Die to self

God is raising up Godly men who will preach the truth, may He be praised. This is Mikael Thomsen, from Denmark. Pray for him as he stands for truth, and for all who take such a stand.

But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.

Sister Jessie posted this at her blog, http://surrenderall-jessie.blogspot.com

This is such a gem! Read and be blessed...

But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.

posted by Jessie

I found this excerpt below from AW Tozer's book, "The Size Of Your Soul"

"If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.

Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath."

Amen

How many men do you know like this?


The only thing needed to add to this is our prayers

How to make your husband a false convert and cause your kids to reject the Christian faith.

This was written by a dear brother in Christ, Pilgrim, over at DefCon...

Worldly wisdom from a Christian women’s magazine

on a matter already addressed in Scripture.

My wife still receives the magazine Today’s Christian Woman after subscribing to it a couple years ago (before we knew better). TCW is published by Christianity Today (which is a perfect name for it because it bears no resemblance to Christianity yesterday). TCW’s target audience is mainstream, affluent, suburban, women of the Laodicean church.

In their latest July/August issue, I came across a little blurb designed to help women get their unregenerate husbands into a church to warm a seat. I decided to reprint the blurb (which was adapted from a book) below for the readers of DefCon to see how far American Christianity has fallen.

continue reading here...

For those who want to watch 'the ten indictments' video...

10 indictments against the modern church in America-Paul Washer

This messages is a 'must listen'!
{it is a little over an hour in length, but well worth your time}

Abandoned by God

Worldy Losses

If we have God--no other loss is irreparable! There is surely enough in God's love, to compensate a thousand times for every earthly deprivation! Our lives may be stripped bare---home, friends, riches, comforts, every sweet voice of love, every note of joy---and we may be driven out from brightness and music and tenderness and shelter into the cold ways of sorrow. Yet, if we have God Himself left, ought it not to suffice? Yes, is not He Himself infinitely more than all His gifts?

Often we do not learn the depth and riches of God's love, and the sweetness of His presence until earthly joys vanish from our hands, and beloved ones fade away out of sight. The loss of temporal things empties our hearts to receive spiritual and eternal things! The sweeping away of earthly hopes reveal the glory of our heart's refuge in God. "God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble" Psalm 46:1

"Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up, the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior!"
Isaiah 43:1-3

{J.R. Miller, 'Living without Worry'}

Christian Persecution

Do not expect a smooth and easy path!

(Arthur Pink, "David's Flight")

Prosperity is often a mixed blessing, and adversity is far from being an unmixed calamity!

Alternating spiritual prosperity and adversity, is the lot of God's people on this earth. All is not unclouded sunshine with them—nor is it unrelieved gloom and storm. There is a mingling of both:
joys—and sorrows;
victories—and defeats;
assistance from friends—and injuries from foes;
smiles from the Lord's countenance—and the hidings of His face.

By such changes, opportunities are afforded for the development and exercise of different graces, so that we may, in our measure, "know how to be abased—and how to abound . . . both to be full—and to be empty" (Phil. 4:12). But above all, that we may, amid varying circumstances, prove the unchanging faithfulness of God—and His sufficiency to supply our every need.

Ah, my reader, if you are one of God's elect—do not expect a smooth and easy path through this earthly wilderness—but be prepared for varying circumstances and drastic changes. The Christian's resting place is not in this world, for "here have we no continuing city" (Hebrews 13:14). The Christian is a "pilgrim," on a journey; he is a "soldier," called on to fight the good fight of faith. The more this is realized, the less keen will be the disappointment, when our ease is disturbed, and our outward peace harshly broken in upon.

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous," and if 'troubles' do not come to us in one form—they most certainly will in another! If we really appropriate this promise—then we shall not be so staggered when afflictions come upon us. It is written that, "it is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22), and therefore we should make up our minds to expect the same, and to "not to think it strange" (1 Peter 4:12) when we are called upon to pass through "the fiery trial." Affliction, tribulation, and fiery trial—are a times, our portion here on earth.

Changing circumstances afford opportunity for the development and exercise of different graces. Some graces are of the active and aggressive kind—while others are of a passive order, requiring quite another setting for their display. Some of the traits which mark the soldier on a battlefield, would be altogether out of place were he languishing on a bed of sickness. Both spiritual joy and godly sorrow—are equally beautiful in their season.

As there are certain vegetables, fruits, and flowers which cannot be grown in lands which are unvisited by nipping winds and biting frosts—so there are some fruits of the Spirit which are only produced in the soil of severe trials, troubles and tribulations!

