We are on the road as I’m writing this post and recently attended the G3 Conference as the start of our trek south for the next few weeks. If you’re able to attend it’s a conference I highly recommend it. Respond to that love by forsaking anything that would come between you and this great Lover of your soul.*Update: This is an older post and as I’m re-sharing it we’re already signed up to head to the G3 Conference this September 30 – October 2, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia and the theme is Christ Is Supreme Over All. Act with zeal fired by love and tempered by wisdom. What you intend to do in your advance toward holiness, should be done now. Do not delay in striving for holiness or service to God. The Word and Prayer… The Word and Prayer…Įternity is closing in… Do not be impatient, but a sense of urgency is proper. Secret prayer is not a “help” to the Christian life it is essential to the Christian life. Have you met with the Lord this morning in His Word and prayer? Take care that you do not overlook “the” priority for lesser things. In all your learning learn to pray.Īpart from abiding in the Vine, the branches (you and I) can do nothing – We abide through saturating our lives in the Word and prayer! You must learn to pray: Read Tozer, Bounds, and above all, read the prayers of Scripture. The contemporary Christian is far too worldly. Note: Prayer without personal holiness and disinterest in the world is soiled and stained. Note to the young men and women who desire to be used by God – Cancel your cable and throw away your TV. It was the unrelenting victory chant of the early church!”īecause he challenges my heart like this: It was not a message brought out of the closet one Sunday a year at Easter. A thorough survey of the apostles’ preaching in the book of Acts will demonstrate that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the primary theme of their gospel. This great doctrine is not something that we should merely tag on to the end of a lengthy sermon on the cross, but it should be given equal prominence with the cross. However, those of us who believe the doctrine and seek to faithfully proclaim the gospel can also practice something of a lesser evil: neglecting to give the resurrection its rightful place in our preaching. “Denying Christ’s resurrection–or even treating it as a nonessential– devastates genuine Christianity. We are the beneficiaries of the great exchange, “the just for the unjust.” He was forsaken of God, smitten of God and afflicted, crushed for our iniquities, and chastened for our well-being. He bore the divine curse and suffered the wrath of God that we evoked with our sin, and yet, by His suffering, the debt we could not pay was paid in full. Consequently, the believer is now declared righteous and receives the infinite and immeasurable benefit of that righteousness–God treats us as sons! This is an amazing truth that will transform the way in which the believer sees himself. “The Scriptures declare that Christ became sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. On the cross, God caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon Him, and God treated Him severely, as though He were guilty of the sins He bore. Its height, depth, and width are beyond the comprehension of even the greatest and most discerning creatures.” Men must know that it would be easier to count all the stars in the heavens or each grain of sand on the earth than to measure or even seek to describe the love of God. God not only loves–He is love. He is the God of love. He is the very essence of what true love is, and all true love flows from Him as its ultimate source. It is an attribute, a part of His very being or nature. Men must know that it is not their merit or virtue but God’s love that moves Him to give Himself freely and selflessly to others for their benefit or good. They must know that His love is much more than an attitude, emotion, or work. “The gospel preacher must inundate men with the love of God. It is not unloving to tell men that they are sinners, but it is the grossest form of immorality not to tell them! In fact, God declares that their blood will be on our hands if we do not warn them of their sin and the coming judgment. To seek to preach the gospel without making sin an issue is like trying to heal the brokenness of people superficially, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.” Men have only one problem: they are under the wrath of God because of their sin. To deny this is to deny one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. “As stewards of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we do no service to men by making light of sin, skirting around the issue, or avoiding it altogether. Paul Washer’s new book The Gospel’s Power and Message (which is to be on sale next week) comes these choice quotes which Rob Ventura received permission to share:
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