Being Conformed to Him

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

- Romans 8:26-29

"Father. make me like your Son." What a terrifying prayer is that to make. I remember asking that one year ago and then sitting back and thinking, do I really know what I have just asked for?

And I thank the Lord for what He has done in me the past month, not that He has given me some great spiritual victory or experience, but rather for exposing again and again the utter depravity and evil that lurks within my own heart.

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

- Genesis 6:5

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

- Matthew 15:19

Sins that I thought I never would have were brought to light through God's Providence. To see ever more clearly the depths which the heart would plunge to in sin. To be confronted with the amazing sinfulness of sin before a God who is infinitely Holy and Righteous. To be afraid of trusting even one's own heart and instead casting oneself upon the mercy of the One who is Faithful and True. To adore the Love and Grace of God displayed in Christ in the light of one's own evil heart. Is not the Love of God beyond measure, that He would die for even one hopeless sinner like me? Love so amazing, so divine.

Lord sanctify me, that I would be pleasing to you. Father, make me like Christ.
Amen

D. A. Carson on Polemical Theology

Polemical theology is nothing other than contending for a particular theological understanding (usually one that the contender holds to be the truth) and disputing those that contradict it or minimize it. It is impossible to indulge in serious critical thought without becoming enmeshed, to some degree, in polemics.

Nevertheless there is something wrong-headed about making polemical theology the focus of one’s theological identity.... Still other Christians develop websites and ministries whose sole aim is to confute error. God knows there is plenty of error to confute. To make the refutation of error into a specialized “ministry,” however, is likely to diminish the joyful affirmation of truth and make every affirmation of truth sound angry, supercilious, self-righteous—in a word, polemical.

Read more here

*Update*
I was reading an article in the same newsletter and this portion caught my eye.

But there is one other question I usually pose, if not bluntly, then at least in some form: to whom do you intend to be accountable?

The question is crucial because any Christian studying theology, at whatever level, is not engaged in a simple mastery of technique or information. The study of theology engages heart and mind; to put it in the idiom of Calvin, true knowledge of God and true piety are inseparable. In addition, the temptations of theological study are huge.

Protestantism, by prioritizing a book, the Bible, and the written and spoken word, inevitably has an inbuilt gravitational pull towards intellectualism. Proper Protestantism is not about religious feeling or psychology; it is about truth—defined, proclaimed, believed.

Wake Up Church

A Grouse

Something that I read on the Christian Post

"There is a tendency either to have God do so much that Man does nothing or to have Man do so much that God is unnecessary. The first is the error of antinomianism – the logical implication of the Reformed faith. The second is best exemplified by non-Christian Deism."

Typical misunderstanding of the Reformed position. Now blame me for being too dogmatic, but perhaps in order to be really fair the writer should have the added that the logical implication of the Arminian faith is Legalism and Open Theism, a less then omniscient and omnipotent god who can't really get anything done unless we help him out.

"There is order and method. Both must be observed, be it the precedence of Word before work or the total dependence on God in the former and the total independence of Man in the latter.

Those who pray as if everything depended on them will have no faith while those who work as if everything depended on God will have no results."

Maybe someone should direct the writer to read his bible more often and find verses such as these.

Unless the LORD builds the house,those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city,the watchman stays awake in vain.

- Psalm 127:1

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

- Ephesians 2:10

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

-Philippians 2:12-13

Which One Are You

One justifies, “Society has changed, so we must follow.”
One admits, “We have changed, so we must return.”

One deduces, “We should lower the bar to include more (people).”
One determines, “We must raise the banner to remove more (wickedness).”

One smiles, “We must make members happy before themselves.”
One chooses, “We must make sinners holy before God.”

One states, “Sin is an attitude of disobedience toward God.”
One declares, “Sin is a heart of rebellion against God.”

One quips, “We must alter our methods”.
One reveals, “We must correct our message”

One retorts, “We must convince them to be ‘churched’.”
One warns, “We must convert them to be sons.”

One quacks, “The answer is on the bookshelves.”
One proclaims, “The answer is in The Book.”

One shamelessly asks, “What works...(for us)?”
One sincerely asks, “What’s wrong...(with us)?”

One is popular.
One is respected.

One is entertaining.
One is anointed.

One is cute.
One is called.

One is sugar.
One is salt.

One is of the world.
One is from above.

Which One are you?

Taken from Cry For Repentance

An Enlightening Blog Post

From here

One of the most important lessons I learned was this: Christ is paramount. Christ is everything. I was struggling so much to understand things that were probably beyond me that I was neglecting real, personal relationship with the living Savior, the man who came into space/time history, died a real death on the cross, and was physically resurrected from the dead, who literally ascended into heaven and who sits at God's right hand, praying for me every day. When I was tempted to enter into ultimately fruitless debates with friends about this or that theological point, I stopped to ask myself: "Will this bring me closer to Christ"? Most of the time the answer was no, and so I avoided the conversations.

