Guard Yourself from moving away from the Gospel

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight: if ye continue in the flesh grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” Colossians 1:21-23

• We are reconciled to God only through Christ’s death

• We are presented “holy” and “spotless” only when we belong to Christ

Thank God our reconciliation and regeneration is not dependent in any way upon our own works, any rituals, or any mystical experiences. Only Christ in us can save us and transform us into His likeness.

As you worship Him today, keep in mind that we do not lack one thing, nor do we need to generate any extra-sensory experiences in order to enter the presence of the living God. We are welcome to come boldly into the presence of God because of the shed blood of Christ which fully reconciles us to God, the Father!

STOP! Don’t move one inch toward experience, mysticism, new age experience, or any ritualistic forms of worship or you may find yourself moving away from the hope of the gospel.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you! May God grant you a blessed time of fellowship and thanksgiving today!

I am praying that you all have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving Day.

Everyday is to be filled with unceasing thanksgiving and prayer due to the mighty grace of our glorious God! As this nation feasts on food, football, fun, and fantasy pray that this might be the day perhaps God in His grace will grant repentance and claim some as His possession in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Prasie Father, Son, and Holyh Ghost!

Why I Won't Sign the Manhattan Declaration

I printed off the Manhatan Declaration: A CAll of Christian Conscience and read it carefully. I had fully intended to blog about it yesterday but got caught up in sermon preparation and some other things and as a result I did not get to it.

The main topic or point of my blog was going to fall along the lines of what is wrong with this document, why I would not sign it, and why I am troubled at those who have (without judging their motives.)

Once again I was beat to the punch by Dr. John MacArthur. I think he has said what I would have wanted to say yet in a much more succint and elequent way. So, rather than say the same thing I have decided to publish his article in this post for your conseration:

Here are the main reasons I am not signing the Manhattan Declaration, even though a few men whom I love and respect have already affixed their names to it:

• Although I obviously agree with the document’s opposition to same-sex marriage, abortion, and other key moral problems threatening our culture, the document falls far short of identifying the one true and ultimate remedy for all of humanity’s moral ills: the gospel. The gospel is barely mentioned in the Declaration. At one point the statement rightly acknowledges, “It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season”—and then adds an encouraging wish: “May God help us not to fail in that duty.” Yet the gospel itself is nowhere presented (much less explained) in the document or any of the accompanying literature. Indeed, that would be a practical impossibility because of the contradictory views held by the broad range of signatories regarding what the gospel teaches and what it means to be a Christian.

• This is precisely where the document fails most egregiously. It assumes from the start that all signatories are fellow Christians whose only differences have to do with the fact that they represent distinct “communities.” Points of disagreement are tacitly acknowledged but are described as “historic lines of ecclesial differences” rather than fundamental conflicts of doctrine and conviction with regard to the gospel and the question of which teachings are essential to authentic Christianity.

• Instead of acknowledging the true depth of our differences, the implicit assumption (from the start of the document until its final paragraph) is that Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant Evangelicals and others all share a common faith in and a common commitment to the gospel’s essential claims. The document repeatedly employs expressions like “we [and] our fellow believers”; “As Christians, we . . .”; and “we claim the heritage of . . . Christians.” That seriously muddles the lines of demarcation between authentic biblical Christianity and various apostate traditions.

• The Declaration therefore constitutes a formal avowal of brotherhood between Evangelical signatories and purveyors of different gospels. That is the stated intention of some of the key signatories, and it’s hard to see how secular readers could possibly view it in any other light. Thus for the sake of issuing a manifesto decrying certain moral and political issues, the Declaration obscures both the importance of the gospel and the very substance of the gospel message.

• This is neither a novel approach nor a strategic stand for evangelicals to take. It ought to be clear to all that the agenda behind the recent flurry of proclamations and moral pronouncements we’ve seen promoting ecumenical co-belligerence is the viewpoint Charles Colson has been championing for more than two decades. (It is not without significance that his name is nearly always at the head of the list of drafters when these statements are issued.) He explained his agenda in his 1994 book The Body, in which he argued that the only truly essential doctrines of authentic Christian truth are those spelled out in the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds. I responded to that argument at length in Reckless Faith. I stand by what I wrote then.

