Will the real James White please stand up?

In this bizarre fray with some in the Lordship Salvation camp... in which a emerging perosn who "does not beleive in truth" was arguing for a pure biblica view of truth and pointing out that many Christians have infused Platonist Realism and other modernistic views, I had unfortunately confused Jim W. with James R. White. He surprised me with a visit to my blog and commented on this article.

I did there and will once again apologize for that unfortunate mistake and also am very thankful that Jim W. is NOT James R. White. It seems that the real James White has a ton more class and can show much more grace.

So, James I do once again apologize for this and hope that you will accept my apology and any thing I did say to or about you in good spirit as I did not mean any malice toward you. As I stated to you I do not agree with you on some points, but in no way do I not consider you a brother in Christ. Noted again I am not a Calvinist yet I am not anti Calvinist.

James R. White made mention of this on his blog... so I am semi famous... again... LOL!

07/25/2007
On My "Issues" and Other Stuff James R. White
I fine-tuned my Google Blog Search gadget and got rid of all the references to basketball and politics. As a result, I found this article by "iggy" from Billings, Montana. Thankfully, iggy later admitted his error, and recognized that there might just be more than one person on the Internet with the initials JW, or "Jim W.," etc. If I'm going to comment on a blog somewhere, I will almost always identify myself with the signature (developed back in the 1980s for use on our BBS) of "James>>>" along with our website, www.aomin.org. If the comment system uses nicks instead of names, you will often see DrOakley or a variant thereof (my nick in our chat channel). For someone who makes himself so easily available, I have no reason to hide when commenting out there in the blogosphere, as rarely as I do that.

The rest of the article is here.

Thanks again James for your gracious spirit. Though like I mentioned before I would like to here your perspective on Lordship Salvation.

Blessings,
iggy

Punk'd of Laodicia

I had a great laugh this morning... especially after all I went through as i was trying to correct someone on how misinformed he was on emergent/emerging. It was a complete wash as no matter what I stated... even when we agreed... I was wrong and a liar and whatever else they decided to judge me about...

I mean I AM an emerging folk, I think I might know a bit more than they? Nope, they told me what I beleive and insisted they were right.

I found this first at CRNinfo, then I read it at MMI.

Slice Website Punked Yesterday, I talked about how the Slice website has twice in the past month deleted articles from their website without explanation or apology. The first was a story Ingrid got totally wrong. She backtracked, then deleted. Yesterday, she withdrew a story about Tammy Faye and her eternal destiny. Yesterday, news came that the Slice site has been being punked. .

One man who says he was treated unfairly at Slice has taken a different approach. He’s been posting there to see how silly his comments can be and still be taken seriously. According to Rev. Scotty, “I said some really stupid and outright mean things, used scripture way out of context and just made up stuff to post. As long as my target was one of the people they disagreed with I was able to say anything I wanted even to the point of calling a fellow pastor and friend a “dirty old man”.”

While I’m not condoning “Dr Louis” alias, I do find it funny that a group that is constantly calling out people for taking scripture out of context would allow this comment to stand:

I think Rev Scottie (Which I’m not sure if he is even an ordained Reverend) should carefully consider what it means to not be “conformed to this world.” I personaly feel that a goatee signifies a rebelious spirit. I believe this is the type of beard spoken of in Leviticus 19:27.

You can see the exchange here. You’ll notice that Rev. Scottie is the first to comment; then his altar ego, Dr Louis chimes in against himself.

Oh, by the way… Leviticus 19:27 says: Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

You can see Rev. Scottie's site here.

Be Blessed,

iggy

John Anderson writes about A Weekend Emergent Village Experience

Another great article here by John H Armstrong on A Weekend Emergent Village Experience.

"I was particularly pleased to share lunch with Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones, both from Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis. Two more delightful brothers I have not met recently. Yes, these men are subversive for sure, but then so was Jesus. They raise lots of questions that are disturbing, and maybe at times they overstate themselves a bit, which I rather like much of the time. But they are not professional hucksters for a new fad at all. They clearly love the gospel, love people, and care profoundly about the mission of Christ."

