Iron Forge Ministries Blog

Eating and Fellowshiping

2008-04-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

The Masters Plan for Fathers Conference

2008-04-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

In a culture that's rewritten the meaning of manhood and fatherhood, there has been a army of men rising up to restore the Biblical principles and practices of these vital roles. We've gathered a group of men in Wake Forest, NC to profile Godly fathers in Scripture. The only way that we can get a crystal clear view of fatherhood is by looking closely into the Word of God at the men who lived as faithful examples. The goal of this conference is to practically train men, to provide a small and personal environment, and to exalt the Word of God as we take a close look into the lives of these Godly men in Scripture.

Child Training Principles and Practices, Steve Breagy

2008-04-03T19:47:00.001-07:00

Steve Breagy, an elder of Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, NC gave a powerful speech on child principles and practices. He covered a wide range of topics that would help practically equip fathers for the training of their children.

I'm sorry there isn't more on this message. Blogging, editing video, making power points, and taking notes is the ultimate multi-tasking challenge.

The Divine Wisdom of Husbandry and Fatherhood, Jason Dohm

2008-04-03T19:46:00.001-07:00

In this message, Jason Dohm, preached on the importance of Husbandry and Fatherhood. He spoke about the roles of a Godly father and husband that play a vital role in the future generations. We've been flooded by the patterns of our culture in so many ways. This is why it is important to look from the Scripture into the culture, rather than looking at the culture into the Scriptures.

The Bibles says to be fruitful and multiply, but the culture would say to have one or two children and then enjoy your life. The Bible says to train up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, but the culture says to send them off and let them prove themselves in this world. God has greater spiritual blessings in store for our families if we would follow his masterful plan as revealed in Scripture.

It is the husbands and wives role to partner together for the training of the next generation. He said:

"Marriage and fatherhood are about the proclamation of the glorious gospel of Christ."

Our goals need to be focused on the glorious plan of Scripture that's been clearly laid out for us. This is the divine wisdom of husbandry and fatherhood.

Thy Word Have I Hid in my Heart - A Workshop on Scripture Memory, Scott Brown

2008-04-03T19:45:00.001-07:00

This morning, Scott Brown gave a wonderful message on the memorization of Scripture followed by leading the group of men in memorizing a section of Deuteronomy 6. It was a wonderful experience to see these men recite the Word of God.

Lot - Profile of a Worldly Father, Scott Brown

2008-04-03T19:43:00.004-07:00

Scott Brown began the day by giving a passionate message against our syncretistic mentalities with the culture. Lot failed in his duties as priest, protector, provider of his family. In just the same way, there are fathers in our culture that are failing daily to protect their children.

He specifically spoke about a fathers duties to protect his daughters. We can clearly see the damaging affects of a father (Lot) that didn't protect his daughters. We need to be more worried about the protection of our children than being synchronized with the culture. God will bring fathers into account for their lack of protection. Fathers need to be on the alert for the enemy that lurks to destroy the souls of their children.

The Expository Reading of Scripture, Scott Brown

2008-04-03T19:43:00.001-07:00

In this message, Scott Brown, communicated the importance of the expository reading of Scripture. This sermon was a challenge to men for the discipleship of their families in the reading of the Word of God. He gave the three thousand hour challenge. He asked if the men would be willing to spend three thousand hours reading the Scriptures to their families, between the time their children are young and the time they are grown.

We are so often characterized by deadpan reading and communicating of the Word of God. Do we speak Scripture with all the delight and character that God intended it? He said:

"Reading forms the affections. We should be filling our home life with affection for reading.”

He finished the message by confronting fathers with this:

"Every man has enough time to do whatever he wants to do.The 3000 hour challenge is before us. Will you take it?"

Teaching Your Family About Work, Dan Horn

2008-04-03T19:42:00.001-07:00

Dan Horn, and elder at Hope Baptist Church in North Carolina gave a powerful message on teaching your family about work. Our view of work has been morphed by the stereotypes of our culture. We live in a day and age that teaches slothfulness and laziness in our work. It used to be that that a young man started to work at thirteen. They werer taught diligence and proficiency and then sent out to do the work of a man.

The model for work has been established. Since the curse in the garden men are required to work for six days and rest on the sabbath. God has set a way before us to do all things. Do we have the courage to attack the poor characters traits of our past and ask for grace from God to move boldly into the future.

Profile of a Courageous Father - Joshua, Scott Brown

2008-04-03T19:41:00.001-07:00

The first message of The Masters Plan for Fathers Conference was given by Scott Brown, director of the National Center for Family Integrated Churchces. He did a profile on Joshua. Joshua was a man who was willing to stand firm against the overwhelming push of the culture around Him; a man who knew His responsibilities before the Lord and was not willing to back down from them. In many ways, we have succumbed to the trappings of our culture. Our churches, our homes, and the community around us have been affected by our clinging to the philosophies of the world to interpret the definition of fatherhood, rather than looking to the immovable, rock-solid foundation of the Word of God. Like Joshua, it is time for men of God to unite together and proclaim “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Ezra - The Method (Nehemiah 8)

2008-03-08T15:32:00.000-08:00

The final message of the conference was given by Scott Brown on "The Method". He did a verse by verse exposition of Nehemiah 8; bringing out the Biblical methods to preaching and teaching the Word of God. I'm just going to list several quotes from his sermon.

