Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Monergism Books

I've found a great place to get solid, doctrinally correct books at very good prices. I have joined their affiliate program. They "pay" you in books! To check out their selection, click on my link:




Here is an example of one of the books I'll be ordering shortly. Our church is beginning the process of installing elders. For those men desiring to be considered for church eldership and for those who wish to know what they should look for in eldership candidates, Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch is a definitive theological work on biblical eldership.

Biblical Eldership

If you'd like to pick some some credits in order to add to your own library, consider signing up as an affiliate. You can register by clicking here.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Almost Thou Persuadest Me to Be a Christian

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
(Act 26:28-29)

Can someone be persuaded to be a Christian? If anyone could successfully persuade someone to "accept Christ" surely the Apostle Paul could have done it. Yet, it seems as though even through the testimony of Paul and the "almost persuaded" heart of Agrippa Paul does not see success in the conversion of the king.

This passage is an example of God's election. We know that if Christ had chosen Agrippa as He had done Paul, then certainly Agrippa would not just be "almost persuaded," but he would have indeed repented of his sins and trusted in Christ for his salvation.

Notice that Paul has a great attitude. Paul's desire was that all who heard him would be saved. Yet, God in His providence elects whom He wills.

Friends, do not use election as an excuse for not coming to Christ. Rather know that if and when you come, you come only because of the Lord's drawing and not through any effort of your own.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Get Out Of The Pulpit

Awesome song! Roxylee proclaims a much needed message to today's modern churchgoer.

http://www.macjams.com/song/49656

Friday, January 16, 2009

I Think You'll Need This

With less than a week remaining before the Obamanation begins, I want to share a couple of tools that should prove helpful in the next four years.

Here is a tool you may use to contact your federal representatives and senators (This will redirect you to another site):




Use the one below for your state representatives:


Contact them often. The forces of liberalism are feeling empowered. If there's one silver lining on this new administration it's that Christians should finally wake up and participate in their government like they did during the Clinton era. The evils of the new incoming administration should certainly keep us from rolling over and going back to sleep after the long nap Christians seem to have taken with Bush in office.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

GOSPEL SONNETS - Chapter 3 - Section 4

Gospel Sonnets
By Ralph Erskine
Chapter 3

SECTION IV. - The Believer only being married to Christ, is justified and sanctified: and the more gospel freedom from the law as a covenant, the more holy conformity to it as a rule.

THUS doth the Husband by his Father's will
Both for, and in, his bride the law fulfil:
For her, as 'tis a covenant; and then
In her, as 'tis a rule of life to men.
First, all law-debt he most completely pays,
Then of law duties all the charge defrays.
Does first assume her guilt, and loose her chains,
And then with living water wash her stains;
Her fund restore, and then her form repair,
And make his filthy bride a beauty fair;
His perfect righteousness most freely grant,
And then his holy image deep implant;
Into her heart his precious seed indrop,
Which, in his time, will yield a glorious crop.
But by alternate turns his plants he brings
Through robbing winters and repairing springs.
Hence, pining oft, they suffer'd sad decays,
By dint of shady nights and stormy days.
But blest with sap, and influence from above,
They live and grow anew in faith and love;
Until transplanted to the higher soil.
While furies tread no more, nor foxes spoil.
Where Christ the living root remains on high,
The noble plant of grace can never die;
Nature decays, and so will all the fruit
That merely rises on a mortal root.
Their works, however splendid, are but dead,
That from a living fountain don't proceed;
Their fairest fruit is but a varnish'd shrine,
That are not grafted in the glorious Vine.
Devoutest hypocrites are rank'd in rolls
Of painted puppets, not of living souls.
No offspring but of Christ's fair bride is good,
This happy marriage has a holy brood.
Let sinners learn this mystery to read,
We bear to glorious Christ no precious, seed,
Till through the law, we to the law be dead.(1)
No true obedience to the law, but forc'd,
Can any yield, till from the law divorc'd.
No to it, as a rule is homage giv'n,
Till from it, as a cov'nant, men be driv'n.
Yea more, till once they this divorce attain,
Divorce from sin they but attempt in vain;
The cursed yoke of sin they basely draw,
Till once unyoked from the cursed law.
Sin's full dominion keeps its native place,
While men are under law, not under grace.(2)
For mighty hills of enmity won't move,
Till touch'd by conqu'ring grace and mighty love.
Were buy the gospel-secret understood;
How God can pardon where he sees no good;
How grace and mercy free, that can't be bought,
Reign through a righteousness already wrought:
Where woful reigning unbelief deposed,
Mysterious grace to blinded minds disclosed:
Did Heaven with gospel-news its power convey,
And sinners hear a faithful God but say,
"No more law-debt remains for you to pay;
Lo! by the loving Surety, all's discharged,"
Their hearts behoved with love to be enlarged:
Love, the succinct fulfilling of the law,(3)
Were then the easy yoke they'd sweetly draw;
Love would constrain and to his service move
Who left them nothing else to do but love.
Slight now his loving precepts if they can;
No, no; his conquering kindness leads the van.
When everlasting love exerts the sway,
They judge themselves more kindly bound t'obey,
Bound by redeeming love in stricter sense
Than ever Adam was in innocence.
Why now they are not bound, as formerly,
To do and live, nor yet to do or die;
Both life and death are put to Jesus' hands,
Who urges neither in his kind commands,
Not servile work their life and heaven to win,
Nor slavish labour death and hell to shun.
Their aims are purer, since they understood,
Their heaven was bought, their hell was quenched with blood.
The oars of gospel-service now they steer,
Without or legal hope or slavish fear.
The bride in sweet security can dwell,
Nor bound to purchase heaven nor vanquish hell:
But bound for him the race of love to run,
Whose love to her left none of these undone;
She's bound to be the Lamb's obedient wife,
And is his strength to serve him during life;
To glorify his loving name for aye,
Who left her not a single mite to pay
Of legal debt, but wrote for her at large,
In characters of blood, a full discharge.
Henceforth no servile task her labours prove,
But grateful fruits of reverential love.

