Most merciful God, I rejoice that You reign over the universe with a sovereign sway, so that You do according to Thy will, in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. You are the Maker of my body, and Father of my spirit, and have a perfect right to dispose of me in whatever way which will most effectually promote Your glory: and I know that whatever You do is right, wise and just and good. And whatever may be my eternal destiny, I rejoice in the assurance that Your great name will be glorified in me.
But as You have been pleased to reveal Your mercy and grace to our fallen miserable world; and as the word of this salvation has been preached unto me, inviting me to accept eternal life upon the gracious terms of the Gospel, I do cordially receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour and only Redeemer, believing sincerely the whole testimony which You have given respecting His divine character, His real incarnation, His unspotted and holy life, His numerous and beneficent miracles, His expiatory and meritorious death, and His glorious resurrection and ascension. I believe, also, in His supreme exaltation, in His prevalent intercession for His chosen people, in His affectionate care and aid afforded to His suffering children here below, and in His second coming to receive His humble followers to dwell with Himself in heaven; and to take vengeance on His obstinate enemies.
My only hope and confidence of being saved rests simply on the mediatorial work and prevailing intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ; in consequence of which the Holy Spirit is graciously sent to make application of Christ's redemption, by working faith in us, and repentance unto life; and rendering us meet for the heavenly inheritance, by sanctifying us in the whole man, soul, body, and spirit.
Grant, gracious God, that the rich blessings of the new covenant may be freely bestowed on Your unworthy servant. I acknowledge that I have no claim to Your favor on account of any goodness in me by nature; for alas! there dwelleth in me, that is, in my flesh, no good thing! nor on account of any works of righteousness done by me; for all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Neither am I able to make atonement for any one of my innumerable transgressions which, I confess before You, are not only many in number, but heinous in their nature, justly deserving Your displeasure and wrath; so that if I were immediately sent to hell, You would be altogether just in my condemnation.
And now, Righteous Lord God Almighty, I would not attempt to conceal any of my actual transgressions, however vile and shameful they are, but would penitently confess them before You; and would plead in my defence, nothing but the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died, the just for the unjust, to bring us near to God. For His sake alone do I ask or expect the rich blessings necessary to my salvation. For although I am unworthy, He is most worthy; though I have no righteousness, He has provided by His expiatory death, and by His holy life, a complete justifying righteousness, in which spotless robe I pray that I may be clothed; so that Thou my righteous Judge, wilt see no sin in me, but wilt acquit me from every accusation, and justify me freely by Thy grace, through the righteousness of my Lord and Saviour, with whom You are ever well pleased.
My earnest prayer is, that Jesus may save me from my sins, as well as from their punishment; that I may be redeemed from all iniquity, as well as from the condemnation of the law; that the work of sanctification may be carried on in my soul by Thy Word and Spirit, until it be perfected at Your appointed time. And grant, O Lord, that as long as I am in the body, I may make it my constant study and chief aim to glorify Your name, both with soul and body, which are no longer mine, but Yours; for I am 'bought with a price' [1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23] — not with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Enable me to let my light so shine, that others, seeing my good works, may be led to glorify Your name. Make use of me as an humble instrument of advancing Thy kingdom on earth, and promoting the salvation of immortal souls. If You have appointed sufferings for me here below, I beseech You to consider my weakness, and let Your chastisements be those of a loving Father, that I may be made a partaker of Your holiness. And let me not be tempted above what I am able to bear, but with the temptation make a way of escape.
O most merciful God, cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength declineth. Now, when I am old and grey-headed, forsake me not; but let Your grace be sufficient for me; and enable me to bring forth fruit, even in old age. May my hoary head be found in the ways of righteousness! Preserve my mind from dotage and imbecility, and my body from protracted disease and excruciating pain. Deliver me from despondency and discouragement in my declining years, and enable me to bear affliction with patience, fortitude, and perfect submission to Your holy will. Lift upon me perpetually the light of Your reconciled countenance, and cause me to rejoice in Your salvation, and in the hope of Your glory. May the peace that passeth all understanding be constantly diffused through my soul, so that my mind may remain calm through all the storms and vicissitudes of life.