1. “Preaching should be an outburst of joy before God; exalting the King of Kings.”

"When Ezra read the Word of God there was passion; there was conviction. It wasn’t just word-by-word mind cranking exegesis."

"God has not just called us to read the Word, but to make sense of it. We should grapple with it, be convicted by it, and then give it out."

"This was their pattern: Speak to the heads. It’s not enough for the priests and Levites to do the teaching. It never was enough and it never will be enough, because God has established that fathers would teach their families when they walk by the way, when they lie down and when they rise up. The Word of God ends up filling everything; not just Sunday morning."

"We must be prepared to preach to Word in season and out of season; what is pure bread, what is pure water, and what will feed our souls."

The Expository Reading of Scripture

2008-03-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

In this message, Jonathan Sides, a member of Hope Baptist Church and PhD student at Duke University, gave a passionate plea for the expository reading of Scripture. We need to read Scripture with the passion it demands. Sometimes, as men, we make the mistake of not taking what is in the text and bringing it out in our reading.

We need to read the Scripture with proper humility; putting away pride. We also need to realize that here is a great need to restore the reading aloud of Scripture in our homes. That means that every individual that can read, should be reading the Scriptures with the family.

Highlights from the boys at Hope:

"In our reading, we should emphasize what the text emphasizes." - Joshua Horn, Age 12

Preaching from Didactic, Poetic, Narrative and Parable Texts

2008-03-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

“God has been good to us and gracious to us to give us this book. It could have been all teaching. It could have been all discourse, but instead, he gave us the words that show us how to live a Godly life to honor Him.”

This was the heart of the message given by Steve Breagy, and elder at Hope Baptist Church. God has given us all of His Word for our sharpening. Here are five points that he covered concerning the Genre of Biblical texts:

Carefully observe the text and what is in it and record as many observations as you can see.
See the difference between the Biblical audience and the present audience. Consider how wide the river is.
Cross the bridge by asking: "What are the theological principles in the text?" What are the timeless truths in the passage?
Does the Scripture teach to modify or qualify?
Grasping the text for our time. How should Christians tie these principles to their lives?

Finally, we need to remember that:

The principles that we derive should be found in the text.

The principles should be timeless and not tied to the time.

The principles should correspond.

The principles should be relevant to the historical and present culture.

Highlights from the boys at Hope:

"When we study Scripture, we must consider what type of book it is, (narrative, poetry, etc.) to decide how to interprate Scripture." - Joshua Horn, Age 12

How to Prepare an Expository Message

2008-03-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Pastor Andy Davis gave another great message about how to prepare an expository message. He spoke about the use of commentaries, context, cross-references, and many other helpful topics concerning the issue.

Highlights from the boys at Hope:

"We should pray to God for Him to help us understand Scripture." - Joshua Horn, Age 12

Learning from the Great Expositors of the Past

2008-03-08T11:13:00.001-08:00

Pastor Andy Davis of First Baptist Church of Durham gave a wonderful message on the expositors of the past. He gave an overview of men that helped build the foundation of this kind of preaching. He profiled Calvin, Spurgeon and a few other men that were incredible models and examples of expository preaching.

The goal of a preacher should be to make the Word of God clear, not to tickle people's ears with our words. This was the example that preachers of the past set before us.

Highlights from the boys at Hope:

"We should learn how to preach from the great expositors of the past." - Stephen Horn, Age 9

"God raises up Godly preachers like Calvin to further His Kingdom by leading people to Christ." - Stephen Breagy, Age 10

"We should learn from how the great preachers like Calvin and Spurgeon preached." - Joshua Horn, Age 12

Preparing Yourself to Preach the Word of God

2008-03-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

Dan Horn preached a wonderful message about how we can prepare ourselves to preach the Word of God. Many preachers have been faithful in their calling as preachers, but failed in their duties as a husband and father. We are called to teach our families and then to teach the body of believers.

He also talked about walking in obedience as a preacher. If we are leading others in the truth of the Word of God, then we must be walking faithfully ourselves. We are all living examples of the character of Christ. The way we walk within our homes, churches, and society is a picture to the world of what the character of Christ is. God is not concerned with our sacrifices, but with our hearts (Psalm 51:16, 17).

