What Happens When I Die? 4 Issues In Understanding Life and Death

Pricked Again By Pensees

In his, Pensées, Pascal discusses the need of many individuals to seek distractions and diversions in life in order to take their minds away from the larger questions of life and death. He writes:

“Their error does not lie in seeking excitement, if they seek it only as a diversion; the evil is that they seek it as if the possession of the objects of their quest would make them really happy. In this respect it is right to call their quest a vain one … And thus, when we take the exception against them, that that they seek with such fervour cannot satisfy them, if they replied – as they should do if they considered the matter thoroughly – that they sought in it only a violent and impetuous occupation which turned their thoughts from self, and that they therefore chose an attractive object to charm and ardently attract them, they would leave their opponents without a reply. But they do not make this reply, because they do not know themselves. Thy do not know that it is the chase, and not the quarry, which they seek”. (Pascal, 1952, p. 197)

Are you constantly seeking and consuming people, places, and things in an attempt to forget about you mortality and your alientation from the one true God, others, and in truth…yourself.

Plato would say of people like you in Laws V: “he sells all that gives the soul its beauty and value for a few paltry pieces of gold; but all the gold upon the earth and all the gold beneath it does not compensate for lack of virtue”. (Plato: The Complete Works, 1997, p. 1411)

Have you considered the words of Christ: ”Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Why not stop striving after the wind and wasting your life?  Why not see the activities in your life for what they are…distractions, diversions, and emptiness? Why not give up your soul to the source of truth, beauty, and goodness- the Living God, Jesus, and be satisfied forever.  

Please Don’t Do Nothing: A Biblical Mandate to Do Something About Abortion

This article is a resource of abort73.com. For more articles and resources that will help you fight against the advance of evil, please visit www.abort73.com

A Biblical Mandate to Do Something About Abortion
Page Summary:
This document exists for two reasons: to convince more of God’s people to enter the active defense of abortion-vulnerable children and to help those already making a defense to be more biblical.

“How can I lose my disgusting pride?”

The more free from sin and the more sanctified God makes me, the more I recognize how pollutedly weak my self, still bound by a sin nature, actually is. I am continually awestruck and overtly grateful for the reconciliation God has made with me. Though in my mind I am aware of my positional sanctification, I am humbled by the knowledge of my actual state of holiness which is a lack there of. I might seem to be holy for a time until I inevitably give in to sin. It might just be a minor slip, but the more I grow in Christ, the more difficult to bear the minor slips become. My unrighteous anger which well up in me is often unrighteously exhausted on others (I become agitated when I am corrected or controlled). The more I grow in Christ the less the anger seems to well up in me and the less it affects others. However, it is still there and I ask the same question the apostle Paul asked: Why do I do what I don’t want to do?

My question is this: “How can I lose my disgusting pride?” How can I keep from not only exhausting my anger on others, but also, keep it from welling up in me when my pride is thwarted. I can’t seem to shake it, no matter

Imago Dei- Interaction w/ Grenz’s “The Social God and the Relational Self”

The Hebrew Term, selem, the first of two terms whose meanings must be understood in order to have a correct understanding of the imago dei, appears seventeen times in the OT and means “image.” Selem has a sense of concreteness (physical representations or natural objects) as well as abstractness (being likened to a shadow) and is argued that its basic meaning is that of “representation.” Werner Schmidt writes that “just as a shadow images an object, so also the image it forms reproduces the thing it depists; it facilitates the objects reappearance” (186).

The second of the two Hebrew terms connected with the imago dei is demut, and carries the meaning of “likeness” or “resemblance.” Recent scholars almost unanimously argue that demut and selem are basically synonymous terms with only slight distinction but they debate the reason for inclusion of both terms in the first creation narrative. THose who argue that the inclusion of both words has theological significance as opposed to being merely interchangable give several reasons for the inclusion of demut, such as “obviating the danger of surmising from selem too close a connection between created humankind and the divine Creator and to explain and add preceision to selem by indicating that the created image is to correspond to the original by resembling it” (187).

The most widely held view concerning the image of God is that entailing a similarity between God and humankind. The focus of the similarity is on the

Are There Many Paths To God? 3 Reasons That Show Jesus Is The Only Path To God

Below is the message I preached on March 15, 2009 entitled- Are There Many Paths To God?: 3 Reasons That Show Jesus Is The Only Path To God…as part of a Crucial Questions sermon series. You can download this message at www.gvfonline.org.

Would it bother us more if they used guns?

Would it bother us more if they used guns?

Lord have mercy on us and forgive them for they know not what they do.

Please vist http://www.abort73.com/ for more information.

Soul Piercing (Luke 1:38)

“Behold the bondslave of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.”

This is Mary’s response to the angel who visited her informing her that she’d been chosen by the Living God to be the vessel (indeed the mother) for the Messiah, the Christ- whose name shall be called Jesus (Joshua). Like any normal human being would be, Mary was unsure about the prospect of being with child since she was still a virgin. The angel basically tells her that nothing is impossible with God. She is told that God would grow this baby in her womb without her having sexual relations with a man. Her reply is: “be it done to me according to your word.” Talk about some extreme faith. Granted, she was directly visited by a messenger from God, but have we not also been given Scripture, God’s verbal revelation to us. And do we not also have the third person of the Triune God- The Holy Spirit, indwelling our very bodies? Indeed we do, and so our faith, our trust, our committment, our affection, our whole life should overflow of expectation that God will move with power in our midst- even to do things that seem impossible to us.

