AssemblyBoard

Again, a sincere thanks to my critics.  Criticism, from friends, well wishers, even enemies is a wonderful thing.  It causes a person to really think and refine what they believe.  Without the checks and balances that only a critic can bring, it would be unavoidable for a person of influence to keep from becoming a monster.  George Geftakys was such a man.  He had listened to none of his critics, because he ran all of them off and silenced them by all means save physical violence.  I certainly don't wish to become like him, so I thank God for those critics who hate me, and for those who love me as well.

Keeping the above in mind,  I just wanted to state some of the things I have been pondering over the last few days.

I believe:

That everyone who calls upon the Name of The Lord shall be saved

That we shall reap what we sow

That we are saved by grace, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is a gift from God.

That we are justified, sanctified and glorified by grace, through faith.

That the gift of our inheritance now belongs to us, and that we can no more forfeit it than lose our salvation.  God is faithful, and it is Him who saved us.

That there will always be those that pervert the gospel of grace, and that those of us with understanding should oppose them vigorously.

That Paul wrote the letter to the foolish Galatians because he loved them, and was angry with the false teachers that had taken them captive.  Consequently, I believe that this letter has tremendous relevance for us today, even as it did for Martin Luther.

That the Pharisees were angry with God, when God the Son cleansed the temple. That God was angry with the Pharisee's to the point of calling them children of The Devil, and that these points have tremendous relevance for us today.

That each of us can be redeemed, recovered and fully restored, in God's timing.

That the Christian life is not weird, strange or illogical.

That those who want to appear spiritual are weird, strange and illogical.

That God's people are free to meet with eachother, wether it is prudent or not, and that as long as God is present with them, He can cleanse and heal.

That Pharisees will claim that they have a special relationship with God, deeper than the rest, and that God is present in their midst, when in fact He is either absent, or present for the purpose of whipping them and turning over their tables.

That we should never be afraid to speak the truth, and that what we say and do in the name of Christ should be public and that we shall never be brought to shame.

That he who calls upon The Name of The Lord will not be brought to shame.

That there are those who walk in a disorderly fashion, whose god is their belly, who glory in their shame, and that we should withdraw from such.  Fortunately, there aren't too many of these and they are easily spotted with marginal vision and partial hearing.

That there are lies, damn lies and statistics.

That The Lord knows them that are His.

That no one can snatch the elect out of His hand.

That there is no condemnation in Christ

That there is nothing that can seperate us from His love

That there is a great gulf between paradise and the place of torment.  Both are quite real.

That evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse

That there is a good fight of faith, and that I am called to fight it.

That I will make mistakes and that I should correct them.

That it is OK to hate what God hates.

That we are called not to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather to expose them.

That those who are in darkness like to hide, keep a low profile, remain anonymous, and above all not state what they believe in a manner that might require them to defend themselves.

That women should not exercise pastoral authority over men.

That men should not usurp Christ's authority in any way.

That we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness in the heavenly realm.  People are not our enemies, even if the doctrines and confusion they bring are devilish.

That a true friend will rebuke, and that a true enemy will flatter before he strikes

That speaking the truth in love is more edifiying than keeping silent.

That it is a small matter that I am judged by my critics, and that I should judge myself, but that God is the judge of all, and He justifies the ungodly.

there is plenty more, but I was encouraged by these.

Brent