Blessed By David Rosales – Of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills

The Current Radio Program.

I have really been blessed by the current ” A Sure Foundation” radio broadcast programs. The teaching is very practical and clear. There is nothing like concisive teaching and very clear speaking! Blessing to David Rosales and Calvary Chapel Chino Hills.

I’m praying for you brother!

Wesley’s Self-Examination Quiz

Here’s Something I Found Convicting

I still wonder why certain christian radio programs don’t feature more broadcasts relating to John Wesley. There are some good Methodist brethren out there that are conservative. And there are solid brethren that hold to Wesleyan/Arminian theology.

I believe that Christian radio is doing a dis-service to the body of Christ by not featuring these solid brethren, and featuring other brethren that hold to differing theology. But here’s something very convicting from Wesley that I believe would serve any pastor and congregation well. Check it out:

Wesley’s self-examination quiz

Here is one set of nearly two dozen questions similar to what John Wesley gave to members of his discipleship groups more than 200 years ago.

The questions have their origin in the spiritual accountability group started by Wesley when he was a student at Oxford — a group that detractors called “The Holy Club.” The first list appeared about 1729 or 1730 in the preface to Wesley’s second Oxford Diary. Similar questions appeared in his 1733 A Collection of Forms of Prayer for Every Day in the Week. As late as 1781, Wesley published a list of questions like this in the Arminian Magazine.

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?

2. Do I confidentially pass on to others what has been said to me in confidence?

3. Can I be trusted?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?

5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

6. Did the Bible live in me today?

7. Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?

8. Am I enjoying prayer?

9. When did I last speak to someone else of my faith? [ conversation starter questions ]

10. Do I pray about the money I spend?

11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?

12. Do I disobey God in anything?

13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?

14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?

15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?

16. How do I spend my spare time?

17. Am I proud?

18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?

19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?

20. Do I grumble or complain constantly?

21. Is Christ real to me?

“Encourage one another daily . . . so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” — Hebrews 3:13

Those were my thoughts and Wesley’s, what are yours.

I Don’t Have Problem With Discernment

All Christians Need To Distinguish Between the Spirit of Truth and The Spirit Of Error

Discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think biblically.
First Thessalonians 5:21teaches that it is the responsibility of every Christian to be discerning: “Test all things and hold fast to that which is good.” The apostle John issues a similar warning when he says, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). According to the New Testament, discernment is not optional for the believer-it is crucial.
The key to living an uncompromising life lies in one’s ability to exercise discernment in every area of his or her life. For example, failure to distinguish between truth and error leaves the Christian subject to all manner of false teaching. False teaching then leads to an unbiblical mindset, which results in unfruitful and disobedient living-a certain recipe for compromise.

Unfortunately, discernment is an area where most Christians stumble. They exhibit little ability to measure the things they are taught against the infallible standard of God’s Word, and they unwittingly engage in all kinds of unbiblical decision-making and behavior. In short, they are not armed to take a decidedly biblical stand against the onslaught of unbiblical thinking and attitudes that face them throughout their day. I believe it is an act of the will, and many have lost the will to discern.

Down With ODM?

There is a desire among some brethren for tabloid blogging. I have noticed some brethren seem almost bitter. Some brethren appear to be angry. I believe we should be so familiar enough with the truth that we should be able to spot a lie when it shows up.

Unfortunately, some brethren appear almost jealous. They seem to appear so cynical that yes, point out the errors that exist, but how about an exposition of the truth! Whatever happened to speaking the truth in love? Whatever happened the servant of the Lord not striving? Whatever happened to the gentleness, and respect aspect of 1 Peter 3:15?

I’m concerned about many of the brethren that won’t or don’t gather facts on a individual, ministry, or church but are quick to point out some supposed error. Soon many will not be able to distinguish much that doesn’t believe exactly like they do.

Let’s focus on apologetics the right way. Making a ready defense of the faith. Pointing out where the cults are in error. Let’s not embrace a brother’s doctrinal statement, call him orthodox based on that statement then backpeddle when the heat comes.

We need to do some in house cleaning. If there are oneness modalist out there let’s not defend them. If the Word Faith Movement teaches heresy let’s call it what it is.

But we need to lay out some biblical alternatives.

Like:

Proper hermeneutics, basic doctrine, eschatology and how we can apply these teaching in a practical way in our lives.

