12/23/14

From Jim McGuiggan... Leave no doubt!


Leave no doubt!

We have to live with doubt not only because we lack sufficient information to come to a final conclusion about many 
things but also because we’re limited in our ability to process information and relate to life’s situations. That’s part of the human condition even for good and wise and caring people so we shouldn’t grovel in shame over it even though at times, depending on what’s at stake, we’re deeply saddened that we don’t know how best to help or respond.

But beyond that, there are those who tell us that we should profess uncertainty always in all circumstances about all things. This is nonsense as well as impossible. G.K Chesterton protested against that spurious humility when he looked around him and surmised that one of these days we’re going to be so humble that we’ll doubt that two plus two equal four.

To know something is not to know everything but it’s not to know nothing either! We can’t be sure of everything but it’s nonsense to say we can be sure of nothing! Caution and reserving judgement is healthy but too much “humility” is possible and saturating our speech on just about everything with phrases like, “of course, on the other hand” is a mental/social disease.

A know-it-all is a bore and often arrogant but the mealy-mouthed is tedious and often gutless

In a movie an American football coach is earnestly calling his team to wholehearted commitment to the game at hand and urges them to make it clear to their opponents that they had come out to engage in war, so to speak. His final word of instruction is: “Leave no doubt!”

Not everything that Christians believe is absolutely certain or clear but some things are and in these matters Christians should leave no doubt!

“There is one true God and it is the God that has revealed himself to us in and as Jesus Christ and we’re his followers!” Of that the Christian should leave no doubt.

Others don’t believe that and for one reason or another, or for many reasons, they cannot yet believe it; but that’s not to the point. These people aren’t Christians and they don’t profess to be.

Christians are to leave no doubt!

They’re not to apologise or to waver or to mumble; they’re not to equivocate! They’re not to suggest or imply or hint or guess or settle for “the preponderance of the evidence”. In this matter they’re not to act uncertain or to dither or vacillate

They’re to leave no doubt!

They may be wrong but if they’re wrong they aren’t a little wrong, they’re profoundly wrong! They’re not to have one eye on the biblical witness and one eye on the latest poll or what book’s in the best-seller list. They’re not to wring their hands or anguish in the night about what governments or courts will decide about how they can or must express their faith. They’re not to have one foot in the door of the church and the other dragging just in case they feel the need to beat a sheepish retreat; half-heartedness in this area is not permissible. They have no back doors to slip out of, no lawyer-like covering of their tracks to fall back on and if they’re wrong then of all the people in the world they’re the most pathetic.

Christians are to leave no doubt!

If they discovered their faith is false their dismay should be written all over them! They should be devastated and red-faced. They should make it known that if Jesus Christ is a fraud or a myth or if he was demented or misunderstood—if anything like that is true the Christians should make it known that their entire world has collapsed around them and that they’ve been hoodwinked in no uncertain manner.

Christians have no right to be insolent or scornful of others but neither do they have any grounds to beat around the bush or be evasive. We’re not gingerly “testing the Christian waters”; we're in over our heads. Our wholehearted confession is that Jesus is Lord and in him the one true God has unveiled himself and his eternal intentions regarding the human family.

This we believe and Christians should leave no doubt!

Is Faith "Infused" Directly by God? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=944

Is Faith "Infused" Directly by God?

by  Eric Lyons, M.Min.

According to Catholic Catechism 153, “Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him.” Unlike other religious peoples who use Ephesians 2:8 as a proof text to teach (erroneously) that faith is a direct gift from God, Catholics base their view of infused faith on a statement Jesus made to Peter during His earthly ministry. Once, after Peter confessed to Jesus, saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:16-17). The Catholic Church believes that Jesus’ statement proves that faith is given directly and supernaturally by God. Faith comes, not from “flesh and blood,” but purportedly is “infused” directly by the Father above.
The central problem with the 153rd Catholic Catechism is that Jesus did not say that God gave Peter faith in Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus stated that God “revealed” to Peter that Jesus was the Son of God. There is a difference between revealing to someone a truth (e.g., the deity of Christ), and compelling someone to believe that truth. If a teacher quizzes a class in preparation for a final exam, and, in the process, reveals every answer to the class that they need to know in order to score a 100 on the exam, one or more students still may fail. Students might fail because they chose not to take the exam. Some could fail because they did not take heed to the revelation of facts given by the teacher during the review session. Still others could fail simply because they deliberately wrote the wrong answers on the test, thinking it was fashionable to make low grades in school. Even though the teacher revealed all of the knowledge needed for every student in the class to make a perfect score on the exam, each student still had a choice as to whether he or she would act upon that knowledge wisely and ace the test.
Similarly, even though God revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Son of God, that does not mean that God directly infused faith into Peter. Faith is a commanded action on man’s part that comes after revelation, not before, or simultaneously (Acts 16:29-34; John 7:24; Romans 10:17). The Bible never speaks of faith as being given directly by God. Rather, it is self-developed following revelation from God. In Peter’s case, such revelation did not come from “flesh and blood” (Matthew 16:17; cf. 17:5). Today, biblical faith is developed by hearing or reading the written revelation from God—the Bible (John 20:30-31; Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

REFERENCES

Catechism of the Catholic Church, [On-line], URL: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s1c3a1.htm.

From Mark Copeland... Jesus Heals A Deaf-Mute Boy (Mark 9:14-29)

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

                 Jesus Heals A Deaf-Mute Boy (9:14-29)

INTRODUCTION

1. Coming down from the mount of transfiguration with His three
   disciples...
   a. Jesus finds His other disciples embroiled in controversy - Mk 9:14
   b. Surrounded by a multitude, disputing with scribes - ibid.

