Every Picture a Story

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Every picture unique.Each one with a diverse story behind it, a life filled with sadness or pain, or perhaps temporary happiness. Yet there is a common thread running through these pictures. It goes beyond the fact that they are all of one blood, living under one sky, with the same one purpose for living. That common thread is constant, it runs through the hearts of all people who have lived, will live, and are living. That thread is sin.
Sin, with its heavy weight of guilt, shame, and ultimate punishment. Sin, that which seperates you and I and every other human from God's holy presence. Sin is destruction, it is terrible, and we are all born into it. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." As sinners and rebels against God, we deserve the just sentence He pronounces. Yet there is hope.
"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Do you see the beauty of that verse? First the harsh reality of what our sin costs us but then the beautiful grace of God as shown through Christ.
"But God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God is rich in mercy and grace toward us. Though we are lost, unrepentant and undeserving of anything but His wrath, God reaches down and extends a way of escape for us. That way is Jesus Christ, who died as the perfect sacrifice for sin and rose to conquer death.
God is calling you to repent of and forsake your sin and turn to Him trembling, believing that only through Christ can you be saved from His just wrath. Only through Christ can you be redeemed from the bondage of sin and be set free to glorify God with your life.

Recommended Sermon

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12007214812

"Destroying the Pop-Christian views of marital bliss" - by Paul Washer

The best sermon I've ever heard on Biblical marriage and what it looks like. Marriage is to represent Christ and the church, the man is to love his wife sacrifically, she is to give him unconditional respect. All this I knew. This message took that theology and made it even deeper and broader.

Rests

Not without design does God write the music of our lives.Be it ours to learn the tune, and not be dismayed at the "rests." They are not to be slurred over, not to be omitted, not to destroy the melody, not to change the keynote. If we look up, God Himself will beat the time for us. With the eye on Him, we shall strike the next note full and clear.
If we sadly say to ourselves, "There is no music in a 'rest'," let us not forget "there is the making of music in it." The making of music is often a slow and painful process in this life. How patiently God works to teach us!
How long He waits for us to learn the lesson!
-- Ruskin

"To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect."- John Owen

Modern Christianity

This is an actual chatroom conversation.I omitted all non-topic related comments or comings and goings from chat of course.But what you see told to the seeker, was exactly what was told them, or was up unto I left the room.
This conversation bothered me greatly. How can Christians just tell someone to pray a prayer and they will be saved? Do they not understand what repentance and belief truly is, or that it is the foundation of salvation? And that a person does not get saved just by quoting some 'prayer'? Besides that, there is no sinner's prayer in the Bible. "Dear Jesus come into my heart and save me, forgive me of my sins and help me live for you. " does not save anyone. There must first be a work of the Holy Spirit in the heart to convict and show the person their need of Him.
Besides all that, where in this conversation was the gospel presented?? It would appear everyone assumed this person already knew the gospel message , for no effort was made to share of Christ's atonement, His death, or His resurrection. There was also no check made to see that the seeker understood how and why they were a sinner, and exactly why they needed to repent of it.
It's at times like these when I am glad it is neither you nor I that saves anyone. Thankfully, God can and will save people in spite of the dreadfully inaccurate presentations given to them by modern Christianity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Non-Christian - I dont even really understand what a Christian is so I dont know if I am one

Person A - Do you have a relationship with God ?

Person B - I got saved when I was 6 yrs old...if you understand the sinners prayer..and mean it from your heart...it doesnt matter what age..amen!

Person C - A Christian is someone that is saved that has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour

Person B - amen you said it right !

NonChristian 2 to NonChristian 1 - Im not christian but if you dont understand what being a christian is please check it out first .. im not saying dont become one ...but at least find out what it means first

Person D - A Chrisitan is someone who has repented and turned from their sins and trusted in Christ to pay for their sin

Person B - amen

Person B to NonChristian 2 - you dont know if you are a christian or not?

NonChristian 2 - no, Im not one

Person B - ..so you dont know if you want to be one or not?

NonChristian 2 - too long of a story

Person B - you feel like you dont want to be a christian anymore...mind me asking why?

NonChristian 1 - what would I say if I wanted to have this Jesus in my life?

Person A - you ask him

Person D - no, you see your sin and repent

Person A - you need to have a relationship with him

Person E - just ask him to come into your heart, to forgive your sins , He loves you so much

Person A - all he asks of you is that you see your sin ...than forget your a sinner...accept him..and love him

NonChristian 1 - ..will he like talk back to me or something?

Person B - ..just say it out loud..god..I want to believe in you..and I ask you to forgive me..of sins I have done..and I ask you dear Jesus, Gods son..to come into my life, and save me

Person A - yes

Person E - thats it

Person A - if you listen He talks back

Person D - * runs from room screaming

I wonder...

