EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU ARE ON MY FRIENDS LIST AS A RESULT OF A CONSCIOUS DECISION. I WANT YOU THERE. I AM NOT ONLY GLAD TO COUNT YOU AS FRIENDS BUT ALSO FAMILY. LETS SEE WHO ACTUALLY PAYS ATTENTION. COPY THIS AS YOUR STATUS JUST FOR A MINUTE. I'LL BE WATCHING TO SEE WHO REALLY DOES. CHERISH FAMILY.& FRIENDSHIP.THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF MY LIFE. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!
Knowledge is powerful and should be used in love and love should always be controlled by knowledge. God gives us the ability to understand the Bible and then use its truths to build each other up and meet the needs of others.
A preacher once said, "Some Christians grow. Others just swell." Arrogance and pride are the result of knowledge that is misused. Knowledge can be a weapon of destruction or a tool of construction. It all depends on how it is used.
We can know doctrine and never know God. We can grow in Bible knowledge but not grow in grace. We can attend church every time the doors are open but until we actually apply God's truth to the way we live, something is lost in the way we translate the Good News of Jesus Christ.
I heard the story of four Bible scholars who were arguing over the best translation of the Bible. One said he preferred the King James Version because of its beautiful, eloquent old English. Another said he preferred the American Standard Bible for its literalism and accurate translation from the original text. A third man preferred the newer translations because of their practical application. The fourth scholar listened thoughtfully and then added, "Personally, I prefer my mother's translation." When the other men laughed, he explained, "My mother translates every page of the Bible into her daily life and it is the most convincing translation I have ever seen."
True encounters with the Father through Jesus Christ always leads to growth, love, and conviction.
May each of us live a life that brings flavor, purity, and preservation to our homes, churches, businesses and the world in which we live. What better gift can you give, if not your self?
Those who live by grace develop hearts of intercession, praying that others might enjoy the grace of God as well.
The Bible tells us to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:20).
I don't know about you, but when I think of those treasures I always think of the lives that are changed through the power of the Word of God. The souls of individuals who have been saved by God, using us as His instruments, are the only treasures we can take with us to heaven. Everything else will remain behind.
This Christmas, take time to remember when you first met Jesus. What was going on in your life? How did you feel after accepting His offer of forgiveness? How has your life changed since that day? Now imagine what it will be like when you finally see Him face to face in heaven.
Jesus tends the “sheep of His pasture” in the deep dark, and the destroyer cannot steal us away when our world turns to night.
Christ appears as a shepherd to His own sheep, not to others. As soon as He appears, His own sheep perceive Him—they trust Him, they are prepared to follow Him. He knows them, and they know Him; there is a mutual knowledge—there is a constant connection between them. And so the evidence, the infallible mark of regeneration and adoption, is a hearty faith in the appointed Redeemer.
When was Jesus born? No, not on December 25. Though Christians had adopted that date by A.D. 336, Christ was born "when shepherds watched their flocks by night." In other words, most likely in the spring.
And no, He wasn't born in the year A.D. 1. The Bible tells us that Herod the Great ruled Palestine when Jesus was born, and Herod died in 4 B.C.-- so Jesus had to have been born not long before that. Blame Dionysiuys Exiguus for this one -- he's the sixth century monk who came up with the idea of splitting history into A.D. and B.C. He just chose the wrong date to do so, that's all.
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.
Max Lucado
There is a story of a dad who gathered his family around and he told them, we are going to make this the best Christmas ever!
The man's son was sad but being young said Dad, how? and the father said we are going to do everything we have never done. The young boy said, Dad. we go to church and are saved. The father said where are you going with this and the little boy said Dad we can not improve on the first Christmas because Jesus was born.
Luke 2:8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
I love this verse because it gives two very important facts.
1. The shepherds lived with the sheep.....
2. And they keep watch by night...... Nighttime is when thieves and animals come...
"I fear we are in danger of forgetting that to HAVE the Bible is one thing, and to READ it quite another." ~ J.C. Ryle
"Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy." -Sigmund Freud
My faith has no bed to sleep upon but omnipotence.