Also a bit of a note, the Emergent Village Podcast is now on iggyROCKS! (link to the right----->)

Be Blessed,
iggy

Scot McKnight... The Whole Gospel

I highly reccomend that one take a listen to Scot McKnight's podcast called The Whole Gospel.


blessings,
iggy

John Smulo interviews Michael Frost

John Smulo has created missional apologetics which is a great resource for all things "missional". You will find some great articles and interviews.


Here is an interview with Michael Frost.

Blessings,
iggy

More of the fruit of Lordship Salvation with Jim W.

I am really getting tired of this... but Jim W. wanted to let me know more of his love for me.

So here is an update here: I errored that this was James White (who has his own issues) and that this is the mysterious Jim W. It seems with this last comment he still thinks himself of some kind of superior Christian than me and others.

Here is the final comment toward me it is on the same link as above.

Jim W on July 24th, 2007
iggy, you just dont learn, do you? Now you claim
that I am “James White”. I wish I had half his Biblical knowledge. Shoot, I’d
settle for 1/4.
So, once again, you twist and slander someone who points out
your error by slandering someone else.
I have no idea how you arrive that
producing good fruit is works salvation. We produce good fruit by the grace of
God. Unless we are born again, all our works as as filthy rags. Once we are born
again, we do the will of God which is to grow in His Word, His grace, His
knowledge and by doing what He wills, we produce good fruit. That has nothing to
do with our salvation. Faith without works is dead. Remember that verse? It’s
popular with the emergent crowd. Usually used to say that we must do good works
to be saved. That’s works righteousness, which is false, and neither John Mac,
nor I, nor Jim B, nor Tony (here) believe that line of thought. Instead, our
faith in God produces good works (fruit).
And again, you claim I’m spitting
on you in my denunciation of you. How sad that you need to see correction as
people spitting on you. Do you accuse God of spitting on you when He chastens
you as He would a wayward child? Only if you are truly saved will God do this,
if you are still unregenerate, God could care less. So, maybe, just maybe,
you’re relying on your human understanding too far, relying on your sad
“friends”, MacLaren and Jones and their twisted lore for your faith and perhaps
God is using people like Tony and Jim B to show you the errors of your way.
When you learn how to read and comprehend, maybe we can talk. Until then, I
have nothing further to say to you.

Jim W's understanding of fruit is a bit off from the biblical teachings.. yet in the core we agree... yet for some reason as the same with Tony Rose and Jim Bublitz Jim W. cannot see this or admit it... notice he seems to also equate his chastisement of me with the chastisement of God... as if he is God at that point here to correct me in the things we agree on... and I can't read and comprehend! LOL!

He truly furthers my conviction to stay away from divisive people like him... If this is conforming to the image of Chirst, God have mercy on us all! I think this further shows the condition of his heart and why people need to beware of Lordship Salvation and its fruit. You see even when he agrees with me, I am wrong... and am lesser than him.

Before someone criticizes me over this please realize that I was defending Biblical truth over "absolute truth" which definition would mean that Jesus and the Bible are "just an abstract thought". This is the position Jim W. was defending. I was standing on the Biblical definition which is that Truth is the Person of Jesus Christ and from Him all Truth comes... remember it was through Jesus Christ all things were created... and He was full of Grace and Truth. (John 1)

I only am showing this to show what kind of people these are and how they treat others in the Name of Jesus... and how sad it is.

Blessed?
iggy

Here is part one

And now the fruit of Lordship Salvation... by Jim W.

I received this comment from Jim W. who wanted to express the Love of Jesus and show me His great grace and mercy. I was overwhelmed by this as his expression to me of the loving kindness he displayed reminded me of how Jesus would be. I am truly thinking of changing to his way of thinking and converting to his type of religious Calvinism.

Here is his loving letter to me from this comment.