The Beauty of the Bride

You have ravished my heart,
My sister, my spouse;
You have ravished my heart
With one look of your eyes,
With one link of your necklace.
How fair is your love,
My sister, my spouse!
How much better than wine is your love,
And the scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!

- Song of Solomon 4: 9-10



Opening my eyes I see
The answer to my soul's great need
To belong, to be more than what I am
A stunning new reality
Unfolding now inside of me
I'm a part of the beauty of the bride

My belongingness
Was bought by His faithfulness
Was purchased with His blood

Chorus:
We will see Him coming
With His arms held open wide
Captivated by the hidden beauty of the bride
Sooner than we know
And all at once He will appear
And we will finally be made one
At last we'll hear the Bridegroom calling "Come"

Homeless now, I'll soon be home
Lonely now, but never alone
With a thirst to keep myself for Him
He has made his purpose clear
Choosing now to leave me here
Still I long and I wait to hear His call

My belongingness
Was bought by His faithfulness
Was purchased with His blood

The Spirit and the bride say "Come"
And let the one who hears say, "Come"
And to all who thirst, now let them come

Chorus
We will finally be made one
When we hear the Bridegroom call
Calling "Come"

Online Browsing

But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

- John 17: 13-16

I do not know why I still keep reading the local online forums. Perhaps it is too deeply ingrained in my habits to open up the browser window everytime I turn on my comp. However, everytime I look at the topics being discussed especially those with regards to religion, one can almost predict with 100% certainty the content of those discussions.

It is sometimes so surreal that one could easily pass it off as the rantings of a small minority in a larger society, not knowing that it is simply the natural outflow of a world that "although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:21)

The online world is an interesting place, for within it a man is protected by a cover of anonymity that allows him to expose the things in his heart. Free of the constraints of civility, he is free to express his heart's desires. Reading these religious threads on online forums has further convinced me that we need to wake up and realize that in no way is the value system of the World ever going to be reconciled with Christ and that as true (an important clause) Christians, there can be no question in compromise with a World that is an enemy of God.

It is a depressing read for me as a person who, for better or for worse, desires somehow that we could all simply get along. But God's Word is clear. The World will never cross over to Christ and hates all those whom Christ has called to Himself.

Are there not nice people in the world who are non-Christians? Have I not met Muslims and Buddhists and Atheists who are really decent people? People who show kindness and hospitality that would put many of us to shame. Yet there is a fundamental gulf that separates us and I just can't find the love to tell them.

What does Christ demand from us? That all will bow their knee to Him and declare Him as Lord. For the day will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, whether out of love and adoration or out of the terror of the One who will rule the nations with a rod of iron. I shudder to think of those who in this life, having taken whatever grace and mercy has been given to them, and spitting back at the One who will call them to account. For if the righteous and scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly? (1 Peter 4:18) What great weeping and sorrow will there be on that day, where even mercy and grace will be taken away and nothing would be left to stand between them and fire of God's Wrath.

Oh that the Lord will guard us from the Evil One in these the last days.

Decisions for Christ?

Just a quick comparison

From Christian Post Singapore

CCC Media Ministry Records Over 1M Decisions for Christ in 1 Month

For the first time in its five-year history, the media arm of Campus Crusade for Christ recorded over one million decisions for Jesus Christ in a single month.

In its announcement Wednesday, CCC’s Global Media Outreach (GMO) reported that 1,030,581 people indicated either a first-time decision to follow Jesus or a decision to recommit their life to Christ through one of more than 90 GMO-hosted Gospel Web sites in June.

Tired of Running

One wonders what is the point of so much running to and fro. Of jumping from one event to another, to go from one programme to another with such fanatical zeal. "What can I do" is the cry in the night, when one feels so small and useless. The endless working up of emotions and the subsequent nights of complete utter loneliness.

Life goes on, people come and go. They enter and leave every Sunday, where is the change? The Spirit of the Lord is no where to be found. No words of admonition or exhortation are spoken, no holy desire or fear to drive a man to his knees and on his face. Prayer is a small thing, one of little import. A thing best left to old ladies and fanatics to do on our behalf. Content to sleep on while the candlestick is removed. Why am I here oh Lord.

"The Lord will not answer, He has not heard your pleas" is the ever present terror within me. Why will you not hear oh Lord. For I am at the end of my tether, my own heart betrays me. How often have I desired to run and hide from You as Adam and Eve did in the garden. All my works crumble to dust and there are no fruits to be found on the trees. Was it all futile? Was it all a vain thing? Have all that I have done been for naught?

How great is the war within, more terrifying than any physical war throughout history. A war more than then matter of life and death, but rather that of eternal life and eternal death. A war where enemies abound even in those things closest to you, the most intimate with you. Is it well, is it well with my soul?

"26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.
29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

- Hebrews 10:26-31

A Short Reminder

For myself

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

- 1 Peter 4:7

*Edit*
For something just totally random, this is one reason I want to get a cat in the future.