PRAYER OF AN UNKNOWN CONFEDERATE SOLDIER

I asked God for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn to obey.

I asked for health that I might do great things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I had asked for,
but everything that I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;

I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

TRUST HIS HEART

All things work for our good
Though sometimes we can't see how they could

Troubles that break our hearts into two
Sometimes blind us to the truth

Our Father knows what's best for us
His ways are not our own

So when your pathway goes dim
And you just can't see Him

Remember you're not alone

God is too wise to be mistaken

God is too good to be unkind

So when you don't understand

When you don't see His plan

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His heart

He sees the master plan
He holds the future in His hand

Don't live as those who have no hope
All our hope is found in Him

We see the present clearly
He sees the first and the last

And like a tapestry
He's weaving you and me

To someday be just like Him

He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what's best for you

He whose heart is kind beyond measure
Gives unto each day what he deems best

Lovingly, it's part of pain and pleasure

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His Heart

THE PRODIGAL SON COMES HOME...MY TESTIMONY

BEFORE CHRIST

I grew up in a Protestant family setting, and at the beginning, church attendance and Sunday School were somehow part of my life. We were not a religious family, so these, as well as family prayer, were not very much emphasized, and, eventually, even churchgoing ceased altogether. The only verse I memorized from childhood, John 3:16, was the closest thing to the gospel that I ever heard.

CONVERSION

In high school, a classmate of mine took time to share the gospel with me. I was told that we were all sinners (Romans 3:23) and are destined for judgment as payment for sin (Romans 6:23), but God loved me and sent Jesus Christ to die in my place. John 3:16 took on a completely different meaning: I understood what it REALLY meant this time, and it all “made sense”. I was told that I should have a personal relationship with Christ and that I should receive Christ by faith. Sometime in September 1989 (I believe it was September 16), I received Christ as Savior and Lord.

I began to attend a local church in Cubao and participated in a Bible study at school. Most of my “barkada” professed Christ, and so we met together for fellowship and study. In college (UP Diliman), I also became part of the ministry of the University Gospel Fellowship, a campus church composed mostly of student members. I was also involved in different Christian organizations in school, and participated in Bible studies, retreats and other activities.

BACKSLIDING

Around 1993, I drifted away from the Lord. I sought to “make my own mark” in the world, and "to be myself." I looked at people, and people disappointed me. My prayer life slowly deteriorated, as did my Bible reading.

I sought belonging, and I thought I would find it in a "brotherhood of men." As a result, I joined a fraternity in college. From that point, whatever semblance of my Christian life rapidly eroded. I smoked 1-2 packs a day, drank until I could barely stand, tried drugs, prostitutes, got involved in violent fights with other fraternities.

At first, I still sort of attended church, but eventually, around the mid-90S, I stopped that too. I became disillusioned with "Christianity" and sought to eradicate whatever marks it may have left in my life. I openly professed atheism and LaVeyan Satanism. I read heavily on the occult and practiced witchcraft. I distanced myself from God as overtly as possible, but there were times when alone, I would remember the Christian song “When God Ran” (based on the story of the Prodigal Son) and I would uncontrollably break down into tears.

The song begins with a description of God’s attributes, His greatness and omnipotence, and that the only time He ever ran …

“Was when He ran to me,

Took me in His arms,

Held my head to His chest,

Said, ‘My son's come home again’

Looked in my face

Wiped the tears from my eyes

With forgiveness in His voice

He said, ‘Son, Do you know I still love you?’

He caught me my surprise

When God ran”

It spoke of love, forgiveness and unconditional acceptance: in fact, all that I truly longed for in the world. At these times, my heart felt pricked, but most of the time, I felt so very far away: it was as if there was this emptiness in me and I desperately tried to fill it up with just about anything. I did not want to admit that I was wrong in my defiance, that I was mistaken to reject God.

I became an angry, bitter, and proud person. I kept up the facade that I was always "in control', even in the face of contrary facts. I lived a lie, claiming one thing but being another. I pretended that everything was "ok" and bragged about how intelligent I was. I openly boasted that I had no need for God, but deep inside, in my innermost being, I was miserable and inside, I felt empty. The thought of killing myself came often. To console myself, I preoccupied myself with the proverbial “wine, women and song.”

They say that what you are inside eventually comes out - it radiates. I found this true. I was, in the words of an officemate, a "perfect --shole", with a big chip on my shoulder: angry at the world, angry at the God I denied, angry at my family, and above all, angry at myself. I became a violent person. At the slightest provocation, I would not hesitate to lash out at others with tongue or fist - even against my closest friends and relatives.

My world was falling apart, and the things I held on to were eluding my grasp, did not escape me. People I trusted, people I considered my "brothers" failed and betrayed my trust. Still, I clung on, grasping at straws and shards of my so-called life, stubborn in my rebellion. I was a wreck, and I was too proud to admit what deep inside, I knew it.

THE ROAD BACK TO GOD

In 2003, while in Iligan, I met a childhood friend, and renewed our friendship. She became my girlfriend, and, in January 2004, she became my wife.

In April 2004, we moved to Manila and stayed there for a while, looking for employment, to no avail. My wife was eventually forced to go back to her job in Iligan. I stayed in Manila, still looking for a job, virtually penniless save for some cash from my mom and from some well-meaning fraternity brothers. I also attended a Bible study begun by some of our alumni fraternity brothers and I was quite surprised at the changes I saw in their lives.

At this time, I was also jobless and far from my wife. I was miserable and penniless, and in despair, I cried out to God. This was the beginning of my “homecoming”. I started to pray again and read my Bible. I slowly, and a bit inconsistently, started going to church again.

I finally found employment in the Cebu office of PhilHealth, and I reported for work in August 2004. My wife joined me 2 months later. While in Cebu, I tried to "clean up my act" but I kept my smoking habit. I did try to quit in July 2004, but only made it for 3 days. Even my wife gave up hoping that I would quit. I struggled long and hard, and was often disappointed by my dismal failure to quit. I made excuses for smoking, claiming that it "improved my temper, helped me relax, helped me think/work, removed the aftertaste of my food, etc...” The fact that my initial attempt to quit was a dismal failure rankled my mind.

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

In December 2004, an officemate gave me a copy of “The Man In The Mirror” by Patrick Morley. The book challenged me to examine my life, since “an unexamined life is not worth living” (Plato). This confronted me about my Christianity that my life should be consistent with who I am and what I am in Christ.

I ran out of excuses. I saw that I was, again, starting to live another double-life. At this point, my main struggle was my dependency on nicotine. On the night of January 15, 2005, I made the decision to surrender this struggle to God. I admitted my inability to quit on my own strength, and asked Him to take away the craving. And praise God, He did! I haven’t smoked since then, a remarkable feat, considering that I’ve been smoking since 1993.

With this act, I surrendered my life to my Lord and recommitted myself to Him. I asked God to take control of my life, and to give me the strength to stand for Him, no matter what the consequences may be. I told him that I didn't want to run away again, or make any excuses before Him: I asked him to do what He would with my life. I told Him that I was tired of running away from His stubborn pursuit...

God has been faithful all throughout the years, yes, even in my lowest and worst points.

God, in my experience, is a garbage collector - He sifts through the refuse of human life...broken lives, ruined relationships, bodies wracked by drugs, AIDS, alcohol - no garbage pit is too dirty, too smelly, or to hopeless for Him - and He takes the broken pieces of our lives and repairs them. He is able to change lives - if we let Him. I know that personally: He changed me. He is still changing me. He is still in the business of transforming ruined, broken and seemingly hopeless lives from all walks of life. I have found my peace, my rest, my belonging and my acceptance where they’ve always been right from the start: In Christ alone.

Oh gaze of love so melt my pride

That I may in Your house but kneel

And in my brokenness to cry

Spring worship unto Thee.