As, in the course of nature, I must be drawing near to my end, and as I know I must soon put off this tabernacle, I do humbly and earnestly beseech You, O Father of mercies, to prepare me for this inevitable and solemn event: Fortify my mind against the terrors of death. Give me, if it please You, an easy passage through the gate of death. Dissipate the dark clouds and mists which naturally hang over the grave, and lead me gently down into the gloomy valley. O my kind Shepherd, who hast tasted the bitterness of death for me, and who knowest how to sympathize with and succour the sheep of Your pasture, please be present to guide, to support, and to comfort me. Illumine with beams of heavenly light the valley and shadow of death, so that I may fear no evil. When my heart and flesh fail, be the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.
Let not my courage fail in the trying hour. Permit not the great adversary to harass my soul in the last struggle, but make me a conqueror and more than a conqueror in this fearful conflict. I humbly ask that my reason may be continued to the last, and if it be Your will, that I may be so comforted and supported, that I may leave a testimony in favour of the reality of religion, and Your faithfulness in fulfilling Your gracious promises; and that others of Your servants who may follow after may be encouraged by my example to commit themselves boldly to the guidance and keeping of the Shepherd of Israel.
And when my spirit leaves this clay tenement, Lord Jesus, receive it. Send some of the blessed angels to convoy my inexperienced soul to the mansion which Your love has prepared. And O! let me be so situated, though in the lowest rank, that I may behold Your glory. May I have an abundant entrance administered unto me into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; for whose sake, and in whose name, I ask all these things. Amen.
- Archibald Alexander
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Beautiful Terrible Cross
There was a beautiful terrible cross
And though You committed no sin;
Saviour, You suffered the most wicked fate
On the cruelest creation of man.
There on that beautiful terrible cross
You did what only You could;
Turning that darkened spot, evil of hell
Into our soul's greatest good.
We see the love that You've shown us
We see the life that you gave;
We bow in wonder and praise You
For the beautiful terrible cross.
There on that beautiful terrible cross
The darkness was strong on that hill;
You remained sovereign, Lord, still in control
Your perfect plan was fulfilled.
We gain the riches of heaven
You paid the horrible cost;
We stand forgiven and praise You
For the beautiful terrible cross.
- Todd Smith
And though You committed no sin;
Saviour, You suffered the most wicked fate
On the cruelest creation of man.
There on that beautiful terrible cross
You did what only You could;
Turning that darkened spot, evil of hell
Into our soul's greatest good.
We see the love that You've shown us
We see the life that you gave;
We bow in wonder and praise You
For the beautiful terrible cross.
There on that beautiful terrible cross
The darkness was strong on that hill;
You remained sovereign, Lord, still in control
Your perfect plan was fulfilled.
We gain the riches of heaven
You paid the horrible cost;
We stand forgiven and praise You
For the beautiful terrible cross.
- Todd Smith
Monday, October 12, 2009
Maintaining Spiritual Zeal
There is not one way to true spiritual fervour. There is no master key that opens every life to being fervent in Spirit. Let me give you many directives that are truly important, and some not so important (you must decide which is which for we are all different members of the body). How may this grace of true zeal be yours in greater abundance than it is at present? Thirty guidelines:
Don’t neglect asking God to make you more fervent in spirit every single day.
Go20to bed on time and get up on time each morning so that you start unrushed.
Sit under the best ministry you can get each Sunday. If you can get better preaching elsewhere why stay here? Life is too short.
Hitch your wagon to a star. Our lives are creaking ol d wagons; our congregation is a groaning wagon, but there are stars to which we can be hitched. I am talking of Martin Luther, John Bunyan, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, J. Gresham Machen, Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Read what they say; if they have recordings then listen to them. Learn of their lives and their battles. Makes them your role models – a number of men not one. Let their example and teaching help draw you through life. Hitch your wagon to them.
Unclutter your life. Our lives are all a pruning away what is inessential and a search for the simple things of the gospel.
Allow extra time to do things and to get to people and places.
Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over a period; don't lump the hard things all together.
Take one day at a time.
Separate your worries from your concerns. If a situation is a concern, think about it, and ask God what he would have you do and let go of the anxiety, and put your trust in him. Why worry about situations concerning which you can do nothing? Commit it to the Lord and get on with life.
Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
Have backups; an extra car key in a friend’s house, an extra house key buried in the garden. A rickety old laptop . . . even a typewriter for emergencies.
K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
When we are ill, we are never quite as ill as we imagine we are. We always add on a proportion. Remember you are never as bad as you think you are.
