Aletheuo

A Faithful Witness

John — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:16:19 +0000

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.48 You are witnesses of these things.49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Luke 24:44-49 (ESV)

If you are hearing the Gospel message and asking the question, “Why should I believe what is being said here?”, then I fully accept that to be a valid question that needs an answer. Many Christians at this point will look to their own testimony as the means to convince others that the Gospel is true. They may point to their own lives, and the way maybe that they have been turned from deep addictions, or have experienced some amazing healing or provision in their life, and claim therefore that Christianity must be true. But to those who do, another equally valid question to ask would be, “Isn’t it also true that many people experience life transformation while embracing other religions, or even a non religious path altogether?”. While this type of personal testimony may well be encouraging to others then, and may well be a fruit of the Gospel in the life of someone who believes in Christ, it is by no means the Gospel itself, and can be believed or rejected by others without any eternal consequence.

There are millions of sincere Christians in the world today, all with a genuine relationship with God, whereby they have been reconciled and forgiven of their sins by the shed blood of Jesus Christ on their behalf. But the truth is, they do not have that relationship with God because they have believed some other Christians personal testimony of what God has done for them, but rather they have believed the truth of the Gospel message itself. This message is not only true, but unchanging. In the words of the Bible, it is a message that has “once for all delivered to the saints”. It is through the faithful preaching of this message that saving faith comes and people are truly saved from the wrath of God to come. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17 (ESV))

The faithful witness to the Gospel of Christ has been handed down through the ages, from those who spent much time with Jesus Christ Himself. Who were witnesses to that which He said and did, and those whom Christ “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures“, that they may faithfully and accurately bear witness to Him. So what is this message that is faithfully handed down through the ages? As pointed out in the reference of Scripture at the beginning of this message, it is this: “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” It is a simple message yes, but it is a message that must be believed if anyone, no matter how good or bad they have been in this life, shall be saved from eternal condemnation.

If you have heard the Gospel message and have an internal witness that the message is true, then you can safely know that through the words of Christ, faith is rising within you that truly has the power to save you from the coming judgement of God promised by the Bible. If this is you, then as the Bible says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion”. You can surely know that the grace of God is knocking at your door, offering full reconciliation with God through the forgiveness of your sins. I urge you not to turn away into unbelief.

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John 5:11-12 (ESV)

If you would like to discuss this matter further, please visit the following link where you will find the message duplicated on our forum: Visit our forum

Sourced from: The Gospel

True Riches – Great Gulf Fixed

Andy — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:30:45 +0000

Sermon on Luke 16:19-31

1 Two lives – contrast between saved and unsaved – Lazarus, and the Rich Man.
– Teaching in respect of gambling (National Lottery).
2 Two deaths – they both died.
3 Two eternal destinations – Heaven and Hell.
– In Hell the rich man did not cease to exist.
– Gospel application

Thanks Be To God

Andy — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:07:24 +0000

by J.A. Matteson

“Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29). Was it seeing and touching the risen Christ that prompted the response by Thomas, “My Lord and my God!”? (John 20:28). Is seeing believing? If that is true then all people who saw would have believed…but they did not. Others saw the risen LORD yet did not believe. Even Jesus made a telling statement about the rich man suffering judgment after he died, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:31). How is it then Thomas moved from unbelief to belief? The Word of Life brought it forth, “…do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:27). For this reason Jesus informs that seeing is not necessary for faith…grace is. What is needed is the mercy of God to open blind eyes and melt hearts of stone. And Thomas would soon learn that he was not only blessed of God to believe but to suffer for His names sake, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29). This statement by Paul finds agreement with Jesus who also said, “…no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father” (John 6:65). So Thomas believed as it had been granted for him to do so. And you believe, like Thomas, as a result of grace. Amazing grace indeed! I once was blind but now I see. Thanks be to God. Happy Resurrection Day!

A message not to be ignored.

John — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:14:34 +0000

Because there are so many things fighting for our attention these days, it is quite easy to overlook something that, in hindsight, we wish we had sat up and taken more notice. It could be as casual as a leaflet we’d thrown in the bin without looking, only to find out at a later date that it was an offer that would have suited us down to the ground. Or it could be as serious as ignoring warnings from our doctor about something health related, only to find ourselves in a situation that is out of control, and beyond treatment. How much different things would be if only we had taken notice.

It is with this in mind that I would ask you to consider the message of the Gospel. Whether you believe it or not is between you and God, and in actual fact the Bible itself makes it clear that the only one who can convince you to believe it is true, is God Himself. Therefore it is not my aim to try and bend your will to mine, but simply to make it clear to one and all what the actual message is that is to be believed or rejected. In the words of Jesus Christ Himself recorded in the Gospel of Mark:

15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:15-16

If you are someone who has considered the Gospel message and have rejected it for whatever reasons, then obviously that is your prerogative. I would hope and pray that at some point God Himself intervenes in your life to cause a change of mind, however you have my utmost respect for acknowledging the weight of the consequences, should you either believe or reject the message as being true. Sadly however, my experience has been that most people reject the Gospel out of blind ignorance of what the message even entails, rather than with any diligence at all.

Should you happen to be someone falling into the latter category, my aim is not to make an issue of your foolishness, but rather to exhort you to make an informed decision instead. If you hear the Gospel message, understand what it entails, and choose to reject the message as false, then my conscience is clear. For I have played my part faithfully in proclaiming this message to others, in faith trusting that the Lord will bring to faith those He chooses according to His will.

This is the first of many messages I will be posting here, aimed at generating discussion on our forum, which is open to Christian and non Christian alike. If you know what the Gospel message is and have decided to reject it, or if you aren’t really sure what the message entails, then I invite you to drop into the forum and have your say. Whether that is a simple question you would like answered, or to share your opinions that make you feel the Gospel is false, then your are equally welcome to share your views. If you’re feeling bold, then please register as a member on the forum and make yourself known. Or alternatively, simply reply to the post as an anonymous guest. The only difference being that your reply will be held for moderation first.

Please click here to visit the forum and make your voice heard.

Sourced from: The Gospel

Send Me, I’ll go.

John — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:35:44 +0000

Whether you like this type of music or not is neither here nor there, for this message is both hard hitting and true, and needs to be taken on board by all of us who dare profess to follow Christ.

Share/Save

Sourced from: HeartCry!

Originally posted 2010-02-03 00:16:57. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

You Can’t Redefine Marriage

Andy — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:35:43 +0000

Preaching from Colossians 3

1 Why redefining marriage is so offensive to God – marriage goes to the heart of the gospel;
2 Marriage is a gift of God to humanity;
3 God’s design for marriage;
Plus application

Humbly Possessed and Diligently Applied

Tim — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:39:05 +0000

Humbly Possessed and Diligently Applied
09.14.09
J.A. Matteson

“Moses said to the sons of Israel, ‘See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri,the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.’” Exodus 35:30

Are you functioning as the Lord intends within the covenant community, or has confusion enveloped your path, hindering progress in grace endowed fruitfulness as you subtly pursue self-exaltation? Arriving at an accurate understanding of your role within the body of Christ is paramount to one day receiving commendation from the Lord, “Well done good and faithful slave….” (Matt. 25:21). And it is worth noting, dear pilgrim, that the Lord chose “slave” in describing your relationship to Him; “servant” can suggest a voluntary arrangement while slave accurately portrays the spiritual reality of your blessed redemption through the atoning blood of Christ, “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:20).

Suggesting to a fellow pilgrim that he can and ought to perform whatever he chooses is folly and an insult to the King of Glory; beloved, silly notions of this variety find no support from Holy Writ. As the Lords bond-slave what constitutes pleasing service to Him? Is it not a pliable disposition, one which submits to divine directives, those which are always in accordance to the pilgrims intended function within the covenant community as crafted by the Lord?

