~To God my exceeding joy (Psa 43:4)~You may not have a big car, but you're on the cruise to heaven;You may not have gold and silver, but you're given the keys of heaven;You may not have a good house, but you're God's House, His Temple;You may not have many friends, but the Best Friend gave His life for you;You may not have flown in an airplane, but you'll ride on the clouds;You may not have crossed your village, but you'll rule over nations;You may not have sung in a choir, but you'll sing with myriads of saints...You may not have a computer, but...
Evangelism, Exaltation (Worship), Edification - Thoughts
EVANGELISM:Jesus said "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible" in connection with the salvation of souls (Mar 10:27)... For God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1Ti 2:4). No excuses allowed! If God has planted an idea of evangelism in your heart, don't stifle it with the thorns of godless excuses. He really wants all people to get saved. Focus on the demands of heaven.EXALTATION (WORSHIP):~"My soul thirsts for God..." (Psa 42:2)~If we're really thirsty, we won't...
Worship & Humility (Psalm 34:2)
~"My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad." (Psalm 34:2)~TO WORSHIP (Gk. proskuneo, Hb. shachah) means "to bow down with the face to the ground; to prostrate": this is only possible through absolute humility and self-surrender. While the mind is immersed in self-interest and self-conceit, it can never appreciate the sound of praise and worship to God. Only "the humble shall hear.. and be gla...
When I look into the heavens, the moon and all the stars, I wonder What is man that you are mindful of him? (Psalm 8)
~"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,the moon and the stars that you have established;what are human beings that you are mindful of them,mortals that you care for them?" (Psalm 8:3,4)~There are about 400 billion stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Now, there are 500 billion such galaxies in the universe. Imagine the number of all the stars if we multiply the 400 billion with the 500 billion; it would be 200000 billion stars. Yet, God knows each of the stars by its name - how much more precious is the life of a human created in...
I AM THAT I AM (Ex. 3:14)
This is the Name by which God introduced Himself to Moses. The exact passage is:And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. (Ex.3:13,14)This is the Name by which only God can introduce Himself.If somebody asked me who I am, I might answer by telling...
The Unique Christ - IV - The Song of the Bride
IVThe Song of the BrideWhat does He lack that I should seek another?I desire nothing apart from Him.What is that desire that is better than the joy He gives?I find my deepest enjoyment only in Him.My Lover is altogether lovely,Brighter than the morning star,Fairer than the nocturnal moon,Stronger than the sun at noon;My Lover is indescribably lovely –And, see, He has chosen me!When my heart began to wander after the fleeting shadows,Love drew me back to His Arms of peace;When my thoughts were all shaken by fears of tomorrows,I was gently reminded...
IRENAEUS (c.130-c.200)
Adversary of the GnosticsSignificance:Doctrine of Christ’s Incarnation, Union of Natures, and Recapitulation theory of Atonement.The church is one and universal, and it confesses one and the same faith throughout the world. The common faith is confessed at baptism, at which one act the believer receives forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit.“Canon of truth” referred to the “rule of faith”, the content of the apostolic preaching in summary form...
JUSTIN MARTYR (c. 100- c.165)
Apologist and Martyr.“For I myself, too, when I was delighting in the doctrines of Plato, and heard the Christians slandered, and saw them fearless of death … perceived that it was impossible that they could be living in wickedness and pleasure” (2Apol.12)Significance• One of the first highly educated Gentiles to use his learning to defend Christianity even before the emperor himself.o His writings use citations from Euripides, Xenophon, and above...
Ignatius of Antioch (d. c. 98-117)
Fed to lions during the reign of Trajan (AD 98-117). Wrote 6 letters en route to Rome.Significance:• First to use the word Christianismos (Christianity, Ign.Rom 3:3; Magn.10:3)• Opposed Docetism (Trallians 9;11-2; Smyr.1-3)• First to stress the concept of “monepiscopacy” (or monarchical episcopacy): a single bishop in a given city presides over the 3-fold ministry of (i) bishop (ii) presbyters (iii) deaconso The bishop presides in the place of God (Magn.6:1; Tral.3:1)o Submission to bishop is necessary to achieve henosis (“unity,” Ign.Eph.5:1).o...
