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(No. Don't worry. My life was not in danger in the time spent.)
Okay. Since I am a lazy bum when it comes to writing about what goes on in my personal life, Mr. Number List will help me to uncomfortably squeeze out the memories and reasons from my head. (In chronological order of course.)
In the first week and a half of my absence, I have been seriously pursuing a second degree course (Chemical Engineering). "Pursuing". But failed. Well, not really. It's just that the university that I was aiming for is making me take the course for FOUR years, and that fact is unacceptable for me since I have already finished a Five year engineering course just last year. The subject system in this university just did not fit for me this time.
The rest of my absence was spent on. . . uh. Migration? Yes folks. I have migrated. I have migrated from Microsoft Windows XP SP3 to Macintosh OS X 10.5.2.
Yey, me.:)In between and around the two weeks was. . . some family and life issues? Maybe. In other words I just lost sight for a while of what it means when the Bible says that God is sovereign.
These things may seem trivial and inconsequential to take me off the net, but in this period of absence the Lord has taught my soul much, where everything in anything would return to the reverberating Truth of Scripture, the sovereignty of the God of the ages, and the unsearchable depths of His sovereign grace, both in living, preaching and teaching---His Word never returns to Him void.
To my closest friends, my prayer partners, and my confidants, be not weary. Don't ever be discouraged. I have prayed well for all of you. Surely God will never change, nor can He. He will be faithful to deliver to uttermost. The Truth we hold is not ours to boast, claim or change, for it is not our own, it is simply ours to proclaim. The Truth is the Word, and the Word is fire. We are His clay pots. In unworthiness He made us worthy through His Son, in dust and ashes He made us His ministers a flame of fire.
May God keep us all, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
[That wasn't so hard now was it? Never mind the "random rants". I suddenly became too lazy to rant]
Remember When You Asked Jesus Into Your Heart? ...The Fifth Time?
Posted by JM Vergara Categories: Gospel Reductionism, Michael HortonWhy is it that we go through our Christian lives trying to justify the thing that is not from ourselves, the saving Grace of God? People are lost and desperate, then these well-meaning little preachers, for the sake of this "easy salvation", let them just get off on a prayer. We "trust" in the promises of God but in the same time neglecting the costs of the Gospel itself. We have forgotten that it is not an "easy salvation" that we proclaim, but a "so great a salvation!" It is not for us to cut, bend, twist and manipulate for ease of delivery, but it is a message that must be fully preached. The message is not ours, it is God's. We don't have any right whatsoever to do otherwise. Ah, it is a very sad truth, that we as Christians, have lost sight of what it means when Paul said: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth..." (Rom 1:16-17)
Michael Horton
I remember when I used to ask Jesus into my heart as a child over and over again. Each time I intended to make absolutely sure that I was saved. Why do we do that? Why is it in some churches that we see the same people walking down the aisle week after week? Perhaps it is because we are looking to something we can do, or have done, to secure the kind of assurance we need. But we can't trust our feelings or our abilities of either will or effort, so we're left with having to trust in the ability of God, 'who is able to keep you from falling' (Jude 24).
"This Personal Jesus thing..." Yeah, "God is no longer a problem for us."
Posted by JM Vergara Categories: Emerging Church, Gospel Reductionism, Michael HortonIn the words of Ingrid Schlueter of SliceOfLaodicea.com "This is what American evangelicalism has become." We think that the Emerging Church Movement is something that came about with out any relation whatsoever to the current evangelical movement. That somehow it is something that occurred because the world has infiltrated the church. But it must be realized that the ECM didn't come over night. The movement was brought upon by the Evangelical movement itself.
--- e.g. This Personal Jesus Jesus thing.
