Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Grace

This week has been a rough one. This past Sunday my ailing maternal grandfather fell out of his hospital bed and fractured his neck. He has a bulky neck brace to stabilize his spine so his spinal cord won't be damaged. I delayed returning to campus and went to the hospital on Monday along with many of my close relatives. He was out of it due to the morphine. He was in severe pain. He had fluid in his lungs so it was hard for him to breathe.

Late Monday night after talking with Antoine and my brother I had overwhelming sense of peace. I heard the Spirit say, "Your grandfather sleeps. He's resting in Me." I was bit scared. I was afraid to ask Him if Pop Pop had passed on. I called my cousin to ask her if there were any changes. There weren't any changes that she had heard. We spent about an hour talking about him and how we would be at peace if Pop passed on to glory because he was suffering badly.

Tuesday morning I got a call from my Mom saying that Pop was doing better. He was talking better though softly. He was feisty as ever. He wanted to go home (go figure!). He slept good. (Now I understood what God meant!).

Today I had an exam scheduled in my Electronics course. I'm not doing well in that course. I just wanted to fail the course so I could move on. I'm a bit burnt out from all this college work. The hard sciences are not my cup of tea. I put more energy in my other courses than I do this one. I spoke with Dr. Brusic my professor today. I believe my words were in the ballpark, "Fail me! I'll be okay!"

Dr. Brusic understood my burnout and my grandfather's ordeal. She lost both her parents to cancer. She gave me time to think about the repercussions of accepting a failing grade. She could've have gone ahead with it failing me, but she assured me that I was good student who does his best in the course and that the material is difficult. I walked out of that room feeling like I have experienced the wondrous grace of God. God really went before me and made a way when I was about to throw in the towel and be relieved with failing the course. I guess the Master has other plans.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Praise Break

"I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth."
Psalm 34:1

"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name."
Psalm 103:1

"Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."

Psalm 150

This past week was a bit busy. My mother and stepfather moved into a nice home in Drexel Hill, a town nearby Upper Darby. It's a nice house on hilly land. They need some new furniture because their queen-size bed won't fit up the narrow stairway, but it's a homey place. They really enjoy it.

This past Thanksgiving I celebrated my 22nd year on this earth. I celebrated by having Thanksgiving dinner over my maternal grandmother's, next I visited my severely ill maternal grandfather in the hospital, then I topped off the night with some birthday cake at my great aunt's house.

I call this post a praise break because throughout the past couple weeks haven't stopped to give God praise for what He has done and what He will continually do in my life until I see Him face to face. Inspite of my spasmic decisions, He's been so good to me. He deserves more than I can owe Him, but since He's God He knows how much I love Him. Words truly cannot express my gratitude for His lovingkindness towards us. Sometimes I just think about me I forget that God is good all the time towards every human being though life's experiences tend to veil our minds to not see God's goodness. It really takes illumination from the Holy Spirit to wake me up from the slumber of self-centeredness and look up and see the beauty of holiness. God is truly amazing and I thank Him for seeing another year. I hope to see many more.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Some Notes of Encouragement



A dear pastor friend of mine, Bishop Albert A. Belton gave a wonderful message today on wisdom and sanctification, and charity (the action or fruit of love). He gave me his notes to me to post on the website and I will write them as they appear with an exception of some editing. So here they are. Disclaimer: I do not necessarily agree with some of the teachings of Bishop Belton, but he has been a good resource for my personal growth. God has used him to challenge me to go and study the Word for myself to find out WHY I may disagree with some of his views on contemporary issues in the church from a Scriptural point of view. Nevertheless, I found his teaching today to be edifying and I have much respect for him and pray God continually blesses him and the church he pastors.

Please comment if you have any thoughts or disagreements. Like the Bible says we are subject to the Word for reproof, correction, and instruction (2 Timothy 3:16).

Proverbs 18:1-3
Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself. When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy* reproach.

ignominy-
deep personal humiliation and disgrace; dishonorable.

Isaiah 59:15
Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

Matthew 7:1-6 (Read)

1 Corinthians 13:1-13(Read)

Bishop Belton's Notes:

GOD is eternal, we are created. GOD knew when He created things with a free will that it could disagree with good, which is GOD. Then there would be no righteousness, peace, or joy. Therefore GOD created everything on a temporary basis to see what things would choose before He eternalized it so GOD would not be forcing His will on anyone. Is is your choice. How you will live is how you will die. If you agree with GOD you be eternalized good (my note: have a right to the tree of life). If you disagree with what GOD says you will be eternalized evil. That is your choice. When we agree with GOD and trust GOD to experience the results that they are always good. That is how we know GOD!




Saturday, November 10, 2007

My True Commander-in-Chief and His Political Party.....

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of his increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."
Isaiah 9:6-7

"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand...And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people."
Matthew 4: 17,23

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Matthew 6:33

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
Matthew 24:11-14

"Jesus answered and said unto [Nicodemus], Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
John 3:3

"Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate said unto him, What is truth?...."
John 18:33-38

"Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?"
James 2:5

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."
Revelation 11:15


The good thing is that faith gets us in His party, and the bad thing is that unbelief keeps us out. So I by grace I must choose who will I serve? If Jesus is LORD, I must serve Him. Because in His party, nobody nominates Him, but His Father who is in Heaven. And Since He and His Father are One, knowing that Christ sits at His right hand, being the Only-Begotten not made, nobody in heaven, in earth, or under the earth can impeach Him. Christ rules and reigns as King Eternal.

