Journal from the Street

Paul Washer in Peru (The 1st 7 years, vintage movie)

2011-12-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

Twisted Scripture

2011-12-03T18:19:00.001-07:00

This video clip from Voddie Baucham expounding what Jeremiah 29:11 actually means. So many people butcher this verse and apply it to themselves which is plain and simple bad hermeneutics. I think Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 4:13 and Matthew 18:19 are the 3 most taken out of context verses in the Bible. Please watch the clip and have some discernment when applying Scripture.

Baxter's advice to Pastors

2011-11-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Advice to Pastors

Richard Baxter

The ministerial work must be carried on purely for God and the salvation of souls, not for any private ends of our own.
The ministerial work must be carried on diligently and laboriously, as being of such unspeakable consequence to ourselves and others.
The ministerial work must be carried on prudently and orderly.
Throughout the whole course of our ministry, we must insist chiefly upon the greatest, most certain, and most necessary truths, and be more seldom and sparing upon the rest.
All our teaching must be as plain and simple as possible.
Our work must be carried on with great humility.
There must be a prudent mixture of severity and mildness both in our preaching and discipline.
We must be serious, earnest, and zealous in every part of our work.
The whole of our ministry must be carried on in tender love to our people.
We must carry on our work with patience. We must bear with many abuses and injuries from those to whom we seek to do good.
All our work must be managed reverently and use not holy things as if they were common.
All our work must be done spiritually, as by men possessed of the Holy Spirit.
If you would prosper in your work, be sure to keep up earnest desires and expectations of success. If your heart be not set on the end of your labors, and you long not to see the conversion and edification of your hearers, and do not study and preach in hope, you are not likely to see much success.
Our whole work must be carried on under a deep sense of our own insufficiency, and of our entire dependence on Christ.
We must be very studious of union and communion among ourselves, and of the unity and peace of the churches that we oversee.

Name this Heretic

2011-10-07T06:59:00.000-06:00

Here are some quotes from someone that the "Christian" world adores. Can you name this person:

“We never try to convert those who receive [aid from Missionaries of Charity] to Christianity but in our work we bear witness to the love of God’s presence and if Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, or agnostics become for this better men — simply better — we will be satisfied. It matters to the individual what church he belongs to. If that individual thinks and believes that this is the only way to God for her or him, this is the way God comes into their life — his life. If he does not know any other way and if he has no doubt so that he does not need to search then this is his way to salvation.”

This was asked the following in regards to the Hindus they worked with, “These people are waiting to die. What are you telling them to prepare them for death and eternity?” She replied candidly, “We tell them to pray to their Bhagwan, to their gods.”

“I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic”

“I love all religions. … If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there.” Or in another place, “All is God — Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, etc., all have access to the same God.”

”When the priest is there, then can we have our altar and our tabernacle and our Jesus. Only the priests put Jesus there for us. … Jesus wants to go there, but we cannot bring him unless you first give him to us.

Who is this heretic? Mother Teresa

These quotes are taken from an article by Tim Challies. You can read the whole article here.

In conclusion: Doing "righteous" deeds can not make a person righteous or in a right standing before God. All of the works of both Hitler and Mother Teresa leave them each equally condemned before God. This is what the Gospel is about. That is why Jesus needed to come and reconcile us to God. This is why we need the imputed righteouness of Jesus applied to us. Our best efforts send us to Hell.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus name

Would you have murdered the Jews if forced to by Hitler?

2011-09-26T19:33:00.001-06:00

Waiting for a vision to know God's will? Read the Sciptures instead.

2011-08-14T09:20:00.000-06:00

For the last 4 or 5 months I have had the opportunity to talk to so many people about discernment. It seems that everyone that I run into is struggling with finding out what God wants them to do. I always hear the red flag warning phrases like: "God told me" or "I had a dream" or "I feel that God is leading me" or "I want to do this but I don't know if it is God's will" and on and on.

These feeling based assumptions cause more problems in people's lives than anything. Instead of reading the Scriptures to understand how the will of God works, people wait for an angel to come down and direct them or for a dream or vision or open door. When people say that, "God told me" or they are waiting for an answer, they are really basing their decisions on their own feelings. They are trusting in their own deceitfully wicked heart to feel what is the right thing to do.

God gives us freedom in making decisions. If your motivations are pure and the decision is not sinful in any way, we really have a lot of freedom to make choices. Should you move to another state? Well, ask yourself why you want to move. Is the reason sinful? Will it help you grow spiritually? Use biblical discernment to make your decision and then, if everything checks out, get off your butt and do something. Otherwise you just sit around in a dumb stupor doing nothing but wasting your life. Like the man that really wanted to go to China to proclaim the gospel. He struggled because he just didn't know if it was the will of God. He prayed about it for 30 years and then died. If he would have understood biblical discernment then he would have jumped on a plane 30 years ago.

There are some things we don't have to pray about because God has already revealed His will in the Scriptures. Should I share the gospel with my neighbor? Yes. Should I help the widow across the street? Yes. Should I take revenge on my enemy? No Should I sue my ex-coworker who is a Christian? No. God has already revealed His will in the Bible and if we read it then we will discover it and be able to make decisions much easier and with more confidence. For all of your decisions that are not black and white in the Bible, use biblical discernment. Look at your motives, look at the benefits to glorifying Christ and your own sanctification, and look at any potential for sin and then make your decision.

There is so much more I could say about God's providential will and His revealed will and more on biblical discernment but instead of me writing 200 pages why don't you just read these great books.

Two great books on biblical discernment that I highly recommend if you are confused about what you are supposed to be doing are:

1) Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will, or, How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky by Kevin DeYoung

2) The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies

Paul Washer - Quenching the Spirit

2011-08-10T21:04:00.000-06:00

Open-Air preaching at Helena street party.

2011-08-05T10:17:00.000-06:00

So much has been happening that I have been too busy to blog but we have got to share the gospel with so many people lately. Amazing things happened when I was in Sidney, MT for a week. My missions blog tells the story here. My friend Brandon come over from Sidney to hang out and do some street evangelism for a few days before we leave the country. We hit alive at 5 with TJ and got to share the gospel with a ton of people. Some conversations went very well and some did not but the gospel was proclaimed.

Brandon was so burdened that he stood up amongst several hundred people and open-air preached. The band wasn't playing yet but there was a lot of noise and commotion until Brandon yelled, "Can I have your attention" in a voice like Whitefield. Everyone in the place stopped and turned to us. Brandon began to speak about the fact that everyone would die one day and he asked them where they would go when they died. Some people mocked. Brandon kept going into the gospel. At this time the band found out what was going on and they cranked up the speakers that were playing the radio about as loud as they could go in order to drowned out Brandon's voice. He spoke louder but eventually had to quit because the music became deafening.

When you go into the devils dark territory and begin to send out a great light, he will do whatever it takes to send you back to where you came from. And this night the devil had many of his slaves ready for action. But greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Brandon opened his mouth for the Kingdom of Christ to be advanced and hundreds of people heard a short gospel message. This is more lost people than the average Montana church preaches the gospel to in a year. This is the means that the Kingdom of Christ has always been advanced. Praise God for the boldness that He gives us and may He give His servants a renewed sense of boldness today and that they take this new boldness and proclaim that gospel to anything that breaths.

Matt Chandler - Horrified

2011-07-22T07:48:00.000-06:00

All I have is Christ

2011-06-19T14:31:00.000-06:00

The Spirit of God is still working on the street!

2011-06-09T11:22:00.000-06:00

It had rained for 3 days straight but when I called TJ to see if he still wanted to go share the gospel at the “Alive at 5” street party, he was all for it. Alive at 5 was, of course, cancelled so we just hit the walking mall. TJ shared the gospel with a whole bunch of teenagers that mocked him the whole time. I almost can’t stand witnessing to a group of 13-17 year olds. Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and kids today have no fear of the Lord, they are very stupid. Most of them are not capable of having a conversation about anything but a cell phone or iPod. I guess I am ranting a little but I want to find their derelict parents and slap them around for giving their 13 year old kid a cell phone and some cash and turning them loose to run the streets all night.

We gave out a lot of tracts to the surprising amount of people walking around in the rain. The first person that I shared the gospel with was an older lady with some meditation beads which is what I used to start off the conversation. She told me all about them but didn’t really know much. We talked for a while about different beliefs and what she thought happened when a person died and then I swung to the Scriptures and the Law which brings the knowledge of sin. She now was not a happy camper and advised me, in a daring command, that she wasn’t the person I wanted to talk to about this stuff. I took it as a challenge. We went through the law and I was able, by the grace of God, to share the whole biblical gospel with her. She admitted to breaking God’s law but said she was going to heaven because she wanted to. Everyone wants to go to Heaven, they just don’t want the God of the Bible there with them. She finally got sick of talking and stormed off.

We got out of the rain at Starbucks and tried to start up a conversation but there was none to take it. Some of the punk kids that TJ witnessed to early were there. One of the kids, too loudly, told his friends that the Jesus freaks were here. I stood up and asked the kid what he had said and he got scared and said we were the people that talked to them about Jesus. As we left, they mocked us more. Again…derelict parents to blame.

I next found a man in his 50’s that did have alcohol on his breath but we had a great talk. He grew up Catholic like me and also saw the hypocrisy in the church. I shared my testimony and then we talked about God’s justice and the necessity of God punishing law breakers. He thought he would go to heaven because he believed in his heart that he would because he was good. That changed after we went through the law. God began breaking the man down in the pouring rain. He admitted his sin and the state of his soul. I gave him the good news and explained Jesus as our sin-bearing substitute to satisfy God’s justice. It seemed to make sense to him. He was very convicted as we parted ways and he said he had a bible at home, which is where he was heading.

I tried to share the gospel with some “ultra runners” but these people have their own culture that is centered around themselves. They openly mocked me and Christianity and showed their indignant hatred of Christ.

That last two people that I shared the gospel with is the type of God-ordained encounter that we always hope for. The couple was in their late 20’s and they both grew up Catholic. The guy was actually kicked out of the Catholic church when he was in his teens because he asked too many questions about the Bible that the priest couldn’t answer. The two questions that the priest couldn’t answer and that he still had never found an answer to were very common and simple questions to answer for anyone who actually knows the Bible. He wanted to know if the Bible talked about dinosaurs and why incest was deemed good when Adam and Eve first started populating the earth. I answered both questions and then went into the law. The guy actually went as far from Catholicism as he could and now believed in reincarnation. He soon admitted he had no basis of his beliefs other than it sounded good. As we talked about sin and the justice of God with many illustrations both the guy and his wife had a change of countenance on their face as God was beginning to reveal to them their sin and break them down. I explained the glorious cross and they stared at the ground, realizing the predicament they were in but didn’t really know how to take this substitutionary atonement. I explained repentance and urged them to believe. They knew they would die one day like the rest of all the living. We shook hands and parted ways to let the Spirit of God continue to work in them.

Are you encouraged by these stories? Do you know what will happen if you don’t share the gospel? Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. You will never see God work in these glorious ways. God will continue to fulfill His purposes and God will continue to raise up His obedient servants to proclaim the gospel to the perishing but you will suffer loss. You will never experience God in this way. If only you would die to yourself and get out of your easy, comfortable lifestyle and do something. When you see God working in people before your eyes, you become so revived and on fire that you can’t imagine wasting your life doing anything else. The world stops. Your priorities change. The world fades away. Do something, do something, do something for the glory of Christ and the advancement of the Kingdom.

Are you striving to retire?

2011-06-06T12:34:00.000-06:00

Wake up call = Paul Washer

2011-06-03T19:46:00.000-06:00

Names and Attributes of God 2011 Conference

2011-05-25T06:49:00.000-06:00

Jeff Smith from Denver, CO preaching

The Wolf Creek Men's conference on the Names and Attributes of God took place last weekend. It was such a great conference and we all had great fellowship, building new friendships and strengthening others. Some amazing things happened at the conference and we could see God in it. It is a very amazing thing to get a room full of men together singing and worshiping God. We had great music thanks to Fellowship Baptist Church of Sidney supplying their men to lead us. One of the funniest things that happened was when Tim Killillay prayed over John Wallace that if John never glorified God in his preaching that God would strike him dead and preach through his corpse. This is Mr. Killillay. We all understood what Tim meant but we all joked about it the rest of the weekend. I do believe that in the conference, God was glorified, the burden of others were carried, Christians were fed spiritually to overflowing, new friendships were made, and the Spirt of God was present. Here are some pictures.

Fellowship Baptist Church Worship

We never starved at the conference

Michael Saville from Helena preaching

Myself preaching on Jehovah Jireh

Good Conversation

Surprise, Surprise, Jordan Hall preaching on the Wrath of God

John Wallace of Big Timber

A few of the Wallace boys

I was also ordained on Sunday, which was a great honor. Leo, Rob, Jeff, John, Matt and Jordan prayed over me and commissioned me to a life of misson work in Peru.

Mike Hyatt's New Blog

2011-05-19T08:47:00.002-06:00

Mike Hyatt is the pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Helena. He says this in his profile:

I am a sinner that the Lord was gracious to and now I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I am happily married to a godly wife who is also extremely beautiful (not bragging, just saying). I also have two great kids, an overweight beagle named Duke and a cat named Penny. I also serve the Lord and His people as Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church.

He has started a new blog called Captured by Christ, so check it out. It may take a little time to load so be patient.

When Providence Knocks

2011-05-17T14:59:00.000-06:00

God has been giving me a lot of opportunities to share the gospel lately so I thought I would share a few of them.

The Miners

In Big Timber there were a bunch of hard-bitten, wretched miners waiting for the mine bus to take them to the Stillwater mine where they are enslaved. These guys vile, almost as bad as me. I walked up to the group and handed out tracts. One guy, the most outspoken and obnoxious man started in on me right away. He mocked the tract with a string of cuss words that he cleverly wove together. Once I started talking to the miners about death and where they would go when they died, the obnoxious man jumped in and told me to leave and that this was no place to be doing what I was doing. He asked if I was scared and I said that I wasn’t scared at all. He then backed off so I was able to share the gospel with the rest of them. They were hardened but the seed was planted. Some of them ripped up the tract in many pieces in front of me, without reading them.

The mystics

Around the corner I ran into a couple guys and a girl. I struck up a conversation and we ended up debating about the things of God for a long time. They had no logic to their arguments and were stuck on the bizarre idea that they could make their own truth.

The canoeist

I ran into a guy that was canoeing from three forks on the Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico. He said he was going on the trip to lose himself and be out of the world. He said he used to be a Christian but when he was walking down the street in Vegas, God pulled him away and brought him into judgment and then put him back on earth. His said he is now condemned and the Bible is not true. We got into quite a heated debate. He said he used to be an apologist but he must have been a bad one. He was totally closed to the gospel and would not let me explain the cross.

The tattoo man

I talked to a man that had naked women tattooed all over his body and of course he was wearing a cross and proclaimed he was a Christian. I asked what he thought it took to get to heaven and he said to be your true self. All I could think of is that we are all depraved, vile beasts who deserve Hell so if that is all we have to do to get to heaven then we are all in.

The Tramps

TJ and I witnessed to these two tramps, which the name they called themselves. They were just your typical traveler, homeless guys, one young and one old. The old man knew everything, just ask him, but the young Indian kid grew up under the care of a father who was a pastor but he knew nothing. They tried to take us down many rabbit holes but we stuck to the gospel. We talked and looked over Scripture for over a half hour and then a cool thing happened. The Indian kid who could barley even read started reading passages of Scripture. I thought this was glorifying to God because here was a huge wretch that was desperately lost and he was reading the very words of life. Praise God.

The Sikh

I saw a guy with a turban on so I went over and talked with him. He was a Sikh from India. I asked him a lot of questions and just let him dig holes. We talked about the consciousness and what is was and where it came from. We talked about the god inside of you and the point of life and reincarnation and a bunch of other eastern thought. His wife came and pulled him away before we could get into the gospel though. I guess you don’t need to go to India to find a Sikh, they are here too.

The nations are here! But who will go there? How will those in India hear the gospel without a preacher? How will the preacher get there if no one sends him?

What are your retiring from?

2011-05-15T08:25:00.001-06:00

So what are you retiring from? I have heard of pastors retiring but I am not sure why and from what. I'm still reading George Muller's autobiography and am continually amazed. God used Muller for so much. Not only did God use Muller to pastor a church of 1200 people, start schools that taught over 123,000 students, distributed publications by the millions, support numerous missionaries, to build 5 buildings in his orphanage and care for 10,024 orphans before he died, God also brought in 75 million pounds by prayer only and answered 50,000 requests which 30,000 of them were in the same hour or day that they were asked.

Now this is amazing enough but Muller surprises me yet again. He actually started his overseas mission work at the age of 70. Most people retire and die soon after at this age but no Muller. God, by His grace, allowed Muller and his wife to be missionaries from the age of 70-87. He traveled over 200,000 miles and to 42 countries by boat, horse, foot, wagon and other various means as an elderly man. Some of the countries include: England, Scotland, Ireland, America, all over Europe, Canada, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Germany, Russia, Poland, India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, In his old age in the mission field, he preached 5-6000 times in many languages. Now that is a good retirement. All was possible only by the sustaining grace of God but when you have Godly desires to advance the kingdom of Christ, God provides the grace and means to accomplish them. Retirement should be going to work full time for God.

The advancement of the Kingdom of Christ

2011-05-12T21:32:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I feel that if I don't tell someone about the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ, I will die. This fire has been kindled lately.

I was traveling down the road and came to the town of Big Timber so I stopped by my friend, John Wallace's church/coffee shop to visit. It was raining out but I saw two guys standing in the rain smoking so I asked them if they were ever taught to get out of the rain and then gave them a gospel tract and started up a conversation. One grew up Catholic and the other Lutheran and both were lost. We talked about sin and the justice of God. They started getting uncomfortable and justified their sin. They said they were going to take my first point of advice and get out of the rain and into their car away from me. I told them that I never got to tell them the best part. I tried to explain the atonement of Christ on the cross but they had no interest and got into their car. Oh to be surrounded by the gospel and openly reject it. It would be better to have never been born than to know the gospel and reject it.

Oh how I weep for the countless sinners that I talk to that are just like these guys. We would all be the same if it wasn't for the unfathomable grace of God that was given to us. Oh that the grace of God would be poured out like rain on a bunch of Hell deserving sinners like us and the kingdom of Christ be advanced. Brothers, we should be crying out to God for His Kingdom to be advanced for His own glory. We should weep when the name of Christ is not glorified like He deserves. Come Lord Jesus, quickly.

