Carried By Christ

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Psalm 139:1-4

Friday, December 25, 2009

Birth of the Savior


Luke 2:8-14 (New Living Translation)

The Shepherds and Angels

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christian Hypocrites


By Douglas V. Gibbs

I was talking to a woman recently at the store because she just had to go out of her way to give me a piece of her mind because of the shirt I was wearing. The shirt has the NOTW logo on it. NOTW stands for Not Of This World, and is a reference to Christ.

The woman walked up to me and said, "All Christians are hypocrites."

Steve May, a pastor I often listen to on KWVE, once gave me the perfect answer to that one, so I followed Steve's lead, and responded, "Yes, we are. We are not perfect, and we stumble constantly in our desire to be more like Christ. We fail to live the life we strive for more often than not. But if you think us Christians are a mess now, you should have seen us before we turned over our lives to Jesus."

She laughed, "So you are saying Jesus is a crutch."

My paster, Greg Laurie, once gave a great answer to that one to Larry King on CNN. I replied, "No, ma'am, not at all. Jesus is not a crutch. He's the whole hospital."

Saturday, December 12, 2009

In Search of Peace

There is peace in midst of turmoil,
There is joy when eyes are dim,
There is perfect understanding
When we leave it all to Him. —Brown

True peace is not the absence of war; it is the presence of God. —Loveless

Friday, December 11, 2009

When Chuck Missler Visited Joshua P. Allem

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Dr. Chuck Missler is one of my favorite voices on the Christian Front. As a man with an intelligence background, a background in the information sciences, and a background in computer sciences, Dr. Missler discovered after years of deep study that the Holy Bible is more than the Founding Book of his Christian faith. Because of the Scripture's structural design, and so many other properties within the text itself, he learned that the Bible actually showed evidence of being written from the perspective of one who transcends space/time. And this led to a personal adventure of passionate exploration that has never died. He's published several books on the design of the Bible itself as well as books monitoring our current history which seems to be setting up the stage for an event that's talked about all throughout the Bible, and culminates in the Biblical Book of Revelation. Today, Missler's Bible commentaries are a vital part of BlueLetterBible.org and are required course materials at Koinonia Institute which is a credited online college for seekers of Biblical education and college credited scholarship.

My good friend, and fellow Blog Talk Radio host, Joshua P. Allem recently had Dr. Missler on his JPA Program as his guest, and the interview is worth a listen. In fact, it is more than worth a listen. I urge you to listen. The program may change your life!

Visit Josh's site, and listen to the fantastic program. You will be glad you did.

http://www.joshallem.com/. . .

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Light of the World

By Douglas V. Gibbs

I've made mistakes in my life, and I still make them. But, isn't it great that God doesn't expect us to be perfect? Sure, He wants us to be obedient, but when we foul up, He forgives us. And, because we are a child of God, we are repentant.

My heart breaks for the unsaved, for they do not have that same understanding.

It is by grace we are saved, not by works, lest any man should boast. But if we belong to Christ, our works should follow. And we must remember, our works are our message. If the multitudes see God, and not our flesh, they will wish to know Him.

Christ is the light, and it is our job to let it shine, not place a basket over it.

Deception is spreading like wildfire through the country, and the churches. Only His Word can combat that deception. Only the truth of Scripture can give this nation a revival.

We must take our eyes off of ourselves and pray for the people. The multitudes are potential people to spend eternity with. It is our duty to intercede in prayer for them, and to give them the opportunity to hear the message of Christ.

I am not ashamed of the Gospel, and neither should you be.

Your Christianity is not based on your works. But what good is all the rules of what you should or shouldn't do if your life if it is driven by your attempt to be righteous for the wrong reasons? What good is works if your walk with God is not right?

We do what we should, and don't do what we should not, because those things can interfere with our walk - not because it is some set of external rules we must follow to be a good Christian.

A hunger and thirst for righteousnous is in us because God puts that in us when we accept Christ. It is important as part of our spiritual growth.

The strategy by the deceivers is designed to knock you off your path of growth, and Satan will use any means necessary - including your family, and the enticements of the world.

The world is under the operation of the forces of darkness, which are opposed to Jesus Christ. The world system is in total opposition of Christianity. Doesn't the world show tolerance for all religions except Christianity?

Jesus told us that they will hate you because they hate Him.

The world desires to have us back because the world system was us before we became believers in Christ. Loving the world system destroys our walk, destroys our fellowship with God.

We need to channel our actions and emotions to His glory, not for the sake of rules.

Are you seen as a loving, compassionate person?

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Offensive Christian

Many of my non-Christian friends say that one of the things they like about me is that I am not a "rammer". What they mean is, though I talk about my Christian Faith often, I don't try to ram it down their throat every chance I get.

But I have to ask myself, why is it that I am not a rammer?

Finding a proper balance by providing the non-Christian with the information, and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to them on His own terms, is a difficult task. Sometimes I wonder if I am too soft, or if I am achieving a proper balance.

After all, I don't want to "not-offend them all the way to Hell."

The End Is Near, Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth

Been a while since I wrote on this blog. My political blog, Political Pistachio, gets the majority of my attention. God is mentioned on that blog often, but it is here that my inspiration is supposed to flow.

I just watched 2012 (movie) with my wife, I am reading book one of the Left Behind series, and on my radio show we have been doing a lot of topics regarding end times prophecy. On the movie front, in the movies regarding the end of civilization like 2012, they always give you one shot of the crazy guy on the corner holding up a sign that reads: "Repent, The End Is Near."

Except, as we enter this current phase of the age of humanity, the crazy guy with the sign does not seem so crazy anymore.

I am not suggesting that something catastrophic as depicted in the film 2012 is on its way anytime soon. What is nearly upon us is something more amazing, and more bone chilling.

The Bible uses the phrase "wailing and gnashing of teeth" seven times in the New Testament. In three of those passages, Matthew 13:42, 50; Luke 13:28, the understanding is that the phrase relates to the lost in the eternal separation from God (Lake of Fire), or at least their condition of regret. The other four relate to another location, of which there has been great debate.

Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30 references the same phrase, of which some would argue is in relation to the wailing and gnashing of teeth of those in God's Kingdom, feeling regret for inaction or sinful actions during their Earthly lives. Others might argue that the phrase refers to those still living on Earth when the End-Times take place. Throughout the birth pains there will be a number of events that will be so horrific that they will cause "wailing, and a gnashing of teeth."

I believe it is possible for all views to be correct. The unsaved in Hades will wail and gnash their teeth because of the anger, rage, pain and anguish. The saved in Heaven will momentarily wail and gnash their teeth because of the deep remorse and regret and sorrow of not sharing God's message with more people. Those on Earth as the End-Times take place will wail and gnash their teeth because of the great horror they are experiencing.

By the grace of my Lord, I am determined to share the Gospel as much as possible. I am not one that desires to wail and gnash his teeth.

In other words, if you think it's rough now as we enter the period of birth pains, you ain't seen nothin' yet.