Perilous Times

Do You Have Assurance ?

2012-01-20T09:23:00.000Z

Leave no stone unturned in order to ascertain your own spiritual state. Be not content with vague hopes and trusts. Rest not on warm feelings and temporary desires after God. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. Oh, allow me to say that if you are content to live on, uncertain about salvation, you live the maddest life in the world! The fires of hell are before you—and you are uncertain whether your soul is saved. This world below must soon be left—and you are uncertain whether you have a mansion prepared to receive you in the world above. The judgment will soon be set—and you are uncertain whether you have an Advocate to plead your cause. Eternity will soon begin—and you are uncertain whether you are prepared to meet God. Oh, sit down this day, and study the subject of salvation! Give God no rest until uncertainty has disappeared, and you have got hold of a reasonable hope that you are saved.

~ J.C. Ryle

H.T J.C.Ryle Quotes

Issues With The Roman Catholic Religion :

2012-01-19T19:29:00.000Z

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that infants are forgiven of original sin when a priest pours water over the baby in the sacrament of baptism. There are two serious problems with this practice. First, there is no occurrence of infant baptism in the New Testament, and second, one must believe in Jesus in order to be forgiven. Clearly a baby cannot respond in faith to the Gospel and thus be forgiven.

- Mike Gendron

Proof That God Exists :

2012-01-16T20:58:00.001Z

H.T. ProofthatGodexists.org

J.C.Ryle Quote :

2012-01-16T13:03:00.001Z

Is your heart right? Then be thankful. Praise the Lord for His distinguishing mercy, in “calling you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Pet. 2:9). Think what you were by nature. Think what has been done for you by free undeserved grace. Your heart may not be all that it ought to be, nor yet all that you hope it will be. But at any rate your heart is not the old hard heart with which you were born. Surely the man whose heart is changed ought to be full of praise.

~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. J.C.Ryle Quotes

Jesus :

2012-01-12T17:08:00.001Z

John Piper Continues To Slide :

2012-01-06T22:26:00.003Z

John Piper continues his slide into apostasy by endorsing the heretical Roman Catholic practice of Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism and at the same time giving credance to Beth Moore female "preacher".

Pray that God would grant him repentance.

H.T. Aprising Ministries

**UPDATE** Desiring God pulls endorsment of Lectio divina Click Here

Churches That Permit Carnality :

2011-12-30T00:43:00.001Z

Recently a "church" in this area (Workington), made a mockery of Christ's sacrifice and baptized 2 individuals who co-habit (fornicate). In the hope that they might visit this site here is a video the people from that church need to watch :

The Gospel For Muslims :

2011-12-22T22:24:00.001Z

True Christian living in the world :

2011-12-21T22:05:00.000Z

"Do not love the world, or anything in the world!" 1 John 2:15

True Christian living in the world, is like a ship sailing on the ocean. It is not the ship being in the water which will sink it--but the water getting into the ship! So, in like manner, the Christian is not ruined by living in the world, which he must do while he remains in the body--but by the world living in him.
The world in the heart has ruined millions of immortal souls!
How careful is the mariner to guard against leakage, lest the water entering into the vessel should, by imperceptible degrees, cause the vessel to sink; and ought not the Christian to watch and pray, lest Satan and the world should find some unguarded inlet to his heart?

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

Quote :

2011-12-16T17:20:00.000Z

“There are many now who sneer at missionaries, and mock at those who go out into the high-ways of our own land, to preach to crowds in the open air. But such persons would do well to pause, and to consider calmly what they are doing. The very work which they ridicule is the work which turned the world upside down, and cast heathenism to the ground. Above all, it is the very work which Christ Himself undertook. The King of kings and the Lord of lords Himself was once a preacher.”

--J.C. Ryle

Faith, C.H. Spurgeon :

2011-12-07T22:02:00.000Z

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (Ephesians 6:16)

Faith is a shield that you may use for warding off every kind of arrow; yea, even the fiery darts of the great enemy; for this shield cannot be penetrated even by javelins of fire.

You cannot be cast into a condition in which faith shall not help you. There is a promise of God suitable for every state, and God has wisdom and skill and love and faithfulness to deliver you out of every possible jeopardy; and therefore you have only to confide in God, and deliverance is sure to come.

Even when your trouble has been brought upon you by your own fault, faith is still available. When your affliction is evidently a chastisement for grevious transgression, still trust in the Lord.

The Lord Jesus prayed for erring Peter that his faith might not fail him; his hope for recovery lay there. When you have stepped aside and when at last the heavenly Father makes you smart under his rod—to cast yourself upon him then is faith indeed.

If any of you at this time are in great distress and are conscious that you richly deserve all your troubles because of your folly, still trust in the mercy of the Lord. Do not doubt the Lord your Savior, for he invites his backsliding children to return unto him.[1]

~Charles Spurgeon

H.T. Aprising Ministries

Ergun Caner, The Fake Muslim / Christian

2011-12-05T13:48:00.003Z

Joy to the World!

2011-12-01T17:05:00.000Z

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

The Gospel, Paul Washer :

2011-11-24T17:55:00.002Z

R.C. Sproul on God's Glory in Judgment :

2011-11-23T07:07:00.001Z

What Jesus said about homosexuality :

2011-11-15T21:47:00.001Z

It's another slogan that passes for thought among the thinking-averse: "Jesus didn't say anything about homosexuality...." The rest of the sentence remains unspoken for fear that laughter might break out. "Jesus didn't say anything about homosexuality; therefore He approves of it."

First of all, that's what's known as an "argument from silence;" a logical fallacy. By this rule Jesus would be made to endorse rape, cannibalism and lots of other nasty stuff. Secondly, we cannot know whether Jesus, in His brief earthly ministry, ever mentioned homosexual sin specifically (see John 21:25), so the claim can't be substantiated. But the slogan is not only unverifiable and non-rational; it reveals ignorance of what we know Jesus did say. Though His teachings recorded in the gospels don't directly address the issue of same-sex sex, the Scriptures leave no room for an honest reader to conclude that Christ condones any sin, including this one.

Before we look at what Jesus said about homosexuality, let me explain my purpose in writing this. It isn't to put anyone down, or to say, "Jesus hates fags." If the Lord hated homosexual sinners, He would have to hate heterosexual sinners (like King David), and certainly murderers (like David, Moses and Paul), thieves, and so on, right down to jaywalkers. And me. And all Christians. If the Son of God had hated us sinners, He certainly wouldn't have endured torture and death on the cross to rescue us. To rescue us from our sins. My one intention is to help other believers respond to the far-less-than-half-truth that "Jesus didn't say anything about homosexuality."

Jesus' affirmation: The morality of the Old Testament is still valid

Contrary to the popular misconception, Jesus is not the Second Moses. He didn't come to give us new laws, or to hand out free passes to break the old ones. Christ didn't have to stand on a mountain and repeat by name every sin mentioned in the Old Testament for all of those sins to remain sins. God, by definition, doesn't change; therefore He does not change His ideas about what's right and wrong. If sin is not sin, then God is not God. *

Jesus addressed all sins generally when He said, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished." (Matt. 5:17,18) Again in Luke 16:16,17 He said, "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of the Law to fail."

