Representations

Hello dear ones! I hope this post finds you all doing well. I wanted to address this topic today because this is our open day to work through anything that doesn’t fit in the other categories. Representations. In particular, how we represent one another, and how we represent Christ. These are, at the root, two totally different meanings, however both are important and need to be addressed.

Recently on social media I saw a Meme that depicted cessationists as uncaring individuals who think God can not do miracles. This is an incorrect representation, not to mention that the comments beneath were even less gracious. Cessationists believe God does miracles today, but that the specific miracles the men of the New Testament were able to do were there as evidence for their being inspired by the Holy Spirit to write Gods Word. There are many continuationists that I love as brothers and sisters in Christ, such as Matt Slick from CARM. Though I disagree with them on this issue, I would be genuinely grieved to find I had misrepresented and mocked a member of the body of Christ. All that is to say that we need to be cautious how we represent one another. I understand that the Meme was designed to be funny, yet what value is there in such humor. In what way does this glorify God?

This brings us to the next point I’d like to make. How are we representing Christ? Social media is awash with blasphemy, Christian mockery, sinful and hurtful messages. When you and I ‘log on’ we do so in the same manner that we wake up in the morning, as ambassadors. What we like, comment, share, or post, represents Christianity. Ought we to be online mocking one another? Surely the world has covered that area of the internet sufficiently.

I’m not suggesting that the Christian should be a boring, dull person with no joy or laughter. I am, however, suggesting that we take care not to find joy and laughter through sinful or worldly means. We will, one day, give an account for every idle word spoken. If we laugh, let it be in the joyful praise of the Lord. If we rejoice, let it be in our great salvation, or the many blessings God has given us! We have to take sin seriously, dear ones. God takes it so seriously that He condescended to become man, entering His creation Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man, had the wrath we deserved poured out upon Him. That wrath was stored up by the sin of Gods children.

Remember this, as well, friends, it was just one sin that cast Adam and Eve out of Eden. It’s not the sin, but the one against whom we sin, that should make us tremble before we open our mouths (or keyboards). Let your conversations be sprinkled with love. Let the mercy of God be what drives you to answer others online. Always bringing to mind that we were once dead in our sins and trespasses, but God, through His grace, saved us, and is sanctifying us. I pray this post will help to edify and encourage you all. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Twisted Tuesday – Christ the Messiah: God or Man?

Dear ones, a few days ago I heard a grievous statistic that 78% of ‘Christians’ believe Christ was created by God. 78? That means the mass majority of professing Christians have an errant view of Christ, the trinity, and the Gospel. The verse twisted to come up with this false doctrine is Revelation 3:14 which does seem to justify this belief. Here’s the problem, Scripture clearly states that Christ has always been, He is eternal, so either Scripture is contradicting itself or our understanding is flawed. Always, always, beloved, assume the issue is with our interpretation. Gods Word is inerrant, we are not.

What’s happened in Revelation 3:14 is simply a misunderstanding of the Greek term arche. Arche is translated in most versions as beginning, which in modern speech would suggest the first created. In Greek, however, this is referencing the source, or origin, of created things. All things were made by Him, Christ is the source. A little Greek can go a long way, thankfully we have access to a tremendous amount of information online. But why is this so dangerous? And how did it come about that so many believe it?

Friends, Gods Word is very clear, only a perfect sacrifice could remove the sins of believers. Only God is perfect. If Christ is created by God, He is not God, and can not save through His sacrifice. You can see then that multitudes of professing believers do not even understand this most basic doctrine of Christianity. If you put your faith in a false god, even if you name that false god Jesus, you are still lost. I liken it to this, suppose a new employee comes to you and processes to worship Christ. You’re overjoyed, another believer to fellowship! That employee invites you over to worship Jesus together, and you accept the invite. Unfortunately, when you arrive, you find that ‘Jesus’ is this new friends pet chicken to which he sacrifices to, adores, and worships. You see the different, beloved?

I was an idolater before God saved me in July of 2015. I had created an image of a god, he resembled Santa Clause. I called him Jesus, but he was a figment of my imagination. He was not the Biblical Messiah, who bore my sin and death on a Roman cross. I had no idea about the mystery of the Godhead, or the eternality of Christ. When I became a new creation understanding didn’t magically appear in my mind, I had to search the Scriptures. The very thing my new heart desired to do more than anything else. I wanted to know more about this Savior that had freed me from the chains of sin! In digging into God’s Word I could clearly see the difference between the true Christ, and the false god I had been worshipping.