BEWARE of supposing that a teacher of religion is to be trusted, because although he holds some unsound views, he yet 'teaches a great deal of truth'. Such a teacher is PRECISELY the man to do you harm: poison is always most dangerous when it is given in small doses and mixed with wholesome food.

J.C. Ryle

Strengthen your heart

a study guide by John MacArthur

Paul's Motivation for Love -The reason Paul loved the church with such intensity and devotion came from the deep love that he had for the Lord. And if you love the Lord, you love whom the Lord loves. It wasn't Paul's church, it was Christ's church. And because Paul loved Christ so much, he loved what Christ loved, and was willing to give his life for what Christ gave His life for. It was that motivation that made him purify his life, preach with power, act with sympathy, and apply his mind to the things of God. All of those things were simply by- products of his deep-down love for Christ and the church. And let me just say to you, Christian, you will never serve God on the behalf of God's people with any kind of motivation other than an outright and total love for the church. It's absolutely necessary!

When the Bible refers to the heart, what does it mean? In the English language, the heart is the symbol of emotion.

We use expressions like, "My heart cries for you," or "I love you with all my heart." To the Hebrew, however, this was not the case. In Scripture, the Hebrews basically referred to two organs of the body: the bowels and the heart. Let's look at their symbolism:


complete study guide available here...

Passion for Evangelism

Everything worthwhile in life is driven by passion. Behind some of the greatest events in human history beats a heart filled with passion and desire to see certain goals meet. The church has become quite apathetic for evangelism in recent years. We think we are doing evangelism by simply meeting the felt needs of individuals. We think we are doing evangelism when numbers of increase and posted on the attendance board. We think we are doing evangelism when our baptismal pool is full each Sunday. Not to say all of these things aren’t needful and great, but are these things really changing lives? Are the current efforts to evangelize a lost world increasing the kingdom of Christ or elevating the ego and prestige of man? We all have to ask ourselves, Where is our burden and passion for evangelism? Why isn’t evangelism the church’s central function?

Valiant men and women of God mark church history’s greatest ages. Their power came from a passion for holiness and evangelizing the lost. One example is Robert Murray McCheyne, one of Scotland’s greatest preachers, who died when he was only twenty-nine. A biographer wrote that everywhere he stepped, Scotland shook. Whenever he opened his mouth, a spiritual force seemed to sweep in every direction. Thousands followed him to the feet of Christ. A traveler, eager to see where McCheyne had preached, went to his old church. An old sexton agreed to give him a tour. He led the way into McCheyne’s study. “Sit in that chair,” he ordered. The traveller hesitated a moment, then sat in the chair. On the table before him was an open Bible. “Drop your head in that book and weep. That is what our minister always did before he preached,” said the old man. He then led the visitor into the pulpit before another open Bible. “Stand there,” he said, “and drop your head on your hands and let the tears flow. That is the way our minister always conducted himself before he began to preach!” With such a passion for God’s Word and the souls of the lost, is it any wonder the Holy Spirit used McCheyne to draw so many to the Savior?

There are other examples. Because John Knox’s yearning for lost souls was so great, it was thought his pulpit would break into pieces. And it was said John Wesley did more for England than her armies and navies. He lived meagerly, having given away thousands of dollars in his lifetime. Abused and maligned, he left his reputation and soul in the hands of God. It has been estimated he traveled 225 thousand miles on foot and horseback and preached twenty-four hundred sermons. Much of the established church despised him, but he brought fire into her cold heart. Wesley looked on all the world as his parish. He had the reputation of being out of breath pursuing souls. There was also George Whitefield. Once ordained at age twenty-two, he began preaching with tremendous eloquence and effect. John Newton viewed him as the greatest preacher of his day. His power came from his passion for souls, and he used every God-given ability to lead men to Christ. He once wrote that if his life was in danger of nestling down, God–out of pity–should place a thorn into his nest! He crossed the Atlantic thirteen times and preached thousands of sermons. His gravestone reads that he was a soldier of the cross, humble, devout, and ardent, preferring the honor of Christ to his own interest, reputation, or life.

May we Pastor and People have the same heart driving passion to see a lost world come to Christ!


Image: The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection by Eugene Burnand

Original post at www.pastorandpeople.wordpress.com

The Refiner's Fire - Steve Camp

“If you are just now in the fire, dear soul, be of good cheer – it shows at least that you are silver, and are capable of performing more acceptable service in God’s holy Temple.”
(Meyer)
“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” -Malachi 3:3
This verse puzzled some people in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the folks offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the person called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. They didn’t mention anything about the reason for their interest beyond the curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As they watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained, “in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.”