A Christian Father’s – Father’s Day Shout Out

My Father’s Day Shout Out

I know that there are many dead beat dads out there. It is talked up just about everyday very specifically in the African American Community. But I believe there are paragons of excellence that are over looked. There are many pastors that are faithful to their wives, and their congregations regardless of the size of the church that do what they do without fanfare.

There are many deacons and other brothers in the church that go day after to work, come home and are loving role models in their communities and to their own children.

Many christian men that are fathers that have been there for the wives and children that have contributed to the building up of hospitals, churches, credit unions, and schools.

And there are christian men that have been wronged or abandoned by their biological fathers and have sought to make the first move of reconciliation. In some cases successfully.

I know there are some men in the church that have failed at fatherhood. But this post was a shout out the godly men that typically get no recognition this side of the river for the excellence. So if you are that man, then I say “Happy Fathers Day” to you. And to the other fathers that are out there as well.

We are to honor our fathers, so Happy Father’s Day to my Dad.

Love Donald.

Respect to the fathers out there that are non-christians but are doing what a father should do! Taking care of his family and loving his wife.

And of course I have my soul music lyrics here as well to one of my favorite “father songs”.

This that don’t know this is Color Him Father:

There’s a man at my house,
He’s so big an’ strong.
He goes to work each day,
An’ he stays all day long.
He comes home each night,
Lookin’ tired an’ beat.
He sits down at the dinner table,
An’ has a bite to eat.
Never a frown, always a smile.
When he says to me, “How’s my chil’?”
I say that, “I’ve been studying hard,
All day in school,
Tryin’ very hard to understand,
The golden rule.”

Think I’ll color this man father.
(Color him father.)
I think I’ll color him love.
(Color him love.)
Said, I’m gonna color him father.
(Color him father.)
I think I’ll color the man love.
Yes I will.
(Color him lo-hove.)

He says, “Education is the thing,
If you want to compete.
Because without it son,
Life ain’t very sweet.”
I love this man,
An’ I don’t know why.
Except I’ll need his strength,
Till the day that I die.
My mother loves him an’ I can tell.
By the way she looks at him,
When he holds my little sister, Nell.
I heard her say just the other day,
That if it hadn’t ‘av been for him,
She couldn’t have found her way.
[ Find more Lyrics on www.mp3lyrics.org/P1PO ]

I Think I’ll color him father.
(Color him father.)
I’m gonna color him love.
(Color him love.)
I’ve got to color him father.
(Color him father.)
I think I’ll color this man love.
(Color him lo-hove.)

Our real old man,
He got kille’ in the war.
An’ she knows she an’ seven kids,
Couldn’t of got very far.
She said she thought that,
She could never love again.
An’ then there he stood,
With that big, wide grin.
He married my mother,
An’ he took us in.
An’ now we belong to the man,
With that big wide grin.

I got to color this man father.
(Color him father.)
I’m gonna color him love.
(Color him love.)
I’ve to color him father.
(Color him father.)
I believe I’ll color this man love.
(Color him lo-hove.)

He’s just been so good to me.
(Color him father.)
I feel I’ve got to have to color him love.
(Color him love.)
I’m gonna color him father.
(Color him father.)
I’ve got to color this man love.
(Color him loooove.)

He’s just been so good.
[Fade.]
(Color him father.)
Yeah, I think I’ll color him love.
(Color him love.)
I’m goin’ to color him father.
(Color him father…)

Christians Do Need A Warm Heart

Moving Towards Being Gracious

I am becoming more flexible as I get older. I still value the precious essentials of the historic christian faith. I do believe however, there are times when we can let our hearts grow cold. I love doctrine. I love the study of theology and doctrinal issues. And they have a valuable place in the church.

But I wonder as I have run across certain brethren in ministry. What happened to their heart for the people they minister to, people in the body of Christ in general and yes the non-believer in particular?

I wonder at times about the conviction or even the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their lives? And yes even at times in my own.

I believe many of us have lost our heart. By that I mean our sensitivity. I’m not talking about warm fuzzies. But I do believe christians should have a keen mind (insight, godly wisdom), and a warm heart. I have seen men show more courtesy and compassion to people in their congregations than they have for their own wives and children. May learn the reality of the fact that we must start our piety and devotion in our own homes. We need more spirituality in our households.

What Happened To Some Of Us

We Have To Win The Argument

I believe some of the brethren in ministry have become more “polarized” with articulating their views than to be open and objective in their discourses and exchanges with others. I believe in the case of some brethren debate has caused some to grow so cold that they are more willing to win the argument, or get the point across than to let someone save face. At the very least we should allow our opponent to save face.

