THANK YOU LORD JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been in such a faith crisis due to something that had been happening to me pertaining to the ministry I belong to at church, and I had been praying to the Lord that He would give me courage (I'm an UBER shy person) to go to the pastor and beg him to dedicate an entire sermon on True Biblical Evangelism. To preach on the NEED of preaching Repentance and Faith in Christ in our evangelism, one Sunday one of the pastors talked about the Gospel, I was so excited, but on the service I attended 12-2pm (there are 3 services) the pastor did not talk about repentance, I was disappointed. I commented this to a friend of mine from Church who had gone to the 10-12 service in which repentance was explained. But the service recorded to publish the sermon on the website was the last one, again I prayed and prayed. With the new semester I've had no time whatsoever to go to bible studies on Wednesdays and I had to miss a couple of Sunday services due to trips with the family, the hospital, etc. Anyway, this Sunday I couldn't go to church because I had an 8pm to 8am shift at the hospital and was beat when I got home. Today about 10 minutes ago, I launched iTunes went directly to my Podcasts to get my daily dose of WOTM Radio noticed that they hadn't uploaded today's show and remembered that because today's monday my church's sermon should've been uploaded by then so I clicked the IBI podcast and there it was!!! My prayer ANSWERED!!! Just look at the title! "And then, How will we evangelize?"
I was skeptical at first and hopeful all at the same time!! the pastor preached on Acts chapter 3, verses 1-16 and v.19, the pastor read twice verse 19 (my heart skipped a beat) then proceeded to explain what just happened in those verses. Compared that type of healing with today's modern version of -unbiblical-"healing". Then made very clear that he was going to preach on v.19 and how we have done the terrible thing of blotting out the preaching of REPENTANCE! from our Evangelism!!!! Ohhhh Praise the Lord JESUS CHRIST!!!! Finally my prayer answered!!
It's like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders!!! I wanna cry and leap out of Joy and sing and shout! :D Can't wait for Sunday to arrive!!!

"Act 3:1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
Act 3:2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.
Act 3:3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
Act 3:4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us."
Act 3:5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
Act 3:6 But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"
Act 3:7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
Act 3:8 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
Act 3:9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God,
Act 3:10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Act 3:11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's.
Act 3:12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: "Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
Act 3:13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
Act 3:14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
Act 3:15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
Act 3:16 And his name--by faith in his name--has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
Act 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out," (ESV, emphasis mine)

AMEN!

Grace Gems: True Christianity

True Christianity

(J. C. Ryle, "What Is Needed?" 1895)

(1) True Christianity has always taught the inspiration, sufficiency, and supremacy of Holy Scripture. It has told men that "God's written Word" is the only trustworthy rule of faith and practice in religion; that God requires nothing to be believed that is not in this Word; and that nothing is right which contradicts it. It has never allowed reason, or the voice of the Church, to be placed above, or on a level with Scripture. It has steadily maintained that, however imperfectly we may understand it, the Old Book is meant to be the only standard of life and doctrine.

(2) True Christianity has always taught fully the sinfulness, guilt and corruption of human nature. It has told men, that they are born in sin, deserve God's wrath and condemnation, and are naturally inclined to do evil. It has never allowed that men and women are only weak and pitiable creatures, who can become good when they please, and make their own peace with God. On the contrary, it has steadily declared man's danger and vileness, and his pressing need of a Divine forgiveness and atonement for his sins, a new birth or conversion, and an entire change of heart.

(3) True Christianity has always set before men, the Lord Jesus Christ as the chief object of faith and hope in religion--as the Divine Mediator between God and men, the only source of peace of conscience, and the root of all spiritual life. The main things it has ever insisted on about Christ, are--the atonement for sin He made by His death, His sacrifice on the cross, the complete redemption from guilt and condemnation by His blood, His victory over the grave by His resurrection, His active life of intercession at God's right hand, and the absolute necessity of simple faith in Him. In short, it has made Christ the Alpha and the Omega in Christian theology.

(4) True Christianity has always honored the Person of God the Holy Spirit, and magnified His work. It has never taught that all professing Christians have the grace of the Spirit in their hearts, as a matter of course--because they are baptized, or because they belong to a Church. It has steadily maintained that the fruits of the Spirit are the only evidence of having the Spirit, and that those fruits must be seen! It has always taught, that we must be born of the Spirit, led by the Spirit, sanctified by the Spirit, and feel the operations of the Spirit--and that a close walk with God in the path of His commandments, a life of holiness, love, self-denial, purity, and zeal to do good--are the only satisfactory marks of the Holy Spirit.

