Total Depravity- Our Sinful Nature................(Paul Washer)

Would you consider yourself to be a good person? Do all people really have a good heart? Is the justice of God right to forgive us or to give us what we deserve? How great is God's love?

Listen to this message and then consider how great God's love is when you realize how evil mankind is and yet, God unleashed His wrath on His own Son to save us. When Christ was on the Cross, it was not the physical suffering that killed Him; It was the wrath of God being poured out on Him. You may ask, "Why so much emphasis on God's wrath and our sinful, wretchedness?" Why not more on God's love and His mercy? Simple... Because in order to fully understand the Gospel and grasp the fullness of how much God loves us, one must first recognize their depravity and the depth of their sinful nature. The world often takes for granted God's love. They acknowledge Him when things go their way. When they are blessed financially or they get a job, new house, have a child or find their soul mate. We think that God loves us because we're good or because somehow we deserve it. When bad things happen, we question Him. "Where is He now?" We can't understand how a loving God would let evil things happen.

The bigger question should be...
"How can a loving and just God let us experience even a moment of good?"
For that matter, why is there even ANY good in this sinful, fallen world?

The answer is simple. God's grace. God's mercy. THIS is the heart of the Gospel message. This is why Christ suffered and died for us on the Cross. This is the message that must humble us to our knees in order that we may be saved from our sins. Understanding WHY we must be saved gives a whole new perspective on being Born Again. Understanding that we deserve hell and not heaven causes us to value His love much more. Experiencing God's grace is what will transform us into the image of Christ and move us to live for Him with a passion.

This message by Paul Washer doesn't sugar coat the Gospel. It cuts right to the heart of our sinful condition and why we disparately need a savior. If you've already repented of your sins, trusted in Christ and have made Him Lord of your life, this message is a reminder of how much God loves us. There a isn't 'feel-good' message out there that can compare with knowing that God loves you after listening to this.

~ktf~
John

WHAT DOES A CHRISTIAN LOOK LIKE?

First and foremost, a Christian is one who recognizes what the Gospel is and what it means to be born again. They recognized that they were a wretched, sin-filled, self-centered lost person heading to hell without hope. They do not see themselves as good nor are their deeds good enough to get them to heaven. Only because of the grace of God were they saved. It was He who sought them (not the other way around). Because of the conviction of the Word through the Holy Spirit, they were broken & humbled. Brought to their knees before a Holy & just God. The seriousness & magnitude of their sins was revealed and for the first time in their lives, they knew that they deserved God's wrath and that their sins had greatly offended His righteousness.

It was here that they found who Christ really was. It was in this humbled condition that they experienced salvation & the forgiveness of their sins. The Christian is justified because of the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His only Son (God in the flesh) on the Cross. Eternal life was given to them through the repentance of sins and putting their trust in Christ.

A Christian should have a strong passion for the lost. Likewise, a Christ-centered, Gospel-driven church should be more concerned for the lost than how many people are in church. Churches should be filled primarily with Christians who are growing through expository preaching; not just week after week of topical preaching. They are fed by the Word of God; not the methods of man. Sadly, the church is more focused on worldly issues these days instead of Godly. Marketing Jesus to appeal to the seeker. Aligning with the world to fit in (Be Green, Solve World Hunger, PEACE, etc.). No one really seems all that focused on the Gospel anymore. In fact, the Gospel has been distorted and watered-down to feel good and not offend. The Social Gospel fits better and draws more people into church than the Biblical Gospel that Christ Himself preached.

The church needs revival. We need a reformation. Regeneration. We need to get back to the basics and get serious about our faith. Enough with the silliness of using man-made methods to entertain the seeker. Enough with being more concerned with appealing to the culture rather than using the Gospel to expose a sinful condition that desperately needs a savior.

The Christian should be known by their faith in Jesus Christ. The sort of faith that is the evidence of our salvation. It's demonstrated in our words, attitude, character, lifestyle, thought-life and actions. Genuine faith is revealed through trials and suffering. Our faith is tested and strengthened best when we experience what it means to truly depend on Christ. Faith requires that we believe in something. Just as marriage requires love, so too faith requires belief. The love and the belief also require evidence to prove itself. Faith without works is dead (James 2: 14-26). Love & faith go together (I Cor.13). If we claim to love our wives yet we are not patient & kind with them, how is that love? Likewise, if we claim to have faith in Christ and our works are self-centered, how then can we claim to really trust Him? The true believer, the true Christian will have a passion for Christ and a passion for the lost. They will die to self daily, striving to grow in holiness and live a righteous life. The character of Christ is their model.They will be consumed with a desire to live for Him, to be in His Word and prayer daily.