Get enough rest, and eat sensible enjoyable food. One morning you don’t feel like reading the Scriptures. You don’t feel like working or praying. So you tend to say to yourself, 'Well I’m not feeli ng well today and I can’t do this.' No. You mustn’t say that, you must rouse yourself. Shake off dull sloth and joyful rise.
We all feel better if our minds are being exercised. Read more than the daily paper and novels. Do more than watch the TV. Think. Read non-fiction. The more you use your mind the better.
Get organized so that you use your time to maximal efficiency. It is amazing what you can do if you plan well.
Listen to CD’s while driving. That can redeem the time.
Write down thoughts and inspirations that have come to you or you’ll forget them.
Every day, find time to be alone. Once again, every day, find time to be alone.
When you are bowed down, then talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait until later.
Make friends with as many godly people as you can.
Keep some little cards; inscribe new Scriptures on them; commit them to memory.
Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is to say, 'The Lord Omnipotent is King.'
Keep smiling when you are tricked and criticised.
Take your work and studies seriously, but not yourself at all.
Develop a forg iving attitude (most Christians are doing the best they can).
Do everything for double usefulness. Bake two cakes or two quiches and take one to someone who is housebound. Write two letters to missionaries when you are in the rare writing mood.
Men and women, 'we must hurry.' That was the great word of William Chalmers Burns in Scotland as he thought of the shortness of the time. Buy up the opportunities of the week that lies ahead. It will never return.
Never resist an inclination to pray.
Paul the Apostle urges us to ensure that the energy of the Spirit is at work in us constantly with no hindrances preventing it. Resist the hindrances, remove the obstacles, and maintain the glow. You cannot work up the fire but you can remove the ashes and be stirring up the gift of God within you. We must not quench the Spirit. We must resist the drift to becoming lukewarm. That is not an option. The Lord will spew us out of his mouth if we do not become fervent in spirit. We must recapture every day our first love.
- Geoff Thomas
Don’t neglect asking God to make you more fervent in spirit every single day.
Go20to bed on time and get up on time each morning so that you start unrushed.
Sit under the best ministry you can get each Sunday. If you can get better preaching elsewhere why stay here? Life is too short.
Hitch your wagon to a star. Our lives are creaking ol d wagons; our congregation is a groaning wagon, but there are stars to which we can be hitched. I am talking of Martin Luther, John Bunyan, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, J. Gresham Machen, Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Read what they say; if they have recordings then listen to them. Learn of their lives and their battles. Makes them your role models – a number of men not one. Let their example and teaching help draw you through life. Hitch your wagon to them.
Unclutter your life. Our lives are all a pruning away what is inessential and a search for the simple things of the gospel.
Allow extra time to do things and to get to people and places.
Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over a period; don't lump the hard things all together.
Take one day at a time.
Separate your worries from your concerns. If a situation is a concern, think about it, and ask God what he would have you do and let go of the anxiety, and put your trust in him. Why worry about situations concerning which you can do nothing? Commit it to the Lord and get on with life.
Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
Have backups; an extra car key in a friend’s house, an extra house key buried in the garden. A rickety old laptop . . . even a typewriter for emergencies.
K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
When we are ill, we are never quite as ill as we imagine we are. We always add on a proportion. Remember you are never as bad as you think you are.
Get enough rest, and eat sensible enjoyable food. One morning you don’t feel like reading the Scriptures. You don’t feel like working or praying. So you tend to say to yourself, 'Well I’m not feeli ng well today and I can’t do this.' No. You mustn’t say that, you must rouse yourself. Shake off dull sloth and joyful rise.
We all feel better if our minds are being exercised. Read more than the daily paper and novels. Do more than watch the TV. Think. Read non-fiction. The more you use your mind the better.
Get organized so that you use your time to maximal efficiency. It is amazing what you can do if you plan well.
Listen to CD’s while driving. That can redeem the time.
Write down thoughts and inspirations that have come to you or you’ll forget them.
Every day, find time to be alone. Once again, every day, find time to be alone.
When you are bowed down, then talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait until later.
Make friends with as many godly people as you can.
Keep some little cards; inscribe new Scriptures on them; commit them to memory.
Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is to say, 'The Lord Omnipotent is King.'
Keep smiling when you are tricked and criticised.
Take your work and studies seriously, but not yourself at all.
Develop a forg iving attitude (most Christians are doing the best they can).