Such is true Christianity. Well would it have been for the world, if there had been more of it during the last nineteen centuries! Too often, and in too many parts of Christendom, there has been so little of it--that Christ's religion has seemed extinct, and has fallen into utter contempt!

This is the Christianity which, in the days of the Apostles, "turned the world upside down!" It was this which emptied the idol temples of their worshipers, routed the Greek and Roman philosophers, and obliged even heathen writers to confess that the followers of the "new superstition," as they called it, were people who loved one another, and lived very pure and holy lives!

Let it never be forgotten, that its leading principles are those which are least likely to please the natural man. On the contrary, they are precisely those which are calculated to be unpopular and to give offense. Proud man does not like to be told that he is a weak, guilty sinner--that he cannot save his own soul, and must trust in the work of another--that he must be converted and have a new heart--that he must live a holy, self-denying life, and come out from the world.

Yet, this is the Christianity which is doing good at this day, wherever real good is done. The only religious teaching which can show solid, positive results--is that which gives prominence to the doctrines which I have endeavored to describe. Wherever they are rightly taught, Christianity can point to fruits which are an unanswerable proof of its Divine origin. There are myriads of professing Christians who have no life or reality in their religion--and are only nominal members of Christ's Church. Except for going to church on Sundays, they give no evidence of true Christianity. If you mark their daily life--they seem neither to think, nor feel, nor care for their souls, or God, or eternity. Men and women who crowd churches on Sundays--and then live worldly selfish lives all the week--are the best and most efficient allies of the devil.

True faith is not a mere "mental assent" to certain theological propositions--but a living, burning, active principle--which works by love, purifies the heart, overcomes the world, and brings forth much fruit of holiness and good works. Let us live as if we really believed every jot and tittle of Scripture--and as if a dying, risen, interceding, and coming Christ, were continually before our eyes!

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The Woes of Witnessing

This Warren Barfield song really hit home for me! it still scares me to death to witness to someone! and there are times the Lord opens a door, and you are right there, your heart beating like crazy, your palms sweaty, the Gospel running through your mind. But the thought of leaving that place and not telling the person of the wrath to come and of what Jesus Christ our Lord did on the cross that he/she may be saved! it makes one wonder, what if I hadn't heard the Gospel that day I got saved? what if whoever witnessed to me had left me there with my doubts, fears and death wishes? Alone in my sin at the mercy of the seducing lusts of the world.

My Heart goes Out to You
by Warren Barfield

She sat a table away
Staring into space
In her own little world
And I saw a tear in her eye
Like a window to the mind
Of a frightened little girl
She never said a word
But I know I clearly heard
A cry for help
And I wanted to answer
I wanted to tell her

CHORUS:
My heart goes out to you
You don't even know me
You don't even know
Oh my heart goes out to you
And I don't know what else to do
To reach you now
My heart goes out

But I'm still glued to my chair
She's unaware
There's little time
And though my intentions are good
If I'm misunderstood
The price could be high
I can't fix whatever's wrong
But if I fail to pass along
Someone cares
The price could be greater
This can't wait til later

BRIDGE:
For God has loved the world so much
He send His only Son
From Heaven to earth
Well there's a distance love covered
She's just a table over
All she needs is a shoulder

CHORUS:
My heart goes out to you
You don't even know me
You don't even know
Oh, my heart goes out

Lord, help me do what I can do
To reach her, to reach her

Oh my heart goes out to you
You don't even know me
You don't even know
Oh, my heart goes out to you

Let me do what I can do to reach you now
My heart goes out
Yeah

The Florida "Revival"

There is a "revival" that has been going on and as always one wonders if the "miracles" that happen at these places are for real, not only that, what does God's word say about such things? Dan Phillips from Pyromaniacs hit some great points about the Florida "Revival", but I think it can definitely be applied to any revival whether it be the Florida one or any other around the world. We should always, always, always filter everything through Scripture, and well without further adieu here's what he commented about the "revival":

So now, HSAT, here is what I think about "The Florida Revival," going in:

1. Believing in the sovereignty of God and having read (and believed!) Acts 2, I know that it is at best extraordinarily unlikely that it will manifest any revelatory or attesting gifts that have not been in regular evidence among Bible-believing Christians over the last 2000 years (1 Corinthians 12:11) — which is to say, not any. For that reason...
   