(1) Gal. ii. 19.
(2) Rom. vi. 14.
(3) Rom. xiii. 10.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Bombshell May Have Been Averted

Praise God. It sounds like the bureaucrats heard from the people and actually listened. I'm not positive we're all out of the woods yet, but this sounds a lot more promising. From the sound of this I don't think we have to worry about federal agents knocking down our doors in the middle of the night because we sold some used curriculum on eBay. It also seems to let resellers off the hook unless they are trying to sell recalled products.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html

I'll update if I hear more. I'm still not sure about the specifics regarding the sale of new, home produced products (like baby blankets). If you know, please leave me a comment here.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Small Business Bombshell!

Maybe I've had my head buried in the sand lately, or I've been concentrating on other things, but something just almost completely slipped by my notice. Last week my daughter alerted me to something she was reading on Jennie Chancey's sewing forum, Sense and Sensibility. At Church last Lord's Day, one of the ladies in our fellowship was talking about it. Then just last night I received an email from a friend expressing the same concerns. It seems as though the nanny state has determined to protect all our children from lead poisoning. However, rather than aiming squarely at the main culprit of lead distribution in toys; "Red China," our bureaucratic empire headed by the elite group of legislators decided this would be a great time to take a pot shot at all those small businesses across America.

It turns out that this new law, which I understand has already passed and will go into effect on February 10, 2009, requires that every product that can appear to be targeted for children under 13 years old must pass rigorous lead testing. It doesn't matter if the component parts have already been tested for lead, each end product must be tested also. This also applies to book sellers. This will add a lot of unnecessary expense and will expose small business owners to extremely harsh and unreasonable punishment if they violate this law knowingly or ignorantly. The penalty is $100,000 and two years in prison.

This is an outrage! I don't watch TV, but from what I understand, the media is largely ignoring this. I even wondered if it were for real or not. But after a bit of internet research, it seems to be accurate.

I have not researched this as thoroughly as I need to, but I wanted to get the word out to my readers as soon as possible. Check out the following link:
http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/

This is an organization that is standing together to fight this. As a disclaimer, I haven't thoroughly examined this website either. But it does not appear to contain objectionable material. There's a link there to "Ideas for Change in America." I did check out that site and found a bunch of left wing liberal causes. I signed up anyway and registered my vote against this one issue.

I have a feeling that we'll be needing to call our legislators pretty regularly starting after say...January 20. The Obamanation is beginning, though this law was passed under the Bush regime.