Do everything for double usefulness. Bake two cakes or two quiches and take one to someone who is housebound. Write two letters to missionaries when you are in the rare writing mood.
Men and women, 'we must hurry.' That was the great word of William Chalmers Burns in Scotland as he thought of the shortness of the time. Buy up the opportunities of the week that lies ahead. It will never return.
Never resist an inclination to pray.
Paul the Apostle urges us to ensure that the energy of the Spirit is at work in us constantly with no hindrances preventing it. Resist the hindrances, remove the obstacles, and maintain the glow. You cannot work up the fire but you can remove the ashes and be stirring up the gift of God within you. We must not quench the Spirit. We must resist the drift to becoming lukewarm. That is not an option. The Lord will spew us out of his mouth if we do not become fervent in spirit. We must recapture every day our first love.
- Geoff Thomas
Commending the Gospel with a Consistent Life
Every time we get a victory, it commends the gospel and helps to win other people and take them from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. This has happened often. As I was thinking about all this, an illustration came to my mind of a young lady I once saw as a candidate before a certain missionary society. She was eventually accepted and went out to work in the Far East, and this, in a nutshell, was her story.
She had been a student in Cambridge where she was the secretary of the Communist Party. She happened to be in Cambridge during that very severe winter of 1946 to 1947 when everything was frozen up, in Cambridge and in most other parts of the country. She lived in a room off one of the staircases in the college, and, of course, there was a terrible shortage of water. You could only have a bath once a week and there was always a queue. There was one other girl on that staircase, a Christian, the only Christian on the staircase. The Communist girl noticed that instead of asserting her rights and always going to the front and always complaining, as the others were, the Christian girl bore with it all. She allowed people to be assertive and selfish while she just went on quietly. This shook the Communist. She said, 'Here's someone who really is practising and living what I claim to believe but do not do.' The attitude of the Christian not only opened her eyes and made her think, it led to conviction, to repentance, and to conversion, and she went out as a missionary. The simple action of this Christian girl led to that great result.
- Martyn Lloyd-Jones
She had been a student in Cambridge where she was the secretary of the Communist Party. She happened to be in Cambridge during that very severe winter of 1946 to 1947 when everything was frozen up, in Cambridge and in most other parts of the country. She lived in a room off one of the staircases in the college, and, of course, there was a terrible shortage of water. You could only have a bath once a week and there was always a queue. There was one other girl on that staircase, a Christian, the only Christian on the staircase. The Communist girl noticed that instead of asserting her rights and always going to the front and always complaining, as the others were, the Christian girl bore with it all. She allowed people to be assertive and selfish while she just went on quietly. This shook the Communist. She said, 'Here's someone who really is practising and living what I claim to believe but do not do.' The attitude of the Christian not only opened her eyes and made her think, it led to conviction, to repentance, and to conversion, and she went out as a missionary. The simple action of this Christian girl led to that great result.
- Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Alaska Mission Strategy
You have read some in previous months about our missionary friends, Justin and Melissa Vold in Alaska. I feel now it would be both educational and inspiring for you to read their overall mission plan in Alaska, so that not only that you could pray for the work of the gospel there, but so that you could see the bigger picture of what is happening in a quality ongoing mission work. The following overall mission plan God has given to the Volds is very useful to be able to pray for them. God is doing a very real work in Alaska, especially among the Upik Eskimos, through the solitary work of Justin Vold.
The biggest reason I am emphasizing prayer for them is because of the unique difficulties of the Alaskan work- the hard travel, the dangers, the loneliness, the isolated places, the lack of fellowship, the possibilities of real persecution, and many other things.
I am scheduled to go there in December, God willing, to be among some of these villages. -- Mack Tomlinson
From Justin & Melissa Vold
Strategic Ministry Plan: The work which the Lord has called us to primarily is to go and proclaim the gospel in villages that are yet to have any church or any gospel witness. We have a list of 104 Arctic Eskimo villages without an evangelical church. We have made it our goal to take the gospel systematically into each of these villages that are not connected to any road system. This means we must fly into a particular area and travel by land or river, to specific villages. We first begin with real prayer, and then we get a local phone book and pray for each person of specific villages by name. We wait on God to open the door to go to a particular area during a 2 week period, and then we do personal evangelism and preach Christ through whatever opportunities God provides.