Highlights from the boys at Hope:

“Before we preach we need to ask God to show us how the passage can apply to our lives. Otherwise, we should not be preaching.” – Stephen Breagy, Age 10

“Preacher should teach their families in their home.” – Joshua Horn, Age 12

“We must be hypocritical about anything, but we must keep our word.” – Tyler Hutchison, Age 12

Fellowshiping

2008-03-07T12:55:00.001-08:00

Hermeneutical Principles

2008-03-07T12:46:00.000-08:00

Dan Horn, an elder at Hope Baptist Church presented on Biblical hermeneutics. He said that we’ve all been affected by the culture around us. Another question he asked was: "How do we handle Scripture among one another if we have different views of it?" We have to find principles in Scripture that show us how to interpret it. If everyone says what he believes is true without the foundation of the Word of God, it isn’t valid.

The first thing that must be done to rightly divide the truth is do it with a heart to please God. He stated:

“The purpose of Scripture is to understand who God is. We don’t read and study Scripture just so that we can say that we have our timelines right or that we understand everything perfectly. Instead, when we read Scripture, we should worship God, because He is revealing Himself to us.”

We should never look at Scripture from the outside in, but instead, from the inside out. Without understanding Biblical hermeneutics, we can easily err in our interpretations of passages of Scripture.

Highlights from the boys at Hope:

“Be careful with the context, the meaning of words, etc. when interpreting a passage.” – Joshua Horn, Age 12

“When we come across an apparent contradiction in Scripture, the problem is not with Scripture, it’s with us.” – Stephen Breagy, Age 10

The Importance of Expository Preaching

2008-03-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Jason Dohm, an elder at Hope Baptist Church presented on the importance of expository preaching. God needs men who will step away from the wittiness of their own words and return to the Biblical preaching of the Word of God. He passionately stated:

“The Bible doesn’t need our voice, it needs the voice of God.”

Here is a verse that I believe is key to this message:

"For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:17, 18

Highlights from the boys at Hope:

“We must allow Holy Scripture to regulate practice.” – Tyler Hutchison, Age 12

“When Paul tells Timothy “preach the Word”; we need to seriously consider it. We should not just sit back and let God save people.” – Stephen Breagy, Age 10

“Preachers should preach the whole Bible, because it is all God breathed.” – Stephen Horn, Age 9

Thunder, Water, Light and Sword – The Voice of God in the Church

2008-03-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the expository preaching conference Scott Brown gave a powerful message the voice of God in the church. There is a neglect of the Bible in the church today and an urgent need to restore the place of the Word of God in our culture, in our churches, and in our families. He said:

“God has made a covenant with man to speak in him and through him.”

He has determined to give us the source of His truth, the Word of God and he uses His Word to speak through us. The Bible is thunder, water, light and sword and it must be revered as the voice of God to his people.

Highlights from the boys at Hope:

“Scripture is God’s powerful Word speaking to us.” – Joshua Horn, Age 12

“The Lord our God has a thundering passion and His voice is like the booming thunder.” – Tyler Hutchison, Age 12

“Scripture is sufficient for everything.” – Stephen Horn, Age 9

“Today we need to move away from the idea that we can just flip through the Bible like it is a magazine. Also, we need to move away from the idea that we can pick out what we like and dislike, but we also need to come back to the idea that the Bible is the Holy Word of God and we should treat it like that.” – Stephen Breagy, Age 10

What is Expository Preaching?

2008-03-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

Pastor Andy Davis from First Baptist Church Durham gave a wonderful message giving an overview of expository preaching. Here is a passionate plea that he gave:

“God has told us what to do. PREACH THE WORD!”

Faith comes by hearing; by a continual hearing of the Word of God. That is how we are nurtured; that is how we grow. It is vital that we restore the Biblical model of expository preaching so that we can see the Word of God in the fullness of it's beauty, the strength of it's power, and the greatness of it's sufficiency.

Highlights from the boys at Hope:

“Expository Preaching is choosing one passage and sticking to it.” – Tyler Hutchison, Age 12

“We need to preach the Word of God truthfully and not talk about the Bible for a few minutes and talk about something else. When we get up to the pulpit, we need to preach the Word of God and not get side tracked.” – Stephen Breagy, Age 10

“Preachers should not use things other than Scripture to try to get people’s emotions.” – Stephen Horn, Age 9

A Workshop on Expository Preaching

2008-03-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

The Lord is raising up a powerful movement of families that desire to restore the authority, sufficiency, and inerrancy of the Word of God in a culture that has removed it from the pedestal of their lives and erected idols of worldliness in its place. That is why we’ve gathered together in Wake Forest, NC to address a number of topics concerning Expository preaching. I will be blogging on the conference and will also be featuring highlights from our boys at Hope Baptist Church.

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2008-02-29T18:44:00.000-08:00

Iron Forge Newsletter Jan. 08

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2007-12-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

Iron Forge Newsletter Dec. 07

Building Bridges Day 3

2007-11-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

The Lord blessed us immensely during the conclusion of the conference today. God blessed the last messages with such passion and zeal. The morning began with a panel discussion in which questions where posed to the speakers from Calvinists’ and Non- Calvinists’ alike.