He is I AM, the Good Shepherd, the Potentate, the Bishop of our souls, The Captain our salvation, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. The Holy One of God cannot be defeated for He defeated the enemy and has all authority in heaven and earth placed in His hands. To God be the glory for the things He has done. What a mighty God we serve. Angels bow before Him, Heaven and Earth adore Him. What a mighty God we serve.

Friday, November 02, 2007

To the Utmost, Jesus Saves!

" Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" Eph 2:5

" For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:" Eph 2:8

"And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee." Luke 18:42

" Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25


A couple of nights ago my brother Brandon called me and put me on three-way with Frankie (not her real name) a young woman with whom he has classes at Philadelphia Community College. He recently went to a Bible Study with this woman to her church which belongs to the Churches of Christ, a group of non-denominational autonomous churches sprung from the Restoration Movement.
My brother sat in this Bible study listening to her Pastor as he was teaching on the fallacies of a tithing in a "New Testament Church".

Though my brother conceded the Pastor had some valid Scriptural points concerning the matter, what Brandon heard out the pastor's mouth shocked him enough to call me. The Pastor told his congregation that those professed Christians in other denominations i.e. Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Presbyterians, and so forth were baptized into their respective "doctrines" and not according to Scripture, therefore are not saved.

Being saved in a Baptist church, I went to Creeds.net and pulled up the New Hampshire Baptist Confession of 1833, and read to the woman what we Baptists confess about Christian faith. One by one, I would read the articles on the Scriptures, God, Man, a Gospel Church, and so forth, Brandon would stop and asked Frankie if she agreed with these statements of confession, or if they were Scriptural. She paused and said she would have to think about it.

Then Frankie said she has to call her "brother". She put him on three-way and the man whose name I could not recall entered into the increasingly volatile conversation. He started by "testifying" that he was raised in the "Baptist organization" and was very "religious" that his parents are ordained ministers in the Baptist organization, and he was on his way to ordination in the organization until someone from the Church of Christ argued from the Scriptures that he and others in denominations were not apart of the true Church of Christ. His argument that there is no such thing as a Baptist Church but only the Churches of Christ (Romans 16:16). Anybody else does not belong to Christ.

I asked him when the Churches of Christ began, he said on the day of Pentecost. His words etched in me that I knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. He got his Bible and started saying that tithing is not for the New Testament Church (as opposed to the Old Testament Church), the Lord's Supper was supposed to be done in the evening because it was a supper, and that the Lord's Blood (wine) was to be drinking from one cup, not many. Anyone who does not practice obey what the apostles taught concerning the ordinances, is not a true Church of Christ.

Now here is the coup de grace, the man said that water baptism is necessary for salvation. His proof-text were Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38. If persons do not receive water baptism by immersion for the repentance are not saved. Brandon counterpointed that we are saved by faith not by works. The man contended by using the James passage to mean that good works (obedience) is the sign of faith and if anyone does not obey the apostolic doctrine (on baptism, tithing, Lord's Supper) is not Christ's.

I couldn't bear talking to them much longer after I was getting a little heated on the phone. I hung up and a minute later Brandon called me. I was broken close to tears. How could they be Christians and not discern the Spirit in us? How could they just immediately dismiss us as unredeemed because were baptized believers in the Baptist Church? I guess they were right and wrong about one thing, we are baptized into the Body of Christ (Church)... by the Spirit! (1 Corinthians 12:13)

I told my brother it is a dangerous thing to mess with a person's soul. These people are deceived and deceiving others into their aberrant doctrine. Apparently this man has joined a group which has shunned denominationalism to the point of rejecting all Christians in these denominations and joined a perverted form of anti-denominationalism. Now I know that the not all in the Churches of Christ would believe like this Pastor and his followers believe, but there is no doctrinal accountability or common confession or creed in this network of churches because they profess to "have no "man-made" creed but the Bible". It is unfortunate because this statement is a "man-made" creed. Baptists, who would be considered a Restorationist church, have confessions or statements of faith which like-minded Baptist churches join to form conventions or fellowships.

The Scriptures are clear concerning anyones salvation. Romans 10:917 says,

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.


Did Abraham's good works save him? The apostle Paul says in Romans 4:1-5,

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof] to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Abraham obeyed God because he trusted in God, not the other way around. Abraham obeyed God when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah because Abraham trust in the Lord who was able to raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:8-19).

Our salvation rest in One, the Lord Jesus Christ. These two people and many others have a nonsensical way of interpreting Scripture. It's like I said before and will say until the day I die, even Satan can quote Bible to prove his point, but he's the father of lies! One person can interpret the Scripture apart from the Church throughout all ages. The apostle John said that we the Church have anointing of the Holy One and we know all things (1 John 2:20). Every spirit, human or nonhuman must be tried (1 John 4:1).

The next day my brother called me and said to me that he will not talk to Frankie anymore. He told her in class that he could not talk to her anyone because it really hurt him and me that a self-professed Christian told us we were not saved, even if we confess the Lord Jesus and follow Him outside of the Churches of Christ (which to them it is virtually impossible to do).

This was a hard trial but a blessing. It really urges me to search the Scriptures daily and hear the testimony of the all-sufficient Savior. I serve a mighty God who is able to take stones and raise up children unto Abraham (Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8). I'm glad my brother, my and my family, are among these stones.

Blessings.