2. I know that any claims to revelatory or attesting gifts will likely fall short of Biblical standards. This really, really matters to God (Deuteronomy 13:1-11; 18:20-22), so it should really, really matter to me. Specifically:
   
3. I know that if the majority of unbelievers aren't, without any massaging or special sauce from the "revival's" advocates, goggling in slack-jawed and clueless astonishment at undeniably supernatural events, and desperately scrambling for explanations, any claimed miracles are nothing like real miracles (cf. John 11:47-48; Acts 3:9-10; 4:16).
4. I know that if it doesn't center on and exalt the person and work of Jesus Christ, it's not Holy Spirit-breathed revival (John 16:14; Colossians 1:18).
5. I know that if it wasn't produced by the preaching of the Word of God, it's not Holy Spirit-breathed revival (Nehemiah 9).
   
6. I know that if it doesn't produce greater conformity to the written word of God, it's not Holy Spirit-breathed revival (Psalm 138:2; Matthew 28:18-20; John 8:31-32; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
   
7. I know that if it doesn't produce holy living, which includes adorning behavior and specifically self-control, it isn't Holy Spirit-breathed revival (Galatians 5:22-23).
8. I know that if the leaders of it aren't men well-known for embodying/pursuing the pastoral traits of 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9, and specifically for being in subjection to, and for soundly teaching, the whole Word of God, it's unlikely to be a Holy Spirit-breathed revival.

Amen! It is so important for us to be in the Word of God as much as we can, feed ourselves daily and filter everything we see and/or hear so that we will not be mislead by anyone!

Fireproof

This is one movie I'll definitely watch!

Grace Gems: He who truly believes in Christ

He who truly believes in Christ

(J. C. Ryle, "Do You Believe?")

There is a dead faith as well as a living one. There is a faith of devils as well as a faith of God's elect. There is a faith which is vain and useless, as well as a faith which justifies and saves. How shall a man know whether he has true saving faith? The thing may be found out! The Ethiopian may be known by the color of his skin; and the leopard may be known by his spots. True faith may always be known by certain marks. These marks are laid down unmistakably in Scripture. Reader, let me endeavor to set these marks plainly before you. Look at them carefully—and test your own soul by what I am going to say.

He who truly believes in Christ—has a NEW HEART. It is written, "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature—old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Cor. 5:17.) A believer has no longer the same nature with which he was born. He is changed, renewed, and transformed after the image of his Lord and Savior. He who minds first, the things of the flesh—has no saving faith. True faith, and spiritual regeneration, are inseparable companions. An unconverted person—is not a genuine believer!

He who truly believes in Christ—is a HOLY person in heart and life. It is written that God "purifies the heart by faith," and that Christians are "sanctified by faith." "Whoever has this hope in him, purifies himself." (Acts 15:9; 26:18; 1 John 3:3.). A believer loves what God loves—and hates what God hates. His heart's desire is to walk in the way of God's commandments, and to abstain from all manner of evil. His wish is to follow after the things which are just, and pure, and honest, and lovely—and to cleanse himself from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. He falls far short of his aim, in many things. He finds his daily life, a constant fight with indwelling corruption. But he fights on—and resolutely refuses to serve sin. Where there is no holiness, we may be sure there is no saving faith! An unholy man is not a genuine believer!

He who truly believes in Christ—works godly WORKS. It is written, that "faith works by love" (Gal. 5:6). True belief will never make a man idle, or allow him to sit still, contented with his own religion. It will stir him to do acts of love, kindness, and charity, according as he sees opportunity. It will constrain him to walk in the steps of his Master, who "went about doing good." In one way or another, it will make him work. The works that he does may attract no notice from the world. They may seem trifling and insignificant to many people. But they are not forgotten by Him who notices a cup of cold water given for His sake. Where there is no working love—there is no faith. A lazy, selfish professing Christian—has no right to regard himself as a genuine believer!

He who truly believes in Christ—overcomes the WORLD. It is written, that "whoever is born of God, overcomes the world—and this is the victory which overcomes the world—even our faith" (1 John 5:4). A true believer is not ruled by the world's standard of right or wrong, of truth or error. He is independent of the world's opinion. He cares little for the world's praise. He is not moved by the world's censure. He does not seek for the world's pleasures. He is not ambitious of the world's rewards. He looks at things unseen—he sees an invisible Savior, a coming judgment, and a crown of glory which never fades away. The sight of these objects, makes him think comparatively little of this present world. Where the world reigns in the heart—there is no genuine faith. A man who is habitually conformed to the world—is not a genuine believer!

He who truly believes in Christ—has the witness of the Holy Spirit. He has hopes, joys, fears, sorrows, consolations, expectations, of which he knew nothing before he believed. He has internal evidences which the world cannot understand. Where there are no inward pious feelings—there is no faith. A man who knows nothing of an inward, spiritual, experimental religion—is not a genuine believer!

