All The Links of The Golden Chain of Salvaton by Thomas Brooks

"It is by grace you have been saved!" Ephesians 2:5

All the links of the golden chain of salvation are
made up of free grace! The people of God are . . .
  freely loved, Deuteronomy 7:6-8;
  freely chosen, John 15:16-19, Ephesians 1:4;
  freely accepted, Ephesians 1:6;
  freely adopted, Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 4:5-6;
  freely reconciled, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20;
  freely justified, Romans 3:24;
  freely saved, Ephesians 2:5, 8.

Free grace is the foundation of all spiritual and eternal
mercies. Free grace is the solid bottom and foundation
of all a Christian's comfort in this world. Were we to
measure the love of God to us by . . .
  our fruitfulness,
  our holiness,
  our humbleness,
  our spiritualness,
  our heavenly-mindedness, or
  our gracious behavior towards Him
--how would our hope and our confidence be
every moment staggered--if not vanquished!

But all is of grace--of free grace! O sirs! it is free grace . . .
  which will strengthen you in all your duties,
  which will sweeten all your mercies,
  which will support you under all your changes,
  which will arm you against all temptations!

"For it is by grace you have been saved!" Ephesians 2:8

Merry Christmas!

While visiting with family and opening presents tomorrow, do not lose sight of what we are celebrating. Christmas is not just about presents or getting together with family.If it were, then we might as well just call it xmas. But Christmas is not about those two things. Christmas is all about the birth of our Savior!

Christ didn't come just to be an example for how to live rightly. Even though Christ did lead a life that we should strive to follow. He came for a far more important reason. That reason is found in this passage in Isaiah.

Isaiah 53

"1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors."

That is why Christ came to earth. He came to be a substitute for us. He died so that we might have everlasting life.

1 Corinthians 5:21

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"

Tomorrow do not forget what we are celebrating and why.


Have a Merry Christmas!

"We shall see Him but in heaven"

Merry Christmas!

Once in Royal David's City



Hark the Herald Angels Sing



O Holy Night



O Little Town of Bethlehem

Genuine heart-driven Evangelism

The Great Commission commands believers to spread the gospel to all the nations. Believers have a duty to tell others the good news of the gospel. God has saved you and given you the responsibility to represent Him by participating in the Great Commission. The Word tells us the gospel is offensive yet we are commanded not to be offensive.

Over the years I have seen and pondered many approaches to evangelism especially how to tell someone the gospel without being offensive, or coming across as a "bible thumper". Approaches that are done by appealing to someone's conscious or intellect come across as shallow and most people see through them. People know when you are being real, people know when you are genuine and are concerned with them as a person. They can see through techniques and processes and find anything less than a straight forward approach to be insulting.

Listen to Penn Jillette of the famous Penn and Teller team tell you in his own words.





What can we learn from this:

People are smart and can tell when your are genuine.

Be believable, this Gideon was believable enough that Penn believed the man was credible in faith and practice.

Find a way to connect with the person you are talking to and be sincere about it. The Gideon complimented Penn on his show, use of language, honesty and stuff.

Tell them your purpose straight up. Don't spend time trying to develop a friendship or hey have you ever taken a test to see what kind of person you are.

Tell them who you are and that you are saved.

Look them in the eye.

Be yourself.

Be real.

Be honest.

Be kind.

Be sane.

Don't be defensive.

Treat them with respect by being straight forward and upfront.

Give them a sound gospel tract to read.

Provide them a next step to get together and discuss, you know, a phone number, an email, or a cell phone number.

By the way, say a prayer for Penn Jillette.

Go tell someone how much you love them by telling them the gospel.

Christmas Book Giveaway

I was going through my normal routine of blogs I read, when I saw on Challies.com that someone was giving away 10 books and an ESV Study Bible.
The link took me to TrevinWax.com where the site owner is giving away his top ten favorite books from this past year. I wanted to let you all know that you can sign up for a chance to win these books:

1. THE REASON FOR GOD by Tim Keller
2. CULTURE MAKING by Andy Crouch
3. SURPRISED BY HOPE by N.T. Wright
4. WHY WE’RE NOT EMERGENT by Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck
5. HOW PEOPLE CHANGE by Timothy Lane & Paul David Tripp
6. THE BIG PICTURE STORY BIBLE by David Helm & Gail Schoonmaker
7. JESUS MADE IN AMERICA by Stephen Nichols
8 RESIDENT ALIENS by Stanley Hauerwas & Will Willimon
9. WORSHIP MATTERS by Bob Kauflin
10. The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries by Jeffrey Greenman, Timothy Larsen, and Stephen Spencer

11. ESV Study Bible

The contest started December 15th and goes through the 25th. You can sign up for the contest here.

Don't Forget To Celebrate...

 TOSSMAS!!!

My Favorite Christmas Hymn

Just a brief history of this hymn:
The words to this hymn were penned by Johann Rist during the middle part of the 1600s. Around the same time that the words were written, Johann Schop composed the music. In 1734, J.S. Bach included it in his Christmas Oratorio and added the harmonization to it.In 1885 a man named John Troutbeck translated this hymn from German into English.