The Marriage Song - very funny

2011-05-10T21:11:00.000-06:00

Mariology, part 7

2011-05-07T18:47:00.003-06:00

The Rosary

Beads that represent prayers. There are 5 sets of 10 prayers that are dedicated to praying to Mary and there are 5 beads in between each set of 10 Mary beads that are to be prayed to the Father. So when doing the Rosary, Catholics pray 50 prayers to Mary and 5 prayers to God. The 50 prayers are “Hail Mary” and the 5 are “Our Father”

This un-biblical and blasphemous act of praying to Mary would totally disgust Mary if she ever knew about it, but she doesn't. Mary has never heard a single prayer from anyone because she was a mortal human that sinned and needed to be saved by Jesus Christ and is now in Heaven where she worships her Son like the rest of Heaven. She can't hear a single prayer from anyone, anymore than your dead grandma can't hear your prayer. Praying to dead people is cultic.

Mariology, part 6

2011-05-06T18:43:00.014-06:00

The Perpetual Virginity of Mary

The perpetual virginity of Mary means that the Catholic Church believes that Mary was a virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ. In the official catechism of the Catholic church from the Vatican, which can be found here , In part 1, section 2, chapter 2, article 3, paragraph 2, number 499 they state this belief.
499 The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess Mary's real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man. In fact, Christ's birth "did not diminish his mother's virginal integrity but sanctified it." and so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the "Ever-virgin".

They also claim in number 501:

501 Jesus is Mary's only son.

The Bible clearly teaches that Mary had children with Joseph after Jesus was born.

After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. (John 2:12)

4While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Mathew 12:46-50)

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2Not the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. (John 7:1-3)

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and) his brothers. (Acts 1:14)

18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. (Galatians 1:18-19)
Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And are not all his sisters with us? (Matthew 13:55-56)

It is quite odd with all the references to Mary having other children, and now the Bible is naming them, that the Catholic Church holds to the doctrine of Mary as a perpetual virgin.

To justify these verses of Scripture that clearly state Mary had other children after the birth of Jesus; the Catholic church invents new doctrine in number 500 of their catechism:

500 Against this doctrine the objection is sometimes raised that the Bible mentions brothers and sisters of Jesus. The Church has always understood these passages as not referring to other children of the Virgin Mary. In fact James and Joseph, "brothers of Jesus", are the sons of another Mary, a disciple of Christ, whom St. Matthew significantly calls "the other Mary". They are close relations of Jesus, according to an Old Testament expression.

Notice how they can’t defend their doctrine using Scripture so they use the tradition of the Catholic church, which is exalted higher than Scripture. They ignore what the Bible says and stand on how the Catholic church has always understood these passages. Sometimes the Catholic church will say that “brothers” and “sisters” were general terms that really could refer to any kind of kinsman, including cousins. This is true in the Hebrew language. However, the New Testament is written in Greek, which is an extremely precise language. It makes a clear distinction between the words used to describe family relationships.

Mariology, part 5

2011-05-05T18:41:00.003-06:00

The assumption of Mary

The assumption of Mary means that Mary did not die but directly ascended to heaven in the same way that Jesus did.

We again read in the Catholic Catechism of 1997, Part 1, section 2, chapter 3, article 9, paragraph 6

974 The Most Blessed Virgin Mary, when the course of her earthly life was completed, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven, where she already shares in the glory of her Son's Resurrection, anticipating the resurrection of all members of his Body.

Of course the Catholic church has no Scripture to back this claim up and they even admit it. Father William G. Most tells us concerning this doctrine:

There had been a problem of how the Pope could define the Assumption. There seemed to be nothing in Scripture on it, and what things there were in the Tradition of the Fathers seemed to come not from an apostolic origin, but from some apocryphal stories that circulated chiefly beginning in the fourth century. A Pope is not required to specify precisely where in the sources of revelation he finds a given doctrine.

The Catholic church admits that their doctrine of the assumption of Mary is not in the Bible but was made up by the Pope's. The Catholic church puts the value of the Pope's inventions equal with the Scriptures, which is another problem that we will deal with later. When anyone puts the words of a sinful man above the Scriptures, you can only form heretical doctrine.

Mariology, part 4

2011-05-04T18:37:00.001-06:00

Mary - The co-redemptrix with Jesus

Not yet official because of ecumenical fear but in the 1990's, 4.4 million Catholics from around the world signed a petition to dogmatize this doctrine. In the saint Peter catechism it states:

Question: Did God will to make our redemption and all its consequences depend on the free consent of the blessed virgin Mary?
Answer: God willed that our redemption and all its consequences should depend on the free consent of the blessed virgin Mary.

In the Catholic catechism, number 511, they do claim that Mary co-operated with God in the salvation of men.

511 The Virgin Mary "co-operated through free faith and obedience in human salvation" (LG 56).

This is heresy. Acts 4:12 says that salvation is found in no one else, there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must saved. If Mary is co-redemptrix then Acts 4:12 is a contradiction and should read that there are two names under heaven given to men by which they must be saved.

In Catholic theology, Mary does indeed save those who will honor and worship her. Catholic theology says that Jesus redeemed us with the blood of His body and Mary redeemed us with the agonies of her heart, suffering in her heart what was lacking in the passion of Christ.

In the Constitution on the Church of Vatican II, P61 in says:

"... in suffering with Him as He died on the cross, she cooperated in the work of the Savior, in an altogether singular way, by obedience, faith, hope and burning love, to restore supernatural life to souls."

This same doctrine is found in every Pope from Leo XIII up to and including John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II said that Mary participates in the redemption achieved by her Son and all graces are granted only through her intercession with her Son.

Again in the Catholic Catechism of 1997, Part 1, section 2, chapter 3, article 9, paragraph 6, it says concerning Mary as Mediatrix as well as prescribing other attributes of God:

969 "This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation . . . . Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."

Of course there is not even a hint of the idea that Mary was the co-redemptrix with Christ in the Scriptures. This is a flat out invention of the Catholic church. Do you see the consequences of this doctrine? This is putting Mary equal with Christ in regards to redeeming man-kind. This is heresy and will send anyone who believes it to Hell. If you are trusting in Mary for your salvation then you can't be saved. It would be just as useful to trust in your grandmother for your salvation.

Again in the Catholic prayer, The Regina Caeli, salvation is granted through Mary.

The Regina Caeli

O God, who through the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, did vouchsafe to give joy to the world; grant, we beseech you, that through his Mother, the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus Himself says this about obtaining salvation:

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:6)

And the book of Acts says that no other name but Jesus is given for men to be saved. Not even Mary.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
(Acts 4:12)

Mariology, part 3

2011-05-03T18:33:00.010-06:00

Mary - The Queen of Heaven

The official worship of Mary started in 431 AD and prayers to Mary were started in about 600 AD.

This worship of Mary can be traced back to Pagan goddess worship. The idea of the Queen of Heaven has been around long before Mary. The book of Jeremiah, which speaks of the future punishment of Judah which came to pass in the Babylonian captivity. Some of the sins that they committed were told of in Jeremiah 7:18:

The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.

Heaven has no Queen but only a King, Jesus. Making Mary the queen of heaven is paganism and is the same sin that Israel was punished for. In verse 20 we see the response of God to this worship of the queen of heaven:

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.

The queen of heaven appears again in the book of Jeremiah in chapter 44. The Jews were so stubborn and rebellious against God in their devotion to the queen of heaven that they responded to Jeremiah in obstinate rebellion. Chapter 44 and verse 17 says:

But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster.

The Jews superstitiously credited the queen of heaven for their prosperity in the same way Catholics credit Mary for any good thing that happens in their lives. In the same way that the Jews thought that stopping the worship of the queen of heaven brought disaster on them, the Catholics also believe that if they turn their back on Mary then they will face the same demise. This is the bondage that the Catholics are entrapped in. Verse 18 tells of this:

But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.

If a devout Catholic ever denounced the worship of Mary they would be declared an anathema and condemned to Hell. But God is the judge, not the sinful Pope. God responded to the Jews obstinacy in verse 26-27:

Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, 'As the Lord GOD lives.' Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them.

God punished Judah for their unrepentant worship of the queen of heaven because they choose to worship a false idol instead of the living God. The worship of Mary is pagan goddess worship and it robs God of His glory, of which He will share with no one. You cannot worship the True God and Mary, it is demonic and blasphemous. Mary has never answered a prayer nor has the power to do so. She does not operate on her own, nor give mercy, nor forgive sins, nor give grace. Mary worship is pagan idolatry ingrained into Catholicism. Mary worship is no different and no less blasphemous than Baal worship. Can the Roman Catholic church escape God's judgment? Did Judah when they worshiped the queen of heaven?

Mariology, part 2

2011-05-02T18:29:00.001-06:00

This is part 2 of Mariology of the Catholic church which deals with Mary as perfectly holy.

Mary the all holy one

According to the Roman Catholic Church, Mary is all holy, just like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. From a book called True devotion to Mary, chapter 6 says:

There is no darkness in Mary, not even the slightest shadow since there was never any sin in her. She is a holy place, a holy of holies, in which saints are formed and molded.

This seems quite bizarre since Mary, in her song, calls God her Savior. If you are perfectly holy then what do you need to be saved from?

The necessity of Mary in sanctification is also required by the Catholic church. Without Mary you can work really hard but Jesus will only be slightly seen in you.

If Mary, the Tree of Life, is well cultivated in our soul by fidelity to this devotion, she will in due time bring forth her fruit which is none other than Jesus. I have seen many devout souls searching for Jesus in one way or another, and so often when they have worked hard throughout the night, all they can say is, "Despite our having worked all night, we have caught nothing." To them we can say, "You have worked hard and gained little; Jesus can only be recognized faintly in you." But if we follow the immaculate path of Mary, living the devotion that I teach, we will always work in daylight, we will work in a holy place, and we will work but little.

Not only is Mary claimed to be perfectly holy but completely sinless as well, which is what being holy is. Again, they state this in their Catechism, number 508.

508 From among the descendants of Eve, God chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of his Son. "Full of grace", Mary is "the most excellent fruit of redemption" (SC 103): from the first instant of her conception, she was totally preserved from the stain of original sin and she remained pure from all personal sin throughout her life.

No where in the Bible does it even hint of this. Romans 3:10-11 says:

None is righteous, not one; no one understands; no one seeks after God.

All through the Bible we read of Man’s depravity. In fact in Romans 6:23 the Bible says that the wages of sin is death. This means your death is proof that you have sinned. The Bible says that everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23), there for all must die and then the judgment. This is why the Catholic church had to invent the doctrine of the assumption of Mary, which means that Mary did not die but directly ascended to heaven in the same way that Jesus did.

More verses on the sinfulness of all men include:

Mk 7:21-23, Jer 17:9, Rom 6:20, Rom 3:10-12, Mk. 10:18, 1 Cor 2:14, Eph 2:15, Eph 2:3, Ps 58:3, Jn 3:19, Gen 6:5, Isa 64:6, Ps 14:3, Ps 143:2, Gen 8:21, Jn 8:44, Eph 2:12, Jn 3:36, Ps 5:5, 11:5, Job 15:16, Ps 53:1-3, 1 Kg. 8:46, Ecc. 7:20, Gal. 3:22, 1 Jn. 1:8, Ps. 51:4

The simple fact that Mary, in her song, calls God her Savior should be enough proof that Mary was not holy and sinless or she would have no need to be reconciled.

In the Catholic prayer called the Regina Caeli, Mary in her perfect holiness, earned the right to give birth to Jesus.

The Regina Caeli

Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
The Son whom you merited to bear, alleluia,
has risen as he said, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia!
For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

In Catholic writings they say that Mary can be called the savior of the world.

Mariology

2011-05-01T08:13:00.002-06:00

I grew up Catholic until God saved me and ever since I have studied more about the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Many of the Catholic doctrines are closer to paganism than Christianity and I will expose a few of them in the next several posts. It is important to understand what is being taught and performed in the Catholic church to avoid the error of thinking that the Roman church is just like any other church. Most Catholics don't have a clue of what goes on during a mass or what Catholic doctrine even says, they just show up on Sunday, repeat their memorized prayers, kneel down, stand, sit, take the bread and wine and go to Denny's. It is tradition and they don't know why they do the things they do. On the other hand, the priests, bishops, cardinals, pope, they all actually do know what their doctrine is and what they are teaching and they are either blind or purposefully deceiving. They will be held accountable for exalting tradition, Mary, the Pope, saints and everything else above the Scriptures and what they say. So I will start this off with a series on mariology. I used many resources in this research but you can find all the facts yourself on the Vatican's website here and the Catechism of the Catholic church.

The Worship of Mary

Mary is worshiped by Catholics as God. Some cathedrals have a statue of Mary at the top with God the Father and Jesus below her and offering their crowns to Mary. People kiss her image, her statue, her picture. People pray to her continually using the rosary. Mary is believed to hold the Sovereign authority of God.

Catholics believe that as the Queen of Heaven she posses the right to the whole kingdom of her Son. She can dispense anything in the kingdom to whom she wants. There are just as many creatures serving Mary as there are serving God. Mary has dominion and power over all creation. Jesus is King of justice but Mary is queen of mercy. Basically they are saying that it is hard to get mercy out of Jesus so you must go to Mary, who will get the mercy from Jesus because apparently Jesus can't resist his mother. Mary determines who gets mercy, who God saves, and who is helped.

This is blasphemy against the nature of God and the character of Christ our compassionate savior.

Mary the intercessor

She also shares holiness with God. Nothing can resist her power. Jesus takes delight in glorifying her and grants her every perfection as if He were paying a debt. Catholics believe that Jesus listens to all Mary says and grants her wish. If a Catholic loves Mary, they believe that they will receive what ever they want. Mary lifts people out of sin when they repent to her. She reconciles sinners to God. Mary basically has all the attributes of the Trinity and performs all the same duties. The salvation of all depends on Mary and her intercession.

Catholics refer to her as “God bearer” and say she gave birth to God and because of this she should be worshiped and adored.

This is a huge misconception. She gave birth to Jesus in his humanity. She did not give birth to God, God was never born.
In the Catholic Catechism of 1994, paragraph 2677, it says:
“By asking Mary to pray for us, we acknowledge ourselves to be poor sinners and we address ourselves to the mother of mercy, the all holy one.”

The Self-Esteem Nightmare

2011-04-20T10:57:00.001-06:00

What is self-esteem? The word explains the definition, we are to esteem ourselves. Does this sound biblical? Far from it. The opposite is actually true. We should see our utter helplessness and depravity which drives us to utterly depend on God alone and esteem Him for His goodness and not ourselves. The self-esteem movement has become rampant in this age. Here is an example from Joel Osteen's book, "Your Best Life Now":

He writes, “Every moment that we go around with that weak worm-of-the-dust mentality, we’re eating more cheese and crackers….It’s time to step up to God’s dining table. God has prepared a fabulous banquet for you, complete with every good thing imaginable. And it has already been paid for. God has everything you need there—joy, forgiveness, restoration, peace, healing” (84-85).

Just doing an Internet search on "Christian self-esteem" I found countless resources on how to improve your self-esteem. Here is just one:

There is nothing negative about God. So doing what you can to eliminate the negative stuff in your life will go a long ways toward improving your Christian self esteem. God has a specific plan for your life, but in order to start moving in the right direction, it's necessary to start focusing on positive things that will make you feel better about yourself. Building Christian self esteem isn't as simple as just going to a website, reading the material, and presto....you instantly feel better about yourself and everything in your life. Unfortunately, it's a lot more complicated than that.

The reason it is complicated is because "Christian" self-esteem is unbiblical and demonic. See the problem here? Now compare this non-sense with a prayer of a Puritan:

Lord Jesus,
I sin --
Grant that I may never cease grieving because of it, never think I can reach a point of perfection. Kill my envy, command my tongue, trample down self. Give me grace to be holy, kind, gentle, pure, peaceable, to live for thee and not for self, to copy thy words, acts, spirit, to be transformed into thy likness, to be consecrated wholly to thee, to live entirely to thy glory.

See the difference? Which is more biblical? I think it is obvious. Kill your self-esteem and esteem God alone, for He will share His glory with no one. Here is a video of Paul Washer on self-esteem.

What is your motivation for the things you do?

2011-04-13T06:25:00.000-06:00

Cult of the month - Rastafarianism

2011-04-09T21:19:00.000-06:00

Halie Selassie

Founded by Halie Selassie

• Former emperor of Ethiopia, crowned in 1930 and died in 1975. Reined for 45 years.

• This is not his real name but he took this name which means the power of the trinity. He also took names like: king of kings, lord of lords, the conquering lion of Judah. His actual name is Ras Tafari Maconan.

• Always decked out with many medals.

• He claimed to be 225th in a line of Ethiopian Kings descending from a union between Solomon and the queen of Sheba. He actual said that Psalm 87:4-6 predicted his coronation. It says:

Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush-- "This one was born there," they say. And of Zion it shall be said, "This one and that one were born in her"; for the Most High himself will establish her. The LORD records as he registers the peoples, "This one was born there." Selah
(Psa 87:4-6)
• Now there are over 1 million people that worship him as god.

• He is believed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.

• His worshipers are called Rastafarian’s.

• Rastafarians only believe in the King James version of the bible.

• If you are in the religion then you must have a personal relationship with Ras Tafari.

• They say he never died and he is coming back on the day of judgment to Africa.

• They only believe ½ the Bible has been written the other half was stolen from Africans by white people and is now hidden in the Ark of the Covenant.

• They believe that devout believers will not physically die.

• They believe that Ras Tafari is god the father and god the son and his followers are the holy spirit.

• During a Rastafarian service the worshipers smoke maharaja, singing, dancing, reading the bible and listening to their greatest prophet, Bob Marley.

• Bob Marley took the Rastafarian system and developed it into a form of music called Reggae.
• Dreadlocks are also associated with Reggae and Rastafarianism and they are the idea of going back to nature by never taking care of your hair, which is a play on the Nazarite vow.

This is a satanic religion that worships a dead Ethiopian that is now in Hell.

Paul Washer - Warning for Bloggers

2011-04-06T12:18:00.000-06:00

Child-Sacrificing Incas vs Baby killing Americans

2011-04-05T09:54:00.002-06:00

I thought this was interesting because it is about the Inca people of old in Cusco, which is where we are moving. I found this on Desiring God’s blog

The remains of seven children apparently killed in a ritual, and buried beneath a 500- to 600-year-old building in Peru’s Cuzco Valley have given scientists new glimpses of the sketchily understood Inca practice of sacrificing select children in elaborate ceremonies.

The children were buried at the same time, apparently after having been killed in a sacrificial rite that honored Inca deities and promoted political unity across the far-flung empire, say anthropologist Valerie Andrushko of Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven and her colleagues.

