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"You don't have to defend the Lion. Just let the Lion out of its cage and it will defend itself."

"You can argue against an argument. You can't argue against a changed life."

"That's not what you mean, but that's the way it's coming out."

I still have nothing against the Four Spiritual Laws but I feel the full (or at least something to that extent) picture cannot be proclaimed in five minutes to an unbeliever and it be expected of him or her to start walking with God in repentance. Correct me if I am ignorantly wrong, but it seems to be that the aim of this evangelism tool is to "convert first, explain later". This process is wrong! It should be to "explain first, convert later (if the Holy Spirit chooses to convict the individual's soul in that point in time)."

What about justification? What about His wrath? What about propitiation by Jesus Christ? Yes, it IS TRUE that God loves us! He IS Love! But the focus is to be on Him, not on ME and the WONDERFUL PLAN OF MY LIFE! The focus ought to be on Him and His infinite worth and being and until we begin to desire to do that, we are quite far from being a Christian.

Being Christian isn't about being able to use the generous blessings of a loving god to enhance my living now; it's about seeing how blessed I am BECAUSE OF how CURSED the Lamb of God was in order that I may be seen legally as righteous before God. And if you truly understand how MUCH you have been forgiven, you will not want to carry on striving for your own idea of "a wonderful life-plan" and will strive to live a HOLY life.

It doesn't have to be WONDERFUL in the way you see it. You can have a life of suffering but because of holiness, you see and experience God, you will not trade that life for a bed of roses.

Martin Luther, the founder of Reformed Christianity, said this in his first of 95 theses:

"Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance."

If the whole life of believers should be repentance, do you think believers have time to work out their idea of a "wonderful life"?

When Moses asked God who is He, He said, "I am Who I am." There's no one outside of Himself to who He can point to give an illustration of what or who He is.
That is, until 2000 years ago, when people asked God who is He and He pointed down to a carpenter from Nazareth and said, "I am like Him."

Another emotional video for me but this was one that showed a Paul Washer in his younger days, equally emotional and passionate for God. Dear God, please work in our hearts!

No matter the cost, please refine us, discipline us, that we may be your children! Help us prevail over the sinful desires of the flesh and glorify You! Help us step out of the dark domain and be Christians that are wholly FOR YOU!

Today must be Video-Day or something but this, you really won't regret watching. I almost cried when I saw Paul Washer nearly crying in trying to proclaim the glory of Jesus. I am humbled, humbled, humbled. It's an 11 minutes and 4 seconds which I strongly urge you to spend on this video.

You may not know who's Joel Osteen and that's okay. But you need to know that, if your life shows no sign of repentance or turning-away from sin after you prayed a prayer, you REALLY need to test yourself to see if you're in the faith and that the Lord Jesus Christ is really in you.
It's the truth.

I haven't posted a video in quite a while and I was reminded of this video which amazed me! Authoritative, unabashed, preaching on the streets from a man who comes from a rich family but chose to count those as loss for the sake of Christ.

"Be careful... those of us who concern ourselves with theology. The young men who think theology is extremely important... and they are right... but be very, very careful. With all your learning... what is your opinion of Jesus... and is that opinion lived out? Is it lived out?"
- Paul Washer

John 13:13-16:
"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so, for this is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."

If our Teacher and Lord humbled Himself to wash His disciples' feet, what then is our attitude - being his messengers and his servants?
Since theology is the "study of the nature of God", true and proper theology at its highest level should cause us to be the most humble beings on the planet because true theology shows us transparently how wretched and doomed for hell we are, if not for the wrath-bearing accomplishment of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the end of the day, our learning ought to drive us to BE like our Master. I hope this helps for those who seek knowledge enthusiastically. It is a wonderful thing to possess, but we ought to share it with the people around us as well - either by our teaching or our living.

"We live in an age of relativism, a belief system based on the absolute certainty that there are no absolute certainties. We hypocritically applaud men for seeking the truth but call for the public execution of any man who believes he has found it."
- Paul Washer

via reformedvoices.com

John 14:16-17

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world annot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."

The Holy Spirit is the promised Counselor to all the children of God who will guide those in whom He dwells in to all truth. In an age of where truth isn't absolute, the world will reject those living by the Spirit of truth. The world will reject them because the world cannot accept the unchanging, absolute truth. Jesus predicted this and I just want to encourage those reading this who find it tough being a faithful witness for God with the following verses and personal reflections.

John 14:26-27

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

What is the 'Jesus' peace'? I think His peace was His assurance that everything will go in accordance with God's will and that He was secure in God. He knew where He was coming from and where He was going to after He died. The children of God have that assurance too. Grasp onto that in your time of need! I leave you with this quote which I cited before. (:

You find no difficulty trusting God with the management of the universe and outward creation, and can your case be more difficult than these, that you need to be anxious about His management of it?