In short, support for The Manhattan Declaration would not only contradict the stance I have taken since long before the original “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” document was issued; it would also tacitly relegate the very essence of gospel truth to the level of a secondary issue. That is the wrong way—perhaps the very worst way—for evangelicals to address the moral and political crises of our time. Anything that silences, sidelines, or relegates the gospel to secondary status is antithetical to the principles we affirm when we call ourselves evangelicals.

John MacArthur

What One Book Would You Read?

John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace, Pastor, and former slave trader, stated, "If I might read only one book beside the Bible, I would choose The Christian in Complete Armour." (William Gurnall)

I am curious, if you had to choose just one book that you could read, beside the Bible, what book would it be and why?

THE SOLAS OF THE MODERN CHURCH

1. Sola Cultura - Culture defines biblical preaching.

2. Sola Successa - Numerical success determines truth.

3. Sola Entertaina - Louder is better. Doctrine must go.

4. Sola Mio - Meet my needs.

5. Sola Emotional - Emote, dudes and dudettes.

6. Sola Stupida - Thinking not allowed. No confessions, liturgies, doctrinal hymns, or historical references.

Donald Philip Veitch

For our weekly Exposure to Edwards, I ask you to contemplate his thoughts on “counterfeit religion” on page 17 of his preface to The Religious Affections:


“It is by the mixture of counterfeit religion with true, not discerned and distinguished, that the devil has had his greatest advantage against the cause and kingdom of Christ, all along hitherto. It is by this means, principally, that he has prevailed against all revivings of religion, that ever have been since the first founding of the Christian church.


By this, he hurt the cause of Christianity, in and after the apostolic age, much more than by all the persecutions of both Jews and Heathens. The apostles, in all their epistles, show themselves much more concerned at the former mischief, than the latter.


By this, Satan prevailed against the reformation, began by Luther, Zwinglius, &c., to put a stop to its progress, and bring it into disgrace; ten times more, than by all those bloody, cruel, and before unheard of persecutions of the Church of Rome.


By this, principally, has he prevailed against revivals of religion, that have been in our nation since the reformation.


By this he prevailed against New England, to quench the love and spoil the joy of her espousals, about a hundred years ago. And I think, I have had opportunity enough to see plainly that by this the devil has prevailed against the late great revival of religion in New England, so happy and promising in its beginning.”

Taken from:

Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections, (Carlisle: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2001), p. 17

Where Will I Drink?

On Free and Fabulous Friday I thought I would share this with you.

The desert is dry

And full of sand

Living aint’t easy

In this barren land

Temptations are rising

No refreshing wind

Where will I drink?

When I’m thirsty again



Chorus:

Where will I drink?

When I’m thirsty again

Will I turn toward heaven?

Or toward a world of sin

I need living water

Not broken cisterns

Where will I drink?

When I’m thirsty again


I take one step

And follow after him

There’s no telling

When this will end

I keep going on my way

Trusting His grace

Leaning on Jesus

As I run this race

I’ve come to you a

Thousand times I know

You never tire of me although

I ask you for the same thing

Every time

Would you help be fight?

Sin and its design

Father I turn to you for help

I can’t win this fight myself

I need your grace and

I need your power

Set me free from sin

In this awful hour

Did You Miss Me?

Dear Friends, I am back! My personal laptap as you know bit the dust. My daughter Sonja, in Portland, was gracious to lend me her Toshiba laptop for awhile. I hope to be posting again today or start fresh tomorrow.

A little news from the home front:

Thanksgiving will be at Sonja's in Portland this year, with Shannon (daughter) and her husband Brien, and Stacy (daughter) along with grandkinds Madilynn, Gregory, and Bryttany. Sharon (daughter) is in Illinois and will be sharing Thanksgiving with her new famly Jasson and Jaydon and son Diontre.

Anna's stiches (Springer Spaniel) from her recent "spayed" operation come out tomorrow - been driving us and her nuts being "locked up" and not allowed to be running, playing, chasing, etc.

Will be preaching the next four weeks in Bremerton, WA - if you need directions let me know!

Still praying and looking for a job, this Saturday will mark 3 months without work. Stretching my faith!

Re-reading both The Institutes of Christian Religion and The Effective Pastor by Peter White at this time while taking morning devotions in the gospel of Luke.

