Jesus Christ

1, 8, 3, 1 Which are you?

by Buen Consejo on January 25, 2012 · 1 comment

January 25th, 2012 | Buen Consejo | for http://www.baptist.org

The right book!

1, 8, 3, 1…  which are you?  What is this about?  Read on and see –>>

   In the scriptures, in Matthew 26:36-46, we read about 13 people that I want to address.  Jesus and 11 of his disciples when to a place called Gethsemane.  At this time Judas was off betraying his Lord for some money.  Jesus brought Peter and the two sons of Zebedee closer and gave them an assignment to watch with him.  Jesus went on a little further and prayed to the Father.
   Here is our break down: 1 person is off betraying.  8 people are given no assignment. 3 are given an assignment and struggle with it.  1 goes on to the presence of God and perseveres.
   In our churches, Bible study groups, cell groups or gatherings we find within Christianity this same break down. Which are you?
   The bad 1.  Are you the one off running your mouth? Judging, condemning, running others down with your words?  Is there sin in your life that turns others away from the Lord? Are you giving non-Christians ammo to destroy confidence in Christ?  I saw a bumper sticker once that said, “Lord protect me….. from thy followers!” 
  The 8.  Are you just a pew-filler?  Are you one of those Christians that attends church or Bible study? You support financially, and there is no actual fault in your doings.  You just don’t actually do anything much for the Lord.  You’re just… there. This is the largest group.

The 3.  Are you a worker? Do you tell people about the Lord and his free gift of salvation? Do you actively do what the Lord wants in your life? Yes, you might struggle and mess up, but do you try to serve God? Do you take what you learn in your daily scripture reading and try to apply it? Do you actually do what you hear in church or read in the Bible? Or do you fall asleep and fail the Lord?  Do you serve God or expect to be served by him?

  The good 1.  Are you the one who goes on into a deeper relationship with God?  Not the work of the Lord only, but the Lord of the work.  Are you hungry for the presence of God in your life?  Do you continue in prayer, not to bring your shopping list of what you want from him, but to surrender yourself to him?   Do you want that closeness with God more than anything? Do you pray earnestly from the heart, honestly… until you are heard by him? Is loving him more important than anything else?  Are you willing (as Jesus was) to separate from the others enough to get alone with God and really focus on him and his will for you?

Are you a 1, 8, 3, or 1? 

  Here are the verses:
Matthew 26:36-46  “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.   And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?   Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 
  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.  And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.  And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.” 

Salvation under the old testament law?

by Buen Consejo on December 12, 2011 · 2 comments

Straight ahead!

  December 12th, 2011 | Buen Consejo| for http://www.baptist.org
 Under the law securing an eternity with the Lord and not spending eternity burning in the lake of fire was set up differently than it is now under grace.
A confusion enters here: Someone asked Jesus (while under the law):  Matthew 19:16, 17  “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”  You might say, this was a trick question. He did not ask what is needed to have eternal life. He asked, “what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” That is where confusion starts.
  It might seem well founded, if you don’t know enough about the scriptures. Simple requirement under the law: Leviticus 18:4, 5  “Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.  Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.”
  These are the “works” to do. But the works or deeds of the law are not going to get you to heaven. (I’m still talking old testament, under the law) Romans 3:20  “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”  The deeds or works did not and will not get anyone into heaven.
  Habbakuk 2:4  “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”  The law had to be “attempted” to be done perfectly as a demonstration and exercise of truly seeking him and his ways.  But it had to be done by faith.  Not the faith that says, “Jesus died for me, I’ll trust him.” But a faith that said, “God said to do these things, so I will try and live in them, trusting that, though I will fail, he will have a way to get me to him.”  But if you would not try to do the works and live in the holy law, you were not really seeking him.
  Under the law blood sacrifices and offerings of many kinds were prevalent.  They did not save anyone.  Hebrews 10:4  “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” These sacrifices did not take away sin, but covered it for the time being.  That is also why, when the old testament saints died they went to paradise in the center of the earth, not heaven. Their sin was covered, not taken away.  
   John 1:29  “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”  When Jesus paid the price of his precious blood (and presented his risen body to the Father), the salvation of old testament saints was complete.
   So under the law eternal life came by walking in the law of God by faith, trusting his sacrifice system and mercy to not give you what the law showed you you really deserved.
  Works are not “Wow, you built an orphanage, you deserve heaven!” Works are showing you trust the LORD, seek him and want his ways. But it’s still his grace that keeps anyone out of the lake of fire!