Following the panel discussion, Tom Ascol, gave a zealous message on the Gospel, the Christian, and the Church. He said:

“All theology and all ethics can only be studied in the light and person of Jesus Christ.”

After speaking of the Gospel, he continued to speak on the Christian. He spoke of true and false conversion, regeneration and justification, and many other aspects. He passionately stated:

“Where there is no change of nature on earth, there is no reason to expect a status change in heaven… You cannot disciple a corpse; if there is no life, there will be no growth.”

During the final part of his speech he spoke briefly on the church being the bride of Christ and how we should seek to love the church even as He did. This message was full of a wonderful balance between willingness to speak about doctrine but yet action in sharing our faith.

Setting off a final rocket in the sense of speaking, Dr. Danny Aiken gave an inspiring message on answering the call to a great commission resurgence. Through his message he desired to rekindle the passion for the great commission in the SBC. He encouraged us to find ways in which we could unite together as one for the calling of Christ. During the end of the message he began speaking about how often non-Calvinists’ blame Calvinist for the baptism rate in our churches being low. However, he ardently stated:

“Could it be that the problem really isn’t Calvinism, could it be that we’ve lost our love for the Gospel as a whole.”

The Lord’s hand was really upon this conference. It was such a wonderful blessing to be able to attend this kind of thing. It was like Calvin meeting with the men in Geneva. The Lord definitely used this conference to rekindle the desire in my heart to be active in evangelism.

Building Bridges Day 2

2007-11-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

On the second day of the Building Bridges conference we began the morning with a brief message by Buddy Gray leading into a time of prayer. He directed us to pray for unity in families and churches. He also asked for us to pray that we would be intrinsically motivated to desire a right view of God through theology. He emphasized the importance of our picture of God, encouraging us to study theology so that by God’s grace, we might know Him better and see Him more clearly. He concluded the time with bringing out three important aspects of our Christian lives together. They were to live it out (doctrine), stand firm (in your doctrine), and strive together (in the preaching of the Gospel).

Jeff then spoke on the ways that Calvinism is having a positive effect in the SBC. He spoke of how Calvinism is helping to restore the sufficiency of Scripture and remove inerrancy and idolatry from our churches and homes. He stated:

“A church that doesn’t hold to the sufficiency of Scripture as much as the inerrancy of Scripture will fall into the cesspool of liberalism”

He spoke very boldly about the state of our churches and how we’ve also replaced the sufficiency of Scripture with the wittiness of men and thereby are feeding the roots of liberalism in the church. He said:

“The new rise of Calvinism will help expose this liberalism and call our brothers back to truth”

He also made the point that Calvinism will help restore evangelism in the church. He passionately put an emphasis on this point as he stated:

“Most people come to Jesus not to see their sin, but to put another layer of frosting on their lives.”

In the end of his message, he spoke of the importance of restoring Gods glory in the church. Here are a few of his closing comments:

“We must have a passion for the glory of God in the church… The church is the epicenter of God’s glory”

Next, David Nelson spoke on the Atonement: Its Design, Nature, and Extent. He carefully explained these points using certain Scripture. At the conclusion of the message he asked if we were losing the Gospel in the SBC. There are two common problems in the SBC. There is either no offer of the Gospel, or a cheap offer of it.

Before the lunch break Sam Waldron, author of the popular commentary on the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, spoke on the biblical conformation of particular redemption. He gave a detailed explanation of the doctrine of particular redemption.

This afternoon, Nathan Finn, gave a wonderful presentation on the common mischaracterizations of Calvinistic Southern Baptists. He message was comprised of five of these mischaracterizations. One important one was that Calvinism is a threat to Evangelism. He argued that the sad truth is that the whole of the SBC is not being faithful in fulfilling the great commission. He concluded with the following three points: (1) We must share a common commitment to the Gospel (2) Both Calvinist and Non-Calvinist must commit to a historical view of the Baptist (3) Southern Baptist Calvinist and Non-Calvinist must share an equal passion to fulfill the great commission together.

Before dinner, there were two more speeches given on calling and election. Ken Keathley presented on infralapsarianism and Molinism. Following, Ken Keathley, Greg Welty presented from a Calvinistic perspective on unconditional election. He made three specific points from Ephesians 1:3-11. The first was that election is eternal, the second, election is personal, and third, election is grounded in God’s will. He stated:“Divine election is not on the basis of our will or efforts, but it’s quite important to God.”

Following dinner, we enjoyed a wonderful time of singing and then heard a passionate message by J.D. Greear on Calvinism and the preaching of the Gospel. He presented such a balanced view on the importance of doctrine, yet strongly emphasized on the aspect of sharing our faith with the lost world. In closing, he posed the following question:

“Are we in danger of rising up something that would supplant the Gospel?”

Finishing up the day, Don Whitney gave a stirring message on hell and the Gospel. He did an exposition on Mathew 25:41. He presented seven points on the subject of hell. He continued to communicate the message with much urgency, solemnity and humility. He stated:

“Salvation is by works, you bet it is, but not by your own, but by the life and death of Jesus Christ.”