Looking for your comments - drop a note, let me know you have read and if you have been blessed.

Gregg

The Demise of my Dell

Well, I finally heard from the computer shop today and the news aint’ that great! It seems that my computer has had it, it has gone kaput, given up the ghost, went south, bought the farm, cashed in the chips, and whatever other euphemisms we can substitute for she’s a goner.


I had a Dell Inspiron 1150 that had been given to me by my employer as a Christmas Bonus in 2004. I loved that little computer. It was my first laptop. My dad had introduced his five children to “computers” by giving each one of us old TI 99 back in 1989 in order to see if we would like computers. I was in my junior year of college before I ever used a computer.

Well I progressed from the TI99 to my first desk top computer – a 286 with a 40 MB hard drive. Then of course the upgrades took off from there, 386, 486, 586 to the processors that are standard today.

Back to my poor laptop, the LED screen and optical drive went out on my computer. It just isn’t worth putting the money into it to fix it. In the meantime I will hook an external monitor up to it in order to continue to use it until I can pray in another lap top.

It took awhile for me to really like and use the laptop. My boss gave it to me to use in the field on sales calls to take applications in the client’s home. I would do that but then felt compelled to transfer everything to my desk top. What a hassle it was to continually shift everything back and forth. One day the power source in the desk top failed and I was left with the laptop exclusively. I began to enjoy it, and to use it more frequently in all sorts of settings. I then became sold on laptops and never went back to a desk top.

It will interesting to see what the Lord provides next!

Computer Issues....

I am having some computer issues and apparently the old girl is going to the shop tomorrow. I don't know how long I will be away, hopefully no more than three or four days. Please don't go away, check in and hopefully I can begin posting again. Love you all and am grateful that you take your precious time and read things that i mess around with.

Lord willing, see ya soon,

Gregg

Sojourner's Sunday'Synopsis

“The Incarnation of the Christ”
John 1:14 * (Part I)

EXPLANATION

John emphasizes the mystery of the incarnation of Christ. He is going to make clear the fact that the Word now assumed a new form of existence. Jesus did not cease to be God the Son. His humanity was both real and complete. He remained the same “person in the Godhead” as before, but now he became flesh to make visible the invisible God.

ARGUMENTATION

John has to very careful right here. If he just said that the eternal Word of God assumed manhood or adopted the form of a body, the reader, who has been inculcated in the teaching of dualism, might have missed John’s entire point. John is not ambiguous. He is almost shocking in his declaration. John declares that The Word became flesh!
So we argue;

• The Word became incarnate was not made incarnate

• This incarnation came about in a unique or miraculous manner

• Through the incarnation the Word has made the invisible God visible

• The incarnation was meant to emphasize the quality of the unique Son

• The incarnation communicated essential attributes of God

ILLUSTRATION

• Genesis 22: 2, 12, 16

APPLICATION

The main theme of this verse emphasizes the mystery of the incarnation of Christ. My aim this morning is that each one of you understands the extraordinary significance of the incarnation of Jesus Christ by examining the reality of the incarnation There are at least three (3) ways in which we can use this doctrine or teaching:

• Gaze intently with the purpose of admiring the work of God in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Meditate deeply on the graciousness of God as He unveiled Himself in the Person of the Son. Learn that God is indeed gracious to you through His Son.

• Work to uncover the truth that God is the only valid basis of truth and morality. Truth that will meet your needs, counsel you in times of trial or indecision, guide you accurately, or comfort your pain and sorrow does not come from philosophy, speculations, humanistic reasoning, or vain imaginations.

• Ask God for understanding concerning the uniqueness and preciousness of His only- one of a kind Son that was made sin for you in order to have a way opened through the veil or curtain into the very presence of God in order to give the proper devotion, worship, respect, and obedience.

Listlessness & Sloth? May it never be!

Exposure to Edwards...

Each Saturday I try to expose you to Jonathan Edwards. I was reading some of his diary entries tonight and came across one for a Saturday evening. I thought it might be both appropriate and beneficial to share this entry from Saturday, January 5, 1723:

“A little redeemed from a long dreadful dullness, about reading the Scriptures. This week, have been unhappily low in the weekly account: - and what are the reasons of it? – abundance of listlessness and sloth; and if this should continue much longer, I perceive that other sins will begin to discover themselves. It used to appear to me, that I had not much sin remaining; but now, I perceive that there are great remainders of sin. Where may it not bring me to, if God should leave me? Sin is not enough mortified. Without the influences of the Spirit of God, the old serpent, would begin to rouse up himself from his frozen state, and would come to life again.


