Passion 4 Him

by Mike Riccardi   ~~There are few topics that are more worthy of the Christian’s study and attention than the topic of Christian joy and rejoicing. Gordon Fee hits the nail on the head when he writes, “Joy…lies at the heart of the Christian experience of the gospel; it is the fruit of the Spirit in any truly Christian life, serving as primary evidence of the Spirit’s presence” (The Epistle to the Philippians, 81). He goes onto say that, “Unmitigated, untrammeled joy is . . . the distinctive mark of the believer in Christ Jesus” (ibid., 404). The great British expositor, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, wrote that, “Nothing was more characteristic of the first Christians than this element of joy” (Life of Peace, 143). Elsewhere he said, “The greatest need of the hour is a revived and joyful church” (Spiritual Depression, 5). And perhaps the great Puritan Richard Baxter said it best when he said, “Delighting in God, and in his word and ...

By Michael Synder [1] February 24, 2014 ~~Is Pope Francis taking steps that are laying the groundwork for the emergence of a one world religion?  If that question sounds quite bizarre to you, I urge you to read the rest of this article.  We live at a time when globalization is advancing rapidly.  The global economy is more integrated than it has ever been before, and with each passing year new economic treaties tie us even more closely together.  And “global governance” (as the elite like to call it) is also steadily gaining ground.  Through a whole host of global institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF and the Bank for International Settlements, global governments are working together to a degree that is unprecedented.  Well, what about religion?  Is there evidence that we are also witnessing the globalization of religion?  Well, yes there is.  In fa...

By Cameron Buettel [1] February 24, 2014 ~~Rediscovering Expository Preaching by John MacArthur and The Master’s Seminary (TMS) Faculty is a collaborative book put together by a team experienced in both the scholarship and pastoral realms of ministry. It is a condensed package of the training in biblical exposition that TMS has been providing for decades. The central theme of the book is paraphrased well by Dr. Irvin A. Busenitz when he states; “The preacher’s proper task is to deliver the goods, not to manufacture them” (257). Rightly handling God’s Word is a monumental responsibility that is not to be toyed with. James 3:1 solemnly reminds us of the “stricter judgment” that falls upon those charged with purveying God’s truth to the wider body of Christ. Recognizing the immensity of the preacher’s task, MacArthur and the TMS faculty have poole...

 The world in which the first Christians lived was brutal, totally pagan, and openly anit-Christian. There was no affirmation of morality or any sort of cultural Christianity. Early believers were aliens to everything in the culture. I think we are closer than ever to living in conditions like the people did in the book of Acts.  With the facade of cultural Christianity crumbling, true Christianity is starting to stand out in a way it hasn't in our lifetime. Scripture teaches and church history confirms that the Body of Christ is most potent and more effective when it simply speaks and lives the gospel without equivocation or apology. With the mask of superficial Christianity gone, I believe the best days for the spread of the true gospel are ahead of us. The gospel advances by personal testimony to Christ, one soul at a time. When the church acts like the church, when the shepherds preach Scripture and confront error with clarity and boldness; when believers are sanctified,...

1. Over and over again in what has already been said, we have seen our dependence upon the Holy Spirit in prayer. This comes out very definitely in Eph 6:18 , "Praying always with all prayer and supplication IN THE SPIRIT," and in Jude 20 , "Praying IN THE HOLY GHOST." Indeed the whole secret of prayer is found in these three words, "in the Spirit." It is the prayer that God the Holy Spirit inspires that God the Father answers. The disciples did not know how to pray as they ought, so they came to Jesus and said,"Lord teach us to pray." We know not how to pray as we ought, but we have another Teacher and Guide right at hand to help us ( John 14:16-17 ), "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity" ( Rom 8:26 , R.V.). He teaches us how to pray. True prayer is prayer in the Spirit; that is, the prayer the Spirit inspires and directs. When we come into God's presence we should recognize "our infirmity," our ignorance of what we shou...

