The Last and the Lowest

"Our Head Christ took the lowest place on the cross, and so He has marked out for us His members the lowest place. The brightness of God's glory (Heb. 1.3) became the rejected of men (Isa. 53.3). Since that time the only right we have is to be the last and the lowest. When we claim anything more we have not yet rightly understood the cross.

The Lamb obtained His greatest victory with His hands and feet nailed to the cross. We abide in the shadow of the Almighty only so long as we abide under the shadow of the cross. The cross must be our home. There alone are we sheltered. We first understand our own cross when we have understood his. And we desire to get so close to it that we not only view it but touch it, yes, still more that we take up the cross, and so it becomes as someone has said, an inner cross. Then the cross asserts itself in us, and we experience His power which especially manifests itself in this, that we do not faint under it but carry it with joy.

What would Jesus be without His cross? His pierced feet have bruised the head of the enemy, and His pierced hands have despoiled him utterly (Matt. 12.29). What are we without the cross? Do not let the cross go, but hold it fast. Do we think that we can go by another road than that He trod? Many can make no progress because they will not take up the cross."

-- An excerpt from the book "Starlight" by G. Sterrenberg referenced in Andrew Murray's book "The Prayer Life" page 124-125

Awake in Hell

This post from Oldtruth.com describes an all too familiar occurrence in evangelicalism today:

CLICK HERE to read the post "Should Our Goal Be To Make Conversion Easy?"

An excerpt quoting AW Pink . . .

"Losing sight of God's end, the churches have devised means of their own... The evangelist was esteemed not for the soundness of his message, but by the visible "results" he secured. He was valued not according to how far his preaching honored God, but by how many souls were supposedly converted under it....

Tens of thousands who confidently imagine that they are bound for heaven will get a terrible disillusionment when they awake in hell!

A Pop-Quiz

This is a deleted scene from the movie The Gladiator. A Little Leaven.com uses this as part of a pop-quiz on the current state of the Christian faith in today's churches.

CLICK HERE to take the pop-quiz

Yes, We Should Be Out of Tune With the Generation

"Christians are living too much in the present now. And the pleasurable anticipation of better things to come is almost died out of the church of Christ because now, "We don't need any tomorrows, Heaven, we're too well situated now. We don't need to hope, we have it now." That's the emphasis in our day, and I think it is a wretched emphasis. . . . But the true Christian is one who's kind of sick of this world. If I find anybody who is settled down too snugly into this world, I'm made to doubt his spiritual regenesis--whether he's ever truly been born again. He can live here and work here and serve here. But if I find he fits down into the world like a hand into an old and familiar glove, I worry a little bit about the man. Because all the Christians I meet who are amounting to anything are Christians that are very much out of key with their age--very, very much out of tune with their generation. Jesus called it a 'wicked and adulterous generation,' and that generation has not improved any--we're still the same wicked and adulterous generation that were in the days of Jesus. And if you can live in it too comfortably I am being made to wonder if the miracle has ever been wrought in your life or not. . . . The Christian has a homeland, and the fact that we're not anticipating it or looking forward to it with any pleasure is a serious mark that something is wrong with us."

--A.W. Tozer

Infinite Value

"Sins were committed against an infinitely good God...they should be punished infinitely. And therefore, it took a gift of infinite value to pay for your sin."

--Paul Washer, The Heart of the Gospel

Spiritual Issues Not Important in Raising Children, Poll Finds

THIS ARTICLE is sobering. This could be a result of worldliness entering into and taking over the church.

Here is an excerpt:

"Americans focus on what they consider to be the most important matters; faith maturity is not one of them...The study, Barna said, indicates that personal spiritual development is a secondary consideration for millions of Americans."

REV 3:14-22

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Everyone Knows They Sin so Let's Preach The Positives

Seeker Sensitive churches often minimize sin and depravity, opting instead for positive preaching. "Everyone is well aware of their sin", or so they say. But in this CrossTV.com clip, even convicted felons proclaim their own righteousness.

Welcome to the Sixties Baby

Check out what you get when you throw out Biblical Truth and allow human wisdom (the flesh basically) to direct your views and beliefs.

This is Doug Pagitt's church Solomon's Porch in Minnesota

Welcome to the sixties again baby.

The World Will Win You

"The world is only in the church because the church is in the world...You cannot win the world by becoming like the world. The world will win you. The world can't be comfortable in the church until the church is comfortable in the world, and that's right now where we are at, which is why we desperately need revival"

- Keith Daniel, from the sermon "Loving God's Word"

We Are Not as "Holy" as We Think We Are

"Many, I fear, are not really living so near to God as they think they are, neither are they as holy as they dream. It is very easy to frequent Bible readings, and conferences, and excited public meetings, and to fill one’s self with the gas of self-esteem. A little pious talk with a sort of Christians who always walk on high stilts will soon tempt you to use the stilts yourself; but indeed, dear brother, you are a poor, unworthy worm and a nobody, and if you get one inch above the ground, you get just that inch too high."

--Charles Spurgeon, from the sermon "Onward!" May 25, 1873

"It's All About Me"

I saw this video from a post on Sliceoflaodicea.com and couldn't resist posting it here. It speaks volumes about where the church is headed in today's self-centered culture.