Redemption, Remission, Forgiveness. What’s the Difference?

by Buen Consejo on October 24, 2011 · 0 comments

Buen Consejo | October 24, 2011 | for http://www.baptist.org
 
What is the difference between Redemption, Remission and Forgiveness?  Did you even know that they are different?  Which one saves you?? Can you have one of the other two and still be lost?
Many people say that if you ask God to forgive your sins, you’ll be saved. That is not how it works. Forgiveness only restores the relationship that wasthere before.  If some neighborhood kid breaks your window with a baseball, then comes to knock on the door to apologize, you might forgive him.  But that will not make him your son. That will not fix the window. If a lost sinner asks God to forgive him, his life will improve. He will not become God’s child or have his sin washed away.
  Remission means to be covered up or retained to not spread, increase or be in the way. But it is still there. Like a cancer in remission is still a cancer.
  Redemption means to actually buy something and go pick it up.  That is what saves you. Jesus Christ died for  your sins to purchase you and own you. He will also one day come and pick us up.
Let’s look at some scriptural evidences-  First came preparation. Luke 1:77  “To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,”  Through remission of sin (to get it out of the picture, but not gone) the way is prepared to receive knowledge.  Jesus cleared the way for your understanding of salvation so you could chose it, if you want. Matthew 26:28  “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”  Acts 10:43  “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Next he would actually offer himself to take away that sin. John 1:29  “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” He would pay the price to buy us out- redemption.  Leviticus 25:51  “If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.”  Numbers 3:49  “And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:”
  Romans 3:24  “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” Ephesians 1:7  “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”  Ephesians 1:14  “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (earnest means- down payment)
  We also get free forgiveness of sins.  Colossians 1:14   “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”   Romans 4:7  “Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”  Acts 5:31  “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”  Forgiveness is only in there because of the repentance that allowed you to submit to him for redemption.
  After salvation remission is irrelevant and redemption is permanently fixed, but forgiveness to maintain and sustain a close, blessed walk with the Lord is a continual process.  It has nothing to do with going to heaven or  hell. It has to do with the personal relationship between you and the Lord.  If you have a son and he behaves poorly (imagine that!), you might punish him.  If he wants a new bike, you might deny him that. If he needs help with something, you might not help him…. but does not cease to be your son.
  In your personal walk as a Christian forgiveness is a daily, if not hourly process, even moment to moment, depending on the individual. You will not receive forgiveness with blanket prayers like, “Lord, forgive my sins..”, “Lord, forgive me for not doing what I should have and for doing what I should not have, and where I failed you…bla, bla..” The scriptures are clear: 1 John 1:9  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  You don’t ask for forgiveness. You confess your sins to the Lord.  Confessing sins means enumerating  them, that is, name and itemize them.  “Lord, I lied.”, “Lord. I knew I should read my Bible and did not.”, “Lord, I felt I should talk to that person about you, but chickened out.”  This way, when you have agreed with the Lord that these items are sin, you get forgiveness and can’t claim next time that you did not know it was sin.
Summary:  Remission prepares the way for you to receive the knowledge of salvation.  Redemption gives you the actual salvation. Forgiveness is thrown in to start the relationship at a new beginning.  

Faith Statements. What is the Best Kind?

by Buen Consejo on September 8, 2011 · 0 comments

September 8, 2011 | Buen Consejo | for http://www.baptist.org  |

Faith statements?  What is your faith in the Lord about?  Or, whom is it about? Him.. you..?  Do you serve God?  Or does he serve you?

So many Christians make statements of faith in the Lord (concerning their daily lives) that sound like these: “The Lord will take care of me.” “The Lord will meet my needs.”  “The Lord loves me, even if ya’ll don’t.” “I know the Lord will heal me.” and so forth.  Most of the statements of faith are about what the Lord can or will do for them.  Though there are times and places for that, such statements indicate a lack of faith. That’s why you have to remind yourself about promises he has for you. Instead, if you actually believe he will meet your needs, go on and do for him.  Proverbs 30:15a “The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give.”

Of the great statements of faith that I see in the scriptures I offer you these:  Do you remember Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Dan 1:6)? OK, maybe you don’t. They are the Hebrews known more commonly by their Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  OK, now you remember.  Nebuchadnezzar, the evil king, was going to throw them into a fiery furnace if they would not bow down to his idol.  Their statement faith is my first and personal favorite.  Daniel 3:16-18  “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”  They said, God can deliver us, but if he doesn’t, that’s fine too. We still will not bow down to that thing.