Jim W on July 24th, 2007

I see iggy is striking again and so far, no one is getting any further than they have any previous time.
iggy can twist any statement into a pretzel faster than a pretzel machine can.
“1. One accepting Jesus in a certain manner. meaning that they MUST accept Him as Lord… the bible teaches Jesus is to be our very Life… So I see that John right off the bat has added a “condition” to the grace that is freely given.”
John Mac doesn’t teach any works, iggy, no matter how much you’d like to believe it. Believing and accepting Jesus as Lord is part of our repentance. Understanding our fallen, sin nature is critical. If we do not grasp our utter inability to reach God on our own merit, we will never be accepted into God’s kingdom. recognizing that Jesus is Lord is part of this.
“2. John looks at man’s fruit as a way to see if one is “saved” or not… all men’s fruit is bad, we are all bad trees. God is the only Good Tree and we are called to bear HIS Fruit and not just polish our own. This leads to a performance and shame based faith that is not biblical”
We are not bad trees, iggy. Our fruit isn’t bad, either. Not once we are reborn into the family of Christ. We can still produce bad fruit by failing to do what God commands us to do, but if we are following God’s commands, we will produce good fruit. Examining a person’s fruit is exactly what is commanded in John’s epistles. No matter how much you would like to deny the rest of the Bible, it still applies to us.
To Tony and Quitin, have you read iggy’s blog about JM’s “Truth Wars”? This is a classic case of iggy-twisting if I ever saw one. He refers his comments to “Tall Skinny Kiwi” where there is a review of “Truth Wars”. In “Truth Wars”, JM refers to Jude where Jude compares false teaches to stained clothing. Kiwi infers this to mean that JM is comparing emergents to filthy clothes. iggy goes it even farther. He claims that JM is calling Jesus stained clothing. iggy takes it even further. I won’t even write what iggy says, but it calls Jesus stained underwear. Talk about twisting a comment to suit an agenda. And to even imply that someone who has lived a life devoted to God would refer to his (our) Lord as stained underwear is disgusting.
iggy, I’ve said it before, I guess I have to say it again: you’re a pathetic little man. You read with no comprehension and then insert your own thoughts into everyone’s writings. You truly need help. If nothing else, take a class on reading comprehension. That alone will help. Quit trying to read German mathmatians and esoteric philosophers. You cannot understand the things you read, so go back to basics.
BTW, nice equivocation on all your answers to Quitins questions. You answered everything while leaving yourself “outs” on everything. You can’t be pinned down to any position because of your postmodern mindset. You obviously have studied Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt.

I might state here that Jim W. makes an interesting accusation. He states that I made up the thing about being a stain on the garment of Jesus? That was what JM stated! Also, note that I answered these "certain" questions... Here is what i stated and my answers that Jim W. claims I gave myself an "out"... Take notice at what I did say... "All of these questions would need to be fleshed out much more and that would take more time that i want to take here on this blog." I think that great theologians have worked on these questions for an entire life time and Jim W. expects me to give full and complete answers here and now... He places his

Your questions:
Let me first state that these are not easy questions to answer. You are wanting a specific answer and i will fail at giving you THAT answer. All of these questions would need to be fleshed out much more and that would take more time that i want to take here on this blog.

2. Give me the emergent position. Give it clear.
a) What is sin?
Unbelief which manifests itself as disobedience.

b) How do people discover Jesus Christ?

By the calling of God through the Holy Spirit though it can happen in many ways.

c) What role does the bible play?

Jesus own words are this: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” So the scriptures role is to lead us to Jesus according to Jesus. In that it is the written revelation from God to man to help us learn by the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God through Jesus Christ.

c.1) Is the bible infallible?
In all that it speaks of yes.

c.2) Is the bible inerrant?
In all that it speaks of yes.

c.2) Is the bible true, for what it says, as it says it? Yes… which is what I have been trying to state to you throughout this whole thread.

Now, let me add this. I do not believe that there is any TRANSLATIONS of the bible that are infallible or inerrant… that does not mean I do not see that God’s written word is not either. I am willing to admit I struggle with inerrancy and infallibility as I see that the definition has changed from the time it was first used and how you are using them now. I am most certainly confident in the ability that God can overcome any shortcomings in bad translations. I am confident that God is true to His word. So i see even my struggle I am trusting God at His word and have placed my faith in Him. I trust Him completely.

AND THEY WONDER WHY I AM EMERGING!? Did you notice that James W. denies the words of Jesus who stated:

Matthew 7:17
Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Matthew 7:18
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Matthew 12:33
"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

Luke 6:43
[ A Tree and Its Fruit ] "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.

i will note that Jim misses this verse also:

Matthew 10:17 "As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone."

