Not Growing Old

They say that I am growing old;
I’ve heard them tell it times untold,
In language plain and bold–
But I’m not growing old.

This frail shell in which I dwell
Is growing old, I know full well–
But I am not the shell.

What if my hair is turning gray?
Gray hairs are honorable, they say.
What if my eyesight’s growing dim?
I still can see to follow Him
Who sacrificed His life for me
Upon the cross of Calvary.

What should I care if time’s old plow
Has left its furrows on my brow?
Another house, not made with hand,
Awaits me in the Glory Land.

What though I falter in my walk?
What though my tongue refuse to talk?
I still can tread the narrow way,
I still can watch and praise and pray.

My hearing may not be as keen
As in the past it may have been,
Still, I can hear my Saviour say,
In whispers soft, “This is the way.”

The outward man, do what I can
To lengthen out this life’s short span,
Shall perish, and return to dust,
As everything in nature must.

The inward man, the Scriptures say,
Is growing stronger every day.
Then how can I be growing old
When safe within my Saviour’s fold?

Ere long my soul shall fly away
And leave this tenement of clay;
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the “everlasting prize.”
I’ll meet you on the streets of gold,
And prove that I’m not growing old.

–John E. Roberts

http://www.mwtb.org/pages/display.php?id=500140

How can we be effective as Christians in a world that has gone crazy?

11 points to ponder!

1.  Look outside yourself and circumstances for a moment.  There is more in the world than this – much more.  1 Cor 2:9

2.  Why did God breathe into man causing humans to have a soul? Why did God create you and your neighbor? Answer: Love – An exercise of God’s free will. To love means to share.  Eph. 1:4-6

3.  “Pros” (with) God.  The Word was with God (John 1:1). “Pros” is the Greek word translated “with.”  Pros means face-to-face, complete union, or intercourse with God.  From eternity past God the Son, God the Father, God the Holy Spirit were in union.  Until, the cross.  “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me” (Matt. 27:46)? This was the first and only time in all eternity that God the Father broke fellowship with God the Son.  Why?  Because sin separates fellowship with God (Isa. 59:2). Jesus became sin, paying the penalty for sin, thus breaking fellowship with the Father, so that those who would trust in the shed blood of Christ could have fellowship with the Father through the Son (2 Cor. 5:20,21). Jesus broke fellowship, becoming sin, so that we might have fellowship with God.  Amazing!

4.  You have purpose – your neighbor has purpose. Eph. 2:10

5.  You have always been in God’s mind – this is a mystery. Eph. 1:4

6. You have been given a certain number of days on earth. Ps. 90:12

7.  God created: He is still creating. He is not finished creating you. Esther 4:14; Jer. 1:5-10

8.  You have worth – your neighbor has worth. Gen. 1:26

9.  If Christians can understand this, we would understand that each person from conception till death has significance. Gen. 2:7

10.  As a result we would do everything in our power to tell the message of God’s love to the world. Acts 1:8

11.  We would live differently, we would talk differently, we would go out of our safe, sub-cultural boxes and embrace humanity with the love of Christ communicating in practical ways, as well as in profound ways – we would be different.  We would be effective. Micah 6:8; Luke 14:23

Because of Calvary we go.  May this upcoming season of remembering the death, burial and resurrection of Christ move us to action putting feet to our words.

Time is short, life is precious and Jesus is coming soon!

By Dr Jeffrey Johnson

http://www.israeltodayministries.org/

http://www.mwtb.org/pages/display.php?id=300080

Procrastination

“Tomorrow” he promised his conscience,
“Tomorrow I mean to believe.
Tomorrow I’ll think as I ought to,
Tomorrow the Saviour receive.
Tomorrow repent of my sins
That hold me from Heaven away.”
And ever his conscience repeated
One word, and one only–”Today!”
Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
‘Till youth with its vision was gone,
‘Till age and his passions had written
The message of fate on his brow,
And forth from the shadows came Death
With the pitiless syllable, “Now!”

Now!

“God … now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

“Come: for all things are now ready” (Luke 14:17).

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life…. The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:24,25).

