Faithfulness in Little Things

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Colossians 3:17

This morning, I have to admit that I was not looking forward to another work week.  Is it Monday already?  Then I read this week's message from Pastor Zac Poonen on faithfulness in small things. 

And as I was reading Genesis 30, again the same message was reiterated.  Jacob worked hard and faithfully for his uncle Laban, even though Laban was an unrighteous idolator.  Yet, Jacob was confident that his industrious nature would make provision for him in spite of Laban's trickery (Genesis 30:33).  The Laban's of the world will not prevail for God sees all (Genesis 31:6-12).

Everything we do is an opportunity for ministry.  An opportunity to be used by God as a light unto others.  An opportunity to better understand the heart of a servant, the meaning of obedience, and the importance of diligence.

May you start off this week with a Godly attitude of gratitude, determining to do all to the glory of God (including our secular jobs); showing ourselves faithful, even in little things. 

The Fundamentals of Fundamentalism

"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.  And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." John 16:1-3

The following article is from the Lighthouse Trails Research Group on the recent attacks by Norwegian Anders Berhring Breeivik.

Lighthouse Trails wishes to express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the Norway shootings and bombing.

The man who committed the atrocities on Friday, July 22, 2011 in Norway is being called a “Christian fundamentalist,” and already, stories are hitting the mainstream media telling the world to look out for Christian fundamentalists. Frank Schaeffer, son of theologian Francis Schaeffer, has likened the Norway killer to those who oppose abortion in his article on Saturday titled "Christian Jihad? Why We Should Worry About Right-Wing Terror Attacks Like Norway’s in the US,"  saying “the terror unleashed on Norway” is “the sort of white, Christian, far right terror America can expect more of.”

But is the Norway killer a fundamentalist Christian (someone who follows the fundamental teachings of the Bible)? The answer to this is a resounding no, for there are no teachings in the Bible that would condone these merciless acts of violence. The killer of over 90 people in Norway cannot claim the name of “Christian” regardless of what he or the media say.

The Devolution of Man

The Process of Reprobation and God's Longsuffering

We have a couple of college students staying with us this summer, and I was speaking to one of them last week about how Romans Chapter 1 outlines the devolution of man.

Apart from God, man decays; starting with ingratitude -> leading to a wisdom which is dark & empty -> the worship of created things (idolatry) -> fornication -> homosexuality -> reprobation.  This is the path that every single person on earth is set upon outside of God.

The truth of the matter is that in the fallen state, every single man and woman on the earth is being forged into the image of a sodomite, and then - if not repented of - on to reprobation.