We bear good fruit only because we are engrafted onto the Good Tree... we do not bear good fruit on our own. It is that we are engrafted on the Good Tree we bear His Good Fruit it is and never was and never will be ours until we are clothed in perfection and are changed from perishable to imperishable. We must be totally dependant on the works of Jesus for He is our Sabbath Rest. Jim negates this by adding "works" and justifies judging others fruit... and sorely misses the plank in his own eye. He has seemed to have forgotten that no one is worthy, no one is righteous... and that we are at the mercy of God Who has give us His great Grace... Jim has forgotten that "Mercy Triumphs over Judgment".

In one breath Jim W. stated "If we do not grasp our utter inability to reach God on our own merit, we will never be accepted into God’s kingdom." And then denied we are bad trees that need to totally depend on Jesus to bear any good fruit. He states that it is by us "obeying" God. Yet, he misses that 1 John states what this obedience is:

23. "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us."

He then showed me his love for me... yet God seemed to bring this verse to mind. 1 John 4: 15 - 21.

"If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us.
If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

They speak out both sides of their mouths... as I have stated before. I think these speaks volumes of the fruit of Lordship Salvation. Now excuse me I think I need a towel from all the frothing spittle baptism I just received.

I would rather be a "pathetic little man" than be one who has forgotten how great the grace of God is and that I owe all to God and should only give away God's forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love... and in that be justified as I do that for it is all by God's Holy Spirit... for the greatest gift is love. I know that I have to forgotten this great love at times... so I in no way condemn Jim White... but i hope he sees the error of his ways and turns to Jesus to bear God's fruit instead of trying to produce it on his own by attempting to please God by his own obedience.

Paul stated in Galatans 5:1 - 26

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough."
I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.
Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

In closing I also quote Paul in Galatians 3:1-5

Galatians 3

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

I stand firmly in Christ who is the Author and Finisher of my faith and salvation.

Be Blessed,
iggy

Text here is part two

Talk about strange...

Here is a recent comment i almost did not let through. There are a lot of conspiracy nuts out there but this accusation against the emerging conversation takes the cake!
Be Blessed,
iggy

I'd wish people stopped using the word postmodern as an indicator of anything other than crypto Marxism. It lends credibility to a very pernicious branch of Leftism that is certainly no friend of Christianity and is out to destroy anything related to what I term The White Patriarch: the dominance of the archetypal white, powerful, rich, Christian, male culture. I hope you realize this is an effort to destroy Christianity from within.
God bless,
Cassandra.

Banned for standing on Truth of Scripture.

First I was banned at oldtruth.com for pointing out that Jim Bublitz knew nothing of the emerging church and lies about it... (BTW I really don't care about being banned from there as there was some really mean people there).

Now I have been threatened from Tony Rose to be banned at His blog for stating that Jesus is not "just absolute truth" and standing on the Bible' teaching of Jesus being The Truth.

It seems that truth means nothing for all their talk.

A bit of an update here as Tony Rose came here to dialog over the topic of objective truth...
You can read his comments and my response here.

UPDATE: This was posted on Tony Rose' comments.

"Iggy I have no idea what you even mean by Jesus being “just an abstract thought.” I’ve never said that and don’t even know what you mean by it, or by claiming that I have said it.
Jesus is certainly not just an abstract thought, whatever you mean by that.
tr"
As I keep stating even though he agrees with me, I am still wrong.
Beware false teachers.

iggy

Great Quotes: Spurgeon

I found this great quote:

"All our transgressions are swept away at once, carried off as by a flood, and so completely removed from us that no guilty trace of them remains. They are all gone!

O ye believers, think of this, for the all is no little thing: sins against a holy God, sins against his loving Son, sins against gospel as well as against law, sins against man as well as against God, sins of the body as well as sins of the mind, sins as numerous as the sands on the sea shore, and as great as the sea itself: all, all are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. All this evil was rolled into one great mass, and laid upon Jesus, and having borne it all he has made an end of it for ever.

When the Lord forgave us he forgave us the whole debt. He did not take the bill and say, "I strike out this item and that," but the pen went through it all;—PAID." (C H Spurgeon, Sermon 1448 at Newington)

Thorugh this site...


Funny how things work.

