Seed oils are trying to kill you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBoWmIYN4vw #carnivore

The gospel is the grand emanation from the fountain of blessedness, an overflow of the Divine goodness. It is the infinitely happy God, pouring forth his happiness upon miserable sinners, through Jesus Christ. — Andrew Fuller

#faith #bible #christian

#faith #bible #christian

New article in the local paper by my pastor: Restoration is focus of Advent.

"Many churches that follow a traditional calendar in their activities will regard this upcoming Sunday as the third Sunday in the season of Advent. In the first, they focused on themes of hope and expectation. Last Sunday was about promise and fulfillment. Looking over the suggested Scripture readings for the third Sunday, the theme of restoration is prominent.

The people of God who had managed to hold on to their faith at the time of Jesus of Nazareth were in need of restoration, severely so. Beginning with the captivity in Babylon, at the time of the book of Daniel, they had been oppressed and harassed by four successive world empires.

After the Babylonians came the Medes and Persians. These were ousted by the fierce Greeks under the swift generalship of Alexander the Great. The Greek reign over Israel was so bloody and tyrannical that when the Romans finally booted them out, many Jews were tempted to believe the Romans were the messengers of God’s grace toward them, and had, for all practical purposes, established the kingdom of God on Earth.

This pro-Roman faction among the Jews shows up as the sect of the Sadducees in the Gospel accounts. Their basic issue with Christ’s preaching was that, if people followed it, the Romans might feel a need to come and crack some heads in Israel, and their (relatively) comfortable lifestyle would be reduced to shambles.

Their nightmarish past with the Greeks had made them eager to live quietly under the oppression of the Romans. It wasn’t great, but it was night-and-day better than it had been. This trauma response made the offer of Christ’s restoration sound dangerous and upsetting. Living under the iron boot of Rome was enough for them.

But the prophets had promised them actual freedom. God had prophesied about making sure all their previous losses were repaid. Ruined cities would be rebuilt, teeming with laughing children like a field teeming with well-kept flocks. Those who robbed and destroyed would be cast down, and restitution extracted from them.

Isaiah, for instance, prophesied about this day of restoration in Isaiah 61 (one of the Advent readings). Jesus then applied this same text to himself in Luke 4, saying, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

The offer was clear. Here I am. The time is now. Today, the promised restoration is yours.

Less than 10 verses later, they all tried to murder him.

And you? How does the offer of Christ’s restoration strike you today, this Advent season? Hopefully, like a piping mug of something smooth on a snowy day.

Or, maybe your past troubles have convinced you that a day without the walls burning down is about all you can hope for.

The good news is this, but it will challenge your faith: God has something better for you.

The promised Messiah, who died and was raised, still offers restoration. He’s still in the business of rebuilding ruins. He’s still the king of justice, who will make sure that no one gets away with anything. The books will all be balanced and the debts will be paid.

May this season be healing to you."

Gordan Runyan is pastor of Tucumcari’s Immanuel Baptist Church and author of “Radical Moses: The Amazing Civil Freedom Built into Ancient Israel.” Contact him at: reformnm@yahoo.com

https://www.qcsunonline.com/story/2023/12/13/opinion/restoration-is-focus-of-advent/25406.html

#faith #bible #christian

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (December 13th)

Evening Brightens Into Day

It shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light — Zechariah 14:7

It is a surprise that it should be so; for all things threaten that at evening time it shall be dark. God is wont to work in a way so much above our fears and beyond our hopes, that we are greatly amazed, and are led to praise His sovereign grace. No, it shall not be with us as our hearts are prophesying: the dark will not deepen into midnight, but it will on a sudden brighten into day. Never let us despair. In the worst times let us trust in the Lord who turneth the darkness of the shadow of death into the morning. When the tale of bricks is doubled Moses appears, and when tribulation abounds it is nearest its end.

This promise should assist our patience. The light may not fully come till our hopes are quite spent by waiting all day to no purpose. To the wicked the sun goes down while it is yet day: to the righteous the sun rises when it is almost night. May we not with patience wait for that heavenly light, which may be long in coming, but is sure to prove itself well worth waiting for?

Come, my soul, take up thy parable and sing unto Him who will bless thee in life and in death, in a manner surpassing all that nature has ever seen when at its best.

#faith #bible #christian

Haha 😂

New Dune Part 2 trailer. I'm down. https://youtu.be/U2Qp5pL3ovA?si=CDqnHkuRBO69Dwi7 #dune

#faith #bible #christian

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (December 12th)

A Quiet Heart

In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength — Isaiah 30:15

It is always weakness to be fretting and worrying, questioning and mistrusting. What can we do if we wear ourselves to skin and bone? Can we gain anything by fearing and fuming? Do we not unfit ourselves for action, and unhinge our minds for wise decision? We are sinking by our struggles when we might float by faith.

Oh, for grace to be quiet! Why run from house to house to repeat the weary story which makes us more and more heart-sick as we tell it? Why even stay at home to cry out in agony because of wretched forebodings which may never be fulfilled? It would be well to keep a quiet tongue, but it would be far better if we had a quiet heart. Oh, to be still and know that Jehovah is God!

