Tag: theology

Love is Not Blind; Infatuation Often is, but not Love

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“Some stupid people started the idea that because women obviously back up their own people through everything, therefore women are blind and do not see anything. They can hardly have known any women. The same women who are ready to defend their men through thick and thin are (in their personal intercourse with the man) almost morbidly lucid about the thinness of his excuses or the thickness of his head. A man’s friend likes him but leaves him as he is: his wife loves him and is always trying to turn him into somebody else. Women who are utter mystics in their creed are utter cynics in their criticism. Thackeray expressed this well when he made Pendennis’ mother, who worshipped her son as a god, yet assume that he would go wrong as a man. She underrated his virtue, though she overrated his value. The devotee is entirely free to criticise; the fanatic can safely be a sceptic. Love is not blind; that is the last thing that it is. Love is bound; and the more it is bound the less it is blind.” – G. K. Chesterton

–Pastor Ward Clinton

My God is Holy, is yours?

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If you believe in and follow an unholy God, you do not have to be concerned about being holy in your conduct.

“I sin daily in thought, word, and deed?”  …Hmm… you might want to re-examine that because the God of the Holy Bible commands that His people be holy

Romans 6:19-22

“I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!   But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

  • In the Old Testament, things were sanctified. • The Tabernacle was sanctified (Exodus 40:9). “Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy.”
  • The mountains were sanctified (Exodus 19:23). “Moses said to the LORD, ‘The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, “Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.”’”
  • The nation of Israel was sanctified (Exodus 19:10-11). “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.’”
  • First born children were sanctified (Exodus 13:2). “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.”
  • In the New Testament people were sanctified (Acts 2:1-4). 16

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

“If Jesus Christ is not Lord of all, He will not be Lord at all.” —R. S. Nicholson

Romans 12:1-2: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Return to the Spirit-filled Life

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Ephesians 5:1-2  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

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Eph 5:3-7  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partners with them.

-in slightly plainer english-

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.”

–Pastor Ward Clinton

TAGALOG – Talking About God And Living Out Grace

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Every Christian is, in all actuality, a theologian.  Imagine how blessed our world could be if every Christian were a good theologian in the distinctly Christian sense.

There is very much a need for “the Church” to again proclaim and live the message of Christian holiness.  Collectively, it have been, for quite some time now, living far below the standard that it has been called to.  The people of God must once again become “salt and light” especially in this hour of spiritual darkness.  Our lives must become “reruns” of the life of The Christ, that is, lives fully surrendered to the Father’s will, cleansed and filled by His Holy Spirit.  Christ-like men and women are very urgently needed at this time, in this hour.

God has always intended for His people to be a holy people.  The Holy Bible is pretty clear about that.  God has designed a plan whereby the heart of His people can be cleansed from all sin.  Some can’t see that because they don’t want to see that fact.

1st Thessalonians 4:7 “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”

God did not call us to imitate a sinful man but to be like, to imitate, the Holy One of God, Jesus The Christ.

1st Corinthians 3:3 “You are still worldly.  For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?  Are you not acting like mere men?”  We are called to be imitators of Jesus, the holy one of God, and not like mere sinful men trying to make excuses for being sinful rather than living better lives than that.  We are called to have a better understanding of God and an acceptable walk.  1st Peter 1:13-16

“Therefore prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your pope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as He who called you is holy, so be ye holy in all that you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'”

Christians are supposed to stay clean while living in an unclean world;  Jesus did not compromise with the world, He remained holy and sin-free and we are to follow his example — not the devil’s.

1st Thessalonians 5:23-24 And may the God of peace Himself fully sanctify you, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is the One calling you, who also will perform it.

Walk in the paths of holiness of heart and life, the world secretly longs for us Christ followers to do that.  Sure they may give us grief for it, but if we do not falter, some of them will join us in that walk, the only walk that is acceptable to the one true God, the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Then, when we Talk About God And Love Others Graciously – they will see something special and understand.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Talking About God …continued

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Good Theology requires a good perspective.

Three people were visiting and viewing the Grand Canyon – an artist, a pastor, and a cowboy.  As they stood at the edge of that massive abyss, each one offered his personal perspective.  The artist said, “Ah, what a beautiful scene to paint.”  The minister said, “What a wonderful example of the handiwork of God.”  The cowboy mused, “What a terrible place to lose a cow.”

If every Christian were a better theologian the world, instead of sitting on the verge of collapse into chaos, would be a far better place than it is currently.

True theology points to God.  In the summer of 2015, LifeWay Research conducted a survey which revealed that 45% of Americans claim there are many ways to Heaven.  Only 30% of Americans actually have Evangelical beliefs and of them only 70% believe Jesus is the only way of salvation.  The good news is that it does appear that those who believe Jesus is the only way also believe that they have a responsibility to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus as their Savior.

Featured Image -- 18   Distinctly Christian theology, which the apostle Paul refers to as “sound doctrine” in 2nd Timothy 4:3 is founded upon the belief that God has revealed Himself to us in His Word, The Holy Bible.  Of course good theology is also focused on Messiah, the holy one of God, The Christ.  We read in the Gospel according to John in 5:39 that Jesus declared the Scripture testifies about Him.

Unfortunately, a large portion of Americans are getting their “theology” from Hollywood, television, and other unchristian, even antichristian sources instead of the Holy Bible.  Yes, even Christians have to be careful to avoid getting their theology warped by the wrong sources.

It is by knowing God that we come to love Him, and by loving Him that we come to know Him who first loved us.

Theology is undertaken so that our hearts might respond to God and that our lives might be conformed to His will, not the will of some mere ‘prophet.’  Loving God and loving people are made possible by a correct theological vision of God and the Christian life.

True theology, a correct speaking of the things of God, fuels our devotion to God, the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and our passion for sharing the gospel of the holy one of God, Jesus The Christ.

Every Christian is, in all actuality, a theologian.  Imagine how blessed our world could be if every Christian were a good theologian in the distinctly Christian sense of the term.

–Pastor Ward Clinton