Chemical analyses of the bones indicate that at least two of the children came from distant parts of the Inca realm.

The findings lend credence to the accounts of Spanish conquistadors that described how children were selected for sacrifice from all across the empire, based on their physical perfection. We shudder at such brutal backwardness.

Today, using prenatal screening, we scour the empire for children with physical defects and sacrifice them to ourselves.

Peru Video

2011-04-02T11:25:00.000-06:00

Here is a short, 5 minute, video of our scouting trip to Peru. For the more of this trip go to our Mission blog and you can see our journal and longer video.

Do you love the world or Christ?

2011-03-30T08:40:00.002-06:00

The Atheist and the Ethiopians

2011-03-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

I hit the streets on a cold day last week. It was -22F at my house in the morning but warmed to a toasty -6F out witnessing. I ran into an atheist in the walking mall and we debated for a long time. I forgot my coat in the truck but a fire was kindled inside. Whenever I run into one of these Atheists who know "everything," I like to convert them to an agnostic. This guy was too illogical to be converted. He had many complaints against God (that he doesn't believe in) and the Bible and proceeded to tell me all of them. They were nothing that I have never heard before and are easily answered. He knew the truth but suppressed it. He had an answer for everything and it didn't matter to him if his answers were logical or not. He proceeded to tell me that God was evil because he got cancer and almost died when he was 17 and that he knew a 3 year old girl with cancer. It is funny how an Atheist, who doesn't believe that God exists, blames God for evil. An atheist should be happy when people die because it is survival of the fittest and natural selection is working. The weak are dying off and the strong live. An atheist should enjoy when people die because that means more resources for themselves. Do you see how illogical and wicked Atheism is. This atheist and the 100's of atheists I have talked to all deny the existence of God but admit that if God does exist then He is responsible for all evil in the world and that man is by nature good. We ended the conversation when he said we have irreconcilable differences and walked off.

I met Matt at his house and we walked downtown. We ran into on crazy man I tried to witness to but he got in my face when I asked him what he thought it took to get to heaven. He pressed his finger on my head and chest and mumbled something bizarre and then walked away.

We next hit Starbucks because it is always a good place to find lost people on a cold day. There were a couple foreigners there so I asked where they were from. They were from Ethiopia and were here on business. One was a Greek Orthodox and the other a recent convert to Christianity but very new. I shared the whole biblical gospel with them. The Christian knew all the answers and said he was a hell deserving sinner and Christ is the only way to be saved. The Greek Orthodox was lost and didn't seem to be too convicted. It seemed to be God's providence though because I encouraged the Christian to read his bible, which he was neglecting, and find a church in town. I told him about Calvary Baptist in Helena, which is a great church. The Christian Ethiopian said that we met for a reason today and thanked us for the conversation. God is good. Even on a freezing day, He brought us someone to share the gospel with. There are never any excuses not to get out and share the gospel.

Paul Washer explains Election

2011-02-16T07:14:00.002-07:00

Slave

2011-02-14T18:15:00.001-07:00

If you are a Christian then you are a slave to Christ. We have been bought with a price. Spurgeon said this:

"Where the Authorized Version softly puts it "servant" it really is "bond-slave." The early saints delighted to count themselves Christ's absolute property, bought by Him, owned by Him, and wholly at His disposal."

John MacArthur's new book called "Slave" just came out. Check it out.

The Baptist Down-Grade Controversy all over again in 2011

2011-02-13T18:06:00.001-07:00

There is nothing new under the sun. When we look at the Baptist church today and the direction that it is going all we need to do is look back into history to see how history repeats itself. Charles Spurgeon battled for truth and sound doctrine with the Baptist church in the same way as the remnant of good Baptist churches battle with the Conventions today. Read about the down-grade controversy within the Baptist church in the late 1880’s and see if it relates to today.

“By the late 1800s, there was an insipid falling away from God’s Truth that infected many churches, including the Baptists. Some ministers openly preached against the infallibility of the Bible, the deity of Christ and eternal salvation. Those few were censured by the Baptist Union. But many others did so more surreptitiously. In the light of great scientific discoveries, these learned men began to question portions of Scripture or elements of the Trinity. They cast themselves as progressive and modern. Some found a new understanding in the theories of Charles Darwin, and pointed to what they felt were contradictions between Scripture and science – choosing science as their guide. Their congregations followed.

A blind eye was turned toward this apostasy within the Baptist Union and other denominations. It became known as the “Down-Grade” controversy. Spurgeon at first thought it was an exception here and there. But he soon began to see a rapid spread of these ideas and was alarmed at the sudden infusion within his own denomination. Spurgeon was a very sick man by this point, and in fact, was only a few years from death. He likely knew it. And so there was no personal gain for him to enter into such a burgeoning fray at the end of his life. In fact, it probably taxed his failing strength.

Nonetheless, he felt compelled to defend the Gospel. After a number of private conversations and correspondences with men he thought were reducing Scripture, and with S.H. Booth, the secretary of the Baptist Union, he brought the issue into the open in an 1887 Sword and the Trowel article. In the magazine, he issued a general warning to readers of the defection from the Truth that was riddling the Nonconformist churches.

Spurgeon laid out three charges: 1) The infallibility of Scripture from God was denied, 2) the way of salvation through Christ was not preached, and 3) hell was denied, as was any eternal punishment.

It went right to the heart of the Gospel. Many in the camp of science vigorously attacked Spurgeon over religion. He was also attacked through Christian publications and even the pulpit. And shockingly, at the next annual meeting of the Baptist Union, the issue was ignored. There was complete silence.

After repeated attempts to get the Baptist Union to confront the issue, Spurgeon felt he had no choice. He withdrew from the union. By unanimous vote, the congregation of the Tabernacle followed him.

The censure passed by the Baptist Union was a deep wound for Spurgeon. But he had set out his path of defense of Scripture and would not turn back. He was absolutely militant about God’s Word.” (Taken from Spurgeon Gold, p.199-201, compiled by Ray Comfort)

Today most Baptists are not arguing about evolution but we have definitely seen a denying of the infallibility of Scripture. One of the biggest problems we see in the Baptist Church today is the removal of the solid biblical doctrine that the Baptist church was built on and stated in the London Baptist Confession of 1689. Man-centered theology and worldly marketing and business strategy has infiltrated the church leaving Biblical theology and simply relying on preaching Christ and Him crucified at the back door. How desperate do the pulpits of the Baptist church need to be reformed. How desperate do we need to put away man-centered methodologies and return to Baptist roots of reformed theology. Montana pulpits must be reformed before the church becomes insignificant and deader than it already is.

Reformation Montana

2011-02-12T06:40:00.001-07:00

Reformation Montana

Baptists are the heirs of a rich tradition of renewal and reformation among Christ’s Church. Written in part by the blood of Baptist martyrs, history gives witness of the devotedness of Baptists to particular doctrines that are today long forgotten among our brethren in contemporary times. As with our Baptist forbears of four centuries past, Baptists of this age who defend God’s sovereign nature find ourselves calling for repentance that we may turn our eyes to God and His Scripture and away from the irreverent religious myths of our day. Baptists in agreement with this Declaration of Reformation do not believe that our denominational ties should be strained by our convictions. Just as our first Southern Baptist forbears widely accepted the Doctrines of Grace in such documents as The Abstract of Principles and yet led their fledgling denomination in unity and toward a more-evangelistic future, we desire to do the same. Even concerning those who hold man’s choice and assumed good nature as key to his own salvation, there is more that unifies us than separates us – and it’s around these similarities that we will continue to coalesce.

Check it out Reformation Montana and if you are in support and want to join email fbc.sidney@gmail.com

Contact information:

Reformation Montana Temporary HQ
2181 W Holly St
Sidney, MT 59270
Reformation Montana Phone: 406-433-4004

The Names and Attributes of God Conference

2011-02-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

This is the Wolf Creek Baptist Church 7th annual Men's conference. It will be on May 20-21st at Camp Child in Eliston, MT. All rooms and food are free. We have room for 100 people. Send me an email or comment on this post if you are interested in coming and I will reserve your room.

Matt Davis has a new blog

2011-02-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

My friend Matt Davis has just started a good reformed blog. Check it out. He is giving away a free John MacArthur study Bible if you win the contest. It is a quess the quote contest. His blog is called I am not ashamed.

Street Preacher...A Day in the Life

2011-02-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

Paul Washer - we are losing

2011-01-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

How the English Language has developed over time.

2011-01-21T06:33:00.001-07:00

As I learn Spanish I have been curious as to how languages have developed and changed over the years. The English language was so different only 500-600 years ago that we could never understand it. Below is the Lords Prayer from Matthew 6. It shows how the English language has changed over the years. The translators of the 1611 KJV were very wise to translate the Bible into modern English. This shows that the Bible must be translated and read in the modern language so we can understand it. The KJV folks are so afraid to translate the Bible into 21st century English and away from Old English of the 1600's but they should look at their mentors, the translators of the 1611. The translators of the 1611 rightly translated the Bible into new English so the people could understand it. As the English language continued to change and develop the translators of the KJV again came out with a revision of the KJV in 1769 to adapt to the changing language in order for the people to understand. Now I don't think that we should translate the Bible into slang but we should revise the translation of English in the Bible if the English language changes enough that people have a hard time understanding it. The KJV is an outstanding translation and has been a pilliar of Bible translation for 400 years but since 1611, the English has changed enough that people have a hard time understanding Old English. I know when I read the original 1611, I have a harder time trying to figure out the English than what the passage is saying. Here is a short history of how the English language has developed over time.

The Lords Prayer

(Matthew 6:9-13)

Late 9th century: Þū ūre fæder, þe eart on heofonum, sīe þīn nama gehālgod. Cume þīn rīce. Sīe þīn wylla on eorþan swā swā on heofonum. Syle ūs tōdæg ūrne dæghwāmlican hlāf. And forgief ūs ūre gyltas swā swā þē forgiefaþ þæ¯m þe wiþ ūs āgyltaþ. And ne læ¯d þū nū ūs on costnunge, ac ālīes ūs fram yfele.

Late 15th century: Oure fadir, þat art in heuenys, halewid be þi name. Þi kingdom come to. Be þi wile don ase in heuene and in erþe. ʒiue to us þis day oure breed ouer oþer substaunse. And forʒiue to us oure dettes, as and we forʒiuen to oure dettouris. And leede us not into temptaciouns, but delyuere vs from yuel.

The Year 1611: Our father which art in heauen, hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdome come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heauen. Giue vs this day our daily bread. And forgiue vs our debts, as we forgiue our debters. And lead vs not into temptation, but deliuer vs from euill: For thineis the kingdome, and the power, and the glory, for euer, Amen.

The Year 1769: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Denver - Day 2

2011-01-16T20:20:00.002-07:00

Killillay and I headed back downtown to share the gospel. The first guy I talked to was an agnostic. I pointed to a building and asked him if the building had a builder. He said yes so I asked him how he knows the building had a builder. He gave the correct answer and said the building is proof there was a builder. This lead me to my point of proving the existence of God. I told him if he looked at the complexity and design of creation he would have to see that there was a designer. I argued that the designer was God. We went through the law and gospel. He said that it made sense that Jesus became our substitute in order to satisfy justice. We had a good talk and he thanked me for the conversation and I thanked God for it. This first picture is of the conversation. Killillay was talking to another guy so I gave out some tracts and found a man from France who could barley speak English.
The Frenchman was an agnostic and thought his beliefs negated reality. I tried to get him to understand that just because he didn't believe in God doesn't mean that God doesn't exist. We went through the Law and he gladly admitted to breaking the law but said it didn't matter because he didn't believe in God. As soon as I said the name of Jesus, he stopped me and said he did not want to talk to me anymore. I thanked him for the conversation, shook his hand, and left. the picture below is of him.

We moved to Starbucks and I found a guy reading a book at a table so I started up a conversation with him and then swung into the things of God. He was Jewish and was into his faith. We got into a long, deep, philosophical conversation. He was well educated but wouldn't admit that there was objective truth or the fact that if a man broke a law then the man was guilty of breaking the law. I finally shared the whole gospel with him and challenged him to read the New Testament and spend some time trying to figure out if what Jesus said and did was truth. This Jewish man was tolerant of all religions but hated Jesus and had no problem putting Jesus down. We moved on down to a Catholic church that they built a skyscraper around. There was mass going on so we went in and saw the usual rituals and idols. A woman was reading passages of Scripture that were good but the people had no clue what they meant. This shows that man can't come to Christ on his own but only God can draw the man and open his eyes to the truth. These people had the Scriptures but couldn't understand them.

We jumped on a bus next and got people in a enclosed space so that they couldn't escape. We gave out tracts and Killillay started in on a guy next to him. We got off and walked to Union Station where Killillay got into a good talk with a Mexican that was cleaning the floors. We walked back toward the car and ran into a Mexican who just got off work from the cheesecake factory. He only spoke a little English. We struck up a conversation and then I took him through the law and gospel in Spanish. He had questions and was fearful of going to Hell which he admitted that he was going there. He asked what he had to do to escape Hell and I explained the cross and salvation again. He said he had a Bible but it was in Old Spanish, kind of like the KJV Bible in Old English. We told him what Spanish Bible to buy at the bookstore and I told him to start reading El Evangelio de Juan. He was very interested and said he was going to do it. He thanked us so much for talking to him about the things of God. Gloria a Dios for His providence. It would have been so easy to have gotten this man or many of the people we talked to, to pray a prayer and proclaim him as "saved" like the Pope does, but that would be insane. We explain the biblical gospel and let God save the people. Our motive is to proclaim the biblical truth of salvation and let God get the glory of saving people. I pity the people who go out evangelizing to try to get "decisions" and then go home and brag of all the people they "saved".

Taking the gospel to the streets of Denver

2011-01-15T20:11:00.001-07:00

Matt Davis and I took a road trip to Denver to see Killillay and hit the streets. We got into Denver at 8:00 and hit the streets at 9:30. We went to the downtown business district on 16th street. I shared the gospel with a couple that were from the area. It seems that everyone in Denver has their guard up because whenever I did a card trick for them or gave them gospel tracts they either thought I was going to rob them or that I was going to try to get them to give me money. The man was a proclaimed Christian but sometimes went to the Catholic church. The woman thought you had to believe in God to get to heaven and the man thought you had to love God and people. I asked them why Jesus had to come then. We talked about the things of God and the cross for a while and then parted ways. They were grateful for the conversation. The picture is Killillay talking to a Mexican.

We gave out tracts and tried to talk but not a lot of people wanted to, even though there were a lot of them. I saw 4 men in uniform so I stopped them with a card trick and asked them what they thought it took to get to heaven. They all said works but one kid said Jesus. I took them through the law and they were all humbled. The one kid was a Christian and knew where I was going. I explained Jesus and the cross. They were polite and said it made sense. Seeds planted. The Christian kid and the Chinese kid thanked me for the talk and shook my hand. The good thing about sharing the gospel, even if the people reject it, is that before the night they were not thinking about their souls and where they would spend eternity but after we talk to them, they have to ponder it. God is so good in providentially directing us to the people that He wants us to talk to.

Next I finally found a man that could not speak English but only Spanish. I totally botched my Spanish and drew complete blanks. I followed him down the street for blocks as I fumbled through the gospel. He was Catholic and was arguing but I couldn't understand him which drove me crazy and was so frustrating. This makes me want to study Spanish twice as hard as before.

At the end of the night, Killillay talked with a kid forever on a park bench. The kid had many questions and Killillay spent an hour answering them. You can read about it at his blog.

Back to the streets

2011-01-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

These are the feet of Peruvian pastors that walk a long way through the Andes mountains preaching the gospel. I posted this picture here to remind me of real evangelists unlike myself. This helps me not complain when we hit the streets in Helena for several hours and get rejected the whole time. God is Sovereign and we trust in Him.
We did hit the street last Friday night, TJ and I. It seems people have become hardened even more and are even mad if you say hello. We started out giving out tracts that only some would take. The first person I shared the gospel with was a Catholic walking his dog. He went to the Cathedral under the tutelage of Father O'Neil. He had no clue how to get to heaven. As I explained the law and sin and Jesus' substitutionary death on the cross, he seemed disinterested and I could tell he wanted to leave so I asked him if he was tired of me talking. He made up a few excuses and bolted.

I next shared the gospel with a cowboy going to pawn all his stuff because he was out of work. He said he was a Christian but also did native American rituals. We argued about that for a while and then I asked him what he thought it takes to get to heaven and he said to, "believe and be right." He said he went to a Nazarene college. I asked what, "believe and be right," even means and he just turned from and walked away shouting out from the sidewalk the phrase, "believe and be right."

TJ got into a big, long debate with an old man outside a bar who was smoking and drinking who claimed to be a Christian. They went on forever as TJ corrected all his wrong beliefs. I found a kid to witness to who was into that new "sport" that entails jumping from the tops of buildings. I asked if he was scared to die and he said no. I asked why and he said he never thinks about death. This kid was 14. I shared the gospel with him and made it clear that if he fell from the building he would be in Hell. He didn't care.

The next guy we ran into is a sad state for American Christianity. He was promoting his youth group called young life. I guess they be-friend kids and hang out with them and be cool and shoot Twinkies from some kind of gun and then someone shares the "gospel" with them at the end. They never condemn kids for their drug use, rebellion, filthy mouths, violence and so on but always try to encourage them to do better for Jesus. This guy was a "pastor" or "minister" or whatever they call the guy who leads and preaches in this non-church affiliated program that attracts 100's of kids. He told us that he was preparing a message to preach and was in Ephesians where Paul says that we are saved by grace through faith and not of works and then he turned to James where it says that works save and was confused. Everyone who has been a Christian for a while has dealt with this easy paradox and I would expect a pastor to know the answer. I asked him if he found out the truth and he said he had no idea and couldn't believe it was in the Bible so he threw it down and preached on something else. Sad.

He went on forever so I finally stopped him and asked him to explain the gospel to me. He said he didn't share the gospel on the street and that was our thing. I asked what he would say if someone came up to him and asked what it took to be saved. He said he would invite him to youth life. I told him to pretend the guy asking just got hit by a car and was about to die. He said he would try to explain to the dying kid his sin and then tell him that God would take care of him. That's it. I said to him: wouldn't you say that because God is holy, He must punish sin. Man is sinful and must pay the penalty. God is good and sent His Son Jesus Christ to be our substitute and pay our fine for us and through the cross you can have salvation. Repent of your sins and put your trust in Christ. He said, "NO, I would never say it like that." Oh Boy!