How is it then, with this being such obvious error, that the majority polled answered incorrectly? I believe the answer is twofold. Firstly, the foxes are watching the hen house. Over the past hundred years the Gospel has been slowly watered down, and churches have become so ‘inclusive’ and inoffensive, that they don’t dare give the Law to the proud and grace to the humble. Without Biblical preaching churches are filled with unsaved members that then go on to become unsaved pastors, leaders, and elders. Secondly, and owing to the first point, doctrine is despised in today’s churches. The very idea of tediously working through the Scriptures is laughable to the modern ‘Christian’. As proverbs say, to the starving every bitter thing tastes sweet. Those who have so very little teaching in the Word are more apt to accept whatever sounds best to their itching ears.

I doubt that I have to mention just how deeply troubling this statistic is. We must continue, dear brethren, to study and share the truth as many of your wonderful blogs to daily. Teach your children, and grandchildren, and encourage your pastors, elders, and leaders to teach meaty matters. Speak the truth in love, always bringing to remembrance that, if not for Gods grace, we would also be mislead. As always, beloved ones, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Dynamic Series – Thermodynamics Part IV Application and The End of This Series

Hello dear ones! This is it, the final post on our series through dynamics. If you missed any of the previous posts I’ll link to them all at the end. I mentioned at the beginning of thermodynamics that many in both the secular side and the creationist side were applying the second law incorrectly. As an explanation for that I’ve got this phenomenal episode of Creation Magazine Live. If you love Answers News you’ll appreciate this show as well.

https://creation.com/m/world-winding-down-an-interview-with-dr-carl-wieland-creation-magazine-live-3-20

Obviously when it comes to the application of thermodynamics there’s no limit. It’s an essential foundation for understanding how God designed this world to work. It also impacts the first two fields of study we discussed, hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. The men who first discovered these principles, now laws of science, did not create them but merely put names and equations to them. Beloved, God created all things, though sin cursed and groaning, our world runs in an orderly fashion. I hope this series has helped in seeing the intelligently designed universe, while giving glory to the one who created it. As always, dear ones, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Dynamic Series – First Post

Dynamic Series – Second Post

Dynamic Series – Third Post

Dynamic Series – Fourth Post

Dynamic Series – Fifth Post

Dynamic Series – Sixth Post

Dynamic Series – Seventh Post

Dynamic Series – Eighth Post

Dynamic Series – Ninth Post

Dynamic Series – Tenth Post

Dynamic Series – Eleventh Post

Homeschooling Resources and Update – Encouragement for Lessons During Holidays

Hello dear ones! It’s snowing here again, just as the previous layer was nearly melted away. It’s so beautiful, and we even went sledding for the first time in our lives. So. Much. Fun. Boy, we really missed out on something special growing up in the south. I can not wait to go again this weekend! I had no intention of getting on the sled, however in demonstrating the safest way to propel my darling daughter down a hill, I found that gravity is still fully in effect, down an entire hill I went! What does this have to do with lessons? Everything! Inertia, gravity, traction, aerodynamics, to name a few. We’re actually not covering any of those topics in science currently, but what a great opportunity to review them. This is the encouragement I want to give all my homeschooling friends out there, everything is a teachable moment. I know it can seem like the last three months of the year are a difficult time to focus. There’s so much to distract! Especially snow. Snow! That even distracts me.

Don’t be discouraged if productivity slows down a bit. Now is a great time to prepare for next year, try remembering that the end of the year is full of fun activities so that you can work your lessons around them. We have a very odd style of homeschooling, we only do lessons when Daddy is at work. Hospital shifts are 12 hours, three to four days a weeks, which gives ample days for Kayliegh to blow off steam, and play in the snow. Everyones homeschooling is different, which is just a small part of what makes it so special, no one size fits all! We tried at the beginning of the year to do lessons for just 4 hours 5 days a week, but quickly remembered why we use daddies days off as our days off. Daddy is a jungle gym. He always has been. The moment he wakes up its time for play, so it was nearly impossible to focus. If you find that your little ones are struggling to focus, especially during this time of the year, switch things up. Find what works best for you, and for them. Flexibility is a very good thing!