We Need To Leave Room For Illumination From The Holy Spirit

I believe some of the brethren in the ministry are no longer “digging” or mining for gold in the Word. It is quite easy as it the old mining expression goes, to be married to the vein (gold vein). Just there digging No longer searching for the gold, or passionate about discovering the insight into the Word (illumination) just working to see what they can get out of it.

Ministry Calling v.s. Job

Finally, I believe some of our brethren have lost their heart for ministry, because it is not about a ministry calling. It is more like a job. Their are brethren counting numbers. And when the crowds are down they were down. This is why there has been a scramble to pick up someone’s book on church growth, and not a scramble to pick up the Holy Book. Larger crowds mean more money, ie, buildings, prestige, speaking engagements, and so forth. And I dare not leave out the fact that the cares of the world can choke out the Word. The best suits, cars, jewelry and a wife with movie star good looks. Don’t laugh at the last one, I know of several pastors that have left wives, for a younger, supposedly better looking woman/wife.

We need to get back to the basics. And it all starts with a warm heart. Thinking and acting biblically is the key.

Not In The Bible

The Sinner’s Prayer

Though not quite a saying in itself, we hear tell of the Sinner’s Prayer enough that it’s easy to see why some may have come to believe it of canonical origin—and why they want to know the exact wording as found in Scripture for the lauded prayer.

The fact is, there is neither any specific formula found in Scripture for a Sinner’s Prayer nor is there any biblical example of such a prayer being recommended in the salvation experience.The modern usage of the Sinner’s Prayer originates in the 19th Century and was popularized by the experience-oriented evangelistic style of Charles Finney. As Scripture presents it, men should repent, believe, and be baptized. There is no mention of altar calls or sinner’s prayers or requesting for Christ to enter one’s heart.

That said, we shouldn’t go as far as some and claim the Sinner’s Prayer to be a bad thing. So long as it is accompanied by belief and repentance, we should consider the Sinner’s Prayer as simply an initial instance that honest and vital, confessional aspect of a new believer’s growing relationship with the Lord he now serves (cf. Romans 10:9-10).

Though, as has been stated, there is no biblical formula for the Sinner’s Prayer, here is a typical example of such a prayer:

Dear Jesus: Thank You for the sacrifice You made for me. Please forgive me for all of my past sins. I repent of these actions, and with Your help, I will change and not repeat them again. I know I am not worthy; but, I willingly accept You as my Lord and my Savior, and I thank You for Your blessings over my family and me

Spiritual Gifts – Some Of My Views Are Similar

My Views On The Gifts Of The Spirit

I have to say mainly coming from the Orange County California area, yes I was exposed to the teaching of a lot of the Calvary Chapel pastors, and the teaching ministry of the late Dr. Walter Martin.

While I may differ in some other views with these brethren, like the Mose Model For Ministry, I do have to say that I have similar views to those of Calvary Chapel and the late Dr. Walter Martin on the spiritual gifts. I differ on views with Dr. Martin in eschatology and maybe other areas, but we of like precious faith when it comes to the spiritual gifts.
Posted by DonaldH at 20:31

An Excellent Word From Pastor Ray Bentley

Here’s An Excellent Word From Pastor Ray Bentley

I found this to be a tremendous blessing to my own soul and wanted to share.

Your promised land is where your love and pain cross paths and stir your heart.

At the beginning of every year the Lord gives me a word that I believe reflects His emphasis for my life and our ministry for the coming year. This year the word is compassion, wonderfully defined by the prophet Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” —Isaiah 61:1-3, Luke 4:18-19

When Jesus stood in the synagogue in Nazareth hundreds of years later and read Isaiah’s words, He defined His ministry and mission. A mission of compassion for the poor, the brokenhearted, the imprisoned, the desperate and hurting.

As I thought about how to put compassion into action, I started thinking about the Promised Land—that place where God’s children have longed to be and fought to possess. A place where, ideally, compassion reigns.

First, I need to clear up a common misconception.

What does the Promised Land mean to you? A specific territory God set apart for His people? The book of Joshua tells us that after crossing the River Jordan, the Israelites entered the Promised Land—and then what?

Had they finally arrived at their destination? Crossing the Jordan and Promised Land are commonly used to mean going heaven or paradise. One dictionary defines it as: A longed-for place where complete satisfaction and happiness will be achieved.