~Samuel Rutherford~
When life suddenly feels overwhelming and even tormented, we must fix our eyes on Jesus. He will care for every need that you have; after all, He's the One who asked you to come over to the other side with Him. Let Him be your God and let Him be your guide through all of the sudden storms of life.
When the heavens ring with "Well done, well done," you will have a part in the reward. You have worked with Him; you have suffered with Him; you will now reign with Him. You have sown with Him; you will reap with Him. Your face was covered with sweat like His, and your soul, like His, was grieved for the sins of men; now your face will be bright with heaven's splendor as is His countenance, and now your soul will be filled with heavenly joys just as His soul is.
The righteousness that is of God by faith endures forever, and he who is shod with this divine preparation will walk through the desert in safety. The purity and dignity of our holy vestments are brought out in "fine linen."
" When the Lord sanctifies His people, they are clothed as priests in pure white; the snow itself does not excel them. They are in the eyes of men and angels fair to look upon, and even in the Lord's eyes they are without spot.
But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
"Unto you is born a Savior, Christ the Lord." The answer to their problems, fears, and anxieties has a name: Immanuel, God with us.
The message of Jesus Christ really is "good tidings of great joy."
When God feels distant, remember the Christmas story. When you feel alone, unloved, or unlovable, remember that God loves you. And he travelled a great distance to be close to you. Why? Because he loves to be with the ones he loves!
Max Lucado
I love Billy Graham. He is always simple; a great example for every Christian. Be careful with success. Keep your eyes on the Lord, stay simple and stay humble before God.
Humility is the ability to see ourselves as God describes us.
~Henry Jacobsen~
Human love has limits. God's love knows no limits. Stay connected to Jesus. The more we do, the more His AGAPE love will flow through us, and to everyone around. And that is a force that can't be beat.
To some people Jesus is nothing. To others, He is something. Then there are those to whom Jesus is everything.
~Henry Gariepy~
This is God’s gift of Christmas: the cradle—His Son; the Cross—His life; the crown—His coming kingdom.
~Billy Graham~
I have heard many people give credit to God for the good they do. Although important to give glory to God, we must also speak His Word to the people we serve in His Name. It’s the only way they can be saved.
Let’s remind our hearts of this truth tonight… God is good at being God.
We don’t have to try to fix what He hasn’t assigned us to fix. We don’t need to try to manipulate, control, or spend all our emotions trying to figure it out.
We can let Him be God. And free ourselves from the impossible assignment of trying to keep it all together.
Jesus’ birth is meaningless without His sinless life. His sinless life is meaningless without His cross. His cross is meaningless without His resurrection.
With Jesus, it’s all or nothing.
Dustin Benge
“In the mystery of the Word made Flesh, the Maker of the stars was born.”
Madeleine L’Engle
“The Christian life is a pilgrimage from earth to heaven, and our task is to take as many possible with us as we make this journey.”
~Warren W. Wiersbe~
Jesus perfectly endured the sufferings of human life, as well as the cosmic sufferings of humanity’s scapegoat. He allowed the suffering to push him deeper into compassion, patience, meekness, humility, and hope in the love of our Good Father. He bore out that hope to its ultimate form: resurrection, the transcendence of death and darkness.
No matter what is going on in your lives or our homes tonight, we pray that all of our hearts are expectant for the Lamb of God. May He fill us to overflowing and may we be completely at peace, so much so that the world can see Him shining through us today and every day of the year.
Jesus paid it all. I mean all. He not only purchased your forgiveness of sins and your ticket to heaven, but He also purchased every blessing and every answer to prayer you will ever receive.
~Jerry Bridges~
"You will never glory in God till first of all God has killed your glorying in yourself."
— Charles Spurgeon
The incarnation is not a subtraction. Jesus doesn’t cease being God by becoming a man.
Jesus is truly God and truly man.
"Emmanuel.
God with us.
