But God........

Regular batteries are an illustration of human physical life and rechargeable batteries are an illustration of human spiritual life.

In the photo above, the regular batteries on the left are manufactured fully charged and can be used immediately after being purchased. With use and over time they will gradually become weaker and weaker and will eventually die. Regular batteries cannot be recharged. The rechargeable batteries on the right are designed so that they can be recharged many times. They cannot be used immediately after being purchased because they are dead and must be charged up with the charging unit. Unless an outside source (charging unit) charges them up they will never have life. Once they are fully charged they get weaker and weaker and must be recharged.

The physical life of human beings is similar to the life of the regular batteries. Human beings gradually get weaker and weaker as they age and eventually die. Likewise, the spiritual life of human beings is similar to the rechargeable batteries. Just as the dead rechargeable batteries must be charged in the battery charger to be made alive, spiritually dead men must be quickened by the intervention of God to be made spiritually alive. This is called regeneration or being born again. Man cannot regenerate or cause himself to be born again. It takes God to make a human spiritually alive just as it takes a battery charger to make a dead rechargeable battery alive. This is shown in Ephesians 2:4-5 where Paul says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—“ While we were dead in sin, God made us alive. Notice, the passage does not say man does something and then God acts. It says that God intervenes while we were dead in sin. God’s grace brings dead sinners to life just as the battery charger brings dead batteries to life.

Jesus in John 3:3 told Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Notice, the passage does not say man sees and desires the kingdom of God and then he is born again. No, it says that he will not even be able to see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This passage affirms that God’s work of regeneration is radical and powerful. Notice, it does not say that someone who is in Christ may be or should be a new creation. It says they are totally changed and totally new. They have a new attitude, new desires, a new world-view and a new heart. In 1 Peter 1:3 Peter says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” Notice, this passage does not say man must do something to be born again. It says that God caused it unilaterally. In John 6, Jesus says that no one can come to him unless granted by the Father. He states further that all that the Father gives him will come to him. When these two dots are connected it is apparent that all that are enabled to come do come. Since all (100%) do not come, the only conclusion is that God’s drawing power is irresistible and perfect in it’s power. Paul validated in Romans 8:30 that all that are called are justified.

The external call goes out by preachers, evangelists, and the Bible. All those who have had their spiritual battery charged to life by God have ears to hear and respond in faith. This is grace. It is the power of God that regenerates and gives a new heart to sinners that are dead in sin.

New Christians, that come to faith and are justified through the power of God’s grace, are then sanctified by the same grace. New Christians have spiritual life and Paul tells us in Romans 8 that this spiritual life will prevail. God through his grace recharges the spiritual life of Christians just like a battery charger recharges weak batteries. That is why the sanctification of a Christian may have peaks and valleys.

The power of God is at work in saving and justifying sinners by giving them spiritual life that enables them to willingly come to saving faith. This same power is also at work in sanctifying redeemed sinners. However, many are pushing a powerless gospel that leaves man alone in coming to faith in Christ. While they acknowledge that God tries to woo sinners, the ultimate power is left with man and not God. Man decides and God responds is the bottom line of this gospel. Since no effective power is available from God in justification, they conclude there is no effective power from God in sanctification. They claim that it is possible that a redeemed Christian may (in some cases) not be sanctified at all. Even if such a person renounces Jesus and becomes a life long atheist until death, he is saved due to his brief moment of faith.

Question: Do you believe God intervened in your life by giving you spiritual life or do you believe that your salvation was decided by you making the crucial decision in and of yourself?

A prayer that was not answered!

1 Kings 18:20-29: So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

In our pluralistic society it has become politically correct for apostate professing Christians to gather with priests of false religions and hold joint prayer services for different causes. We are told that we are all praying to the same God and that there are many paths to salvations and many ways to “get in touch with the Sacred.” We are told that we must take a fresh look at the Bible and deconstruct it. We are told that we should sit down and have a conversation as we consider what the Bible really means. We are told in books that everything must change. We are told that a new postmodern church is emerging. We are told in a book that Jesus had a secret message. We are told in a book title that the church should be “Re-Imagined.” We are told that discipleship and sanctification are optional. We are told that Christians should be wealthy and healthy in this world. We are told that churches should be seeker friendly and entertaining. We are told the churches that preach repentance and turning to Christ in faith are rigid and intolerant fundamentalists.

Therefore, nothing much has changed since the days of Elijah as can be seen by the Scripture passage above. The prophets of Baal prayed to a false god fervently and long in this passage, but it was to no avail. You know the rest of the story as Elijah prayed to the true and living God and his prayer was answered with power. How does a person know today which gods are false and what religions are false? In the High Priestly prayer that Jesus prayed (see below) he answered this question directly when he said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” In short all religions and gods are false other than the triune God of the Holy Bible. Even a reconstructed non-biblical Jesus of human imagination is a false God.