He who truly believes in Christ—has a special regard to the person of CHRIST Himself. It is written, "Unto you who believe—Christ is precious" (1 Peter 2:7). That text deserves especial notice. It does not say "Christianity" is precious, or the "Gospel" is precious, or "salvation" is precious—but Christ Himself! A true believer's religion, does not consist in mere intellectual assent to a certain set of propositions and doctrines. It is not a mere cold belief of a certain set of truths and facts concerning Christ. It consists in union, communion, and fellowship with an actual living Person, even Jesus the Son of God. It is a life of . . .
faith in Jesus,
confidence in Jesus,
leaning on Jesus,
drawing out of the fullness of Jesus,
speaking to Jesus,
working for Jesus,
loving Jesus, and
looking for Jesus to come again.
Such life may sound like enthusiasm to many. But where there is true faith, Christ will always be known and realized, as an actual living personal Friend! He who knows nothing of Christ as his own Priest, Physician, Redeemer, Advocate, Friend, Teacher, and Shepherd—knows nothing yet of genuine believing!

Where these marks of which I have been speaking, are utterly lacking, I dare not tell a man that he is a true believer. He may be called a Christian, and attend a Christian church. But if he knows nothing of these marks—I dare not pronounce him a believer. He is yet dead in trespasses and sins. Except he awakes to newness of life, he will perish everlastingly.

Show me a man who has these marks—and I feel a strong confidence about the state of his soul. He may be poor and needy in this world—but he is rich in the sight of God. He may be despised and sneered at by man—but he is honorable in the sight of the King of kings. He is traveling towards heaven! He has a mansion ready for him in the Father's house. He is cared for by Christ, while on earth. He will be owned by Christ before assembled worlds, in the life which is to come!

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How Great is our God!

Laminin

ok I cried watching this, its just amazing! I googled the pictures before he showed them and I was like WOW!!! Its just..amazing!

Comunication Skills...more like problems

I am such a horrible person. Seriously, I have serious communication problems. I don't know why on this earth I have such trouble to pick up a phone and call people to see how they're doing, this needs to change. I don't return emails, I don't call people, I don't even IM them!! and then I wonder why these friendships mysteriously disintegrate. I'm finally stepping up and confessing that I do have a problem.
- My friend from high school Milkys got engaged this year, she messaged me new years day, the day after the proposal and she messaged me to tell me her wonderful news. And I haven't even called her!
- My US History teacher, Mr. H, who is also my friend wrote to me last year about the wonderful news of his soon-to-be engagement and I still haven't written back!!
- My friend from middle school, High school and practically all my life, Ricky, had a birthday last week and I didn't even call him, not even to apologize for not showing up for dinner Saturday night.

I confess and I repent. I'm a terrible person and friend. I pray the Lord will change this selfish, unthoughtful way of mine and that He may transform me and fill me with His love.

Courtship, Dating, Marriage and the Unbeliever

Since we are on the topic of dating and the like, I thought I'd repost Dan Phillips excellent post on dating unbelievers: "Dating: When words and choices clash".
Here's a little excerpt of Dan's post:

"Would you date a child molestor? Oh, of course not. Instant deal-killer. Thief, murderer? No and no. Rapist? Never. Those are really bad things.

But not as bad as being an enemy of God (Proverbs 15:9; Ephesians 2:3)? I think we have some seriously skewed priorities.

See, if you are in a dating relationship with someone who doesn’t love Christ, you’ve already said the Christ-issue isn’t the issue to you. Her looks, his job, the way she treats you, his sense of humor - whatever; these things matter more to you than Christ does.

You want this person to believe that he is a sinner, under God’s wrath, and deserving His judgment. You want him to know that his righteous deeds are as filthy rags, that everything he can produce is not enough for God.

But you’ve already communicated, by your choice, that what he has is enough for you. That you and he share enough values, goals, aspirations, and affections to create (or even consider) an exclusive and intimate relationship.

See? You’ve already dealt a death-blow to your own credibility. You really might as well stop talking. Your priorities, your choices, have drowned out your words (cf. the principle of Titus 1:16)."

And

Would you consider marrying someone who never, ever washed his body? Yuck! No way, right? What if (s)he never, ever had his heart and conscience washed (Hebrews 9:14; 10:22)? Evidently yes? Hmm.

Would you consider marrying someone who never listened to a word you said? No way. What if (s)he never listened to a word God said (Proverbs 28:4, 9; Romans 10:17)? Evidently yes?

This is an important issue and one that needs to be taught more often than not, more so in these days.