...It isn't about what I could do, but what He has done.

It's not about my promises but about His promises.

It's not about what I see but what He knows.

It's all about HIM....

THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE CHRIST

A Physician Analyzes the CrucifixionA medical explanation of what Jesus endured on the day He died

Dr. C. Truman Davis

Several years ago I became interested in the physical aspects of the passion, or suffering, of Jesus Christ when I read an account of the crucifixion in Jim Bishop's book, The Day Christ Died. I suddenly realized that I had taken the crucifixion more or less for granted all these years - that I had grown callous to its horror by a too-easy familiarity with the grim details. It finally occurred to me that, as a physician, I did not even know the actual immediate cause of Christ's death. The gospel writers do not help much on this point. Since crucifixion and scourging were so common during their lifetimes, they undoubtedly considered a detailed description superfluous. For that reason we have only the concise words of the evangelists: "Pilate, having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to them to be crucified ... and they crucified Him."

Despite the gospel accounts' silence on the details of Christ's crucifixion, many have looked into this subject in the past. In my personal study of the event from a medical viewpoint, I am indebted especially to Dr. Pierre Barbet, a French surgeon who did exhaustive historical and experimental research and wrote extensively on the topic.

An attempt to examine the infinite psychic and spiritual suffering of the Incarnate1 God in atonement 2 for the sins of fallen man is beyond the scope of this article. However, the physiological and anatomical aspects of our Lord's passion we can examine in some detail. What did the body of Jesus of Nazareth actually endure during those hours of torture?

Gethsemane

The physical passion of Christ began in Gethsemane. Of the many aspects of His initial suffering, the one which is of particular physiological interest is the bloody sweat. Interestingly enough, the physician, St. Luke, is the only evangelist to mention this occurrence. He says, "And being in an agony, he prayed the longer. And his sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground" (Luke 22:44 KJV).

Every attempt imaginable has been used by modern scholars to explain away the phenomenon of bloody sweat, apparently under the mistaken impression that it simply does not occur. A great deal of effort could be saved by consulting the medical literature. Though very rare, the phenomenon of hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is well documented. Under great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat. This process alone could have produced marked weakness and possible shock.

Although Jesus' betrayal and arrest are important portions of the passion story, the next event in the account which is significant from a medical perspective is His trial before the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas, the High Priest. Here the first physical trauma was inflicted. A soldier struck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by Caiaphas. The palace guards then blindfolded Him, mockingly taunted Him to identify them as each passed by, spat on Him, and struck Him in the face.

Before Pilate

In the early morning, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and worn out from a sleepless night, Jesus was taken across Jerusalem to the Praetorium of the Fortress Antonia, the seat of government of the Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. We are familiar with Pilate's action in attempting to shift responsibility to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Judea. Jesus apparently suffered no physical mistreatment at the hands of Herod and was returned to Pilate. It was then, in response to the outcry of the mob, that Pilate ordered Barabbas released and condemned Jesus to scourging and crucifixion.

Preparations for Jesus' scourging were carried out at Caesar's orders. The prisoner was stripped of His clothing and His hands tied to a post above His head. The Roman legionnaire stepped forward with the flagrum, or flagellum, in his hand. This was a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip was brought down with full force again and again across Jesus' shoulders, back and legs. At first the weighted thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continued, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles.

The small balls of lead first produced large deep bruises that were broken open by subsequent blows. Finally, the skin of the back was hanging in long ribbons, and the entire area was an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it was determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner was near death, the beating was finally stopped.

Mockery

The half-fainting Jesus was then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with his own blood. The Roman soldiers saw a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be a king. They threw a robe across His shoulders and placed a stick in His hand for a scepter. They still needed a crown to make their travesty complete. Small flexible branches covered with long thorns, commonly used for kindling fires in the charcoal braziers in the courtyard, were plaited in the shape of a crude crown. The crown was pressed into his scalp and again there was copious bleeding as the thorns pierced the very vascular tissue. After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers took the stick from His hand and struck Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper in His scalp. Finally, they tired of their sadistic sport and tore the robe from His back. The robe had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, and its removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, caused excruciating pain. The wounds again began to bleed.

Golgotha

In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans apparently returned His garments. The heavy patibulum3 of the cross was tied across His shoulders. The procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman soldiers headed by a centurion began its slow journey along the route which we know today as the Via Dolorosa.

In spite of Jesus' efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious loss of blood, was too much. He stumbled and fell. The rough wood of the beam gouged into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tried to rise, but human muscles had been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion, anxious to proceed with the crucifixion, selected a stalwart North African onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross. Jesus followed, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock. The 650-yard journey from the Fortress Antonia to Golgotha was finally completed. The prisoner was again stripped of His clothing except for a loin cloth which was allowed the Jews.

The crucifixion began. Jesus was offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic, pain-reliving mixture. He refused the drink. Simon was ordered to place the patibulum on the ground, and Jesus was quickly thrown backward, with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire felt for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drove a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moved to the other side and repeated the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The patibulum was then lifted into place at the top of the stipes, and the titulus reading "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" was nailed into place.

The left foot was pressed backward against the right foot. With both feet extended, toes down, a nail was driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The victim was now crucified.

On the Cross

As Jesus slowly sagged down with more weight on the nails in the wrist, excruciating, fiery pain shot along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain. The nails in the wrists were putting pressure on the median nerve, large nerve trunks which traverse the mid-wrist and hand. As He pushed himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He placed His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there was searing agony as the nail tore through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of his feet.

At this point, another phenomenon occurred. As the arms fatigued, great waves of cramps swept over the muscles, knotting them in deep relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps came the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by the arm, the pectoral muscles, the large muscles of the chest, were paralyzed and the intercostal muscles, the small muscles between the ribs, were unable to act. Air could be drawn into the lungs, but could not be exhaled. Jesus fought to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, the carbon dioxide level increased in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subsided.

The Last Words

Spasmodically, He was able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen. It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences that are recorded.

The first - looking down at the Roman soldiers throwing dice for His seamless garment: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do."

The second - to the penitent thief: "Today, thou shalt be with me in Paradise."

The third - looking down at Mary His mother, He said: "Woman, behold your son." Then turning to the terrified, grief-stricken adolescent John, the beloved apostle, He said: "Behold your mother."

The fourth cry is from the beginning of Psalm 22: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

He suffered hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, and searing pain as tissue was torn from His lacerated back from His movement up and down against the rough timbers of the cross. Then another agony began: a deep crushing pain in the chest as the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart, slowly filled with serum and began to compress the heart.

The prophecy in Psalm 22:14 was being fulfilled: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels."

The end was rapidly approaching. The loss of tissue fluids had reached a critical level; the compressed heart was struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood to the tissues, and the tortured lungs were making a frantic effort to inhale small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues sent their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasped His fifth cry: "I thirst." Again we read in the prophetic psalm: "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death" (Psalm 22:15 KJV).

A sponge soaked in posca, the cheap, sour wine that was the staple drink of the Roman legionnaires, was lifted to Jesus' lips. His body was now in extremis, and He could feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. This realization brought forth His sixth word, possibly little more than a tortured whisper: "It is finished." His mission of atonement9 had completed. Finally, He could allow His body to die. With one last surge of strength, He once again pressed His torn feet against the nail, straightened His legs, took a deeper breath, and uttered His seventh and last cry: "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit."

Death

The common method of ending a crucifixion was by crurifracture, the breaking of the bones of the leg. This prevented the victim from pushing himself upward; the tension could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest, and rapid suffocation occurred. The legs of the two thieves were broken, but when the soldiers approached Jesus, they saw that this was unnecessary.