Michael Horton : HTIn the American Religion, as in ancient Gnosticism, there is almost no sense of God’s difference from us-in other words, his majesty, sovereignty, self-existence, and holiness. God is my buddy or my inmost experience, or the power-source for living my best life now. God is not strange (i.e., holy)-and is certainly not a judge. He does not evoke fear, awe, or a sense of terrifying and disorienting beauty. Furthermore, all the focus on making atonement through a bloody sacrifice seems crude and unspiritual to Gnostics when, after all, the point of salvation is to escape the physical realm. All of this is too “Jewish,” according to Gnostics from Marcion to Schleiermacher to the “Re-Imagining Conference” of mainline Protestant leaders (especially radical feminists) who explicitly appealed to Gnosticism in their screeds against “men hanging on crosses with blood dripping and all that gory stuff.” The god of Gnosticism is not the one before whom Isaiah said, “Woe to me, for I am undone!” or Peter said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” To borrow a nice phrase from William Placher, it represents “the domestication of transcendence.” God is no longer a problem for us.
Let me break it down for you. The other day I had a light case of hyperacidity that only made me a little over-gassy. At first I was able to go through my normal routines. I made some posts here on the blog. I was able to go places and run through some errands. But then t3h 3b!|_ t|_|mmy cr34t|_|r3s 4tt4c|<3d! (Ebil-tummy-creatures attacked) They completely took over the functions of my tummy and made... (are kids reading this?) ...uh ...my tummy do weird things.＿|￣|○
So here's what I missed doing:
- Stuff concerned to my enrolment for a Chemical Engineering course.
- Missing the first day of Campus Harvest '08.
- And... posting decent stuff.
For those concerned, don't worry. I'm doing way better now. I mean way better --- all by God's providence. I can't say that the stuff happened were stuff that happened due to misfortune. I didn't do the (1)Thing listed partly because of my tummy, and partly because of the bad weather. If God allowed me to go, I'm sure I would be in far worse condition than I could imagine.
For those constantly praying for me, I thank you.
Maybe We Need to Stop Proclaiming the Gospel "What Will You do with Jesus?!"
Posted by JM Vergara Categories: James White, Reformed TheologyI have to admit that I didn't find this post interesting when I first ran into it over at Philip's ReformedVoices. But seeing the number of responses to it and seeing it posted as well on Lane's Blog, I definitely had to reconsider. Very grateful I am that the Lord has led me to see and hear this message. Lord willing, I pray you be blessed too by it.
It is a very outstanding closing message to a debate. You know why? Because Mr.White put the focus where the focus must be, on God. If there is one thing worthwhile for you to think about for today and the week to come, it is this: "He is God and I am not." Study what that means dear reader. Search and see what that means in Scripture. Seek, thirst and hunger dear loved one, surely you will be blessed with more than riches and wealth if you take hold of that wonderful truth.
James White : HTLane Chaplin's entry:
Earlier this week, my friend, Susan, and I listened to James White's debate with George Bryson from a few years ago. This clip is James' closing statement from that debate. I highly recommend listening to the entire debate. It is very encouraging to those who now hold to Reformed theology and it provides a great contrast between the two views. After listening to this portion of it, I wanted to share it with others so I asked James last night if he would mind clipping that section of it for Youtube to share with others. Of course, he didn't have a problem with that as he is always happy and eager to get the message of the Gospel out being the humble doulos (slave) of God that he is. This is one of the best closing statements I've ever heard in any debate. The claims that Calvinism causes people to lose zeal for the proclamation of the Gospel is refuted by the content of this video alone not to mention the abundance of other Calvinistic teachers and preachers who become more concerned with the proclamation as a result of their adherence to Reformed doctrine.
Who Controls Salvation - Man or God? Debate
(James White/George Bryson)
"Kung-fu Known is Useless Kung-fu Unless it is Kung-fu Practiced."
Posted by JM Vergara Categories: Humble Orthodoxy
Herein lies the irony. (Or is it a tragedy?)
