Pastor Jon's Blog The whole counsel of God from the perspective of a pastor, a church planter, and a blogger....... Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 3967 10 14404

Articles from Pastor Jon's Blog

THOT 4 2 DAY for Monday 04.30.07 2007-04-30 06:00:00 THOT 4 2 DAY for Monday 04.30.07 Psalms 31:1-5:In You, O LORD, I put my trust;Let me never be ashamed;Deliver me in Your righteousness.Bow down Your ear to me,Deliver me speedily;Be my rock of refuge,A fortress of defense to save me.For You are my rock and my fortress;Therefore, for Your name?s sake,Lead me and guide me.Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,For You are my strength.Into Your hand I commit my spirit;You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. Proverbs 30:2-6:Surely I am more stupid than any man,And do not have the understanding of a man.I neither learned wisdomNor have knowledge of the Holy One.Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?Who has gathered the wind in His fists?Who has bound the waters in a garment?Who has established all the ends of the earth?What is His name, and what is His Son?s name,If you know?Every word of God is pure;He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. ...

The Temptest 2007-04-30 05:00:00 The Tempest During its first three centuries, the Church met persecution in sporadic intervals around the empire. But nothing compared with the tempest that befell it during the days of Roman emperor Diocletian. Diocletian, seizing power in a coup, appointed fellow-soldier Maximian as co-emperor and two other men as assistants, Constantius and Galerius. The four ruled the empire, east and west, conservatively and with a philosophy of ?traditional values.? ?Traditional values? for ancient Rome excluded Christianity. Though Diocletian himself seemed tolerant at first of Christians (his wife and daughter were believers), Galerius was strongly anti-Christian. His military prowess and battlefield victories gave him increasing influence. Slowly and methodically he painted Christians as enemies. He pushed through a series of persecutions against Christians, beginning with the destruction of a church in Nicomedia on February 23, 303. In rapid fire, several edicts were issued against the ...

THOT 4 2 DAY for Sunday 04.29.07 2007-04-29 06:00:00 THOT 4 2 DAY for Sunday 04.29.07 Psalms 30:4-5:Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His,And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.For His anger is but for a moment,His favor is for life;Weeping may endure for a night,But joy comes in the morning. Proverbs 29:25:The fear of man brings a snare,But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. Today?s Quote:"Life's greatest tragedy is to lose God and never miss Him." -- Unknown Today?s THOT:If you fear God, you will never have to live in fear of any person. If you do not fear God, you will have to live in fear of all people....... Read the Bible in 1 year:1 Samuel 15-16, Romans 3. THOT 4 2 DAY is an outreach ministry of Springfield Calvary. Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.<:))))><< ...

Sunday Quotes 04.29.07 2007-04-29 05:00:00 A real Christian is one who can speak well of those who speak ill of him. ? Unknown The only Being who ever walked this earth as God designed man to be was Jesus Christ. He was easily Master of all created things because He maintained a steadfast obedience to the word and the will of His Father. " What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" (Matthew 8:27). Man's personal powers are apt to be looked at as a marvelous promise of what he is going to be; the Bible looks at man as a ruin of what he was designed to be. -- Oswald Chambers, "Conformed to His Image," p. 11 Too many Christians are pillows when the Lord wants them to be pillars. ? Unknown God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters, all mind and every mind, all spirit and all spirits, all being and every being, all creaturehood and all creatures, every plurality and all pluralities, all law and every law, all relations, all causes, all thoughts, all mysteries ...

John 1:43-51 2007-04-29 00:00:00 John 1 - The Word and the Witness 3. (43-44) Jesus calls Philip to follow Him. The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. a. Follow Me: There is nothing dramatic recorded about the call of Philip. Jesus simply says "Follow Me," and Philip does. 4. (45-51) Nathaniel overcomes prejudice to follow Jesus. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote; Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig ...

Romans 6:1 2007-04-28 10:11:47 Romans 6 - Made Safe for Grace A. The believer under grace and the problem of habitual sin. 1. (1) Should we live a life of sin so we can receive more grace? What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? a. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Paul introduced the idea that where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Romans 5:20). He now wonders if someone might take this truth to imply that it doesn?t matter if a Christian lives a life of sin, because God will always overcome greater sin with greater grace. i. After all, if God loves sinners, then why worry about sin? If God gives grace to sinners, then why not sin more and receive more grace? Some people think that their job is to sin and God?s job is to forgive, so they will do their job and God will do His job! ii. In the early part of the century, the Russian monk Gregory Rasputin taught and lived the idea of salvation through repeated experiences of sin and repentance. He believed that ...

