Posts Tagged ‘Jesus Christ’

(A series of scripted correspondences from a ‘Heavenly helper’ to a Christian Soldier)

[Letter 16]:

Greetings Soldier,

Yes, I can definitely see that your unbelieving opponents are not very happy with your challenges to their professed worldview (in fact, ‘unhappy’ would be quite the understatement to describe the nature of their most recent remarks). Remember, the unbeliever has much to lose in these types of discussions, once it is exposed what their worldview truly amounts to, since they often enjoy being viewed as ‘intellectuals’ on internet forums and loathe the idea that their position is really just one of blind, irrational faith. Therefore, you should expect open hostility such as the name calling being engaged in as of late, since it is no doubt very uncomfortable (think glass palace during an earthquake) to have one’s most fundamental beliefs challenged and then demonstrated to be undeniably false.

As a positive, this is one crystal clear way of demonstrating that the unbeliever is indeed engaging in suppression of the truth (just as the Bible states in Romans 1:18)—that is, they are not continuing to hold to their current professed position BECAUSE of rational reasons, but IN SPITE OF them–simply because they happen to dislike the alternative (i.e. bowing the knee to God). The purely emotional nature of the objections at this point are really exactly what one would expect from someone with simply a personal ‘ax to grind’ and nothing more. Sure, the unbeliever may not like the God of the Bible, but that is definitely not a rational basis for their rejection of Christianity and/or the truth of the Bible. At this point, you’ve done your job and it’s probably just best to politely thank them for sharing their opinions with you and invite them to return to the discussion when they have something rational to contribute. Oh, and do not cease to pray for these individuals–that they might come to their senses, cease their suppression of the Truth, and repent. Here to serve,

Your Heavenly ‘Angent’

(A series of scripted correspondences from a ‘Heavenly Helper’ to a Christian Soldier)

[Letter 21]:

Greetings Soldier,

Yes, your suspicions are well founded! We angels do find it very strange, indeed, that anyone would ever willfully deny the existence of God. Remember, we behold His very face in heaven, and there is no shortage of glorious revelation of Himself for those living upon the earth. As one of your great preachers of the past, C.H. Spurgeon, so eloquently stated:

“Atheism is a strange thing. Even the devils never fell into that vice, for the devils believe and tremble.”

Here to serve,

Your Heavenly ‘Angent’

Rick's avatarThe King's Men

As the shepherd-turned-warrior reached into the brook that day–only moments away from engaging in what would become the legendary battle of a lifetime–he did something that has been the object of much speculation and conjecture down through the preceding centuries: he drew out 5 smooth stones.  The question is: why 5?  While Scripture is silent as to David’s exact reason(s), many believe that Goliath also had 4 brothers.  Perhaps David intended to make it a 5-for-1 deal that day should they have decided to intervene?
 
Personally, I like to think of that 5-fold collection of stones as representing an infinitely greater and more powerful force—J-E-S-U-S.  With the Lord by David’s side that day, he couldn’t miss because the power wasn’t in the stone at all—it was in the ROCK who was guiding it.  Consequently, it was that same spiritual ROCK who, many years later, entered into a far greater…

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Dear Faithful Pastors/ Leaders,

Please consider the following:

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you live right, people will accuse you of selfish and ulterior motives.

Live right anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten by man tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you may get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have anyway.

 

I happen to be one of many who are so glad that you decided to give of yourself and to sacrifice for the Lord ‘anyway’. The apostle Paul says that we shouldn’t boast of ourselves, so if I may, I would like to take this opportunity to boast on your accomplishments in Christ; Please indulge me. Consider these things:

 

  • God has used you to build and/ or maintain a Christ centered church from humble beginnings and to lead many souls to Christ, providing them with a solid foundation of Biblical teaching to stand upon.
  • You have been faithful to the Lord and his church and have maintained a good name amongst those that are without, that the name of the Lord and his church be not blasphemed.
  • You have spent countless hours in deep study of God’s word to feed the Lord’s flock the sincere milk and meat of the word which establishes Christian converts and keeps those whom the Lord has chosen from falling.
  • Many times you have encouraged (perhaps without even knowing it) those who were without strength and weary, to fight another day and to travel another mile through your examples and perseverance.
  • The lives you have touched in your ministry are forever changed by your sacrifice and generosity. Though many may never be able to express their true gratitude to you, rest in this truth: the Lord is not unrighteous to forget your labor of love and will recall every kindness and every mercy you have shown when you stand in his presence.
  • The foundation you have laid is a good and true one, upon which others may firmly stand and build together a spiritual building fitly framed together that groweth into a holy temple in the Lord.

 

It is a comfort to know that the criteria God uses to define a successful church are not numbers, nor multi-million dollar budgets, nor even a state-of-the-art building, but rather the heart of the church.  For in the heart of the church lies its character, its love, and its affections. May your heart always beat with passion for the Master and with a desire to lift up his standard in the world through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and may your church ever be a place where true disciples of Christ are molded and shaped by the lives of its leaders and members as they continue to look steadfastly unto Jesus—the Author and Finisher of our faith.

God Bless you for your love, devotion, and rich testimony in Jesus Christ which has made those under your leadership partakers of true greatness. May the Lord keep and strengthen you by the power of his might, now and forevermore. God bless.

 

 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.

   And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

   To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

                                                                                                                 –1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

Preach with this object, that men may quit their sins and fly to Christ for pardon, that by His blessed Spirit they may be renovated and become as much in love with everything that is holy as they are now in love with everything that is sinful.

God’s acceptance of Christ is the sure guarantee of the salvation of those who accept His sacrifice.  Beloved, when thine eye of faith is dim, when your eyeballs swim in a flood of tears and the darkness of sorrow hides much from your vision, then Jehovah sees the blood of His Son, and spares you.  In the thick darkness, when you cannot see at all, the Lord God never fails to see in Jesus that with which He is well pleased, and with which His Law is honored.  He will not suffer the destroyer to come near you to harm you, because He sees in Christ that which vindicates His justice and establishes the needful rule of Law.  The blood is the saving mark.  At this moment, this is the pressing question for each one in the company gathered in this house:  Do you trust the divine propitiation or do you not?  Bring to me what you will to prove your own personal excellence.  I believe in no virtue, which insults the Savior’s blood, which alone cleanses us from all sin.  Rather confess your multiplied transgressions and shortcomings, and then take heart and hope; for there is forgiveness large and free for the very chief of sinners, through Him who has made peace by the blood of His cross.

O my hearer, guilty and self-condemned, if you will now come and trust in Jesus Christ, your sins, which are many, shall be all forgiven you, and you shall love so much in return, that the whole bent and bias of your mind shall be turned from sin to gracious obedience.  The atonement applied to the conscience saves from despair, and then acting upon the heart, it saves from the love of evil.  But the atonement is the saving sign.  The blood on the lintel and on the two side posts scoured the house of the poorest Israelite; but the proudest Egyptian–yes, even Pharaoh on the throne–could not escape the destroyer’s sword.  Believe and live.  Reject the atonement and perish!