The Christian will do all things in love without compromising the Word. They will do all things to please God and not the world. They will still sin but grow to hate sin and do whatever it takes to avoid it. The closer they grow to Christ, the more they recognize their wretched condition as a sinner. As such, the Christian realizes even more how great God's grace is and how amazing His grace is. They fully believe that God loved us before we loved Him. That we are all wretched sinners, lost and heading towards hell. Consumed with self; sinful to the core. Not good and not capable of doing good to impress God or to save ourselves. We must believe that God had a plan from the beginning to reveal His love and his goodness to mankind. Through Christ this is done. Only through Christ can we be forgiven. Justified through the shedding of innocent blood. Because God is perfect, so too is His justice. There must be payment for sin; the wages of sin is death. Only by our sins being placed on Christ could this debt be paid in full; allowing us to live. There is only One Way to God- Jesus Christ. Simply believing in the existence of God will not save you.

The Salvation of a Christian requires one to be born again. Repent & trust. Turn from our sins, put our trust, our lives in Christ. The true believer did not become a Follower of Christ simply by raising their hand, saying a quick, simple prayer and asking Jesus to come into their life. Nor were they saved by works or through perfection. The evidence of their salvation is seen in the works (fruit) of their life. This is a life-long, sanctifying process.

Faith in Christ must be everything. Trusting Him, living for Him, loving Him and loving others must mean everything to us. Christ IS LIFE!!


~ktf~
John

Regeneration & Decisional Evangelism (Paul Washer)

What must a person do to be saved? "Ask Jesus into your heart?" "Accept Jesus?" Does a person become a Christian just because they say a simple prayer?

Paul Washer addressed this topic at the "Deeper" Conference in Atlanta, GA Oct. 17-18 2008. His approach to preaching the Gospel is not your typical contemporary Christianity, seeker sensitive methodology. He speaks with the authority of scripture in a convicting and yet loving way. In your face preaching the way Jesus spoke. Nothing held back to avoid offending someone.

This conference and the messages presented by all including Paul Washer were like a breath of fresh air and a splash of cold water to wake you up.

In this day and age, there is more emphasis on softening up the message of the Gospel (or avoiding it all together) in order to present a feel-good message for those who are supposedly seeking Jesus. The question is, are they REALLY seeking Jesus or are they simply looking for their 'Best Life Now'? If they are seeking God, then wouldn't it make sense that we present the truth and not some watered-down, ear-tickling experience that stirs up their emotions?
(I Timothy 4: 3-4)

Saying a simple prayer does not save a person. Being good doesn't save a person. Neither does simply asking God to forgive you or simply believing in God. God's grace is what saves a person from their sins. The lost must first understand that they are lost (Romans 7: 7-12)and that nothing they can do will save them from the wrath of God. Salvation must start with the Gospel message. Without conviction of sin, without the softening of the heart and dying to self, God's grace and love is meaningless. Confession from the heart, repenting from sin, trusting in Jesus alone for salvation and submitting to Him as Lord of your life.

The approach of so many contemporary Christian churches today is out of order. They present the attributes of the Christian life before laying out what it takes to BE a Christian. They dress up the Word to appeal to the emotions in hopes that it will cause the seeker to see Jesus as someone who can make life better. If we are to reach the lost, we need to get back to the basics.

Paul Washer exposes the man-made, man-centered methods of the modern church and reminds us of exactly what it is we need... regeneration.



This sort of preaching has drawn me deeper into the Word to discover more truth and regeneration from the Spirit of God. I believe there is a hunger within every Believer for more of God; It's not a matter of trying harder to be a better Christian. It's a matter of being consumed by His Word. Whether you have been saved for years, recently saved or contemplating what it means to be a Christian, these messages from Paul Washer will point you in the right direction and get you back on track to be passionate about God in every area of your life.

~ktf~
John

What Your Vote Says About You

If you vote for a pro-abortion candidate for personal reasons (like economics) that are not more weighty than justice concerns (the wholesale destruction of children), then you are doing something profoundly un-Christian. If this happens often enough, you are either not a Christian or your Christianity completely fails to inform your political life. One wonders if it informs any other aspect of your life as well, and if it doesn't, then by what right do you call yourself a Christian? ~ Gregory Koukl

((more on this topic))
http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5704

Something to think about...

Politics is one of those areas that many people choose to avoid. Sort of like religion. Most consider these to be personal, private areas of concern. As a follower of Christ, we should be concerned and we should be taking a stand for what is right. I think Greg makes a very good point in the quote above... If we claim to be a Christian, do our actions align with what God's Word says?

Contrary to the post-modern church of today, Christians are called to be separate from the world; Not blend, look & act like it. We are to be "salt" and "light" (Matthew 5: 13-16) in order to glorify God and reach the unsaved world. How can we call ourselves a Christian if we ignore (or reject) the truth? Abortion should not be one of those 'gray areas' that we avoid, especially in the political arena. The Bible is VERY clear on this subject therefore, should this not be of great importance when selecting who will be President?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. ~ II Corinthians 5: 17


What does it say about a person when they are more concerned with "change" than they are with life?

Just my two cents.