When we see people come to faith in Christ, we then follow up and disciple the new believers and train them to be a church (Acts 2:42-47). We are currently working with 2 Eskimo men who are growing in the Word of God and prayer. We are training them to be godly husbands and fathers, as well as how to preach the Word. We have trained over 40 indigenous pastors and lay ministers in the past 5 years. We have started, by the grace of God, one church in an unreached village this fall. Our goal is to make that particular church the sending station for indigenous mission trips to the surrounding villages on and around the Yukon River that have no gospel witness.
A second part of our strategic plan includes serving the villagers who do have a fellowship of believers. We do this by training, encouraging, and equipping them. Many of these villages have no pastor or minister and are very hungry for the things of the Lord. We help them through Bible studies, encouragement, and other needs as the Lord leads.
Thirdly, as a staff evangelist with Ambassadors for Christ International, I am given the opportunity to preach in the lower 48 states. The motto for AFCI is "Revival in the Church, evangelism through the Church and traing for the Church worldwide". In keeping with the passion of this ministry for the church, I travel to preach in conferences, retreats or week long meetings at their request, helping the church to re-focus. I also seek to recognize those God is calling into the mission field and help them in their journey. We currently have three looking to the Lord for service in the Arctic fields, as well as several others we have helped in other regions.
Short Term Goals: Our short term goals include the following.
Personal: My personal goals are to devote more time to the Word of God and prayer and enjoying the presence of Jesus Christ. To love Him to know Him. As a husband, my goal is to be like Christ to my wife and love her as Christ does His church. As a father, my goal is to show His love, patience, kindness, and loving discipline to our children and to train them in the ways of Christ.
Short Term ministry goals: As the Lord wills, our plans include going to Pilot Station, AK to continue to sow seed and also to water the gospel seed we have already planted, to preach there and help establish the new church, which is 1 month old as a fellowship, with a married couple, who have been believers for 2 years. Also, I plan to preach in the villages of Manokotaq, Togiak, and Aleknagik October 13-30. In November, my plan is to preach in the village of Chevac, which is a Yupik Eskimo village which has no church. In December, I plan to attend the Ambassadors for Christ Ministry council meetings in Marietta, GA. After this time I hope to have concentrated time in the Word and in prayer, time with the family, and get needed rest through the Christmas break. Then in January, I will resume village missions.
Ministry long term goals:
The long term goals of this work include:
1) Establishing a biblically functioning church in the unreached villages that have no gospel witness, and seek to help them have their own indigenous pastors, elders, flock, with the church having a goal of being mission-minded, sending out those from their own fold whom the Lord is calling as missionaries.
2) To help the churches in villages that are struggling or have ceased to meet, that they would be, by God's grace, revived to bear fruit.
3) To see, with my own eyes, 104 villages that have had no church previously, to be filled with the knowledge of the gospel of Christ and then raising up the next generation of Eskimos to love Christ and make His name known among the nations.
4) To die as a faithful believer, full of His love, grace and truth, having served Him faithfully all my days and having served my family lovingly and having been used by the Lord to bring Him glory, honor and praise.
Your friends and servants in the gospel of Christ,
- Justin and Melissa Vold
The biggest reason I am emphasizing prayer for them is because of the unique difficulties of the Alaskan work- the hard travel, the dangers, the loneliness, the isolated places, the lack of fellowship, the possibilities of real persecution, and many other things.
I am scheduled to go there in December, God willing, to be among some of these villages. -- Mack Tomlinson
From Justin & Melissa Vold
Strategic Ministry Plan: The work which the Lord has called us to primarily is to go and proclaim the gospel in villages that are yet to have any church or any gospel witness. We have a list of 104 Arctic Eskimo villages without an evangelical church. We have made it our goal to take the gospel systematically into each of these villages that are not connected to any road system. This means we must fly into a particular area and travel by land or river, to specific villages. We first begin with real prayer, and then we get a local phone book and pray for each person of specific villages by name. We wait on God to open the door to go to a particular area during a 2 week period, and then we do personal evangelism and preach Christ through whatever opportunities God provides.
When we see people come to faith in Christ, we then follow up and disciple the new believers and train them to be a church (Acts 2:42-47). We are currently working with 2 Eskimo men who are growing in the Word of God and prayer. We are training them to be godly husbands and fathers, as well as how to preach the Word. We have trained over 40 indigenous pastors and lay ministers in the past 5 years. We have started, by the grace of God, one church in an unreached village this fall. Our goal is to make that particular church the sending station for indigenous mission trips to the surrounding villages on and around the Yukon River that have no gospel witness.
