All posts tagged: Holiness

What makes women beautiful and attractive?

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It was a little shocking to discover that in the 30s and 40s both men and especially women were encouraged to gain weight in order to achieve beauty and physical perfection. If you were heavier and not skinny, you were seeing as beautiful and most likely to get the part, go on dates and become the star. Check out these ads from the 30s and 40s… In our world today the same lie is being told to our wives, sisters and daughters, but this time the opposite. They are being told that, in order for them to achieve happiness, reach bodily perfection and beauty, they have to starve themselves striving for size zero. But our culture was wrong in the 30s and 40s and still is today. Even though it is very good to take care of oneself, through, exercise and eating healthy, there is something else missing that our culture doesn’t tell us much about. Here it is: Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold …

What is the chief end of man?

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WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. Psalm 86; Isaiah 60:21; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31 Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him? A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments,is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. Psalm 16:5-11; Psalm 144:15; Luke 2:10; Philippians 4:4 Q. 3. What do the Scriptures principally teach? A. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. Matthew 19:4-5; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2Peter 3:2, 15-16 Q. 4. What is God? A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Deuteronomy 4:2; Isaiah 8:20; John 20:30-31; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 John 1:4 Q. 5. Are there more Gods than one? A. There is …

10 Sacred Reminders Before You Step Into The Pulpit

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1. It is foolish to think the gospel message you are about to preach will not offend your audience. 2. It is foolish to presume that after you’ve preached, everyone will like you, friend you on Facebook or follow you on twitter 3. It is foolish to think that everyone in you audience is on the same level of spiritual maturity..therefore will understand what you are saying 4. It is foolish to believe that anything of eternal significance can happen through the flesh 5. It is foolish to act like you are indispensable or anything better than an ass…excuse me…I meant donkey…because God can speak through them too… 6. It is foolish to approve the guy taking notes as super spiritual or a great student of the word 7. it is foolish to act like your personal style of communication, is the only way to preach or teach…the only way God can save or bless others 8. It is foolish to lead one-self into believing that what you are about to preach is only for your audience and not for …

Fit to Sit: Partakers of Endless Glory

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Part 2: A Commentary on Psalm 15 Verse 3 – Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. The word cherpah, which we here translate a reproach, comes from charaph, to strip, or make bare, to deprive one of his garments; hence choreph, the winter, because it strips the fields of their clothing, and the trees of their foliage. By this, nature appears to be dishonoured and disgraced. The application is easy: a man, for instance, of a good character is reported to have done something wrong the tale is spread, and the slanderers and backbiters carry it about; and thus the man is stripped of his fair character, of his clothing of righteousness, truth, and honesty. All may be false; or the man, in an hour of the power of darkness, may have been tempted and overcome; may have been wounded in the cloudy and dark day, and deeply mourns his fall before God. Who that has not the heart of a devil would not strive rather to cover than make bare the fault? …

Fit to Sit: Partakers of Endless Glory

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Part 1 Commentary on Psalm 15 The questions therefore are, Who can be considered a fit member of the Church of Christ here below? and, Who shall be made partakers of an endless glory? In answer to these questions, the character of what we may term a true Israelite, or a good Christian, is given in the following particulars:- Verse 2. He that walketh uprightly a. He walks perfectly. Who sets God before his eyes, takes his word for the rule of his conduct, considers himself a sojourner on earth, and is continually walking to the kingdom of God. He acts according to the perfections of God’s law; he has respect to all its parts, and feels the weight and importance of all its injunctions. As he is the creature of GOD, he has duties to perform to him. He owes God his heart: May son, give me thy heart; and should love him with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is giving GOD his due. As a member of civil society, he …

He’s not finished with me yet!

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In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” I hope I can impress on you today through this short passage the need to live daily in a spirit of worship and continuous repentance. I don’t think you can truly get to a genuine, …

Break my heart for what breaks Yours

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Heal my heart and make it clean Open up my eyes to the things unseen Show me how to love like You have loved me Break my heart for what breaks Yours We are living in a day and time where everything we see or hear, potentially, has a deadening effect on us spiritually. The movies, the tv shows, the music and even our culture has this deadening effect on our sensitivity to what is holy and of God. Some of us have already become desensitized to these horrors and filth all around. To become desensitized is to become numb, stupefied or less likely to feel shocked or distressed at scenes of horror, sexual perversion, cruelty, violence and suffering by overexposure to such images. That is why a prayer like “break my heart Lord, for what breaks yours” is so powerful and timely. Would you join me today and for the rest of the week in praying this prayer – “break my heart Lord for what breaks yours?”. Would you join in sounding the alarm …

What is the single most Important need in the American Church?

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Caution: This is tough read! For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 1 Corinthians 4:20 A few prominent church leaders were asked the following question in this short video clip:  “What is the single most important need in the American Church?” After the third pastor said discipleship, I was hoping that the last one will say something different. Here is what I think and I’ll tell you why. We are generally skeptical to anything supernatural. We’re encapsulated in a worldview that is materialistic. In other words, if I can’t feel it, touch it or wrap my brain around it, than I don’t want to come anywhere close to it. We usually write it off and condemn. Even some of our brothers and sisters in Christ, have a difficult time accepting what the bible teaches about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Healing, prophecy etc… God is Supernatural. Everything He does is supernatural: The creation The New Birth of Salvation Regeneration Everything God does is supernatural. So it’s not very strange to me that He wants …

Let the Bishop Speak: Longevity as a Christian and a minister

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My 12 year old daughter has been at youth camp for the past five (5) day at my spiritual Father’s church. Well, yesterday was the last day so I went to the church to pick her up. Before I did, I spend a few minutes with my spiritual father. I call him bishop, but his real name is Forrest. He told me a few awesome things that happened in my daughter’s life during the five days she spent there. How the Lord touched her the night before and watched streams of tears flow down her cheeks. He reminded me of the very same picture of me in 1992, a picture he kept in his mind and will never forget. A picture of me at an all night prayer meeting, just like my little girl, with streams of tears flowing down my cheeks. I thought about for a while and have not been able to shake the thought of the impact he has had on my life and now my daughter’s. Talk about affecting generations! What if …

Dropping the H bomb

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How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing… It is irresistible. If even ten percent of the population had it, would not the world be converted and happy before a year’s end? C. S. Lewis Several years ago my spiritual father introduced something fresh, fun and honest among a group of  guys he was mentoring. He would shake your hand, than look you straight in the eye and ask you this question “are you living a holy life?” Thinking about it now, I think I will call it,  “The Accountability Hand-shake.” Within time everyone in the group was doing the same thing not only to members of the group, but to friends and love-ones. Eventually, everyone in our church community adopted the hand and look in the eye as a way to keep their friends accountable. Sometimes, our “how are you?” just don’t cut it. You usually get that – “I’m good and you?” response right back. In fact, most of our encounters as believers begin and stay …