Far from smashing the moral code revealed to Israel, Jesus didn't even relax it — He tightened it.

"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder....' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court.... You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery,' but I say to you, that every one who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." (read Matt. 5:21ff)

In this less-loved portion of the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord continues with four more laws — each time with that same formula: You have heard...but I say — each time showing not that the Law of God has been repealed; rather, that it reaches deeper than we ever knew.

Jesus' premise: The original pattern is God's will

In answering a question about divorce, Christ lays a foundation that has implications for our topic.

And some Pharisees came to Him, testing Him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all?" And He answered and said, "Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh'? Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate and divorce her?" He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been this way." (Matt. 19:3-8 NASB, emphasis mine — see also Mark 10:2-9)

His argument assumes that God created things a certain way because (duh) that's the way He wanted them. If we can get back to the original pattern, before sin marred the picture, we'll be able to see God's will for human sex and marriage. That heavenly will, restated here by the Lord, is one man and one woman united in marriage for life.

Christ taunts the Pharisees, faulting them for not deducing God's perfect will regarding marriage from the simple words, the two shall become one flesh. The implications of the fact that before God joined them, He made them male and female are even more elementary.

Homosexual behavior and "gay marriage" aren't going to fit into this primal pattern, which Jesus here places above the Law of Moses. If "serial monogamy" between man/woman couples isn't God's will, then neither is anything further outside the lines drawn in the opening chapters of Genesis. He created them male and female for a reason. Creation involves design, and design reveals intent.

Click Here for source

Proof That God Exists - Logic

2011-11-15T20:15:00.000Z

Click Here for more

The Two Classes of Christ’s Church :

2011-11-03T12:20:00.001Z

Until the Bridegroom comes there will always be some in the visible Church who have grace—and some who have no grace. Some will have nothing but the name of Christian—others will have the reality. Some will have the profession of religion—others will have the possession also. Some will be content to belong to the church—others will never be content unless they also belong to Christ. Some will be satisfied if they have only the baptism of water—others will never be satisfied unless they also feel within the baptism of the Spirit. Some will stop short in the form of Christianity—others will never rest unless they have also the substance.

The visible Church of Christ is made up of these two classes. There always have been such; there always will be such until the end. Gracious and graceless, wise and foolish, make up the whole Church of Christ. You are all either wise virgins—or foolish . You have the oil of grace—or you have none. You are all either members of Christ—or not. You are all either traveling towards heaven—or towards hell.

~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. J.C.Ryle Quotes

John Macarthur on the YRR crew :

2011-11-02T20:05:00.002Z

The Wonders Of The Gospel :

2011-10-31T21:58:00.000Z

Oh, the wonders [the gospel] will accomplish! It wipes guilt from the conscience, rolls the world out of the heart, and darkness from the mind...It will put honey into the bitterest cup, and health into the most diseased soul. It will give hope to the heart, health to the face, oil to the head, light to the eye, strength to the hand, and swiftness to the foot. It will make life pleasant, labour sweet, and death triumphant. It gives faith to the fearful, courage to the timid, and strength to the weak. It robs the grave of its terrors and death of its sting. It subdues sin, severs from self, makes faith strong, love active, hope lively, and zeal invincible. It gives sonship for slavery, robes for rags, makes the Cross light and reproach pleasant; it will transform a dungeon into a palace, and make the fires of martyrdom as refreshing as the cool breeze of summer. It snaps legal bonds, loosens the soul, clarifies the mind, purifies the affections, and often lifts the saint to the very gates Heaven. No man can deserve it; money cannot buy it, or good deeds procure it; grace reigns here!

~ W. Poole Balfern - 1858

How Do We Reach The Youth ?

2011-10-20T18:22:00.002+01:00

Is there any secret to reaching our young people ?

Do we need to change how we do worship ?

Do we need to rap the message in order that they will listen ?

Steve Lawson gives us some sound advice :

1Co 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Diligence

2011-10-14T12:26:00.000+01:00

Would you have more faith? Do you find believing so pleasant that you would like to believe more? Then take heed that you are diligent in the use of every means of grace - diligent in your private communion with God - diligent in your daily watchfulness over time, temper, and tongue - diligent in your private Bible reading - diligent in your own private prayers. It is vain to expect spiritual prosperity, when we are careless about these things. Let those who will, call it over-precise and legal to be particular about them. I only reply, that there never was an eminent saint who neglected them.

~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. J.C. Ryle Quotes

The Power of the Holy Spirit :

2011-09-30T18:00:00.001+01:00

To ALL Mormons and Jehovas Witnesses from Christians

2011-09-28T00:08:00.001+01:00

Can Born-Again Christians Remain in the Catholic Church?

2011-09-27T23:53:00.001+01:00

"This is a question that comes up often as we minister to people in the Catholic religion. Our first response is to ask, "Why would anyone want to stay in a religion that deceives people about where they will spend eternity?" When a Roman Catholic hears the true Gospel revealed in Scripture, he/she must repent (change their mind) concerning the false gospel that they were embracing in order to believe the truth. So there must be a recognition that the Catholic religion was leading them down the broad road to destruction. They must change their faith to get on the narrow road that leads to eternal life. Secondly, born-again Christians must recognize that they are accursed by the Roman Catholic Church by its many anathemas. "If anyone says that baptism is ...not necessary for salvation, let them be anathema" (Council of Trent, Session 7). Another one states, "If any one says, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened to him; let him be anathema" (Council of Trent, Session 6). Still another anathema states, "If anyone denies that in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really and substantially contained...let them be anathema (Council of Trent, Session 12). Regarding the Mass, "If anyone says that the sacrifice of the Mass... is not a propitiator sacrifice...offered for the living and the dead, for sins, punishments, satisfaction and other necessities, let them be anathema" (Trent, Session 12). Why would anyone want to remain in a church that curses him or her? Born-gain Christians are called to walk according to the truth and worship God in Spirit and Truth. This is impossible to do in the Roman Catholic religion. Christians must turn away from every falsehood and embrace the doctrines of Christ. No one can honor God by remaining in fellowship with a religion that embraces so many false doctrines."

~Mike Gendron

180 Documentary on Abortion :

2011-09-27T10:14:00.000+01:00

C.H. Spurgeon Quote :

2011-09-15T22:40:00.001+01:00

“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

- Charles Spurgeon (The prince of preachers)

Wretched: Charismatics Criticizing Charismatics :

2011-09-13T20:46:00.002+01:00

H.T. Aprising Ministries

Mark Driscoll Hearing From God Again :

2011-09-13T07:39:00.004+01:00

This gentleman should be avoided, it appears God is now telling him who the elect are.

