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Better to Give

By in Theology

Here’s a profile of our newly sponsored child. Destine Hanamaria has made it through one of the most vulnerable times in life for a human living in poverty. She made it past her first birthday because of generous givers like you. At this age, having someone to love and take care of her can still mean the difference between life and death. That’s why your sponsorship provides for a trained Survival Specialist from her local church to visit her every month at home.

Destine Hanamaria
Birthday: July 09, 2015
Gender: Female
Location: Indonesia (Asia)
Child ID: XXXXXXXXXXXX

• Age: 2
• Birthday: July 9, 2015
• Gender: Female
• Location: Indonesia
• Center: Evangelical Church in Minahasa “Trifena” Karegesan
• Child ID: XXXXXXXXXXXX
• Waiting: 215 days for a sponsor. Urgent need for a sponsor.

Overview

Destine Hanamaria has made it through one of the most vulnerable times in life for a human living in poverty. She made it past her first birthday because of generous givers like you. At this age, having someone to love and take care of her can still mean the difference between life and death. That’s why your sponsorship provides for a trained Survival Specialist from her local church to visit her every month at home.

These specialists provide access to much-needed immunizations and medical care, as well as food and water to meet critical physical needs. They also lend emotional and spiritual support to family members committed to caring for her. Your sponsorship allows Destine Hanamaria a strong, healthy start, early in life when it can have the biggest impact.

Please remember Destine Hanamaria in your prayers. Your love and support will help her to receive the assistance she needs to grow and develop.

Community

Project: ID-119, Trifena Student Center
Location: Karegesan, 25 km southwest of Bitung, Indonesia

Destine lives on the plains of Karegesan, home to approximately 20,000 residents. Typical houses are constructed of cement floors, wood walls, and corrugated iron roofs. The primary ethnic group is Minahasa.

The regional diet consists of fish, plantains, and rice. A common health problem in this area is coughs. Most adults in Karegesan work as day laborers and earn the equivalent of $89 per month. This community has electricity but needs vocational training and scholastic materials

Your sponsorship allows the staff of Trifena Student Center to provide Destine with Bible studies, leadership training, medical checkups, nutritious food, sports, community service opportunities, tuition, scholastic materials, tutoring, and vocational training. The center staff will also provide meetings and seminars on economic empowerment for the parents or guardians of Destine.

Indonesia consists of 17,000 islands along the equator between Australia and Asia. The larger islands have central mountain ranges and fertile plains and lowlands. The climate is tropical with a rainy season from October to April.

The country squeezes a population nearly the size of the United States into a landmass roughly triple the size of Texas; it has the fourth largest population in the world. Indonesia is also a diverse nation with many resources. More than 700 languages are spoken but the most common is Bahasa Indonesia. Islam claims 90 percent of Indonesians; however, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and animism are also practiced.

When Columbus sailed from Spain in 1492, he sought a new route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. The Portuguese arrived in the sixteenth century but in 1602 the Dutch began slowly gaining control of the islands. Following Japanese occupation during World War II, the country, led by Sukarno, proclaimed independence in 1945. Suharto ousted Sukarno in 1968 and held the presidency of the military-controlled republic until 1998 when a collapsing economy fueled riots and demands for reforms. In 2001, the country elected a female leader, President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

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Abiding Truth

By in Theology

Continuing along in my reading of John Piper’s book, “What Jesus Demands from the World”, I just finished the section entitled “Abide in Me.” Numbered as demand #7 with references Jn 15:4, Jn 15:9, and Jn 8:31-32.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” -Jn 8:31-32

That dwelling, continuing, and remaining with Jesus comes from believing in him and his love daily. By being in daily prayer and abiding in His word, He will produce fruit within us and from us. And I would also add that worship is a crucial practice to glorify God in us in order that we are most satisfied in Him.

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Powers That Be

By in Theology

“Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” – Rev 1:19-20

Several weeks ago, I began the gradual re-introduction to the KJV. Not to abandon the NASB, but to run concurrently with the archaic and beautiful language in the KJV.

My spirit is still deep into daily reading and study of my NASB, but along with that, I am tracing back all of the same/common written words in this earlier KJV version. Usually a few chapters a day for months now, plus random sections here and there.

There is something deeper and meaningful about repeating the same material with written notes and illustrations side by side. My eyes see the words differently in full absorption of this early translation.

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Way of Escape

By in Theology

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ” -Eph 2:8-9

Obedience must accompany faith. As evidence of authentic faith made real by grace as given by God.

Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (To the Glory of God Alone)
Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)

These are five principles that give us hope that we could live. And that God could be eternally 100% for us rather than against us and objects of his wrath (Ep 2:3). Principles recognized, understood, and followed to spiritually become made alive in Christ. This is what it is to be made alive in Christ. God sets His love and grace upon His elect for authentic repentance to obey the Son. We are otherwise dead spiritually and completely unable to believe and obey.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Eph 2:8–9). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

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Risen Above

By in Theology
Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1–14)

Can such things be? In Ezekiel’s vision, he saw before him a valley of dry bones. A multitude of God’s people dead, scattered, and dried out to bones. Then suddenly the bones began to come together among them with flesh, tendons, and muscle. Yet still dead, but just corpses, as a multitude of the dead before Ezekiel. God’s people were dead from their rebellion before Him. Laid to waste without life.

Until thereafter the Lord breathed again the breath of life to them all. As with creation and with Pentecost, to revive them. To give them life. A new life unlike anything before. His promise that He would restore the people of Israel.  That “He would deliver them from the grave of exile, place His Spirit among them, and settle them once more in the promised land.”

A precursor of what was to come as written about in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:2-5). As now the Holy Spirit dwells within His people today. 

