NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

Jonathan Edwards Talked Hell, Promised No Heaven

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If people are condemned to hell without recourse, why torment them before they go.

When Edwards Described Hell
You Felt The Flames

I’m not sure what you would call it but the congregation’s response to Jonathan Edward’s famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, was not a revival.

He wasn’t speaking to heretics, hecklers or blasphemers. In fact, his hearers weren’t even skeptical. They were regular congregants and they were anything but slack. They endured long, dry, complicated, and often irrelevant or condemning discussions on Bible topics every week.

Deadening, yes, but showing up every week was a sign of determined commitment. They weren’t indifferent.

The services were probably lifeless – the effect had to be numbing – but we can’t blame the attenders for that and there is no reason to accuse them of being spiritually casual.

Mr. Edwards was clearly a very intelligent man with a remarkable ability to articulate his thoughts. But in spite of these abilities those who heard him found his theology difficult to assimilate. [Read more…] about Jonathan Edwards Talked Hell, Promised No Heaven

“Roots of Responsibility” by John Rosemond

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Don't assign chores than can be done only one way - YOURS.

Chapter Review – “Roots of Responsibility”

In The New Six-Point Plan for Raising Happy, Healthy Children, John Rosemond recommends a no-nonsense approach to teaching children responsibility. Quoting the famous God Father he says, “you must give them a deal they can’t refuse.”

In his approach to good parenting John recommends:

Chores

John suggests that one of the best ways to mold children into responsible individuals is to give them age appropriate chores and he suggests five practical outcomes to prove his point: [Read more…] about “Roots of Responsibility” by John Rosemond

7 Ways God Spoke To Moses’ Mother, Jochebed

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God said nothing to Jochebed audibly, but He spoke.

God Uses The Mundane
To Produce The Miraculous

Mention the name “Jochebed” and most people give you a blank look. But refer to Moses’ Mother and the light comes on.

Everyone knows the story of Moses. He features prominently in Exodus through Deuteronomy and, in fact, wrote all four books. There is little question that he edited the Book of Genesis also – with God’s guidance, of course.

There is also little question that Jochebed should get a lot of credit for everything Moses did.

Of the many unusual things about the life of Moses, the one that is rarely mentioned is the fact that the Bible covers his complete bio from birth to death. Very few have that distinction: Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist and Jesus to name a few. It is also interesting that the lives of these people are accompanied by miracles, at least at birth.

Unlike the others, however, Moses’ conception wasn’t miraculous. His survival immediately following birth was.

Pharaoh, the reigning monarch when Moses was born, decreed that all male born Israelites be sacrificed to the Nile. Not only did Moses survive that decree he was also protected in the safest possible place, the palace of Pharaoh.

It was a miracle, yes, but not in the normal sense of the word. This miracle required a large dose of human activity by someone with a lot of courage, tenacity and ingenuity.

Enter Jochebed, a little known figure otherwise, but one that will forever be associated with the miraculous survival of Moses. The question is, did God speak to this woman and if so, how?

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The story unfolds like this: [Read more…] about 7 Ways God Spoke To Moses’ Mother, Jochebed

Sincerity Is Not Salvation

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Cornelius was a very interesting person. The Bible actually says he was so convincingly devout that his family followed in his steps. He also gave generously (much) to charitable needs, he feared God and he prayed constantly. He was trusted and had influence with many people.

The least you could say about Cornelius is he was sincere. It was in response to his sincerity that God spoke to him in a vision and on the basis of that fact alone we conclude that sincerity is important.

  • The quality of every relationship is measured by the sincerity of those involved.
  • Sincere people are honest and trustworthy. The opposite is duplicity, i.e., operating with ulterior motives and hidden agendas.
  • Sincere people never say one thing while intentionally meaning another. When they disagree with others they are honest about it without being disagreeable.
  • Sincere people are forthright. They say exactly what they mean and mean exactly what they say.
  • Sincere people look for truth, they don’t try to reshape it.
  • A sincere person can never knowingly be compromised.
  • Insincere people are complacent about error and glib toward truth. They aren’t so easily led by God.
  • God responds to sincerity.

But being sincere does not automatically make you Christian and Cornelius’ experience proves it. You can read his story in Acts 10.

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Cornelius is just one example among many of someone who was very sincere long before becoming Christian. Nicodemus, Lydia and Apollos are a few more. These are people whose sincerity wasn’t contaminated by self-serving opinions. A stubborn person who is sincerely wrong may never find the truth or accept it when found. These examples were neither self-serving nor stubborn. [Read more…] about Sincerity Is Not Salvation

Contending For The Faith Or With The Faithful?

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Sovereignty. Everyone believes in it but we don’t all measure it the same way. For some sovereignty means God has all the power and all the will. He isn’t just omnipotent He is dominant. Everything that is or will be, was determined (pre – before it actually happened) by Him (salvation particularly). You can accept His outcomes and go with the flow or not, (you can only buck His plan if He decided you would, even if you didn’t want to) but you can’t change it.

In this scheme, God has pre-knowledge of all things because He planned it. He knew what would happen because He caused it. Taking this idea to its logical end, we don’t have to do anything. In fact, we can’t. Do you have a career path? Only if God wants it. Can you tell us what it is? Only when God shows it. If God’s will is such, why do we need a will at all? [Read more…] about Contending For The Faith Or With The Faithful?