I searched all over youtube for a good recording of this hymn. But I could not find one that did justice to it. So instead, I'm posting the music with the words beneath it. Enjoy!


Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light

1.Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light,
And usher in the morning;

Ye shepherds shrink not with afright,

But hear the angels warning.

This Child now weak in infancy,

Our confidence and joy shall be.

The power of Satan breaking,

Our peace eternal making

2.Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light,

To herald our salvation;

He stoops to earth the God of might,

Our hope and expectation.

He comes in human flesh to dwell,

Our God with us, Immanuel,

The night of darkness ending,

Our fallen race befriending

Beglückt darf nun

Every time you pull up "The reformed thoughts of Doug", if your speakers are on, you are greeted by the music of Richard Wagner's Pilgrim's Chorus "Beglückt darf nun" from Tannhäuser . The music and the text were both written by Wagner.

The story centers on the struggle between sacred and profane love and redemption through love. It is not descriptive of Godly love or based on biblical text; Richard Wagner, a brilliant composer and librettist, was not a believing man yet he had enough depth of understanding of salvation to fairly accuretly pen a true meaning in the text of the Pilgrim's Chorus.

In Act III the scene takes place in the valley of the Wartburg castle. An autumn scene. Orchestral music describes the pilgrimage of Tannhäuser. Elizabeth, accompanied by Wolfram, falls on her knees in prayer. She asks the returning pilgrims for news of Tannhäuser, and the pilgrims answer her with the following text:

Once more with joy O my home I may meet
Once more ye fair, flowr'y meadows I greet
My Pilgrim's staff henceforth may rest
Since Heaven's sweet peace is within my breast.

The sinner's cry on high was heard
On high was heard and answered by the Lord
The tears I laid before His shrine
Are turned to hope and joy divine.

O Lord eternal praise be Thine!

The blessed source of Thy mercy overflowing
On souls repentant seek Ye, all-knowing
Of hell and death, I have no fear
O my Lord is ever near

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Forevermore

Wagner actually got it right. He understood that we are all sinners and are seeking the grace that only comes from forgiveness of our sins towards God. We have to repent in faith and ask for forgiveness. Even that will not save you, Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

May all pilgrim's rest in the divine source of overflowing mercy, and all those still caught in their sin, cry unto the Lord of hosts for forgiveness and seek repentance towards God and may God truly save you unto His eternal peace.

A Christian's Way and Words by Theodore Cuyler

Lately, I have noticed a fair amount of people coming to my blog in search of either information or quotes from Theodore Cuyler. As the title implies I will be posting another quote from him. But I'm also going to post some information on him.

"Theodore Cuyler graduated from Princeton Seminary in 1846, and after entering his first pastorate in Burlingham, New Jersey witnessed a remarkable revival. In 1853 Mr. Cuyler moved to New York City into the Market Street Dutch Reformed Church, where he was instrumental in another revival. Eventually, in 1860, Cuyler went to Brooklyn where he pastored and built what was then the largest Presbyterian Church in America. Mr. Cuyler was also well acquainted with many successful preachers, such as Horatius Bonar, C. H. Spurgeon, D. L. Moody and Charles G. Finney."
 (Information borrowed from http://www.evanwiggs.com/revival/prepare/pastor.html)

That is all that I know about Theodore Cuyler. If anyone has more information on him, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd share it with me. Or if anyone has a picture of him, I'd be grateful if you can send that to me as well.

________________________________________________________________
"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers

 and pilgrims--to abstain from fleshly lusts,
 which war against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11

Here on earth, I am but a pilgrim--a transient
lodger, for this world is not my rest. I am seeking
for and pressing towards, the magnificent city with
eternal foundations--a city designed and built by
Almighty God!

"Do not be conformed to this world; but
 be transformed by the renewing of your
 mind." Romans 12:2

The world around us has its unwritten code of
morals and of manners. It sets up its standards
and fixes its fashions to suit itself. But they are
no rule for the Christian. Jesus has "chosen us
out of the world," and given His own life to be
our standard and our pattern. "If you love Me,"
said our loving Redeemer, "keep My
commandments."

The first question of a Christian should be,
"What does my Master command? Would He
approve my style of living, my amusements,
my temper, my whole daily conduct? If so,
that is enough! I am not to copy the behavior
of this world--when sinful customs make their
claims, or worldly seductions offer their bribes.
I am Christ's servant!"

As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so much higher should a Christian's ways
and words and whole conduct--be above
the ways of the world!

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test
 me and know my thoughts. Point out anything
 in me that offends You, and lead me along the
 path of everlasting life." Psalm 139:23-24

Truth War Overview

The conference was held at Springs of Life Bible Church. Everyone at the church was very kind and welcoming. If you were wondering where The Infamous Turkey Pineapple came from, the mystery is now solved! It came from The Truth War Conference. They had a turkey pineapple set up at each table. And I most certainly cannot forget to mention that they provided meals for each attender of the conference. It was the best food I have ever had at a conference! 