In the Western world waiting is a curse to be eradicated because it accomplishes nothing and wastes time. So almost everything gets instantized: food preparation, service, transportation, communication and leisure. In contrast, in the developing world waiting in long lines for service in a government office is a way of life, often being seasoned with lively conversations with the people around you in the line. But most people in the developed world will do almost anything to avoid waiting. Waiting is boring . To keep people waiting is a social sin. Forcing customers to wait is disastrous. Instantizing Almost Everything In response to this human demand for the eradication of waiting, technology offers faster and more powerful computers (that “boot up” in seconds), automatic teller machines (that produce money without the time-consuming factor of dealing with people), microwave ovens (that reduce meal preparation time) and instant foods (that reduce ingestion time). The tr...

by Jim Elliff February 17, 2014 ~~ I was astounded. I had just explained to a group of nuclear scientists the difference between trying to earn salvation by our own works and trusting Christ for it. I thought that I had made myself exceptionally clear. As I left, however, one man thanked me and remarked, “I guess I just need to try harder to be a Christian.” He had missed it completely! Why couldn’t he see my point? He had as much hope of getting to God by his human effort as by a space shuttle. Without the aid of the Holy Spirit and the understanding provided only through the Bible, every man reasons that he must earn God’s favor. The Bible does not say that. It teaches that salvation is a gift, “not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph. 2:9 The ancient patriarch Abraham discovered that being accepted as righteous before God, (called justification), does not happen ...

  Question: The Judeo-Christian Bible is not the only book that claims to be inspired of God. There are the Qur’an, the Hindu Vedas, the Book of Mormon, and others that claim to have come from God. Doesn’t the very fact that Christianity teaches that the other books are not true cast serious doubt upon the Bible as well? If so many others could be wrong, why not one more? After all, an atheist only doubts one more book than the Christian doubts. Response:  Whether the scriptures of other religions are true or false has no bearing upon the Bible’s validity or lack thereof. The fact that 10 of 11 contestants failed to win a race could hardly be taken as a plausible argument that therefore no one could have won. That there is counterfeit money in abundance does not suggest for even a moment that real money doesn’t exist. In fact, it argues for its existence, because otherwise counterfeiting would have no purpose. That billions of people are willing to...

  Question: Christians generally believe in the Trinity, a “God” who is three Persons and yet one Supreme Being. But the word “Trinity” doesn’t appear even once in the Bible, which plainly declares that there is only one God, not three. How can you possibly justify a belief in the “Trinity” from the Bible? Response: There are only two basic concepts of God: 1) pantheism/naturalism—that the universe itself is God; and 2) supernaturalism—that God or gods exist distinct and apart from the universe. We have already shown the folly of the first concept, which leaves us only with the latter. Within supernaturalism are two opposing views: 1) polytheism—that there are many gods (Mormons as well as Hindus are polytheists); and 2) monotheism—that there is only one God. We have shown that polytheism, too, has fatal flaws. Its basic problem is diversity without unity. There are also two opposing views within monotheism: 1) th...

by Daryl Wingerd February 4, 2014 ~~ Many parents of unconverted children have come to realize through sound biblical teaching that salvation is God’s work, not something they can accomplish on behalf of their children. They know that God must draw the child to himself by giving him a new heart if he is to be saved. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). This realization, however, often leaves parents confused about their role in their child’s life with respect to salvation. Understanding God’s sovereignty along with human inability, should they be actively pursuing their child’s salvation, or passively waiting for God to act? Hopefully you understand that your role in your child’s conversion is an active, expectant, hopeful role, not a passive, pensive, or ...

by John MacArthur You wouldn’t expect to hear a pastor tell his church, “I know better than God.” And yet that’s what many preachers and leaders today communicate when they focus their ministry strategies on market research and consumer response. Chasing popular trends and whims is a sure recipe for tickled ears, stunted spiritual growth, and congregations full of false converts. By contrast, a ministry that centers on the preaching of God’s Word is a ministry that is, by definition, wholly dependent on God. Rather than relying on gimmicks or ploys, it relies on God Himself for both its content and direction. Early in my ministry I committed, before the Lord, that I would simply worry about the depth of my ministry, and I would let Him take care of the breadth of it. Needless to say, He has extended it far beyond what I could have ever even thought possible. But the market appeal of this ministry was not somethi...

  Excerpted from  An Urgent Call To A Serious Faith: A Prophetic Alarm for the Bride of Christ   Surely a phrase that is repeated four times in the Bible must contain one of God’s most important teachings. The life God gives is only for the  just —but who is  just ? The Bible leaves no doubt as to the answer: “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” ( Ecclesiastes:7:20 ); “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” ( Romans:3:23 ). God’s law demands, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself” ( Luke:10:27 ). By that standard we have all broken God’s law repeatedly and are condemned. Nor is there any way that we, as sinners, could become  just . Living a perfect life in the future (even if that were possible) could never merit forgiveness for sins already committe...