Job offers another great statement of faith: Job 13:15  “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”

These statements do not say, God will make it easy, God will make sure I win! I’m a prince or princess before God, he’ll make sure I have a rich, smooth path!  God will see that I’m treated worthy of my position as God’s child!  These statements say that whatever the Lord has decided to put me through or have happen to me.. that’s fine. Just so long as I please him. It’s about the Lord, not about us.

Modern day christianettes, who listen to sermonettes, while smoking their cigarettes or briefly taste a tiny bit of devotional thought, looking for a gem or gold nugget to make them feel good and don’t dig into real deep scripture study wind up being a part of Generation Entitled, too quickly. Faith is not about God making your life easy, pain free or wealthy. God is not a genie in a bottle or a wishing well for you to get what your flesh wants.  We are to be living sacrifices for his service, not put God to work to serve us. Romans 12:1  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”  A sacrifice is not dominated by what it wants for itself.

Do what is right because it’s right. Not for reward or to avoid chastisement.  Look for what you can do for God, not what he can do for you.  Selfishness is the fastest route to misery.

A Story of Two Brothers. Which Are You Like?

by Buen Consejo on September 8, 2011 · 0 comments

September 8, 2011 | Buen Consejo | for http://www.baptist.org

A story of two brothers. One was seeking something very different than the other was. Which are you like? What can you learn from this story?

The LORD said to a woman named Rebekah, Genesis 25:23-26  “And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.  And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.  And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.  And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.”

  Esau and Jacob.  These are two famous brother. Jacob later became named Israel. He is the father of the children of Israel, the Jews. Esau is the focus of today’s post.  The story continues: 

  Genesis 25:27  “And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.  And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

  And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:  And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.  And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?  And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.  Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Basically, what happened is that Esau was out in the field, Jacob was in the camp and had food. Esau was very hungry. Esau was soooo dramatic! He’s going to die if he doesn’t eat!  How sad!  You can go nearly 3 days without water and weeks to months without food. He just valued his precious flesh so much he did not want to suffer or discipline it. Jacob swooped right in, “Sell me this day thy birthright”. He saw that his brother was desperate and took advantage.  “And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?”  So Esau sold it. How near sighted! He sold his birthright for one meal.

What did Esau think of this action after his belly was full?  Hebrews 12:16, 17  “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” Esau not only regretted it deeply, but tried to undo it and could not.   

What does the Lord think of this action?  Romans 9:13  “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” God hated him for selling his spiritual things for carnal (fleshly) things.  

What about you? You might say, “I’d never be stupid enough to sell my spiritual things for the temporary fleshly things!”  Are you sure?  Let’s see if the Esau shoe fits you:

Perhaps you are not saved yet. “I don’t want to be a Christian. It’s not as much fun!”  “I don’t want to have to go to church, or read my Bible!”  “I want to drink, get high or have sex without someone telling me what to do!” “I already know how to be good enough for God. He will welcome me into heaven! I’m enjoying this life and not hurting anyone!” Here’s the problem: Romans 3:10   “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”   Romans 3:23  “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”   Next problem: Jesus said, Luke 13:3 “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Revelation 20:14,15   “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

You have sinned against God, you will go to hell if you do not repent and surrender to God through faith in Jesus Christ.  John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 1:12  “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” Romans 10:13   “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Repent, call upon Jesus to save you. Later could be too late.

Perhaps you are saved. What choices do you make? Flesh or Spirit? How much time do you spend reading your Bible every day? How much time with the TV? iPad? iTunes? Facebook? (reading my Bible studies is partial credit only) When you have a chance to talk to someone about Jesus do you use the excuse that you don’t know enough scripture? Yet, at home you won’t study the scriptures to learn them, write them down or get ready! You have a medical condition I call “Fullacrapnia”. It can only be cured by a daily doses of vitamin B.I.B.L.E.  Learn from Esau. I know some people think they can whine, stick out their bottom lips and talk God out of it. If you are foolish enough to believe that, then you might also suffer from “Buttheaditis”. Not as easily cured! The scripture above said, “..For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”  Cry all you want, he will not hear.

