Who Are You To Judge?

Began a new book today .... "You Are You to Judge?" by Erwin Lutzer. I highly recommend it.

Here are some excerpts from the first chapter:

"We as Christians have settled down to a comfortable kind of Christianity that demands very little and therefore, in turn, makes very little difference in the wider culture. When the world takes a step in our direction, we embrace it without a twinge of conscience. But a church that has made its peace with the world is incapable of changing it."

"By and large the world of today has a favorable opinion of Christ only because it misinterprets Him. Remember this axiom: The better the world understand the purpose of Jesus' coming, the more it hates Him. What the world values, Christ despises, what He loves, it hates. Years ago, F.B. Meyer wrote, "Between such irreconcilable opposites as the church and the world, there cannot be but antagonism and strife. Each treasures and seeks what the other rejects as worthless. Each is devoted to ends that are inimical to the dearest interests of the other." And yet, just think, most Christians think it is possible to follow Jesus without turning their backs on the world!"

"Older Christians, who knew their hearts better than we knew our own, warned that if we began to tolerate worldliness, however it was defined, we would trip a series of dominoes and the day would come when the church would be filled with "worldly believers". That day is here."

"Why do we find it so difficult to say that some religious views are wrong? Or that some kinds of behavior are sinful? Why do we allow so much of Hollywood into our homes, pretending that we and our families are not influenced by the entertainment industry? Why do we allow false teachers and prophets to flourish without warning the people of God?"

"Truth has disappeared, and few have noticed."

"Mark this well: The love within the church attracts the world; the holiness within the church convicts the world. In the early church, great fear came upon the people when they saw the church committed to discipline and holy living. Unfortunately, as the world observes the church today it might see a commitment to love (which it views as tolerance), but I doubt that it sees a commitment to holy living. Yet we are called to both."

"If the call to holiness is to be obeyed, we must have discernment. To be set apart for God means that we identify the world's values and that we choose to live to the beat of a different drummer. To be in the world but not of it is the challenge before us."

This book should be read by every Christian. Please, please get it and read it prayerfully to uncover the truths we've abandoned. We are to be Holy, because our God is Holy. We are to be set apart for His use, not our own, and not that of the world. We are called out of darkness into marvelous light! We are to BE salt and light to a dying world. This book covers the following:

When You Judge Doctrine

When You Judge False Prophets

When You Judge Miracles

When You Judge Entertainment

When You Judge Appearances

When You Judge Neopaganism

When You Judge Ghosts, Angels, and Shrines

When You Judge Conduct

When You Judge Character

This book can be purchased at http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.alibris.com/ (both offer discount prices for used books ... I paid about $5.00 for the hardback copy I received yesterday).

The Wonderful Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain, I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.

See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Oh the wonderful cross,
Oh the wonderful cross!
All who gather here by grace
Draw near and bless Your Name.

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so devine
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Oh the wonderful cross,
Oh the wonderful cross!
Bids me come and die and find
That I may truly live.

Oh the wonderful cross,
Oh the wonderful cross!
All who gather here by grace
Draw near and bless Your Name.

Life so amazing, so devine
Demands my soul, my life, my all
And the beauty and the shame
In the glory of His Name
Oh, the wonderful cross!

Oh the wonderful cross,
Oh the wonderful cross,
Bids me come and die and find
That I may truly live.

Oh the wonderful cross,
Oh the wonderful cross!
All who gather here by grace
Draw near and bless Your Name.

written by
chris tomlin, jd walt, jesse reeves

Thanks Trish & Margie for your comments on my last post. I guess I sounded rather rash and hard and I can be both those things at times.


What I'm seeing is that we're taking what "WE" want the church and its music and scripture, etc., to be, and to have it all meet "our" needs, desires, etc. and give little thought to 'does this glorify GOD?' Does this edify HIS body? Does it bring honor to HIS Name? Was it for this that HE died? Instead we ask ourselves, does it make ME feel good about ... being in church? Going to Bible study? Worshipping? Attending small groups? Helping the poor? If so, I'm all for it! If not, well, I'm outta here.

Many in the church have twisted all things pertaining to scripture so that it will attract people ... make people feel good about themselves ... give them a desire to come back to our church, and so on. Jesus left little room for that discussion. People either followed Him or they didn't.

Since writing that last post I've done some reading about 'Rap' music ... and of course, there are 3 distinct views: those for it; those opposed and those who are neutral. You'll find that with just about anything these days.

For me, I don't like rap music because of the vulgar connotations linked to it's beginnings. Granted, words have apparently changed for those who use it in a christian format, but for me, that beginning shadow lingers over that genre of music. I also don't like the loud, pulsating music that's played in some churches either. I attended a service with that kind of music and couldn't hear myself think, let alone concentrate on 'worship'. By the time the minister was ready to speak, I was ready to go home. A sure sign I am old. I also read more than one article that said "music is neutral" ... but I don't agree. Different music arouses different emotions in everyone who hears it. And it's not all good.

So we'll agree not to agree on this. And I respect your opinions.

