“The Gospel is only Good News if it gets there in time.” –Carl Henry
Articles from October 2015
Quote of the Day – October 20, 2015
“God will not do what we can!” –John Craddock
Quote of the Day – October 19, 2015
“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.'” –Billy Graham
Quote of the Day – October 16, 2015
“The “romance” of a missionary is often made up of monotony and drudgery; there often is no glamour in it; it doesn’t stir a man’s spirit or blood. So don’t come out to be a missionary as an experiment; it is useless and dangerous. Only come if you feel you would rather die than not come. Don’t come if you want to make a great name or want to live long. Come if you feel there is no greater honor, after living for Christ, than to die for Him.” –C.T. Studd
Quote of the Day – October 15, 2015
“This hill, though high, I covet to ascend;
The difficulty will not me offend.
For I perceive the way to life lies here.
Come, pluck up, heart; let’s neither faint nor fear.
Better, though difficult, the right way to go,
Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.”
Quote of the Day – October 14, 2015
“Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it.” –Erwin Lutzer
Quote of the Day – October 13, 2015
“What people believe took place on the cross determines what they believe about eternal security.” –Dr. Charles Stanley
Miracles
Here are the completed notes from the Sunday Evening Service October 11, 2015:
Scripture: Matthew 8
Review – Defining a Miracle:
- A Supernatural Intervention – God, who is continuously active in the world, breaks His usual pattern and does something extraordinary
- A Miracle Transcends Natural Laws (but doesn’t break natural laws) – A miracle overpowers the law of nature – it is an exception to a natural law
- A Miracle has a special purpose
Authentic Miracles are part of the means of establishing the true religion.
What about the Other Religions that Claim Miracles?
Are miracle claims the same for all faiths?
- Muhammad is said to have healed the sore eyes of men
- Some Hindus and Buddhists claim they can levitate themselves or others
- Joseph Smith said he could translate “reformed Egyptian” even through he couldn’t read Egyptian
- People in the occult claim they can predict the future by looking into crystal balls or reading cards or tea leaves
According to C.S. Lewis – “All the essentials of Hinduism would, I think, remain unimpaired if you subtracted the miraculous, and the same is almost true of Islam, but you cannot do that with Christianity. It is precisely the story of a great miracle. A naturalistic Christianity leaves out all that is specifically Christian.”
Are all miracle claims alike? Or are Biblical miracles different?
6 Reasons Biblical Miracles are Different from other Miracle Claims:
- There are hundreds of Biblical Miracles (250+ mentioned in Scripture, 60 in the Gospels alone)
- Biblical Miracles are immediate and permanent
- Biblical Miracles fit reality (unlike legends and fables)
- Biblical Miracles involve no ritual or formula
- Biblical Miracles were recorded while the eye witnesses were still alive
- Christianity makes unique miracle claims for its founder
Miracle Workers:
- The consistency and authentication of Biblical Miracles can become the standard by which we judge all other so-called miracles and alleged healings of our time.
Are You Eternally Secure?
Here are the completed notes from the Sunday Morning Worship Service October 11, 2015:
Scripture: I John 5:11-13
Eternal Security: The belief that once you become a Christian, you are always a Christian.
Reasons to Believe in Eternal Security:
1. The price has been paid – I Corinthians 6:19-20
- The blood of Christ – I Peter 1:18, 19
- On the cross, Jesus literally became your SIN BEARER. Not only did He bear your sin, but He gave you His righteousness in return – II Corinthians 5:21
- Salvation is by grace appropriated through faith and not of works – Ephesians 2:8, 9
2. A deposit has been made – Ephesians 1:13, 14; II Corinthians 1:22
- The Holy Spirit seals the believer
- “Believed” – Sealing coincides with the time of believing
- “Seal” – Indicates possession and security
- “Earnest” – The deposit, down payment
- The Holy Spirit makes the believer a new creation in Christ – II Corinthians 5:17
3. An Adoption has occurred – Galatians 4:4, 5; Ephesians 1:3-5; Romans 8:15, 16
4. His Word is Clear – John 10:27, 28
- John 5:24 – “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
- John 6:37 – “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
- John 6:40 – “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
- John 6:47 – “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.”
5. Follow-Up is determined – Hebrews 12:7-11
- Follow-up of conviction and discipline – Revelation 3:19
Quote of the Day – October 12, 2015
“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” –C.S. Lewis