Only the true and living God who created the universe can answer prayer. He has revealed himself through prophets and most importantly through his son Jesus Christ and The Holy Bible. The gods of other so-called holy books and faith traditions are false gods and are just as impotent as Baal was on Mt. Carmel. God’s plan of using Elijah’s prayers to bring rain did not include praying with false prophets to the false god Baal.

Shouldn’t this passage give us a clue on how we are to pray today?
Any thoughts?

A prayer that most assuredly was answered!

The High Priestly Prayer and some thoughts.......
17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Verse 2: since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

(1) Jesus has authority over ALL flesh….

(2) Jesus gives eternal life to ALL that the Father has given him. Therefore, since ALL do not get eternal life, the Father does not give everyone that has ever lived to the son. Some are not given to the son and do not receive the gift of eternal life.

Verse 3: And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

(1) Those that are given eternal life know the only true God and Jesus Christ. They are not given eternal life for sincerely believing in false gods and false gospels. They are not given eternal life for believing in the Jesus of false holy books. The person and work of Jesus Christ as he is presented in the Holy Bible is the only Jesus that saves sinners.

Verse 5: And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
(1) Jesus Christ is fully God and pre-dates the universe with glory.

Verse 9: I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
(1) Jesus clearly states that his prayer is only for those that God has given him. These are the elect of God.
(2) Jesus specifically states he is NOT praying for everyone in the world.

(3) He is praying for a specific group of people that were given to him by the Father. Salvation is accomplished from beginning to end by God. (Romans 8:29-30)

(4) It is inconceivable that he would die for the unredeemed people for which he would not pray.
(5) It is also illogical. The atonement succeeded in securing the redemption of a people for Himself. Therefore, if He died for people who are not redeemed then his atonement would have failed for them. This would not be glorifying to God, and would insult his perfect holiness and sovereignty.

Verse 17: Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

(1) Jesus prays for those that are given eternal life to be sanctified in truth by the Father. It is by grace they are given eternal life and Jesus is asking God to sanctify them with grace. Notice that Jesus prays they will be sanctified by the POWER of God and not by left in and of themselves to accomplish their sanctification.

(2) It is beyond comprehension that God would not answer the prayers of Jesus.
(3) This would mean that all that are given the gift of eternal life are sanctified in truth.

(4) Therefore, none who are given the gift of eternal life totally refuse to be sanctified and this means that the so-called carnal Christians who refuses to obey the commands of Christ are not Christians at all. They are simply unsaved sinners who profess to be believers.

Verse 20: I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

(1) Jesus clarifies that he is also praying for all who will be redeemed in the futur

Verse 26: I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

(1) Jesus is asking that believers be given the same love for him that the Father has for him.

(2) Jesus affirms again that He will be in believers.

Comfort and Peace Photo Devotionals

1. Peace With God
2. It is Well With My Soul
3. The Proper Christian Dress
4. Following In The Path
5. Shall We Gather At The River
6. Near the Cross
7. God's Beautiful Creation
8. A Place Prepared By King Jesus
9. Sound of Sweet Grace
10. Holy Manna
11. God is Holy
12. God will wipe away every tear
13. The Anchor Holds
14. Hidden In A Cleft
15. Beulah Land
16. Perfect Peace
17. Abide With Me
18. The Firm Foundation
19. Sins Washed Away
20. Blessed Assurance

War on Global Warming

Yes, Jazzycat Farms is now green, carbon neutral, and on board with saving the planet from global warming. In order to “make a difference” we at Jazzycat Farms will began in early 2008 a series of Jazzycat Green Seminars to educate concerned citizens that are motivated to changing their lifestyles to an environmentally approved way of living. Jazzycat Farms is already actively selling carbon credits (indulgences) to elite environmentally aware liberals, and providing therapy and classes at the The Jazzycat Institute for Guilt Free Mental Health.

We are expanding to actually teach less affluent activists and citizens, who cannot afford to buy the carbon credits, how they can significantly reduce their carbon foot print. During the three day seminar you will be able to camp in your own tent. No fuel or electricity will be used for lights, heating, cooling, cooking, or any other use. Solar energy, along with hand cranked generators will be used to heat and cook your vegetarian meals. After this four day seminar, you will leave with pride in knowing that you have indeed become more educated in the GREEN techniques that are required for this WAR ON GLOBAL WARMING. The cost for this seminar is $500, which includes your vegetarian meals and space for your tent. A 10% discount will be given to everyone who arrives in hybrid vehicles and a 20% discount will be given to all who arrive on a bicycle or walking.

SEMINAR SCHEDULE:

DAY ONE:
1) Orientation and watch the Al Gore movie: The electricity for the movie will be generated by a hand cranked generator. All participants will be asked to take turns turning the hand crank.
2) Tent raising: All guests will work together as a community to put up their tents.
3) Bath Rooms and baths: Composting toilets will be used. With plenty of oak leaves on property, no paper will be allowed and water will be brought in pails from the Jazzycat Farms pond.
4) When darkness comes the activities will cease since no electricity or lights will be allowed.