Oh, for grace to be confident in God! The Holy One of Israel must defend and deliver His own. He cannot run back from His solemn declarations. We may make sure that every word of His will stand though the mountains should depart. He deserves to be confided in; and if we would display confidence and consequent quietness, we might be as happy as the spirits before the throne.

Come, my soul, return unto thy rest, and lean thy head upon the bosom of the Lord Jesus.

#faith #bible #christian

A little faith is no less faith than a great faith; yea, a little faith will carry a man as safely to heaven, though not so comfortably, nor so fruitfully, as great faith.

—John Owen

#faith #bible #christian

He that would be saved by Christ, and not ruled by him, shall not be saved by him at all.

—John Owen

#faith #bible #christian

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (December 11th)

Trust and Do; Do and Trust

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed — Psalm 37:3

Trust and do are words which go well together, in the order in which the Holy Spirit has placed them. We should have faith, and that faith should work. Trust in God sets us upon holy doing: we trust God for good, and then we do good. We do not sit still because we trust, but we arouse ourselves, and expect the Lord to work through us and by us. It is not ours to worry and do evil, but to trust and do good. We neither trust without doing, nor do without trusting.

Adversaries would root us out, if they could; but by trusting and doing we dwell in the land. We will not go into Egypt, but we will remain in Immanuel's land - the providence of God, the Canaan of covenant love. We are not so easily to be got rid of as the Lord's enemies suppose. They cannot thrust us out, nor stamp us out: where God has given us a name and a place, there we abide.

But what about the supply of our necessities? The Lord has put a "verily" into this promise. As sure as God is true, His people shall be fed. It is theirs to trust and to do, and it is the Lord's to do according to their trust. If not fed by ravens, or fed by an Obadiah, or fed by a widow, yet they shall be fed somehow. Away, ye fears!

#faith #bible #christian

“Faith is often diversified by doubt, but a man should not desert the conviction of his better moments because the dark moments come.”

~Machen

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"Christ upholds God’s Law. And this includes his upholding one of the laws most commonly misunderstood and employed today. This law is often used in arguing against the continuing relevance of God’s Law in the civil sphere. He upholds the law calling for capital punishment for incorrigible criminality. Even the parents of a dangerous individual are expected to turn him over to civil authorities for capital punishment."

https://postmillennialworldview.com/2023/12/01/christ-and-the-rebellious-son-law/

#faith #bible #christian

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (December 10th)

God Is Our Ally

But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries — Exodus 23:22

The Lord Christ in the midst of His people is to be acknowledged and obeyed. He is the vicegerent of God, and speaks in the Father's name, and it is ours implicitly and immediately to do as He commands. We shall lose the promise if we disregard the precept.

To full obedience how large the blessing! The Lord enters into a league with His people, offensive and defensive. He will bless those who bless us, and curse those who curse us. God will go heart and soul with His people, and enter in deepest sympathy into their position. What a protection this affords us! We need not concern ourselves about our adversaries, when we are assured that they have become the adversaries of God. If Jehovah has taken up our quarrel we may leave the foemen in His hands.

So far as our own interest is concerned we have no enemies; but for the cause of truth and righteousness we take up arms and go forth to conflict. In this sacred war we are allied with the eternal God, and if we carefully obey the law of our Lord Jesus, He is engaged to put forth all His power on our behalf. Wherefore we fear no man.

#faith #bible #christian

There is no such thing as being too great a sinner to be saved.

—Martyn Lloyd-Jones

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Leave out the cross and you have killed the religion of Jesus. Atonement by the blood of Jesus is not an arm of Christian truth; it is the heart of it.

Charles Spurgeon

#Faith #bible #christian

No, abortion is murder and the mom's who murder their children ought to be prosecuted as murderers.

His oneism and twoism stuff is great. It all boils down to that.

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (December 8th)

Following Leads to Honor

If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor — John 12:26

The highest service is imitation. If I would be Christ's servant I must be His follower. To do as Jesus did is the surest way of bringing honor to His name. Let me mind this every day.

If I imitate Jesus I shall have His company: if I am like Him I shall be with Him. In due time He will take me up to dwell with Him above, if, meanwhile, I have striven to follow Him here below. After His suffering our Lord came to His throne, and even so, after we have suffered a while with Him here below, we also shall arrive in glory. The issue of our Lord's life shall be the issue of ours: if we are with Him in His humiliation we shall be with Him in His glory. Come, my soul, pluck up courage, and put down thy feet in the blood-marked footprints which thy Lord has left thee.

Let me not fail to note that the Father will honor those who follow His Son. If He sees me true to Jesus He will put marks of favor and honor upon me for His Son's sake. No honor can be like this. Princes and emperors bestow the mere shadows of honor; the substance of glory comes from the Father. Wherefore, my soul, cling thou to thy Lord Jesus more closely than ever.

#faith #bible #christian