Remember also, another lesson to learn from Esau, “..For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected..”  Esau wished he had not done it.  While the appetite is on you, you think the thing you’re gaining is great. But, afterward you are left empty, depressed and in a lot of trouble. Smarten up! Think ahead!  Do what is right by God. Choose the spiritually correct. You’ll never regret that! Romans 10:11  “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

Scripture Reading, Daily Schedule, Balanced Diet!

by Buen Consejo on September 8, 2011 · 0 comments

September 8, 2011 | Buen Consejo | for http://www.baptist.org |

Just as one would not eat only meat, only veggies or only honey; one must use the scriptures wisely.  A balance between the harder to digest meat and the quicker energy honey, offset by the break down of the fiber rich foods is healthiest.

Here is a plan that would give a balanced diet:
Morning reading:  New Testament.  A good order for a new beginner would be John, then Paul’s writings (Romans through Philemon).
A more knowledgeable student could begin with Paul.  After completing Paul’s letters go to Acts, followed by Hebrews through Revelations.  20 minutes in the morning for this first reading (more is always allowed).
Mid-morning: Proverbs or Psalms.  10 minutes of either or a mixture.
Lunch: This is a good time to read the gospels. 10 minutes.
Evening: Old Testament. Start at Genesis- 2 Kings.  After that the major prophets.  Next the Chronicles through Job.  Lastly the minor prophets. 20 minutes.

What is Your support Mechanism?

by Buen Consejo on September 7, 2011 · 0 comments

Taken out by feet!

  September 7th, 2011 | Buen Consejo | for http://www.baptist.org/ |
Where does your help come from? Of whom do you seek deliverance and assistance? What is your support mechanism? Are you sure? Or are you a living a double standard?  Read on and see >>
  Hebrews 13:6  “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”  Do you think that you do this? But, do you?
There was a king in Judah many years ago.  Asa was his name. He was a pretty good king.  2 Chronicles 15:17b   “…nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.”  His heart was perfect towards God.  But, does that mean that all of his actions were? Did he do some things because he saw the normal way to do things and never questioned it? Let’s see what happened.
 2 Chronicles 16:7-13 “And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand.
  For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time. And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.”
  So, Asa had things in his life to deal with. He had seen God do great things for him before. “Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand.” When he relied on the LORD it went well.
  Then, he either got cocky, or full of himself or overconfident or something and tried to do it in his own strength. He went to the king of Syria for help rather than to the LORD.  So he messed up that situation.  Now they would be plagued with wars all the time!
  So, Asa did like most and rather than self examine and admit error he got angry and punished the guy who told him the truth.  Then he became more mean and bitter and started bullying the people.
  Eventually he ran into health problems. “And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.”  And when he was diseased he still had not learned anything! He went to physicians, not the LORD.  Now, physicians, Doctors, are fine to use. Luke 5:31  “And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.”  Jesus said if you are sick you need a physician. The point was he went there before and instead of seeking the LORD first.
  Do you do like Asa?  If you have a problem, do you turn to the first medicine, advisor or human rescuer available? Do you search the internet for information on it?  Do you just run to the Doctor? Do you see what your money can buy or your wisdom can conjure up?  These things might wind up being used as tools, but first you should seek the face of the Lord.
  Lord, Why is this happening? Am I not serving you correctly or enough? Is there something that you want to show me? Is there sin in my life that is causing this? Lord, should I wait or go to a physician now?  Is this from my diet, Lord? Is this because I won’t read my Bible? Is this because….?
   Proverbs 3:5, 6  “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
   Don’t know how to fix your plumbing? Pray about it first. Don’t just grab the first self help book before talking to the Lord about it.  Don’t understand scriptures? Pray, read more, fast and pray, before you just grab a commentary or book and copy off of someone else’s homework.
  Imagine Mr. Dad and his son M’ijo.  Dad says, “Let’s build a dog house out back. Mom said something about you being in it anyway.”  They gather wood and nails, saw and tools and go out back.  They begin to work and after a while Dad says, Ok, M’ijo we are stuck here. Tell me son, how do we get the square fittings of equal lengths?”  Ring, ring… “Phone honey!”, Yells Mom from in the house. “Be right back, M’ijo”, “Ok, Dad.”
  An hour later Dad comes back and finds the dog house complete. “What happened son?” “Dad, you’ll be so proud! I called my big brother and then my friends came over with their tools and one brought his dad. We cranked that thing out within the hour!”   Mr. Dad bowed his head and a tear came to his eye. “Dad why are you so sad?”  He replied, “M’ijo, this was not about getting the dog house erected. This was about you and me, doing this together, learning about your dear ole Dad by working through things with me.  I hate this dog house, though humanly, it’s perfect. I hate it!”
  Walk with God, not perform tasks to impress him or get it done some other way.