Resolved, that I have been negligent in two things: - not striving enough in duty; and in not forcing myself upon religious thoughts.”

What a powerful portion of insight in this brief diary entry. We can learn quite a lesson should we desire to. Now, I know, what Jerry Bridges would say, and I would agree; we are not on a performance basis with our God. We can miss a devotion or two and God is not going to be upset or set out to get us. We must always guard against allowing Scripture reading or devotions to become mechanical or rote. After all, our time in the Scripture is a time of fellowship and meeting with the living God not a system or routine to complete.

How often are we dreadfully dull about reading our bibles? It is so easy to become listless or slothful – here are words we rarely hear or use any more. The tragic consequence is that the “old serpent” will raise his head and sins will begin to multiply should we leave off time alone in the Word.

May it never be! I trust that all of would be aware of our danger when we fail to get alone with God. May each of discipline ourselves to fight and stave off both listlessness and sloth. May each of adopt the same resolve about any negligence in our lives.

What do you think?

Guidelines for Devotions

It has taken time, effort, failure, change, patience, blessings, and repetition, but I have come to love my devotional time with my God. I want to take a moment and share a few things that have benefited me and I trust may be of some use to you.

1. come to your devotional time with the expectation of meeting God in His Word

2. come to your devotional time with the expectation of being changed by God

3. come to your devotional time with the expectation to grow Spiritually

Your time of devotion, whether morning or evening is a meeting. It is not a mechanical habit. It is a meeting with the living God. Don’t miss the person in the meeting. We have the tendency to stumble over dollars while trying to pick up dimes.

I recommend:

• Get alone with God – remove all distractions including computer, radio, etc.
  
• Ask God for a hunger for Him – He is the prize! He is the brass ring.
  
• Desire and ask God for freshness in your time of devotion
  
• Principlize the text you are studying – what principles are drawn from your passage
  
• Practice what you have learned

I am always trying to improve my time with God. So I am interested in reading about your devotional time. What do you do? What do you include? What makes your time alone with God meaningful? How do you keep your devotion fresh?

Please, take a minute and with a comment share your practice. It would certainly bless me and just might bless others as you take this time to honor our glorious God.

Looking forward to reading about your devotional time!

Thanks, but no Thanks!

There is no doubt that God has a purpose for His glory and my good in my unemployment. From eternity past, God knew that August 21, 2009 was going to be a significant day in my life. Thus far God has seen to it in one form or fashion that our needs have been met. The real test will come December 1st, 2009 when savings and available finances disappear.

Job hunting is a real chore. Many of you know it is not fun. I post today, not negatively nor in a complaining fashion, but simply because I am amazed at the daunting task employers, Human Relations managers, and hiring supervisors must be going through.
I say this because in the last two days I received four of what I call the, “thanks but no thanks form letter. You know the one that says in effect, “At this time we have decided to pursue other candidates whose background and skills more closely match our requirements for this position.” It is getting to where I can almost wallpaper a wall in my office with those things.

Again, my heart goes out to them as I pray for them to have the wisdom necessary to turn me down. After all they don’t get to talk to me, see me, hear me, or get to know me. My life is reduced to a one page resume attached to a cover letter in hopes of setting off process of someone finally saying, “Yep, he’s the one.”

Having worked steady for the past 37 years it is hard not to think with every application I turn in, “Hey look at me, I’m the one!” Several years ago when canidating for a church in Northern California for the position of teaching pastor, I once received the best “rejection” letter ever. Basically it said, “Well, we are not sure what we want right now, but we do know you’re not it.” That was classic. God bless ‘em!

God has a plan! He is sovereign! He will open the right door at the right time! He proved to Mary, Martha, the residents of Bethany, and a man named Lazarus that Jesus can be four days late and still be right on time!

I have no fear that God will prove to me that no matter how late I think He may be, He will be right on time. The good news is that I am being evaluated next week at a church for the position of teaching pastor. If they like what they see on paper, they may contact me for an interview. In the mean time, I will still continue to submit applications and resumes to the glory of God.