Apparently, the make doubly sure of death, the legionnaire drove his lance between the ribs, upward through the pericardium and into the heart. John 19:34 states, "And immediately there came out blood and water." Thus there was an escape of watery fluid from the sac surrounding the heart and the blood of the interior of the heart. This is rather conclusive post-mortem evidence that Jesus died, not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium.
Resurrection

In these events, we have seen a glimpse of the epitome of evil that man can exhibit toward is fellowman and toward God. This is an ugly sight and is likely to leave us despondent and depressed.

But the crucifixion was not the end of the story. How grateful we can be that we have a sequel: a glimpse of the infinite mercy of God toward man - - the gift of atonement, the miracle of the resurrection, and the expectation of Easter morning.

THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING - PLATO

THE MEANING OF FATHERHOOD

Our lesson for the evening was about certain traits and characteristics we all want to see in our biological fathers and using the acronym F-A-T-H-E-R. We have a perfect, heavenly Father and all the attributes, traits and characteristics we want to see in an ideal father are already being manifested by Him in how He has related with humankind since the foundation of the world.

The F is for faithful.

Fathers must be faithful husbands. They lose the moral ground in leading or attempting to lead their children to righteousness if their lives are characterized by unfaithfulness and infidelity. And sadly, most societies today have found both to be acceptable. In a gathering of men, nary an eyebrow is raised when talk goes around to or about someone having an affair with this and that woman. Whether it was a one night stand, anaffair or an open secret, nobody seems to be surprised anymore. What's even more surprising is that men who are prone to such escapades seem to be more admired and even idolized by their peers and other fellowmen.

Fathers must be faithful to their families. As husbands, they must always be faithful and devoted to their wives. There are certain companies now which are adopting certain policies in the hiring of applicants and other key personnel. They want to see if the people they want to get for certain positions are faithful to their wives. If they're not, they would likely be unfaithful to the company as well. The government bureaucracy should adopt the same policies.

The A stands for affectionate.

Today's fathers are probably more affectionate than those of the previous generations. Fathers from whatever generation are known not be demonstrative in showing affection to those they love. Hugging, crying, holding hands (whether with their wives or their children), and other similargestures and behavior are supposedly unmanly. Virile, macho fathers aren't supposed to show their feelings. They're supposed to be invincible and inscrutable. This mindset has alienated many children from their fathers and has caused countless problems in many families. Everyone needs to love and be loved. That's human nature and we were certainly made that way. So there's nothing wrong about fathers being more demonstrative and expressive about their feelings to those they dearly love. If you're a son and you feel so dumb, down and discouraged and your world seems to be crumbling and falling apart and the solution to your woes and grief is neither in cash or kind, wouldn't it be such a wonderful feeling if all of a sudden your dad comes along, puts his arm around you and gently tells you, "Don't worry son, whatever is your problem, I will always be your dad and I will always love you."

Wow! Wouldn't that be great? You're in a mess, in crisis, in the gutter and here's your dad telling you that? That's how the prodigal son must have felt when his own dad ran to him and embraced him when he went back home after going away to spend in wild abandon his own inheritance. If you're this kind of a father who will not hesitate to show affection to his loved ones especially in their hour of need, then blessed and happy are your children indeed!
Affection is not something you can buy or earn whether you graduatedsumma cum laude from UP or Harvard. It's what you are deep inside.Often we learn the hard way that it's always better to be kind thanto be right.

The T stands for trusting.

If teen-aged kids today were asked what one trait they would like to see more in their fathers, I think trust would rank high in the list. Many fathers, myself included, don't seem to trust their children too much in so manyareas of concern from the food they eat, (why McDonald's?) the clothes they wear (do they have to expose their navels?), the friends they choose (I should know them all) to the careers they will pursue. We tend to be critical and judgmental often thinking they're not old enough to know what they're doing. Often we forget that our children have feelings and are distinct human individuals with unique personalities of their own.

The bible tells us in Colossians 3:21 (NIV) "Fathers, do not embitter your children or they will be discouraged." Also in Ephesians 6:4 (NIV), "Fathers, do not exasperate your children…" is a clear command addressed to fathers. And there are many instances whereby us fathers exasperate and discourage our children, from our double standards in modeling and teaching the right examples, over and under discipline, insensitivity, bad or negative attitudes to lack of quality time spent with them. One pastor and author saidthat the term quality time is misleading. You need quantity time in order to have quality time with your kids. I agree. As I often say, no amount of success can compensate for failure in the home.

The H is for honorable.

Fathers are supposed to be men of honor, men of integrity. Their word is their bond. They keep their promises. They honor their wedding vows. Alas, more and more fathers today are honorable only on paper or in their eyes…an ocean of difference lies between what they say and what they do. Dying if not gone are the days when honor was most valued by men. They would choose death rather than lie or dishonor their names.

One Hebrew word for man is "zakar" which means covenant-keeper. The word is closely related to the Arabic word "dakar" which refers to the male sex organ. The verb form of zakar means "to remember". Hence, if you combine the meaning of the verb and the noun forms, what you get is the "man remembering the covenant". When God told Abraham that He was making a covenant between Him and Abraham's seed, circumcision was the sign God instituted to seal the covenant, requiring hence that every male Israelite be circumcised on the 8th day after birth.

If we look at it closely, a considerable amount of the Old Testament revolves around the theme "to remember". This means that clearly and in no uncertain terms, God wants His people to remember…His covenant, the commandments, His decrees. He keeps telling us to remember because we keep forgetting. It was true then, even more so now. And marriages, families and societies today are breaking apart because men are forgetting or worse, ignoring to keep the covenant.

During the old days, men used to carry salt in pouches (he forgot to locate the bible passage) as this was not only a precious commodity but a form of money as well. (In fact, there were times the Roman legionnaires were paid salt instead of coins.) When two men entered into a covenant, they would seal the agreement by getting some salt from their own pouches andmix it with the salt on the other's pouch. The contracting party that breaks the covenant is usually required to take away and separate the pieces or grains of salt that was mixed in his pouch to symbolize the breach of contract. What a pathetic sight that should be!

The E stands for energetic.

Fathers cannot afford to be lazy or slothful. Since they are divinely mandated to be the breadwinners and providers in the family, they have to work diligently in their chosen professions. Fathers have to be responsible providers especially when there are mouths to feed and bodies to clothe. Children feel secure, encouraged and inspired when they see their fathers consistently providing and looking after their needs.

They have to be more emphatic and energetic in performing this particular role and function considering that more and more wives today are earning a lot more than their husbands. When this is the situation in a particular family, problems (emotional, relational or otherwise) will not be far behind. When a wife earns more than the husband, she will directly or indirectly challenge or undermine his authority and leadership as head of the family. The consequences are often disastrous.

The R stands for Rewarder.

Fathers ought to be more affirming and rewarding when it comes to relating with their children. We are quick to point out their mistakes, impose the necessary disciplinary measures etc etc yet hardly ever give them praise when they do something good no matter how petty or trivial the deed may be. Dorothy Law Nolte wrote in one of her literary pieces that if children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. If they live with hostility, they learn to fight. If they live with ridicule, they learn to be shy. If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence. If they live with tolerance, they learn to be patient. If they live with praise, they learn to appreciate. If they live with acceptance, they learn to love. If they live with approval, they learn to like themselves. If they live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.

R can also stand for Rewarded. When fathers perform according to their God-given roles and functions, it is certain they will be rewarded.

Success in fatherhood lies not in the strength of your arms or in the volume of your cash but in the closeness of your heart to the heart of God.

I thus exhort all fathers reading this now to seriously consider the foregoing. In our hands and under our care is a tremendous trust and responsibility. There are certain roles and functions that God has clearly ordained for us to assume and perform. For His glory and for His honor. For our sakes and those of our children, there is no choice but to obey.

Disobedience breeds nothing but tears and sorrow. We will always reap what we sow.