** Mark has explained his tweet in more detail Here **

For more dangerous teaching from Driscoll Click Here

H.T. The Christian Research Network

The James White/Ergun Caner Debate, on Calvinism :

2011-09-06T19:57:00.000+01:00

H.T. Alpha and Omega Ministries

Watch Out! Your Pride is Lurking :

2011-09-05T20:44:00.001+01:00

Let all who desire to please Christ, watch and pray against self-esteem. It is a feeling which is deeply rooted in our hearts. Thousands have come out from the world, taken up the cross, professed to forsake their own righteousness, and believe in Christ, who have felt irritated and annoyed when a person has been more honored than themselves. These things ought not so to be. We ought often to ponder the words of Paul, “Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves.” (Phil 2:3) Blessed is that person who can sincerely and gladly rejoice when others are exalted, though they themselves are overlooked and passed by!

~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. J.C.Ryle Quotes

James Smith on the pope :

2011-08-19T20:31:00.000+01:00

The following in an excerpt from the diary of James Smith:

December, 1850.

"Popery and the aggression of the Pope, just now engage almost everyone's attention. Many liberals appear to me to sympathize a great deal too much with the Man of Sin. The Pope is anti-Christ! Popery is alike the enemy of God and man. It is the mystery of iniquity! It blights and blasts every country where it reigns. It is drunk with the blood of the saints. It hates God's Book, and persecutes God's people to the utmost of its power--and therefore we ought to oppose it!"

H.T. Grace Gems

Let Go of Selfishness; Share Christ!

2011-08-19T20:25:00.000+01:00

Let us beware of selfishness in our religion, even after we have learned to value the light. We should labor to make all people see that we have found “the pearl of great price,” and that we want them to find it as well as ourselves. A person’s religion may well be suspected, when they are content to go to heaven alone. The true Christian will have a large heart. If a parent, they will long for the salvation of their children. If a master, they will desire to see their servants converted. If a landlord, they will want their tenants to come with them into God’s kingdom. This is healthy religion! The Christian who is satisfied to burn their candle alone, is in a very weak and sickly state of soul.

H.T.J.C.Ryle Quotes

The Way Of Salvation :

2011-08-10T09:34:00.001+01:00

What must I do to be saved? Saved from what? What is it you wish to be saved from? Hell? That proves nothing. Nobody wants to go there. The issue between God and man is SIN. Do you wish to be saved from it? WHAT IS SIN? Sin is a species of rebellion against God. It is self-pleasing; it is the utter ignoring of God's claims,—being completely indifferent whether my conduct pleases or displeases Him. Before God saves a man, He convicts him of his sinnership. By this I do not mean that he says with everybody else, “Oh yes, we are all sinners, I know that.” Rather do I mean that the Holy Spirit makes me feel in my heart that I have been a life-long rebel against God, and that my sins are many. Have you ever had that experience? Have you seen yourself to be totally unfit for heaven, and for the presence of a Holy God? Do you now perceive that there is no good thing in you, nothing good credited to your account, that all the way through you have loved the things God hates and hated the things God loves? Has the realization of this broken your heart before God? Has it made you mourn that you have so despised His mercies, misused His blessings, broken His sabbaths, neglected His Word, and given Him no real place at all in your thoughts, affections and life? If you have not yet seen and felt this personally, then at present there is no hope for you, for God says, “EXCEPT YE REPENT, YE SHALL ALL LIKEWISE PERISH” (Luke 13:3). And if you die in your present condition, you will be lost forever. But if you have been brought to the place where sin is your greatest plague, where offending God is your greatest grief, and where your deepest desire is now to please and honor Him; then there is hope for you. “The Son of man came to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). And He will save you providing you are ready and willing to throw down the weapons of your warfare against Him, bow to His Lordship, and surrender yourself to His control. His blood can wash the foulest clean. His grace can support and uphold the weakest. His power can deliver the tried and tempted. “Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day salvation” (2 Cor6:2). Yield yourself to Christ's claims. Give Him the throne of your heart. Turn over to Him the regulation ofyour life. Trust in His atoning death. Love Him with all your soul. Obey Him with all your might and He will conduct you to heaven. “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

~ A.W.Pink

How to Abide In Christ :

2011-08-08T21:18:00.001+01:00

To abide in Christ means to keep up a habit of constant close communion with Him–to be always leaning on Him, resting on Him, pouring out our hearts to Him, and using Him as our Fountain of life and strength, as our chief Companion and best Friend. To have His words abiding in us, is to keep His sayings and precepts continually before our memories and minds, and to make them the guide of our actions and the rule of our daily conduct and behavior.

~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. J.C.Ryle Quotes

“An utter travesty of the Gospel”

2011-08-04T21:24:00.001+01:00

“Here is something which is truly important, and something which is basic and fundamental to the whole Christian position. The order in which these things are put is absolutely vital. The Apostle does not ask us to do anything until he has first of all emphasized and repeated what God has done for us in Christ.

How often have men given the impression that to be Christian means that you display in your life a kind of general belief of faith, and then you add to it virtue and knowledge and charity! To them the Christian message is an exhortation to us to live a certain type of life, and an exhortation to put these things into practice.

But that is an utter travesty of the Gospel. The Christian Gospel in the first instance does not ask us to do anything. It first of all proclaims and announces to us what God has done for us.

The first statement of the Gospel is not an exhortation to action or to conduct and behavior. Before man is called upon to do anything, he must have received something. Before God calls upon a man to put anything into practice, He has made it possible for man to put it into practice.”

– D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

H.T. Tolle Lege

Debate on the Pope :

2011-07-22T13:58:00.000+01:00

A portion of Dr James White's rebuttal period on the subject of the Papacy in the early church from my debate with Fr. Mitch Pacwa from 1998 on Long Island.

Soli Deo Gloria !

Safety and Comfort in God’s Election :

2011-07-21T15:32:00.000+01:00

Those whom God has chosen to salvation by Christ, are those whom God specially loves in this world. They are the jewels among mankind. He cares more for them than for kings on their thrones, if kings are not converted. He hears their prayers. He orders all the events of nations and the issues of wars for their good, and their sanctification. He keeps them by His Spirit. He allows neither man nor devil to pluck them out of His hand. Whatever tribulation comes on the world, God’s elect are safe. May we never rest until we know that we are of this blessed number! There breathes not the man or woman who can prove that he is not one. The promises of the Gospel are open to all. May we give diligence to make our calling and election sure!

~ J.C. Ryle

H.T..J.C.Ryle Quotes

Mormons Preach A Different Jesus Christ.

2011-07-07T18:38:00.001+01:00

2Co 11:4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

Do you have His presence?

2011-07-04T11:53:00.000+01:00

Exo 33:1 The LORD said to Moses, "Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'To your offspring I will give it.'

Exo 33:2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Exo 33:3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people."........

Soli Deo Gloria!

Catholic Christians - Is This An Oxymoron?