Chisholm, R. B. (1998). The Major Prophets. In D. S. Dockery (Ed.), Holman concise Bible commentary (p. 327). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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Emerald River

By in Theology

This week under my breath I’ve had the passing desire to just say to the Lord that I love Him. Several times throughout these days just a simple “I love you Lord.” Here and there spontaneous utterances from my soul because He is the love that is in me. In all sincerity and with nothing watched in return. Just an overflow from the heart because my heart is full. 

Emerald River

You are the same yesterday, today and forever
Just the mention of your name
You are my strength
You are my anchor
You never fail

You are my hope
You are my healer
You will deliver
Emmanuel

You are my King
I am a child of the Most High King
As fire to iron, everything again is changed
You are the same yesterday, today and forever

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The Plight of Linearity

By in Theology

The meaning of the sovereign redemption of humanity by YHWH through His Son Jesus the Messiah originates from Scripture. Among various Christian doctrinal systems or denominations, we are today more aware of the differences between monergism and synergism which explains how and who God chooses people for honor and some for dishonor. This post concerns the TULIP acronym that briefly explains the scriptural rationale of Calvinists.

T- Total Depravity

(Total Inability)

Total Depravity is probably the most misunderstood tenet of Calvinism. When Calvinists speak of humans as “totally depraved,” they make an extensive, rather than an intensive statement. The effect of the fall upon man is that sin has extended to every part of his personality — his thinking, his emotions, and his will. Not necessarily that he is intensely sinful, but that sin has extended to his entire being.

The unregenerate (unsaved) man is dead in his sins (Romans 5:12). Without the power of the Holy Spirit, the natural man is blind and deaf to the message of the gospel (Mark 4:11f). This is why Total Depravity has also been called “Total Inability.” The man without a knowledge of God will never come to this knowledge without God’s making him alive through Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5).

U- Unconditional Election

Unconditional Election is the doctrine that states that God chose those whom he was pleased to bring to a knowledge of himself, not based upon any merit shown by the object of his grace and not based upon his looking forward to discovering who would “accept” the offer of the gospel. God has elected, based solely upon the counsel of his own will, some for glory and others for damnation (Romans 9:15,21). He has done this act before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4-8).

This doctrine does not rule out, however, man’s responsibility to believe in the redeeming work of God the Son (John 3:16-18). Scripture presents a tension between God’s sovereignty in salvation, and man’s responsibility to believe which it does not try to resolve. Both are true — to deny man’s responsibility is to affirm an unbiblical hyper-Calvinism; to deny God’s sovereignty is to affirm an unbiblical Arminianism.

The elect is saved unto good works (Ephesians 2:10). Thus, though good works will never bridge the gulf between man and God that was formed in the Fall, good works are a result of God’s saving grace. This is what Peter means when he admonishes the Christian reader to make his “calling” and “election” sure (2 Peter 1:10). Bearing the fruit of good works is an indication that God has sown seeds of grace in fertile soil.

L- Limited Atonement

(Particular Redemption)

Limited Atonement is a doctrine offered in answer to the question, “for whose sins did Christ atone?” The Bible teaches that Christ died for those whom God gave him to save (John 17:9). Christ died, indeed, for many people, but not all (Matthew 26:28). Specifically, Christ died for the invisible Church — the sum total of all those who would ever rightly bear the name “Christian” (Ephesians 5:25).

This doctrine often finds many objections, mostly from those who think that Limited Atonement does damage to evangelism. We have already seen that Christ will not lose any that the Father has given to him (John 6:37). Christ’s death was not a death of potential atonement for all people. Believing that Jesus’ death was a potential, symbolic atonement for anyone who might possibly, in the future, accept him trivializes Christ’s act of atonement. Christ died to atone for specific sins of specific sinners. Christ died to make holy the church. He did not atone for all men, because obviously all men are not saved. Evangelism is actually lifted up in this doctrine, for the evangelist may tell his congregation that Christ died for sinners and that he will not lose any of those for whom he died!

I- Irresistible Grace

The result of God’s Irresistible Grace is the certain response by the elect to the inward call of the Holy Spirit, when the outward call is given by the evangelist or minister of the Word of God. Christ, himself, teaches that all whom God has elected will come to a knowledge of him (John 6:37). Men come to Christ in salvation when the Father calls them (John 6:44), and the very Spirit of God leads God’s beloved to repentance (Romans 8:14). What a comfort it is to know that the gospel of Christ will penetrate our hard, sinful hearts and wondrously save us through the gracious inward call of the Holy Spirit (I Peter 5:10)!

P- Perseverance of the Saints

Perseverance of the Saints is a doctrine that states that the saints (those whom God has saved) will remain in God’s hand until they are glorified and brought to abide with him in heaven. Romans 8:28-39 makes it clear that when a person truly has been regenerated by God, he will remain in God’s stead. The work of sanctification that God has brought about in his elect will continue until it reaches its fulfillment in eternal life (Phil. 1:6). Christ assures the elect that he will not lose them and that they will be glorified at the “last day” (John 6:39). The Calvinist stands upon the Word of God and trusts in Christ’s promise that he will perfectly fulfill the will of the Father in saving all the elect.

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Standing Sure

By in Theology

“Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” -Pr 24:14

Over the course of the last week, I have been spending a lot of time in Proverbs. After slowly and prayerfully going through 1st and 2nd Chronicles end-to-end, I sought to do the same in Proverbs. While coming to an end of the book, I have looked back on prior notes of impressions made. To compare what I thought then and what came to mind now. The supreme idea that wisdom gained is a chief interest. What folly looks like in principle and by example among the wicked, faithless, and godless. That without wisdom we have no hope. By knowledge and humility, we have a form of prosperity. As noted, there is no hope for the unwise and that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

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