Courtship, Dating, Marriage

So I stumbled across a website with numerous Engagement/Marriage stories and one of the girls in one of the stories I read said this about what it meant for her as a Christian to be in-love, I thought it was a wonderful edifying thought/definition:

"Being in love is when I trust him completely to handle my very life, my very existence and my whole future until I die. When I can put my self, my life, and my future under his authority, and under his leading. When I know that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him. When I entrust myself to him completely, knowing that he listens to God. That I can submit to him, because he submits to God, and it's like I submit to God through him. To me that's being in love, and I don't feel that way about him yet. The courtship will give him the opportunity to prove himself to me."

That is just such a wonderful definition one that I would like to live up to for the future husband God has in store for me.

Sunday, Discipline, Schemes, Delightful Dish

Today's sermon was so powerful and great and much needed about discipline, where it begins, why its necessary, what Jesus taught about discipline, the outcomes of discipline, how to discipline, etc I'll write down the outline in another post. It really helped me understand a few questions I had about discipline..

Schemes
If there is something I've learned, from all the things I've learned reading the OT, is that God doesn't like schemes and stratagems of man because they put their trust in men as opposed to trusting God. I learned this lesson today. My mom a few months ago said something to me that made me think I could use later on to lure her to church. She said that squared people will not even for the family's sake take some time to go to catholic church and so I thought well since she wouldn't consider herself to be a square or narrow-minded person if I use this line on her she'll be obligated to come to church with me! But I never did build the courage to tell her that until today. Last week she called me specifically to tell me that there would be a mass sometime last week for a cousin of mine to thank God for his life, I was reluctant at first but finally said yes thinking that this would be a good time to use her line to get her to come to church with me today. After I got out of the bathroom I saw her in her room sitting on the couch reading the newspaper and seized that opportunity to ask her to please take me to church, she said she would but asked me to wait a second while she took a bath and got changed..."yes!" I thought, "if she's bathed and changed she'll definitely have no excuse!" we hopped on the car and drove to church, on the way she was telling me how she had to go to my aunts house to take her somewhere and I thought "bummer, my plan had failed" but stubbornly enough decided to still use her line and as I got off the car I said, "mom when are you going to come to church with me you know you yourself once said that only squared people say no" with a indignant look on her face as if I had insulted her she said "oh please! you don't even make a sacrifice for your own family!" and sped off. Then I realized all those times I had read in the OT women and men scheming with good intentions but trusting in their schemes and not in God. Ouch! lesson learned. But also decided something else, a good friend had told me not to go to these things not even to please the family, and I agree it is the wisest thing. Instead of going hoping they'll feel obligated to go, I will decline politely and whenever possible explain the reasons why. I must first and foremost obey and love God above all things.


Delightful Dish
On the other hand, my sister and her boyfriend were cooking today and they prepared the most delicious Bacon and Shrimp fettuccine, in a milk based sauce, very low on salt just how i like em, "al dente".


That was all for today,

oh another thing, last Friday I went to the Book fair, we hold one every year during this same Month, and thinking I wouldn't find anything good since the "Christian" section was filled with the Joel Osteen books and the Rick Warren and the Make your life better today and now books...but I did find 2 wonderful books that I started reading during this weekend, one I found in a stand that was marked with a discount, it was all dirt filled but waiting there for me, John Piper's Dangerous Duty of Delight...and then in another place within the Book Fair, I found still in its plastic wrapping D.A. Carson's Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians.

Youth Group

I am sooo stoked about Youth Group! so the debates are finally over, I say finally because we had plenty of debates but they were really great! It made us all think and analyze ourselves plus we learned heaps about defending our faith among other things. Next Saturday May 10th we begin something called Parcheesi I have no clue what thats going to be about, all I know is that we need to be experts on Christ and the Resurrection for that day.I'll post an update as to how it went.

In the meantime, today is National Day of Prayer..everyday should be! But today it is celebrated, I know because of my trusty WOTM calendar, its a day to be spent praying for our respective country, in my case the DR, the world, our fellow brother's and sisters in Christ out there, people who haven't given their lives to Christ yet, for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who risk their lives everyday for the Gospel, our local Church and its leaders, the Universal Church that she may be strengthen each day and stand on the promise made by Christ that the gates of Lades shall not prevail against her. A day to give thanks to the Lord for His countless blessings, His amazing grace and gift of Salvation, for his trials that build perseverance, His judgments that purify us, His Holy Spirit who convicts us and lead us and comfort us, His amazing love which holds us, His Holy word which instructs us and edify us. A day to give thanks for all the days that we have been allowed to have, and the days to come.
A day to reflect on the times that we are living but also to remember that the Lord once promised a young man: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." This promise is true for us today! (Mat 28:20, Heb 13:5)

God bless!