This one thing that I do...

The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. I Corinthians 10:31 - 'Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; now, man being a rational creature, must propose some end to himself, and that should be, that he may lift up God in the world. He had better lose his life than the end of his living. The great truth is asserted, that the end of every man's living should be to glorify God. Glorifying God has respect to all the persons in the Trinity; it respects God the Father who gave us life; God the Son, who lost his life for us; and God the Holy Ghost, who produces a new life in us; we must bring glory to the whole Trinity.

Today’s timely quote comes from Thomas Watson’s A Body of Divinity. It is obvious that we have but one purpose in this life and that is to magnify or reflect the glorious character and nature of the one and true living God. It honestly doesn’t get any more simpler or complicated than that.

The one phrase in that sentence that has periodically haunted me since I first read it some five (5) years ago is “He had better lose his life than the end of his living.” The end of my living is to stand before God and hear him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” I can not imagine what it must be like to come to the end of life and to have completely failed at my “purpose.” Yet, countless, multitudes do. Watson’s estimate (which is not infallible) is that one would be better off dead.

It has been my prayer for quite some time that I am first, always reminded by God of my singular purpose for existing; second, that God will always enable me by his strength to fulfill my purpose, third, that I will find my joy in him as I fulfill my purpose, and finally that everything I do, say, think, or feel with be used of God to fulfill my purpose.

Whom Am I While on My Knees?

This past Sunday was the first Sunday of November. Our church like a number of churches across our nation celebrated the Lord’s Supper as part of our morning worship. Our church has had a long standing tradition of forming a circle at the conclusion of the communion service, holding hands while singing together.

One part of our church's long standing tradition includes the writing down of your name on a little slip of paper with the admonition, “Pray for each other.” As a matter of fact our little slip of paper says, “Write your name below and place it in the offering. After communion we will exchange prayer slips. Please pray for the following person this month: _____________.

Then as we are singing in our circle the offering bags are passed around and each person draws out one name. The idea is that we are encouraged to pray for that name which we have just drawn, each day during the month of November.

I am looking at the name I just drew and have prayed for him. However this has caused me to think of the following things:

Robert Murray M’Cheyne once wrote, “A man is what he is on his knees before God, and nothing more.”

When Martin Luther's puppy happened to be at the table, he looked for a morsel from his master, and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes. Luther said, "Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise he has no thought, wish, or hope."

 

Edward Payson (1783-1827) said:

“We may judge the state of our hearts by the earnestness of our prayers. You cannot make a rich man beg like a poor man; you cannot make a man that is full cry for food like one that is hungry: no more will a man who has a good opinion of himself, cry for mercy like one who feels that he is poor and needy.

 

The symptoms of spiritual decline are like those which attend the decay of bodily health. It generally commences with loss of appetite, and disrelish for spiritual food, prayer, reading the Scriptures, and devotional books. Whenever you perceive these symptoms, be alarmed, for your spiritual health is in danger; apply immediately to the great Physician for a cure.

The best means of keeping near to God is the prayer closet. Here the battle is won or lost.

It appears very strange and wonderful that God should bestow any favors on creatures, so unworthy as ourselves, or pay any regard to prayers so polluted as our own.”

As I pray for the person named on my little slip that I drew this past Sunday, I hope that I pray for him not merely perfunctorily, but from a heart that is true. I hope that as I pray for him that my eyes are on my Lord with as much concentration as Luther’s puppy displayed, always watching the Lord.

Excerpts from My Reading...

Usually on Mondays when time, energy, opportunity, or inspiration all fall into place I like to share with you a paragraph or two from the book or books I am currently reading. As I share with you these “tid-bits” I hope to do three things; the first is to magnify the glorious character and nature of God by the wonderful writing that has been our privilege to meditate on for our spiritual growth; secondly, I want to be a blessing and encouragement to you who read these excerpts; and thirdly, I hope to encourage you to purchase these books for yourself or others in hopes of passing the blessing along.


I am currently re-reading The Institutes of Christian Religion by John Calvin, reading for the first time, John Owen’s Overcoming Sin & Temptation edited by Kapic and Taylor, and a very interesting third book called Drinking with Calvin and Luther: a History of Alcohol in the Church by Jim West.


