangelical. Everything about him shouted of squishy theology. He didn’t know or use …

hey boys and girls: whatever you’ve been told, you’re worth more than gold

Published by

Sticks and stones break your bones, I know what you’re feeling Words like those won’t steal your glow, you’re one in a million This, this is for all the girls, boys all over the world Whatever you’ve been told, you’re worth more than gold So hold your head up high, it’s your time to shine From the inside out it shows, you’re worth more than gold So don’t let anybody tell you that you’re not loved And don’t let anybody tell you that you’re not enough. Yeah there are days when we all feel like we’re messed up But the truth is that we’re all diamonds in the rough Kings and Queens inside and out – yeah, that’s who you are… and this is for you where ever you…!