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

2 Cor. 4:6, 7 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

I never really caught what this verse 7 was saying until this week when I read it. God, in His infinite wisdom, has placed His light within each born again believer of Jesus Christ. Those that are lost do not have that light and they dwell in darkness. They are spiritually blind to the things of God.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Look again at verse 7: God has placed a treasure in earthen vessels – what is the treasure and what are the earthen vessels? The treasure is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and what a treasure it is! The good news about Jesus Christ and His death, burial , and resurrection is what changes men’s lives and brings them eternal life. The earthen vessels are man. We are the vessels of clay that bear the trasure of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! What wonderful wisdom God has in doing that so that He will receive all glory and honor, not man. The born again believer in Jesus Christ remains physically weak despite receiving the Gospel and accepting God’s grace, so that people will see that it comes from God and not man. Charles Spurgeon wrote: “ The weakness of the preacher only shows the power of God when he uses such poor means to accomplish so great an end. Never let us refuse to do good because our abilities are slender; let us the rather yield up our weakness unto the Lord that He may use it to His own glory.” All should be done to the glory of God! We may believe ourselves to be weak in an area, but if we are willing to be used by God, He will use that weakness to bring glory to Himself. It when we rely on our own strengths that God receives no glory because we are showing Him in our lives.

2Co 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. (8) For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. (9) And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

When Paul was at His weakest, then God received more glory. Paul had plenty to boast about in his life, but he realized that he needed to rely on God and not himself. Paul shows us the example of another that, in His weakness, showed God to be strong and only worthy of glory. Go to 2 Cor. 13:

2Co 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

Jesus Christ was weak before the Jewish leaders and the Roman soldiers. He allowed Himself to be arrested, beaten, scourged, mocked, and crucified. He was crucified through weakness, but that weakness showed the power and glory of God. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again from the dead because He loved us, and not because of any merit in us. He accomplished these things for the glory and power of God. The Creator of the universe, Jesus Christ, allowed Himself to be made weak so He could bring glory to God. What have we done to bring glory to God? Are we walking in obedience to Him? Are we reading our Bibles daily? Are we praying like we should? If you are not, then ask yourself, why not? And what am I going to do about it?

“Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?”

An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years.  It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil.  It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments.  The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.

From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day.  Then she tolerated them in her borders.  Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church.  If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it?  ”Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).  That is clear enough So it would have been if He had added, “and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel.”  No such words, however, are to be found.  It did not seem to occur to him.

Then again, “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers .., for the work of the ministry” (Eph. 4:11-12). Where do entertainers come in?  The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them.  Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused?  The concert has no martyr roll.

Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all his apostles.  What was the attitude of the church to the world? Ye are the salt” (Matt. 5:13), not the sugar candy—something the world will spit out not swallow.  Short and sharp was the utterance, “Let the dead bury their dead” (Matt. 8:22) He was in awful earnestness.

Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into his mission, he would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching.  I do not hear him say, “Run after these people Peter and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching.  We will have a pleasant evening for the people.  Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it.  Be quick Peter, we must get the people somehow.”  Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them.

In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of this gospel of amusement!  Their message is, “Come out, keep out, keep clean out!”  Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence.  They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.

After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting but they did not pray, “Lord grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are.”  If they ceased not from preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel.  They turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6).  That is the only difference!  Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods.

Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired.  It works havoc among young converts.  Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God’s link in the chain of the conversion, stand up!  There are none to answer.  The mission of amusement produces no converts.  The need of the hour for today’s ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root.  The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
(2 Timothy 4:1-4)

John 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
John 21:16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
John 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

http://soundthetrumpet.ca/media/?id=4390

FUNERAL MUSIC?

(Friday Church News Notes, February 19, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) -

Recently a brother in Christ shared with me the following: “Some of my friends have described traditional sacred music as ‘funeral music,’ and the Lord has shown me that they are correct in one sense, and in one sense only. Good Christian music is supposed to help us mortify the flesh, to put it to death, so in that sense it should be ‘funeral music” as opposed to party music that appeals to the flesh.” This testimony rings true.