~KTF~
John

The Church Experience

“The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them……providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church… The need is for Biblical doctrine, so understood and felt that it sets men aflame.” ~Charles Spurgeon

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
~ Hebrews 4: 12

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
~ II Timothy 3: 16-17

Jesus did not preach lightly; He preached the truth. The apostles didn't adjust their message according to the latest marketing data; They preached the Word. Church should be more than an experience to meet the 'felt needs' of the unchurched seeker. It should be a place where lives are changed. Where a passion is formed in the hearts of believers to bring the Gospel to the world (and not to bring the world into the Church). Being culturally relevant doesn't mean the Word is watered-down or made 'easy' so as not to offend. It should offend to the point of conviction of sin that leads to repentance. It should also take us to our knees, soften our hearts and humble us. In this world of tolerance and diversity, we don't need another feel-good message.
We need to be awakened!!

Why Are We Here?

I believe that every Christian is a disciple, every Christian is a follower of Christ. Some of us are following more faithfully than others, but every true believer has committed himself or herself to follow Jesus Christ. I do believe that as we have seen you can be a follower of Jesus and not be a real Christian....There are some disciples who aren't real, but there are no believers who aren't disciples.

Matthew says make disciples. Mark says preach the gospel. Luke says proclaim repentance for forgiveness and speak of the death and resurrection of Christ. It's all one and the same. The great commission then is to preach the death and resurrection of Christ, preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, call for faith to make disciples. That sums it all up. The mission of the church is to make disciples, to bring people into an intimate relationship with God through faith in Christ Jesus. Disciples are people who believe the gospel, people who have turned from their sin to embrace the forgiveness of God, people who have had a transformed life so that they are motivated to obey what the Lord has commanded them.
~ John MacArthur


The big question of life is... "Why are we here?" The simple answer is to glorify God. We were not created to simply be happy and enjoy life as much as we can before we die. For the true follower of Christ, there is more to the Christian life than going to church on Sunday or feeding the poor. He commanded us to share the Gospel. Spread the message of repentance and faith. To be "the hands and feet of Jesus" means to be involved with the primary focus of His time on Earth... to reach the lost. Matthew 28: 16-20

We should be absolutely consumed with a passion for the lost. Some say the Gospel is to love others. Some say it's to help the poor. To serve. To sacrifice. To obey. All of those are certainly attributes of a Christian however, these acts of obedience are not the Gospel. By themselves, without the Cross, without repentance, without discipleship, these worthy deeds are simply the social gospel... Making life better on earth for people who are dying and going to hell. There is no greater demonstration of our love for God than to spread the Gospel.

PURPOSE DRIVEN IS NOT ENOUGH

This video is a great example of why we need to be more focused on the Gospel than on finding our purpose in life. The Bible is very clear as to why we are here and what God expects from us. How many unsaved people 'absorbed' the whole 'Purpose Driven Life' program without ever discovering the bigger picture? Unless we first come face to face with the depravity of our sinful condition and the need for a Saviour, fully understanding God's wrath towards sin and the reality of hell, we cannot grasp the concept of why we need to be saved. Without hearing the Gospel of repentance & faith, how can a person understand God's Grace?

A true follower of Christ will already know their 'purpose' in life because they will be 'driven' by that which saved them in the first place. The Gospel message.

One Way: Jesus Christ

"In the end, there can be only One"

In this day and age of acceptance, cultural diversity, tolerance and the postmodern mindset, many people (self-proclaimed Christians included) deny that there can be only one way to Heaven. Since the fall of mankind in the Garden, we have been searching for other ways and rejecting the exclusivity of the Gospel. This Blog is dedicated to sharing Biblical truth in order to share the Gospel as Christ intended it to be. "The Way" is not a man-made religion; It is the way of God. In the Book of Acts, the Way refers to the early Christian church built upon the declaration of Christ in John 14: 6. Everything about Christianity hinges upon this truth.

Jesus made it very clear who He was and how we could get to God. He didn't offer options or leave anything to interpretation according to cultural relevance. He spoke the truth in love and yet, it was offensive to many people then just as it is today. I hope to convey His message through this Blog in ways that will open eyes, soften hearts and encourage others to find Him.

You won't find soft & squishy posts here designed to reach the 'Seeker Sensitive' because according to God's Word, there are none who seek after Him (Romans 3: 10-12).
The Way is not about being 'Purpose Driven'; It's about being Christ-Driven to spread the Gospel of salvation. The emphasis is to reach the lost, not simply spread a 'Social Gospel' that promises happiness or your 'Best Life Now'. I don't have the wisdom of Solomon or the faith of Abraham. I simply have a passion within me to share the truth of the Good News to a lost and dying world.

Christianity is not a complex system of rules or deep theological insights we must discover before we achieve some sort of spiritual awareness. It's about life transformation that starts with recognizing the seriousness of our sinful condition, need for a Saviour and surrendering every area of our lives to God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. God doesn't promise us the Way will be easy (Matthew 7: 13-14) but He has provided everything we will need to persevere and reach Him. In the end, there will be only One Way.

Jesus Christ is that Way.


~KTF~

John