I also wanted to update everyone on my first ever spreadsheet, it was a huge success. The entire month of November has gone so much smoother, I’m considering working out a spread sheet for all the varies subjects Kayliegh studies. I’ve never written her lesson plans out for an entire year before, I usually cover them monthly (mentally) and write them down weekly. I feel like my brain had fifty tabs open, and I closed them all by organizing it into excel. Again, this might not be the way you choose to homeschool, and thats ok! If you use a program, or order a curriculum, thats fantastic. I create Kayliegh’s because, well one I only have the one child which makes this task much easier. Secondly, Kayliegh is all over the place on grade range, with middle school science, fourth grade social studies, third grade math, and college level reading. Lastly, without my income as a working mom, it’s better for our finances that we stick to the ‘mostly free’ path. No one size fits all! What a blessing this is!

I mentioned in the last update that we were going to learn how, why, when, and where the Puritans came over to America, and why we were celebrating Thanksgiving. That was a huge success, and Monumental has become one of her favorite movies. We watched it in 10-15 minute increments each day, and she couldn’t wait to get to it. I’m preparing for December this week by back tracking with her, looking at brothers and sisters in Christ that make up the generations between the Reformation and the Puritans. Then, in December, we’re going to cover the Reformation. I found these AWESOME coloring pages and worksheets that discuss the five solas! They’re fantastic, and free, see link below.

https://www.coloringworkbooks.com/downloads/the-reformation/

In science, according to my handy dandy spreadsheet, we’re going to be dealing with anatomy, specifically the pathophysiology of each system. I’m really excited about this one! I hope we can really focus, although it will be difficult. Not only will we be making a drive across the country to visit family, we’ll also be packing up for an end of the year move. Like I mentioned above, some months, weeks, or days, as a homeschooling family are more productive than others. We have to celebrate the small victories, while learning and improving from the failures. The goal is not to jam as much information into one day, but to genuinely teach. I know the struggle is real, and some days it feels like you’re spinning your wheels. Just know, beloved, that you are the best person to teach your children. You are giving them the most valuable gift you can give, your time. I hope, and pray, that this post is an encouragement to you all. As always, dear brethren, be good Bereans and study to show yourselves approved.

Wednesday Testimony – GIlberto Nole

Hello dear ones, I hope this post finds you all doing well! Today I’d like to share another testimony from HeartCry Missionary Society, this one from Peru. GIlberto Nole is a brother that has done great things for the Lord, but it all began with the search for a book. What amazes me about his testimony is that Bibles were not readily available. This book that had captivated him was so difficult to find.

Gilberto’s testimony can be found in this link here, where you can see how God drew Mr. Nole to Himself. It’s important, as we gather this week to cook and fellowship with family and friends, that we remember how blessed we are to have easy access to God’s Word! What a tremendous honor it is to have prayer and study, to come both before Gods throne and Gods Word. I pray this blesses you all, and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Hymns of the Past – Lord, it Belongs Not to my Care

What a beautiful hope we have, dear ones! This hymn depicts it well, although we have very small insights into what will be on the other side waiting for us, we know one thing for sure. Our Lord is there. Where He is, our hearts long to be.

Lord, it belongs not to my care
whether I die or live:
to love and serve thee is my share,
and this thy grace must give.

Christ leads me through no darker rooms
than he went through before;
he that into God’s kingdom comes
must enter by this door.

Come, Lord, when grace hath made me meet
thy blessed face to see;
for if thy work on earth be sweet,
what will thy glory be!

Then shall I end my sad complaints
and weary, sinful days,
and join with the triumphant saints
that sing my Saviour’s praise.

My knowledge of that life is small,
the eye of faith is dim;
but ’tis enough that Christ knows all,
and I shall be with him.

Richard Baxter

Prayer Requests

Hello all! I have a few things that I could surely use my brothers and sisters prayers on. First, someone who confessed they were not saved but had been attempting to assuage their conscience through religious duties. They felt they were too sinful to be saved, while admitting their desperate need. I’ve never come across such a person, with the awareness of their sins and brokenness to confess them. Please join me in praying for God to grant this person repentance and faith.

I also have a close family member who is in the Word of Faith movement, but has gotten some very serious medical news. Tests are being done, I’ll be sure to update you all on this. They are tragically convinced that this is due to their lack of faith, please pray that God would give this person discernment. Friends, we are promised trials and tribulations on this earth. The rain falls on the good and the bad alone. No amount of seed sowing will change this, and it is not as a result of speaking negatively or having doubts.