He concluded the night with three dynamic truths: (1) Hell is inevitable if you’ve never come to Jesus Christ (2) Hell is inescapable once you are there (3) Hell is avoidable for any and for all who will come to Jesus Christ.

This day has been blessed with such rich messages and speakers. I am thankful to the Lord for what he is doing here and I can’t wait to hear what yet awaits us.

Listen to the Building Bridges Podcast

2007-11-27T06:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to a website where you can listen to podcasts of the messages being given at the Building Brides conference:

Building Brides Conference Podcasts

Building Bridges Day 1

2007-11-26T20:47:00.000-08:00

We’re here in the mountains near Asheville, NC at the Ridgecrest conference center at Founders Ministries national conference, “Building Bridges”. Hundreds of Southern Baptists of all different doctrinal positions regarding Calvinism are here to engage in dialog and find common ground as we seek to preach the Gospel. This conference is also geared toward bringing out the roots of the SBC by expounding on the doctrinal beliefs of the founders.

The conference began this afternoon with Ed Stetzer bringing out helpful statistics about trends indicating a return of southern Baptists’ toward reformed theology and Calvinism. He stated;

“Calvinism is a growing influence in the SBC...”

He also gave many statistics that showed that the percentage rate of Calvinists’ sharing the Gospel was slightly higher than Armenians. The statistics came very close for baptismal rates in churches, conversions, etc. They all followed very closely to each other. His concluding point was that whether you look at it from the Calvinist side or the Arminian, we are not sharing the Gospel enough. The statistics show very clearly that one is not doing better than the other. Here is a final quote by Ed Stetzer in regards to this subject:

“Regardless of the numbers, none of these statistics should make us happy."

Soon following Ed Stetzer, Tom Nettles gave an historical sketch of what the Baptist Calvinist believes and how it is applied in his life. He presented eight points including belief in inerrancy of Scripture, the propagating of the Gospel to foreign lands and many others. His goal was to open our eyes to see that originally, Southern Baptists not only believed the five points of Calvinism, and was also applying them in the practical areas of his life.

Next, James Merritt spoke on the subject of election and calling. He spoke about the “pearl of predestination”, the “emerald of election”, the “ruby of redemption”, and the “gold of grace”.

At the end of the night, Dr. Al Mohler spoke on the urgency of communicating the Gospel to the world, using Romans 10 to explain the nearness of God’s Word and our responsibility to open our mouths so others could hear. He said,

“We’re not here for a disputation, but we hope for a contagion that breaks out and leads to evangelism.”

He spoke of the balance between those who avoid doctrinal discussion and those who are always engaged in it and lacking in their duty to God by sharing the Gospel. He wrapped up the night with an incredible statement that captured the content of his message. He encouraged us to be like Whitefield who preached alongside John Wesley... and when you get him in the boat, talk doctrine and get him straightened out... on the way to preach. Then he said, "Let’s make sure that you are not staying on the boat talking doctrine, when you need to be off the boat preaching the Gospel together."

America: A Christian Nation

2007-11-26T06:12:00.000-08:00

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance." Psalm 33:12

I've been very blessed to be able to spend this month reading David Barton's book, Original Intent. It covers subjects such as the separation of Church and State, the Christian heritage of our nation and hundreds of quotes pointing to the focus of the founding fathers on propagating the Christian religion in America. Here is a short quote by John Adams that sheds light and brings clarity to the areas of history that our modern-day textbooks leave out.

"To promote true religion is the best and most effectual way of making a virtuous and regular people. Love to God and love to man is the substance of religion; when these prevail, civil laws will have little to do… The magistrate (or ruling party of any society) ought to encourage piety… and make it an object of public esteem. Those who are vested with civil authority ought… to promote religion and good morals among all under their government." John Witherspoon, signer of the Declaration

Let's remember in these following days that America is turning from God the importance of devoting our full service to him so that we can be used for His glory in the turning back of hearts toward Him.

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2007-11-16T07:29:00.001-08:00

Iron Forge Newsletter Nov. 07

Bringing your teaching to life

2007-11-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." Proverbs 4:7

I have discovered that one of the greatest gifts of teaching children is the passion the Lord gives them for learning. They are like little sponges waiting to soak up more and more. Recently, our family has been trying to implement teaching that would bring to life things that are hard for our little ones to understand. Here is a short testimony of how the Lord can use this kind of teaching for His glory.

Last night, as dad was away at a business meeting, mom asked me to lead the children in devotions. Earlier in the day we picked a beautiful rose off of the rose bush in our garden and mom wanted me to use it in some kind of way to teach the children. The first thing that the Lord brought to my mind was 2 Corinthians 12:7 which says:

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure."