Phil Johnson started off the conference. He was then followed by James White. And Andy Davis went third.
Phil Johnson's three sessions were:

• Can Truth Survive in a Postmodern Society?
• Truth and The Emerging Church
• Constrained into Conflict: Why We Must Fight For the Faith

James White's three sessions were:

• The Devastating Consequences of Contemporary Preaching
• The Cross and Islam
• Can We Trust the New Testament Documents?

I was not able to get Andy Davis' picture. (He was very busy.) And I failed once again, because I did not get to here the last session that he did. (Dad and I had to leave right after James White's last session in order to make it home before 10PM.) But here are Andy Davis' first two sessions:

• The Infinite Journey of Christian Growth
• The Old Perspective on Paul: The Doctrine of Imputation  

The Truth War Conference was a very humbling experience for me. Never before in my life have I been around so many men who knew so much about theology. I would occasionally eavesdrop on a conversation between pastors and had no idea what they were talking about! All the men there were very brilliant. They could all read Greek as if they were reading English! In one of James White's sessions, he put up a passage of Scripture in Greek and just started translating it into English!! I was amazed.


Even though it was very humbling and discouraging. At the same time I realized that these men had been trained and dedicated their lives to something they believed in. I realized that the level of knowledge and spiritual maturity that they had attained is actually possible for anyone who puts forth the effort. So in another sense it was also an encouraging experience as well.


Andy Davis' second session was my favorite session at the conference. His second session was about the doctrine of imputation. It also dealt with how the New Perspective on Paul movement essentially says that Paul didn't mean what he clearly says in Scripture. They also say that faith is a badge of our righteousness. The whole session was very good, but just the thought of these three things had to be my favorite part of his session:

1. The imputation of Adam's sin on us.
2. The imputation of our sins onto the Savior.
3. The imputation of Christ's righteousness into our account.

Like I said in the title, this is just an overview of the conference. I'm wanting to put together my notes and my Dad's notes and post them onto the blog. I would probably do a post for each session so that its not some uber post.But, I still have other things I'm working on. So that might not be for a while. Just to round off the post, I'm going to add some photos from our trip down to North Carolina. ENJOY!

A Really Lame Sermon Illustration

Two weeks ago, my Dad and I went to The Truth War Conference in Durham, NC. (I have been meaning to do an overview of the conference. But I haven't gotten around to it yet.) In order to get to the conference, we had to travel through West Virginia and Virginia in order to make it there.
While on our way home, I was enjoying the views of the mountains through West Virginia when struck by this thought.

"Why in the world would you put a billboard in the way of viewing these amazing mountains?!"


Now here is the lame illustration part.
The mountains are so beautiful and amazing to look at, but when I saw the billboards advertising for a restaurant or jewelry store. I didn't care about food or jewelry, I just wanted to see the mountains! And that should be our attitude toward God and sin. We should look towards Christ and the Gospel and be in awe of it. And when the temptation of sin comes knocking at the door, we should just reject it like the waste of time it is. We should have an attitude toward sin wanting that repulsive thing out of our view of Christ. We should want nothing to do with it.


Isaiah 45:22

"{22} Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."

Who's afraid of "In the beginning"?

Answer in Genesis's Creation Museum was shamelessly attacked this week along with the Cincinnati Zoo, when a package deal for both events was released to the public. Unwittingly, the controversy generated international publicity better than anything planned by the companies marketing departments, let's pray that God continues to support the work of Ken Ham and all of the dedicated employees and volunteers at the Museum.

You can read the article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081202/NEWS01/812020317/1168/NEWS

The chief complaint is that a "scientific" institution is siding with a religious institution. No, it is because it is a Christian institution claiming the bible as it's source of authority, specifically Genesis 1:1-10.

Since most people count creation as fable and myth, why the uproar? What harm is there to those that don't believe in the biblical account of the beginning of mankind? Those that don't want to attend can simply purchase discounted tickets via another avenue. Tickets to the Cincinnati Zoo's festival of lights are available at most companies in town for a discounted rate. Certainly the promotion does not force anyone to attend or support something they don't believe in.

The problem is that society is tolerant except to those that they believe "arrogantly" claim as truth: that the biblical account of creation is true. The backlash started from the atheist group, Panda's Thumb, and specifically PZ Myers.

If you as a Christian do not believe in the truth of six day creation, you might rethink your position. Unbelievers and atheists have expanded a great deal of energy to fight a simple promotion. They claim the museum is laughable. What they really fear is that this promotion makes the creation account credible and the general public might rethink their postion of creation vs evolution. If creation was really a fable and unbelievers truly believed it was a laughable fable, than they would not care about this promotion. Deep down they fear the creation story. Defend the truth Christian, the atheists are on the defensive. There is more to this story and more to their nervous denials of "in the beginning".

Check out Ken Ham's Blog for more details:

http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/aroundtheworld/2008/12/02/intolerant-evolutionists-launch-another-attack-against-aig/