God has seen our need and has provided for us."
Charles Spurgeon
Christmas was Satan’s worst nightmare. God in Christ came to reverse the curse and set captives free.
Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Saviour.
• John Newton died on 21 December 1807
As children of God, we look back to the birth of Christ and ahead to the return of Christ. From the beginning to eternity, our only hope is Christ.
When men will not take God’s counsel, then it is the most dreadful judgment he can lay upon us to give us up to our own counsel. —Thomas Manton, Works 6:232
Keep not your religion to yourselves. —Puritan Richard Alleine (1610-1681), Companion for Prayer, Pg. 5
God’s judgements are to break our carnal dependencies. —Thomas Manton, Works 6:238
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton
‘As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous,’ that is, deemed and accounted so, accepted as such. In short, sanctification is not here intended, but justification. —Thomas Manton, Works 13:307
One good way to get comfort is to plead the promise to God in prayer. Show Him His handwriting. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 6:242
We live in the last days because the Bible says so. Look at the fig tree, for Israel is God's prophetic time clock. Jerusalem shows where the hour hand is and the Temple Mount shows where we are now. We are the Generation that will not pass away. The Rapture is coming soon
“I have learned now that while those who speak about one’s miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.” - C.S. Lewis
“When Christ died, he died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only person in the world.” - C.S. Lewis
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton
Just as the Israelite slaves in Egypt cried out, so we cry, we who have experienced the oppression of a world under the curse of sin. Our hope of deliverance is our God, who has heard our cries and brought us freedom through the birth of a baby in Bethlehem. Ray Bentley
And as we grow older, we discover that the greater joy is in being the giver of gifts. Ray Bentley
The great design and intention of the office of a Christian preacher are to restore the throne and dominion of God in the souls of men." - Cotton Mather
“Preaching must be of Christ.” — Richard Sibbes
"The Bible not only corrects us; it also oxygenates us. We need a Bible not only because we are wrong in our minds but also because we are empty in our souls." - Dane Ortlund
“The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this. ” ― C. S. Lewis
"Exposition alone is not preaching. A minister who only presents the grammatical and historical meaning of God’s Word may be lecturing or discoursing, but he isn’t preaching. The Word must also be applied." - Joel Beeke
"The preacher who exhibits energy in and out of the pulpit but does not provide a godly example is as beneficial to the church as a dull razor to a man’s beard. In time, the preacher’s character will be widely known and impact his work for the Lord accordingly." - Hernando Motta
"If the goal of preaching was merely imparting information, we could accomplish that in our own wisdom and strength." - Philip Crouse Jr.
"The Christian's faith is not so much proved by his courage in a sudden crisis as his faithfulness in the daily plodding." - Dale Ralph Davis
"My constant prayer to God is that he would help me to preach, not great sermons, but helpful sermons—sermons that will appeal, not mainly to the intellect, but to the heart." -Francis Grimke
"There are two kinds of leaders: those who serve themselves and those who serve others. The greatest serve others (Matthew 20:25-28)." - Brandon Hilgemann
“Preachers, be yourself but don’t preach yourself. Be like John The Baptist: prepare the way, declare the way and then get out the way” -Alistair Begg
Young preacher, you don’t have to worry about sounding like your preaching heroes. Just put the work in & keep plodding. If you’re called, qualified, and gifted, you’ll get better over time. You don’t have to sound like anybody but yourself preaching the gospel. - Jared Wilson
When you think of what you are, and despair; think also of what he is, and take heart. Charles Spurgeon
God save us from unholy joy. Charles Spurgeon
You will never know the fullness of Christ until you know the emptiness of everything but Christ. Charles Spurgeon
God is so boundlessly pleased with Jesus that in him he is altogether well pleased with us. Charles Spurgeon
There is no better remedy against anger and impatience. We will have made no small progress if we have learned to meditate on God‘s providence, that we keep going back to this thought: if the Lord has willed it we must therefore bear it patiently. John Calvin
Anger is a short madness. The less we do when we go mad the better for everybody, and the less we go mad the better for ourselves. Charles Spurgeon
Since all things which are yet to come are uncertain to us, we must hold them in suspense as if they might go one way or another. Nevertheless, our heart is resolved on this. nothing will happen that God has not ordained. John Calvin
“Live in Christ, die in Christ, and the flesh need not fear death.” — John Knox
“He that made man was made man.” — Charles Spurgeon
“There is another reason why it was necessary for him who was to be our Redeemer to be true God and true man. It was his task to swallow up death. Who could do that but life itself?” — John Calvin
“Those little hands in the manger will one day grasp the scepter of universal empire.” — Charles Spurgeon
"There is nothing in which I would advise you to be more strictly conscientious than in keeping the Sabbath day holy." -William Wilberforce.