I witnessed to a group of 6 kids that were 12-14 who, if I found their parents I would probably be in jail. How do even lost parents let their kids out of the house looking like a harlot with a cell phone. I did a magic trick for them and took them through the law. They all said they were going to Hell and didn't care so I left them under the law.

Another Jeremiah day of sharing the gospel on the streets.

"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”

2011-01-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

- Jer. 8:20

Not saved! Dear reader, is this your mournful plight? Warned of the judgment to come, bidden to escape for your life, and yet at this moment not saved! You know the way of salvation, you read it in the Bible, you hear it from the pulpit, it is explained to you by friends, and yet you neglect it, and therefore you are not saved. You will be without excuse when the Lord shall judge the quick and dead. The Holy Spirit has given more or less of blessing upon the word which has been preached in your hearing, and times of refreshing have come from the divine presence, and yet you are without Christ. All these hopeful seasons have come and gone-your summer and your harvest have past-and yet you are not saved. Years have followed one another into eternity, and your last year will soon be here: youth has gone, manhood is going, and yet you are not saved. Let me ask you-will you ever be saved? Is there any likelihood of it? Already the most propitious seasons have left you unsaved; will other occasions alter your condition? Means have failed with you-the best of means, used perseveringly and with the utmost affection-what more can be done for you? Affliction and prosperity have alike failed to impress you; tears and prayers and sermons have been wasted on your barren heart. Are not the probabilities dead against your ever being saved? Is it not more than likely that you will abide as you are till death for ever bars the door of hope? Do you recoil from the supposition? Yet it is a most reasonable one: he who is not washed in so many waters will in all probability go filthy to his end. The convenient time never has come, why should it ever come? It is logical to fear that it never will arrive, and that Felix like, you will find no convenient season till you are in hell. O bethink you of what that hell is, and of the dread probability that you will soon be cast into it!

Reader, suppose you should die unsaved, your doom no words can picture. Write out your dread estate in tears and blood, talk of it with groans and gnashing of teeth: you will be punished with everlasting destruction from the glory of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. A brother’s voice would fain startle you into earnestness. O be wise, be wise in time, and ere another year begins, believe in Jesus, who is able to save to the uttermost. Consecrate these last hours to lonely thought, and if deep repentance be bred in you, it will be well; and if it lead to a humble faith in Jesus, it will be best of all. O see to it that this year pass not away, and you an unforgiven spirit. Let not the new year’s midnight peals sound upon a joyless spirit! Now, NOW, NOW believe, and live.

“ESCAPE FOR THY LIFE;
LOOK NOT BEHIND THEE,
NEITHER STAY THOU IN ALL THE PLAIN;
ESCAPE TO THE MOUNTAIN,
LEST THOU BE CONSUMED.”

Charles Spurgeon

The streets in Helena

2010-12-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

The other day we hit the streets of Helena to proclaim the gospel. The crew consisted of the Swider boy and girl, myself, and our new, good friends, Matt and Evie. It was a slow start with most people not wanting to talk or even take tracts. A man from England who was standing outside a bar smoking said he hated all religion and that he couldn’t be converted. He even finished his cigarette quickly to escape back into the darkness of the bar.

The guy at the coffee shop made many excuses to not talk about Jesus. I talked to a man who said he was a mental patient for a while but as soon as I brought up Jesus as the only escape from sin and misery, he said he had to go. I talked to a guy that hated the government and made his own “god of the mountains” up in his head. He did not want to talk of Christ as well.

We talked with a group of 6 kids in their 20’s. It is funny how I call them kids when they are in their 20’s, it must be a sign of old age, but the older the violin, the sweeter the music. They had mixed backgrounds from Mormon to Catholic to nothing. We had a good talk and I was able to take them through the Law and fully explain the gospel. They seemed to understand.

Evie gave out tracts and tried to talk to people but not many gave in. However; it wasn’t long before she found a fish. Evie was able, by the grace of God, to share the whole biblical gospel with this person and they had a great talk. Evie was so happy that she danced down the street. The Swider girl also joined in on the excitement. Matt and Swider gave out tracts but couldn’t get any takers for a good conversation about eternity.

I talked to a couple in their late 30’s who were Wiccans. I have been running more and more into Wiccans lately. Every Wiccan I talk to has a different understanding and belief system. All love the earth and are into the goddess of course. We talked about their inconsistent beliefs for a while and then I took them through the Law and the fact that Jesus was the only way to heaven and that Jesus said everything they believe is wrong. The guy was open to talking but the woman said they had to go and she pulled him away.

I talked to a 17 year old kid who was smoking in the street. Good conversation. He actually thought about what I said and never ran off.

What a great day for sharing the gospel. And I would like to thank the big tobacco companies for making something so addictive. We can always find a pagan in the street smoking no matter how cold it is and they are so addicted that they would rather suffer listening to a man explain the gospel to them than put out their cigarette and leave. Praise God and let us make much of Him.

Para la fama de Su nombre

Television, The Great Life-Waster

2010-12-28T18:10:00.001-07:00

This is an excerpt out of John Piper's book called Don't Waste Your Life

Television is one of the greatest life-wasters of the modern age. And, of course, the Internet is running to catch up, and may have caught up. You can be more selective on the Internet, but you can also select worse things with only the Judge of the universe watching. TV still reigns as the great life-waster. The main problem with TV is not how much smut is available, though that is a problem. Just the ads are enough to sow fertile seeds of greed and lust, no matter what program you're watching. The greater problem is banality. A mind fed daily on TV diminishes. Your mind was made to know and love God. Its facility for this great calling is ruined by excessive TV. The content is so trivial and so shallow that the capacity of the mind to think worthy thoughts withers, and the capacity of the heart to feel deep emotions shrivels. (Don't Waste Your Life, p.120)

Now here is a story from Pipers book of a young 14 year old man who did not waste his life.

He fast-talked his way into the Marines at fourteen, fooling the recruits with his muscled physique...Assigned to drive a truck in Hawaii, he had grown frustrated; he wanted to fight. He stowed away on a transport out of Honolulu, surviving on food passed along to him by sympathetic leathernecks on board.

He landed on D-Day (at Iwo Jima) without a rifle. He grabbed on lying on the beach and fought his way inland. Now, on D+1, Jack and three comrades were crawling through a trench when eight Japanese sprang in front of them. Jack shot one of them through the head. Then his rifle jammed. As he struggled with it a grenade landed at his feet. He yelled a warning to the others and rammed the grenade into the soft ash. Immediately, another rolled in. Jack Lucas, seventeen, fell on both grenades. "Luke, you're gonna die," he remembered thinking....

Aboard the hospital ship Samaritan the doctors could scarcely believe it. "Maybe he was too damned young and too damned tough to die," one said. He endured twenty-one reconstructive operations and became the nation's youngest Medal of Honor winner - and the only high school freshman to receive it. (Don't Waste Your Life, p.127)

Here is John Pipers plea:

"Oh, that young and old would turn off the television, take a long walk, and dream about feats of courage for a cause ten thousand times more important than American democracy - as precious as that is."

So I ask myself: how much of my life was wasted watching TV when I could have been doing something courageous for the Kingdom of God that would have made much of God? Even if turned off the TV to read books, just imagine how many books I could have read, books that could have shaped my life and conformed me to the image of Christ. Or even if I turned off the TV to pray, just think how many prayers would have been answered. Or even if I turned off the TV to spend more real time with my family, how much stronger and God-exulting would my family be.

Turn off the TV. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. If your TV causes you to waste your life, throw it out the window.

Don't waste your life.

Providence in Great Falls

2010-12-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

God is so glorious in the way He chooses to reveal Himself to us. I went out to share the gospel in Great Falls with Matt Davis, the new man at church who is completely sold out for Christ and desires nothing but God. We started in the mall and tried to witness to some Hutterites but when I asked them what they thought it took to get to heaven they said they didn't want to talk any more.

The mall is actually a hard place to witness because everyone is usually moving around and busy. We went to Sheels and chased a couple basketball players from Canada down and started a conversation with them. They said they go to a Christian college but they didn't have a clue how to get to heaven. I took them through the law and they seemed like they came under conviction, one kid particularly. I then explained Jesus and the cross and His satisfying of God's justice. It seemed to make sense to them and they said they were glad we had the talk. Something was definitely going on with them spiritually.

We decided to leave the mall and go to the so called ghetto but we never found it. The ghetto in Great Falls is a fine place to live. No one was around so we went downtown. We came across a Masonic Temple, or whatever they call it, and went inside to witness to some Masons but never found any.

I talked with a smoker outside of a restaurant who told me that he wasn't religious and didn't believe in anything. He said his ex-wife killed his 18 year old kid and now she is in the crazy house. We talked about sin and why bad things happen in this world. We talked about what sin was and how all men were born in sin and continue to sin and are accountable to God. After I explained the gospel it didn't seem like the guy cared too much but you never know how the Spirit of God works on a man.

We moved through the park downtown and met a Christian and talked with him for a while. He gave us some tips on where to witness but he didn't seem to witness himself.

When walking back to the truck, God providential changed our route. We saw a big church so we walked over to it to see what kind of church it was. It was a Lutheran church, which we tried to go in but the doors were locked so we moved on. Right across the street we saw a black man so we walked up to him at the same time he was walking up to us. This is God's amazing providence. The first thing he said was that he need to speak to a pastor. I said he could talk to me and he told us his predicament which the details don't really matter because we were put together in order for us to share the gospel with him. He said he was a Christian but when I asked why, it was based on all the works he did and how he didn't like jail so he turned to God. I took him through the law which he admitted to breaking but still justified his works would make God forgive him. We talked for a while about this and then I shared Christ with him. He seemed convicted as I explained what Jesus did on the cross and I urged him to examine himself to see if he actually was a Christian before he died. It was a great conversation. Matt solidified our witness of Christ by helping him meet a physical need. He was so thankful and gave us a hug on the street. Matt commented that he hasn't had a "man" hug in a while, but you never know what will happen on the street.

We drove over to Hastings to get a cup of coffee and stir up a conversation. The perfect people walked in. The boy and girl in their 20's were loud and blabbing about everything so I gave them a trivia tract and they went through it, shouting the answers for everyone to hear. I talked with a man about trapping while I waited for them to finish. When they got to the last question about evolution I started asking them deeper question. The girl was loud and a little obnoxious and had no problems telling me her opinion. I took them through the 10 commandments and they said they broke them all. They continued to be loud and this was great because I was loud as well and everyone around us was pretending to be reading but really listening to every word. As the girl got more fired up, all of the people sitting around were on the edge of their seats to see what would happen next.
She called me a Puritan, which I took as a complement but she meant as an insult. She kept on insisting that God would forgive everyone on earth if they just asked Him. I explained the whole biblical gospel to them and about God's justice and how He can't forgive sin without justice being satisfied though Christ. It was great and everyone around us heard every word. We ended the conversation and as we left I said good bye to the old guy I was talking about trapping to and he, all of a sudden, forget that he ever knew me. Funny!

It was an unbelievable day of sharing the gospel and it revived our hearts to see God allowing us to be a part of His plan to glorify His name in His great commission. Praise God.

Albert Martin - TRUTH

2010-12-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

Theology Thursdays

2010-12-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

We sit in amazement at what God is doing in our little church in Wolf Creek, Montana. Through consistent expository preaching and study of the Bible we are seeing people growing spiritually in a big way. Our Wednesday night Bible study is packed and we started an additional Bible study in Helena for the members of our church that live in Helena which is taught by Leo Rogge at his house. Now most of the church is also at Bible study. People are truly seeking God and wanting to grow more. Because of a renewed sense of interest in the deep things of God we are going to start a systematic theology class on Thursday nights at 7pm starting in January. We will be diving into the monster systematic theology book by Wayne Grudem. We will read the chapter before we come on Thursday night and then discuss it as a group. We will also provide all of the 1200 page systematic theology books. Probably one per family. So come join us for a cup of coffee and theology. You will be sure to grow spiritually by leaps and bounds as you are grounded in solid, biblical theology. We have no schedule to get through this monster, it could take 10 years, so buckle up. Anyone can join at any time because we will be dealing with different subjects and chapters each week. See you there.

Topics will include:

The doctrine of the Word of God
The doctrine of God
The doctrine of Man
The doctrines of Christ and the Holy Spirit
The doctrine of the application of Redemption
The doctrine of the Church
The doctrine of the Future

If you are interested contact scott doherty at scott_doherty@hotmail.com we can order your book.

Do Christians have a sinful nature?

2010-12-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

One of the problems with this debate is how we define our “nature.” It is obvious through Scripture and by looking at ourselves that there is a war going on within a Christian. Some call this the sinful nature warring against the Spirit in us, some call this the indwelling sin that remains in us warring with the Spirit in us, and some call this our flesh warring with our Spirit.

The argument is that at the point of conversion we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and therefore our old sinful nature is gone. In one sense this is correct because we do become a new creation and we have new desires. Before, we loved sin and were a slave to sin and now the Christian hates sin and is a slave to Christ. But in another sense this is wrong depending on how we define terms. Even though we are a new creation spiritually, we still have indwelling sin in us (Romans 7:20). We are not condemned for this sin because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) but we war against it (1 Peter 2:11)

John MacArthur explains it like this:

So, I am a new creation. I am unfortunately incarcerated in this unredeemed flesh—not just the physical, but all the things that go along with the flesh and my mind and my emotions and my feelings. We still have a sin principle operative.
John MacArthur (2005 Shepherds Conference)

So depending on the terms we use to describe this war (sinful nature, incarcerated flesh, flesh) will determine your position on this subject.

It is so important to understand that you have something in you that is sinful. Whether you call it your sinful nature or as the Bible calls it the “flesh”, we are warring against something in us and it is not only the devil but sin in us. (Romans 7:20).

The Bible is very clear about this war against our sinful flesh even though we are a new creation in Christ.

11Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

Peter is saying that we have passions in our flesh which we are warring against. Remember that Peter is writing to Christians and not unbelievers.

We see Paul exhorting the Galatians, who are a new creation in Christ, to walk according to the Spirit that is in them and not in the sinful desires of their flesh.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18

By nature, our Spirit is opposed to our fleshly desires. Flesh is referring to our corrupt nature.
Again, because of the natural war within Christians between our Spirit and flesh (corrupt nature), Paul exhorts the Colossian Christians to put away all of their earthly, sinful desires that they walked in when they were lost but our still struggling with, and walk in their new self that they received when the Holy Spirit entered them at conversion.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Colossians 3:5-10

Our fleshy desires are still there when we are converted but we now can war against them instead of being a slave to them. This is the sanctification process. Sanctification is when we are conformed to the image of Christ and are enabled more and more to die to our sinful desires and live for righteousness.

R.C. Sproul explains this sanctification:

When we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures in Christ, the power of our fallen nature (flesh) is conquered but not destroyed. Because sanctification is a lifelong process, Christians are daily engaged in warfare with their old nature as they seek to grow in the Spirit and in grace. The old person dies daily as the new person in Christ is strengthened by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Spirit, who is given to us as a pledge and by whom we are sealed, will prevail in this warfare in the end. In the meantime, however, the struggle can be intense. Christians continue to struggle with sin and temptation. Conversion liberates us from the total control of the flesh, but it does not perfect us. The struggle between the old person (the flesh) and the Spirit continues until we die. After death we are glorified: the flesh is completely put to death, and the new person is completely purified. (Essential truths of the Christian faith, RC Sproul)
Another clear example of this war between our Spirit and flesh is from Paul’s own struggles. We read of them in Romans 7:13-25. Here Paul, now a Christian filled with the Holy Spirit and a new creation, explains his inward war against his Spirit and flesh.

Interpreting Romans 7:13-25

Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

It is important to understand how we interpret Scripture. We us the grammatical-historical interpretation of Scripture.

Here are the reason why Paul is talking about himself as a Christian and talking about a believers struggle with his sinful flesh.

1. When we look at the grammar in this passage we see that Paul is using the present tense, not the past. Paul is not speaking of what he used to be like but what his like now. That is why he says, “Wretched man that I am” and not “Wretched man that I was.”

2. In verse 21 we see that Paul wants to do right where as an unbeliever would not have an intense desire to keep God’s law.

3. The distinction between “I” and the “flesh” in verse 18.

4. His delight in God’s law in verse 22.

5. The fact that Christians are already accounted as righteous in Christ but are yet perfected until the day of redemption. This is shown in the concluding statement of Paul in verse 25 when he says, “I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

This is MacArthur’s take on this passage:

So, in Romans 7, Paul says—and making, I think, a clear distinction: “Sin, it is in me.” But he said, “It’s not I; it is sin that is in me.” So, he understands that he is a new creation. There is a new ego, there is a new “I” and its longings are holy and its affections are spiritual and its love is towards God and its longings are directed in the path of righteousness. Its disposition or its bent is toward the law of God, which he “loves,” he says. But he sees something inside of him warring. So the way I express it there is that we are a new person, a new creation, created in Christ Jesus, with all new longings and desires and loves and affections, but we are incarcerated in this unredeemed humanness. And that’s why in Romans 8, he says, “We are waiting for the redemption of the body.”

Whether you define us as having two natures or one, all biblical Christians should agree that our nature needs continual renewing (Colossians 3:10). This renewing, of course, is a lifetime process for the Christian. Even though the battle for sin is constant, we are no longer under the control of sin (Romans 6:6). The believer is truly a "new creation" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and it is Christ who will ultimately “rescue [us] from this body of death. Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:24-25).

The issue is mostly blown out of proportion because we define terms wrongly. On the other hand it is important to see that when you sin as a Christian it is still a sin, a wretched sin. All sin against God is wretched. There is no light sin against the Holy God. Even though, as Christians, we are not condemned for our sin, we still do sin and when we sin it is wretched. The logic goes like this:

If you rape then you are a rapist
If you murder then you are a murderer
If you lie then you are a liar
If you sin then you are a sinner
If all sin is wretched and all who sin are sinners then if you sin wretchedly then you are a wretched sinner.

This logic holds even if you are a Christian because Christians sin. The difference between a Christian sinning and an unbeliever sinning is that Christians hate sin and are grieved by it and repent of it as soon as they fall into it. Even though we are accounted as righteous through Christ, we are still a sinner in the same way as a murder that pays his fine is accounted as a free man, he is still a murder.

So as a Christian we are a wretched sinner that is repenting of our sins, daily, and is conforming to the image of Christ, daily, in this life-long process of sanctification. We should be sinning less as time goes on and we should be more grieved by our sin as time goes on.

Sin is much more than outward actions but is also our thought life, motivations, pride, not loving God like He deserves (which no one has ever accomplished), not loving your husband or wife perfectly, not being a biblical example to your kids and the list goes on.

