A pastor provided pre-marital counseling for a couple. All went well
except the man rejected the idea of original sin.
Twenty years later the pastor and the man - now happily married with
3 teenagers - had an opportunity to sit down and talk. Reflecting on
the counseling long ago, the pastor asked if the man still rejected the
idea of original sin. "No," said the man, "I not only believe in original
sin; I believe in demon possession!"
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The 5 points of Calvinism
This is a contentious subject, and it is best left to more mature
believers. At the Synod of Dort, a meeting of theologians in 1618-19,
ideas were presented and debated. Five ideas of Jacob Arminius
were put forth and ultimately rejected. The responses are called the
five points of Calvinism since Calvin's Institutes of Christian Theology,
1536, set forth theological ideas which differed.
Will "five-pointers" who are trusting in Jesus for salvation be saved?
Absolutely! Will "zero-pointers" who are trusting in Jesus for
salvation be saved? Absolutely!
The 5 points of Calvinism are easily remembered using the TULIP
acrostic. The verses provided are not intended as proof texts:
T - Total depravity; Ps 14-1
U - Unconditional election; Eph 2:8,9; Rom 9:11
L - Limited atonement; Matt 26:28; John 3:16,17
I - Irresistable grace; John 6:44,45
P - Perserverance of the saints; John 6:37
Wikipedia gives a good description at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism
believers. At the Synod of Dort, a meeting of theologians in 1618-19,
ideas were presented and debated. Five ideas of Jacob Arminius
were put forth and ultimately rejected. The responses are called the
five points of Calvinism since Calvin's Institutes of Christian Theology,
1536, set forth theological ideas which differed.
Will "five-pointers" who are trusting in Jesus for salvation be saved?
Absolutely! Will "zero-pointers" who are trusting in Jesus for
salvation be saved? Absolutely!
The 5 points of Calvinism are easily remembered using the TULIP
acrostic. The verses provided are not intended as proof texts:
T - Total depravity; Ps 14-1
U - Unconditional election; Eph 2:8,9; Rom 9:11
L - Limited atonement; Matt 26:28; John 3:16,17
I - Irresistable grace; John 6:44,45
P - Perserverance of the saints; John 6:37
Wikipedia gives a good description at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Kings of Judah and Israel
| Enemies | Judah | Reigned | Israel | Reigned | ||
| Saul | 40 | Saul | 40 | |||
| David | 7.5 | R | David | 33 | R | |
| Soloman | 40 | R | Soloman | 40 | R | |
| Rehoboam | 17 | E | Jeroboam | 22 | ||
| Abijam/Abijah | 3 | E | Nadab | 2 | E | |
| Asa | 41 | R | Baasha | 24 | E | |
| Jehoshaphat | 25 | Elah | 2 | |||
| Jehoram/Joram | 8 | E | Zimri | 7dys | E | |
| Ahaziah | 1 | E | Omri | 12 | E | |
| Athaliah | E | Ahab | 22 | E | ||
| Jehoash/Joash | 40 | R | Ahaziah | 2 | E | |
| Amaziah | 29 | R | Jehoram/Joram | 12 | E | |
| Azariah/Uzziah | 52 | R | Jehu | 28 | R | |
| Jotham | 16 | R | Jehoahaz/Joahaz | 17 | E | |
| Ahaz | 16 | E | Jehoash/Joash | 16 | E | |
| Sennacherib | Hezekiah | 29 | R | Jeroboam | 41 | E |
| Berodach-baladan | Manasseh | 55 | E | Zechariah | 6mths | E |
| Amon | 2 | E | Shallum | 1mth | ||
| Josiah | 31 | R | Menahem | 10 | E | |
| Pharoah Neco | Jehoahaz | 3mths | E | Pekahiah | 2 | E |
| Nebuchadnezzar | Eliakim/Jehoiakim | 11 | E | Pekah | 20 | E |
| Jehoiachin | 3mths | E | Hoshea | 9 | E | |
| Mattaniah/Zedekiah | 11 | E | ||||
| Evil-merodach | Gedeliah (Governor) | 7mths | ||||
| Labashi-Marduk | ||||||
| Nabonidus | ||||||
| Belshazzar | ||||||
| Cyrus | ||||||
| Cambyses | ||||||
| Darius | ||||||
| Xerxes/Ahasuerus | ||||||
| Artaxerxes | Nehemiah (Govenor) | |||||
Geneology from Adam
| Luke3 | Years | Scripture |
| Adam | ||
| Seth | 130 | Gen 5:3 |
| Enosh | 105 | Gen 5:6 |
| Cainan (Kenan) | 90 | Gen 5:9 |
| Mahalaleel | 70 | Gen 5:12 |
| Jared | 65 | Gen 5:15 |
| Enoch | 162 | Gen 5:18 |
| Methuselah | 65 | Gen 5:21 |
| Lamech | 187 | Gen 5:25 |
| Noah | 182 | Gen 5:28 |
| Shem | 500 | Gen 5:32 |
| Arphaxad | 100 | Gen 11:10 |
| Cainan | ||
| Shelah | 35 | Gen 11:12 |
| Heber (Eber) | 30 | Gen 11:14 |
| Peleg | 34 | Gen 11:16 |
| Reu | 30 | Gen 11:18 |
| Serug | 32 | Gen 11:20 |
| Nahor | 30 | Gen 11:22 |
| Terah | 29 | Gen 11:24 |
| Abraham | 70 | Gen 11:26 |
| Isaac | 100 | Gen 21:5 |
| Jacob | 40 | Gen 25:20 |
| Judah | Gen 29:35 | |
| Perez | Gen 38:29 | |
| Hezron | Gen 46:12 | |
| Ram | Ruth 4:19 | |
| Admin | ||
| Amminadab | Ruth 4:19 | |
| Nahshon | Ruth 4:20 | |
| Salmon | Ruth 4:20 | |
| Boaz | Ruth 2:1 | |
| Obed | Ruth 4:21 | |
| Jesse | Ruth 4:22 | |
| David | Ruth 4:22 | |
| Nathan | 2Sam 5:14 | |
| Mattatha | Luke 3:31 | |
| Menna (Menan) | Luke 3:31 | |
| Melea | Luke 3:31 | |
| Eliakim | Luke 3:30 | |
| Jonam (Jonan) | Luke 3:30 |
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