A second part of our strategic plan includes serving the villagers who do have a fellowship of believers. We do this by training, encouraging, and equipping them. Many of these villages have no pastor or minister and are very hungry for the things of the Lord. We help them through Bible studies, encouragement, and other needs as the Lord leads.
Thirdly, as a staff evangelist with Ambassadors for Christ International, I am given the opportunity to preach in the lower 48 states. The motto for AFCI is "Revival in the Church, evangelism through the Church and traing for the Church worldwide". In keeping with the passion of this ministry for the church, I travel to preach in conferences, retreats or week long meetings at their request, helping the church to re-focus. I also seek to recognize those God is calling into the mission field and help them in their journey. We currently have three looking to the Lord for service in the Arctic fields, as well as several others we have helped in other regions.
Short Term Goals: Our short term goals include the following.
Personal: My personal goals are to devote more time to the Word of God and prayer and enjoying the presence of Jesus Christ. To love Him to know Him. As a husband, my goal is to be like Christ to my wife and love her as Christ does His church. As a father, my goal is to show His love, patience, kindness, and loving discipline to our children and to train them in the ways of Christ.
Short Term ministry goals: As the Lord wills, our plans include going to Pilot Station, AK to continue to sow seed and also to water the gospel seed we have already planted, to preach there and help establish the new church, which is 1 month old as a fellowship, with a married couple, who have been believers for 2 years. Also, I plan to preach in the villages of Manokotaq, Togiak, and Aleknagik October 13-30. In November, my plan is to preach in the village of Chevac, which is a Yupik Eskimo village which has no church. In December, I plan to attend the Ambassadors for Christ Ministry council meetings in Marietta, GA. After this time I hope to have concentrated time in the Word and in prayer, time with the family, and get needed rest through the Christmas break. Then in January, I will resume village missions.
Ministry long term goals:
The long term goals of this work include:
1) Establishing a biblically functioning church in the unreached villages that have no gospel witness, and seek to help them have their own indigenous pastors, elders, flock, with the church having a goal of being mission-minded, sending out those from their own fold whom the Lord is calling as missionaries.
2) To help the churches in villages that are struggling or have ceased to meet, that they would be, by God's grace, revived to bear fruit.
3) To see, with my own eyes, 104 villages that have had no church previously, to be filled with the knowledge of the gospel of Christ and then raising up the next generation of Eskimos to love Christ and make His name known among the nations.
4) To die as a faithful believer, full of His love, grace and truth, having served Him faithfully all my days and having served my family lovingly and having been used by the Lord to bring Him glory, honor and praise.
Your friends and servants in the gospel of Christ,
- Justin and Melissa Vold
Friday, October 9, 2009
His Sheep Hear His Voice
"My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow Me . . . a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." -- John 10: 5, 27
Christ's sheep know how to hear, what to ignore, and who to follow. While anyone can recognize the "echo" of the Creator in creation (Ps. 19: 1-4), and to many the "sound" of God's testimony in Scripture (Jn. 5:39), it's only the chosen sheep that ever hear His voice. Three characteristics of the Shepherd’s voice:
First, it's a powerful voice. "My sheep hear My voice" -- not "a" voice, which denotes uncertainty; neither "our" voice, regarding consensus. It's singular, direct, and authoritative. It's the same voice that stills the waves, silences the demons, raises the dead, and forgives sins. Whether knocked to the ground (Acts 9:4) or caused to rise up (Matt. 9:9), the results are always the same -- sheep that follow with no regrets (Mk. 10:22) and no provisos (Matt. 8:21-22). Anything less is the voice of a stranger.
Second, it's a personal voice. "He calls His own sheep by name." Saul's companions heard something (Act 22:9), the Jews thought it thundered (Jn. 12:29), but sheep hear their name. The Shepherd doesn't call out His flock; He calls His own one at a time. And not only is their name known but their sin is personal as well -- "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" -- not persecuting the Church, or disobeying the law. His companions were never called "on the carpet," and neither were they called to Straight Street.