“See how low he fell to lift us from our fall!” — Charles Spurgeon
The Christian life is narrow from the beginning to the end. There is no such thing as a holiday in the spiritual realm. We can take a holiday from our usual work; but there is no such thing as a holiday in the spiritual life. —Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 2:226-27
As #grace is first from #God, so it is continually from Him, as much as light is all day long from the sun. -Jonathan Edwards -
Half our fears arise from neglect of the #Bible -C.H. Spurgeon -
Consider the freeness of God’s love. He hath 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 delight in pardoning, than we [do] in salvation, and He is 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 ready to give than we to ask. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 5:76
“Christ has come to us, that we might come to him.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Christ became a man for you; be a man for Christ.” — Charles Spurgeon
Parents, You have every right to do surprise checks on your child’s cell phone. - Check the social media. - Check your DMs. - Check their text messages. - Check their search history. They may not like it, but kids need involved parenting more than they need privacy & secrecy.
“The greatest blessing which God ever gave to man was the man Christ Jesus.” — Charles Spurgeon
There can be no greater contempt cast on the Lord Jesus, and on the duty of believing in him, than to imagine that without faith in him any one can be made holy. - John Owen
“Christ, though a child, is still King of kings. Though among the oxen, he is still distinguished by his star!” — Charles Spurgeon
"Striving to suppress the gospel is like striving to quench the fire by casting oil upon it." -John Nelson.
“Those little arms in the manger will one day grapple with the monster 'Death', and destroy it.” — Charles Spurgeon
Outside the will of #God, there's nothing I want. Inside the will of God there's nothing I fear. -A.W. Tozer -
The main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for #Christ is spiritual pride. -Jonathan Edwards -
“Consider what the world was, an enemy to Christ; being slaves to Satan, being idolaters in love with their own inventions. Here was the wonder of God's love, mercy, and condescension that he should entrust it to such wretches.” — Richard Sibbes
"The humanized Son, self-emptied of His divine attributes, could no longer be a divine subsistence in the trinitarian life." - Berkhof. Systematic Theology, 329.
“Wisemen, the leaders of their peoples, bow down before him and pay homage to the Son of God! Wherever Christ is, he is honorable.” — Charles Spurgeon
Everything that has moved or shall move in heaven, and earth, and hell, has been, is, and shall be according to the counsel and foreknowledge of God, fulfilling a holy, just, wise and unalterable purpose! Charles Spurgeon
The first time Jesus came to earth very few people in a town, called Bethlehem, knew about it. The next time Jesus comes to earth, every tribe, tongue, and nation will know about it.
“You fear that Christmas is not likely to be merry to you. Well, then, flee unto God with whatever is burdening your heart and go on your way rejoicing.” — Charles Spurgeon
It is my duty to distrust mine own ability, that I may have reliance on Him that is stronger than all. John Bunyan
"Let us seek friends that will stir up our prayers, our Bible reading, our use of time, and our salvation." J. C. Ryle
“Christ's humble birth was but the prelude to a life still more humble, and a death even more abased.” — Charles Spurgeon
Some have thought assurance arrogant, as though it were modest to be in suspense concerning our salvation. To be in suspense whether Christ is able, willing, & faithful, surely is no mark of our humility; but, on the contrary, it is a dishonor to Him. —R.L. Dabney, ST, Pg. 712
The Bible cuts deeper than the sharpest sword, shines brighter than ten thousand suns, and tastes sweeter than the sweetest honeycomb. - Steve Lawson
"A prayerless person is a disaster waiting to happen." -D.A.Carson.
