Monday, March 25, 2013
Christian Holiness Ministry: The Greatness of God
Christian Holiness Ministry: The Greatness of God: READ | Isaiah 40:12-26 When you think of God, what comes to mind? Often, people view Him in the way that best fits their particular need o...
The Greatness of God
READ | Isaiah 40:12-26
When you think of God, what comes to mind? Often, people view Him in the way that best fits their particular need or situation. For example, a person who struggles with guilt might focus on the Lord’s forgiveness or holiness. And someone with a thirst for justice might dwell on the Almighty’s righteousness.
The truth is, His character encompasses far more than we could ever comprehend or try to explain. I would never attempt to summarize such an awesome God in this devotion. At the same time, however, it is important to look at scripture in order to gain an accurate a picture of the One we worship.
Today we will focus on one attribute: His greatness. Our passage tells us that God is greater than creation (v. 12), for it was by His hands that everything we see came into being. He is higher than the nations or any idol fashioned by the finest craftsman (vv. 18-20). In fact, He is above the world and all mankind (vv. 22-23), surpassing even the heavens and all galaxies.
Our Father’s thoughts and ways are far grander than our own (Is. 55:9)—and lofty compared with what we can understand. Psalm 93:1 states, “The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength.”
Consider the awesome God we serve. He truly is worthy of our praise. As we grasp even a fraction of His greatness, our response should be one of humble worship. After all, who are we that a God like this would desire our friendship—so much so that He sent His Son to die for our sins?
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Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Christian Holiness Ministry: Whom Does God Love?
Christian Holiness Ministry: Whom Does God Love?: Whom Does God Love? Now it is perfectly obvious that both of the above views cannot be true. Even a child can understand this. It is either...
Whom Does God Love?
Whom Does God Love?
Now it is perfectly obvious that both of the above views cannot be true. Even a child can understand this. It is either...or. Either God loves all men; or he loves only His elect. It is also perfectly obvious that those who maintain the above views both claim to preach the gospel when they proclaim these views. Both the Arminian and the Reformed preacher will tell you that he is preaching the gospel. That is to be expected. No preacher will come right out and tell you that what he is preaching is not according to the Bible. They both claim, "The Bible says...." Further, it is also evident, unless you would maintain the impossible position that God contradicts Himself, that one or the other (not both) of the above views is according to the Scriptures, and constitutes the true preaching of the gospel. And whoever proclaims what is not according to the Scriptures has no business to pretend that he is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.What, therefore, is the test? How can we determine which of the above is the Word of Christ according to the Scriptures? Remember, the question is not what you or I would like to think about this question. It is not which of these two "gospels" is the most popular, which apparently brings the greatest fruits, which is supposedly the warmest, the most appealing, the most stirring. The question is not what this or that theologian maintains. And, though you may love your church very dearly, it is not a question of what your church teaches. In fact, if you love your church, you certainly do not want your church to walk in error. The sole question is: what does the Word of God say? And let every earnest-minded Christian, who wants to walk in obedience to the will of Christ, and who wants the church to be faithful to its calling to preach the gospel, bow before that Word. You do not have to bow before me and my word; but you must bow with me before the Word of God! And you may expect the Word of God to be very clear on this question.
In the third place, this question, "Whom does God love?" is of great importance because if there was ever a time when the Reformed community stood at the crossroads with respect to the preaching of the gospel, it is today. With ever greater boldness and bluntness it is being taught in Reformed circles today that God loves all men. It is even maintained that this doctrine, against which our Reformed fathers fought so gallantly at the Great Synod of Dordrecht, is Calvinism. More and more Reformed churches make common cause with Arminians and join them in supporting wildly evangelistic movements. As an example of this blatant Arminianism let me quote from the writings of a Reformed seminary professor concerning this very text of John 3:16:
"How much did God love? So much that He gave His only begotten Son. So much that He emptied Himself; He gave Himself. The amount of the love is indicated by the amount of the gift. That means no less than an infinite love.
"Love without limit! Can an unlimited love be limited in its scope? Can an unrestricted love be restricted in those whom it loves? Can the infinite love of the incarnation have as its object only a part of mankind? Hardly. Neither does the Bible teach this. Rather we are told, 'God so loved the world that he gave.' Whether taken as the cosmos or as the human race, 'world' in this passage clearly covers all men. By no strain of exegesis can God's redemptive love be confined to any special group. Neither the language of this verse nor the broadest context of Scripture will allow any other interpretation but that God loves all men."
And again, note this very bold statement: "If the Church is unwilling to say in any sense that Christ died for all men and refuses to say to unbelievers, in addition to 'God loves you,' 'Christ died for you,' it places the infinite love of God under an illegitimate restriction."
Now, if that is the direction in which Reformed men want to go, then let them openly disavow the Reformed position and the Reformed confessions as being unscriptural. But let no one be deceived that such Arminianism has anything in common with the Reformed faith. It does not. And let all who love the truth of God's Word and who purpose to be faithful to that Word examine this matter with me. Let us put this question to the test of Holy Scripture.
Whom does God love?
www.christianholinessministry.org
Monday, March 18, 2013
Christian Holiness Ministry: The Love of God
Christian Holiness Ministry: The Love of God: God Must Provide the Answer To this question I must needs have the answer. I must have God's answer. Man cannot convince me. A human an...
The Love of God
God Must Provide the Answer
To this question I must needs have the answer. I must have God's answer. Man cannot convince me. A human answer cannot possibly satisfy me. Nothing less will do than the answer from the mouth of God Himself. Then only will I have peace, when I hear His own voice, "My son, my daughter, I, Jehovah God, love you!"