2. The controversy apparently involved a failed attempt to heal a
   deaf-mute boy...
   a. Who from childhood had been prone to seizures
   b. Whose father desperately wanted him healed
   c. Whom the disciples of Jesus had not been able to heal

[The account of this miracle is one of most detailed in the gospels.
From it we can learn valuable lessons, but must also be careful not to
misapply what is said.  Let's start by examining...]

I. THE NARRATIVE

   A. THE FAILURE OF THE DISCIPLES...
      1. Jesus finds His disciples embroiled in controversy - Mk 9:14-16
      2. It appears related to their inability to heal a man's deaf-mute
         son - Mk 9:17-18,25
      3. Jesus chides His disciples for their lack of faith - Mk 9:19
      4. As the boy is brought to Jesus, he has a spirit-induced seizure
         - Mk 9:20
      5. The father describes how this has happened often since
         childhood - Mk 9:21-22
      6. The father begs for compassion if Jesus can help - Mk 9:22
      -- A chaotic scene, the disciples' frustration and father's
         emotions much in evidence

   B. THE SUCCESS OF THE SAVIOR...
      1. Jesus responds to the plea of the father - Mk 9:23-24
         a. If the father can believe, all things are possible
         b. The father professes faith, begs for more faith
      2. As the crowd draws closer, Jesus heals the deaf-mute boy - Mk 9:25-27
         a. The demon cast out with a great convulsion, leaving the boy
            dead-like
         b. Jesus takes the boy by the hand, lifting him up, and the boy
            rises
      3. Jesus privately informs the disciples as to the reason for
         their failure - Mk 9:28-29
         a. Jesus explains the need for prayer in a case like this
         b. Many manuscripts add the need for fasting as well
      -- The incident ends with a quiet teaching opportunity for His
         disciples

[The record of this miracle provides insight as to the role of faith,
prayer, and even fasting.  But we must be careful in how we understand
what Jesus is teaching.  With this in mind, we consider...]

II. THE APPLICATION

   A. CAVEATS...
      1. Avoid misapplication
         a. It can be tempting to take Jesus' words in isolation
         b. Especially "all things are possible to him who believes"
         c. Which some have taken literally, without exception
         d. Giving many people false hope, destroying faith in the
            process
      2. Consider context
         a. All things are possible, but must be within God's will - 1Jn 5:14
            1) E.g., Jesus in the garden - Mk 14:35-36
            2) E.g., Paul with his thorn in the flesh - 2Co 12:7-9
            3) As one brother put it:  "All things are possible, but
               they must be on the menu"
         b. Some things are not possible, when asked improperly
            1) For selfish and sinful reasons - Jm 4:3
            2) While not keeping God's commandments - 1Jn 3:22
      -- Jesus' words presume God's permission and our obedience

   B. PRINCIPLES...
      1. The importance of faith
         a. Faith cannot be underestimated - He 11:6; Mt 8:13; 9:22,29
         b. Such faith grows through the Word of God - Ro 10:17
         c. It certainly does not hurt to pray:  "Lord, I believe; help
            my unbelief!" - Mk 9:24
         d. But responses to faith are always subservient to God's will
            (cf. Paul's thorn)
      2. The power of prayer
         a. Our faith, while important, is not always sufficient
         b. God must be involved, for only with Him are all things
            possible - Lk 1:37
         c. Thus at time faith must be joined with prayer - e.g., Jm 5:14
         d. But also, responses to prayer are subservient to God's will
            - 1Jn 5:14
      3. The role of fasting
         a. Fasting was often joined with prayer to incur God's favor
            - Ezr 8:21-23
         b. Fasting served to humble oneself before God - Psa 35:13;
            69:10
         c. Such humility is more likely to incur God's favor - Isa 57:15; 66:1-2
         d. Thus people often served God with fasting and prayer - Lk 2:36-37; Ac 13:2-3
      -- Faith, prayer, and fasting working together can accomplish more
         if it be God's will

CONCLUSION

1. Many have misconstrued the words of Jesus...
   a. "If you believe, you will receive" (gospel of health and wealth)
   b. "If you can conceive it, you can achieve it" (power of positive
      thinking)

2. But they fail to take Jesus' words in the overall context of the
   Bible...
   a. What we seek must be in keeping with the Lord's will
   b. What we seek must not be for selfish purposes

3. On the other hand, many do not fully appreciate...
   a. The importance of faith in God
   b. The power of prayer to God
   c. The role of fasting in service to God

With the aid of the Word of God, we can better know what is in keeping
with His will.  Then we can better make use of our faith, prayer, and
fasting as we seek to do His will...

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary.... c-a-e-r-f-u-l


Wait, it should be S-A-N-T-A, not SATAN.  Someone was careless, very careless.  And CARELESSNESS is one of the major causes of unfaithfulness. Now, I know that its all-to-easy to cross the line from being helpful to being a fault-finder, But, being very-careful is an important thing in a Christian- especially those who preach or teach in any way. Consider Paul's advice to Timothy.

1 Timothy, Chapter 4
16 Pay attention to yourself, and to your teaching. Continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

And then there is this passage from the book of Hebrews...

Hebrews, Chapter 2
 1 Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense;  3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation—which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard;  4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, by various works of power, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?

Point is- everyone needs to be caerful careful in what they do, because even the best of us can fall by the wayside. And a spiritual fall has the potential of being for EVER!!! And I long as I am thinking about all this, I wonder- What does Santa serve for breakfast? Cookies and milk???