In this issue it is important to understand the all parties agree that:

1. Christians still struggle with sin through their whole lives (Galatians 5:17, 1John 1:8-9).

2. Christians can and should grow in sanctification throughout their lives by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them.

3. Although Christians are free from the condemnation of the law, sin nonetheless continues to dwell within, and all genuine Christians should be profoundly aware of how far they fall short of God’s absolute standard of righteousness. That is why Paul cries out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

4. Christians are delivered daily from the indwelling power of sin by:
a. walking not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:4)
b. by not setting their minds on the things of the flesh, but on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5)
c. by the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God who dwells in us. (Romans 8:9, 11)

More study

http://www.gotquestions.org/two-natures.html

Live for Eternity

2010-12-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

The Catholic and the, oh boy, Pentecostal

2010-11-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

TJ and I hit the streets on a nice wintry day to share truth to a dying world. There were not a lot of people out put God providentially put the right people in our path to talk to. We gave out some tracts to warm up and then stopped to talk to two men smoking pipes. I actually love the smell of tobacco pipes, it reminds me of the old days when all the hunters and trappers smoked pipes. Anyway, I started off with a card trick and then gave them a tract and told them that it explained the gospel. I asked if they were Christians and they said they were Catholic. I asked if they have ever been told what it took to get to heaven and they told me a complicated story of works and left out Jesus. One kid was one of the nicest, most intelligent Catholic I have ever witnessed to and it was a pleasure openly discussing the deep things of God with him on snow covered street. We talked about everything for a half hour. I just kept asking him questions at first in order that he would dig himself a hole. He did. I explained the purpose that Jesus died for and that doing good and works can't save and if they could then why did Jesus come and die. We talked about imputed verses infused righteousness. The biggest problems was when I asked them how much they read the bible. They never read it much. I asked if it was sufficient and infallible. They didn't believe it was and said it was hard to understand that is why they rely on priests. I made it clear that no man can get to heaven without Christ and that doing good works to get to heaven or continue to earn heaven is un-biblical. I told them to trust in the Scriptures instead of men and challenged him to read the bible. It was a great conversation.

We then went back to the library and TJ tried to share the gospel with some kids standing outside. They told TJ that they were going to Hell and then the youngest kid cussed out TJ and said they had to go because there mom just pulled up.

We met a man in the parking lot and I gave him and his wife tracts and said it was the gospel. I asked if they were Christians and the man said of course because he has been a preacher for 25 years or something but not in a church just by himself. He liked to talk and with a little spurring he went on and on. The more he talked the more we saw how messed up his theology was. The man said he was a Pentecostal and immediately told us that he raised 5 people from the dead. It is funny how the Pentecostals are the only ones that ever "raise people from the dead." Now I understand that our Sovereign God can and does raise people from the dead but it seems to me that if every Pentecostal actually raised all these people from the dead then mathematically there would be 1 out of every 3 people in the US that have been raised from the dead.

As he went on it got much more weird. He told us about the world that existed before this one and that Buddhists and Confucianist's were going to heaven without Jesus because they were peace makers and on and on, more bazaar. TJ argued a bit but I was trying to break free from this crazy man. A weird way to end the night but good. We praise God for the opportunities.

Missionary challenge: Contextualization

2010-11-19T06:30:00.001-07:00

Contextualization is important when sharing the gospel to other cultures. There are dangers of going way to far with it and dangers of not doing it at all, which is what you will see in the video. It is so important to understand the culture and language before sharing the gospel and our American slang should be avoided at all costs. This is one of the funniest things I have seen in a while but sadly it is how many missionaries are preaching in the field. I got this from my friend's blog "The Johnsons' Journeys" Enjoy.

Provision through Faith alone

2010-11-10T14:40:00.001-07:00

As we have said, we are not raising our support for our work in the field by they typical means that missionaries use, which is calling churches and asking to present their ministry and then asking them to support them financially. We are simply praying that our Sovereign God will raise up individuals and churches that will live sacrificially and support us. We don't tell our needs or ask for money, we just wait on the Lord to provide through obedient Christians. Men throughout time have did this same thing, men like George Muller, C.T. Studd, Hudson Taylor and present day men like Paul Washer and Heart Cry. I was very much encouraged and our dependence on God alone was confirmed when I read what just happened with Heart Cry. They told no one their needs but prayed and God raised up one single person to support 40 of their missionaries. Here is the story:
Upon returning from the 10/40 window, the staff at HeartCry set themselves to praying for an advance. There were forty missionaries who were approved and ready, but the funds were needed. We kept the matter concealed among us and made our requests known to God. After two months of feeble praying and little faith, the Lord has done it! One family in the U.S., who desires to remain anonymous, contacted HeartCry with the burden to live the faith they professed, and to know the joy of disinterest in and sacrifice of self. Without any communication between us, they had been praying about supporting missionaries in India with the exact amount that was needed to support the forty new missionaries! Praise the Lord! God has moved them to support the whole group of men! We will soon be traveling to India to make the final preparations for this new advance.

We are looking forward to writing to you all about how our miraculous, Sovereign God, supplied all our support for us without us ever asking men or telling our needs. We trust in God to provide through the people that He wants to give the privilege of sacrificing.

Our big announcement

2010-11-06T14:46:00.000-06:00

We are moving to Peru to sacrifice everything we have in us for the glory of the gospel of Christ. Below is our first announcement letter:

Hello everyone. Finally we can officially announce what God is doing in our lives. As you know ever since God has saved me I have had a passion for sharing the Gospel with everyone, but the last few years God has been calling me to extend my calling to the nations. God has given me an increased burden for foreign missions and has confirmed it inwardly, outwardly through people and providence, and through the Scriptures. Through the providence of God I met a man named Tim Killillay, now one of my best friends, at a conference in Cleveland , Ohio who was raising support to move to Peru as a career missionary. Over the last few years we spent time together sharing the gospel and laboring in the ministry together and found we were very like-minded in almost everything and had the same philosophy on foreign missions, theology, and evangelism. This summer Tim spent two weeks with us for the purpose of preaching and evangelism efforts in Montana . At the end of the two weeks God confirmed to both of us that we and our families would be working together for the sake of the gospel in Peru as life-time missionaries.
For the month after Tim left, God did so much in our lives that we sit daily in amazement of Him. He confirmed our calling in so many ways including giving my wife Kim, not only peace about this move but an excitement about living in Peru . Everything is now falling into place including homeschooling the kids, teaching the family Spanish, going through the checklist of the many things that must be completed before we leave. God has even raised up other obedient Christians to give us some of the support we will need in the foreign mission field. We are going to the mission field by faith, trusting in God to raise up obedient Christians and churches that are willing to sacrifice at home so we can sacrifice in the field. By God’s providence we were directed to a missionary clearing house called Central Missionary Clearinghouse who will handle all of the administrative work. These people are true servants and take no money from us at all but rely on faith to supply their needs. CMC is supporting, through administration, around 372 families. At this time, more than 3800 churches are utilizing the services of CMC. We are being sent out by our home church, Wolf Creek Baptist Church as well as Fellowship Baptist Church in Sydney , MT , Westside Baptist Church in Great Falls , MT and North Range Baptist Church in Colorado . These 4 churches will make up our mission board and we will be held accountable to them.
God willing, we will first move to Costa Rica in August if everything falls into place or December of 2011 for a year of language school. Where we are going in Peru there is not much English so learning the language is essential to survive. After language school we will move to Peru in the area surrounding Cuzco to start our lives and work with a solid, biblical Peruvian church. We have been in contact with a friend of ours named Walter Gammara, who is a Peruvian pastor. He is 28 years old and on fire for God. He will serve to help us get ingrained into the culture and learn the language specifics and government. In return we will work with him teaching, preaching and doing evangelism. He is so excited we are coming to work with him. We communicate by email in Spanish. He does not know any English and Spanish is his second language. He speaks Quechua as his first, which is the native language of Peru and most people in the high Andes speak it. I hope to learn Quechua after Spanish to preach to villages that you can only hike to that sit at 13,000 feet in elevation. After we get settled in and ingrained into the new culture, the Peruvians, Tim and I will travel to some of the unreached regions that have no church of any kind to evangelize and, God willing, plant a biblical church. Our vision is to help teach, preach and evangelize these unreached areas in hope that as the church is established God will save Peruvians and raise up Peruvians into teaching and preaching roles. Our goal is to see indigenous people trained and sustaining their own biblical churches by the grace and for the glory of God. Another major part of our ministry will be teaching the historical biblical truth and sound doctrine to the Peruvians as God saves them and calls them into their roles.
As we are in the process of getting rid of all our material possessions besides a couple suitcases each, we have so much joy and peace in storing up our treasures in heaven instead of earth. We thank God for the privilege to count the cost of following Jesus Christ and for enabling us to give every ounce of ourselves for the sake of the gospel and glory of God among the nations.
We ask you to pray for us as we labor in Peru . We also challenge you to die to yourself and live for Christ by sacrificing yourself by either going into the foreign mission field to proclaim the glory of Christ or by sacrificing all you have at home so you can send those who go to the foreign mission field. Whether going or sending, we all have the same high calling to be involved in the great commission. Both going and sending are equally high callings and both are needed and used by God as the means to fulfill His end of gathering His people among the nations and glorifying His name.
Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
(1 Chronicles 16:23-26)
For more information about us and our ministry you can go to our blog: To the ends of the earth… Peru . Our blog will be frequently updated to track our progress and experiences as we labor for Christ. Sign up on the blog to be updated by email or send us an email and we will add you to the blog update list.
If you have questions you can contact us by phone at 406-235-9061 or by email at scott_doherty@hotmail.com. We will write a more personal and private newsletter frequently so If you want to be added to our mailing list, send us an email and we will add you.

Our church also has information about us and our mission to Peru at: Wolf Creek Baptist
May you be blessed by the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord and to Him be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

The West Yellowstone Mexican

2010-10-30T17:43:00.014-06:00

I was so excited. I was in West Yellowstone for work and was walking to the place we were to eat dinner and I saw a school bus that was converted to a Mexican take out place. I just got finished memorizing how to share the gospel in Spanish so I went in looking for some Spanish speakers. I found them. The girl taking orders hardly knew any English so I spoke to her in Spanish and took her through the law and gospel. It was cool. Even though my Spanish was bad, she understood everything I said and actually got convicted. She spoke to me in Spanish and told me she grew up Catholic but now is not anything. She then said something about when she was a girl she never sinned but now she does and then she asked where Jesus is now. All I could say in Spanish that He is "en el Cielo" , He is in heaven. I gave her a Spanish gospel tract and left the seed to grow.

At work on Thursday, the fire extinguisher man came to inspect our extinguishers so I road along with him and it turned out that he was from Butte also. We talked about Butte and the people we know and then I swung to the spiritual and took him through the Law and shared the Gospel. He was wide open to talk and had a lot of questions that he had been struggling with for years. We talked for 2 hours. He thanked me a lot and said at first he thought, "I hope this guy isn't going to preach at me all day" but then he said he was very glad I brought up the topic. He said that he shared things with me that he had never told anyone before and he said it felt good to talk about things. We covered many topics and I shared my testimony. He was interested in seeking God but had never read the Bible in his whole life. I gave him my the first Bible that I ever owned. It was the Bible I devoured when God saved me. It had so many notes and highlights it was crazy but he said he didn't care. I can't take it to Peru anyway so I would rather give it to someone who will read it. You never know, God might use it to save him in the same way He used it to save me. Gloria a Dios por su gracia.

A simple illustration on the doctrine of election

2010-10-29T06:32:00.002-06:00

Jesus is Worth it

2010-10-25T13:25:00.001-06:00

All I can say is WOW!

To Every Tribe Missionary Conference - Day 1

2010-10-22T21:35:00.000-06:00

We are in Oklahoma right now at the To Every Tribe Missions conference. The first session of Friday night was given by Josef Tson from the Romanian Missionary Society. He is a Romanian and was persecuted for the faith.

He brought out some interesting points from Hebrews 2:15 which says that all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Everyone that is scared to die is a slave for life.

Josef said when he was in prison for the gospel and the communists put a gun to his head and said they would kill him, he told them, "Your weapon is killing but my weapon is dying." He told them that by his death, God would spread the gospel throughout the country, which is what the communists were fighting, so they never killed him and let him go.

Another powerful thing he said was, "A man who has no fear of death is the most dangerous man in the world."

Why do we love our life more than Jesus? Jesus gave up His life and suffered for us, why don't we do the same?

The unbiblical, worldly, demonic practice of dating

2010-10-15T09:55:00.000-06:00

The Drug deal

2010-10-03T09:15:00.000-06:00

I wonder if the cops don't know or just don't care. We share the gospel a lot at Hill park in Helena. This is where many of the street kids hang out as well as where most of the drug trafficking takes place in Helena. It was very obvious what was going on in the open. A beat up car from Billings filled with 4 rough looking men were sitting in the car were smoking nervously and waiting for someone. I gave them some gospel tracts, which 3 of the 4 took but one guy wouldn't look at me. After a while another car load of men pulled up. Out jumped a few big men that look like they make their living as the enforcers of those who don't pay. They went to the car of the 4 drug dealers and made a transaction. Many other kids were milling around at the time, probably waiting to get hooked up with what they wanted. It saddened me when I saw the drug dealers in their 50's talking from a distance with one of the teenage girls sitting in the park. It was obvious they had a relationship of some sort and not a good one. What a lost and depraved world.

Before we got to the drug deal we met up with Peters, Brent and Yoshi at their church. I had a man with me named Ravi, who is an evangelist from South Africa. We started at Carrol College because the Rocky Mountain Elk foundation was having their annual meeting. I brought a whole bunch of my elk gospel tracts and we stood by the door and gave them out to all the people who went in. God blessed this and no one from the Elk Foundation told us to leave. We gave out over one hundred tracts in a short time.

We moved up to the drug dealer park and I shared the gospel with a couple guys at a table. We went through they law and gospel. They knew they were condemned and thanked us for talking with them but there was not much conviction.

The drug deal happened next when we were in the park. Yoshi and Brent were busy witnessing to different groups of people so Ravi, Peters and I went up to talk with another group in the park. I tried to do a magic trick but an angry man, who knew what we were all about, immediately started railing at us and told us to leave. I asked if he wanted me to finish the trick and he got made and started to jump up and said he wasn't going to tell us twice. We graciously left, praising God we were not still lost and wretched because that man would have been hurting. We were all the same as this angry man when we were in sin and without Christ so the way he was acting was understandable. He is a pagan, acting like pagans do.

Yoshi tried to give a biker who was sitting in the parking lot a gospel tract and the biker said if he touched his bike with the tract he was going to break his hands. Loving guy.

In the walking mall, a group of girls went off on Brent because they hated Jesus. They railed at him non stop. I tried to talk some logic into the girl but she was so illogical that she believed that her beliefs determined what reality was. We left and they openly mocked us and clapped their hands at us.
Brent talked with angry kids who also reviled him most of the time. This is the way that sinners that hate Jesus Christ act and we are used to it and take comfort in Jesus who said:

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(Matthew 5:11-12)

I had a good conversation with a 26 year old man who ruined his life and was now an alcoholic. We talked for a long time about the Bible, law, and gospel. He was suicidal and had no hope and wanted to be dead. I shared the hope in Christ and told him to seek God and confirm what I was saying by reading the gospel of John.

Praise God for the great night!

Heaven or Hell?

2010-09-27T06:35:00.000-06:00

Signs of a Dying or Decaying Christian

2010-09-24T21:31:00.002-06:00

1. When you are so indifferent to public worship, or frequenting the church of God, that you can be satisfied to come, or not come, at your own pleasure.

2. When, in your most solemn worship, you are quickly weary without warrantable cause.

3. When few sermons will please you; either you like not the matter, or manner, or man, or place.

4. When you think you know enough.

5. When a small occasion will keep you from Christ’s table, or communion with the church of God.

6. When you have usually no great desire for prayer.

7. When reading the Holy Scriptures is more burdensome than delightful.

8. When you are very inquisitive after novelties or new things, rather than wholesome doctrine.

9. When you are so little prepared for the solemn assemblies, that they come before you think of them, or long for them.

10. When you come to the assembly more for fear of the brethren's eye, than Christ’s omniscient and all-piercing eye.

11. When you will rather betray the name of Christ Jesus and the credit of his gospel by your silence, than appear for it to your own suffering and disparagement.

12. When, at a small offence, you are usually so impatient that you commit great sin.

13. When you are more careful to get the words of Christ’s people than the spirit of Christ’s people,the form than the power.

14. When you are not much troubled at your own miscarriages, while they are kept from public view.

15. When you love least those Christians that deal most faithfully with you, in showing you your faults and pointing you to the remedy.

16. When you pray more that afflictions may be removed than sanctified.

17. When under God's calamity you find neither the need nor the benefit of humbling yourself by fasting and prayer.

18. When the thought of your bosom-lust, or any other sin, is more prevalent with you than pleasing God.

19. When you are curious about the lesser matters of God's law, and careless about the weightier.

20. When the Holy Spirit’s help to the great work of mortification seems not of absolute necessity to you.

21. When you are so ignorant of your spiritual standing that you know not whether you grow or decay.

22. When great sins seem smaller, and small sins seem none at all.

23. When a watchful care of a godly life and a Christian conversation is more accidental than habitual.

24. When care for your body is usually most pleasant, and care for your soul usually most irksome.

25. When you are much a stranger to the practical part of meditation on the word and works of God.

26. When the thoughts of a dying Jesus for your sins little dissuade you from an unchristian conversation.

27. When you can commit sin without pain, and reflect upon it with indifference.

28. When you find greater satisfaction in the company of the world than with the people of God.

George Burder (June 5, 1752—May 29, 1832)

Follow Me

2010-09-22T20:50:00.000-06:00

John 10:27

We should follow our Lord as unhesitatingly as sheep follow their shepherd, for He has a right to lead us wherever He pleases. We are not our own, we are bought with a price-let us recognize the rights of the redeeming blood. The soldier follows his captain, the servant obeys his master, and so we must follow our Redeemer, to whom we are a purchased possession. We are not true to our profession of being Christians if we question the summons of our Leader and Commander. Submission is our duty; quibbling is our folly. Our Lord may say to us what he said to Peter, “What is that to you? You follow me!” Wherever Jesus may lead us, He goes before us. If we do not know where we go, we know with whom we go. With such a companion, who will dread the dangers of the journey? The road may be long, but his everlasting arms will carry us to the end. The presence of Jesus is the assurance of eternal salvation; because He lives, we will live also. We should follow Christ in simplicity and faith, because the paths in which He leads us all end in glory and immortality. It is true that they may not be smooth paths-they may be covered with sharp, flinty trials; but they lead to “the city that has foundations, whose designer and maker is God.” All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to those who keep his covenant. Let us put our complete trust in our Leader, since we know that in prosperity or adversity, sickness or health, popularity or contempt, His purpose will be worked out, and that purpose will be clear, unmingled good to every heir of mercy. We will find it sweet to go up the bleak side of the hill with Christ’ and when rain and snow blow into our faces, His dear love will make us far more blessed than those who sit at home and warm their hands at the world’s fire. When Jesus draws us, we will run after Him. No matter where He leads us, we follow the Shepherd.