One problem with contemporary Christian music is that it does not bring spiritual conviction. It ministers good feelings more than holiness. It is dance music, not dying-to-self music. But if “funeral music” means “boring music,” it is only boring to those who have spoiled their appetite by the world’s pop music or boring when it is sung in a lifeless manner in a dead church.

http://wayoflife.org/files/b072f508457975c03af0057bc56ac51d-515.html

2 Cor. 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

What an important thing to remember: preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ – not the good news about me. The message our lives should show is about Him, not ourselves. When we do that, we show ourselves to be servants of Jesus Christ.

There was a young man, employed by a Sunday school board, was invited at the last minute to preach at a church in Nashville. On a sudden impulse he used as his text, “Thou shalt not steal.”

The next morning he stepped on the bus and handed the driver a dollar bill. The driver handed him back his change. He stood in the rear of the bus and counted the change. There was a dime too much. His first thought was, “The bus company will never miss this dime.” Then quickly came the realization that he could not keep money that did not belong to him. He made his way to the front and said to the driver, “You gave me too much change.” Imagine his surprise when the driver replied, “Yes, a dime too much. I gave it to you on purpose. You see, I heard your sermon yesterday, and I watched in my mirror as you counted your change. Had you kept the dime, I would never again have had any confidence in preaching.”

2 Cor. 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

God commanded the light to shine out of the darkness – who is that light? Jesus Christ. Go to John chapter 1:

John 1:4-5 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (5) And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:9-11 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (10) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

God commanded the light to shine into our hearts because our hearts are the pits of darkness. When the born again believer has Jesus Christ as their Saviour, then they can show God’s light to others. A believer in Jesus Christ should not hide their light under a basket, but should show it to everyone. Is it easy to do that? Not always, but it gets easier the more you do it. Back to 2 Corinthians 4:6.

One day the light of the glory of God will shine everywhere and there will be no more darkness. Until that time, the born again believer needs to show the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone in deeds and words. Note that Paul is stating that they gave the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. When we show Jesus Christ is present in our lives and we tell others about Him, we are giving others the ability to know God. This, of course, can only happen through the Holy Spirit, but if we are correctly walking with God, then the Holy Spirit will be guiding our actions and our words. Because of the light of Jesus Christ, Paul declares that he has renounced the hidden things of dishonesty (2 Cor. 4:2), is not walking in craftiness (4:2), or deceitfully handling the word of God (4:2).

So why would God be willing to save anybody? It is certainly not for anything we can do now or in the future. God saves people because He loves them and does not want to see any perish. God saves people for His own glory.

Psa 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake.

Psa 106:7-8 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea. (8) Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.

Only God is to receive glory, not mankind. Why? Because nobody else is worthy of glory. Paul understood this and recognized what God’s mercy had done for him.

2 Cor. 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

People are saved by the grace of God and when they have been saved, then they should show the Gospel of Jesus Christ is alive within them. Saying one thing and living another way is dishonesty and Paul is telling us to renounce the hidden things of dishonesty. The born again believer should then trust in God and live in faith and holiness. Our behavior should reflect what we are saying. When we say one thing and live another way, then we are being deceitful and dishonest. If we believe in God, then we need to show it in our lives and be willing to tell others about Jesus Christ!

2 Cor. 4:3, 4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

For Paul, if the Gospel of Jesus Christ was hid to the lost, it was not because Paul had not preached the Gospel to them. Paul was diligent to deliver the Gospel, are we? Charles Spurgeon wrote: “If men do not understand the gospel, we must take care that the fault does not lie in our language; but wholly with their blinded carnal hearts.” Sadly, the devil has blinded the eyes of men and women so that they will not accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People may have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ hundreds of times, but it does not catch fire in them and bring them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. There is another reason why the lost will not allow the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ shine upon them: it is because they love the darkness within them more than the light.

A man approached Sir Isaac Newton and said, “Sir Isaac, I do not understand. You seem to be able to believe the Bible like a little child. I have tried but I cannot. So many of its statements mean nothing to me. I cannot believe; I cannot understand.” This was the reply of Sir Isaac Newton: “Sometimes I come into my study and in my absentmindedness I attempt to light my candle when the extinguisher is over it, and I fumble about trying to light it and cannot; but when I remove the extinguisher then I am able to light the candle. I am afraid the extinguisher in your case is the love of your sins; it is deliberate unbelief that is in you. Turn to God in repentance; be prepared to let the Spirit of God reveal His truth to you, and it will be His joy to show the glory of the grace of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ.” Our sins blind us to what God wants from us and for us. How does that happen? Because we have taken our eyes off Him – it does not matter where we have put our eyes after that, for if we are not focused on Him, then we are not right with God.