Be good and faithful fathers. Be happy and content with what you have. Whatever your situation and circumstance, be grateful and thankful to God. He is always in control. May you all have a good and godly day! May God bless us all!

(From the June 16 meeting of the Sigma Rho Bible Study. Posted by Pastor Aloysius Cezar)

FOUNDATIONS OF BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY

THE CAMBRIDGE DECLARATION
of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
April 20, 1996

Evangelical churches today are increasingly dominated by the spirit of this age rather than by the Spirit of Christ. As evangelicals, we call ourselves to repent of this sin and to recover the historic Christian faith.

In the course of history words change. In our day this has happened to the word "evangelical." In the past it served as a bond of unity between Christians from a wide diversity of church traditions. Historic evangelicalism was confessional. It embraced the essential truths of Christianity as those were defined by the great ecumenical councils of the church. In addition, evangelicals also shared a common heritage in the "solas" of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation.

Today the light of the Reformation has been significantly dimmed. The consequence is that the word "evangelical" has become so inclusive as to have lost its meaning. We face the peril of losing the unity it has taken centuries to achieve. Because of this crisis and because of our love of Christ, his gospel and his church, we endeavor to assert anew our commitment to the central truths of the Reformation and of historic evangelicalism. These truths we affirm not because of their role in our traditions, but because we believe that they are central to the Bible.

Sola Scriptura: The Erosion Of Authority

Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church's life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too often, by the culture. Therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God. Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction.

Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church's understanding, nurture and discipline.

Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliche's, promises. and priorities of mass culture. It is only in the light of God's truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God's provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preachers opinions or the ideas of the age. We must settle for nothing less than what God has given.

The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture. The Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture. Apart from Scripture we would never have known of God's grace in Christ. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth.

Thesis One: Sola Scriptura

We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian's conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.

Solus Christus: The Erosion Of Christ-Centered Faith

As evangelical faith becomes secularized, its interests have been blurred with those of the culture. The result is a loss of absolute values, permissive individualism, and a substitution of wholeness for holiness, recovery for repentance, intuition for truth, feeling for belief, chance for providence, and immediate gratification for enduring hope. Christ and his cross have moved from the center of our vision.

Thesis Two: Solus Christus

We reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father. We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ's substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.

Sola Gratia: The Erosion Of The Gospel

Unwarranted confidence in human ability is a product of fallen human nature. This false confidence now fills the evangelical world; from the self-esteem gospel, to the health and wealth gospel, from those who have transformed the gospel into a product to be sold and sinners into consumers who want to buy, to others who treat Christian faith as being true simply because it works. This silences the doctrine of justification regardless of the official commitments of our churches.

God's grace in Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of cooperating with regenerating grace.

Thesis Three: Sola Gratia

We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life. We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.

Sola Fide: The Erosion Of The Chief Article

Justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. This is the article by which the church stands or falls. Today this article is often ignored, distorted or sometimes even denied by leaders, scholars and pastors who claim to be evangelical. Although fallen human nature has always recoiled from recognizing its need for Christ's imputed righteousness, modernity greatly fuels the fires of this discontent with the biblical Gospel. We have allowed this discontent to dictate the nature of our ministry and what it is we are preaching.

Many in the church growth movement believe that sociological understanding of those in the pew is as important to the success of the gospel as is the biblical truth which is proclaimed. As a result, theological convictions are frequently divorced from the work of the ministry. The marketing orientation in many churches takes this even further, erasing the distinction between the biblical Word and the world, robbing Christ's cross of its offense, and reducing Christian faith to the principles and methods which bring success to secular corporations.

While the theology of the cross may be believed, these movements are actually emptying it of its meaning. There is no gospel except that of Christ's substitution in our place whereby God imputed to him our sin and imputed to us his righteousness. Because he bore our judgment, we now walk in his grace as those who are forever pardoned, accepted and adopted as God's children. There is no basis for our acceptance before God except in Christ's saving work, not in our patriotism, churchly devotion or moral decency. The gospel declares what God has done for us in Christ. It is not about what we can do to reach him.

Thesis Four: Sola Fide

We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ's righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God's perfect justice. We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ's righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.

Soli Deo Gloria: The Erosion Of God-Centered Worship

Wherever in the church biblical authority has been lost, Christ has been displaced, the gospel has been distorted, or faith has been perverted, it has always been for one reason: our interests have displaced God's and we are doing his work in our way. The loss of God's centrality in the life of today's church is common and lamentable. It is this loss that allows us to transform worship into entertainment, gospel preaching into marketing, believing into technique, being good into feeling good about ourselves, and faithfulness into being successful. As a result, God, Christ and the Bible have come to mean too little to us and rest too inconsequentially upon us.

God does not exist to satisfy human ambitions, cravings, the appetite for consumption, or our own private spiritual interests. We must focus on God in our worship, rather than the satisfaction of our personal needs. God is sovereign in worship; we are not. Our concern must be for God's kingdom, not our own empires, popularity or success.

Thesis Five: Soli Deo Gloria

We reaffirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God's glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone. We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self- fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.

Call To Repentance And Reformation

The faithfulness of the evangelical church in the past contrasts sharply with its unfaithfulness in the present. Earlier in this century, evangelical churches sustained a remarkable missionary endeavor, and built many religious institutions to serve the cause of biblical truth and Christ's kingdom. That was a time when Christian behavior and expectations were markedly different from those in the culture. Today they often are not. The evangelical world today is losing its biblical fidelity, moral compass and missionary zeal.

We repent of our worldliness. We have been influenced by the "gospels" of our secular culture, which are no gospels. We have weakened the church by our own lack of serious repentance, our blindness to the sins in ourselves which we see so clearly in others, and our inexcusable failure adequately to tell others about God's saving work in Jesus Christ.

We also earnestly call back erring professing evangelicals who have deviated from God's Word in the matters discussed in this Declaration. This includes those who declare that there is hope of eternal life apart from explicit faith in Jesus Christ, who claim that those who reject Christ in this life will be annihilated rather than endure the just judgment of God through eternal suffering, or who claim that evangelicals and Roman Catholics are one in Jesus Christ even where the biblical doctrine of justification is not believed.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals asks all Christians to give consideration to implementing this Declaration in the church's worship, ministry, policies, life and evangelism. For Christ's sake. Amen.

ACE Council Members:

Dr. John ArmstrongRev. Alistair BeggDr. James M. BoiceDr. W. Robert GodfreyDr. John D. HannahDr. Michael S. HortonMrs. Rosemary JensenDr. R. Albert Mohler Jr.Dr. Robert M. NorrisDr. R. C. SproulDr. G. Edward VeithDr. David WellsDr. Luder WhitlockDr. J. A. O. Preus, III

RESISTING TEMPTATION..CONQUERING LUST

Resisting Temptation

1. Pray for protection. As in the Lord's Prayer, pray regularly "Lead us not into temptation" (Matthew 6:13).

2. Don't feel guilty. Temptation is not wrong, so don't condemn yourself for being tempted. Put your energy into fighting it. Self condemnation and doubt about who we are in Christ come from Satan.

3. Avoid exposure to temptation. Each of us has areas of life in which we are particularly vulnerable. Know yours, and stay off the premises! (Romans 13:14)

4. Think protectively. "Be self-controlled and alert," Peter writes. "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

5. Resist quickly. Don't play with temptation. "Do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:27).

6. Conquer through Christ. You can get past temptation successfully with God's help. Our mediator Jesus Christ understands and the Holy Spirit is able. We need only ask. (Hebrews 2:18, 1Corinthians 10:13, Philippians 4:13)

The Consequences of Lust

Mental/Emotional: Shame and guilt accompany lustful behavior. At first, the lusting person is able to turn their thoughts "on and off"; however, this becomes progressively more difficult, until the lustful thoughts become an obsession. Though the thoughts initially bring pleasure, they eventually bring disgust and shame, and fear of exposure consumes the individual.

