Free Republic

APRIL 30 MORNING /Whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. The God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the Blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.Amen. Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. If a man love Me, he will keep My Words: and My...

EVENING APRIL29 That blessed hope,...the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil: whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus. Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things. When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, ... groan within...

Does “Gospel” Simply Mean “Good News”? Or Have We Unintentionally Defined Ourselves into a Corner?By: Msgr. Charles PopeThere are times in the Church when we want to define something rather easily and simply so as to make it memorable and easy to grasp. But in so doing, we run the risk of doing harm to its deeper, richer, and more accurate meaning.I wonder if we have not done this with the word “gospel.” Most of us have been trained to define the word “gospel” as “good news.” Clearly there is good news in the Gospels and, by extension, the whole of...

I have learned that when anyone becomes in earnest about his soul's salvation and he begins to seek God, it does not take long for an anxious sinner to meet an anxious Saviour. "Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13). Those who seek for Him with all their hearts, find Christ. I am tired and sick of half-heartedness. I don't like a half-hearted man. I don't care for anyone to love me halfheartedly. And the Lord won't have it. If we are going to seek for Him and...

Many years ago a wealthy family decided to have their newborn baby baptized in their enormous mansion. Dozens of guests were invited to the elaborate affair, and they all arrived dressed in the latest fashion. After depositing their elegant wraps on a bed in an upstairs room, the guests were entertained royally. Soon the time came for the main purpose of their gathering, the infant’s baptismal ceremony. But where was the child? No one seemed to know. The child’s governess ran upstairs, only to return with a desperate look on her face. Everyone searched frantically for the baby. Then, someone...

“All you gotta do is say this prayer.” Really? If you just say these magic words you’re saved? Think again or, actually, read again…read the Gospels again, the book of Acts again and the Epistles again and guess what you’ll find? Not once does Jesus or any of his followers ever lead one person through “the sinner’s prayer” for salvation! Saying a prayer never saved anybody. It’s faith alone in Christ alone based on his finished work on the cross that regenerates the lost soul, nothing else. I was once on a national radio show where a guy called in...

Just to clarify the position I expressed in my other posts, I do not think it is a good idea for a minister of the gospel to burn Qurans. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center should go to where Muslims are and preach the free grace and forgiveness of God gained by Jesus Christ on the Cross and offered in the Free Gospel. But not all book burning is bad. I would much rather, however, see ex-Muslims burn their own Korans just as I'd rather have Latter Day Saints burn their own books of Mormon: Acts 19:18 And...

In this article I want to address a particular problem: What we might do as Christians with those who see themselves as “alumni” of the Christian faith. By that I mean those who once professed that Christ shed His blood, freely justified them before God, forgave their sin, gave them eternal life — but now they don’t believe it. Given my limited space, I can only deal with today’s “sad ones,” the “having-given-up-on-it-all” ones. (In the full address of which this article is a condensed version, I also talk a little about the gospel of Christ for today’s “mad ones,”...

THE GOSPEL The word "Gospel" means "Good News." The Gospel is the good news of how you and I can have a loving, personal relationship with God that gives meaning and purpose to this life, and also, at the same time, gives us the certainty that we will spend eternity with God in heaven! Many people today claim that they are preaching the Gospel, yet they all seem to have different messages. We hear invitations to respond to the Gospel like these: • Say a sinner’s prayer • Invite Jesus into your heart! • Pray to receive Christ. • Trust...

The Gospel is probably the most overtly Christian mainstream film made since The Passsion. It’s a modern retelling of the Prodigal Son parable with a roof-shaking, hand-clapping black gospel music soundtrack that is truly inspired. Director Rob Hardy does a brilliant job in showing how the conflicts spoken of by the Bible thousands of years ago are the very conflicts that we face today. Self-promotion, spiritual pride, greed, and resentment are all portrayed expertly by the actors and the music, though the script has a few weak points. We are shown spiritual leaders who are noble but flawed, and we...

[I recently received some literature from a book club I belong to. In this literature was the description of a book, which really stirred me (a book I have not read and do not intend to purchase). The book title interested me because I have seen this transition of people in my own church – we have people from every denomination – and we’re a very conservative evangelical church. I thought some of you would be interested to know that this is going on – while the ACLU is trying so hard to erase every vestige of Christianity from American...

MAN KICKED OUT OF THE YMCA FOR EVANGELIZING Living Waters via www.RepentAmerica.com July 9, 2004 We, Living Waters, wanted to bring to your attention a recent incident that took place with one of our ministry partners, Larry Lee, who lives in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. As you read his account, we are confident that you will see the unacceptable and unfair manner in which he has been treated by the YMCA. More importantly we are confident that you will agree with us in concluding that Larry's civil and religious rights have been violated. This concerns us because it...

MEL GIBSON'S MOVIE THE PASSION IS NOT THE only new film about the life of Christ. The Gospel of John pairs visual cinematic images with the Word of God, working in the whole text of the Good News Bible translation with a dramatization of John's Gospel. Visual Bible International, a Christian company in Canada, had already made low-budget visual renditions of Matthew and Acts, but The Gospel of John is far more ambitious, with high production values crafted by world-class British and Canadian filmmakers. The movie debuted at the Toronto film festival last month and will be released in a...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--The sovereignty of God as presented in the Book of Revelation should remind Christians that God is in control of all the events of history, including warfare, Scottish minister Eric Alexander noted in a two-sermon series at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Alexander, a Presbyterian minister, said Revelation 4-5 paint three pictures that should give believers assurance during uncertain times. The chapters unpack God's kingship, His guidance over the history of creation and the central act of history -- God's redemption of sinners in Jesus Christ, Alexander said. "We are conscious that these are critical hours in which we...