DAY TWO:
1) Meditation and yoga exercise.
2) Seminar 1: How to conserve, reuse, and recycle paper products. Patching paper bags, reusing signs used for activists demonstrations. For example: When you and your organization demonstrate against, George Bush, the death penalty, and for abortion rights, do not throw your cardboard sign away. Use eco-friendly reusable stick on letters and reuse your sign. Think of the CO2 that will be saved from entering the atmosphere if only liberal activists would adopt this one simple technique.
3) Lunch: Organic foods only. Eco-friendly organic foods are foods that have not harmed the environment with any chemicals for growing or for pesticides.
4) Seminar 2: Certified green building techniques. How to build underground homes, how to build homes with hay bales, and how to build homes with hay bales and clay will be discussed.

DAY THREE:
1) Diversity celebration. A short message to extol the virtues of diversity and refute the myth of unity! Ward Churchill will deliver this inspirational message.
2) Seminar 3: Green political goals. Government control and regulation = GOOD. Individual freedom = BAD. The war on global warming must have government control and regulation. US sovereignty must be ceded to the United Nations to fight global warming.
3) Lunch: Vegetarian baloney with green persimmon juice.
4) Seminar 4: How to effectively use propaganda, manipulation, misinformation and brain washing to bring about political change. Presented by special guest Dan Rather with brief message from Bobby Kennedy, Jr.

DAY FOUR:
1) Disassemble tents, secure compost toilets, hug your favorite trees and report to open air pavilion.
2) Checklist training on how to intimidate, coerce, and harass anyone who does not profess belief in the theory that global warming is very serious and caused by human activity.
3) Checklist training on how to discredit and bring about the firing of anyone who does not respond to #2 above.
4) Final briefing on how to build the “consensus” even more by using steps 2 and 3 in your local cities.

Remember that capitalism, and individual freedom is a deterrent to fighting the WAR ON GLOBAL WARMING!

Beware of powerless grace theology

Beware of theologies that extrapolate meaning from single verses by reading more information into them than they contain. For example, the following question was posed at a blog that promotes a powerless gospel of what is sometimes called easy believe-ism or cheap grace:

“I wish to ask point blank, do you unreservedly, without qualification or supplementation agree with this quote of the Lord Jesus Christ:”

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has
everlasting life” – John 6:47

The advocates of cheap grace claim that this verse and other such verses in the book of John teach that upon belief in Jesus Christ a person has everlasting life. So far so good….. This is what Jesus says and this is absolutely true. Eternal life is a free gift of God’s grace that is obtained by faith alone. I agree. There is no dispute whatsoever on this point.

However, from this verse they claim that a person who believes may remain unaffected and not be changed in any way. This is where they inject meaning into the verse that is not there. Quite simply this verse is silent on the affects that faith in Christ has on a person’s life and behavior. It does not affirm that a person will be changed and it does not assert that it is possible for some not be changed. It is silent on the point. To determine if a person can remain unchanged or is changed after believing, you must go elsewhere in Scripture.

Is a person who comes to faith in Jesus Christ changed by this grace? That is the question that John 6:47 and John 3:16 do not answer. Let us look elsewhere for this answer and let me ask the purveyors of this powerless gospel the same question they asked about John 6:47. Do you believe the following passages unreservedly, without qualification or supplementation?

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
(This passage seems to indicate a change is necessary and is also from the book of John and spoken by Jesus.)

John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
(These passages are also from the book of John and are spoken by Jesus and teach that children of God love Jesus and those that love Jesus keep his commandments. This indicates a change in behavior.)

1 John 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
(This passages indicates a change and the results.)

Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
(This passage indicates God does the work of changing a person and the results are sanctification and its end, eternal life.)

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
(From Romans 8 we learn that being in Christ means being saved and this passage affirms with gusto that grace indeed changes a person with POWER!)

Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
(The Spirit of God dwells in believers and changes them.)

Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
(This passage indicates the sons of God are redeemed believers and are led by God, the Holy Spirit. Brethren this is describing a God powered believer.)

These are but some of the many verses that speak where John 6:47 is silent. When you put the teaching of John 6:47 with these verses, we see that faith in Christ (John 6:47) comes with the power of God that changes a person and brings about sanctification. This grace of sanctification enables and empowers a born again Christian to willingly seek and desire obedience, holiness, and faithfulness. This is not a quest for justification, but rather it is the fruit of sanctification that Romans 6:22 describes. This grace does not make a believer perfect, but it so changes him that his attitude and bearing is pointed in a heavenward direction. A believer will experience a conviction of sin and will grieve and repent of his sin. All of these results are due to the awesome power of God in the redemption of sinners.

Praise God that John 6:47 is an expression of God’s grace that gives the free gift of eternal life to all that believe in Jesus Christ. Beware of the false teaching that this is a powerless grace that allows you to wallow in sin with no desire to walk as a new creation in Christ.