Charles Spurgeon

Is God responsible for evil?

2010-09-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

There is only one God, the true and the living God and He is Sovereign over all creation and He does fore-ordained whatever comes to pass. He is in control over every aspect of His creation. If a missionary is tortured and killed by wicked men, God did ordain it.

So is it wrong that God ordained for His saints to be cruelly tortured and killed for the gospel? Is it wrong for God to send a missionary to Peru to be martyred for the sake of the gospel? If God ordained these wicked and evil events, is God responsible for evil and wicked men doing wicked things? No. Man’s nature is depraved because of his own sin and he by his sinful nature loves the darkness, loves sin, loves selfishness, loves violence, and is a slave to it all. Because of his own willing sin, man is a slave to sin and a slave to their father the devil. The wicked man wants to kill but God, by His common grace, restrains evil in the world.

Think of it like this: If a man puts to rabid, stray dogs in a kennel and then throws one bone in the kennel, what will happen? Each vile, wretched dog will try to kill the other for the bone that it coveted. The same thing would happen if the same mad put a lion in a cage and then put a lamb in the cage with it. The lion, by nature, would devour the lamb. So, did the man who put the dogs together or the lion and lamb together responsible for their wickedness. By no means. The dogs and the lion have always wanted to kill, by their nature. The only reason they never killed before is because they lacked opportunity. The man who put the animals together never made them devour each other but the man did ordain that they would devour each other. The man always knew the wicked intentions of the dogs but restrained them in the past but now choose to leave them to their own wickedness.

It is the same way with God. God may ordain to do a might work in a man of God. He send the man and the man fulfills the will of God and God works through him. The entire time, God is restraining evil and wicked men from destroying this man of God. Then, when the saint’s work is done and it is time to bring him home, God releases his hold on the wicked men and the wicked men devour. In this, God is glorified and He uses the deeds of these wicked men for His glory and does many wonderful things from it. In fact, the church of Jesus Christ is built on the blood of the martyrs.

So God is not responsible for the wicked man’s actions but has ordained it for His glory. God just removed his restraint of the wicked man. God is not responsible for evil, man is. The only reason there is any peace on earth is because of God’s restraining grace on mankind. Thanks be to God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Signs of a Living or Growing Christian

2010-09-20T06:34:00.000-06:00

THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL FLOURISH LIKE THE PALMTREE;
HE SHALL GROW LIKE A CEDAR IN LEBANON."
PSA. 92:12

1. WHEN your chief delight is with the saints, especially them that excel in virtue. Psa. 16:3.

2. When the smitings of the righteous are not a burden to you, and you can hear of your faults with affectionate attention. Psa. 141:5.

3. When reproach for Christ makes you not ashamed of Christ. Mark 8:38; Heb. 11:26.

4. When wandering thoughts, in time of duty, find less entertainment than formerly. Psa. 139:23; 1 Cor. 13:11.

5. When length of standing in the profession of Christianity, works increase of hatred to all sin. Psa. 119:104-113.

6. When you carry about with you a constant jealousy over your own heart, that it turn not aside from God and goodness. Prov. 18:14.

7. When every known mercy begets new thankfulness, and that with delight. Psa. 145:2.

8. When known calamity in God's house begets deep sorrow in your heart. Neh. 1:4.

9. When, under deep distress or languishing, the word of God is precious to you. Psa. 119:92.

10. When any condition in the world, though in itself mean, as it comes from God is most welcome. Job 1:21; Hab. 3:17,18.

11. When your chief care, to avoid all sin, is as truly occasioned through fear of dishonoring God and
incurring his present displeasure, as of the wrath to come. Neh. 5:15; Gen. 39:9.

12. When every company is burdensome to you, that is not designing your Father's glory, but derogating
there from. Psa. 120:5; 2 Peter 2:7,8.

13. When the sins of others come so near your heart that you walk sadly to see such persons transgress
God's commandments. Psa. 119:136.

14. When the company of the pious poor is preferred to that of the ungodly rich.

15. When it is truly painful to you to see sinners going heedlessly on in the broad road to ruin.

16. When you are willing to part with all for Christ.

17. When the yoke of self-denial, as imposed by Christ Jesus, is not grievous, but pleasant to you.
Matt. 11:29,30 ; Mark 10:28.

18. When increase of time in Christ's acquaintance, works increase of delight in communion with Christ.
Psalm 92:12-14.

19. When the majesty of the great God, considering how visible you are in his sight, has an awful prevalence upon your heart. Job 31:4.

20. When you are at open war and constant hostility with bosom sin, as displeasing to God, and forbidden by his law. Psa. 18:23.

21. When you have a thirsting desire to get the power of godliness in your heart, rather than the form of
godliness in the head, or outward profession. 2 Cor. 1:12.

22. When the worship of God, agreeable to his word, is highly prized and faithfully practiced in the worst of times. Mal. 3:14-16.

23. When the soul is more hungry for the word of God, than the body is for temporal food. Job 23:12; Psa. 119:72,162.

George Burder (June 5, 1752—May 29, 1832)

Video of Muslims stopping Christians from speaking in US

2010-09-17T12:05:00.000-06:00

Here we go again.

2010-09-12T19:40:00.002-06:00

The Swiders and I met TJ in town Saturday night to hit the streets with the gospel. It seems that we may need to get a new fishing hole because the recurring theme has been people saying that we have already talked to them 3 or 4 times. This was the case with the first group of kids I talked to. I did a card trick for them and two of the kids said they knew me and I had already shared the gospel with them several times. I focused on the other three kids. One was an agnostic the other grew up in church and the middle kid was confused. We went through creation and the law and gospel. The agnostic kid bolted pretty quick but the others stayed and had questions. As we talked and I answered their questions they said they thought about the things of God a lot. I encouraged them to go home and read the gospel of John and see if what I was telling them was true. I told them not to believe me or anyone else before first comparing our words to Scripture. They said they would look into these things. On kid said he liked my approach because I never tried to relate to them, I just spoke plainly to them. I guess someone else came up to them on the street the other night and tried to relate to them by saying that he smoked pot. This "evangelist" that was trying to relate to them obviously had some very bad theology if he thought that by acting like a pagan and showing the pagans that he was no different than them would win their soul to Christ. Only God can save a soul and if God is in it then it will not matter what you look like or how relevant you are. When the Holy Spirit is working in the speaker and the hearer and they see that you genuinely care for their soul, they stop and listen. People who think you have to look like, act like, and be like the wicked kids on the street to witness to them have no understanding of the Sovereignty of God or the means by which God saves people. It drives me crazy. People don't want to see that you are them same as them, their life is messed up and they know it but don't know how to fix it. They need truth and the truth of the Gospel is the only thing that can change anyone.

I next walked into a group of kids and did a card trick and asked a girl what the cross she was wearing meant, as a way to lead into the gospel. Most of the kids then split but two of the 13 year old girls stayed. The one girl said she was a Christian but I had to help her with some answers. The other girl was not a Christian so I focused on her. She said our beliefs can change reality. So if we believed something to be true then it was. I asked her what would happen if we both went to the top of the building to jump from it and I believed in gravity and she didn't. She saw the point. We would both fall, no matter what we believed because truth is what matters not our belief. We talked for a while about the cross and Jesus Christ. They had questions but didn't seem too convicted but you never know. Seeds planted.

The Clown posse?

2010-09-02T11:14:00.003-06:00

Well, we had a good night of sharing the gospel on the streets of Helena and we met some weird people and had some good conversations. This pictures is of a band that is apparently called the "insane clown posse". They are a demonically, twisted, wicked band. We met one of their biggest fans. This guy had most of his body tattooed and had piercings in places where you wouldn't think you could pierce, like his neck. His tattoos were of demons all over his face and body. His clothes were all advertising this demonic band. Now the funny thing is, is that he said he was a Christian. Now I don't hold his looks against him if he did all of this demonic stuff when he was a pagan but the sad thing is he loved his look. He said he was saved after an attempt to shoot himself in the head failed. Sounds like he is as bad a shot as my friend Killillay. The clown said that since his salvation his goal in life is to teach everyone that the "Insane clown posse" are actually a Christian band. I asked what was Christian about them and he said they talk about spirits but not Jesus. I started to get into the gospel and he left.

The girl he was talking to was now playing her guitar for us. She was good. Swider, who is an outstanding guitar player, borrowed her guitar and the two of them played for some time which attracted a crowd. This was good because I was able to share the gospel with them as they listened.

Earlier I saw two little 16 year old kids making out in public so I interrupted them and shared the gospel with them. They seemed depressed and said they received the same tract I gave them a few weeks ago. They were lost and not convicted.

I did share the gospel with another guy playing his guitar on the street. He was a Catholic. He was very pleasant and open to talking about the things of God. He was very active in the Catholic church but never knew what it took to get to heaven. I shared the biblical gospel and my testimony and we debated over some of the usual Catholic arguments but he was open. I focused on standing on Scripture alone to guide our beliefs instead of men. By the end, he admitted that he disagreed with the Catholics on some of their teachings and he said that sometimes the priests would say things that contradicted the Bible. It was a good conversation.

Jesus Died - Paul Washer

2010-08-23T19:16:00.001-06:00

The 5 Solas Conference

2010-08-22T13:52:00.008-06:00

Wolf Creek Baptist Church held it’s annual men’s conference this year on the “5 Solas” of the reformation. Over 40 men from across the state of Montana showed up for the event. Some drove 8 hours from eastern Montana to get here. There were pastors and laymen from Dillon, Helena, Sheridan, Great Falls, Thompson Falls, Clinton and Sidney. Rick Robinson from Clinton Community Church started us off with Soli Deo Gloria. Rick kept everyone’s attention and kept the crowd involved as he taught on the Glory of God.

Scott Doherty preached next on Solo Christo by expounding Colossians chapter 1 verses 13-20 followed by some time for fellowship and dinner. We had good music this year. The group called “Accounted For” came and sang before and after each sermon. The group was composed of Pete Milne, Glenda Milne, Dana Burns and Pete Milne Jr. They did a fantastic job and everyone was well pleased with it. We ate a great dinner of chicken fried steak catered by the 7 R guest ranch where the conference was held.

After dinner Don Jabaay of Green Meadow Christian Reformed Church took the pulpit and preached on Sola Scriptura. He did an excellent job in teaching us about the Scripture through Church History and then challenged all of us to saturate all things with Scripture. One funny part of Don’s sermon was when he was speaking of the heresies that came out of California, he referred to the state as the land of fruits and nuts. Little did Don know that Joseph Moyer was from California.

The last speaker of the night was Joseph Moyer from Westside Baptist church in Great Falls who preached on Sola Fida. Joseph started off by introducing himself as a pastor from the land of fruits and nuts. Everyone was rolling. Joseph preached a powerful sermon that convicted and encouraged many to step out on faith. He said that God will bring us to the edge of a cliff and tell us to jump by faith. If we do it will build our faith as we are obedient to Him and if we don’t then God will kick us off the cliff anyway. Joseph preached into the night to a crowd of men and dogs. It got pitch black. In fact, it was so dark that we couldn’t see Joseph anymore nor could he see us. As he preached we could look up at the stars. God was glorified.
We fellowshipped afterwards into the night and hit the sack. In the morning we met for a big breakfast at 8 am. Mike Hyatt from Calvary Baptist Church in Helena preached to us on Sola Scriptura in the lodge as we sipped coffee. Hyatt was a very captivating speaker and kept our attention as he expounded 2 Timothy chapter 3. Mike emphasized that we must compare all things to the Scriptures alone as opposed to going by feelings.
Rob Jackson of Wolf Creek Baptist Church preached on Sola Gratia from Exodus and Ephesians to end the conference. He spoke of the danger of playing on people’s emotions to convert them when only by the Grace of God can someone be saved. He said that we should rely on God to save men and not our ability to talk them into something. The conference was a great event and all the men were encouraged to be like Sampson’s foxes with their tails on fire. We were to spread out across Montana burning with zeal and truth to proclaim the biblical gospel wherever we were at.

Our Video Journal from the Street

2010-08-10T17:47:00.002-06:00

The good person test and evangelism

2010-08-10T06:25:00.002-06:00

This may encourage and instruct you on how to share the Law and Gospel with someone.

The Missionaries

2010-08-08T06:24:00.000-06:00

Helena County Fair

2010-08-02T16:59:00.012-06:00

The great benefit of open-air preaching is that we get so many newcomers to hear the gospel who otherwise would never hear it.

Charles Spurgeon

We rented a booth at the county fair in Helena this year. The purpose was not to promote our church or a denomination(all of us are from different churches and denominations), nor to give something away so the world would be attracted to us, nor to promote ourselves in any way. The purpose of the booth was to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the roof tops so that God may be pleased to use our efforts and His Word to save some.

We were at our booth from Wednesday to Saturday and spent 10 or more hours a day sharing the gospel one to one. The fair board did not put our booth in the best spot outside but God providentially brought hundreds of people to us to hear the gospel. We were kept constantly busy with little down time.

Tim Killillay (aka Killroy) and I were at the booth the whole time. TJ and Swider were also helping most of the days. Peters and his church had a booth in one of the buildings but Peters couldn't resist being outside sharing the gospel with us. It was such a joy having this group of evangelists working together for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
There is no possible way to write about everyone we talked to so I will give a few highlights. We had a sound system and microphones, even a hecklers microphone, for open-air preaching. Swider brought his guitars that he played on occasion. We even rented an ape suit and dressed swider in it with a sign on the front that said "uncle charlie" (after Charles Darwin) and on the back it said "evolution, a fairytale for grownups". We did this to attract a crown and demonstrate the silliness of evolution. It was quite a hit, except for when a girl jumped on the back of our ape and started doing things to him that I can't talk about here. Other than that and a group of kids chasing him around trying to wrestle him, it went well.

We tried to open-air preach but because of our location there was never large groups of people around, just consistent small groups of 3 or 4 throughout the day. I started to gather a crowd through a trivia game for money and gathered about 25 people but a group of about 10 kids ran all the adults off because they were being obnoxious.

So even though we never got to open-air preach we did get to share the gospel with a lost of people. In the four days we were there we sat down and shared the biblical gospel with around 300 people one-on-one and gave out well over 1000 gospel tracts, bibles, and books.We all had our own personal memorable people we talked with but I will just share a few of mine because the guys will be better at telling of theirs.

After the ape ran around for a while everyone was curious. The national guard was across from us and they could take it no longer. A woman finally walked over to our booth and asked, "what's with the monkey". I told her and she said she believed in evolution. We got in a good talk about science and the fairytale of evolution and then into the law and gospel. She was convicted but was trying to hide it. She finally walked off and never came back.
On Thursday morning before the fair officially opened I talked to a disturbed young man in his 20's. He justified his wickedness and proclaimed his own righteousness. He told me, dead serious, about his plan to open a strip club in a 3rd world country to help women feed their families by providing them jobs. Wow. He said he actually believed in God and thought God would be pleased by this. He heard the gospel and I made the holiness of God very clear by the end of our talk.

At the end of Thursday night we were packing up the booth and the game wardens from FWP stopped us. We were very tired but shared the gospel with them and debated them about their ignorance into the night. This seemed providential. Seeds planted.

The first thing on Friday morning we got hammered by people. The first group was a group of Catholic kids. The chief speaker was the alter boy at the Cathedral under O’neil. I took them through the law and they admitted breaking them but said they would be in Purgatory. I told them that Purgatory did not exist. The 12 year old disagreed and the argument began. He actually was well informed and knew much about the Catholic heresy, I mean doctrine. We argued about all kinds of things related to the Catholic church for a while. I told him if he or anyone he could find at the fair could prove Purgatory existed using the Bible then I would give them $10,000. He did all he could to find it but of course couldn’t. He left to find his mom or a priest but they wouldn’t come over. The kid came back to argue some more. Now Swider was getting fired up and chiming in on the conversation so I let Swider have at the kid so it would stir some zeal up in Swider. It worked. I left to witness to someone else but was distracted by their argument. It ended by the kid and Swider yelling across the fairgrounds. Swider challenged the kid to bring back his Catholic army and then ended the conversation by yelling, “I will see you in Purgatory.” Well, it never ended as well as it should have but it gave Swider a zeal for the lost and study. We also had a good time throughout the day as we laughed at Swiders reactions and then we made a song up about the foolishness of Purgatory.
I talked to a man next that God was working in. He actually died twice and was brought back to life by God. Once the doctors removed all life support to let him die. He went flat-lined but, to the surprise of the doctors, came back to life. He knew there was some reason he was alive. I shared the Law and gospel. He was convicted and the gospel made sense to him. I shared my testimony. A light came on and he understood for the first time in His life. He expressed the desire to look into the things of God. He never had a Bible, so I gave him one and encouraged him to start in John. He actually left the fair so he could go home and read the Bible right away.

I was exhausted at the end of the night and then came the Mormon. My flesh was dead so I only could rely on the Spirit (which is great and how it should always be). We argued over all the typical Mormon arguments that I have heard many times. I hear almost nothing new from Mormons any more. We debated into the night for an hour until I finally told him that Christianity and Mormonism were so contradictory that either all the Mormons would be in Heaven or all the Christians would be in Heaven but that we would never see each other after death. This angered him but it is the truth. He kept on insisting that Mormons were Christians. This is the new program for the Mormon church. They are trying to convince the world that Mormonism is just another branch of Christianity instead of the cult that it actually is.

On Saturday Morning they had a parade for the fair and there were thousands of people there. We gave out 400 gospel tracts in 45 minutes. I tried to witness to a guy playing a guitar on the street but he rejected the gospel and then started singing at the top of his lung some song about hating preachers and the Bible. I considered it an honor.

I did get to witness to two Peruvians and the Peruvian guy’s wife, who believed all kinds of weird Indian stuff and hated the Bible.

