Found this article shortly after President Obama made his comments on same sex marriage…

http://www.churchatthemall.com/church-at-the-mall-blog/author/pastor-jay-dennis/

As you listen be sure to once again thank God for sending His Son to die the death we deserved.

I was reading two articles today that got me to thinking: http://www.9marks.org/journal/underestimated-doctrine-conversion, and specially http://www.9marks.org/journal/six-ways-give-your-people-false-assurance.

I’m reminded of a story told of D.L. Moody:

Member of the community: I see one of your converts is off drinking and acting worldly.

Moody: Must be one of mine, because the Lord’s converts wouldn’t act that way.

Does the scripture give us any help in determining if someone has truly repented and turned to God for salvation?  I believe there are but let me just list 3 for our discussion:  Matthew 13:23; John 15:9-17; Acts 26:20.  Please note what you do not find in those verses is any mention of saying a prayer, walking an aisle, or signing a decision card (none of these thing is bad, but they are not signs of true conversion.

Matthew  13:23 brings out that truly converted person hears God’s word, understands it, and is fruitful.

John 15:9-17 Jesus says that a true disciple will love God enough to keep God’s Commands and will be fruitful.

Acts 26:20 Paul said after a person had repented and turned to God, they would “do works befitting repentance”.

Church leaders would do well to learn the habit of being fruit inspectors.  Most importantly for church leaders is to regularly inspect the fruit of those members under their care (as well as being introspective).  Just using our three passages above there are certainly some external signs of whether a person has truly been converted:

1. Are they showing signs of being spiritually fruitful?

2. Are they showing signs of loving God?

3. Are they showing signs of keeping the commands of God?

4. In general are they showing signs “befitting” genuine repentance?

Is this being judgmental? Certainly not, but I would suggest that a reason we don’t do more “fruit inspection” is not because we are assured of people’s salvation.  No we generally don’t do it because we don’t want people inspecting our fruit.  If only we would be more concerned with a person’s eternal destiny, rather than wanting to get through life “uninspected”.

Just think about it.

This morning while taking one of my kids to work, I was listening to a message on Satan’s descriptive terms. One of them that got me to thinking was “seed snatcher”. The verse was Matthew 13:22 (ESV) “…the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

Three ways that Satan can snatch the seed from the believer:
1. The cares of this world cause us to forget the Word we have learned.
2. The pursuit of financial needs cause us to forget the Word we have learned
3. The adding of seed on top of seed causes us to be unfruitful.

First Satan uses the mundane daily task to snatch the Word that we learned on Sunday. Satan is good at using YOUR “day timer’ to snatch away the Word that was planted in your heart on Sunday or during your daily devotions. We can get so caught up in LIVING (hustlers and bustlers) that we forget that which we have learned.

Second Satan uses our pursuit of financial gain, whether to meet daily needs or other worthy pursuits to snatch the Word from our hearts. How quick we can be to forget the words of Christ in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” That ‘s right Satan will actually get us to invert this…we set off to pursue food, clothing, and shelter forgetting that God first and foremost wants us to pursue Him. Thus the more we pursue Him, the more our necessities of life are met. But again Satan snatches that which we need to take by faith and replaces it with worry.

Thirdly Satan snatches away that which we have learned by getting us to be learners rather than appliers. Rather than applying what we learn on Sunday we become life long learners but not appliers. As one man put it “learning more theology is easier than applying what we already have learned”, “going to another Bible Study is easier than applying what we’ve already learned”, “getting caught up in good religious activity, gives Satan a door of opportunity to snatch away what we’ve already learned.” In other words throwing more seed on top of other seed causes seed NOT to be fruitful.

if you desire to be fruitful don’t allow Satan to be a seed snatcher.

DeMoss is one of my favorite female authors…

http://www.truewoman.com/?id=1799 

This might be a nice article to print and store in your bible or where you do you devotions and read every once in a while.

I was reading a blog posting the other day and ran across this question: Does your “To die for” list look like what Jesus died for?

Which got me to thinking about about two things:

The first is, what does my (your) to die for list look like (sound like)?

• I’m dying for sleep, rest, money, relaxation, retirement, a certain food, clothes, housing…

Now there is nothing wrong with any of those items, except none of them are what Jesus died for.  You see everything on that list is me centered, and certainly leads to an emphasis that the most important thing in life is the physical.

But what about Jesus’ “To die for” list:

• Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
• John 4:34 “…My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
• John 10:15 “”…I lay down my life for the sheep.”