Why is it that we as humans conveniently forget about God unless something bad is happening? It seems that so long as life is rolling along with few bumps God is Someone we are happy to ignore. Yet if accident, abuse, disease, job loss or some other major roadhole is hit He is suddenly to blame. All at once the God we could have cared less about is at fault for everything that is wrong. I mean, we know He is all-powerful so He should stop this great wrong being done to us, right? But if life is good, then He should leave us alone and we aren't interested in knowing Him.

.... is it just me or is there something wrong with this thinking?

Some Canadian Distinctives

• "Eh" is our word
• Our flag is prettier
• We're famous for our blueberries
• At least we know what a moose looks like
• Maple syrup from Canada is the best
• Cold is our specialty
• Ontario mosquitoes are known for their bird-like size
• Only in Calgary can you wear a t-shirt in the morning but need a parka in the afternoon
• Who else can call themselves such a cool slang word as "canuck"?
• Beware : we know your history better than you do
• Guess how many little tiny states we can fit in one province ;)
• Don't make fun of our military size, it is to demonstrate what a peace-loving nation we are
• Multicultural? Visit Vancouver or Toronto

edited to add:

• When we throw a fishing line over the side of the boat we actually catch a fish here.
• We're nice - we visit our neighbors to the south
• Newfoundland has very own version of the Queen's english
• In Quebec, French comes first on any sign

Still a Sin?

The following quote was taking from an article written by Warren Throckmorton. You can find the rest of the story @ http://beta.crosswalk.com/pastors/1466073/

Mr.Throckmorton said:

...However, he does not think he was born gay, either. He understands why people would think that since he has always been aware of liking guys.
“I don’t know why I have these feelings but it may have something to do with being awkward as a kid and never fitting in with other boys. That’s just one possibility.”
The real breakthrough came, however, when he put the why question aside, pursued a more open relationship with his wife and sought a different kind of help. Instead of focusing on why he had the feelings or what was wrong with him, his counselor helped him pursue living a valued life.
[Jim explained] I began working with a counselor had lots of experience in helping people change behavior. He correctly pointed out that it's not about "being cured" from homosexual attractions, but rather, it is about how I live. That major paradigm shift has been so helpful, I cannot begin to fully describe it. As we have explored issues, things have gotten better, but I still have very difficult moments. Does that mean God is unable to fix me? Hardly. What it means is that this life is difficult, and my difficulty is just different from, not worse than, the "average" next guy. That's just the way it is.

Am I the only one who sees a grave problem with this article? Mr.Throckmorton is addressing Pastors and Church Leadership, but he is hardly teaching Biblical truth here. Is this what we can expect to hear from the pulpit in the future? Let us hope the vast majority of preachers will see the major flaws in his viewpoint and reject it wholeheartedly.
What is my issue with Mr.Throckmorton's beliefs? Simply, the fact he is teaching something quite against that which is spelled out for us in Scripture. God is specific when He says that homosexuality is grave sin and the result of rebellion against Him. I would encourage you to study the topic for yourself, but for the sake of argument allow me to paste a few verses:

"Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. " Romans 1:24-28

In those verses you will find no pop psychological excuse for immorality. There is no way around the fact which the Bible is firm on. Homosexuality is sin. It is not just sexual orientation. It is not just something you are born with. It is not just the result of bad upbringing. It is a choice and not acceptable to God.
Sadly, today's church is listening more and more to what society says and less and less to what God instructs. The majority of wishy-washy Christianity today is more afraid of what man thinks of them, than of what God thinks of them. This is a grave mistake.
When we turn our ears away from the clear teaching of the Word, and listen instead to sinful man we set ourselves up to fall into many pits of deception. I submit to you that one of those pits is the new thinking on homosexuality. By allowing this new acceptance in it's doors, the church is in direct violation of God's Word. The church is also letting it's bright and shining light grow dimmer and dimmer.
Another danger with Mr.Throckmorton's viewpoint is it teaches the wrong approach to sin. Jim, to his credit, does see that his '"attractions" are wrong. He does seek help. His counselor however, simply talks about changing behaviour. There really is no mention of sin or the consequences that result from it. In contrast the Bible teaches us to take radical action with radical sin. If you or I have a sin that is plaguing us and is seeming unshakeable, it teaches us to turn to God to change our hearts, and then take drastic measures to rid ourselves of that sin.
In summary, Mr.Throckmorton's article is an attractive "solution" to the seeming problem of reconciling the Bible with modern teaching on homosexuality. Attractive though it may be, he still teaches that which is contrary to the Word. Therefore we must reject it and hold to that which is the truth.

