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Mustard Grains in a Field"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." (Matthew 13:44)
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December 16 New Blog I have elected to start a new blog, and allow this one to become dormant. The new URL is http://everydayreformation.blogspot.com/. October 06 TestimonyThe church we are praying about joining requires a written testimony. I thought I would post it here as well. I was raised in a Christian home as a Fundamental Baptist. I prayed the so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” when I was of age six at an evangelistic meeting. However, not until I was sixteen years of age was I truly brought under a conviction of my sin and my standing before God. In a Thanksgiving Eve service, I came under a desperate fear for my life. Hearing the testimonies of those surrounding me, I found that there was something lacking in my own witness. That evening, I called out to God, asking Him to have mercy upon me and save me. The next two years or so was marked by a period of rapid growth within my life. I developed a great hunger for the Word of God, and felt a call to preach. I made the decision to attend a church-based Bible college in Louisiana. In college, my spiritual growth became stunted in a hyper-fundamentalist church. The Lord was gracious even through this time in two main areas. He brought me out of a situation that had become unstable and increasingly authoritarian, and He joined me with my lovely bride. After college, there was a period of about three years that I would term “recovery.” This period was marked by a time of shying away from the fundamentalist movement and a progressive removal of various doctrines. During this time I began to do things that I once would have termed sinful. Some examples; I began to allow my wife to wear pants. I began to question the validity of the King James only position. Although these type of things were necessary to work through, I unfortunately became increasingly antinomian, even dropping out of church entirely for about a year. About three years ago, I reached a low point spiritually. My wife and I committed ourselves to find and regularly attend a church. We became members of a Southern Baptist Church in Portage, IN. It was here that the Lord began to graciously remove many of my antinomian tendencies, and show forth once more spiritual fruits in my life. Two years ago, while reading Ephesians, the Lord brought me to a “four point” Calvinistic position. Although I initially rejected the limited atonement, I gradually came to understand that this was a necessary component to the Doctrines of Grace. Since coming to that fifth point, about eighteen months ago, I have been insatiable for more. I have never seen God working in my life so much. I have never wanted to know Him more than I do now. I have never wanted to share with others so much. September 08 IndulgencesIt has been nearly 490 years since the famous (or infamous, depending on your viewpoint) nailing of the 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg. This is considered to be the beginning of the Reformation. The main complaint the theses outlined was the selling of indulgences. This evening, I saw a commercial on the travel channel. It appears that the Romanists are at it yet. https://www.nativityhall.com/ August 18 London Baptist Confession of FaithHere is an interesting article concerning the creation of the LBCF. Notice the difference between the anabaptists and the Baptists. August 12 ProvidenceEver feel like Providence comes right up behind you and slaps you upside the head and says "What's up?" This week has been a lot like that for me. The following from the LBCF 1689 has been greatly comforting.
Chapter 5: Of Divine Providence
1 God the good Creator of all things, in his infinite power and wisdom doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, to the end for the which they were created, according unto his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will; to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness, and mercy. (Heb. 1:3; Job 38:11; Isa. 46:10, 11; Ps. 135:6; Matt. 10:29-31; Eph. 1;11) 2 Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly; so that there is not anything befalls any by chance, or without his providence; yet by the same providence he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently. (Acts 2:23; Prov. 16:33; Gen. 8:22) 3 God, in his ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them at his pleasure. (Acts 27:31, 44; Isa. 55:10, 11; Hosea 1:7; Rom. 4:19-21; Dan. 3:27) 4 The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God, so far manifest themselves in his providence, that his determinate counsel extendeth itself even to the first fall, and all other sinful actions both of angels and men; and that not by a bare permission, which also he most wisely and powerfully boundeth, and otherwise ordereth and governeth, in a manifold dispensation to his most holy ends; yet so, as the sinfulness of their acts proceedeth only from the creatures, and not from God, who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin. (Rom. 11:32-34; 2 Sam. 24:1, 1 Chron. 21:1; 2 Kings 19:28; Ps. 76;10; Gen. 1:20; Isa. 10:6, 7, 12; Ps. 1;21; 1 John 2:16) 5 The most wise, righteous, and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations and the corruptions of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled; and to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon himself; and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for other just and holy ends. So that whatsoever befalls any of his elect is by his appointment, for his glory, and their good. (2 Chron. 32:25, 26, 31; 2 Cor. 12:7-9; Rom. 8:28) 6 As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as the righteous judge, for former sin doth blind and harden; from them he not only withholdeth his grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understanding, and wrought upon their hearts; but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they had, and exposeth them to such objects as their corruption makes occasion of sin; and withal, gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan, whereby it comes to pass that they harden themselves, under those means which God useth for the softening of others. (Rom. 1;24-26, 28, 11:7, 8; Deut. 29:4; Matt. 13:12; Deut. 2:30; 2 Kings 8:12, 13; Ps. 81:11, 12; 2 Thess. 2:10-12; Exod. 8:15, 32; Isa. 6:9, 10; 1 Pet. 2:7, 8) 7 As the providence of God doth in general reach to all creatures, so after a more special manner it taketh care of his church, and disposeth of all things to the good thereof. (1 Tim. 4:10; Amos 9:8, 9; Isa. 43:3-5)
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