Blessings,
iggy

How Right I Am!!!

I accidentally found a great video by Brian McLaren... Where? On CRN...



This post confirms what I have been saying for some time, that the "Truth War" is not about "truth" but about different views of the Kingdom of God.

Yet, as I stated many times here and elsewhere, this is not a war about truth, but about whether Jesus Resurrection brought the Kingdom to earth as in the Lords Pray.

Funny thing, the "editor" seems to be against the Lord's Prayer. He seems to be pointing out that the Kingdom of God is not here... that Jesus death, burial and resurrection were a huge waste of time... and the only reason Jesus died was to get our butts out of hell into heaven.

A version of the Kingdom that Jesus came to bring it... failed so left and will come again as the wrathful and angry God they worship, unless the emergent take over the church and all is lost...

or

A version in which Jesus being the first born of the New Creation ushered in the Kingdom of God, on Earth as it is in Heaven. It is not in it's fullness but it will be soon.

I think the second one seems a bit more biblical... well at least from what the scripture states being true.

So one can believe the truth, enter into God's Kingdom through Jesus Christ... or believe a lie...

Maybe this is a truth war... and the truth is some hate the Kingdom of God so much that they willingly exchange the truth for a lie and worship their own creation of what the bible says.

Beware false teachers.

I think the reason they think Brian McLaren is so dangerous, is that he makes them face what the bible actually teaches.

blessings,

iggy

What's your theological worldview?

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern, You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern		75%
Neo orthodox		64%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan		64%
Reformed Evangelical		54%
Roman Catholic		50%
Fundamentalist		50%
Charismatic/Pentecostal		43%
Classical Liberal		32%
Modern Liberal		29%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

I took this test over a year ago... the results are interesting.

I am glad to see I am losing my fundamentalist viewpoint... maybe I can thank them for showing me the error of my ways! ; ) I do think that my "Charismatic/Pentecostal" score a bit low.

Be blessed,

iggy

Shameless plug: iggyROCKS!

My online radio station iggyROCKS! hit the 74 position on July 12th.

We have added some new shows, such as:

Silent Planet Radio.
Godsquad
iggyTalks on iggyROCKS!

We are also proud to announce we will be broadcasting the Emergent Village Podcast.

We are still rebroadcasting People to People as well as excited to let you know Nation of Rockwell has gone into syndication... Quenton has also found out he and his wife are expecting a child... so congrats to you both!

As well we are always adding new artist and remember some of the classics.

I want to thank the listener for making this station what it is. It was just a hobby that has turned into a ministry for up and coming artists and talent.

Blessings,
iggy

My Baby Girl Turns Two!

It is hard to believe that my baby girl turns two today!

Happy Birthday Ciana!

Love,

Your daddy

Grace is not a "Bar of Soap"

I was looking as some stats and noticed where some "hits" on this blog came from.

And I came across someone using this picture to express what grace was all about.

Truly this person has no clue what the Grace of God is all about.

Grace is not a bar of soap to be taken out only when one sins. That is almost an insult to what Grace is. Grace is the substance in which all things are held together. Some call that common grace, yet there is nothing "common" about it.
God created all things through Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 8)

Since all things were created through Jesus, we must realize that all things were originally created in Grace and Truth as Jesus is full of Grace and Truth. (John 1:14)

So Grace is in its fullness literally Jesus Christ.

From this knowledge of Grace, we now see that God is drawing all things back to Himself in Jesus Christ. For the Bible teaches, "For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all." 1 Cor 15: 27-28)

Grace comes from and is Jesus Christ. It has from the original creation until even now in the New Creation that began when the stone was rolled away.

I searched for a picture that might actually represent what Grace is. I came up with a few... yet, I realized there is only One Picture that truly represents Grace in its fullness. That is the Picture of Jesus Christ. From His preincarnation in the Father... to when the Father began the Great Conversation when he Spoke, "Let there be..." and it was... through Christ Jesus.

To the many stories and antitype throughout the scirpture that are the shadows... to the reality of Jesus' birth, life, death on the Cross... to the Resurrection as His Kingdom was ushered in, to the Ascension and now as he sits in His Glory and we await His return to bring His Kingdom in its fullness.