The person thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then they thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

Asking the silversmith, “is it true that you have to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined?” The man answered “yes…” He not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. For if the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The person was silent for a moment and then asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.”



continue reading here....

Flee from the wrath to come

by Don Currin


"What do you think Christianity ought to say to the economic situation today?" He answered, "I think the great message we must preach is God's judgment on men and on the world." Dr. Lloyd-Jones went on to underscore the importance of this message when he said, "The condition of the modern world proves that what we must preach more than ever is "Escape from the wrath to come!" Later in the interview, Lloyd-Jones was asked whether or not Christian influence could produce a Christian culture. To which the preacher replied, "No. It will never come. All Scripture is against that. It's impossible. In the present world situation-it has never been more critical-all civilization is rocking, and we are facing collapse, morally, politically, and in every other way. I would have thought that surely at this time our urgent message should be, 'Flee from the wrath to come!"

As the interview came to a close, Martyn Lloyd-Jones was asked, "What parting word have you for the secular man or woman who does not take Jesus Christ seriously?" To which the man of God replied, "Flee from the wrath to come and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ".
At 80 years of age, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones understood that the answer to man's economic, moral, and spiritual plights was to take refuge in Christ's finished work from the rapidly approaching eternal storm. After years of observing the spiritual declension of his own country and witnessing the futility of man's attempts to improve the conditions of the economy and church, he knew that the only answer to man's social and spiritual ills was Jesus Christ.

Sadly, church growth strategists have all but condemned preaching on the judgment of God. They contend that preaching on such a theme will be perceived as a "scare" tactic by the seeker and should be avoided. Unfortunately, their teaching has led to serious and fatal consequences which include a loss of Holy Spirit conviction, a man-centered gospel, a waning sense of the fear of God and the ingathering of a mixed multitude in the church.

How can these so-called ecclesiastical experts tell us that warning men of judgment, wrath, and everlasting torment is irrelevant. Jude tells us in verse 23 of his brief epistle that a vital biblical motivation to move men into God's kingdom is eternal fire when he says, And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; .... Should such a vital doctrine that is so essential to salvation be neglected to make God's Word more palatable to carnal people? God forbid!

Consider how often God's wrath in relation to sinners is mentioned in the Scripture. In Job 36:13 the writer warns the hypocrites in heart that they heap up wrath. John the Baptist proclaims to his wilderness congregation to flee from the wrath to come in Luke 3:7. While the Apostle Paul solemnly declares in Ephesians 5:6 that God's wrath will visit adulterers, greedy men, and idolaters.

Necessity is laid upon every man that has been called by God to preach the whole counsel of God and that includes preaching on judgment to come. Can any man rejoice that he is a faithful minister of the gospel who omits from his message damnation for all Christ rejecters. Let every minister of this glorious gospel and every professor of Jesus Christ never cease in declaring the whole counsel of God. Never be ashamed to proclaim every vital doctrine of gospel content. And never cower from his responsibility to tell unbelieving sinners that they will go to hell if they do not repent. May we be faithful in preaching the timeless exhortation that Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones gave in his interview over twenty years ago, "Flee from the wrath to come and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ."

~ Don Currin - www.doncurrinministries.org

The Wrath of God!

Paul Washer weeping for deceived souls

'My Dear Daughter'

by Legh Richmond




May my dear child be preserved from the defilements of a vain, dangerous, and destroying world. You know not, and I wish you never may know--its snares and corruptions!

I send you the following applications of my sermon on Ephesians 5:15-16, "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

On circumspection of walk, redemption of time, and general sincerity of character:

1. Adhere most scrupulously to Scriptural truth; and labor to preserve the strictest integrity, simplicity, and sincerity.

2. Engage in no pursuit in which you cannot look up unto God, and say, 'Bless me in this, my Father!'

3. Strive to be as kind, forbearing, and forgiving as you can--both to friends and foes. Never speak evil of anyone.

4. Strive to recommend true religion by the courtesy, civility, and humble character of your conduct.

5. Watch against irritation, pride, unkind speaking, and anger--study and promote love.

6. Mortify all lusts, sensuality and sloth.

7. Never speak well of yourself. Keep down pride; let it not be indulged for a moment--but watch against it.

8. Shut out evil imaginations and angry thoughts.

9. Let it be your sole business here to prepare for eternity. Consider every moment of time in that view.

10. Remember that you have to contend with . . .
a legion of devils;
a heart full of deceit and iniquity;
and a world at enmity with God.