Thank you for joining me in prayer for these issues, dear ones. If you have anything you’d like to mention for prayer in the comments please do, and know that when any of you mention family members or friends that need prayer I have and will continue to pray with you. I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy fellowship. As always, brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Dynamic Series – Thermodynamics Part III The Principles

Hello, and happy Monday, dear ones! Are you ready to stretch your brain with some science? Good, because today is going to be a fun one! We’re dealing with the principles of thermodynamics today, which was a much broader subject than I expected. It also consists of varied opinions, which I suppose ought to be expected with a field this wide. From my research into the topic I concluded that the Laws themselves are so basic to everything we see and do that they are, in and of themselves, principles. If you’ve studied this and have a different take on it, I welcome the discussion in the comments.

This means we see the principle of heat, temperature, and energy throughout each of the Laws. That’s as simplified as it can get, although I was hoping to have something more specific for you all today. Sometimes, when dealing with difficult or complex scientific fields of study, coming back to the basics can be very helpful. The principles of thermodynamics were studied for several centuries and are still in place today. There are very few scientific laws that are as well defined and solidly grounded as these. God has blessed us with such an understanding of the way He has ordered the universe. In this we see, yet again, that all His creation obeys His laws save one, mankind.

As energy conservation would have massive consequences should it suddenly cease following the structure it so readily follows today, man will also face consequences for disobedience to Gods Law. It only took one Sin for Adam and Eve to be cast out of the Garden of Eden. You and I, dear friend, commit more than one sin every day! This good, and righteous God has given us life, love, laughter, the very air we breathe. We, in return, ridicule, and rebel against Him. As any just Judge would do, God will one day Judge all those who have sinned. If you’ve lied, blasphemed, lusted, coveted, or dishonored your parents (to name just five of the Ten Commandments) then you will be held accountable on that great and terrible day.

It would seem then, that all men are doomed, as all men have sinned. Yet God, in His gracious mercy, condescended to become man, the man Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect life, without sin, and died the death we all deserved. On that Roman cross, so many years ago, God poured out His wrath on His Son. Either our sins have been paid for by Christ, or they will be paid for in eternity. Repent, therefor, and put your faith in Christ alone. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life! Today is the day of salvation, Christ and Christ alone has died in your place. If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Twisted Tuesday – Repentance: Gift or Work?

Hello again, dear ones! Today the twisted scripture we’re going to be working with is Ephesians 2:8-9. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. That’s a beautiful truth, is it not dear ones? This is one of those verses that we could read and reread for all eternity without ever tiring of it. Unfortunately some have used this verse to negate other verses. Namely, as we’ll be discussing today, all verses referencing repentance.

A while back Tom, our brother in the faith over at excatholicforChrist, shared a link with me about repentance here, it’s well worth the read! It was his observation that some who hold to King James Onlyism tend to have a negative view of repentance. Their claim is that repentance is a work and is therefor not needed for salvation. As you’ll see in my graphics, Scripture says otherwise. Here’s where almost every Twisted Tuesday leads, rather than allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture, we tend to impose our views on it. This is called eisegesis and has caused more heresies than can be numbered. There’s going to be times when we don’t understand God’s Word, or when a verse stands out as one that needs clarity. When this happens we need to be very careful not to add our own opinions to the text. Good hermeneutics is key! If we seem to be contradicting Scripture with our interpretation than there is something seriously wrong with our interpretation.

This is what has happened with the view that repentance is a work. Scripture clearly states that salvation is of God, we have nothing to boast in. We can only sit at the feet of the cross amazed that we have been saved from the wrath to come. Scripture also tells us to repent, and put our faith in Christ alone. How does Gods Word reconcile this? Simply, by stating and repeating an important truth, repentance is a gift from God. It’s imperative at this point to discuss a distinction the Bible makes clear, there is a worldly sorrow not leading to repentance, and a Godly sorrow that does lead to repentance. The worldly sorrow is one where the sinner feels the sting of consequence, where as the Godly sorrow feels the sting of offending ones Creator.

To use myself as an example, without any understanding of God’s Law, and a wicked heart full of pride and lust, I took to the alter at every call, repeating the same prayer, hopeful that my sins would not be found out. Washing the outside of the cup. I did this for over a decade, dear ones. It’s been noted before that some have genuinely repented when repeating the Sinners Prayer. Those brothers and sisters felt the weight of their sin in Godly sorrow. Others, like myself, had no idea what the need for repentance even was. We used the Sinners Prayer as a get out of hell free card, a way to have our cake and eat it too, to sin freely without considering the one against whom we sinned. This is the true heart of man, when left unchanged by Gods grace, able to deceive itself right into Hell.