2011-07-03T12:50:00.001+01:00

Webster's dictionary defines an oxymoron as "a combination of contradictory words," such as jumbo shrimp, tight slacks and pretty ugly. Would you put Catholic Christian into this category? Some would say "no", because they believe Roman Catholicism is a Christian denomination. Others, who know the official teachings of the Catholic Church contradict the essentials of the Gospel would say "yes." We propose that a Catholic Christian is indeed an oxymoron for two reasons:
1) whom we are is what we believe, and

2) it is impossible for anyone to believe two opposing views simultaneously.
We recognize that there may be some Christians attending the Catholic Church but if they have believed the Gospel they are no longer Catholics. Let us consider the contradictory beliefs of Catholics and Christians. By definition we will propose a Christian is one who believes the Gospel while a Catholic is one who believes the official teachings and traditions of his church (presented by paragraph number from the Catechism of the Catholic Church)....

Click Here to continue

Are You Ready ?

2011-07-01T17:56:00.001+01:00

Are you ready for the second coming of Christ? He will come again to this world one day. As surely as He came the first time, so surely will He come the second time. He will come to reward all His saints who have believed in Him and confessed Him on earth. He will come; to judge all His enemies, the careless, the ungodly, the impenitent, and the unbelieving. He will come very suddenly, at an hour when no man thinks, as a thief in the night. He will come in terrible majesty, in the glory of His, Father, with the holy angels. A flaming fire shall burn before Him. The dead shall be raised. The judgment shall be set. The books shall be opened. Some shall be exalted into heaven. Many, very many, shall be cast down to hell. The time for repentance shall be past. Many shall cry, “Lord, Lord, open to us,” but find the door of mercy shut forever. After this there will be no change. Reader, if Christ should come the second time this year, are you ready? Oh! reader, these are solemn questions. They ought to make you examine yourself. They ought to make you think. It would be a terrible thing to be taken by surprise. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. J.C.Ryle Quotes

Hope for Homosexuals, John MacArthur :

2011-06-28T22:22:00.001+01:00

1Co 6:9-10 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Why I Believe In God - by Cornelius Van Til :

2011-06-27T23:43:00.000+01:00

Soli Deo Gloria!

The Sacrificial Lamb :

2011-06-24T12:31:00.000+01:00

The Sacrificial Lamb from SourceFlix on Vimeo.

H.T. Def Con

D.M.Lloyd Jones, Things To Avoid :

2011-06-22T12:29:00.001+01:00

From The Book Preaching And Preachers :

"......There is one thing that is even worse than running into a pulpit and that is the putting on of a smile when you have got there. You know the type of man who stands there and puts on a contrived smile, and then greets his congregation with the words, "Good morning folks; nice to see you, how good of you to come." Still worse if he proceeds to crack a joke or two just to put the people at ease.
....I maintain that this is wrong...Why is it wrong? Because the whole approach is wrong. It is not our service; the people do not come there to see or to please us. It is not like inviting people into our home as it were; it is not our service at all. They, and we are there to worship God, and to meet with God; and what we must do is to show them that this is something entirely different from everything they do everywhere else.
A minister in his church is not like a man inviting people into his home; he is not in charge here. He is just a servant himself; we are all there together to come into the pressence of the living God. I cannot emphasise too much that we should go out of our way to show the difference between these two things. I would utterly condemn the practice of suggesting to the people that there is nothing strange or unusual about this, and of saying "Good morning folks" and putting them at ease with a few jokes. If you want to do that sort of thing in your own home you are at liberty to do so; but a church is not your home, and you yourself are under God.

Quote :

2011-06-20T18:36:00.002+01:00

We can never make too much of Christ. Our thoughts about the Church, the ministry, and the sacraments, may easily become too high and extravagant. We can never have too high thoughts about Christ, can never love Him too much, trust Him too implicitly, lay too much weight upon Him, and speak too highly in His praise. He is worthy of all the honor that we can give Him. He will be all in heaven. Let us see to it, that He is all in our hearts on earth.

~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. J.C. Ryle Quotes

Quote :

2011-06-18T11:06:00.000+01:00

“It is in the gymnasium of affliction that men are modeled and fashioned in the beauty of holiness, and all their spiritual powers are trained for harmonious action. It was meet also that they should suffer, in order to complete their service. Like their Lord, they had to be made perfect through suffering; and if they had not suffered they had not finished the work which he had given them to do. They needed tribulation, moreover, that they might be made like their Savior; for a saint untroubled, how can he be like the man who wore the thorn crown? Never smitten, never slandered, never despised, never mocked at, never crucified, then how could we be like our Head? Shall the servant be above his Master, or the disciple above his Lord?”

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled “What And Whence Are These?,” delivered February 25, 1872.

- C. H. Spurgeon 1834 – 1892

I Do Not Allow a Woman To Teach - John MacArthur

2011-06-16T23:51:00.001+01:00

True Repentance Produces A Deep Hatred Of Sin :

2011-06-10T21:41:00.003+01:00

True repentance shows itself by producing in the heart a settled habit of deep hatred of all sin. The mind of a repentant person becomes a mind habitually holy. They abhor that which is evil, and cleaves to that which is good. They delight in the law of God. They come short of their own desires not unfrequently. They find in themselves an evil principle warring against the spirit of God. They find themselves cold when they would be hot; backward when they would be forward; heavy when they would be lively in God’s service. They are deeply conscious of their own infirmities. They groan under a sense of indwelling corruption. But still, for all that, the general bias of their heart is towards God, and away from evil. They can say with David, “I count all Your precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way” (Psalm. 119:128). When a person can say this, you have the fifth, or crowning step, of true repentance.
~ J.C. Ryle

From the week long series 5 Marks of Repentance. @ J.C.Ryle Quotes

Been Accused Of Having A Critical Spirit ?

2011-06-08T00:09:00.001+01:00

The Bible records in Acts 17:11 that the Apostle Paul commended the Bereans for comparing what he taught and said to Scripture. Rather than taking offense at what others might consider to be “criticism,” Paul encouraged them to compare everything he was teaching to the Word of God. He did not regard those who sincerely measured what he said by Scripture as being “difficult,” or “divisive,” or having a “critical spirit.” He understood that for truth to prevail in the Church, everyone’s teachings–even his own–would have to be proven by the Word of God.

- Warren Smith

H.T. DefCon

satan's workshop :

2011-06-07T11:53:00.002+01:00

H.T. Grace Gems

A Question For Arminians :

2011-06-06T10:56:00.001+01:00

Since you believe that God is all-powerful and all-loving, why does God not cause everyone to be saved? What is so all-mightily restraining his will to be able to save all people?

If you respond by saying that it is the resisting free-will of the unbeliever that impedes God to change their hearts, then why pray, "God, change the unbeliever's heart"? If God is "all-loving" as you claim, should not his love for the hell-bound be more important than him "respecting" the resisting free-will? What sort of divine love is that in your worldview?

At the end of the day, your theology results in the difference of someone becoming saved—not through God's love and power—but through a felicitous factor in the sinner.

“though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls" — Romans 9:11

H.T. Alpha and Omega

Should We Go To the Bars To Evangelize The Lost ?

2011-06-03T22:35:00.002+01:00

1Th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Are You Struggling With Pornography ?