11. Pray that you may ever rejoice in the advancement of Christ's kingdom, and the salvation of sinners; and labor in every way to promote these objects.

12. Prayer is the only weapon which can subdue your corruptions, and keep you in close fellowship with God. Cultivate prayer.

The love of Christ is the only safe ground of all motives, and of all conduct. Where this is established, all is well. The life-blood of Christianity then circulates through every vein of the soul; and spiritual health, strength, and purity of mind is the happy result. Fall down upon your knees before God, my dear, praying that He would pour that love into your heart, until it becomes a constraining principle for the government of your thoughts and actions. The love of Christ is the only remedy for all the diseases of the soul.

Are you a true disciple?

We Must Be Holy

R.C. Ryle, 1816-1900

The righteousness which Jesus Christ brought in must be our only confidence,—the blood of atonement our only hope. All this is perfectly true, and yet we must be holy.

(First published as a "Helmingham Series" Tract in Helmingham, Suffolk)

We must be holy on earth before we die, if we desire to go to heaven after death. If we hope to dwell with God for ever in the life to come, we must endeavour to be like Him in the life that now is. We must not only admire holiness, and wish for holiness: we must be holy.

Holiness cannot justify and save us: holiness cannot cover our iniquities, make satisfaction for transgressions, pay our debts to God. Our best works are no better than filthy rags, when tried by the light of God's law. The righteousness which Jesus Christ brought in must be our only confidence, the blood of atonement our only hope. All this is perfectly true, and yet we must be holy.

We must be holy, because God in the Bible plainly commands it. "As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:15, 16).

complete article available here...

Hacking Agag to Pieces

John MacArthur


Turn to 1 Samuel chapter 15...1 Samuel chapter 15. This great Old Testament story is meant to teach us the seriousness of sin and the righteousness of God's holy wrath against it. I don't want to overlook those truths, nor the historic value of this, but I would like to borrow it as a rather graphic illustration of...or analogy of how believers have to deal with sin.

There are some Amalekites running around loose in everybody's life. We all have our Agags. And the problem in our Christian lives is not that sin has not been defeated with a crushing defeat, it has but there is still remaining sin. There are some loose iniquitous Amalekites in all of us. And though there was a great and glorious and triumphant defeat at the time of our salvation, there is the necessity that the remaining sins be hacked to pieces or they will revive, they will plunder our hearts and sap our spiritual strength. We cannot be merciful with the Agags of our life. We cannot be merciful with the remaining sins in our life or they will turn and create an insurrection and a rebellion to attempt to destroy us.



In fact, it may well be that like the Amalekites, the remaining sin in us often becomes more fierce, more formidable than even before because we don't expect it. Certainly the children of Israel had felt that the Amalekites were a defeated foe. Their king had been hacked to pieces and here they came. Scripture calls on us to deal with our sin like Samuel dealt with Agag, to kill it. There is remaining sin residing in our unredeemed humanness, our flesh, and it has to be killed. It has to be followed up, found and destroyed. And until we do that, we're never going to enjoy what Paul experienced in his bold confidence about a holy and godly sincere conscience.

Read entire transcript here...

"God spoke and it was done...God will speak again, and it will all be over"
from Paul Washer's sermon 'God is Sovereign'

The Curse of Gospel Contextualization-by Mike Ratliff

This is a great article to share with anyone caught up in the seeker-sensitive, emerging church movement...

Several weeks ago I found myself in a battle of words with a couple of men who tried every argument you can imagine in an attempt to move me away from the stance I have taken, which is that truth is the truth regardless whether people believe it or not. Along with this, I also refused to “compromise” by admitting that what I held to be true was only my opinion and, therefore, their “opinion” was just as valid. While this culture may actually side with those two fellows rather than me, I still stand and refuse to budge from the stance that the truth revealed in God’s Word is not hidden from the regenerate heart. The Holy Spirit works in our hearts to validate what is true and what is not. I have always allowed discussion on these topics as long as the one disagreeing with me will use scripture alone, in context, as the basis for his or her argument. No one has taken that challenge. Instead, all I have received are philosophical arguments and quotes from some source other than God’s Word.

Read entire article at Mike's blog, http://mikeratliff.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/the-curse-of-gospel-contextualization/

Worthy Quote

"When discipline leaves a church, Christ goes with it"

by John L Dagg