flynn034

Predestination The Calvinistic concept of the predestination of men - apart from their will and choice - issues from the false assumption that men are "born in sin" having inherited the original sin of Adam, and, "being wholly inclined to evil," with no good in them, such a condition required an "unconditional election" on the part of God. This election limited the atonement of Christ to the "elect", who are saved by the "irresistible grace of God," and will therefore, never be able to forfeit their right to eternal life. On the other hand, all who are not of the "elect" are completely shut off from the grace of God which He has extended to all men through Christ, and are eternally consigned to damnation and separation from God in the world to come. This doctrine stands opposed to New Testament teaching on at least 5 points: 1. It makes God a respecter of persons in that He has predestinated some to eternal life and others to ...

Difficult Bible Words that Teach Something Important: Paidagōgos, Guide   So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian Galatians 3:24-25   How do we translate that word used in Galatians 3:24-25? In the Greek and Roman world, the paidagōgos was a slave employed to guide a child in their school years. "Guide", "guardian," "child-conductor," and "tutor to lead" are renderings. Moffatt paraphrased as "held us wards in discipline." William Barclay explained it as: "the servant who brought us to the door of the school of Christ." The Law's purpose was to bring the fledgling Israel to Jesus Christ, who would teach them how to be saved by believing in Him. To be saved from sins, the world needs Jesus Christ to first learn from and then believe in. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ...

  endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:4-5   Romans 5:5 says that God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5 text doesn’t say God’s love was poured out through the Holy Spirit who gave us the Scriptures containing the command to love one another – which is how some like to read this. No, God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. In other words, God gave us His Spirit, and the Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts. That sounds direct and personal to me. 1 John 3 and 4 overflow with God’s command to love one another, but those two chapters also mention the Spirit being given to us. The command and the person.   And this is his commandment, that we be...

Having just completed our book on our lives in Africa I was reminded of all of the ways God has blessed our lives. He mostly uses our fellow Christians, but so many times he has also blessed us through those outside of our Christian family.   Reviewing some old letters for our book I ran across some thoughts I had written 20 years ago while preparing to leave Kenya, they went something like this: “We have discussed just what we will miss when leaving Kenya. It's not a long list until we come to the people. We have gained many good friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. Part of our hearts will remain with them always; we have come to love the country through the people we have met.”   In the same way I wrote, “We have discussed what we will enjoy most about being back in the States. The list again is short, but mostly it is about being with our family and our Christian brothers and sisters. As I reflect, it occurs to me that the things we appreciate both ...

"I'm Too Tired" I could have come to worship services this morning. I'm not sick. I'm not incapacitated. My alarm clock works fine Monday through Friday; it would've worked today. It's just that I worked too hard last week. I stayed up too late last night relaxing from my hard week. I'm too tired. I could have come to Bible class this morning. I could have taken my children. Then there might have been two or three in their classes instead of one or two. Of course, we haven't worked on their Bible class lesson this week. (I haven't worked on mine, either.) I suppose we could have gotten up fifteen minutes early and still gotten their lessons done - maybe mine, too. But I'm too tired. I could have gone to Bible class on Wednesday. I could have made sure we had a quick dinner. We could have left the dishes for later that night, I suppose. But it was an especially tough day at work Wednesday, I seem to recall. I just wasn't ready to get bac...

When Paul preached his famous sermon on Mars Hill, in Athens, his teaching received three distinct reactions.  "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.  So Paul departed from among them.  Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed..." (Acts 17:32-34).  Do you see it?  Some rejected the teaching immediately.  Others procrastinated or withheld judgment, and did nothing.  But some enthusiastically accepted the truth and acted upon it. The same three reactions are in evidence to this day - even among members of the Lord's church.  Consider this scenario: The preacher preaches a ‘hard’ sermon that exposes sin and worldliness.  It’s one of those sermons that "steps on toes" and hits "close to home."  Some Christians will grow angry.  The things taught suggest the need to change, and they are not willing ...