2011-05-25T19:33:00.004+01:00

To Flee youthful lusts is an imperative command. This is not an option, this is not a suggestion... it is a command for everyone of us. Now the second thing is that it is in the present, which means Timothy must always flee youthful lusts. Not just in certain times and in certain situations, but every moment of everyday he must be on the run. In fact this word flee comes into the English language as the word fugitive in the noun form and the idea is that Timothy must be a fugitive. He must be always on the run. He must always be running away from something. He must be running away from youthful lusts. ...This is not confined just to young men in their twenties and early thirties, for it carries forward into midlife, it carries forward into older age. John MacArthur rights on this point "the faithful Christian" that's what we want to be isn't it? "The faithful Christian is continually on the run from the faithful passions that started when we were young." Fleeing is not an option, it is an absolute necessity if we are to be a vessel of honour. Jesus spoke of the same... Jesus spoke of moral purity...

"but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you"

Now Jesus is not calling for self mutualization... Jesus is speaking metaphorically here, this is a figure of speech. To tear out ones right eye and throw it from you, our Lord is speaking graphically and dramatically that we must take whatever dramatic steps are necessary to keep away from youthful lusts. Whatever steps are necessary, take radical steps, go to the Nth degree, do whatever is necessary in repentance and to remove yourself.And then Jesus said "for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell". That's very straight talk from our Lord. And then the next verse "If your right hand makes you stumble", and the idea is, first the eye and the stirring up of fleshly appetites for that which is unlawful, and then the hand becomes involved, and He goes yet further from the eye to the hand. "If your right hand makes you stumble cut it off" chop it off! "and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell" that's pretty strong language. What Jesus is saying is: run from youthful lusts, flee from it, escape it, get rid of it, cut it off, blow it up, bury it, tie a rock around it, throw it into the depths of the ocean, submerge it, lose it, get rid of it. Take whatever steps are necessary that you would flee from youthful lusts. Now along this line I want to be pointed: I do not understand men who are struggling with pornography who keep carrying their laptops around with them, who keep paying their cable television bills, who keep paying their magazine subscription bills. That does not sound like fleeing from lusts. That sounds like courting lusts not fleeing from it. It is like the man who pledges to give up smoking, but all he does is hide his cigarettes in the closet. He's not giving up smoking he's kidding himself. He hasn't given up smoking until he throws them away. As long as they are in the draw, as long as they are in the closet, he hasn't given them up. In fact all this is is a temporary time out. All this is is a momentary truce. He has not fled from this. And the point of this is not smoking, that's only an illustration for what is far more defiling and far more damaging to ones spiritual life. I wanna say again, I do not understand men who are courting pornography and wanna have a little small group fellowship and talk about our struggles, when you have not yet cut off the computer and cut off the television and cut off the magazines. You have not yet fled youthful lusts. Your blood is on your own hands"

~Steven Lawson

H.T. Puritan Fellowship

J.C.Ryle Quote :

2011-05-24T10:55:00.003+01:00

Let us never rest until we know and feel that we are reconciled to God. Let it not content us to go to Church, use means of grace, and be reckoned Christians, without knowing whether our sins are pardoned, and our souls justified. Let us seek to know that we are one with Christ, and Christ in us–that our iniquities are forgiven, and our sins covered. Then, and then only, may we lie down in peace, and look forward to judgment without fear. The time is short. We are traveling on to a day when our lot for eternity must be decided. Let us give diligence that we may be found safe in that day. The souls that are found without Christ shall be cast into a hopeless prison.
~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. J.C.Ryle Quotes

Martin Luther On Unity With Roman Catholics:

2011-05-20T10:39:00.004+01:00

The negotiation about doctrinal agreement displeases me altogether, for this is utterly impossible unless the pope has his papacy abolished. Therefore avoid and flee those who seek the middle of the road. Think of me after I am dead and such middle-of-the-road men arise, for nothing good will come of it. There can be no compromise.

My dear pope, I will kiss your feet and acknowledge you as supreme bishop if you will worship my Christ and grant that through His death and resurrection, not through keeping your traditions, we have forgiveness of sins and life eternal.

If you will yield on this point, I shall not take away your crown and power; if not, I shall constantly cry out that you are the Antichrist, and I shall testify that your whole cult and religion are only a denial of God, but also the height of blasphemy against God and idolatry. (What Luther Says, II: 1019)

Soli Deo Gloria!

Spurgeon Quote :

2011-05-19T23:10:00.003+01:00

"The doctrine of Justification itself, as preached by an Arminian, is nothing but the doctrine of salvation by works."

~C.H. Spurgeon

Where All True Delights and Pleasures Meet

2011-05-18T17:29:00.005+01:00

“Christ [is] the very essence of all delights and pleasures, the very soul and substance of them. As all the rivers are gathered into the ocean, which is congregation or meeting-place of all waters in the world: so Christ is that ocean in which all true delights and pleasures meet. . . .His excellencies are pure and unmixed; he is a sea of sweetness without one drop of gall.”

~ John Flavel

H.T. John Flavel Quotes

The Battle Belongs to the Lord—Dr. Oliphint :

2011-05-05T21:52:00.001+01:00

Soli Deo Gloria!

A Wolf In Sheeps Clothing :

2011-05-04T20:34:00.001+01:00

Mat 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."

Quote :

2011-05-02T23:32:00.002+01:00

The truly wise man is he who believes the Bible against the opinions of any man. If the Bible says one thing, and any body of men says another, the wise man will decide, “This book is the Word of Him who cannot lie.”

- R. A. Torrey~1856 – 1928

H.T. Defending Contending

Quote from God's word :

2011-05-01T00:22:00.001+01:00

1Corinthians 13:1-8 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails............

Do You Hate The False ?

2011-04-22T20:10:00.003+01:00

"He who does not hate the false does not love the true; and he to whom it is all the same whether it be God’s word or man’s, is himself unrenewed at heart.

Oh, if some of you were like fathers you would not have tolerated in this age the wagon loads of trash under which the gospel has been of late buried by ministers of your own choosing. You would have hurled out of your pulpits the men who are enemies to the fundamental doctrines of your churches, and yet are crafty enough to become your pastors and undermine the faith of a fickle and superficial generation".....Continue reading here

H.T. Aprising Ministries

Can preachers be politically correct ?

2011-04-21T15:07:00.001+01:00

Is mormonism Christian ?

2011-04-20T19:26:00.000+01:00

C.H. Spurgeon Quote :

2011-04-15T13:08:00.003+01:00

“Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong, it’s knowing the difference between right and almost right”

-C.H. Spurgeon, (the prince of preachers).

Religion and Its Victims (Mark 12:38-44) John MacArthur

2011-04-13T23:56:00.001+01:00

The Five Solas :

2011-04-09T18:53:00.004+01:00

(The Ninety-Five Theses)

From the reformation came these wonderful truths of scripture :

Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone

Solus Christus - Christ Alone

Sola Gratia - Grace Alone

Sola Fide - Faith Alone

Soli Deo Gloria - The Glory of God Alone

Unwarranted confidence in human ability is a product of fallen human nature ... God's grace in Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of cooperating with regenerating grace. We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life. We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.