Physical: As individuals attempt to hide their lust, the attempt increases stress-related illnesses such as ulcers, colitis, and general muscular tension. The sexual arousal response becomes conditioned or connected with the object of lust. In the case of pornography, the initial sexual excitement drops unless there is an escalation to more shocking material.

Relational: Lust often leads to a self-consciousness which becomes a barrier to relationships. Salacious fantasy produces unrealistic and sometimes unattainable expectations about the physical appearance or sexual behavior of one's partner. Pornography degrades not only those individuals depicted, but all those they represent. It frays the bonds of mutual respect that are necessary to hold society together.

Spiritual: God has said that lust is a sin which builds a spiritual barrier. In gratifying our sinful nature, we turn from what God has planned for us and we seek fulfillment in the wrong place, finding spiritual emptiness. In this darkness we may begin to believe the lie that God can no longer love us.

Conquering Lustful Thinking

1. Pray. You need to pray specifically and often. Ask God to give you the purity of thinking that is characteristic of Christ. (Romans 8:5) Ask other Christians to pray for you and be accountable to them.

2. Avoid exposure. Breaking the power of any addiction requires breaking habit patterns. Minimize your exposure to the temptation. Avoid certain places, people, or programs, anything fraught with temptation. Choose wholesome alternatives.

3. Stop destructive thoughts. Since lust begins in the mind, say "stop" immediately, when an unwanted thought intrudes. You must choose to oppose the unwanted thought, moving it from thought to action. When you are alone, say it aloud; giving it extra strength because it goes through the sensory channels. Resist evil. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

4. Replace destructive thoughts. Think of anything else, whether neutral or constructive: count, recite a verse, sing a hymn, and count your blessings. Replace evil with good. (Romans 12:21)

5. Seek healing of memories. Everyone carries wounds from the past that remain unhealed. The healing process frequently requires repentance, forgiveness, restitution, sometimes face-to-face reconciliation, and always God's intervention. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

6. Seek God's new nature. Without a commitment to be God's person, the other strategies will fail. When the Holy Spirit controls us, He will produce holiness and self-control in our lives. We all have legitimate needs that need filling; God is able to do this in wholesome, life-giving ways. (Colossians 3:10)

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY "EVANGELICAL?

- a response by Dr. Leon Morris*

An evangelical is a gospel man, a gospel woman. "Evangelical" derives from 'evangel': "gospel". By definition an evangelical is someone concerned for the gospel. This means more than that he preaches the gospel now and then. It means that for him the gospel of Christ is central. It is, of course, his message and he preaches it, constantly. But it is more than a subject of preaching. The gospel is at the centre of his thinking and living.

The Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians of the gospel he had brought them by saying that it is of the first importance that "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor.15:3). It seems to me that everything that matters to the evangelical arises from this basic proposition.

"Christ died." The cross is the great, basic act of God. "For our sins." That is the stubborn fact that made the cross necessary. It points to the truth that there is that in every member of the human race which makes for evil rather than for good. This has been caricatured as though evangelicals were saying that every member of the race is as bad as he can be. They are not. They are saying that none of us is perfect. None of us always does what deep in his heart of hearts he knows he ought to do. None of us measures up to God's standard.

This stops the evangelical from being swept off his feet by the promise of any earthly utopia. He will join as readily as the next in any scheme for the betterment of others. It is part of the outworking of the love he sees on the cross that he does so. These days we are realizing more of the importance of this part of our duty to our neighbor than we used to. That is all to the good. But the evangelical does not put his trust in human endeavors. He is a pessimist. He sees that dictatorships of the left and dictatorships of the right alike end up in oppression. He sees that democracies all too often end up in muddle and soulless bureaucracy. He will do his best to make any system work, but his trust is not in systems. Every system has to work on the raw material of sinners. The evangelical is clear-sighted about this. That man is a sinner puts a firm limit on his ability to do good.

And it puts an end to the possibility of his attaining the ultimate good. The fact that he is a sinner means that he cannot work out his eternal salvation. Sin leaves its mark on life here and has consequences for the hereafter.

But the great, wonderful truth is that "Christ died for our sins." What was impossible for men God in Christ has perfectly accomplished. He has defeated sin now and for eternity. The evangel is a message about a salvation with both temporal and eternal consequences.

Evangelicals insist with Scripture that the atonement is objective as well as subjective. It does have its effect on us, but its effect is not limited to our subjective experience. Whole books have been written on the atonement and they will doubtless continue to be written until Christ comes back. They help us understand a little of that great atoning act but none of them fully explains it. How can they? They are written by sinful people, people who are themselves immersed in the world's evil and are making their own contribution to it. They cannot stand outside it and see what needs to be done about it. But for the evangelical the significant thing is not our inability to explain it. The significant thing is that Christ died for our sins. Whatever needed to be done He has done. Nothing can be added to that perfect divine work.

For that reason the evangelical will find himself called upon to protest from time to time against systems which claim to be Christian but which do try to add to Christ's work, whether by calling on men to accomplish their salvation by their good deeds or by their liturgical observances or by anything else. Christ, no less than he Died, no less that. All our shabby shibboleths vanish before His sacrificial love.

Confronted with the cross I may respond and turn to Christ in faith and love. Or I may harden my heart. To respond to Christ's love is to become a different person. The whole set of the life is changed. Evangelicals have always insisted on the necessity for conversion. This may happen in one sudden, blinding experience (as with Saul of Tarsus). Or it may happen gradually (as with Timothy). The time is immaterial. The turning is everything. And it happens to all who come to Christ. The evangelical despairs of no one. The evangelical is an optimist.
It is easy to see the cross as a magnificent incentive to laziness. Christ has done everything. I can do nothing. Therefore I will do nothing. But that is not the way the New Testament sees it. John can write, "Herein is love, not that we love God (we will never understand love if we start from the human end), but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Then he goes on, " Beloved, if God so loved us we ought to love one another, too" (1 Jn. 4:10-11). Notice John's verb. We ought, we 'owe it' to love one another. Love is not an occupation for somewhat soppy and sentimental citizens with a distaste for determined action. It is a demand made on all God's people as their response to His great love and it is love that overflows in activities for others as 1 Corinthians 13 makes clear for all time. Love is demanding. Christ did not die, as someone has put it, "for the flim-flam of respectable Christianity". Away with that kind of nonsense! Christ died for our sins, died to put them away so that we become loving people.

We of the human race know a love for attractive people, for beautiful people, for those who love us. Christ's love is for sinners (Rom. 5:8), a love which puts away sin and rebukes all our self centredness so that love becomes our mainspring. This means in the first instance that we love other believers. The evangelical sees the church, the beloved community, as an integral part of the purpose of God. And in the second instance it means loving those outside. It means being loving people, for we are the followers of Him who died for sinners. It means evangelism as we bring to sinners the best gift we have.

Evangelicals have sometimes been regarded as hard-liners, people without sympathy for those who deviate by a hairsbreadth from our respectable orthodoxy. Who can say that we are guiltless? "Envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness" are endemic in the human race and we have our share. Repentance for our past sins and a discovery of ways in which we can show that loving response which the New Testament sees as flowing from the cross is therefore an authentic part of evangelicalism.

But the cross speaks not only about love but about lowliness. Nowadays we are told that "small is beautiful". Put in these terms the thought is new. But its essence has always been part of evangelical religion. The cross condemns all self-seeking. How can anyone who has entered into the meaning of the cross seek great things for himself? The evangelical is a servant of God's people, a servant of the church, and a servant of the community of which is a part. He is one who has heard a call to take up his cross (Luke. 9:23). His life style is different because of what the cross means to him.