When I heard Gods Word rightly divided, His Law explained, His grace expounded upon, I felt Godly sorrow for my sins. How could I, wickedly full of hatred for the one true God, now humbled by His sovereignty, fall at His feet and ask for forgiveness? I could have more readily walked the surface of the sun that night than walk to the throne of God, if I had been left to my own works all would have been lost. However, in my lostness, in my brokenness, in my utter helplessness, God gave me the gift of repentance and faith. God gave me the confidence to approach His throne. It was all Him, and He alone is owed the glory!

The very air we breathe when speaking a prayer of repentance is a gift from God. A new heart is given at the point of salvation, the old man filled with worldly desires dies, and a new creation replaces it. That new creation desires to do the will of God, though imperfectly, with a new heart that loves Him, and this is a gift of God. In short, God gives repentance and faith, salvation, sanctification, adoption, and justification. To Him be the glory, and the honor, and the praise, forever and ever amen. We must share the Gospel, giving the law to the proud, showing grace to the humble, calling all men to repent. Poke holes in a life boat and it will sink before any can jump inside it and be saved. Give the entirety of the life boat, the Good News of the Gospel, to the lost. We can not save anyone, but we can plant seeds, or water where others have sown, while trusting in God to bring the increase. Gods Word is perfect, we need not discount one verse to bolster another.

As a reminder, brethren, let’s continue to uphold our brother Jim in prayer as he is overseas on missions. 2018 has seen many countries harden against the church planting, evangelizing, and related mission trips. Thank you Pastor Jim for your faithfulness! We look forward to your safe return, and the updates that come with it. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Saturday Homeschooling Lessons – Update and Free Resources

Hello dear friends, I hope this post finds you all doing well and having a pleasant weekend! I haven’t had a opprotunity to update you all on Kayliegh’s lessons in so long. We were cruising along in math problem free until we came to division. Thankfully my amazing husband stepped in, he seems to speak a language Kk understands better than mine. Those two have very similar ways of capturing ideas, so he’s going to help with division. I’m so thankful to God for my husband, he never complains or fuses, if there’s a problem he’s ready with a solution!

We’ve been a bit of everywhere with science lately, from tsunamis to bird flight patterns. So I’m doing the unthinkable (at least for me) and creating a spreadsheet for science in 2019. Do any of you awesome homeschooling families use spreadsheets, and if so have any tips? History has been a focus on pilgrims, with the reading of Little House on the Prairie books. Kayliegh loves the adventure, and it helps that the main characters are young girls. She’s fallen in love with Ma and Pa, and frequently tells me what they’re doing as if they were her relatives. Too cute! This has, of course, given us multiple opportunities to discuss technological advances made since then, the changes in land and law, along with the dangers early settlers faced. We’re going to back track from there into the first pilgrims. At which point, in time for Thanksgiving, we’re going to watch and discuss Monumental, Kirk Camerons documentary which follows believers fleeing home and country to find a land they can be free to worship God the way the Bible says.

Let’s skip grammar today, it’s the most saturating subject for free online curriculum. If you are struggling to find information in this area though please feel free to mention it in the comments and I’d be happy to share what sites we use. Otherwise, let me get to the fun stuff, sharing free resources! I’ve shared this before, but as it’s still being offered freely, and as Christmas is right around the corner, Ken Ham’s Answers In Genesis is still offering their Easter curriculum for free. I find nothing beneficial about sharing the birth of The Savior without sharing why. Christmas is one of those unique holidays where everyone is feeling festive, but no one talks about why. This is why every year I mix things all up and teach Kayliegh the full story. Obviously we want to be giving the Gospel to our children often, not just on Holidays, but especially at the Holidays. May I suggest to you all, as well, that now is a fantastic time to order some Gospel tracts. November is the month where Americans celebrate thankfulness, show your community what the Savior did. December is the month where everyone celebrates Christ’s birth, whether they realize it or not, show them what the Savior did. Give them the Good News!

Also, as we’ve just celebrating the 501st anniversary of the Reformation, I want to review some of our late brothers in Christ who changed the church for the better. I found this fantastic print outs here, and also will be reviewing the Amazon movies of these characters with Kk through out this month, and next month. Lastly, in-between grueling lessons or scientific lectures and research, I love to give Kayliegh the chance to take a creative break. These Days of Creation coloring pages are the perfect way to do this! It’s separate from art class in that no messes are being made, and also creates a short quiet time where she can focus on the Scripture in front of her. If you have resources you’d like to share please feel free to add them in the comment sections. As always, beloved brethren, be good Bereans and study to show yourselves approved.