When I spoke at Missions in the Main Hall Sunday night, I tried to give a biblical response to possible obstacles that are in the way for some people that may keep them from moving forward toward missions. My prayer is that God would use these responses to call more of you to go. Here are eight objections and a biblical response.
1. “I am not smart enough.”
“Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:20-21)
“Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27)
2. “My body and my personality are not strong enough.”
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
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Tags: John Piper, Piper
Paul does not say that works are objectionable, but to build one’s hopes for righteousness on works is disastrous, for that makes Christ good for nothing. Let us bear this in mind when the devil accuses our conscience.
When that dragon accuses us of having done no good at all, say to him,
”You trouble me with the remembrance of my past sins; you remind me that I have done no good. But this does not bother me, because if I were to trust in my own good deeds, or despair because I have done no good deeds, Christ would profit me neither way. I am not going to make Him unprofitable to me. This I would do if I should presume to purchase for myself the favor of God by my good deeds or if I should despair of my salvation because of my sins.”
Tags: Luther, Martin Luther
Dr. Helen Roseveare was an English Christian missionary to the Congo from 1953 to 1973.
In 1964, Dr. Helen Roseveare was taken prisoner by rebel forces and remained a prisoner for five months, during which time she endured brutal beatings and rape.
In her own words:
They found me, dragged me to my feet struck me over head and shoulders, flung me on the ground, kicked me, dragged me to my feet only to strike me again—the sickening searing pain of a broken tooth, a mouth full of sticky blood, my glasses gone. Beyond sense, numb with horror and unknown fear, driven , dragged, pushed back to my own house—yelled at, insulted, cursed…
Through the brutal heartbreaking experience of rape, God met with me – with outstretched arms of love. It was an unbelievable experience: He was so utterly there, so totally understanding, his comfort was so complete – and suddenly I knew – I really knew that his love was unutterably sufficient. He did love me! He did understand!
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Tags: Helen Roseveare, Roseveare
As all real religion begins and is carried on by the Holy Spirit, who renews, sanctifies, and makes us fit for glory — it is a question of the greatest importance, “Have we received the Holy Spirit?” All primitive Christians had, and they knew it, otherwise they could not have been filled with joy and peace — as they were expressly told, that if any man had not the Spirit of Christ, he was none of his. The Spirit comes to claim us for Christ, takes possession of us in the name of Christ, fits us for the service of Christ, and trains us up for the everlasting enjoyment of the presence of Christ. The Spirit is not only in the Church as a body — but he is in every member of that body. Let us therefore press home the solemn question, “Have you received the Holy Spirit?” Acts 19:2.
Consider the CHARACTERS in which the Holy Spirit is to be expected.
He is the QUICKENER. The life-giving Spirit. All spiritual life flows from him. He quickens the dead in sin — quickens us together with Christ. Every divine emotion flows from him. Every holy desire is from him. Every acceptable prayer is from him. He is to the soul, what the soul is to the body; as therefore the body without the soul is dead, so the soul without the Holy Spirit is dead also. Nor is the body more dead to temporal things — than the soul is to spiritual things.
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Tags: James Smith
The Father imposed His wrath due unto, and the Son underwent punishment for, either:
All the sins of all men.
All the sins of some men, or
Some of the sins of all men.
In which case it may be said:
That if the last be true, all men have some sins to answer for, and so, none are saved.
That if the second be true, then Christ, in their stead suffered for all the sins of all the elect in the whole world, and this is the truth.
But if the first be the case, why are not all men free from the punishment due unto their sins?
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Tags: John Owen, Owen
“World’s Largest Church” – “World’s Fastest Growing Church” – “America’s Fastest Growing Sunday School”- “Fastest Growing Church in the State.”
These are frequently heard and seen slogans in these modern days.
But, isn’t it a little silly to brag or boast about numbers (either large or small ones)? Where in all of God’s Word does it tell us to gimmick people into attending church services or Sunday School, like many “fundamental” churches are doing today? The answers to these questions are obvious to all Bible readers. The modern “gimmick gospel” is a fakery, faulty in its desired results, and foolish in the light of Scripture.
The Fakery Of The Gimmick Gospel
That so-called “gospel” which centers around man primarily, and either excludes entirely or partially the glory of God in the saving of men’s wretched souls, must of necessity be nothing but a fakery. In other words, the “gimmick gospel” is not a gospel at all. It is an imitation, a counterfeit, and not the glorious gospel (good news) of God’s Word.
Tags: W.F. Bell
Note from ROE: Weeds are terrible nuisances. They grow in the least desired places and replicate and prolong their irritation for many years. Some have thorns and steal the nutrients from the soil of good plants. Some, whose roots have been left unattended, are the most difficult to remove.
What are the weeds that we must pay careful attention to in our lives? What is it that can be so destructive that it could actually steal the true Word of God from our hearts?
False doctrine.
False doctrine is a destructive weed. Once it seeds upon the heart, it has a tendency to replicate and prolong for many years. Even after this weed has been rooted out, the effects of its theft reveal much damage to our hearts.
The only purpose in this posting (and perhaps future ones) is that God may be pleased to use it to shake the true Christians which find themselves in this camp and flee to the truth of the gospel. This is ROE’s solemn prayer to God for our friends and family still held within its grip…
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Question: “Is the Word of Faith movement Biblical?”
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Tags: WoF, Word of Faith
Paul does not say that works are objectionable, but to build one’s hopes for righteousness on works is disastrous, for that makes Christ good for nothing. Let us bear this in mind when the devil accuses our conscience.