Another Life Lesson

Before church started this morning,as is my habit I silenced my cellphone. For some reason today though I decided to set it to vibrate as no one calls me then anyway. Right? Wrong. During the closing prayer I was startled by this rather annoying bzzzzz. I silenced it, only to have it buzz again and silenced it completely. After the close of the prayer and final song I noticed on the display that my brother had called a few more times during the singing. This annoyed me a tad since he would have known I was still in church at that time.
So, feeling slightly annoyed, I called him back while waiting for my car to warm up a bit. The conversation revealed that he was calling to ask for his handmixer back (that I'd borrowed) and to see if I would take him and his friend grocery shopping. Now this was a bit of a sore spot as I felt a bit like a built in taxi at times with his requests for lifts to places. Also, my plans for the afternoon did not include busy post-church crowds, or staying out any longer than possible in the freezing temperatures. He would just need to find someone else to take him shopping, I would rather stay warm under a blanket and read a book.
Well, my trip home took about 10-12 minutes and went right past his house. Along the way I was reflecting back over the sermon topic and its application and meaning. The main topic had been about prayer, its importance to our lives, and practical ways to make it an important part of our day. But just one statement from the sermon kept playing over in my mind. Paraphrased it was : "Ephesians is all about grace giving. We are supposed to be grace givers. And today when you go home to that meal you don't want to face, or the kids you don't want to watch, or whatever it may be, pray about it. We are to give grace back to those who only take, that we may give them just one glimpse of Christ in us."
As Christians we are supposed to reflect Christ in all that we do. And how do we best do that? By being servants, giving of ourselves, putting aside what we want for the good of someone else. There was perhaps nothing wrong with saying "No." to my brother's request. But it's not hard to see that it wasn't very Christ-like. Yes the Spirit was working on me, telling me I needed to make the choice to be as Christ.
So I called him and said I'd changed my mind and would pick them up. And you know what? It was fun and I was glad I'd listened to that gentle voice prodding me to do right. Do you want to know how many items a guy can fit in two shopping baskets because it would just be too easy to go get a cart? Well we didn't count but it was a lot, lol.
We loaded up our shopping, I dropped them off, and then headed back home with plenty of time to do with as I wished.
Why do I share this rather ordinary story? Because I'm attempting to demonstrate how easy it is not to be Christ-like even if in your heart of hearts that is what you want to be. Yet the Holy Spirit is faithful to gently call us to do right, He will point out our sin and challenge us to follow His way. When you do, you will discover it isn't quite as hard as it looks. Additionally there is the added bonus of knowing you did the right thing.

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.."

What God Delights In

"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord:but the prayer of the upright is His delight." Proverbs 15:8

When God says something is an abomination, He means it is something that He hates; that He despises. This verse tells us that when the wicked - the lost and unregenerated - sacrifice to God or give gifts to Him, He finds it despicable. In contrast, when the upright ( the righteous and saved) seeks His face, He loves it. Why is this so?
The wicked person, by the very act of sacrificing is rebelling against God.They are attempting to gain righteousness through their own works and through their own means of getting to God. Instead of obeying His Word and repenting of their ways, they are content to continue in sin and appease their God-given consciences by offering good things to their Creator.
God however, being just and holy, is only angered by these gifts given from evil hearts and false motives. Mankind is deep in their rebellion against Him and He requires repentance. Instead He sees self-righteous, depraved humans making an effort to salve their conscience and the law "written on their hearts". Is He not right to be angry at their stubborn wickedness?
Yet against the backdrop of this arrogant sin is a refreshing sight. The upright have been made righteous through faith in Christ's work; and now commune with their Father. They are no longer at war with Him, for He has made peace with them.How? "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us"(Tit 3:5a). No, this wasn't man's feeble way of saving himself, this was God's master plan in action.
Before the dawn of time, before the first human shook his fist toward heaven, God had orchestrated a plan to redeem fallen mankind.We deserved nothing but due punishment for our rebellion and hard hearts, "but God being rich in mercy" choose to reveal His great unfailing, undeserved love toward us in the death of His own Son.
At the perfect time Christ was born and chose to submit to His Father's will through drinking the bitter cup of Calvary. Through His shed blood,death and subsequent resurrection, He purchased redemption for all those who repent and believe on His name. Now those who were once His enemies could come boldly before Him crying "Abba Father".
Why does God delight in the prayers of the upright? He does so because through the act of them calling on His name we see His plan revealed, His wisdom displayed, and His glory being shown to the world. The righteous person on their knees is reflecting the power of God to take the wayward human heart and replace it with one overflowing with love for and gratitude toward Him.
What a contrast!What a difference we see! On the one hand, fallen men turning from God and receiving just recompense for their ways - and on the other, those changed through the work of the Holy Spirit giving God the praise He deserves.