No God, No Hope; Know Jesus Know God
I have good news and bad news! The good news (gospel) is that you
can be saved and spend eternity with God. The bad news is that if you
deny the free gift, then you will spend eternity in the lake of fire
separated from God.
Good news: Salvation is available to all:
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the
world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who
believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged
already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God.
We cannot earn salvation. It is a free gift to be accepted by faith:
Eph 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that
no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would
walk in them.
Our purpose is good works, but they do not save us. God's unmerited
favor does that.
Bad news: Everyone's name is initially in the Book of Life. If you reject
the free gift of Jesus' sacrifice, then your name is blotted out:
Rev 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it,
from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was
found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing
before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was
opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the
things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And
the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up
the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them
according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the
lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's
name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the
lake of fire.
can be saved and spend eternity with God. The bad news is that if you
deny the free gift, then you will spend eternity in the lake of fire
separated from God.
Good news: Salvation is available to all:
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the
world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who
believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged
already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God.
We cannot earn salvation. It is a free gift to be accepted by faith:
Eph 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that
no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would
walk in them.
Our purpose is good works, but they do not save us. God's unmerited
favor does that.
Bad news: Everyone's name is initially in the Book of Life. If you reject
the free gift of Jesus' sacrifice, then your name is blotted out:
Rev 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it,
from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was
found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing
before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was
opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the
things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And
the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up
the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them
according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the
lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's
name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the
lake of fire.
Are you ready?
God created everything in 6 days and "rested" on the seventh day.
This had a double purpose:
He came first as the suffering Savior (Psalm 22). Now He will come
as the conquering King that the Jews were looking for. The phrase
"a day is AS 1000 years" is the clue to God's timing.
In Luke's geneology of Adam to Jesus, the timing is confirmed. There
have been about 6,000 years since creation.
The Lord will first return for His Church (1 Thes 4:13-17). Since all
events involving Jesus take place on significant Jewish feasts, then
the next and most liklely date is 19 September 2009. The trumpet
of God will sound for the Feast of Trumpets.
The world will then enter the 7-year Tribulation period. After this
time, the Lord will return (Rev 19:11-21) to conquer Antichrist and
establish His 1,000-year kingdom on the Earth.
This had a double purpose:
- Set a pattern for everyday life
- Show the plan for God's Kingdom to believers
He came first as the suffering Savior (Psalm 22). Now He will come
as the conquering King that the Jews were looking for. The phrase
"a day is AS 1000 years" is the clue to God's timing.
In Luke's geneology of Adam to Jesus, the timing is confirmed. There
have been about 6,000 years since creation.
The Lord will first return for His Church (1 Thes 4:13-17). Since all
events involving Jesus take place on significant Jewish feasts, then
the next and most liklely date is 19 September 2009. The trumpet
of God will sound for the Feast of Trumpets.
The world will then enter the 7-year Tribulation period. After this
time, the Lord will return (Rev 19:11-21) to conquer Antichrist and
establish His 1,000-year kingdom on the Earth.
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