Craziness!

I just read part of a blog in Desiringgod.org in regards to a letter written by 138 Muslim leaders and theologians to christians pleading with us to be together in peace and harmony to pursue to love God and our neighbors. You would think that christian leaders and theologians would respond with a strong no! Their response is alarming! 300 christian leaders and theologians respond with a yes! We should be in peace and be together to love God and our neighbors. How would you respond?

First of all we don't worship the same God! Secondly, we don't truly love our neighbors if we don't show them the true Jesus, the biblical Jesus. How can you truly love your neighbor knowing that they are destined for hell if they don't treasure Jesus as their all sufficient Savior and repent from their sins. It's mind blowing to see these christian leaders and theologians agree to shake hands with them to love God and our neighbors. We need to take heed to what Timothy had said "Watch yourself and your doctrine." False prophets will rise among you! "We need to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive  to obey Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Be careful brothers and sisters from false teachings. Be discerning. Always test through the standards of the bible. False teachings don't always look so bad. There would be some truth in there. It may sound good. Listen to their plea. World peace. "Together to love God and our neighbors" Sounds good right? Remember what the word of God says through the bible in all things... 

Acts 17

I remember the time when a group of people in our church went out to evangelize. We ended up evangelizing in the catholic church. Inside I think and in the parking lot. Some of the priests got mad or offended with what we were doing, we responded by going away without attempting to really reason with them and apologizing for what we did. Each situation is different and calls for discernment. In Acts 17 Paul reasoned with people in 3 different synagouges. Thessalonica, Berea and Athens. Inside the synagouge. Did people get mad? For sure! One of the cities was in an uproar. Did people get saved? Yes! I went to a catholic conference recently and the evangelist Mike Grendron spoke much of his experiences in evangelizing inside the catholic church. He would talk to the priests directly, to the people in the church, he would leave tracts in the pew, he would slip a tract in their books in the pew. At first I felt like it wasn't wise and how it might be offensive to the church. So I talked to him about it after the conference. I also told him about our experience I mentioned above. He mentioned that Paul evangelized inside the churches. He also posted the question of "Why is it offensive?" Paul and I think the others did it. Reading Acts 17 today reminded me of that. Is it because of the culture? When the priest would ask Mike to stop talking ot the people, Mike would respond with a loud voice so that all people would hear him "Don't you guys teach the bible here?, What? you don't want me to talk to people about God and about the bible?" Priests are stunned and they just don't know what to say to him, they just tell him to go away. Again each situation is different and calls for discernment. I am now convinced though that it is not improper to speak about the true Jesus in other churches. I used to think that I shouldn't, like it's improper or not wise to after the incident above.

What Paul spoke about God in Athens was such food for my soul. I was humbled and blown away by God being supreme. He gives life and breath to all mankind. He is not serve with human hands as though He needed anything. He doesn't dwell in temples made by hands. He is not far from us but he is actually near. The time of ignorance now God overlooked and demands all people to repent. Paul does not flinch or compromise in speaking truth to all the great philosiphers and great leaders even though he knows that his life was in great danger. The people were trying to kill him already in the other cities but everywhere he went he preached the gospel. He was consumed with the glory of God and the conversion of the heathens. He says, " I do not account my life of any value or as precious to myself, if only I may finish the course and ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God (paraphrased)."

I've been praying for quite some time now for my friend Jay-R to know the real Jesus. Today I helped him out to got to the doctor because he might need surgery on his knee cause of an injury. As I was leaving his car he asked me with a serious tone "Louie, how do I get saved?" that's got to be the hapiest statement a person who has an unbelieving friend could hear! But sadly I couldn't explain at that moment cause I was already in a rush cause I had to go to work =(. I got to give him a DVD which will speak of the good news. I will explain to him some time today God willing. Pray for Him. I have so much more to say about the way God was working in me today but it's too long to write. It was a thought on keeping God supreme by praying taken from the book "Let the nations be glad." that I am reading. It was encouraging and so I wanted to share it but again it's too long.

Thoughts on Desiringgod.org

Acts 4

Thoughts on today's reading...

Jesus' words stands then and still stands today.."You will be hated for my name's sake" Sounds familiar? Peter and the other apostle was testifying of Jesus and healed a lame person and the priests and some of the other leaders throws them in Jail and discusses among themselves on how they're gonna stop them from teaching about Jesus..because they want glory for themselves!..it's no different today..you won't feel it as much if you live in America...no real physical threat here like getting beat or goin to jail for the gospel... people witnessed to just get annoyed or we would get someone who raises their voice against us or they just probably wouldn't like us..which is America's form of persecution..in other places though such as India, Middle East, Indonesia, China..they feel more the force of what the Apostles went through cause some of them are actually going through it or have gone through it in our time..subscribe to global prayer digest if you wanna pray for our bro/sis and to be more globally minded..it should encourage us to speak more boldly and live in simplicity for the sake of Christ and His people here..the more encouraging part was when the people of God were getting persecution, they pray for more boldness to speak about Christ..not safety, not comfort not that there's anything wrong with that necessarily although there could be, it takes a motive examination...cause it could be selfish or idolatrous or it could be a God-centered reason...why do I wanna be safe? you want to be safe don't you?..I thank God for His word through PJ last Sunday in preparing us to suffer...cause we will..it's inevitable..death for christians is not a terrible thing..it's a pathway to glory!!...it's what every christian should be anticipating...unless one has has fallen in love with the world and all the temporary pleasures that it brings..all it's lies...death in the body means that we will completely be with the Lord Jesus..no more have hearted worship..no more struggling to savor His glory..this truth grants freedom from our so called "needs" and the pull of our culture..buy it now! wear it now! have this now! go here now!..we await our treasure and joy and so we don't have to have it now..I think this is how martyrs live and view this life on earth and that's why they could truly say with the Psalmist.."there is nothing I desire here on earth but you" (sumthn like that, paraphrased)..to be continued...........    

Revelations 1 is today's reading....after reading v.5 and reading D.A. Carsons comment on it my heart was filled with joy, gratitude and appreciation of the gospel...speaking of Jesus "To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood."...there was a line on Carson's comments by another man who wrote "Was ever a heart so hardened, can such ingratitude be, that one from who Jesus suffered, should say...it is nothing to me?