Bezalel serves as a type whereby the pilgrim observes in him a tender heart which hears and responds to the divine call and directive of the Lord, where the consummation of his obedience if found to be integral—along with all the saints—to the final eschatological glorification of the name of the Lord, “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name” (Ps. 86:9).

The wisdom and characteristics implanted within the pilgrim in the form of natural abilities bring glory to the Lord when humbly possessed and diligently applied. The naïvely immature pilgrim seeks to accomplish great exploits for the Lord, sinisterly indicative of the sinful Adamic nature—exploits manifested from inner pride—those not directed by Him and to which he is not suited, those outside of his divine call and gifting, and the resultant outcome is failure, frustration, and divine chastisement.

King Uzziah served the Lord faithfully for decades, but ended his reign in disgrace, succumbing to pride by insisting on fulfilling the role of priest, a function to which he was neither called nor equipped, and he experienced the chastisement of the Lord of Hosts, “…It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the LORD God. But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the altar of incense” (2 Chr. 26:18-19).

To the unregenerate mind the gifting of the Lord appears as merely a natural endowment and he is inclined to conclude that so-and-so simply possesses an uncanny ability—a lucky endowment—to perform specific tasks well. Scripture, however, reveals a very different picture of personal giftedness, testifying that it is the result of divine grace, the Lord bestowing upon individuals particular abilities according to His good pleasure and for His purposes. When the Lord purposes to bring His design to pass He stirs the hearts of His people a desire to release that which has been implanted within them. Bezalel was gifted and called by the Lord as an artisan, his giftedness being confirmed through the excellence of that which he created, being affirmed by the Lord and the covenant community, both taking delight in his work.

Beloved, consider in what way the Lord has gifted and called you to function within the body of Christ, then enter into that work with diligence and excellence for the glory of His name.

Copyright (c) 2009 Immutable Word Ministries (“…the word of our God stands forever.” Isa. 40:8).
(Reproduced with permission)

Originally posted 2009-09-15 03:00:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The Overarching Theme Of The Word Of God

Andy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:39:04 +0000

Subtitled Bad News and Good News this is a presentation of the biblical Gospel by Albert N. Martin.

15 Questions for Evolutionists – #10

Andy — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:21:09 +0000

Coelacanth

How do ‘living fossils’ remain unchanged over supposed hundreds of millions of years, if evolution has changed worms into humans in the same time frame? Professor Gould wrote, “the maintenance of stability within species must be considered as a major evolutionary problem.”¹ See: creation.com/werner.

1. Gould, S.J. and Eldredge, N., Punctuated equilibrium comes of age. Nature 366:223–224, 1993.

Originally posted 2012-02-11 09:00:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“I Tried Jesus”

Andy — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:21:08 +0000

by J.A. Matteson

What do people expect from Jesus? What type of Savior is He? A week earlier the same group of people were heralding Him by shouting “Hosanna!” But one week later we read…”Pilate said to them, ‘Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said, “Crucify Him!” (Matthew 27:22). What happened? They had a false understanding of the Christ…one not from Scripture. He did not meet their expectations, He let them down, so their disappointment turned to rage. They had not read or understood that Messiah would save His people from their sin, not from Roman occupation. These people were not interested in eternal salvation, but from being free of the temporal domination of Ceasar. Today the same reaction to Jesus can be expected whenever a different gospel, a false gospel, is preached, one other than that found in the Bible. Jesus did not die to ensure a better paying job, a happier marriage, good health, or an easy life. Those who come to Him on those terms, who think He did, will soon be disappointed and turn on Him, and in their hearts cry out, “Crucify Him!” Jesus came to save His people from their sin, not their felt needs. The hardest people to reach with the true Gospel are those who believed a false one, for they respond to the real Gospel with, “I tried Jesus and He did not work for me.” May God have mercy on those who have misled people. Preach the kingdom of God and repentance from dead works, proclaim guilt before a Holy God in breaking His Law and the certainty of judgment and Hell for those who reject His vicarious atonement on their behalf; then behold the power of God to bring sinners to faith and repentance, resulting in the salvation of their souls. To God be the glory.