I think that Jesus instructs us on what our “to die for” list should look like:

• Luke 9:23 “…If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
• Luke 10:2 “…Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
• Luke 12:8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God…”
• Luke 12:31 “Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things [food, clothing, shelter] will be added to you.”
• Luke 14:33 “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

You see Jesus died that you and I might be brought into right relationship with the Father through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  As Acts 26:20 puts it “…they[we] should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their [our] repentance.”  Now about that “To die for” list, what additions and subtractions do we have to make on our personal “To die for” list so they look like what Jesus died for?

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29 ESV)

Kevin DeYoung writes a very short but informative piece on Mormonism.  One thing that caught my attention was this statement:

"Mormonism continues to grow because of it missionary impulse and its COMMITMENT to doctrinal and ethical DISTINCTIVES." 

What’s sad I talked with a missionary to the Mormons some years ago and he said that they (Mormons) spend a a lot of time reaching into the Baptist arena because…we are not strong in our our knowledge of or commitment to BIBLICAL DOCTRINE. 

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/10/13/mormonism-101/

Pastor

During the month of October Adam and I are going to be preaching through the 5-solas:

• Oct 2  “Christ Alone”
• Oct 9 “Scripture Alone”
• Oct 16 “Faith Alone”
• Oct 23 “Grace Alone”
• Oct 30 “To the Glory of God Alone”

Oct 31 Marks the date that Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis go to http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/95theses.htm to read them in our English as they were posted on that Day.  If you are of German or European decent you owe a great deal of gratitude to Luther as God used him to stir people out of a dark theological sleep and helped to get the bible into the hands of the common person.

I have found it interesting that we in “Baptist circles” have gone to great pains in avoiding the discussion surrounding Luther’s work in theology (the argument being we’re not protestants-well neither was Luther-by the way it would be good to study out his biography) and yet on October 31 many well meaning Baptist will celebrate the high holy day of satanist…Halloween.  For more information on this see   http://logosresourcepages.org/Holidays/halloween.htm#The%20History%20of%20Halloween

Now let me ask you a question should we not rather remember a piece of church history that has greatly influenced many of us of European decent rather that Satan’s diversion?

So join with us at as we look at these five solas during the month of October and especially on Oct 30 when climax it with “To the Glory of God Alone”.  Or as one person put it: by grace alone; through faith alone; because of Christ alone; on the Word alone; to the glory of God alone!

For further reading on th topic:

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2007/10/marking-reformation.html

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2006/10/reformation-day-thoughts-chuckles.html

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/2006/10/31/reformation-day-reflections/

Pastor

Have you ever wondered what is the church body suppose to do when it comes together on Sunday?  From time to time someone will ask me that question, well let me give you 6 primary suppose to’s:

1. The saints are to be edified (1 Co 14:3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 17, 26)-Edification is a Greek word “oikodomeo” which means to build and when used of the Christian it has the idea to promote spiritual growth and development of character.

2. We are to pray (Acts 2:42)-This should not just be petitions, but also prayers of thanksgiving, acknowledgement of God’s grace, wonder, and sovereignty.

3. Collecting of tithes and offerings (1 Co 16:2; c.f. Malachi 3:10)-’nough said

4. Breaking of Bread (Acts 2:42; 1 Co 11:18ff)-This isn’t about eating meals together, rather it’s what we commonly call today Communion.  How often? Doesn’t matter just whatever your local church decides be there to be reminded of what Christ has done for us.

5. Fellowship-this actually has three parts none of which can occur without others around:

• Acts 2:42-”koinonia” which means to fellowship or commune together
• Heb 10:24-”paroxymos” which means to stimulate and in the context of Hebrews has the idea stimulate to love and good deeds
• Heb 10:25-”parakaleo” has the idea to comfort, encourage, exhort, urge, implore one another.

6. Singing (Eph 5:19 we are to address one another in “. ..psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord“)

7. Worship-interestingly we are not told how except that it is to be in spirit (not material) and in truth (not falsehood).  Allow me to suggest that when 1-6 are occurring then worship will have taken place.  Vine gives worship the broad idea of “…the direct acknowledgement to God, of His nature, attributes, ways and claims, whether by the outgoing of the heart in praise and thanksgiving or deed done in such acknowledgement.”

As these things are accomplished in our hearts the “saints will be encouraged and the hearts of the unsaved and backslidden will be convicted“.