God providentially brought a man to me with a question. I took him through the Law and gospel but he said he couldn’t accept it because he had struggled with a question for 20 years. He said 20 years ago he took a religious class which confused his thinking about God. He asked me if God was good. I said yes. He then asked me what evil was. I told him that evil was the absence of good in the same way darkness was the absence of light. He then told me the question that he said no one could answer for 20 years. It was a question I have actually heard countless times. He asked, “If God is good then why did He create us knowing that we would be evil and why does He allow evil on the earth?” I explained sin and God’s desire to show His attribute of un-conditional love by sending His Son to save lost, wretched, God-hating sinners. I explained it over and over until all of a sudden a light came on. The spirit of God had opened his eyes. He said that he now understood and that his 20 year old question had been answered. He fought to hold back tears and said he understood finally and wanted to seek God. I told him to start in the gospel of John and told him about Hyatt’s church. Praise God!!!

I talked with 3 rugby players I assumed would never listen but to my surprise two of them were brought under heavy conviction and we talked for a while.

I talked with a cowboy who went to church at Journey church in Bozeman. He got all of his theology from the book “the Shack”. Wow was he messed up. He said what he loved about his church and the book was that they say that all religions go to heaven in their own way. He said he goes to his church because they believe what suits him. He said he just likes to believe what makes him feel good and discount the rest.

I talked with a Catholic Sheriff that was on duty. We got into a big debate over Catholic heresy, I mean doctrine. He said that if a person never heard of Jesus then they could get to heaven and that repenting and confessing Christ as Lord is only one small part in salvation. He said you had to do many works after that to gain salvation. Our argument got heated. He got in my face and was very angry. I encouraged him to actually study instead of believing every lie from the Catholic church. He got very offended because he said I offended his religion and that I was supposed to accept his views as equal. What a pagan. I thought I might get arrested for some made up reason but God delivered.

At the end of our last night God brought a demonic kid who said he was a druggy and had contact with demons. I talked with him for a long time and shared the law and gospel with him. He said he liked Buddhism better because it felt good. I told him He would be in Hell without Christ one second after he died. He left. Someone said they saw him screaming at himself for a long time. He talked to his pagan uncle and came back to the booth with a letter. He told me his uncle had a question for me. He gave the typical illogical question I have heard before. It is an un-answerable question that skeptics always use and can be applied to anything. Similar to the question, “can God create a rock he can’t lift”. It is an illogical question and I explained this to him. He left angry. We saw him come back to our booth several times that night carrying his paper. Something demonic was going on with him. He was having a war with something that was in him.

What a great, exhausting, God-glorifying, satisfying, exciting, privilege of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ this week. We praise God for everything He did and what He will do behind the scenes that we will never know until heaven. All the glory goes to God.

Amazing Foreign Missions story

2010-07-28T07:52:00.001-06:00

Friday night sowing

2010-07-25T16:28:00.007-06:00

Killillay and I hit the streets Friday for a night of sharing the gospel. I first talked with a couple homeless guys that heard it all before. One guy like to talk a lot so we talked for quite a while. They were both lost but heard the Gospel. I gave one guy a gospel of John and he said he would read it. I think this is the same drunk that usually heckles us downtown. He was sober now so I think he never recognized us, but when he is drunk he always disrupts us.

We talked to a girl and guy in their teens that were Catholics. They were like I was before God saved me. They were ignorant about almost all things in Scripture, proclaimed their own righteousness, and defended the Catholic church for no apparent reason other than tradition. We argued over the order of the 10 commandments because the Catholic church actually changed them, if you can believe that. Then removed completely the 2nd commandment which is don't worship graven images (which they do) and then to keep the number of commandments at 10 they split the last commandment in two. The guy actually said he was depending on the Catholic church to get him into heaven. Wow! He heard the actual gospel but was hardened.

We gave out tracts for a while and then Killillay talked with a couple kids at Womens park. It seemed to go OK. We then moved up Hill park and Killillay tried to give some people tracts when all of a sudden we heard a group of people screaming across the park telling the people not to take tracts from us. Hill park is where all the street kids hang out and they heard the gospel so much from us that they see us coming a mile away and resist us. The people did take the tracts though.

I ran into a man from Gonzaga university next. We had a great talk. He was lost but open. We went through the whole law and gospel and talked for a long time. He was convicted and interested in the gospel. Seed planted.

We moved up to the walking mall and we started talking to a couple of adults and their 19 year old daughter who they just picked up from college in Denver. This was providence because the parents were Christians and the daughter was a typical false convert with an attitude and the whole trip from Denver to Helena the girl and her parents argued about the things of God. I took her through the law and she was convicted. I explained the gospel but she blew it off in a way. I answered her questions and squashed her little arguments and then explained the evidence of regeneration and suggested that she examine herself to see if she was in the faith. I think she realized that she was never saved in the first place. At first she was loud and obnoxious but now was humble and quiet. Her parents loved it and thanked me for talked with them because this must have re-affirmed what they were telling her. Providence.

Killillay talked with a guy that turned out to be a Christian and sound in doctrine and then we met TJ. I gave an atheist test tract to a guy in a car that had a sticker in his window that said he was an atheist. I think he had drugs in his car. I don't know a whole lot about drugs but I am guessing what I saw were some kind of drugs.

We ran into the crazy guy that says he is a Messianic Jew again. This time he had his Bible and some other people with him. TJ shared the gospel with one of them that was loud and resistant.
We moved to the ice cream shop and I did a card trick for a large group of kids and then shared the gospel. Unfortunately from the outside they were more excited about the tricks than the gospel. Seeds planted. It was a good night for sharing the gospel on the streets. Many seeds were planted in the form of gospel tracts and conversations so now we step back and let God bring the increase because only He can.

Wednesday night pics

2010-07-22T12:35:00.012-06:00

My friend Killillay is here for two weeks to share the gospel on the street with us and open-air preach at the fair next week. Killillay, Swider, and I met TJ downtown to share the gospel. There were so many people out last night and we were able, by God's grace to share the gospel with around 50 people one to one and give out 100's of gospel tracts. I don't have the time or space to tell about all of our experiences last night but I put some pictures to show you some of the people we talked to and to get an idea of the atmosphere. Our group witnessed to atheists, people who knew the truth but hated Jesus, evolutionists that were offended that we said they never came from a monkey, a couple homosexuals, skaters, Mormons, Chistains, people who thought they were Christians but were not,rockers, old men and little kids and a variety of others. Here are some pics.

Un trabajo de Dios (A work of God)

2010-07-11T18:29:00.004-06:00

Jeremy Roberts and I met Peters and Kenny in town for a late night of sharing the gospel in downtown Helena. We would later meet TJ at about 8pm. We started in Hill park where I shared the gospel with 4 kids and a few more standing by. We joked when we were walking up to this group of kids because one kid had a huge knife and was throwing it at a tree trying to stick it in to it. Peters said he would probably throw it at him when he was running and stick him in the butt. I told peter that the kid throwing the knife hadn't stuck it in the tree yet because he was such a bad knife thrower so there was a good chance the sharp part wouldn't hit him. We all laughed and jumped into the middle of the group. I did a magic trick and went into the law. They all admitted breaking the laws of God but he just didn't care. The girl was raised in a Christian home and had a biblical view of Hell and she even said the Bible was the most accurate book in History. The only bad thing is, she hated Christ and rejected the gospel and embraced reincarnation because it suited her. Seeds planted so we moved on.

We hit the walking mall and I shared the gospel with a couple guy's in their 20's. They were both evolutionists but believed that there was a god of some sort out there. We debated over all kinds of things for a while but I brought it back to the law and gospel. I explained the cross and it seemed like they are listening and it gave them something to think about. It was a good conversation for almost a half hour.

We met up with TJ and ran into an angry man who we gave a tract to earlier. He was looking for a fight. He asked us what church we were with and we told him. It turned out that he said he was a "christian" but hated all organized religion and the government and just about everything else. He was in his late 50's or early 60's and had his wife with him. He was the perfect heckler though because he was loud, angry and yelling but really had not logical argument for his beliefs and they were easily shot down. He said he was against all wars and killing of anything even trees and animals. He almost blew his top at the government so I brought the subject back to the gospel. He also said the New Testament wasn't the Bible, which was odd since he said he had Christ, I wonder where he heard about Him. He railed on for a half hour and when he started saying really messed up stuff I would stir him up a little to show him how illogical his views where. God providentially worked this out though. The real reason we were here was to share the gospel with his wife and another guy that came and sat down when he heard the angry man railing. While I had the angry man railing, Kenny went over to his wife and the guy and explained the gospel. They were very open and listened intently. Praise God. The guy eventually ran out of arguments because they were all shot down so he started acting even more like a 3rd grader and stormed off to pout in the corner. Seeds planted

TJ, during this whole debate, stopped a guy on the street and was sharing the gospel with him. This guy was wide open to talking but went on and on about new age philosophies and metaphysical states. TJ actually ended up talking with him for 2 hours. We moved down the street and sat on a bench to wait for him.

When waiting God brought us a whole bunch of people to witness to. We talked to a man from Kenya and his girlfriend who turned out to be Christians. We talked to an old drunk guy but shooed him off because he was drunk. I shared the law and gospel with a group of 7 people for about 15 minutes. Not much conviction but they heard the truth.

The last group was are best conversation. A guy that was 20 and 2 girls younger than he that we gave tracts to earlier and were laughing at them came back. I started asking them random trivia questions and then asked them what they think it takes to get to heaven. On girl was a staunch Catholic but didn't know why. She believed in purgatory and said she was going there when she died. I told her that Purgatory didn't exist and that the Roman Catholics made it up. She got fired up and said she was going to teach us a thing or two. I told her she was welcome to as long as she started with a Bible verse that speaks of Purgatory. She, of course, couldn't so she shut up the rest of the night and listened. The guy thought there was no spirit and that when your dead then your dead. The girl stopped believing there is a God because her friend died when she was 17. I took them through the law and explained the gospel and we talked about many things. There attitudes went from mocking and laughing at the beginning to now a sober, serious, question asking attitude. The conversation got very deep. We shared our testimonies and now they all were sitting down on the pavement and we were basically having a Bible study and explaining to them all about Jesus Christ and the atonement. It was very humbling to see God breaking them down right in front of us. The girl who lost her friend said she knew her friend that died rejected Christ and asked where she is now and I told her that if her friend rejected Christ then she is in Hell for her sin. It may sound harsh but it is the truth and I said it in love. The girl, now about in tears, looked at me and actually understood. She never objected but understood. I told her that she should focus on her eternity and that as long as she has breath in her body she has hope in Christ. We told her of the love and Sovereignty of God. They were very thankful for the talk and said they were going to look into the Bible. Praise God. Que un día glorioso por proclamando el evangelion de Jesús Cristo.

Expositional Preaching - shai linne

2010-07-04T05:20:00.003-06:00

This is a rap song by a guy named shai linne, who is a reformed theologian. This song has more theology in it than 100% of the songs you will hear on K-love. I don't really like rap but I like this because of the lyrics and the focus on Christ and expository preaching. It is surprisingly good.

Alive @ five......again

2010-07-01T16:27:00.002-06:00

This is the Alive at 5 street party getting set up.

Jeremy S. and I went to the streets again to share the gospel. What an immense privilege to be able to take the greatest news ever told to a dying people. I thank God for the privilege to go and for the fact that He has ordained to save His people through the means of preaching His Word by us lowly men.

There was, again, a good crowd of people out for the party. We first talked with a group of kids who were all Atheists except one proclaimed he was a Christian but after about 15 seconds we found out he wasn't. They liked the card trick I did and Jeremy's T-shirt and thought we were pretty cool, that is until I brought up the name of Christ and then their attitude changed. I took them through the Law and Gospel, they argued a little, said they could care less if they went to Hell, questioned our motivations and the authority of the Bible, and threw out a few lame objections that an eight year old boy could throw down. Seeds planted.

Next, I started a great conversation with a man from Costa Rica but right when I was about to get into the gospel his kid came up to him and they had to go.

Same situation happened again. I met a kid that lived in Belize, Central America for a while. We had a good talk about it and I asked his religion and he said some kind of Indian religion and they his friends came and he left.

We moved down town and found a man smoking outside a bar so I did a trick and asked a few questions. He said he was an atheist and would never change. His friend came out of the bar so I gave them both tracts and I gave the atheist the "atheist test" tract and they went back inside.

The next conversation was typical of half the kids in Helena except this guy I was talking to was in his 20's. After the small talk I was taking him through the commandments and he gladly admitted to lusting and said that is why he came to Alive at 5 and plans to continue it. I asked if he ever used the Lord's name in vain and then he proceeded to use the name Jesus as a cuss word in conjunction with every other cuss word. He wove a line of blasphemy that would blush a sailor. I can only image the angles of God looking at this man and they looking a God, just waiting for the permission to slaughter this man where he stood in the blink of an eye. How merciful and patient is God. His buddies drove up and he jumped in with them and they mocked us from the car saying, "hail Jesus".

We talked to a girl that was trying to get people to sign a petition to get better bus service in Helena. I didn't want to talk with her but it turned out it was the best conversation of the night. She was convicted and searching and Jeremy and I talked with her for a while about the gospel. She had some questions which I answered and it seemed like she was genuinely interested and said she would look into the things we said.

We talked to a few more people and were heading out when we ran into the Messianic Jew, at least that was his claim. We talked for a long time with this guy and the more we talked the more we were confused. He had some crazy beliefs and couldn't explain the gospel or what it takes to be made right with God. Some of the weird things this guy said were:
1. we shouldn't focus on the gospel
2. Syria was going to be hit with a nuke from Israel on September 20th, 2010
3. Aliens are real and he worked on one of their space ships.

It was a good night for the gospel. We faced some of the standard mocking from people that were too dumb to actually argue with logic but we are used to this and expect it because Jesus said:

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
(John 15:18-21)

Un poco de la providencia

2010-06-21T21:18:00.002-06:00

Jeremy S. and I hit the streets of Helena for an afternoon of sharing the gospel. God providentially put people in our paths today. I'll touch on a few.

We first ran into an agnostic that didn't want to talk so we moved to a guy on a bench smoking. I explained the law and gospel to him and we had a good, long talk. He was from the pre-release and told us about several things that happened to him today. He found out his mom was dying and his son was living on the street in some other state. He was distraught and confused about life so he decided by "chance" to go sit on a bench at the library. He told us that God must have put us together today, which I agreed. We encouraged him to seek God through the Bible and told him to examine himself to see if he was in the faith and to examine the Bible to make sure all we told him was true.

We moved down and talked with some kids making a documentary on something. I asked them what they believed about God and all were your standard answers except for the girl who thought aliens put us in the Virgin Mary and that we were all came from aliens. Apparently she got all her theology from some movie she watched. We were going through the law and were about to get to the gospel when their adult supervisor, who I gave a tract to earlier and now figured out what we were all about and didn't like it, came and snatched the group and they left.

We moved down the street to outside of a bar and talked with a guy smoking a cigarette outside. I shared the law and he got in a hurry to leave but God sent a tremendous hail storm that prevented him from leaving the shelter of the vestibule so I continued with the gospel. He heard it and decided risking the storm was a better option than talking about Jesus Christ so he made his escape into the hail storm.

We talked to some kids on skateboards next. I spoke with one of the kids before and he remembered. We talked for a while about the gospel and one kid was, surprisingly convicted and open. It was encouraging to hear that someone else gave him a tract and shared the biblical gospel with him and encouraged him to read the Bible to figure things out. I encouraged him to do the same and gave him some direction.

I stopped a kid at Hill park and gave him a tract. He looked it over and I shared the law and gospel with him. He was wide open to it and listened intently. He was convicted by the Spirit of God. He was anxious to look into the things of God. We encouraged him repent and put his trust in Christ. He asked how to do that so we told him. Praise God! We encouraged him to read the Bible and go home and seek God until he finds him.

Que un día glorioso para proclamar el evangelio.

My friend Shon

2010-06-17T10:40:00.003-06:00

This video is of my friend Shon Simpson. We were good friends in College but since we both moved away we lost touch. I haven't talked with him since shortly after I was saved. He was the editor for Eastmans hunting magazine but then started his own construction company. He has a great wife and two beautiful girls. He was in a bad construction accident on April 29th, 2010. He is now in a wheel chair and may be paralyzed for life if the Lord wills. I have never had the opportunity to share the gospel with Shon, since when I knew him I was a lost, wretched soul. I don't know the state of his soul. He has no way to support his family now and no way to pay medical bills, but our Gracious God is Sovereign over all these little things. It seems from his blog that there are Christians surrounding him. Pray for him and his family and his salvation. Also and opportunity to share the gospel with him, the only hope he or any of us have in this life. His website is shonsimpson.com

Alive @ five

2010-06-11T10:43:00.004-06:00

God choose to bless our evangelism efforts this week. Sometimes, especially when the weather is bad, it is hard to find people on the street to witness to but God decided to bring about 500 lost, sinful men, women and kids all together in one spot just for TJ and me. There is a party called alive at five every Wednesday in Helena. There are bands and food and drinking, you know, all the things that attract the lost. This time it was hosted at the park at the library. There were so many people and God allowed us to talk to so many people about Christ that we were wore out from talking.

I can't go into all the conversations because it would take to long but there were a lot of seeds planted. One family at first hated Christianity, although the mom said she was a Christan/Mormon/Buddhist. Wow. I debated a couple Atheists for 1/2 hour on all points. They were civil and liked to debate. They did hear the gospel but rejected it. I did a bunch of card trick and presented the law and gospel to many kids, which most chose to ignore. Some were convicted but it is hard to say how God may use His word when they wake up the next day.

I couldn't resist debating the anti-trappers at their booth. I must say that I got distracted because of their ignorant arguments and never shared the gospel but left them a tract. I think I did convince them that their arguments were based on their feelings and not science.

TJ got into some good conversations and a couple kids that were convicted were interested in starting a Bible study.

While at this street party it saddened me. I wondered what kind of derelict parents would give their 13 year old kid a cellphone and some cash and shuttle them out of the house dressed like a harlot and tell them to have fun with the most wicked kids in town. Even 50 years ago parents raised their kids a lot different and the emphasis on family was a lot different. I wonder if America is any different, at all, than Sodom and Gomorrah.

Between the storms

2010-06-01T12:10:00.002-06:00

Jeremy, TJ and I hit the streets between rain storms in Helena. We started out giving out a lot of tracts. The first people we ran into were at Starbucks. I asked the 3 guys sitting outside if they were Christians and they said they were. I asked if they knew what it took to get to heaven and they gave me the correct answer. They said they read their Bible every day and went to church but never shared the gospel with anyone. We encouraged them to do so and explained the great privilege God gives us in evangelism.