Correct Reason for Reading God’s Word.

by Buen Consejo on September 7, 2011 · 0 comments

Let’s shed some light on this!
 September 7th, 2011 | Buen Consejo | for http://www.baptist.org/ |
What do you really need to learn from the Bible?  What is the goal of all of the knowledge in it?  What should be the meter that tells you that you are getting the message?  Read on and see >>
   A lot of people learn Bible facts. Many learn Bible doctrines. Doctrines are sets of teachings on an issue. There are man-made doctrines and God-made doctrines.  Focusing on doctrines is not bad, in and of itself.  Many people see the scriptures as a historical data base. It tells us historical information that is relevant and applicable.  The scriptures are relevant scientifically and accurate way past modern standards of science.  There are good recipes for foods.  There are diet advise and teachings that could have prevented all of the health problems plaguing our societies. The scriptures are so full of information on all subjects pertaining to life that it is unmatched by any library!  However, that is not the main purpose of the scriptures.
   The main purpose of the scriptures is for us to know the author of them. Jeremiah 9:24  “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”    “that he understandeth and knoweth me”
  Everyone I’ve ever heard speak on it thinks that God made Adam for the purpose of hanging out with him in the garden of Eden, however, man fell into sin.  That is not correct. Yes, the LORD was planning on visiting and eventually seeing if man would grow into a person to fellowship with, but it was not the original plan.
  Here’s the proof: God makes man> Genesis 2:8  “And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”  Next, before Adam had even sinned > Genesis 2:18  “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”  Let’s also clear up another fable; there is no such thing as a “help-mate” nor a “help-meet”.  The word “meet” in English also means “appropriate, applicable” or “fitting”. It means God would make a “help” meet for him (appropriate for him).
   Back to the proof >  “It is not good that the man should be alone”.  God was planning on leaving the man alone. Why?  Amos 3:3  “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”  How does a righteous, holy God walk in fellowship with a man who is a child with no understanding of right and wrong? How does God fellowship with a little man that doesn’t know how to stick to principals, push through issues, deal with life and maturity?  God can visit, be like a visiting God and Father, but walk together with a man that has no understanding, made a little lower than even the angels?  Psalms 8:4, 5  “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?  For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”
  So, the plan was to facilitate man (make a facility in which he could learn).  The devil was already made and evil was already present on the earth. Now man could learn and grow by reason of the liberty and beautiful freedom to make mistakes and screw things up royally!  And that he did.
  To be fair, now you understand why salvation is free. As a good Creator, GOD knew that it was his facilitation that allowed Adam to sin at no cost to you and me, so GOD gives the free gift of his Son Jesus Christ to save us with no cost to us.
Romans 5:18, 19  “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”  God made a plan that started you as lost without consulting you, so he made a plan to save you, without consulting you. You just decide if you want Jesus or hell. A lack of deciding for Jesus is a decision for hell.
  So, since salvation is a free gift to take and that’s done, religion is out the window. No struggling to find God or a righteous walk through commandments and ceremonies.  Now you are free to do what he wants you to, learn of him! Matthew 11:28-30  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  “and learn of me”
  So, when you read your Bible read it to learn about God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t read it to gather facts, history and information first.  First priority: Learn about God.
  Isaiah 55:6  “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:” 
Jeremiah 29:13  “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Reportedly Tortured, Shot Through The Heart…..

by MT on December 4, 2010 · 6 comments

….and His Body Mutilated; Missionary-Pastor Martyred in West Africa

By Michael Ireland | Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

GUINEA, WEST AFRICA (ANS) — Missionary-pastor Michel Loua, 47, of Jacksonville, Texas, was executed on Sunday night, Nov. 14, in a prison in Guinea, West Africa. Church leaders are calling his death a modern-day martyrdom in this predominantly (85 percent) Muslim nation.  According to an article by Charles Johnson in the Gilmer Mirror newspaper (www.gilmermirror.com),  Loua and his family had come to the United States four years ago for him to attend seminary in preparation to evangelize his native Guinea with the Christian Gospel.

In his report, Johnson says Loua graduated in 2009 with a master’s degree from Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in

Michel Loua

Jacksonville. He was the first person from Guinea to obtain such an educational level in theology.

Johnson says that Loua had made at least four trips back to Guinea to check on the status of his established church work, and to make preparations to return his family to their homeland.

