Saturday, Jul 26, 2008

TWG- July 25, 2008

Download this episode (20 min)   
TWG - July 25, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 11; Psalm 62; Acts 17:1-15

Today is July 25, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events; it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.

It was a very sunny and productive day yesterday. Got the bulletin done, worked on Sunday’s message about building up your “SQ.” Made several phone calls – forgot to work on the David Harsh Concert. Jayn was there most of the day helping Craig the cleaning guy clean over 100 chairs! A lot of work! Carl and Sonja were there. Sonja was making nearly 200 rolls for Saturday’s memorial service. Doris stopped in with some ham for Saturday. After work I played Tennis with Shaphen and Phil. Phil won 5 to 3 to 2. Then John and I visited John and Casey for a follow up call after they had received Christ. You can check out that conversation at honest-answers.myblogspot.com I put a picture of Jayn and Craig cleaning chairs in the new building on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

This week’s theme verse is 2 Peter 1:5-10 giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble

Be diligent to make your election sure! If there ever appeared to be a contradiction in terms, this sentence is it! Work hard to be sure you are one of the elect! I know several people who believe that since God is sovereign - in complete control, they don’t have to do anything at all because whatever happens is destined to happen anyway. They don’t witness because God’s going to save who he’s going to save. They don’t vote because God’s got the vote rigged anyway. I suppose they don’t brush their teeth or eat either because if God wants their teeth clean he’ll do it himself. And if God doesn’t want them to starve He’ll feed the intravenously! (That one may actually happen if you DON’T eat! The paramedics will come and they will hook you to life support and they will feed you intravenously!) One of the biggest crocks of nonsense that was ever dreamed up by the Angel of Light himself (His Deviousness, the Devil) is the concept that Since God is in ultimate control, I have to do nothing, nada, zilch! In the words of that great meat ball packer Oscar Meyer, “Baloney!” I have no doubt that God get’s tired of being blamed for our excuses and laziness. Such lazy boy theology borders on the blasphemous and may be hazardous to your health. A sizzling bolt of lightning from the almighty may well be aimed your way! Look, all you have to do is read at the Great Commission and the other 6,468 commands in the Bible (5388 in the Old and 1080 in the New for those of you who didn’t know!) and you realize that God doesn’t want us to make any excuses for sitting around doing nothing! He wants us to witness and he wants us to be diligent to make our election sure! To make your election sure is somewhat like a skier checking off all his body parts to be sure they are still intact after he’s had a yard sale coming off Pike’s Peak! Hands? “here!” Feet? “Accounted for!” Stomach? Stomach! (muffled answer) “I’mmmm hrrrrr inn yrrrrrr throat!” To make our election sure, we check off our “Christian body parts;” Faith? “here.” Virtue? “Accounted for!” Knowledge? “Suspect but present!” Self control? Self Control! “Yeah, yeah, I’m working on it!” If you are a Christian, live like it! Don’t blame God or anyone else for your failure to live right! Take responsibility, gather your courage and determine to live for Jesus!

Dear Father, I know that you are the blessed controller of all things. And because I know that I know that you want me to obey you and to become like you. I confess my excuses and reject them. I want to become just like you Lord! I want to make my election sure!

Brethren, I do not think I have made it yet; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 8:21 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT  

<< Home