"Our joy comes not from where we are but from whose we are." — Charles Spurgeon
"If we have been brought to salvation, it is only because God has done it. You did no more to save yourself than Mary did to become pregnant with your Savior." —Alistair Begg
#Prayer opens the heart to #God and it is the means by which the soul though empty is filled by God. -John Bunyan -
#Faith itself is of #God, not of ourselves; and it teaches us to be all by #grace, and not by any work of ours. -John Owen -
"Satan cannot hold you, sin cannot enchain you, even despair cannot bind you." — Charles Spurgeon
"Orphans are cast upon the fatherhood of God, and he provides for them." — Charles Spurgeon
Severe trouble in a true believer has the effect of loosening the roots of his soul earthward and tightening the anchor-hold of his heart heavenward. Charles Spurgeon
You can’t be “on fire” for Jesus, and be “cold” towards His church at the same time. Your heart for one reveals your heart for the other.
The more we love Christ the more we love the Bible; the more we love the Bible, the more we love Christ. - Jeffrey Johnson
"Do I make the honor of God the great object of my life? If so, he will honor me." — Charles Spurgeon
God has an innate propensity to dispense mercy and grace; he drops as the honeycomb. - Thomas Watson
"Salvation is not as the result of any good works which preceded it, for there were none." — Charles Spurgeon
The dangerous hegemony of secular psychology has infiltrated the church with devastating consequences. – Mark Mann
Christians believe in the inerrancy of Scripture due to our confidence in the unimpeachable character of our perfect God. - Heath Lambert
"Nothing is small to God, for he uses insignificant agents for his purposes." — Charles Spurgeon
The most tremendous #judgment of #God in this world is the hardening of the hearts of men. -John Owen -
#Christ, with what he hath done and suffered, is the meritorious cause of our justification; -John Bunyan -
People don’t need the Pope’s blessing. They need Jesus’ forgiveness.
The truth of Christmas for the believer isn’t just a day on the calendar. It’s a lifestyle
Together the titles Son of Man and Son of God express the incredible mystery of the incarnation.
Living daily by God's grace depends upon getting to know Him and then walking in the humility and faith that result from fellowship with Him. We have reflected upon four ways to relate rightly to the Lord in humility and faith: living by the Spirit, living by resurrection power, living by the sufficiency of God, and living by the promises of God. Another example is following Jesus as a disciple.
Following Jesus as a disciple is one way to relate rightly to the Lord in humility and faith. Renouncing the self-life is the first aspect of following Jesus. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself." It is certainly humbling to admit that any life we would develop by our own natural resources is unacceptable to the Lord and must be repudiated. The next aspect of being a disciple is also humbling
As we have seen, following Jesus as a disciple is another way to relate rightly to the Lord in humility and faith. Discipleship begins with renouncing the self-life and confessing death for the self-life. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily." Initially and continually, these humble and trusting responses to Jesus deal with self, which is the basic obstruction to following Him. Ultimately, three simple words express the very heart of discipleship: "and follow Me."
These two biblical phrases are ideal correlations. The only way that we can live as God intends is by grace. Our God is the source of all grace. We draw upon God's grace through humility and faith. Prayer is the most appropriate expression of humility and faith. We pray because we need God's help (thereby, expressing humility). We pray because we believe God will help us (thereby, exercising faith). Consequently, praying without ceasing is a simple, yet profound, way to relate rightly to the God of all grace.
God created the angel who spoke to the shepherds, the star that led the wisemen, the wood for the cradle He laid in, the womb that developed Him, the parents that raised Him, the world that rejected Him, the people that believed in Him.
The measure He took to save us is truly amazing!
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