The Picture of Jesus is the very Picture of Grace itself...

To say Grace is nothing but a bar of soap that we use to wash ourselves on occasion is truly shameful and honestly a sin.

We are washed by the Blood... shed by Jesus... as He being Grace showed us Grace in action.

I hope that no one reduces Jesus to a bar of soap... for He is Life itself and apart from Him there is no Life.

blessings,
iggy

Walking Through Romans pt 12: Romans 8:18 - 39

Walking Through Romans pt 12: Romans 8:18 - 39

8:18 For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us. 8:19 For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility – not willingly but because of God who subjected it – in hope 8:21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now. 8:23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 8:24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.
8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will. 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, 8:29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 8:30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
8:31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 8:32 Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things? 8:33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 8:34 Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us. 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 8:36 As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 8:37 No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I see that suffering is something that most Americans do not relate to. To many think that the cable TV going down or not having a hot shower in the morning… or running to late for work that you can’t stop for a latte is suffering.

Yet, saying that there is a suffering deeper in the heart of man that many may cover with such things.
Paul’s sufferings were both physical and mental as he was often on the defense of his teachings, and even of his very life as some sought to bring him down in some way even at times subjecting him to stoning.

Some countries the physical sufferings we here cannot fathom… yet in all this, Paul states that “our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us.” This Glory is Jesus Christ Himself.

Because of man who gave over his dominion of the earth and creation as a whole to Satan, the creation cries out in its own suffering. We often do not think of the creation as suffering yet Paul states: “the whole creation groans and suffers together until now”

What more we too groan in these bodies of decay, and hope for the Resurrection where we will receive new imperishable bodies.

Many place their faith in the idea that we can understand through rationalizing and science proves God’s word. This places God’s word in subjection to the process of science. Science itself is not bad, yet if one uses it to prove God I see something wrong. It is like saying that man is capable of understanding God if he gathers enough info. It is saying that God is not beyond mans finite mind and mental capacities and placing ourselves as equal if not above God.

If one then believes the Bible then as he does research finds once again God’s word to be true, then science in subject to God’s word.

The contrast to all of this though is the understanding that it is Hope we are saved. It is the Hope that in placing our faith in the finished works of Christ Jesus we find salvation. We do not see this at present, or at best may get a fleeting glimpse that passes in a moment. Yet, we who place our hope in Jesus press forward in this hope with endurance until this hope is fulfilled.

Paul goes one that in the same way we press on in endurance by hope we also do not know how to even pray. As one who is so far from perfection we must depend on the Holy Spirit to interpret our own inward groanings. As the Holy Spirit does this He intercedes on our behalf. It seems God has thought of everything doesn’t it?

As we are in Christ Jesus, the Father works His will and purpose and works all things together for our good.

God knowing that there would be those who would be in Christ, also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. God also by making Jesus the firstborn of the New Creation, now has made a way that we also will be brothers and sisters born into this same New Creation we have in Christ Jesus.

Before we were predestined we were called. In that we either answer “No.” or “Yes”. We must come to the point were we have not where else to go as the disciples stated to Jesus (john 6:68).

I see that many miss this and struggle for years to realize this crucial point, that we are dead in our sins… and as we come to Christ, we place our sins in Christ and our dead in Christ, but alive by His resurrection and given New Life.

As we walk forward in perseverance, we walking in Hope… this Hope is Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13) Yet also in this calling and do His will and good works, we find that we are justified. Justification is not a one shot deal at the Cross… as we are given Grace, Mercy and Love to give away, we also are given Justice to give away.

Our God is for us. Many suffer from bad teaching that tells them that “God hates sinners” and if a person is honest, they know they are sinners. If a person listens long enough to this sort of bad theology, they then begin to not live in victory, but focus on their own fruit. They do not realize that all men are bad trees and thus bear bad fruit. It is God alone who bears Good Fruit as He alone is the Good True. By listening to the lies, they become in bondage to a performance or shame based faith. They fall from grace to works and again if honest enough find they no matter how hard they try, they will always fall short.

That is why it is crucial to understand God’s Love. God is for us. If God justifies a man, who can say God is wrong? No one can condemn you because Jesus sits by the Father and intercede for you. I think Jesus trumps everyone else in this game.