This is an article from wayoflife.org. Please click on the link below to read the whole article. I fear there is not enough discernment among Christians today in choosing their entertainment choices.

February 16, 2010 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

The following Scripture passages have a direct application to this issue and are a loud warning to those who have ears to hear. Parents need to teach their children these biblical principles and guide them in learning how to apply them to their daily lives. It is not enough to have a list of do’s and don’ts.

“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me (Psalm 101:3).

This verse single-handedly forbids the child of God to watch the vast majority of the movies and television programs that are made today. Consider just a few of the wicked things that you or your children will see:

* The breaking of God’s commandments
* Flaunted immorality
* Casual drinking and drug usage
* Drunkenness portrayed as humorous
* Sexually alluring fashions
* Sexually enticing dancing
* Violence and mayhem
* Casual dating and petting (Parents, do you want your children to date after the fashion portrayed in most movies and television programs?)
* Mockery of the things of God
* Mockery of God’s people
* Pagan religions depicted as truth
* Situational ethics
* Occultism, paganism, humanism, evolution, and New Age error (even in cartoons and in a large number of Disney movies)

“I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” (Job 31:1)

This verse is similar to the one in Psalm 101:3, but it warns more specifically about looking upon women to lust after them. The Lord Jesus Christ warned, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). These verses are solemn warnings to men and boys NOT to watch Hollywood movies, whether in the theater or at home. In public, most men will not stare at a woman very long because he is self-conscious about doing that, but when he is watching a movie he can ogle an indecently-clad female, even if his wife is sitting by his side. Twenty years ago I asked a pastor friend, “Why do you think so many pastors are committing adultery?” I have never forgotten his one-word reply: “Television.”

continue reading here:

http://wayoflife.org/files/8fd01f7bd271883c2608c635ed53c6ba-512.html

2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

What is the ministry that Paul is writing about? Reading through 2 Corinthians chapter 3, we see that we have a ministry of showing Jesus Christ in our lives and telling others about Jesus Christ. God has granted all people mercy in allowing them to continue to live even if they have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and it through God’s grace that a man can be saved. What a marvelous thing God’s grace truly is: the fact that God took a wretched man like me and saved me and blessed me and has placed me where He has is astounding. He did not have to save me, but because of His love, He offered up His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sin and resurrected Him three days later. Jonathan Edwards wrote about Jesus Christ love for His creations:

“His delight in the prospect of the eternal salvation of souls more than countervailing the dread He had of His extreme sufferings. Many waters could not quench His love, neither could the floods drown it, for His love was stronger than death; yea, than the mighty pains and torments of such a death.”

“The Scripture every where represents it, as though the great things Christ did and suffered, were in the most direct and proper sense from exceeding love to us.”

God’s mercy allowed us to remain until we accepted God’s grace for salvation. People only have mercy from God because of His great love for man. His love is shown to be all the more greater because God loves mankind despite what mankind has become. Thus He loves people and saves them not because of some sort of merit and because of their good deeds, but because He loves us. Why does God love us? It is certainly not because of our dashing good looks or intellect.

“No man loves God in a worthy manner or as the law commands (Deut. 6:4,5; Matt. 22:37), nor is there a man who glorifies God in every thought, word, and deed (1 Cor. 10:31; Romans 1:21). All men prefer self to God (2 Tim. 3:2-4), and all acts of altruism, heroism, civic duty, and external religious good are prompted by the love of self or the love of other men, but not the love of God. Furthermore, the mind of man is hostile toward God, cannot subject itself to the will of God, and cannot please God (Romans 8:7, 8). Therefore men are inclined to greater and greater moral corruption, and this moral deterioration would be incalculably more rapid than it is were it not for divine intervention which restrains man’s evil. Finally, man cannot free or recuperate himself from his sinful and depraved condition. He is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3), morally corrupt (Psalm 51:5) and cannot change himself (Jer. 13:23)” [Paul Washer].