His Workmanship   He makes art out of trash bags and shopping bags.   His name is Joshua Allen Harris.  He is a “street artist” and his art has been viewed at various places in New York City.   What appears to be trash lying on a subway grate springs to life as a subway passes below.  The air produced by the passing train causes the “garbage” to inflate to become a 15-foot-high Minotaur, or a polar bear, or the Loch Ness Monster.  Here’s a video of some of Harris’ art:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH6xCT2aTSo   “I guess it's inflatable street art,” Mr. Harris told New York Magazine.  “A sculpture that works on the street, that inflates with subway and exhaust air… Part of the magic of it is that it looks like trash on the street and then it comes to life.”   Harris' first work was a white polar bear.  “I figured with four paws it would give me enough wind to...

I'm sitting at our dining table looking out the back patio door. On the patio I see a leaf, dried and brown, but that is not unusual, especially at this time of year. It's the time we celebrate Thanksgiving and remember all of God's blessings. In reality, our yard is filled with leaves, it's part of nature, part of how the world works. I understand that some folks don't really appreciate this change, but I like to think of it in a positive light and enjoy God's beauty.   The thought the leaf brought to my mind is that only a short time ago it was on a tree, bright green and shining. That of course led me to thinking about the course of our life also. Things change so very quickly don't they? I mean, where has the time gone? I have been re-reading Melody and My book, "Living the dream, our life and adventures in Africa." I just read a paragraph that spoke of my celebrating my 47 th birthday in Kenya. That's been 23 years and it is covered in ju...

Are you undergoing some struggle in your life right now? If not then give it time, because you most likely will at some time in your future. I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but I've seen how the world (and living in it), works. Yes, I'm sure that some folks have what we perceive to be "the perfect life," but I doubt that is really the case.   I remember hearing a story about our problems that went something like this: A man was deeply troubled having a very serious problem in his life. He looked at those around him and did not see anyone who seemed to suffer as he was. That night when he went to bed he prayed to God to lift his problem from him. When he went to sleep he began to dream. In the dream he saw people walking in a circle throwing their problem in a pile in the center. Each person was then free to choose a problem someone else had discarded to replace their own. He joined the circle and walked around the pile of problems. As he circled searching for a ...

God Comes First (Matthew 6:33) Loving Him with our whole heart is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-37). We say it and sing it, but do we practice it? What do our calendars say? What about those Sundays when the kids have a ball game or when we are on vacation - does He come first those Sundays? What do our checkbooks say? Does He come first in finances or is He somewhere down the list, perhaps even beneath what we spend on recreation? What do our closets say? Do our wardrobes reflect godliness or worldliness?  In the Apostle’s words, “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). - by Frank Himmel  

His Parting Gift   It was during the Cold War in a place where the temperature was often brutally cold.  The place was the Cape Newenham Air Force Station on a remote Alaskan coast of the Bering Sea.  Sergeant Sammie Morris, Sr. and a crew of about 110 men of the United States Air Force operated an early warning radar site and a communications link.  Their base was located in the mouth of an inactive volcano, and the radar was mounted up on the rim of the crater.  It often experienced near hurricane force winds kicked up by winter storms.  Men on rotating shifts rode an open cable tram from the base up to the rim to operate and maintain the radar.  Conditions were often brutal due to the biting cold, the bellowing winds, and the blanketing snow.   There were few outdoor activities during off time, besides fishing for salmon and dodging sea lions on the warmest summer days, which still required heavy jackets with fur-lined hoods.  Sgt. Morris ...

  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.--Luke 17:5   Sometime when I am alone and beginning to feel tired and lonely, I will begin to sing and one of the songs that means  a lot to me is "Living By Faith". Every verse of that song is a proclamation of a strong faith in God--And how wondrous is that chorus:     "Living by faith in Jesus above, Trusting, confiding in his great love    From all harm safe in His sheltering arm. I'm living by faith and feel no alarm."   The importance of faith in God can never be overstated (Heb. 11:6). I only pray that we understand the need  for our faith to grow stronger as we travel on this side of eternity. We are weak, frail human beings and without a strong faith in God we will falter. The word of God describes faith using four different words: Little (Matthew 14:31; Weak (Rom. 14:1; Great (Luke 7:9) and Strong (Rom. 4:20). As you think about your faith today,  as...