On one of these trips, he constructed a house with quarters to house and teach local missionaries in their outreach endeavors, Johnson writes.

Johnson reports that Loua was no stranger to Upshur County. He and his family joined Rosewood Baptist Church in December of 2008. He preached numerous times at Rosewood and held a revival there earlier in 2008.

Loua also preached in several other churches of Liberty Baptist Association, composed of BMA churches in Upshur and surrounding counties. Some of these churches helped him to finance his house building in Guinea and supported him while he was a seminary student. Other churches purchased a tractor for Loua to use in raising food to help supply the needs of native Guinea missionaries.

Johnson states that Loua last returned to Guinea in June of this year. He apparently became caught up in the politics of the presidential election which took place in Guinea the week before his execution. There had been several ethnic struggles, particularly between the Christian and Muslim groups. He was arrested three weeks before his death and placed in chains at a prison in Guinea’s capital.

Johnson cites at least two African news service reports which states the president of Guinea sent soldiers to the prison to offer Michel Loua as a human sacrifice to enhance the leadership of Guinea’s president.

He writes that according to Guinea Muslim beliefs, it was necessary to kill an infidel (non-Muslim) to insure the new leadership’s success. Loua was reportedly tortured, shot through the heart, and his body mutilated.

Johnson adds that Loua was born and raised a Muslim. He converted to Christ at the age of 22. After accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior, he faced immediate persecution from even his own family. His head bore a deep scar from an initial stoning from relatives after his Christian conversion. There had been numerous death threats on Pastor Loua since 1985.

Johnson goes on to say that Loua began to evangelize other Muslims in Guinea and was instrumental in helping to establish at least a dozen churches in his nation. Even before he owned a Bible, he led fellow Guineans to Christ using verses from the Koran which spoke of Jesus.

Michel Loua and family

Loua’s survivors include his wife of 15 years, Elisabeth; a son, Joal, 14; two daughters: Debora, 12, and Mary, age 4. Elisabeth is also expecting the birth of their fourth child in about three weeks. She plans to name this child Michel.

A memorial service for Michel Loua was held on Tuesday, Nov. 23, at Woodland Heights Baptist Church in Jacksonville. Several people from the area were in attendance at the service.

At least two funds have been established to help assist the Loua Family. One is at Austin Bank in Jacksonville. The other is through the benevolence fund at BMAAT Seminary, Attention: Dr. Charley Holmes, P.O. Box 670, Jacksonville, TX 75766.

Michael Ireland

** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael’s volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department

– ‘Michael Ireland Media Missionary’ (MIMM) — of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of ‘Truth Through Christian Journalism.’ If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Chief Reporter   ** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

The Third Church of China

by Da Yong on October 28, 2010 · 0 comments

Da Yong | October 28, 2010

Many of us are familiar with the “House Church” and the “3-Self Church” of China. But, what is the “Third Church” of China? In recent years there has been a huge increase in the number of university graduates in China. China labels university graduates “intellectuals”. The exploding population of intellectuals in China are very open to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are enormous evangelistic opportunities on college campuses all across China. After graduating most of the “intellectuals” stay in the urban centers of China (cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Chong Qing and Shen Zhen) seeking careers as professionals.  They are finding it extremely hard to integrate into the house churches because of their educational background, cultural background and training strategies. These “intellectuals” can not join the 3-Self churches either.  So, they find themselves coming together and forming a new type of church in the urban centers that is being called the “Third Church of China”.

Since the 1990?s “intellectuals” have shown an openness to Christianity and a passion for knowing Truth.  Because China has been a spiritual vacuum for over 60 years there is a real hunger for Truth, righteousness and to have faith in something. Small Bible studies can be found on every college campus in China, they often develop into home fellowships when the students graduate and move into their careers. In a major city where I lived, we worked with Christian fellowship groups for doctors and lawyers. These two Christian fellowships were
active in “Third Churches” apart from their work fellowships. They would meet to study the Bible, discuss work related issues concerning morality and corruption and so on.

This is solid proof that God is moving and working in a special and dynamic way in and with China. The urban “intellectuals” of the “Third Church of China” hold the future and that future is like sunlight burning at midnight!

Amazon.com Widgets

Da Yong

Editors Note: China is a major target for Baptist.org.  Already, we are securing editors to begin propagating  information as to what God is doing here. If you hold to the basic beliefs of scripture that Baptists hold as priority, we invite you to apply for editorship. Contact [email protected]

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