Good teaching for you young pastors.

HT: Pastor John Coleman youtube videos

LOT OF BIBLE, little love

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

In the last few weeks, I have been taking a look at my walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Am I just hearing the Word? Am I obeying the Word of God? Am I loving the Lord Jesus with all my heart, mind, body, soul and strength? I have noticed I am gaining a lot of knowledge about the scriptures. I am learning biblical exegesis, I am learning ecclesiology, ecclisiology and eschatology, all the other biblical theological terms. Knowledge upon knowledge, and what I ask myself is it doing?

Today, there seems to be an effect of people rushing to learn a lot of bible, so they can show the world how much they know. For example, I see many pastors who take pride that they have studied under John MacArthur at the Master’s Seminary. In talking with them, they have pointed out to me their degrees from the Master’s Seminary. Even myself, I would search out for a pastor who had a great theological degree, if I was going to go to his church. Crazy, yet this is happening more and more in our churches in America. Are we learning so much bible that we have come to show only a little love?

Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him. (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

Isn’t it interesting that Paul begins this chapter with such sobering statments. Just before he takes us into how to relate with our brethren on gray areas, he starts out the chapter speaking on knowledge. Today, everybody is encouraged to study, read, and learn the Word (That's great!) We have biblical seminars, conferences, where big time pastors come and share with you the knowledge they have gained. We flock to these things, almost like the world goes to see Lil Wayne in concert. Yet we live in a hurting/dying world (am I starting to sound like T.D Jakes?). I maybe, but this is true, people are seeking the wrong things and I sit back with the Calvinist badge flashing a bible at them. Where’s the love? Where’s the hope that our Lord Jesus Christ has given to us? Look at what the scripture is truly pointing to:

And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. (Mark 6:34-44)

Look at Jesus Christ in these scriptures. He put the Word of God, Himself, into action. He loved the people by feeding them. If the bum on the street came to us, what should we do? Quote a scripture, tell them they need to do an exegesis? No, you are going to love them. “Hey brother, you hungry, come on by and get something to eat?” Would we love them, or would we give them a whole bunch of bible?

The other day I was talking with a Christian friend of mine, and he asked me a question. The question blew my mind because he is a man into the Word. He asked me what should we do if a homosexual needs help moving, but the homosexual talks about the bible and the word? Do we as Christians help that person, even though their lifestyle is against God’s Word? What????? Man, have we forgotten some of us use to be the homosexual, the drug addict, the alcoholic or that gangbanger? Yes, you help them move and you tell them the truth about Jesus Christ and what the Word truly saws. We have to love them.

We are not doing this today. We are gaining all this knowledge, and showing very little love. Some of us know the bible up and down, but won’t even reach down and help someone get up off the ground that has fallen (literally, we won’t even ask are they okay). I am not playing man. Honestly, I have pounded myself hard with this scripture:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (2 Timothy 2:15-16)

I always took this to mean study hard the bible, learn everything I possible can so I won’t fall into the false teachings of the Creflo Dollar’s, Eddie Long’s and Benny Hinn’s of the world. But the sixteenth verse, the Lord’s Word opens the eyes to something. False teaching produces bad behavior. So what does sound teaching produce? LOVE, that’s right. All this sound biblical teaching needs to be lived out in this world. That’s how I will SHOW MYSELF APPROVED. Jesus Christ said;

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Nothing in that verse said learn all the scripture you can and do nothing with it. NO, learn all the scripture you can so that you can do the good work of love before men.. Knowing John 3:16 is good. Living John 3:16 is the better way.

See the problem comes that with all the knowledge, we become puffed up, so we cannot see how to love the brethren and the world around us. I remember Lionel Woods had a great blog post (click here) about resting in the Lord Jesus. Many times we focus all the knowledge we’ve gained on doing the works ourselves, and don’t rest in God. To allow the Lord Jesus Christ to show love in us, we have to stop gaining knowledge for ourselves. This is the scripture we must rest in Christ in:

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. (Romans 15:1-3)
If we had a lot of bible and a lot of love, what a great thing that would be. Jesus Christ is the Word, and He lived it. Basically, Christ is all bible, all love. He lived the Word before people on this earth. Glory to God! As always, I leave you guys with loving scriptures. Blessed be the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18)

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:14-17)

PJ YouTube up!!!

more @ www.johnecoleman.org

Objections to Doctrine of Election

HT to YoungCalvinist for the video. Great video, enjoy.

Daniel 5 -Sermon by Elder Bill Brown

This is a sermon from the church my family and I have been attending these past couple of months. Click on link below to hear. You can hear more sermons here: Grace Baptist Church

Daniel 5

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spoke, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonished. Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spoke and said, O king, live forever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation. Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spoke and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing: And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor: And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
(Daniel 5:1-31)