Third, it's a pleasant voice. ". . . that they might have life abundantly." The Shepherd's voice has a certain cadence to it, a harmony that is melodic to the sheep. His voice soothes with the promise of abundant eternal life (vs. 10); it quiets the fears of being found alone or lost (vs. 28-29). It even has the ability to make for peace when other sheep are added to the fold (vs. 16). Regardless if the sheep find themselves lying in green pastures or trembling in the valley of the shadow of death, it's the Shepherd's voice that reassures.
What sheep lack in intelligence or courage is made up in voice recognition. Strangers may look like angels (Gal. 1:8; 2 Cor. 11:14-15) and even act like God, but it’s their speech that gives them away -- a voice that lacks authority, intimacy and hope. Those who have ears to hear, hear -- they also know what to ignore.
- Mark Lacour
Christ's sheep know how to hear, what to ignore, and who to follow. While anyone can recognize the "echo" of the Creator in creation (Ps. 19: 1-4), and to many the "sound" of God's testimony in Scripture (Jn. 5:39), it's only the chosen sheep that ever hear His voice. Three characteristics of the Shepherd’s voice:
First, it's a powerful voice. "My sheep hear My voice" -- not "a" voice, which denotes uncertainty; neither "our" voice, regarding consensus. It's singular, direct, and authoritative. It's the same voice that stills the waves, silences the demons, raises the dead, and forgives sins. Whether knocked to the ground (Acts 9:4) or caused to rise up (Matt. 9:9), the results are always the same -- sheep that follow with no regrets (Mk. 10:22) and no provisos (Matt. 8:21-22). Anything less is the voice of a stranger.
Second, it's a personal voice. "He calls His own sheep by name." Saul's companions heard something (Act 22:9), the Jews thought it thundered (Jn. 12:29), but sheep hear their name. The Shepherd doesn't call out His flock; He calls His own one at a time. And not only is their name known but their sin is personal as well -- "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" -- not persecuting the Church, or disobeying the law. His companions were never called "on the carpet," and neither were they called to Straight Street.
Third, it's a pleasant voice. ". . . that they might have life abundantly." The Shepherd's voice has a certain cadence to it, a harmony that is melodic to the sheep. His voice soothes with the promise of abundant eternal life (vs. 10); it quiets the fears of being found alone or lost (vs. 28-29). It even has the ability to make for peace when other sheep are added to the fold (vs. 16). Regardless if the sheep find themselves lying in green pastures or trembling in the valley of the shadow of death, it's the Shepherd's voice that reassures.
What sheep lack in intelligence or courage is made up in voice recognition. Strangers may look like angels (Gal. 1:8; 2 Cor. 11:14-15) and even act like God, but it’s their speech that gives them away -- a voice that lacks authority, intimacy and hope. Those who have ears to hear, hear -- they also know what to ignore.
- Mark Lacour
The Only Qualification for Coming to Christ
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor--but the sick!" Matthew 9:12
From the garden of Gethsemane, where the bleeding pores of the Savior sweat pardons; from the cross of Calvary, where the bleeding hands of Jesus drop mercy, the cry comes, "Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth!" From Calvary's summit, where Jesus cries, "It is finished!" I hear a shout, "Look unto Me, and be saved!"
But there comes a vile cry from our soul, "No, look to yourself! Look to yourself!" Ah, look to yourself and you will certainly be damned! As long as you look to yourself, there is no hope for you. It is not a consideration of what you are, but a consideration of what Christ is, that can save you. You must look away from yourself, and look to Jesus!
Oh! there are many who quite misunderstand the gospel; they think that their good works qualify them to come to Christ; whereas SIN is the only qualification for anyone to come to Jesus.
- C. H. Spurgeon
From the garden of Gethsemane, where the bleeding pores of the Savior sweat pardons; from the cross of Calvary, where the bleeding hands of Jesus drop mercy, the cry comes, "Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth!" From Calvary's summit, where Jesus cries, "It is finished!" I hear a shout, "Look unto Me, and be saved!"
But there comes a vile cry from our soul, "No, look to yourself! Look to yourself!" Ah, look to yourself and you will certainly be damned! As long as you look to yourself, there is no hope for you. It is not a consideration of what you are, but a consideration of what Christ is, that can save you. You must look away from yourself, and look to Jesus!
Oh! there are many who quite misunderstand the gospel; they think that their good works qualify them to come to Christ; whereas SIN is the only qualification for anyone to come to Jesus.
- C. H. Spurgeon
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