Lord, please do not leave me alone, but visit me and give me the kind of faith that expects to see you move. Increase my faith that I may never doubt, not only your ability to do what for me may seem impossible, but also that I may never doubt your desire to show your power among your people. Lord, please give me opportunities to be an instrument of your power, and if I fail to take a risk because I my own fear… Lord please give me strength.

12 Distinguishing Signs of True Religious Affections

We bring our Lord much glory if we get from Him much grace -Charles Spurgeon

According to the great theologian and philosopher, Jonathan Edwards, the affections are the practical exercises of the inclination and will of the soul. The affections equal the heart; feelings; and attitude. All of us have affections for people, places, and things. But do we have affection for the one true God? and if we claim to have affections for God and have experienced God…How do we know that we  have a true and genuine experience with God?  Jonathan Edwards, makes some keen observations regarding our affection for God.

How The Religious Affections May Be Falsely Appraised

1. The Intensity of Religious Affections is No Evidence
2. Bodily Affections Are No Evidence of True Affections
3. Much Fluent and Fervent Talk is No Evidence
4. Imposed Emotions Are Not Evidence
5. Scripture Tests-The Devil Misuses Scripture, Parable of the Sower
6. The Exhibition of Love is No Evidence of True Religious Affections
7. Many Accompanying Kinds of Religious Affections Are Not Evidence
8. The Resultant Comfort and Joy That Follow Spiritual Awakening and Conviction of Conscience Are not Evidence
9. True Afections are Not Equated with Time and Effort Spent in Religious Affections.
10. Verbal Worship is No Evidence
11. Self-Confidence Is No Evidence
12. Outward Evidences Are Not Enough

12 Distinguishing Signs of Truly Gracious and Holy Affections

1. True Spiritual Affections Are Divinely Given
2. The Fundamental Basis of Gracious Affections is the Transcendant Excellence and Loveable NAture of Divine Things
3. Gracious Affections Are Based on the Delight of the Beauty and Moral Excellence of God Himself
4. Gracious Affections Arise from a Spiritually Enlightened Mind
5. Gracious Affections Are Associated with Historical Evidence and True Conviction (Jesus is the way, the truth, the life)
6. Gracious Affections Flow from Deep Awareness of Personal Insufficiency
7. Gracious Affections Depend upon Conversions That Change Our Characters
8. Gracious Affections Have Christ-Like Gentleness
9. Gracious Affections Soften the Heart in Christian Tenderness
10. Gracious Affections Are Consistent and Constant
11. Gracious Affections Intensify Spiritual Longings
12. Gracious Affections Are the Daily Practice of Christian Ministry

These insights from Edwards have been helpful for me not so much to prove to myself that I am “in” but rather to help me as I seek to know Christ in a deeper way. I don’t want my own faith to be hypocritical. I don’t want to fake my way through this life thinking somehow that I’ve done it right. I want an ever growing utterly genuine relationship with the God who is there. It seems to me that our God who is the essence of both love and logic, as we draw nearer to His thronek, will change our affections in the ways that Edwards has suggested.  Of course, I can’t see my own progress toward Christ-like character and often wonder how God and others perceive my walk. However, I can trust that He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it. I thank you Lord for Your continued work to mortify the sinfulness in me, and I pray from the depths of my inner most being that You would give me affections that are truly grace filled, holy, and pleasing in Your sight.

Let Your Glory Fall

Here’s a little song I wrote:

We walked among the dead… Hearts of stone hardened by sin

But you burnt our souls with fire…Now your glory is our desire

We talked among the lie…Wills of greed conformed to die

But You captured us with Your grace…Now the Way is who we embrace

Chorus:

Let your glory fall on me

As  I humbly bend my knee

To offer my life to you

As a slave bound to serve the Truth

 

We walked among the old…Minds of darkness false thoughts to hold

But you opened our eyes to light…Now you Kingdom is our delight

We lived for selfish gain…Bodies of dust our choice to fame

But you’ve broken us of our pride..Now in you is where we abide

Chorus

The Cosmological Argument (Video Presentations)

A few videos where I discuss the Cosmological Argument for the existence of God at the One Calling Student Ministry of Grace Valley Fellowship.

Part 1

Part 2

 

Part 3

Expect To Win

In order to ”win” the battle for souls in this world, there are several ambassador essentials that we must practice. Remember that all Christians are missionaries to their spheres of influence- and although we play a significant role planting and watering the soil upon which we labor…God ultimatly brings the growth! And so, in order to plant and water effectively we must as Scripture commands “prepare our minds for action.” To be missionally effective, we must …1) exhibit and maintain growth in knowledge…such as a solid understanding of the gospel, theology, philosophy, culture, and apologetics. 2) We must exhibit a vibrant and robust spiritual life and maintain growth in virtue and character. 3) We must be intentional to take wise and tactful action in our spheres of influence. This action will look differently for each person and for each situation but the key point is that something must be done. We can’t sit back passively. We must expect God to move and ask Him to do just that. We must pray for opportunities and then go and be ready for them when they come. And when they come (and they always do) we must intentionally take risks, rather than cower in fear. If we cower in fear, we will lose the battle and will not reap the reward. We must expect to win!