As a parent and grandparent I simply find myself wondering .... what are we teaching children and grandchildren? That anything they want to do is okay as long as there is scripture somewhere in it? And, was it for this that Jesus died? Do we dare teach them that to follow Jesus means to deny self, take up their cross and follow Him? That the way Home is narrow and constricted and confining and it's not at all an easy road, nor a popular one? They may not like the song The Old Rugged Cross, but they need to know it was on that type of Cross that our Savior suffered, bled and died. And He didn't do it to the beat of anyone's drum. He did it in obedience to His Father.

Blessings friends. May you have a wonderful week-end.

Dear Ones, I've not fallen off the earth. Just busy with other things. I have been checking up on your posts however.

Today was my first day back as co-teacher in our children's class at church. I will be teaching once every two weeks and I'm concentrating on getting the children to memorize Scripture. Our verse today is "Your Word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11" I gave examples of how we hide God's words in our hearts ... by reading the verse we want to learn again and again ... by writing the verse again and again ... by applying it to our lives ... by repeating it through-out the day ... by posting it on the fridge or other place where you'll see it daily.

We so need to know God's Word ourselves and to teach it, when we can, to little ones. We live in a day when just about anything goes in Christian circles and I find that sad and scary and it even makes me angry. Take music for example ....I don't believe there's such a thing as "Christian rap" ... how dare we take the music that basically feeds our flesh, add some 'christian' words and call it "Christian"? Weren't the Israelite people given strict instructions on worship? Were Aaron's sons not killed by God for offering strange fire? Who do we think we are? We've been grafted in, we're not His first choice as children; and yet many today live no differently than the world. We look like them, we act like them, we talk like them. For many the only difference is we go to church and they don't.

I know it sounds like I'm ranting and perhaps I am. But I'm tired of what I see ... in the news ... on TV ... now on Facebook ... people who say they're Christian using gutter language (or the abbreviations) and being offended that I object to it. Something's wrong here.

I become weary of TV 'preachers' and others fleecing God's people and I'm tired of God's people falling for it. I read recently of a man who had opportunity to sit with one of the well-known TV evangelists. The TV guy said to this regular guy "Why not sow $100 into my ministry?" Regular guy responds "No!" "Why not? God will give you a $1,000 return for sowing seed into this work." Again the answer "No!" The third time the TV person asks for money with a promise of a 10-fold return the regular guy looks at him and says "Then why don't YOU sow the money into your ministry? You'll be making more than I can give you." A dumb-founded look came upon the TV guy's face and he couldn't respond. That so makes sense to me.

As tired as I am of all this I'm reminded in the Bible (Matthew) that God knows that the enemy has sown tares with the wheat and tells the field hands to leave them alone, that in due time, His angels will come and do the sifting. So I leave it in His capable hands, and take time to examine ME to make sure I'm where I'm supposed to be and leave them all to Him.

Hold fast your confession my friends, test all things, and remember that we're just pilgrims and Home is in view. Thanks for reading.

Blessings.

I received this via email today from a lady who serves as a missionary in this area, please say a prayer for these needs:


UZBEKISTAN - CHRISTIANS ARRESTED DURING PRIVATE PRAYER MEETING

On 24 January, Midet, a local church leader, and two women were meeting together to pray for their Christian brothers and sisters at Midet's home when police officers arrived, under the pretext of other matters. The police began to search the house, despite not having a search warrant, and found several Christian books. Midet and the women were arrested and taken to the police station, where officers demanded they write a statement about their church and other Christian activities. Midet was beaten and is covered in bruises; the women were also beaten and threatened with being stripped and tortured by electric shocks. Following these threats one of the women wrote a statement admitting that they had been attending a prayer meeting at Midet's home. All three were interrogated by the Office of the Public Prosecutor.

One of the women subsequently issued a complaint that they had been threatened by the police and that their statements had been given under duress. Reports suggest that her sister, who is not a Christian, has also been interrogated by the police, as a way of putting additional pressure on the Christians.

• Pray for Midet and the two women, that the Lord Jesus will heal any physical or emotional distress suffered during their ordeal.
• Pray for all believers in Uzbekistan, that they will be allowed to worship in the privacy of their own homes without fear of harassment, arrest and persecution.

Ponder this...

‘In the matter of faith-healing, health is set before us as if it were the great thing to be desired above all other things. Is it so? I venture to say that the greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health, with the exception of sickness. Sickness has frequently been of more use to the saints of God than health has. . . . A sick wife, a newly-made grave, poverty, slander, sinking of spirit, might teach us lessons nowhere else to be learned so well. Trials drive us to the realities of religion.’

C.H. Spurgeon

Something to think about....

"Discernment is not simply telling the difference between what is right and wrong;
rather, it is the difference between what is right and almost right."

-Charles Spurgeon

(Quote taken from http://www.atimetodiscern.blogspot.com)

Dear Ones,

Please pray for my nephew Jason. He is on drugs again. I just talked with his Dad (my brother) and he's going to see if Jason will agree to go into Life Challenge, a Christian rehab program. Until then, we don't know what God has in store for him, but we do know God's reach isn't short ... He can go where we can't and only He can bring about eternal change.

Thank you very much & Blessings,
Louise