- Cambridge Declaration

Christ's Holiness and Our Sinfulness (Luke 19:10) John MacArthur :

2011-04-09T18:47:00.000+01:00

The Slander of the Saints by the World :

2011-04-02T01:07:00.002+01:00

Alas! they are often judged with harshness; or they are judged in ignorance; or they are judged by malice — not judged by righteousness, nor by judgment. When their enemies see them, they say, “These are a broken-spirited people; they are moping and melancholy, wretched and sad.” Thus hard things are spoken against them, and unkind stories are told of them. Sometimes they say they are out of their minds, and then they will insinuate that they are only hypocrites and pretenders. Slander is very busy with the children of God. God had a Son that had no fault; but he never had a son that was not found fault with. Ay, God himself was slandered in paradise by Satan: let us not expect, therefore, to escape from the venomous tongue.

H.T. The Daily Spurgeon

Take Heed: Christ Is Watching You

2011-03-31T19:36:00.002+01:00

Christ forever sees us! Christ always knows us! Christ daily reads and observes our acts, words and thoughts! The recollection of this should alarm the wicked and drive them from their sins! Their wickedness is not hidden, and will one day be fearfully exposed, except they repent. It should frighten hypocrites out of their hypocrisy. They may deceive man, but they are not deceiving Christ. It should quicken and comfort all sincere believers. They should remember that a loving Master is looking at them, and should do all as in His sight. Above all, they should feel that, however mocked and slandered by the world, they are fairly and justly measured by their Savior’s eye. They can say, “You, Lord, who know all things, know that I love You.” (John 21:17)

~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. Erik Kowalker

“To be a Christian” by Martin Luther :

2011-03-29T23:22:00.002+01:00

"To be a Christian is to have received the Gospel and believe in it. This belief brings the forgiveness of sins and God’s grace. It came alone from the Holy Spirit, which works through the Word, without our help or assistance. It is God’s work alone, and not with any power from us or our free will.

It just endures and lets itself be prepared and shaped by the Holy Spirit, like clay or loam is made into a vessel by the potter. Such a person, who knows and believes in Christ, believes that through Him sins are forgiven, that eternal life and everlasting bliss come from pure grace and mercy, without being earned by us and without any good works or being deserving of it, this person will certainly be tortured and tormented by the world.

But the Holy Spirit will stand by him, give him comfort and strengthen him, and give him a joyful heart so that he may disdain everything, for He will not abandon us.”

–Martin Luther

H.T. Tolle Lege

Paid in Full :

2011-03-29T12:45:00.007+01:00

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” —John 19:30.
“It is finished!” said the Lord Jesus just before He died. Those three little words in English, translated from one Greek word, tetelestai, makes an impact upon history like no other words in any language for all eternity; at least as far as the eternal souls of men are concerned. “Fulfilled” is one way this term may be translated. What has been fulfilled? Why, the Law and the Prophets, of course. Jesus observed the law both actively and passively in utter and complete perfection. He also fulfilled all righteousness to the very end, taking on “the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7, 8). Jesus Christ was fully man with flesh and bone as we have, and we are glad because by His incarnation, He is the righteous representative for mankind; yet, we are also glad that His humanity was much more unique than yours and mine. He was perfectly complete as a man, lacking nothing for righteousness, neither faltering nor failing in virtue and goodness, for He is very Truth. The blood that coursed through His veins was the untainted blood of the Son of the Most High God.
“Paid in full” is another way this may be translated. What was paid in full? Redemption for the soul saved by grace! The debt owed to God by each and every one of us for sinning against His holiness and infinitude! Jesus Christ satisfied the penalty owed by each and every soul elected by God to salvation because He paid it to the last mite with His shed blood, in His suffering and enduring God’s holy wrath for sin, and by laying down His life because of His love for His friends and, most especially, for His love for the heavenly Father. This utterance declares that Jesus Christ is Almighty God, because the sufficiency of the penalty payment must come from the Judge that was offended. Jesus of Nazareth is very God!
H.T. Justification by Grace

Spurgeon, The Human Will :

2011-03-29T00:30:00.002+01:00

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him."—John 6:44.

"This inability of man lies in the obstinacy of the human will. "Oh!" saith the Arminian, "men may be saved if they will." We reply, "My dear sir, we all believe that; but it is just the if "they will" that is the difficulty. We assert that no man will come to Christ unless he be drawn; nay, we do not assert it, but Christ himself declares it—"Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life;' and as long as that "ye will not come' stands on record in Holy Scripture, we shall not be brought to believe in any doctrine of the freedom of the human will." It is strange how people, when talking about free-will, talk of things which they do not at all understand. "Now," says one, "I believe men can be saved if they will." My dear sir, that is not the question at all. The question is, are men ever found naturally willing to submit to the humbling terms of the gospel of Christ? We declare, upon Scriptural authority, that the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, and so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful. supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained towards Christ. You reply, that men sometimes are willing, without the help of the Holy Spirit. I answer—Did you ever meet with any person who was? "

Payment for Sins :

2011-03-24T22:59:00.001Z

The Source of your Satisfaction :

2011-03-24T17:02:00.003Z

Do we know anything of spiritual hunger? Do we feel anything of craving and emptiness in conscience, heart and affections? Let us distinctly understand that Christ alone can relieve and supply us, and that it is His office to relieve. We must come to Him by faith. We must believe on Him, and commit our souls into His hands. So coming, He pledges His royal word we shall find lasting satisfaction both for time and eternity. It is written–“He that comes unto me shall never hunger, and he that believes on me shall never thirst.”
~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. Eric Kowalker

“Dear is the treasure who lies in them” by Martin Luther :

2011-03-24T15:00:00.004Z

“What is the New Testament but a public preaching and proclamation of Christ, set forth through the sayings of the Old Testament and fulfilled through Christ? In order that those who are not more familiar with it may have instruction and guidance for reading the Old Testament with profit, I have prepared this preface to the best of the ability God has given me.
I beg and really caution every pious Christian not to be offended by the simplicity of the language and stories encountered there, but fully realize that, however simple they may seem, these are the very words, works, judgments, and deeds of the majesty, power, and wisdom of the most high God.
For these are the Scriptures which make fools of all the wise and understanding, and are open only to the small and simple, as Christ says in Matthew 11:25.
Therefore, dismiss your own opinions and feelings, and think of the Scriptures as the loftiest and noblest of holy things, as the richest of mines which can never be sufficiently explored, in order that you may find that divine wisdom which God lays here before you in such simple guise as to quench all pride.
Here you find the swaddling cloths and the manger in which Christ lies, and to which the angel points the shepherds (Luke 2:12). Simply and lowly are these swaddling cloths, but dear is the treasure, Christ, who lies in them.”