The town was mostly dead. It was memorial day so everyone was at home or still traveling. We stopped by the movie theater and gave out some tracts. I walked across the street to a park where a man and woman were sitting. I did a card trick and asked if they were Christians. The woman was in here 20's and they man in his 40's and they may have been homeless or at least living a rough life. The woman said she was a Christian and the man did not believe. I took them through the law and their conscience condemned them. I shared the greatest news in the world, their only hope, Jesus Christ on the cross as our substitute satisfying the wrath of God that we stored up. It seemed to make sense. They said they were in and out of church throughout their life better never heard it explained that way. I am afraid most churches haves stopped preaching the true and only gospel and replaced it with a tickle your ears, prosperity gospel to make people happy.

They had some questions and then we talked about my motives for talking with them and they were glad I stopped to talk with them. I encouraged them to seek God through the Bible and turn from their sins and trust Christ. Good conversation and seeds planted.

We walked around town and gave out some more tracts then hit hill park. There was a bunch of the usual kids their lost, without hope (except Christ), messing up their lives with drugs and alcohol. We walked into the middle of the crowd and started to ask them questions about life. I gave them some tracts, which they read the trivia game on the front, and took a group of them through the law. They were all so lost, they didn't care about anything. They all said they were going to Hell and it didn't bother them. I never gave them the gospel because they were not convicted. I told them if they ever started to worry about their condition with God and that Hell was waiting that they should read the tracts I gave them and find their only hope.

TJ was witnessing to another group. Most were hard-hearted and rebellious, arguing with him, but they soon left except for one kid that was interested. TJ explained the gospel and talked with him for a while and then gave him a gospel of John and got his email address. Praise God.

For the town being dead it was a pretty good day of sharing the Gospel. Seeds planted.

Gloria a Dios por un día glorioso de proclamando el evangelio.

Paul Washer - Clothed With Power

2010-05-30T08:13:00.000-06:00

Mission Sending: America is Dying

2010-05-28T07:02:00.000-06:00

Rabbit trails....

2010-05-19T06:26:00.003-06:00

I was out of town for work so I took a walk after dinner and ran into 4 men in their 20's from Colorado. I gave them a tract and brought up the things of God. Two of them pretty much left right away but two stayed. Neither knew what it took to get to heaven yet they claimed they knew God and one said he went to church. I took them through the law. One kid continued to justify his sin, even though he admitted he broken God's commandments. He said he only trusts in his own feelings not in man or the Bible. I told him the Proverb that said, "He who trusts in his heart is a fool" I explained the only way out through Jesus and why the cross was necessary. I mostly did for the other guy who was more humble and listening. They said they have heard it before but they clearly have never understood it because they thought being a good person could get you to heaven. We talked for 20 minutes. The one guy continued to try to take me down 1000 rabbit trails and wouldn't listen to reason. I ended by telling them my motivations for sharing the gospel with them and that it was the truth and they had a choice to reject it or think about it before they died and had to face God. Overall it was a good discussion. Seeds planted.

How to treat your unbelieving husband.

2010-05-16T15:08:00.002-06:00

How wives should treat their unbelieving husbands
(or husbands that act like unbelievers, or husbands in general, we all have problems)

Prologue: The purpose of a marriage is not to satisfy yourself or fulfill your selfish desires or to gain control, the purpose of a marriage is to model the Gospel in your relationship to your husband and to model the relationship between Christ and the Church to unbelievers which is ultimately glorifying to God. The purpose of your marriage is to glorify God.

1. …a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife….
1 Corinthians 7:13-14.

First of all, no matter how bad things are don’t even think about or say the word “divorce”. I know husbands who are not walking in Christ can make a marriage miserably but God is giving you an opportunity to learn how to love a wretched worm unconditionally. This is how God loves us, unconditionally. We deserve wrath for our sin against God but while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. You treat God worse than your husband treats you. Think about your sin.

Second, If you can model the gospel in your life then you will sanctify your husband. Your husband will be blessed because of your faithfulness. He will receive some of the outward benefits of your salvation. If it pleases God, He will use your conduct to convict your husband and your husband will see his sin far better than when you point it our. Let God convict him and then he will change.

2. And why to you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5

It is so important for all of us to look at ourselves and all our sin and many problems before we look at others. Sometimes what you don’t like about you husband is what you really don’t like about yourself. The sin you hate in yourself is just more manifested in you husband. Look at yourself first and then you will be able to go to your husband with love and understanding.

3. Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 1 Peter 3:1-2

Be submissive to your husbands. This does not mean that you should agree with your husband on everything or let him drag you into sin. It means encourage your husband to take his role as head of the household (not throw it in his face when he fails) and then follow his lead. If there is a big decision to make and it is not a sin either way, support your husband even if you have to sacrifice. This is part of what the Bible calls “dying to yourself”. It is a perfect model of being Christ like. Your husband will see this eventually and again be convicted and see Christ in you.

Your conduct should be so Christ-like that your husband will look at you and say, if this is what it is to be a Christian then I am definitely not one. Your example of conduct should be opposite of your old life. You should handle problems in an opposite way he is expecting. If your husband does something really stupid and he expects you to react the way you always do by screaming at him, then give him grace and mercy and you will shock him. He will actually be more convicted by his mistake and will be far less likely to do it again.

4. Rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. 1 Peter 3:4-6

Make an effort to be not only submissive, which honors God, but to have a quiet and gentle spirit. If you are always fired up and raising your voice or arguing it will certainly bring out the same behavior in him. If your husband is screaming and acting crazy and you face him with a quiet and gentle spirit, then you will bring him back to reality and calm him down. The more gentle you are the more conformed to gentleness your husband will be. This will also be reflected positively with raising your kids.

5. An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. Proverbs 12:4

Support him, love him, be excited about the things he is excited about and live a life that does not cause him shame. He should love to talk about you. If he is talking with all his friend and he has a supportive, godly wife, he will always be sharing that with others. If you are always nagging every time he does anything, the sinful husband will not be bragging about you but complaining about you. This is his fault and he is fully responsible but it will be the result.

6. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church, and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:22-24

Model the Gospel in your marriage. The wife represents the church and her husband Christ. Respond to your husband how the church should respond to Christ. Focus on fulfilling your role, not how bad he is failing his role. This is how unconditional love is learned. If your husband was perfect then your love would be conditional on his actions toward you. The marriage is not about you or satisfying all your selfish desires, it is about Christ. Die to yourself and model the gospel. This is extremely hard and we will struggle with it until we die but we should definitely be getting better at it, by God’s grace, as we are sanctified.

7. …let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Men, unlike women, have a desperate need for respect. They have a lot of responsibility in their role as the head of the house. If you respect your husband, even when he doesn’t deserve it, you will make leaps of progress in your relationship. He has a lot of pressure on him and he sure doesn’t need to be nagged at every time he fails. Try encouraging him and pointing out the good job he is doing when he does good. This will go so far. Respect him as a person, respect the things he does for the family, respect his effort to earn a living (as long as it isn’t sinful).

8. …love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

If you are mad your husband isn’t walking with Christ and is not fulfilling his biblical role you should again look at yourself. Concentrate on fulfilling your role and let God deal with your husband when he fails at fulfilling his role. Sometimes it is best to step back and let God take vengeance on your husband, so to speak. This can’t happen when you are always in his face. When you fail at your role, the name of God is blasphemed because you are sinning and disobedient. You are actually doing the same thing as your husband. Stay the course, finish the race, fulfill your unique role in the marriage. If you are being persecuted because of your faith then Philippians 4:13 is a promise for you, it says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God will give you the grace and strength to endure your marriage. Pray continually. God is the only One that can change you husband but be encouraged because we have a God that we can go to in prayer and a God that does change husbands.

9. Some words of encouragement and final exhortation:

But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:23-26

Like everything in life, your marriage is a huge spiritual battle. Put on the full armor of God, depend entirely on God, die to yourself daily for God, so that God will be glorified in you.

Scott Doherty

Sometimes God shows the fruit......

2010-05-13T06:10:00.002-06:00

Most of the time while witnessing we don't see immediate fruit, praise God for that since it would probably cause pride. Usually we see conviction, rejection, hatred, or the deer in the headlight look. We almost never see what happens to the people when they leave. We almost never see how the planted seed is watered but this time God found it pleasing to reveal a little bit of what He is doing in one kid. I received this email from a friend. The evangelist was Mike Peters.

Had a customer here tonight. Her son has a lot of friends over. They are SDA. Anyway, a boy that is on the fringe of friends because of the group he hangs with came over. He is kinda rough looking with big earrings, baggy shorts, etc. He came over to their house Saturday night and apologized for being late. He had been stopped by some 'Jesus People' on the street. Mother questioned him. He had been told quite a bit in a short time by some street evangelists here in Helena. He was very excited about it. He didn't know about Jesus before. He told her that he had already done 5 of the '10 sins' such as look at a girl wrongly...not just literal adultery. He was very excited about the encounter and the Mother carefully continued the conversation with him, made sure he knew several of the friends in the house knew Jesus as well (was a little bothered the kids were in stealth mode). She sent him home that night with a Refuel magazine which is an NCV Bible in magazine format. He read a lot of it and on Monday asked if he could go to church with them. He is very eager and doesn't know much yet, but the evangelist's seed is being watered right now.

The Great Fall

2010-05-09T14:11:00.003-06:00

While proclaiming the gospel in Great Falls we found evidence that the "Fall" was "Great". A depraved and wicked generation that hates the God that allows them to breath. I met Jeremy R. and we started at Paris Gibson Park. The park is surrounded by low income houses so it attracts many people. I don't want to go into detail on every encounter because it would take too long, so here is a summary.
We talked to some very lost, God hating, confused kids at the skate park first. They all had filthy mouths and bad attitudes. I went through the law and they were not concerned. Some thought they were actually Christians as they blasphemed Christ, while some blamed God for everything bad in there life. I explained the gospel and they openly mocked it. We moved on.

We talked to a couple Mormon girls and a Pentecostal man who said he couldn't be Mormon because he was black. They were all very lost and confused. I took them through the law and explained the gospel but they justified their sin and one of the Mormon girl got mad because I told her the Mormons were lying to her. After I explained to them that their only hope was Christ, the Mormon explained to me why she loved the book of Mormon. She loved it because they didn't have to hope in Christ. That is when I told her the Mormons lied to her and urged her to seek truth. They mocked some more and we left.

Talked to a drunk homeless man who had a Bible and used Proverbs 31 to justify his alcoholism. He professed Christ but justified all his sins. We didn't spend to long with this guy because he liked to argue and had been drinking plenty.

Stopped a couple in their early 20's on the street with a card trick. They thought you had to be good and be strong to get to heaven. I asked them if they were good and strong and they said they were so I took the through the law and they saw they were not. I explained how God has to punish sin because he is just and then explained how God punished Jesus on the cross in their place to satisfy His justice. There was not to much conviction but they listened the whole time. The girl admitted she was going to Hell but was ready to leave because she was hungry. Not to worried about Hell apparently.

Talked to a couple guys at the tattoo parlor, the owner and his buddy. We small talked about tattoos and then I asked them what they thought happened when they died. They didn't know, although one guy said he was saved. It seems like we ran into a lot of people who thought they were saved even though they have always lived and still live wicked, depraved lives, but they said a prayer at sometime in their lives and some pathetic pastor or evangelist proclaimed them as saved. The fruit of the modern "gospel". When I started talking about the things of God they both immediately left in the middle of the conversation.

We seen a crazy lady at the Taco store. She was out of her mind. I thought she may have been into demonic stuff so I gave her a tract and said it was about Jesus. She acted crazy but not how I expected.

I stopped a couple on the street with a tract. They read it and we got into a very good conversation. I thought the girl had an Irish accent but she was from South Africa. I thought the guy was from Australia but he was from Ohio. I am so bad at recognizing peoples accents. The girl knew the answer to the question about what it takes to get to heaven. The guy didn't and said he was a creationist evolutionist. Basically he believed that God used evolution to make the world and everything in it. I stuck to the law and gospel and then talked about creation. I explained some things he never heard and he was surprised that some of the things he believed were shot down. He said he would research things. The cool thing is that his wife and he were debating about the gospel yesterday and God put us together to answer some of his questions.

Gloria a Dios por un día glorioso de proclamando el evangelion en la calles.

Quiz

2010-05-03T06:19:00.003-06:00

Amazingly a similar test as below was given to regular Protestant church attenders and the average was an F. See if you have some knowledge of the Bible. This simple tests proves the Biblical Illiteracy of the "church" today.

1) Name the four Gospels ___________, ____________, ___________, __________
2) Who delivered the Sermon on the mount__________________
3) What book is the verse “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth” in_________________

4) Who said, “Am I my brother’s keeper? ______________
5) What quote is from the Sermon on the mount:
a) Repent or perish
b) Even though He slay me I will trust Him
c) Blessed are the poor in Spirit

6) Where did Saul/Paul have his blinding vision?
a) Athens
b) The road to Damascus
c) Samaria

7) Which book begins with, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and God was the word._____________

8) Which book in the Bible do we first read about the Passover?
9) Put the following events in order:
a) Israelites enter the promised land
b) Judah goes to exile
c) David made king
d) Israel divided into two kingdoms

10) Put the following events in order:
a) Pentecost
b) Peter denies Jesus
c) Jesus was baptized
d) John has a vision on the isle of Patmos

11) Jesus was born in what town?__________________

The Bondage of the Will

2010-04-26T05:51:00.004-06:00

In John 6:44, Christ says, "No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him." This leaves absolutely no room for "free will." The Lord goes on to explain the Father's drawing, "Every man therefore that has heard, and has learned of the Father, comes to me" (verse 45). Man's will, left to itself, is powerless to do anything about coming to Christ for salvation. Even the very word of the Gospel is heard in vain, unless the Father Himself speaks to the heart and draws us to Christ.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) The Bondage of the Will

Revival, what about your idols

2010-04-22T18:20:00.000-06:00

God prepared Isaiah’s heart with a sight of Himself and His holiness. But the message that Isaiah was to take to the people was quite grim for that nation. However, He was commanded to take it. There was no real relief for that message in His day. There was a price to be paid for being faithful to God. The same price has had to be paid many times since Isaiah as well. That price is a true repentance of the heart. It is a rending of the heart and it is a turning from the idols of the heart. God will not dwell with idolatrous hearts and so there must be a turning of the heart from idols. Those idols can be the fear of men and the love of honor from men. Those idols can be the love of a successful church in terms of numbers and money. Those idols can be the love of comfort and peace. Those idols can be in accordance with a love of the status quo. Those idols can be in accordance with a love of power. Until the power of love which only comes from God overcomes our love of power we have no hope for true unity. We must count the cost and see if we are willing to pray for revival if it comes at a great cost. We can talk about revival and never see it, but until we pray we won’t see it. But until we are willing to suffer in order to pray, we won’t pray. It is so easy to offer words asking for revival. Are you ready to have your idols torn from you in order to truly pray?

Provocation to Prayer 37
By Richard Smith, Spurgeon Baptist Association of Churches

Light in the darkness

2010-04-20T06:29:00.004-06:00

Even though it was a beautiful sunny day we walked down the street as light in a dark world. I met Mike Hyatt in town for un día glorioso of sharing the gospel on Monday. I first shared the gospel with a man and a women who eating outside a restaurant. The man was Methodist and the woman was Catholic. Neither one could answer many questions correct. The Methodist said you have to believe in God and you will get into to heaven, the Catholic never knew how to get to heaven and it seemed she never thought of it before. She did say she was disgusted in the Catholic church though. I took them through the law and gospel. Not much conviction and later they seen us and kind of mocked us, thinking we were crazy. This is pretty standard and has happened to most messengers of God.

The Bible says this in 2 Chronicles 36:16: But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

We next ran into a self-proclaimed orthodox Jew. He liked to talk. A lot. We started talking about the Torah. I tried to get into Exodus 20, the Law, but he couldn't stay on one subject. Mike was talking with him so I excused myself and let them talk. They ended up talking for an hour. Mike did share the gospel with him and offered to study the Bible with him but we will see if he the man follows through.

I witnessed to a prideful, kind of crazy man next. I asked him if he went to church and he said his church is everywhere. I asked if he read the bible and he said he could memorize it and challenged me to ask him any verse. I asked him a few and he missed them all.

There was a ton of people out on the street with the warm weather so I never had to go far to find the next person. I found a Hindu from India here on business. We got to talking about his religion and what will happen when he dies. He had rough English but we managed. He said that no one has seen his gods so he doesn't know what will happen when he dies. I asked him that if no one has seen your gods then how do you have many pictures and carved images of them. He said that was a good point. I then asked him if it made logical sense for me to cut down a tree and use half the tree to start a fire and cook dinner and use the other half of the tree to carve an image and call it god. I said if I carved the tree then I am the creator and the creation could have no power over me. He said it did make sense and that everyone can believe what they want and everything is true. I said if I jumped off that building and said I didn't believe in gravity would I fall? It is an illogical conclusion to say everyone is right. It is a complete contradiction. I tried to take him through the law but since his religion didn't have many of the same rules he thought it was alright to break them. We talked some more and I left him with a tract he reluctantly took.

I moved up the street and found a kid from Browning, MT who was wallowing in his sin and misery looking for a way out. I took him through the law and he admitted breaking them but still thought he wasn't that bad. I think he was comparing himself to the wicked people around him. I went deeper and he saw his sin and asked why I was here talking to him if he had to go to Hell and there was no way out. I then told him the greatest news of all. I told him I was talking with him because there is still hope for him, there is good news, there is a way out. I told him I have what he has been searching for. I then told him what our great God did for us by sending His only Son to take his punishment on himself. Jesus paid his fine so he could escape Hell and enter Heaven. When I mentioned Jesus he scoffed. I stopped and asked him why he was mocking Jesus and he actually said, "I thought you were going to tell me better news than that." I said there is no better news and I explained it deeper. I shared my testimony and he asked for my phone number so we could talk more. I introduced him to Hyatt and we encouraged to go to a Bible study Hyatt had on Tuesdays. I don't know if he will come but the gospel seed was planted. Qué un día glorioso por el evangelio.

Go, Stand, and Speak - Open air Preaching Documentary

2010-04-12T19:02:00.001-06:00

El Perro

2010-04-04T12:08:00.002-06:00

Turns out my dog Sage also wants to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ instead of all the garbage that the world tries to replace it with. My neighbor went out in the park to hide dyed hard boiled eggs for his daughter to look for. Well Sage saw this and must not have thought it was good to have an egg hunt when we should be focused on Christ so Sage just went up behind him, searched out the egg, and ate it. My neighbor never caught on at first because Sage was sneaky but Sage finally got caught when she grabbed one of the eggs out of the carton that was in his hand. I never knew Sage had such a passion for doing what God wants. Either that or she was just hungry, but it is a funny story I thought I would share.