There is a further implication. The standard set before him is one he cannot reach. He knows that. But he knows too that on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down on the infant church in the likeness of cleansing fire and powerful wind. "It was not yet 'spirit'", John wrote concerning Jesus' life, "because Jesus was not yet glorified" (Jn7:39). But when Jesus had accomplished His great work the Spirit came. The indwelling and empowering of the Spirit is an integral part of the Christian life as the evangelical understands it. He uses words like 'sanctification' and 'holiness' which speak of the need for a standard he can never reach for himself but which speak also of what the Spirit does in the believer.

"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." The reference to Scripture means that the death of Christ was in line with the will of the Father. A great divine purpose was worked out in the atonement, a purpose revealed in the Bible.

Evangelicals have always put a great emphasis on the place of the Bible. This has not been out of perverse dogmatism, but from a profound conviction that it is important to the Christian faith. Many religions in the world are religions of ideas. One could say that in those cases it is the ideas and not the people who originated them that matter. It could be said that it does not greatly matter whether Gautama Buddha or Muhammed ever lived. What matters is that there are certain great ideas associated with their names and that by those ideas millions of our fellow men live.

But this kind of reasoning does not apply to Christianity. It is true that Christianity has some great ideas and it does not matter greatly who originated them. But what Paul is telling us is something different. He is saying that something happened. Christ died. This is not simply an idea. It is a historical fact. The gospel message is that once God came into history in the person of Jesus Christ. He came to live a life of lowly service and to die on Calvary's cross "for our sins".

Christianity is a historical religion in a way that no other religion is. Unless we have access to the facts we are cut off from our roots. And our access is by way of "the Scriptures". They are the means God has given us to bring us the gospel. So evangelicals have always thankfully received this good gift of God and have regarded it as of the utmost importance that we have a Bible on which we can rely. They point to the express teaching of our Lord himself and to that of the apostles. And they point to the necessity for the facts of the gospel to be reliably attested.

There are other things that evangelicals hold. I am not giving an exhaustive list of evangelical convictions. I am saying that they all stem from the evangel. The whole system of the evangelical is the outworking of the gospel. With whatever blunderings and mistakes the evangelical tries to unfold the implications of salvation through the cross and to live by them. The evangelical man or woman is, above all else, a product, and a bearer of the gospel.

Reprinted with permission from "Working Together", the magazine of the Australian Evangelical Alliance, 1998 Issue 4.

*Rev. Dr. Leon Morris was a founding member and former Chairman of the Evangelical Alliance of Victoria. A former principal of Ridley College, Melbourne, he is an internationally renowned New Testament scholar, and has had a very fruitful ministry worldwide, as a speaker, theologian, and author of fifty one books, of which nearly two million copies are in circulation.

WHAT IS A BAPTIST?

Often people choose the church they attend on the basis of the friendliness of the people, the church or type of church their families have attended, or even the appearance of the church building. More important than all of these things, though, ought to be the beliefs that the local church holds as central to their belief, preaching, and practice.

Historically, Baptists find their origins in the Free (Anabaptist) Churches. These churches existed from the time of the apostles. Even though the name "Baptist" was not used until the 1600's, the Baptist Distinctives were practiced by small, persecuted groups during the Dark Ages and the Reformation. Biblical faith and practice forced these to separate from two powerful traditional groups: the Roman Catholic Church, and the Protestant Churches. (During the Protestant Reformation, these formerly Catholic churches tried to return to a more Biblical pattern. They still rejected most of the Baptist Distinctives.) For this reason, Bible-centered Baptist Churches are not Protestant churches. They existed long before the Reformation.

Beliefs are not worth much unless they are translated into actions. Based on what the Bible teaches, we feel very strongly about the below principles, called the Baptist Distinctives:

B
Biblical Authority The Bible is our only authority for faith and pratice. No insight, testimony, or decree of man, regardless of his piety or position, can ever supersede the Bible. This distinctive is the primary Baptist distinctive. All others spring from this absolute trust in the Scriptures. Read: 2 Timothy 3:16

A
Autonomy of the Local Church Each local assembly is self-governing without any outside hierarchy of conventions. The local church is an independent body accountable to no one but our Lord. There is no person or organization on earth that can dictate what a local church can or should do. This does not prevent voluntary cooperation with other churches as long as such activity does not violate the church's independence or affiliate the church with false teaching.
Read: Acts 15; Matthew 18:15-17

P
Priesthood of the Believer Each believer is privileged to come to God individually without human or saintly intervention. Every believer today is a priest and may enter the presence of God directly through only one Mediator, our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. There is no other human mediator. Along with the privilege of priesthood, there is the responsibility as priests to live a life separated from sin and devoted to God. Read: Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Peter 2:9

T
Two Ordinances Two commands issued and instituted by Christ to His Church to be obeyed are Believers' Baptism and the Lord's Table. An "ordinance" is a picture of saving truth, as opposed to a "sacrament" which is proposed to be a means of receiving divine grace. We practice only believer's baptism by immersion. This contradicts two practices common among Roman Catholic and Protestant churches: infant baptism and sprinkling (pouring). Immersion is the only acceptable mode for baptism because it alone preserves the picture of saving truth. No other form pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The Lord's Table (also called The Lord's Supper or communion) is a symbolic ordinance, picturing Christ's body broken for our sins and His blood shed for our redemption. It helps us remember His death, and inspires us while looking forward to His coming. Read: Acts 8:36; Romans 6:1-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23, 24; 2 Corinthians 11:23-26

I
Individual Soul Liberty Every person has the right to worship God according to his conscience without coercion. Read: Romans 14:4, 5

S
Saved Church Membership Church membership is open to all who have exhibited repentance toward God and exercised faith in Christ. Membership is strictly a matter of obedience; it bestows no grace. Read: Acts 2:44, 47

T
Two Offices The Lord has established two offices, Pastor and Deacon, to minister to His flock. There is no additional hierarchy of offices. Pastors are also called bishops, overseers, or elders in the New Testament. Deacons are given to help the pastor in the daily administration and decision making of the church. Read: 1 Timothy 3:1-13

S
Separation of Church and State The Lord has established the State to administer civil, secular government and the Church to minister the man's spiritual needs. The two are separate entities never to be intertwined. Read: Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:29

Even though the name "Baptist" has been misused by many, we retain the name because the historic Baptist position best describes our position in matters of doctrine, faith, and practice. We share similar positions with other groups who base their beliefs completely on Bible teaching, even though they may not choose the "Baptist" name. Still, the name is meant to clearly identify us with these distinctives.

POTTER & CLAY

The analogy of the potter and the clay are used several times in the Bible (Isaiah 64:8, Jeremiah 18:1-10, etc.). I came across one interesting story on this matter…

There was a visitor to a famous potter and as he stood there he watched something he really didn't understand. This famous potter was beating a lump of clay with his wooden mallet. Just pounding the daylights out of it. The visitor thought, "What is going on here? You don't beat clay! You mold it and make it." And here he was beating the clay so he asked the potter, "Why are you doing this?" And the potter said, "Wait and see. It won't be long and you'll find out." And so, the man stood there. Eventually the pounding stopped, the lump of clay was placed there on the table. He stood there and looked at it, and finally he saw the top of it start to just quiver a little bit and he looked and lo and behold, he could see little lumps forming on the top of the clay. "What are those?" And the potter said, "Those are air bubbles coming out. I have to get all the air out of that clay, otherwise those air bubble will cause that pot to crack, and you don't want to be a crack-pot. It will mar the pot. It will destroy the pot."

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SUFFERING?

WHY SUFFERING…

There are many reasons why God allows suffering. The following webpages also discuss the issue of suffering and God:

§ Why Would a Good God Allow Suffering?http://www.rbc.org/ds/q0106/ ,
§ 10 Reasons To Believe in A God Who Allows Suffering http://www.rbc.org/rtb/4rsn/.