–Martin Luther, “Preface to the Old Testament (1523/1545),”

H.T. Tolle Lege

The One, Non-Repeatable Sacrifice of the Cross :

2011-03-21T20:14:00.004Z

He Himself was the sacrifice; His body the altar, Himself the priest, Himself also the victim. On Calvary’s tree He presented Himself a substitute for Human guilt, and there he bore the crushing weight of Jehovah’s wrath in His own body, on the behalf of all His people. On Him their sins were laid, and He was numbered with the transgressors; and there He, in their stead, suffered what was due to the righteousness of God, and made atonement to divine justice for the sins of His people. This was done, not by many offerings, but by one sacrifice, and that one alone. Jesus offered no other sacrifice: He had never made one before, nor since, nor will he present another sacrifice in the future. His sin offering is one.

H.T. The Daily Spurgeon

The Flood Came :

2011-03-18T10:53:00.001Z

H.T. Grace Gems

Must See: Rob Bell the Heretic :

2011-03-17T21:37:00.003Z

Mat 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves."

My Hope is Not in Myself but in Christ :

2011-03-11T12:06:00.001Z

Rom 6:11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Dr James White on Rob Bell :

2011-03-06T12:56:00.005Z

Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

H.T. Alpha and Omega Ministries

Let us not sleep :

2011-03-04T23:00:00.003Z

“Let us not sleep, as do others.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:6

The Savior, as I see him throughout the whole of his ministry, appears to me on his knees pleading, and before his God agonising — laying out his life for the sons of men. But, brethren, do I speak harshly when I say that the disciples asleep are a fit emblem of our usual life? As compared or rather contrasted with our Master, I fear it is so.

Where is our zeal for God? Where is our compassion for men? Do we ever feel the weight of souls as we ought to feel it? Do are ever melt in the presence of the terrors of God which we know to be coming upon others? Have we realised the passing away of an immortal spirit to the judgment bar of God? Have we felt pangs and throes of sympathy when we have remembered that multitudes of our fellow creatures have received, as their eternal sentence, the words — "Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire in hell, prepared for the devil and his angels?" Why, if these thoughts really possessed us, we should scarce sleep; if they became as real to us as they were to him, we should wrestle with God for souls as he did, and become willing to lay down our lives, if by any means we might save some.

~C.H.Spurgeon

Possessing a Deep Concern for Lost Souls :

2011-03-03T15:27:00.002Z

We know but little of true Christianity, if we do not feel a deep concern about the souls of unconverted people. A lazy indifference about the spiritual state of others, may doubtless save us much trouble. To care nothing whether our neighbors are going to heaven or hell, is no doubt the way of the world. But a person of this spirit is very unlike David, who said, “rivers of waters run down my eyes, because men keep not your law” [Psalm 119:136]. He is very unlike Paul, who said, “I have great heaviness and continual sorrow of heart for my brethren” [Rom. 9:2]. Above all, he is very unlike Christ. If Christ felt tenderly about wicked people, the disciples of Christ ought to feel likewise.
~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. Erik Kowalker

Scripture, by C.H. Spurgeon :

2011-03-01T21:37:00.004Z

Authority of :

"Always stand to it that your creed must bend to the Bible, and not the Bible to your creed, and dare to be a little inconsistent with yourselves, if need be, sooner than be inconsistent with God’s revealed truth"

Canon closed :

"I have little confidence in those persons who speak of having received direct revelationsfrom the Lord, as though he appeared otherwise than by and through the gospel. His word is so full, so perfect, that for God to make any fresh revelation to you or me is quite needless. To do so would be to put a dishonour upon the perfection of that word."

Criticism of :

"He that reads his Bible to find fault with it will soon discover that the Bible finds fault with him."

Neglect of :

"There is dust enough on some of your Bibles to write “damnation” with your fingers"

~C.H. Spurgeon

Preachers: Don’t Flatter, Speak Truth :

2011-02-28T15:16:00.005Z

Well would it be for the Church of Christ, if it possessed more plain-speaking ministers, like John the Baptist, in these latter days. A morbid dislike to strong language - an excessive fear of giving offence, a constant flinching from directness and plain speaking - are, unhappily, too much the characteristics of the modern Christian pulpit. Uncharitable language is no doubt always to be deprecated. But there is no charity in flattering unconverted people, by abstaining from any mention of their vices, or in applying smooth epithets to damnable sins. There are two texts which are too much forgotten by Christian preachers. In one it is written, “Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you.” (Luke 6:26) In the other it is written, “Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (Gal. 1:10)
~ J.C. Ryle

H.T. Erik Kowalker

Theological word of the day, Heresy :

2011-02-27T22:06:00.006Z

[hair'-uh-see] (Greek hairesis, “choose”)
Describes a deviation or departure, doctrinally speaking, from the Christian faith, usually of a significant variety. This deviation must be from an established doctrine, dogma, or canon of truth that has been historically accepted as a defining characteristic of the faith. Arguably, the most common and serious heresies center on the person of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity.

Here is an example :

Rob Bell Teaching Universalism

Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

Thomas Watson Quote :

2011-02-26T10:30:00.002Z

"God is the best friend--but the worst enemy! If He can look men into their grave, how far can He throw them? What fools are they, who, for a drop of pleasure--drink a sea of wrath!"

~Thomas Watson 1620—1686

How Many Times Have You "Got Saved" ? :

2011-02-24T20:46:00.001Z

Content in the Holy Spirit, Not Feelings :

2011-02-22T12:33:00.002Z

"Feelings, no doubt, fill a most important office in our personal Christianity. Without them there can be no saving religion. Hope, joy, peace, confidence, resignation, love and fear, are things which must be felt, if they really exist. But it must never be forgotten that there are religious affections, which are spurious and false, and spring from nothing better than animal excitement. It is quite possible to feel great pleasure, or deep alarm, under the preaching of the Gospel, and yet to be utterly destitute of the grace of God. The tears of some hearers of sermons, and the extravagant delight of others, are no certain marks of conversion. We may be warm admirers of favorite preachers, and yet remain nothing better than stony-ground hearers. Nothing should content us but a deep, humbling, self-mortifying work of the Holy Spirit, and a heart-union with Christ."
~ J.C. Ryle

C.H.Spurgeon on Conversion :

2011-02-21T12:29:00.004Z

If the Saviour has not sanctified you, renewed you, given you a hatred of sin and a love of holiness, He has nothing in you of a saving character.

True religion is something more than correct opinions. A man may as well descend to hell being orthodox as heterodox.

Conversion is the mysterious work of the Spirit upon the soul. That great change could not be produced by the fear of imprisonment, the authority of law, the charms of bribery, the clamour of excitement, or the glitter of eloquence.

Though no man is free from the commission of sin, yet every converted man is free from the love of sin.

The vital spark that regenerates a soul is kindled in an instant. Instantaneous conversion is not the exception, it is the rule; there cannot be any conversion but that which is instantaneous.

That conversion which is all joy and lacks sorrow for sin, is very questionable.