We began the time with prayer and as I prayed I asked that the Lord would open our eyes to be able to see and understand His word through the tangible things He has given us. I began by asking the children how beautiful the rose was and what made it so beautiful. I quickly saw a show of hands and began getting answers like, "it's pretty because of the pedals" or "the color is so bright and happy". They clearly perceived how beautiful the rose was from what they saw, but didn't realize the painful thorns that grew beneath the vividly green leaves. Next, I asked them to feel gently along the stem of the flower and tell me what they felt. You can probably imagine the kind of answers I got for that. After they were done I began reading them the verse in 2 Corinthians 12:7 that talks about the thorn in the flesh. We equate it to the strongholds in our lives that are constantly troubling, tempting, and trying to eat away at our souls. As we continued, I asked the children to identify what strongholds they possessed in them and how they affect them on a daily basis. After we went around the room and shared them with one another, I told them that just like the rose, we need to realize that our flower may look beautiful on the outside, but we all have thorns that torment us. As they all sat and contemplated the things that were their strongholds I began reading them verses 8-10:

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

While trying to give an explanation of the verse, the Lord impressed upon my heart that we should all get on our faces before him and thank him for his perfect strength in the midst of our weakness. At this time everyone was beginning to see those things clearly that were strongholds in their lives and were ready to bring them before the Lord so that they could thank him for His strength in and through their weaknesses. We took the babies one by one and had them repeat after us as we prayed that the Lord would help them to realize at a young age their need for dependence upon Him. Then, the older children held hands together on their knees and individually thanked God for His strength, for their infirmities and His ability to use their infirmities for His glory.

It was beautiful to see what the Lord did as He provided me with something tangible to teach the things that are spiritual. I pray that the Lord would allow our homes to be factories of Christ-like teaching, because He, being the great teacher, taught in parables so that others could understand things that were otherwise hard to grasp. So, as we teach, as we instruct, and as we love one another let's remember the great impact that invigorated and lively teaching can bring to others.

An amazing speech given by George Whashington

2007-11-13T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a short speech given by George Washington on a day appointed for thanksgiving to God for His great provisions. Along with hundreds of others, this speech suggests that the heart of the founding fathers was to propagate and expand the Christian religion in America:

“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me to "recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many single favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the Service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks, for His kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the single and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, of the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have to acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humble offering our prayers and supplications to the Great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all people, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone know to be best.”

Isabella's Pictures

2007-08-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

An amazing gift from the Lord!

2007-08-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

On August 2nd, the Lord added Isabella Grace to the Tsantles Family. God has given our family a heart for adoption and once again he has provided, graciously, our heart's desire. There are five adopted children in our family. They have been the greatest blessings in my life. It is a wonderful gift to be able to share the love that God has bestowed upon us with His little children.

"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. . . . . Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them." Psalm 127:3, 4

Here is a small portion of the story of Isabella. About two months ago we decided to put our paperwork in at an adoption agency and pray that the Lord would bless us with another child. After filling out all the forms, the last thing left to do was the home study. There are two home studies. The first is a meeting with just the parents and the other is a meeting with everyone in the family. On Friday night, July 27th, mom and dad were driving home from the first home study and they received a call from the agency asking if we could reschedule the next home study for the following Tuesday and then bring home a baby on Thursday. Mom and dad were absolutely astonished. They thought she was joking, but she sure wasn't. You have to remember that our second home study was not scheduled until August 18th and there was a chance that it would be months before we would have a baby. But God had it in His perfect plan to answer our prayers a lot quicker than we expected. Consequently, on August 2nd we brought home Isabella. She was born on July 25th. This amazing story of Isabella brings to mind the first line in a hymn "To God be the glory, great things He hath done." We would appreciate your prayer for her because of some legal matters that still need to be worked out. The Lord is good and He will work out everything to His perfect plan and will.

Taylor Tsantles

Diligence in the Scriptures

2007-08-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.” Proverbs 12:24

“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” Proverbs 22:29

Diligence is a God-given strength to do and accomplish things for His glory, in his timing, and in his plan. Diligence can be displayed through many areas of our lives. Through our home lives, in our work, etc. God says in Proverbs that he will bless the diligent with overabundance. Let us remember, whether it be major or minor ones to do it with all our might as unto the Lord and not unto men (Colossians 3:23).

Undiscerned Spiritual Pride

2007-04-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

The first and worst cause of errors that prevail in our day and age is spiritual pride. This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christ. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit to darken the mind and mislead the judgement. Pride is the main handle by which he has hold of Christian persons and the chief source of all the mischief that he introduces to clog and hinder a work of God. Spiritual pride is the main spring or at least the main support of all other errors. Until this disease is cured, medicines are applied in vain to heal all other diseases.