In my own personal experiences and study, I have seen many reasons why God’s children suffer. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. The testimony of Paul…

“7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Apparently the Apostle Paul had, on top of the suffering he endured at the hands of persecutors within and without the church, he also had his own personal struggle - an affliction that is not clearly specified. Perhaps some form of sickness, but the point here is that in our weakness, we learn to depend on an all-powerful God. There are many times in my life when I convinced myself and others that all I needed to go on was a strong willpower, guts, determination and well, connections. I sought what I considered to be right before me, never mind the consequences. God has allowed me to suffer in order to effect a paradigm shift : to put me in a situation where all the things, resources and abilities I thought I could depend on failed me, so I would call on Him.

I’ve been studying the life of Paul, who begun his career as a Pharisee and an active persecutor of the church (Acts 9:1). He was present when Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was stoned (Acts 8). I’ve seen his life turn around. He would later go on to suffer much for the sake of Christ (Acts 9:16):

“23Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness”. (2 Corinthians 11:23-30)

“7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body… 16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (1 Corinthians 4:7-12, 16:18)

Consider those passages. Light and momentary troubles? I don’t think so, but in contrast with 1.) what Christ has done, 2.) what Christ is doing in the life of Paul, and 3.) the reward that awaits him, Paul can confidently state it in such a manner. Elsewhere, he states:

“17Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”. (Romans 8:17-18)

Based on the above texts, I learned that:

§ Suffering teaches me to be God-reliant, not self-reliant
§ Suffering keeps me from being proud of myself
§ Suffering teaches me to trust in God’s power
§ Suffering makes me focus on what is unseen and eternal and not on

what is seen and temporary
§ Suffering allows me to share in Christ’s glory

2. The testimony of Peter…

“21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”[e] 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:21-24)

“ 12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

To follow Christ is to march to the beat of a different drum, to obey a different Master, and to earn the enmity of the world, the flesh or the sinful nature, and the devil. Christianity, while still in this world, is no rose garden. Suffering is not incidental: in fact, it is expected!

“6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Based on the above texts, and also some study about Peter, I learned that:

§ Suffering refines my faith
§ Suffering is following Christ’s example
§ Suffering is participating in Christ’s suffering
§ Suffering keeps my focus on the future and to keep me from being

enamored by the present
§ Suffering keeps me from complacency

3. The Book of Hebrews…

“7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:7-11)

Suffering can be for disciplinary reasons. We can be chastised when we do wrong, and in the process, we learn. We become better persons if we allow ourselves to learn from discipline. It, in the end, makes us better, more useful, and more prudent persons.

Based on the above texts, I learned that:

§ Suffering can be a form of god’s discipline for sin in one’s life
§ Suffering molds character in a person, particularly holiness
§ Suffering is a sign of being a child of God

4. The testimony of James…

“2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Based on the above texts, I learned that:

§ Suffering can be testing the quality of one’s faith
§ Suffering develops perseverance
§ Learning perseverance from suffering leads to spiritual maturity

5. The testimony of Job…

The Bible is replete with stories about suffering, and none is more painful than the story of Job. He was a “blameless and upright man” (Job 1:8) Under the testing of Satan, Job lost everything: wealth, children, status – he lost everything except his false friends, who accused him of unconfessed sin and disobedience, and a nagging wife, who encouraged him to “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Under severe testing, he praised God and remained faithful. Later, he was restored by God and even more richly blessed than before (Job 42:12).

Based on his story, I learned that:

§ We cannot be tested without God’s approval
§ We glorify God when we patiently endure suffering
§ Suffering has an END
§ We reveal our true character when stripped of everything material that

we hold dear - when we have no money, no friends, no home, no health,

when we are stripped of the superficial trappings that we think define

our existence or our selves, we come closest to seeing ourselves

objectively – THAT WE ARE NOTHING WITHOUT GOD!

CONCLUSION

Suffering can be brought about by different reasons, depending on the context or circumstances…it can be a consequence of sin, a process of undergoing discipline, to refine character, exercise faith in God, a test, a reminder not to put too much confidence in oneself or in material things…

For me, suffering has broken my much-vaunted pride, that bastion of self that I’ve held on to when everything else was crumbling…It has shown me how little, how insignificant, in fact, how pathetic I am…

It has led me to Jesus Christ…I would not cry out to Him until I reached rock-bottom, and so in His love, He let me sink so low. They say when you’re at the pits, there’s nowhere to look but up…

He humbled me, yes I would say that He broke me. God allowed me to suffer so I would call on Him, and run to Him. He brought me to the brink of despair so I would see the greatness of His redemption.

Until I realized my helplessness, and my need for Him, He let me wallow a bit, until I literally was brought down on my knees, crying out to Him.

I did think that perhaps god was simply being sadistic – a sort of monstrous ego trip or a kid playing with an ant farm. Or perhaps he was being vindictive for all the times I was deliberately disobedient. Only later did I appreciate why God allowed me to suffer: it was because HE LOVED ME.

I am not enjoying “the good life.” I don’t have a lot of so-called determinants of success. I’m still in the furnace, but I now understand why: I am still “under construction.”

POWER FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING

Every Christian is to grow spiritually. The following POWER acrostic will help you to remember the essential elements to spiritual progress.

Pray. The Christian who wants to grow, communicates with God through prayer. He expresses his gratitude to Him, confesses his sins, and comes to Him with his requests for himself and for others. God promises to be near to all who come to Him in prayer (Ps. 145:18).

Obey. In John 14, Jesus said that our obedience to His commands is an indicator of our love for Him (vv.15,21,23). We can’t do it in our own strength, however. That’s one of the reasons He gave us the Holy Spirit (vv.16-17). As we yield to Him, the Spirit provides the power to walk in obedience (Gal. 5:16-25).

Worship. A Christian’s devotion to God is to be continuous. Privately, he should worship God in his thoughts and prayers (Ps. 34:1). Publicly, he should unite with fellow believers in a local assembly to bring praise to God (Ps. 111:1; Heb. 10:24-25).

Evangelize. The good news of the gospel is to be shared. As we tell others what Christ has done for us, we will find ourselves growing by spiritual leaps and bounds (Mt. 28:19-20).

Read. The most direct source of a Christian’s spiritual growth is the Bible. It must be read regularly because it is his milk and strong meat (1 Pet. 2:2; Heb. 5:12-14). It tells us how to live (Ps. 119:105). It is God’s word to us today.

WHEN GOD RAN

When God Ran by Benny Hester

Mighty God
The great I Am
Immovable Rock Omnipotent powerful,
awesome Lord Victorious Warrior
Commanding King of Kings
Mighty Conqueror

And the only time The only time I ever saw Him run...
Was when He ran to me
Took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest, Said,
My son's come home again
Looked in my face Wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said, Son, Do you know I still love you?
He caught me my surprise
When God ran

The day I left home
I knew I'd broken His heart
I wondered if Things could ever be the same
Then one night...
I remembered His love for me
And down that dusty road Ahead I could see...
It's the only time
The only time I ever saw Him run

When He ran to me
Took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest,
Said, My son's come home again
Looked in my face
Wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said, Son, Do you know I still love you?