It is this great love for us God has. Nothing can separate us from it. In Christ we are secure and immersed in the greatest love of all.

Never let anyone tell you that God hates you because you sin… It seems that God loves sinners most of all. For He loves them so much that He sent His Son to die in their place. All in hope that we come to trust God in His love for us and find true comfort from our sufferings and even more that we grow into the image of Jesus.

Blessings,
iggy

John MacArthur and Kenneth Nally

Rev. MACARTHUR: "I don't think we went wrong at all. We have absolutely no regrets. My regret is that Ken Nally took his life."

BETTY ROLLIN: Kenneth Nally was 24 years old and living with his family in Southern California when he put a gun to his head and shot himself to death. Kenneth was a devout member of the Grace Community Church in suburban Los Angeles, and when he began to suffer from what turned out to be clinical depression, he sought help from one of the church counselors. Kenneth's parents to this day blame the church for their son's suicide. They say the counselor, who had no training in psychology and provided only Bible-based advice, seemed not to comprehend the seriousness of Kenneth's condition.

Here is the story of John MacArthurs "absolutely no regrets." Here is the story of John MacArthurs "absolutely no regrets."

The only comment I will make is that this is the type of people that I run into from John MacArthur... they abuse others and "absolutely have no regrets". It seems that John is just fine having contributed to this persons death. Though he regrets Ken Nalley shot himself. (Talk about double speak!)

It was really sick as John started the spin on this case that God's Word was on trial... yet truly it was a case of bad judgment and careless words that caused a 24 year old boy to point a gun to his head and pull the trigger.

It was never God's Word on trial... It was a person who claims to love Jesus, but "has absolutely no regrets" in contributing to another persons death.

Beware of false teachers.

iggy

I am giving up writing my blog...

After reading Rick Ianniello's blog and some of his posts on John MacArthur... I realized he is much better and a clearer thinker than myself...

So I relinquish all my blogging to him...


Well at least for this post...

Check out his last installment as he takes a look at John MacArthur's latest articles...

Oh, and Rick is one of my favorite Calvinists....

Be blessed,
iggy

Something pretty cool by Google

Something pretty cool.

Google Image Labler

It is fun... and you are helping Google improve the relevance of image search results.

Blessings,
iggy

Great Monday Morning Insight Article

This is a bit more on this so called "truth war"... I see it is really a modern day witch hunt. Which we have come to realize that mostly was not about actual witches but about "keeping the faith pure" as per one's preferences. It is also more about whether the Kingdom of God is as taught by these "crusaders" was "Here, the gone, the to come" or as Jesus described it, like a women who adds yeast to dough and the dough rises as the yeast spreads.

It is about whether the Kingdom came with Jesus and is still here and will come to it fullness at His return, or that it came with Jesus then left with Jesus, then will come again... This seems to deny that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. Yet now in this attack over "truth" it seems that some stoop to lies and falsehoods and fanciful stories to preserve their so called "truth".

Todd Rhoads states:

"I rarely, rarely ever try to specifically talk about someone in a negative light, and I hope this isn’t negative against a person, but about their opinions. I received from a friend a mass letter going out to supporters of national radio preaching ministry. He sent it to me to read since the whole letter was about “the emerging church”.

I was really dismayed and saddened to read this letter he sent out. It was a fund raising letter for his radio ministry which I went on his radio ministry blog and found that my name was actually listed in his list of who he sees as emerging church leaders. So this became personal, since he mentions me on his radio blog and also raised my interest more in what he was saying in the letter.

Unfortunately, what I read in the letter was, in my opinion, hyper-exaggerations with nothing listed or a specific emerging church cited to back up his claims (at least in this letter). If I was a radio listener and didn’t know what the emerging church was about, after reading the letter I certainly would have my fear raised to find out how to avoid them as the letter says they are a “threat” and “the danger is real”. Many of the descriptions in the letter of “the emerging church” were ones that I commonly hear over and over again and most of them are much like a stereotyped cartoon caricature. Sadly, for the grandparents and parents and all those reading this letter, this stereotype is all they end up hearing which then forms their opinions. Let me show some examples of what he wrote in this letter:"

You will have to read the rest here.

Blessings,
iggy