THOT 4 2 DAY for Saturday 04.28.07 2007-04-28 06:00:00 THOT 4 2 DAY for Saturday 04.28.07 Psalm 29:1-2:Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,Give unto the LORD glory and strength.Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Proverbs 28:14:Happy is the man who is always reverent,But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Today?s Quote:"Faith is never passive. It demands a response. It asks for a mission. It demonstrates the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit." -- Pastor Richard Wurmbrand Today?s THOT:A faith that is real is lived out in real life. Read the Bible in 1 year:1 Samuel 13-14, Romans 2. THOT 4 2 DAY is an outreach ministry of Springfield Calvary. Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.<:))))><< ...

John 1:35-42 2007-04-28 00:00:00 John 1 - The Word and the Witness D. The testimony of the first disciples. 1. (35-39) Two of John?s disciples begin to follow Jesus. Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). a. Behold, the Lamb of God! John already said this of Jesus in John 1:29. Did he say this every time he saw Jesus? It was a vivid reminder of Jesus? destiny at the cross. b. And they followed Jesus: John did not care about gathering disciples after himself. He was perfectly satisfied to have these disciple ...

THOT 4 2 DAY for Friday 04.27.07 2007-04-27 06:00:00 THOT 4 2 DAY for Friday 04.27.07 Psalms 28:6-7Blessed be the LORD,Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!The LORD is my strength and my shield;My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,And with my song I will praise Him. Proverbs 27:17:As iron sharpens iron,So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Today?s Quote:"The heavens and the earth were intended to be a semitransparent veil through which moral intelligences might see the glory of God, but for sin-blinded men this veil has become opaque. They see the creation but do not see through it to the Creator; or what glimpses they do have are dim and out of focus. It is possible to spend a lifetime admiring God's handiwork without acknowledging the presence of the God whose handiwork it is." -- A. W. Tozer,. "Of God and Men," p. 114 Today?s THOT:One of the greatest blessings of the Christian life can be a friend. We all need one who ...

The Resolutions Of Jonathan Edwards 51-60 2007-04-27 05:00:00 The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) BEING SENSIBLE THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT GOD' S HELP, I DO HUMBLY ENTREAT HIM BY HIS GRACE TO ENABLE ME TO KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS, SO FAR AS THEY ARE AGREEABLE TO HIS WILL, FOR CHRIST' S SAKE. Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week. 51. Resolved, that I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.  52. I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age.July 8, 1723. 53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my ...

John 1:29-34 2007-04-27 00:00:00 John 1 - The Word and the Witness 2. (29-34) John the Baptist tells us who Jesus is. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ?After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.? I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ?Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.? And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." a. Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! At the very dawn of His ministry, Jesus is greeted with words that remind Him of his destiny: His sacrificial agony on the cross for the sin of mankind ...

THOT 4 2 DAY for Thursday 04.26.07 2007-04-26 06:00:00 THOT 4 2 DAY for Thursday 04.26.07 Psalms 27:1-3:The LORD is my light and my salvation;Whom shall I fear?The LORD is the strength of my life;Of whom shall I be afraid?When the wicked came against meTo eat up my flesh,My enemies and foes,They stumbled and fell.Though an army may encamp against me,My heart shall not fear;Though war may rise against me,In this I will be confident.  Proverbs 26:20:Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. Today?s Quote:"You can not hide from God by missing church." -- Unknown Today?s THOT:So often we seek to hide from God. Adam and Eve tried it as well. Best to come to God no matter what we have done and settle the matter before it gets worse. God is not "mad" at you. God loves you and wants the very best for you. Seek Him today. Read the Bible in 1 year:1 Samuel 7-9,Acts 28.  THOT 4 2 DAY is an outreach ministry of Spr ...

John 1:19-28 2007-04-26 00:00:00 John 1 - The Word and the Witness C. The testimony of John the Baptist. 1. (19-28) John tells us who John the Baptist is. Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" He said: "I am ?The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord,"? as the prophet Isaiah said." Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there st ...

Edifier - Pastor Jon's Blog 2007-04-25 11:55:45 Hank Osborne at Land Of OZ has named this blog as an Edifier. That is something I humbly and sincerely appreciate. Thank you Hank. It has been my intent for the past 17 months or so, to use blogging as a vehicle for ministry. In particular, as a way to minister the Word of God through the internet. In my opinion, the Bible is more relevant  today than at any other time in history, including the time when the Lord Jesus walked along the shores of the Galilee. It is important to build one another up in the fullest sense of the Word:All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hear ...

THOT 4 2 DAY for Wednesday 04.25.07 2007-04-25 06:00:00 THOT 4 2 DAY for Wednesday 04.25.07 Psalms 26:11-12:But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;Redeem me and be merciful to me.My foot stands in an even place;In the congregations I will bless the LORD.  Proverbs 25:2:It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Today?s Quote:?The prayer closets of God's children are where the roots of the church grow.? -- Unknown Today?s THOT: Prayer is where the Christian grows as well. This is where we come to know our Lord. This is where our lives are changed. We need to be a people of prayer. Read the Bible in 1 year:1 Samuel 4-6, Acts 27  THOT 4 2 DAY is an outreach ministry of Springfield Calvary. Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.<:))))><< ...