I came across this book on John Bird’s blog called While We Sojourn. By the way if you haven’t read John or added him to your blog roll you should. At any rate I ordered this book and I read it Saturday from the time the postman brought it around noon until about 10:00 PM. It is only 215 pages long, but when I read, I read with my eyes, mind, and a pen. I stop frequently to think through a point, make sure I have understanding, make some notes, and I sometimes even argue with an author to try to understand him and/or make sure my understanding is biblical and defensible.


Needless to say first, this is not a book review (I may do that later); secondly I did enjoy this book. I think it would be a good read for everyone in the church today. Not for the purpose of changing your views or “side” in this “debate/argument” but to provide information and material for serious thought and discussion.

Well, enough of that. Here is this week’s excerpt from a most thought provoking book that I am currently re-reading:

“And wine that maketh glad the heart of man...” (Psalms 104:15)

“Nowhere are we forbidden to laugh, or to be satisfied with food... or to be delighted with music, or to drink wine.” (John Calvin)

“We are jolly fellows, we Germans; we eat, and drink, and sing, and break our glasses...” (Martin Luther)

“...the truth is that Church history testifies that many good men – ministers of the gospel – joyously partook of drink to the glory of God. As such, it is shocking that hundreds of churches in America have pharisaical membership standards that actually debar Christians who drink alcoholic beverages. Likewise, Christian colleges often distinguish between viable and unviable students on the basis of alcohol-related questions on their applications. By so doing they have unwittingly created a barrier that would exclude Christ and some of his greatest ministers.”

The bible, of course, condemns winos as well as whiners. Drunkenness is sinful. The Christian is under the lordship of Christ, not Bacchus, the Greek God of wine. Christians should learn from the aphorism about wine: ‘A turncoat, first a friend, and then an enemy.’

The antithesis of being Spirit-filled is drunkenness, for Paul writes, ‘Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). The Spirit-filled Christian practices self-control. Although by the grace of God he drinks in moderation, he also drinks with unmoderated joy in his Creator.”

Taken from Drinking With Calvin and Luther, Jim West, (Lincoln, CA: Oakdown), pp. 19, 26

Interesting to say the least! What do you think?

Snyopsis of Today's Sojourners Lesson

The World Divided by God
John 1:12-13 * (Part III)

EXPLANATION

Neither physical birth, ethnic descent, nor human effort can make an individual a child of God. One is made a child by God’s supernatural work by regenerating, or giving life to an individual who then responds as a result of that life in faith and repentance.

ARGUMENTATION

Since man is encased in irreparable darkness God gave the right or the authority for men and women to become the children of God by enabling them through regeneration to respond by the gift of faith.

So we argue;

• The sinner can not make himself a child of God
• The sinner is given a new standing or status by God
• The sinner is given as a gift this authority to become a child of God by God
• Salvation is the impartation of life as an act of God which makes one His child

ILLUSTRATION

• Napoleon’s corporal
• I John 5:1, I John 3:1; James 1:18, I Peter 1:3, 23

APPLICATION

The main theme of these verses is that the genuine light that makes the darkness visible within each and every man has divided humanity into those who reject the Word, gives the gift which enables some to receive the Word as the Word makes them children of God. So, how do we use this doctrine or teaching? There are at least five (5) ways in which we can use this doctrine or teaching:

• REALIZE that your new birth is the direct result of the complete working of God in your heart. Contemplate and meditate on this tremendous truth!

• REHEARSE the events and the truth that God used to regenerate you which led to your response of faith and repentance. You should constantly rehearse this truth in order not to grow “cold”, lax, or stale in your appreciation of God’s grace.

• REJOICE in the realization that God, by His own sovereign choice, imparted life to you which made you a child of God. This truth should flow through your soul with great joy!

• REPENT of any and all thoughts that you had anything to do with your new birth. Misunderstanding the order of salvation and God’s work from beginning to end robs Him of the glory that is rightfully His. God will not share His glory with anyone.

• REPEAT this great truth over and over to everyone that you come in contact with. Share this great truth, though God has shined His “light” into the darkness of their heart, God as He chooses by His grace imparts life through regeneration which leads to faith & repentance.