~ C.H.Spurgeon

Take Heart During Persecution

2011-02-18T21:55:00.002Z

Let it never surprise true Christians if they are slandered and misrepresented in this world. They must not expect to fare better than their Lord. Let them rather look forward to it as a matter of course, and see in it a part of the cross which all must bear after conversion. Lies and false reports are among Satan’s choicest weapons. When he cannot deter men from serving Christ, he labors to harass them and make Christ’s service uncomfortable. Let us bear it patiently, and not count it a strange thing. The words of the Lord Jesus should often come to our minds – “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you.” [Luke 6:26] “Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.” [Matt. 5:11]
~ J.C. Ryle

Octavious Winslow Quote :

2011-02-17T01:34:00.001Z

“I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” John 16:32.
Oh, what words are these! Who can harm you now? What can befall you? When and where can you be alone, if your heavenly Father is with you? He is with you on the ocean; He is with you on the land. He is with you in your exile; He is with you at home. Friends may forsake, and kindred may die, and circumstances may change- but “my Father is with me!” may, still be your solace and your boast.
And, oh, to realize the presence of that Father- to walk with God in the absorbing consciousness of His loving eye never removed, of His solemn presence never withdrawn, of His encircling arm never untwined- welcome the solitude, welcome the loneliness, welcome the sorrow, cheered, and sweetened, and sanctified by such a realization as this! “I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”

~Octavious Winslow

C.H.Spurgeon : Romanism

2011-02-16T20:33:00.001Z

One reason why Romanism is so popular is because it allows a man to get a deputy to do his thinking for him, and to do his praying for him; but what a poor affair it is with the man who keeps his brains in somebody else’s head, and carries his heart in somebody else’s bosom!

~C.H.Spurgeon, the prince of preachers - June 19, 1834 – January 31, 1892

John Macarthur, Speaking in tongues :

2011-02-13T23:14:00.002Z

I am thoroughly convinced that the biblical description of the charismatic gifts is incompatible with the charismatic gifts practiced in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches today. For example, Acts 2 is explicit in describing the gift of tongues as the ability to speak previously unlearned foreign languages. The rest of the New Testament affirms this same understanding (as does the testimony of the church fathers). But that is the very opposite of the nonsensical gibberish that characterizes modern glossolalia.
So I would challenge them to explain why they hold on to a modern practice that, in reality, has no biblical precedent—especially when that modern practice is the gateway to all sorts of theological error.

False Prophets Are Often Extremely Subtle :

2011-02-11T11:33:00.003Z

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Most people who have a modicum of discrimination can detect a heretic. If a man came into a pulpit and seemed to be doubtful about the being of God, and denied the deity of Christ and the miracles, you would say that he was a heretic. There is not much difficulty about that, or anything very subtle about it.
And yet, you notice, our Lord’s picture suggests that there is a difficulty, and that there is something subtle about this. You notice the very terms in which He puts it, this picture of the sheep’s clothing. He suggests that the real difficulty about this kind of false prophet is that at first you never imagine he is such.
The whole thing is extremely subtle, so much so that God’s people can be misled by it. You notice how Peter puts it in the second chapter of his second Epistle. These people, he says, “creep in unawares.” They look like the right people, they have sheep’s clothing on, and no one suspects anything false. Now the Bible, in the Old Testament and in the New, always brings out that characteristic of the false prophet. It is his subtlety that really constitutes the danger. Any true exposition of this teaching, therefore, must give due weight to that particular element. For this reason, then, we cannot accept it a being merely a warning about heretics and their teaching.
But the same thing applies to the other side. It is obviously not something outrageous in conduct. There again everybody could recognize it, and it would not be subtle, or constitute a difficulty. The picture we need to have in our minds, therefore, should rather be this. The false prophet is a man who comes to us, and who at first has the appearance of being everything that could be desired. He is nice and pleasing and pleasant; he appears to be thoroughly Christian, and seems to say the right things. His teaching in general is quite all right and he use many terms that should be used and employed by a true Christian teacher.
He talks about God, he talks about Jesus Christ, he talks about the cross, he emphasizes the love of God, he seems to be saying everything that a Christian should say. He is obviously in sheep’s clothing, and his way of living seems to correspond. So you do not suspect that there is anything wrong at all; there is nothing that at once attracts your attention or arouses your suspicions, nothing glaringly wrong. What then can be wrong, or may be wrong, with such a person? My suggestion is that finally this person may be wrong both in his teaching and in his type of life for, as we shall see, these two things are always indissolubly linked together.
Our Lord puts it by saying, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” The teaching and the life can never be separated, and where there is wrong teaching in any shape of form it always leads to a wrong type of life in some respect. How then can we describe these people? What is wrong with their teaching? The most convenient way of answering this is to say that there is no “strait gate” in it, there is no “narrow way” in it. As far as it goes it is all right, but it does not include this. It is a teaching, the falseness of which is to be detected by what it does not say rather than what it does say. And it is just at this point that we realize the subtlety of the situation.
As we have already seen, any Christian can detect the man who says outrageously wrong things; but is it unfair or uncharitable to say to say that the vast majority of Christians today do not seem to be able to detect the man who seems to say the right things but leaves out vital things? We have somehow got hold of the idea that error is only that which is outrageously wrong; and we do not seem to understand that the most dangerous person of all is the one who does not emphasize the right things. That is the only way to understand rightly this picture of the false prophets. The false prophet is a man who has no “strait gate” or “narrow way” in his gospel.
He has nothing which is offensive to the natural man; he pleases all. He is in “sheep’s clothing,” so attractive, so pleasant, so nice to look at. He has such a nice and comfortable and comforting message. He pleases everybody and everybody speaks well of him. He is never persecuted for his preaching, he is never criticized severely. He is praised by Liberals and Modernists, he is praised by Evangelicals, he is praised by everybody. He is all things to all men in that sense; there is no “strait gate” about him, there is no “narrow way” in his message, there is none of “the offense of the cross.”

~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

We Add Nothing to God :

2011-02-06T20:52:00.002Z

“Let us consider and marvel that ever this great and blessed God should be so much concerned, as you have heard He is in all His Providences, about such vile, despicable worms as we are! He does not need us, but is perfectly blessed and happy in Himself without us. We can add nothing to Him.”

~ John Flavel

H.T. John Flavel Quotes

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God :

2011-02-05T16:11:00.003Z

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

Confessing Christ Boldly To Others :

2011-02-03T12:18:00.001Z

The wickedness of being ashamed of Christ is very great. It is a proof of unbelief. It shows that we care more for the praise of men whom we can see, than that of God whom we cannot see. It is a proof of ingratitude. It shows that we fear confessing Him before man who was not ashamed to die for us upon the cross. Wretched indeed are they who give way to this sin. Here, in this world, they are always miserable. A bad conscience robs them of peace. In the world to come they can look for no comfort. In the day of judgment they must expect to be disowned by Christ to all eternity, if they will not confess Christ for a few years upon earth. Let us resolve never to be ashamed of Christ. Of sin and worldliness we may well be ashamed. Of Christ and His cause we have no right to be ashamed at all. Boldness in Christ’s service always brings its own reward. The boldest Christian is always the happiest person.
~ J.C. Ryle