He caught me my surprise
He brought me to my knees
When God ran

I saw Him run to me... And then I ran to Him

Holy One
Righteous Judge
He turned my way
Now I know He's been waiting for this day

And then He ran to me
Took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest,
Said, My son's come home again
Looked in my face
Wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice I felt His love for me again

He ran to me
Took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest,
Said, My son's come home again
Looked in my face
Wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said, Son He said, Son My Son, Do you know I still love you?
Ohhh,
He ran to me
When God ran

HYMN

Hymn Lyrics
by Jars Of Clay

Oh refuge of my hardened heart
Oh fast pursuing lover come
As angels dance 'round Your throne
My life by captured fare You own
Not silhouette of trodden faith
Nor death shall not my steps be guide
I'll pirouette upon mine grave
For in Your path I'll run and hide

[Chorus:]
Oh gaze of love so melt my pride
That I may in Your house but kneel
And in my brokenness to cry
Spring worship unto Thee

When beauty breaks the spell of pain
The bludgeoned heart shall burst in vain
But not when love be pointed king
And truth shall Thee forever reign

[Chorus]

Sweet Jesus carry me away
From cold of night, and dust of day
In ragged hour or salt worn eye
Be my desire, my well sprung lye

[Chorus x 2]

Spring worship unto Thee
Spring worship unto Thee

THE GOSPEL : A SIMPLE EXPLANATION

Ironically, the first news is bad news. This understanding is part of understanding the need that exists and is thereby addressed by the Gospel. There is a solution, but for what? We must first understand the problem we are in:

1. You Are A Sinner

The first fact that you need to realize in life is that you are a natural-born sinner, a natural transgressor against God:

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.

"As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:10.

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Psalm 51:5.

Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, FOR THAT ALL HAVE SINNED: (Romans 5:12)If we say that we have not sinned, WE MAKE HIM A LIAR, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:10)

Most people have the false idea that we all LEARN to be sinners as we grow older and are influenced by evil, but this isn't true. God's word declares that we are all sinners by nature. We are all transgressors against God.

We are, from the moment of Adam’s fall, a rebellious and sinful race, a fallen race, separate from God, who alone is holy.

2. You Are Going To Die

Death isn't a very popular subject, but it is certainly a very REAL subject. Sooner or later, your heart will beat for the last time, your loved ones will mourn over your passing, and your body will be laid to rest in a grave. It's a fact of life. People die, and the Bible tells us WHY:

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12.

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23.

Why do people die? People die because people are SINNERS. Do you remember the story of Adam and

Eve in the garden of Eden? It wasn't until AFTER they had sinned that they were subject unto death.

God told them in Genesis 2:17 that they would "die" when they ate of the forbidden fruit. Before man had sinned, he was ABOVE death, not subject unto it. Today, however, we are all sinners, because we have all inherited our sin nature from Adam. We must all die, just as Adam died (Genesis 5:5).

3. You Will Be Judged

God is the All-powerful Creator, the Supreme Commander of the Universe. He is in complete control of all people, places, and things, so no one should think it unreasonable that God intends to judge all men. We must all give account to our Maker.

"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:14.

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Hebrews 9:27.

It may be a terrifying thought, but it is still the truth: YOU will stand before God and you will be judged by Him. Every sin that you have ever committed will be revealed--EVERY SECRET SIN! You may have managed to hide many things from your fellow man, but you have hid NOTHING from God. He knows all things, and He will hold you accountable. You WILL be judged.

4. You Can't Save Yourself

When God judges this world, millions upon millions of people are going to be absolutely SHOCKED to find out that NO ONE--ABSOLUTELY NO ONE--was able to earn their way into Heaven. People have the false idea that they'll be permitted to enter Heaven as long as they "do more good works than bad." The word of God tells us just the opposite:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9.

"But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 4:5.

We can never meet up to God’s standards by our own efforts:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah 64:6.

The "good works" that you do are only good in YOUR eyes. In God's sight, you are a hopeless sinner, and your works are totally unacceptable. If you are counting on your own righteousness to save you, then you are setting yourself up for a very big disappointment. "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." Romans 10:3-4.

The Bible clearly states that we are all cursed with sin, and that we are all totally incapable of earning our salvation by our own righteousness. Friend, unless your SINS are removed, God will NOT accept you. You are hopeless.

5. Your Only Hope Is The Lord Jesus Christ

When you are ready to accept the fact that you are a lost and dying sinner and that your "good works" are unacceptable to God, then you can begin to see your need for Jesus Christ. He came into this world to lay down His sinless life for YOU--to pay for your sins, because you couldn't. Jesus is your only hope for salvation. Only by receiving Him as your Savior can you enter the gates of Heaven. There is no other way.

"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me." John 14:6.

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

Notice these important words from Romans 5:8-10:

"But God shows his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"

He loves you and wants you to know it. He was mocked and tortured for you. He suffered on the cross for you. He died for you. He underwent all these because of His love.
Jesus PAID your way to Heaven for you:

To cover the sin of Adam and Eve, THE BLOOD of an innocent lamb was shed. (Gen. 3:21)

" . . . John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said: Behold THE LAMB of God, which TAKES AWAY THE SIN of the world." (John 1:29)

Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross to pay the penalty for YOUR sin!

"Who his own self bare OUR SINS in his own body on the tree,. . ." (1 Peter 2:24)" . . . Unto him that loved us, and washed us from OUR SINS in his own BLOOD," (Revelation 1:5b)

By receiving Him as your Savior, you can be WASHED from all your sins in His precious Blood (Rev. 1:5; Col. 1:14; Acts 20:28; I Pet. 1:18-19).

By receiving Him as your Savior, you will be receiving God's ONLY means of Salvation for you.

BORN AGAIN???

In John 3:3, Jesus said that: “unless a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

He also said in the same conversation the following words:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son and that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)

The whole essence of the term “born again” or “born of above” is what it literally means: being reborn! A born-again person is a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) He or she is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 7:6, 8:9-17). We, who were born into the fallen family of Adam and therefore to sin, are now reborn into the family of Christ. It also means having a relationship with Christ, and of being declared as sons (and daughters) of God (John 1:12).

Are you willing to forsake YOUR righteousness and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, your ONLY HOPE for Salvation?

Romans 10:13 says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Romans 10:9 says, "That if you shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."

Salvation, while being the most precious thing a person could receive, is ironically a free gift. It is not something that you can earn, that you can work on and receive in return. It cannot be earned by good works, by church going, by baptism, by religion, by penance…in fact, it is a GIFT, and as a gift, it is by definition FREE. It is given in LOVE, extended by GRACE, and received through FAITH (John 3:15-18, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:1, 3:18, 24, 5:5, Romans 1:17, 3:20-28, 4:4-5, 5:1-2, 6:23, 10:8-13, Titus 3:5)

Of course, a GIFT must be RECEIVED in order for it to be YOURS.

The gift of God’s salvation is received by faith. As Acts 16:31 puts it “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved…” Believe here is not simply mental assent much deeper: it is an act of faith, an act of total trust, of acceptance.

(Friend, remember, though, that while the GIFT is FREE, it is NOT CHEAP. It was bought by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is only free because HE BOUGHT IT FOR YOU.)

Let us look at Romans 5:6-8. It says:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Now try to see how this verses apply to you personally. Rephrase it as follows:

“You see, at just the right time, when ____(place your name)___ (was) still powerless, Christ died for ____(place your name)___. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for ____(place your name)___ in this: While ____(place your name)___ was still sinners, Christ died for ____(place your name)___.

Rephrase John 3:16, but and make it personal:

“For God so loved ____(place your name)___ that he gave his only begotten Son and that (if) ______(place your name)____ believes in him ___(he/she)___shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)

Is this how you see it? Do you see that God loves you? Consider the implications of these.

Do you recognize your inability to save yourself? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for you? In fact, if YOU WERE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD, CHRIST WOULD STILL DIE FOR YOU. THAT’S HOW MUCH HE LOVES YOU.

Do you accept this? Will you receive Christ as your Savior?

If you do, you may want to tell Jesus. Express it to Him in prayer. You may consider the following suggested prayer:“Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner unable to save myself. I have nothing good in me, only my sin. I thank you because You love me nonetheless, and because of this, You died on the cross to take away my sin. Thank you for washing away my sin with your blood. Thank you for your promise of forgiveness. I place my full trust, my and confidence in You and by faith I now receive you as my Savior. Amen.”