It is by spiritual pride that the mind defends and justifies itself in other errors and guards itself against light by which it might be corrected and reclaimed. The spiritually proud man is full of light already and feels that he does not need instruction, so he is ready to despise the offer of it. On the other hand, the humble person is like a little child who easily receives instruction. He is cautious in his estimate of himself, sensitive as to how liable he is to go astray. If it is suggested to him that he does go astray, he is most ready to inquire into the matter. Nothing sets a Christian so much out of the devil’s reach than humility and so prepares the mind for divine light without darkness and so clears the eye to look at things as they truly are Psalm 25:9—He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way. If spiritual pride is healed, other things are easily rectified. Our first care should be to rectify the heart and pull the beam of pride out of our eye and then we shall see clearly.

Those who are most zealous in the cause of God are the most likely to be targeted as being filled with pride. When any person appears, in any respect, to be remarkably distinguished from others in his Christian walk, odds are ten to one that it will immediately awaken the jealousy of those about him. They will suspect (whether they have good reason or not) that he is very proud of his goodness and that he probably thinks no one as good as he, so that everything he says and does is observed with this prejudice. Those who are themselves cold and dead, and especially such as never had any experience of the power of godliness on their own hearts, will easily entertain such thoughts of the best Christians. This arises from no less than a secret enmity against vital and fervent holiness. But the zealous Christian should take heed lest this prove a snare to him, and the devil take advantage of it to blind their eyes from beholding the true nature of their hearts and to think that because they are charged with pride wrongfully and with an ill spirit, that such charges are not sometimes valid. Alas, how much pride the best have in their hearts! It is the worst part of the body of sin and death; the first sin that ever entered into the universe and the last that is rooted out. It is God’s most stubborn enemy!

Pride is much more difficult to be discerned than any other corruption because of its very nature; that is, pride is a person having too high a thought of himself. Is it any surprise, then, that a person who has too high a thought of himself is unaware of it? His thinking is that he thinks that the opinion he has of himself has just grounds and therefore is not too high. If the grounds of the opinion of himself crumbled, he would cease to have such an opinion. But, because of the nature of spiritual pride, it is the most secret of all sins. There is no other matter in which the heart is more deceitful and unsearchable and there is no other sin in the world that men are so confident in. The very nature of it is to work self-confidence and drive away any suspicion of any evil of that kind. There is no sin so much like the devil as this for secrecy and subtlety, and appearing in great many shapes that are undiscerned and unsuspected. Spiritual pride takes many forms and shapes, one under another, and encompasses the heart like the layers of an onion; when you pull off one, there is another underneath. Therefore, we have need to have the greatest witch imaginable over our hearts with respect to this matter and to cry most earnestly to the great Searcher of hearts for His help. He that trusts his own heart is a fool.

Since spiritual pride in its own nature is so secret, it cannot be so well discerned by immediate intuition on the thing itself. It is best identified by its fruits and effects, some of which I will make mention of below together with the contrary fruits of Christian humility. Spiritual pride causes one to speak of other persons’ sins, their enmity against God and His people, or with laughter and levity and an air of contempt, while pure Christian humility disposes either to be silent about them or to speak of them with grief or pity.

The spiritually proud person shows it in his finding fault with other saints, that they are low in grace and how cold and dead they are, and are quick to discern and take notice of their deficiencies. The eminently humble Christian has so much to do at home and sees so much evil in his own that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts. He complains most of himself and complains most of his own coldness and lowness in grace. He is apt to esteem others as better than himself and is ready to hope that most everybody has more love and thankfulness to God than he, and cannot bear to think that others should bring forth no more fruit to God’s honor than he.

Some who have spiritual pride mixed with great learning and joy, earnestly speaking to others about them, are likely to be calling upon other Christians to emulate them and sharply reprove them for their being so cold and lifeless. There are others who, are overwhelmed with their own vileness, and when they have extraordinary discoveries of God’s glory, they are taken up by their own sinfulness. Though they are disposed to speak much and very earnestly, yet it is very much in blaming themselves and exhorting fellow Christians, but in a loving and humble manner. Pure Christian humility causes a person to take notice of everything that is good in others, to make the best of it and to diminish their failings; however, he turns his eye chiefly on those things that are bad in himself and to take much notice of everything that aggravates them.

It has been the manner of spiritually proud persons to speak of almost everything they see in others in the most harsh, severe language. It is frequent with them to say of other’s opinion, conduct, advice, coldness, silence, caution, moderation, prudence, etc. that they are from the devil or from hell. Such kind of language they will commonly use, not only towards wicked men, but towards those who are true children of God and also towards ministers of the gospel and others who are very much their superiors. Christians who are but fellow-worms ought at least to treat one another with as much humility and gentleness as Christ treats them.

Spiritual pride often causes persons to act different in external appearance, to effect a different way of speaking, to use a different sort of dialect from others, or to be different in voice, countenance or behavior. But he that is an eminently humble Christian, though he will be firm in his duty, however different—going the way of heaven alone, though all the world forsake him—yet he does not delight in being different for difference’s sake. He does not try to set himself up to be viewed and observed as one distinguished, as desiring to be accounted better than others—despising their company or conformity to them—but on the contrary, desires to become all things to all men, to yield to others and conform to them and please them in all but sin.