But what actually happened to the Israelites when they crossed the Jordan? Not peace and rest. They began a life of warfare! Of taking the land that had been promised and of learning to live in the Spirit and claiming the territory God gave them! It was hardly paradise.

Similarly, if you are a believer who desires to serve the Lord and have been stirred by the mission Jesus laid before us, then you have crossed the Jordan and have stepped into the Promised Land. Many believers just don’t realize it.
Whether your desire is a deep, passionate longing or a mere thought that flits through your mind and needs to be recognized, I believe you are ready to discover your promised land. Your promised land is your sphere of influence. Where you work, live, and go about your life. In many cases, it’s where you are influencing people and representing the Kingdom of God without even realizing it!

What is your passion? What are you involved in? Are there hobbies, activities, areas that involve helping or inspiring people where you can demonstrate God’s love? Where do you work? Do business? Are you involved in a company or organization that helps people outside the umbrella of your church?

Your promised land is where your love and pain cross paths and stir your heart. What draws your interest and rolls around in your mind because you can’t forget it? What breaks your heart or makes you cry for joy or sorrow, and gives you a burden and longing for relief? What needs do you see in the world that you long to fulfill? What problems do you need to solve? How can your time and talents bless others in the name of Jesus?

I have a feeling that some of you are out there serving, unrecognized, with little help, and could use some encouragement from believers. I want to encourage you. In fact, I would like to hear about what you are doing! It’s not that I think you need to be recognized so much, as that you need the support and encouragement of the Body of Christ. After all, we are all on the same team!

Did you find this a blessing?

Somebody Loves You – Raul Ries I Like The Current Series

Raul Ries

I love to hear the preaching and teaching of Raul Ries. I am going back to my spiritual roots. And I have some minor disagreements, but I truly love this guy. It is also good that to see a good brother in Christ teaching it. Raul has a good testimony. My prayer is for his development and that God would use him in mighty ways.

I Wish The Herd Instinct Wasn’t There

My true pet peeve with people in my culture around my homestate is that more African Americans should have rallied around guys like Raul Ries and Pancho Juarez. I think it would have been a great witness to the culture around us. I know our population has shrunk over the years in California, but I think since a lot of the other churches in our culture has pretty much gone down, why not partner with a Calvary Chapel?

Why not be more multi-cultural? Well Christian friends that was just a thought.

But yes I would like to see more African Americans involved within the Southern Baptist Convention and within Calvary Chapel. I’m addressing those on the outside looking in, but if those on the inside have some insights please break bread.

The Pastor As Theologian

We All Have A Theology

There are a myriad of theologians out there. While the pastor may not see himself as pastor and theologian he is one. Whether that theology is aberrant or orthodox, that is the issue.
For the most part we recover our theology from scripture. When it comes to being doctrinal I was highly influenced by Dr. J. Vernon McGee and others.

I was deeply influenced by Pastor Harley Howard, because after spending several years in a traditional black baptist church, I discovered that many of our African American congregations were theologically neutral. I tuned into christian radio and found this Af-Am pastor unique in that he was exhorting the brethren regardless of their culture to “get into the word”.

For about five years I had heard absolutely no African American pastors make doctrinal references. Slowly but surely some of the brethren in the “inner city” began to articulate some of their doctrinal positions, but listening to Pastor Harley Howard, taught me that this was a faith that we had to engage our minds for learning.

The Pastor As Theologian

There is a need for many of us to get back to the study and sharpen what we believe. There is a great spiritual conflict going on in the world. The like minded brethren need to band together and proclaim what we know to be true, refute that which is false. While there is a large number of erroneous theologies out there: emergent, word faith, liberal, etc,. Those of us that are orthodox theological conservatives need to help shore up our other brethren that we have relationships with that might be weak in this area.

I believe we are at a cross-roads now with a plethora of issues, such as in my last post where it is necessary for the pastor to function as pastor and theologian. We need to be immersed in solid theology. In previous posts I have mentioned several resources, so I won’t mention them again.
But I will say that this is the great need of the day.

Theology Is Hard Work

The study of theology is hard work. There are some churches that are strong in orthodoxy, and weak in their dealing with other cultures. If you are in a part of the country where it is predominately a single cultured venue I understand. But I’m not knocking on your door about racial reconciliation, but I’m saying that many of the other cultures don’t suffer from being weak in orthodoxy as my culture does. Although, I think heresy and abberant theology is color blind. Because we have multi-cultural heretics spread world wide. I’m saynig in this post that we need to be about theology.

We Need Humility

It’s about asking for help and seeking it out. Friends.