So I attended the Sunday service yesterday. I went there with this thought in mind: "What does it mean to live true to Scripture?" I mean, yeah, I am sure the people here would profess to have met God, I'll give them that. But a critical thing to be considered as well is the validity of that profession. Do we truly live true to the living Word of God? Is our theology based on that fact? Are our belief systems surrendered to Holy Writ? Are the things we say and do conformed to what Scripture says? With these thoughts in mind, to put it in a few words, I became very afraid.
I became very fearful for the people around me.
I kept thinking in contrast with the attributes of God, and the truths of Himself revealed in Scripture:
"Do these people actually understand what they are saying in their worship?"
"Do these people actually know who their God is that they can sing and say these things so easily?"
"Why is it that all I see are smiles of comfort on the face of men and women but never a joyous sense of fear and trembling before the most Holy God?"
"Why is it that? Why??"
In Christianity today we are so unknowingly consumed by modern culture. We do things the way we do them because it's always been done that way. We believe the things we believe, as shallow as they are, because that's all we've been ever taught.
ESV 1 Timothy 4:6-7 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
We would have ourselves and others after us live in the comforts of modern thought rather than be truly subject to the Word of God. "Discipleship Leaders" go through books, paper and modern preachers, seeking to edify their disciples. . . practically. Practically? Ah yes, the essence of the Modern Church is this: "Kung-fu known is useless kung-fu unless it is kung-fu practiced." So to increase the so called "effectivity" of the saints we send them straight to the battle field.
We obligate people to preach the Gospel who have neither heard nor seen the Glory of Almighty God presented in this great message. We tell people "this is what God has done for you" (Instead of the Biblical "what will Christ do to you?"). We tell them that Christ died for our sins (Instead of the Biblical "because of your moral anarchy and open rebellion against God you are dead and worthy of nothing short but eternal condemnation in hell). But isn't it interesting that we can say these things so easily? We think we're preaching the right message but we don't realize that all we're preaching are silly myths and old wives' tales. (Not to mention it is already "another gospel" Gal 1:6-9) Our practical message most of the time goes in the lines of: "This and that happened to me and God blessed me" or "This and that happened to me and that's why this bad thing happened 'coz I did not follow God".
To give this "rabbit trail" some direction, in the words of Jim McClarty, "Where is that in the Bible?" Where is the "pay it forward principle" in the Bible? Where is practical theology in Scripture?
Are we truly conformed to Scripture? Am I conformed to the Word of God? Is what I preach and teach truly what Scripture says?
How else can we truly worship God if we don't know who He truly is as revealed in His Word? How else can we go about our service before Him if we do not know He who we serve? Is it not a frighthening thing to go about our "Christian lives" without proper knowledge of God?
These are the questions that we must ask ourselves. Do yourself a favor and ask these things to yourselves now. And if you find out that you don't? Why not start now. . . Repent dear loved one. Repent.
That my friend brings about Humble Orthodoxy. Scriptural conformity brings humble orthodoxy. Humble orthodoxy brings about scriptural conformity.
God Wanted to, but He Could NOT Stop 128,000 Deaths! "Devil's too Powerful.:(" [China+Myanmar]
Posted by JM Vergara Categories: Jim McClarty, John Piper, The Sovereignty of God, Theology Matters
This post is basically a repost of the previous article. I strongly believe that this message must get out to those overcome by despair, sorrow and brokenness in the world today.
[I would also like to point you to a post I made last month. It has been a great balm to my soul since I myself lost four people in my life over in the past year. It is a message that I will never ever forget. An immense cry in my heart, and a joy to my soul it is to hear such a message. "Higher and Grander."]
As usual Philip@ReformedVoices' never lets down the quality of the stuff he posts. Here we have a very perceptive quote from John Piper concerning the Sovereignty of God. A quote that reminded me of a certain cutting message from Jim McClarty. [Quote and Video below]
John Piper
"God is not like a firefighter who gets calls to show up at calamities when the damage is already happening. He is more like a surgeon who plans the cutting he must do and plans it for good purposes. Without the confidence that God rules over the beginning of our troubles, it is hard to believe that He could rule over their end. If we deny God His power and wisdom to govern the arrival of our pain, why should we think we can trust Him with its departure?"
