The answer is simple, and yet profound…

Look to and walk with Jesus.

When Peter looked away from Jesus he was in peril; but while He was looking at Him he did the so-called impossible. Indeed, it is easy to assume that we can’t answer to the high calling of God when we look to failure; but when we look to He who knows no failure we suddenly discover that what we thought was impossible is a walk in the park for Him.

If we really want to live like Jesus we will walk like Jesus. But before we can even begin to walk with Jesus we need to envision what Peter saw when he was walking on water. In other words, we have to acknowledge that Jesus can do the so-called impossible. When we begin to do this we will walk on water too, so to speak.

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:3–6 NKJV)

Blessings to you…

Orthodoxy is never dead.

There is a caricature that emerges of the doctrinal precisionist as a curmudgeonly bookworm whose backside has indelibly engraved his desk chair. A memorial to faith without works. This misses the mark.

True propositions understood and believed are vital and life giving. As Christ said ‘the words that I speak, they are spirit and they are life…if any man heeds my doctrine they shall never see death’. Or as was said elsewhere In John ‘sanctify us through your truth, your Word is truth’ (cf. Psalm 1). And as I have heard another say, if your doctrine deadens then you have the wrong doctrine.

Works are the outworking of belief, whether the belief is true or false. But works as the fruits of belief occur within the context in which we exist, in which we are limited by time and place. In other words we can only help those around us and how we can. Realising also that there are proportionate claims upon us for help. This is the same reason why localism is superior to globalism (see Richard Weaver & Wendell Berry)

Truth, however, is eternal, unrestrained by time, place and age. The same words which give life to one will give life to another and undiminished. The more they understand and the more they believe, by God’s grace, the more able they become to live where they are.

This was a sermon session at this year’s Shepherd’s conference in Cape Town, and it was delivered by josh mack, a man that not only preaches this, but LIVES it. it changed my life. i knew i was far off the path, not for something i’ve done wrong, BUT FOR SOMETHING I’M NOT DOING!

so, i went home (jeffreys bay, for those who care about good surf), and prayed, Lord, use me. please grant me the opportunity to serve you (a good calvinist prayer, even though i do not go by that tag).

God does as he pleases, says His word (Psa 115:3). He does not need us. He is self-sufficient. But He is gracious enough to let us partake in works He has prepared for us to walk in (ephesians 2: 10 somewhere). We must ask Him, and ask like a beggar. plead with Him, to use us for His glory, which He can defend Himself.

Josh Mack referred to spurgeon, who paraphrased elijah, saying to an atheist: “The God that answers by orphanages, let Him be Lord.” sadly, i’ve wanted to use this in arguments before, but was shut up by my own lack of evidence of love for the weak and lowly! how sad is this! that what was standard practice in church not long ago, is a lost tradition; something super-Christians do. may we once again take up the burden that came with the gospel message, to proclaim Jesus not only in word (though this be important too), but by our SACRIFICIAL lives.

My heart burns for this. we must count our lives lost, for the sake of Jesus, who, whether we see it or not, is a diamond (as steve fernandez once preached). o God help us lose ourselves!

I am not much, but when I go out I meet people and talk to them and it has an effect. I go work at a gospel camp in summer, it is a failing ministry that is dying because of a stark lack of faith by the majority party of the board. But I go and work and talk to people and am of no account or authority, then I meet people or see people I knew and talk to them and help them deal with the problems in their lives. Its not much but it is doing and it is blessed greatly. I make a point to go visit grandparents and great grandparents, they have their own homes and are fine by themselves, the company is not much, but means a great deal to them and is blessed greatly. Now I am preparing to go to the far north to a small community that is difficult to be accepted into. There are many good things up there but there is also encumbant substance abuse and some major spiritual issues. I have special circumstances that will allow me to be accepted in the community where the only pastor there was not, I do not know what I will be able to do up there, but I know there is a reason I’m going there and that it will be blessed. I’ve got a date in a couple days, the girl is very good, but we may have some theological issues between us, pursuing polygyny is a small thing, but it is important to my family and I believe it is important to the churches at large, most will not have faith because of scriptures but must see something to believe it can work. (as one of those odd life moments my wife told me analytically the other evening that I’d need about four wives, I was quite stunned at that coming out of the blue and asked her if she would be comfortable if we found four, she replied ‘you mean four after me? Yes that would be fine’ one of those odd life moments, I was surprise even though she has been with me the whole way I only thought of finding two or three total before)

I do many works, and I am able to because of my study and because of the opportunities God gives me. I’m not saying that because it means much, I’m sure anyone could write a much longer and grander list than that, but because I don’t believe that you’re study has not produced works. It may be true that it hasn’t, and if not please tell me how it happened, but I am inclined to believe that you just don’t give yourself credit for what you do and for how you have changed due to you’re understanding.

If you find a dead church address the problems, they will either listen and be transformed or kick you out for criticizing them.

If I may suggest something as an aside though, in you’re offerings keep a portion aside in you’re account or other place as a reserve fund to give to people when they need it, Churches and Christian organizations are certainly worth giving too, but there will be people in need in your life that only you can help, its good to have reserved offerings so you can give them something (overtly or secretly) in their time of need.