Archive for October, 2009
Rain:We all will have a season of rain!
I am posting this youtube video of Rob Bell here, as it has a deep meaningful insight into times of suffering/trials. We will all go through them at some stage but our all Sovereign God is above all things, He will walk you through them and bring you out stronger in Him(Psalm 23).
This is particualarly for a special friend..:)
Highlights from the last week!
I have been pretty busy over the last week with work etc. Anyhow here are some of my web highlights.
- No.1 Following Mark Driscoll as he goes through the book of Luke, according to Driscoll this will take around three years. The good thing is that you can watch or listen online anytime during the week.
- No.2 Following Paul Coventry online… Paul just finished last night (Sunday 18th), the last part of the Lord’s prayer. well, last part depending on what version of the bible you read, Paul explains this brilliantly, in his usuall lucid manner. well worth checking out. you can catch paul on:
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No.3 Catching Natali Grant’s video on youtube ‘I will not be moved’ see it below:
My Favourite by Natalie is her cover version of Townsends ‘In Christ Alone’ see below:
Looking for God!
I came across this 
website during last week. It is really good. It has an easy to remember website name; the site itself has a very fresh design, stylish and contemporary. Most communication is via short modern movies. The connection movie on the front page is excellent, as are the fathers love letter etc. Well worth visiting and more importantly a good website to tell your non Christian friends to go and check it out! Or email them the addy. You can find it at this address www.lookingforgod.com .
Highlights are:
- An Interview with God
- God has changed their lives
- Fathers Love letter
- Who is Jesus
- God and you!
Contradiction: Paul and James!
Question: Do Paul and James contradict each other?
Paul: Justified by faith alone.
James: Justified by works .
Answer: In order to answer this question we have to look at what each author is saying in context. This seemingly problematic contradiction comes from the use of ‘Abraham’s Justification’ by both Paul and James in their text.
- Paul: Romans 4:2-3 “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
- James: James 2:21 “ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?”
Reading these two verses side by side gives the impression that James was at odds with Paul. Paul explicitly states that Abraham was justified by faith and James just as emphatically says Abraham was justified by works. In the book of James, The author is talking about ‘works of faith’ in other words ‘works that show faith’. James is not talking about works that will save you, but proving your faith to the world. God knows you have faith but the only way (humanly speaking) that we can tell is by works of faith or as John would say, ‘fruit of the spirit’.
On the other hand Paul is talking about works that save. No matter how hard you try or do wondrous works, it will not save you. What Paul is saying, is that, following the law in every aspect was not the key to salvation; faith was.
What seems to cause confusion is the use by both authors of the story of Abraham. This is not a problem if you carefully read which portions of Abraham’s life both Paul and James are talking about. Paul points out, through his example of Abraham, that faith came first and was given credit, for after all, Abraham was counted as righteous before Moses saw the light of day little alone receive the law! Thus it can NOT be following the bare moral code that leads to salvation. In contrast, James says not a word about circumcision or following the written code. He speaks of application as a result of a living faith, after conversion. Nor does he use Abraham’s following of the “law” as proof of his righteousness: He points to his validating actions that proved his faith in God.
Paul and James both use Abraham, they are answering different questions – and their answers are in harmony with scripture.
- Paul’s perspective: He was viewing the guilty sinner who needed to be right with God (The sinner is in view).
- James’ perspective: He was viewing the believer (or professing believer) who needed to demonstrate that his faith was real (The believer is in view).
Woe is me! Pastor Paul Coventry.
I was listening to a sermon by Pastor Paul Coventry this afternoon (Stranraer Baptist Church). The sermon was titled ‘Woe is me I’m too bad’. I hope and pray that there are non Christians reading this who maybe thinking they are as the title says ‘Woe is me’.
Paul takes his teaching from 1 Timothy 1:12-17. He shows how Paul was the chief of sinners and that he was saved by grace and mercy. Paul persecuted Christians, and now he was risking life and limb to proclaim this same Christian teaching he was previously trying to destroy.
Paul had an experience as Isaiah once had, he saw the Glory of God and realized the greatness of God and the condition that he himself was a sinner an enemy of God.
Three main points Pastor Paul takes you through (click the link below for the audio) are:
- Look at what I was?
- Look at what I received?
- Look at what I am Now?
If you realise your are a sinner and think you don’t deserve God’s mercy, I pray you listen to Paul’s sermon and that by the grace of God you come to Christ.
or here :woe-is-me-reasons-for-refusing-the-gospel-im-too-bad