Let this personal question be before your consciousness as you contemplate this Word of God. For not only is it true that you urgently need an answer to this question, but it is also true that as this Word of God comes to you, you shall be confronted by that question and shall have to give an answer to it. You cannot escape it.In the second place, and in closer connection with the preceding than is sometimes thought, this question is important with respect to the content of the preaching of the gospel. When the gospel is preached, the question, "Whom does God love?" must be answered. And again, the answer must be that of the Scriptures. Only that answer may be proclaimed as the gospel of Jesus Christ. The text says that God loved the world. And by far the most common explanation which is given of this expression, "the world," is that this means that God loves all men, every individual member of the human race. This is the open teaching of all Arminian, free-will pulpits. We have all heard this kind of preaching many times, if not in our own church, then via radio or television. According to this position, God loved all men. Because He loved all men, God gave His only begotten Son. God's only begotten Son died for the whole world, that is, for all men, thus making provision for all men to be saved. The gospel is for all sinners. And now it is up to the sinner to believe or not to believe, to embrace the love of God or not to embrace it, to be saved and to have eternal life, or to perish. The opposite position is that of the Reformed faith, sometimes called Calvinism. It holds that as far as men are concerned, God does not love all, but only His elect, that is, those whom he has sovereignly chosen in Christ Jesus from before the foundation of the world. It teaches, further, that Christ died only for His own sheep, that is, those whom the Father gave Him. Furthermore, the Reformed faith maintains that when the gospel of Christ crucified is proclaimed, the gift of faith is sovereignly bestowed only upon the elect through regeneration and the efficacious calling, that then the elect repent and believe and have everlasting life. In a word, we proclaim that the love of God is absolutely sovereign and particular, not general and conditional, in its origin, its revelation, its operation, and its fruit.
Pastor David Marcel
www.christianholinessministry.org
Christian Holiness Ministry: The L...
Christian Holiness Ministry: The L...: The Love of God part 1 That Great Question: ...
The Love of God part 1
That Great Question:
There is a very important question involved in the subject of this booklet. That question is: whom does God love? To this question we must by all means have the right answer, the answer of God Himself, the answer of the Scriptures, therefore. John 3:16 teaches us: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." What is the "world" which God loved? Who belong to that world? Do all men belong to that world, or do only some men belong to it? And if only some men belong to that world, who are they?
I called this a very important question; and indeed it is.
For, in the first place, it is important personally. From this point of view, the question may be formulated: does God love me? And in that form the critical importance of that question at once impresses you and me. Does God love me? Can I be, may I be, am I certain of that love? Then all is well. For the love of God is certainly all-important. If God loves me, then I am an heir of eternal life. If God loves me, I shall never perish. If God loves me, then I may lose all, yea, even my very life, and still possess that which is precious above all. If God loves me, then my father and my mother may forsake me; but the Lord will take me up, and clasp me to His divine bosom. But, by the same token, if God does not love me, that is, if He hates me, then all is ill. Then I shall perish eternally. Then, though I possess all things, yea, the whole world, I am the most impoverished among men. Then His face is against me for evil. Then I am of all men most miserable. Then I face the prospect of everlasting suffering in hell, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Indeed, this is an all-important personal question. Whom does God love? Does He love me?
www.christianholinessministry.org
Sunday, March 17, 2013
The Kingdom is coming
Pastor David Marcel /3/18/2013/
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, the life.
Jesus was that nice adorable little child from the couple of years that He behaves as a child; everyone loves Him even the Pharisees and the others loved Him too as long as He kept on going in that childhood procedure. Jesus was loved since He was born, not just by Mary and Joseph or the three wise men that came that night of His birth. I assume that the devil is an enemy since forever, and Herod was an enemy, because he wanted to remain on the throne – thinking that the new born baby would come to take his throne from him.This is the world that we’re living in; everyone whose eyes are open - they try to subdue, everyone that can fight - they incarcerated, everyone that are close to reach the level of altercation - they hypnotized, every Holy Ghost believers the brainwashed and every lose mind of Christ – they try to imprison.
But Jesus would have been the best friend of everyone in the city of Jerusalem, as long as He didn’t talk about The Kingdom of God, but as a Child for three day, Mary and Joseph did not see Him; which was the day Jesus introduced The Kingdom of the Father to the High Priest and there; He was considered of being an enemy. They thought that KINGDOM that Jesus was talking about wasn’t real, nor they did not even believe that Jesus was real, referring to the son of God. Though they were high priest, they couldn’t see for themselves; because their Spiritual eyes were not yet open; however- rejected the one that would open their eyes. For, in a manger and the son of Mary and Joseph was never been in their expectation to be the Messiah or The Savior of the world.
This was the turn of Jesus Christ since around 2000 years ago, till this day; the world and those people remain unchangeable. And if it happens that God calls you to do something special in the Ministry and you’re not there yet, though you about around the corner, the ones that made it first would surely pour oil of their selfish desire from the top, so you may slide back down to the bottom.
But you know one thing, is that no matter how hard they have tried in the pass, how hard the enemies of God are trying and no matter how hard will they attempt to try to avoid the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We’re all believe that the KINGDOM of GOD will come and God’s WILL be done, that why Jesus did not to ask no one who He is, but come to tell them, who He was, He is, and will always be.
KJV - Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that should lie; neither the son of man, that should change His Mind: hath he said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good.
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