How Sovereign is Your God?? "Well He is... He Just Doesn't Choose to Sometimes."
Posted by JM Vergara Categories: Jim McClarty, John Piper, The Sovereignty of God, Theology MattersAs usual Philip@ReformedVoices' never lets down the quality of the stuff he posts. Here we have a very perceptive quote from John Piper concerning the Sovereignty of God. A quote that reminded me of a certain cutting message from Jim McClarty. [Quote and Video below]
John Piper
Live True to Your...Self? Self-Esteem Anyone? $2.00 each.
Posted by JM Vergara Categories: Humble Orthodoxy
While I was reading some articles over at Pyromaniacs, a particular phrase caught my attention - a phrase that I too wrote at last week's and this morning's article. In essence it is this: "Humble orthodoxy in a life of a believer essentially means to primarily live true to God."
I thought that it's something worth writing about.
What does it mean to live true to God? Some might get the impression of a pious chap who would do all the right things and say all the right stuff. A kind of person that prays 'till the rooster crows and reads his Bible 99% of the time. As much as that is a wonderful picture of a Christian, that is not what I am necesarrily talking about in living true to God.
KJV Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
It is very possible to say and do things in the name of God, but still have such works be dead deeds in the eyes of the Lord.
To be true to God essentially means that for a Christian, as compelled by the Spirit of God, he must have such a view of his Creator, having grasped a knowledge of who God is, he would be able to live accordingly to Him he professes to be a servant of.
It isn't by living a life that doesn't fail to live in perfect exactitude to the commands of Scripture. But the state in which the reality of the living God has come upon the believer.
Why do you think God said in 1 Peter 5:5 and James 4:6 that He "opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble"?
Why? Why would God give grace to the humble? Ah, but it is in the state of humility that pleases God to shed forth His grace.
Imagine a man, the most rebellious of all sinners, utterly God hating and filled with moral anarchy. Imagine that man being drawn to God Himself, causing the man to have his eyes open to the reality of his rebellion against God and his wickedness against Deity. Imagine that man finally truly grasping the reality of the immeasurable depths of the Holiness of God and the unattainable heights of the requirements of His Justice and Truth. Imagine that man, awakened in the reality of his just condemnation against God.
Now imagine you in his place, when you finally understood what it meant when someone said:
"Intense the agony--
When the ear begins to hear, and the eye begins to see;
When the pulse begins to throb, the brain to think again;
The soul to feel the flesh, and the flesh to feel the chain."
A realization of the completeness of the nature and attributes of God, the deadness of your sin, the magnitude of the abomination of your works and soul against the Master of the universe - and you say, as an old man once said in the Lewis Revival, "I believe Hell is too good for me!"
Such a person dear loved one is one that pleases God to give grace to. Such a person in essence has his heart reduced to powder, without out hope, without God. It is he that God gives grace to. It is he after being given grace would live, not by obligation nor by persuasion, a Chrisian life. But he would live so because he is so indebted to the God who has saved Him.
And the man says: "I can do nothing of my life. I can say nothing of myself. I cannot help but live true to my God - to live true to my Savior."
A pious chap who would do all the right things and say all the right stuff. A kind of person that prays 'till the rooster crows and reads his Bible 99% of the time? Ah, a chap that doesn't realize that he does these things, exaggeration aside, but is singularly compelled by a grave understanding in tears and trembling of the immensity of the love of God given to such a sinner as he.
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This is a must read book for anyone and everyone who loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ. John MacArthur writes so candidly about the truth of the Cross and the message of the Kingdom of God. Indeed the true Gospel of Scripture is Hard to Believe, unlike the modern "gospel" which appeals to easy emotional believism.