Spiritual pride takes great notice of opposition and injuries that are received and is prone to be often speaking of them and to be much in taking notice of their aggravation, either with an air of bitterness or contempt. Pure and unmixed Christian humility, on the other hand, causes a person to be more like his blessed Lord when reviled: quiet, not opening his mouth, but committing himself in silence to Him who judges righteously. For the humble Christian, the more the world is against him, the more silent and still he will be, unless it is in his prayer closet, and there he will not be still.

Another effect of spiritual pride is a certain self-confident boldness before God and men. Some, in their great rejoicings before God, have not paid sufficient regard to that rule in Psalm 2:11— Worshi~, the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling. They have not rejoiced with a reverential trembling, in a proper sense of the awful majesty of God and the awful distance between Him and them. There has also been an improper boldness before men that has been encouraged and defended by a misapplication of Proverbs 29:25—The fear of man brings a snare… It is as though it became all persons, high and low, men, women and children in all Christian conversation to wholly abandon all manner of modesty or reverence toward man. Not that any should refrain from Christian conversation, but with such humility as in I Peter 3:15—But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.

Another effect of spiritual pride is to make the subject of it want attention. People often tend to act in a special manner as though others ought to take great notice and regard of them. It is very natural to a person that is very much under the influence of spiritual pride to take all the respect that is paid to him. If others show a disposition to submit to him and yield in deference to him, he is open to it and freely receives it. It becomes natural for him to expect such treatment and to take much notice if a person fails to do so, and to have an ill opinion of those who do not give him that which he feels he deserves. One under the influence of spiritual pride is more apt to instruct others than to inquire for himself and so naturally puts on the airs of control. The eminently humble Christian thinks he needs help from everybody, whereas he that is spiritually proud thinks everybody needs his help. Christian humility, under a sense of other’s misery, entreats and beseeches, but spiritual pride tries to command and warn with authority.

As spiritual pride causes persons to assume much to themselves, so it treats others with neglect. On the contrary, pure Christian humility disposes persons to honor all men as from I Peter 2:17. To enter into disputes about Christianity is sometimes unsea- sonable, such as in meeting for Christian conference or for exercises of worship. Yet, we ought to be very careful that we do not refuse to discourse with carnal men, as though we counted them not worthy to be regarded. On the contrary, we should condescend to carnal men as Christ has condescended to us, to bear with our unteachableness and stupidity.

Die to Yourself and Live for Others

2007-03-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

If you want to be a servant, the most important part is dying to yourself and living for others. I struggle with this concept so much, and I hope that all of you will apply this to your lives. Wheat is a perfect example of this kind of process. In order for the little wheat germ to germinate, it must die and go through a period of dormancy. After that is complete and it has germinated, the wheat springs up in life. We must die to ourselves and live for others. Because, once we do this, we spring forth with Godly fruit; which is, love, joy, peace, patience… When you have served and helped your mom and dad, how does it feel? Normally, it makes you feel great, because you feel that you have done something to please them. It is refreshing to be a servant unto others. A very important caution to a servant is their tendency to serve unto men and not unto the Lord. The Bible tells us that we are in service of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Colossians 3:24 is says, “ Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” It also says in verse 22 and 23, “ Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye service, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Pray that the Lord will make you a servant and begin applying it!

Tips on how to share the Gospel

2007-03-21T12:34:00.001-07:00

There are so many things that Christians have picked up and dropped along the way and sharing the Gospel is one of them. Go around a church and ask how many Christians daily share their faith and you would be amazed at the results. We need to step up to the plate and begin sharing the Gospel to people that are dangling over hell on a spider web. I think we all would be pretty horrified if we witnessed a firefighter sitting in his truck listening to music while a family was burning in a building that was on fire. It is unthinkable and unfathomable. We are doing the same to non-Christians that are sinking into the fiery furnace. We need to reach out to the lost World and share the very faith that we so freely possess. If we are currently blessed by our salvation, then why don’t we want to share it?

The first step is using the Law (Ten Commandments) as a schoolmaster to bring people to Christ. A schoolmaster was someone that would accompany a child to and from school. The Law (Ten Commandments) serves as a schoolmaster to lead the sinner to Christ. The Law (Ten Commandments) also helps us to see our sin and need for the savior. If someone walked up to you and said out of the blue, “Sir, I have a cure for your cancer and I am sure it will work.” You would think he was crazy because you don’t think you even have cancer. But, if that person described the symptoms that he saw while examining you, he can convince you of the cancer and then present the cure. When we share our faith, we use the Law (Ten Commandments) to show the sinner their sin, and then we present the cure (Gospel). It is so vital that you understand this point. Because if we share our faith without the Law, the sinner will not see their need for Christ.

Ask the Lord to help you in presenting your faith to an unbeliever. Put away all of your fears and rely on the Lord for help while you witness.