Union Mills Confectionery 2016

Looking For The Return of Jesus Christ

The Rapture The Return of Christ And The Doctrine Of Imminency

Is Christ’s Return Imminent?

John 11:17-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3; Titus 2:11–13; Hebrews 10:24–25; James 5:7–9; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 John 2:18; Revelation 1:1

1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. ]

But the end of all things is at hand, be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Mat 24:36).

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him" (Mat 25:1-6)

"Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch" (Mark 13:33-37).

"Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Rom 13:11-12).

"And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly" (Rom 16:20).

"So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 1:7).

"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil 3:20).

"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand" (Phil 4:5).

"And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come" (1 Thess 1:10).

"Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thess 5:6).

"That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Tim 6:14).

"Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus" (Titus 2:13).

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb 9:28).

"Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the Day approaching" (Heb 10:24-25).

"For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry" (Heb 10:37).

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door" (James 5:7-9).

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13).

"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer" (1 Peter 4:7).

"Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 1:21).

"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Rev 3:11).

"Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book" (Rev 22:7).

"He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev 22:20).

Revival vs. Awakening

 

There is a distinction between revival and awakening?

RENEWAL: When god touches the heart of a single individual
REVIVAL. When God touches a community of faith.
AWAKENING: When the wideer society is impacted.

Relationship between revival and evangelism
Revival and evangelism are different in nature
Revival and evangelism issue from the same source andfow together
Revival always produces evangelism.
Evangelism, when combined with disipline, sustains revival.

THEOLOGY OF REVIVAL

1A Characteristics of Revival

It raises the esteem of Jesus.
Satan's kingdom suffers (genuine repentance)
Men and women will have a greater response to Scripture
Men and women will see more clearly spiritual truth and error
There will be a new sense of love toward God and others.

2A Condition of Revival: 'What preceded Revival?

3A Toward a Balance Theology of Revival

When God intends great mercy for His people, the first thing He does is to set then a prayer, Henry

4A Description of Revival

What is a description of Revival "what does it look like? Isaiah 6:1-8]

Our need for a fresh touch from God: vs. 1a
God as He really is: vs. 1b-4
Our sinfulness and need for cleansing: vs 5
God's gracious provision; vs 6-7]
The mission: vs. 8a
We respond with joyful obedience: vs 8

Delay of Revival: How show we prepare? 2 Chronicles 7:14

Dare of Revival "serach me, O God, Psalms 7:14

　

　

　

　

　

Doing Bible Study

TAKING THE WORD OF GOD AS BEING A PART OF MY EVERYDAY LIFE

 

Jam 1:22-25 ^{22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.}

Question: "What is the key to applying the Bible to my life?"

Answer: Applying the Bible is the duty of all Christians. If we don’t apply it, the Bible becomes nothing more to us than a normal book, an impractical collection of old manuscripts. That’s why Paul says, "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:9). When we apply the Bible, God Himself will be with us.

The first step toward applying God’s Word in our lives is reading it. Our goal in reading is to get to know God, to learn His ways, and to understand His purpose for this world and for us individually. In reading the Bible, we learn about God’s interactions with humanity throughout history, His plan of redemption, His promises, and His character. We see what the Christian life looks like. The knowledge of God we glean from Scripture serves as an invaluable foundation for applying the Bible’s principles for life.

Our next goal is what the psalmist refers to as "hiding" God’s Word in our hearts: "I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11). The way we "hide" God’s Word in our hearts is by studying, memorizing, and meditating on what we have first read. These four steps—read, study, memorize, and meditate—make it possible to successfully apply the Scriptures to our lives.

Study: While studying certainly involves reading, reading is not the same as studying. To study God’s Word means that we prayerfully devote time and attention to acquiring advanced knowledge on a particular person, subject, theme, passage, or book of the Bible. A multitude of study resources is available, including biblical commentaries and published Bible studies that enable us to feast on the "meat" of God’s Word (Hebrews 5:12-14). We can familiarize ourselves with these resources, then choose a topic, a passage, or a book that piques our interests and delve in.

Memorize: It is impossible to apply what we cannot remember. If we are going to "hide" the Word in our hearts, we have to first get it in there by means of memorization. Memorizing Scripture produces within us a well from which we may continually drink, especially at times when we are not able to read our Bibles. In the same way that we store up money and other earthly possessions for future use, we should "lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul" (Deuteronomy 11:18, KJV). Create a plan for the Scripture verses you would like to memorize each week.

Meditate: Writer and philosopher Edmund Burke once said, "To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting." We cannot afford to "eat" God’s Word without "digesting" it. In the parable of the four soils (Matthew 13:3-9; cf. 18-23), Jesus tells of a sower who goes out to sow seed in his field, only to find that some seeds – the Word of God (Matthew 13:19) – had fallen on "rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away" (13:5-6). This, Jesus says, is the person in whom the Word is sown but does not take root (13:20-21).

Psalm 1:2 says that the man who meditates on God’s Word is blessed. Donald S. Whitney, in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, writes, "The tree of your spiritual life thrives best with meditation because it helps you absorb the water of God’s Word (Ephesians 5:26). Merely hearing or reading the Bible, for example, can be like a short rainfall on hard ground. Regardless of the amount or intensity of the rain, most runs off and little sinks in. Meditation opens the soil of the soul and lets the water of God’s Word percolate in deeply. The result is an extraordinary fruitfulness and spiritual prosperity" (pp. 49-50).

If we desire for the Word to "take root" in our lives so that we produce a harvest that pleases God (Matthew 13:23), we must ponder, reflect, and meditate on what we read and study in the Bible. As we meditate, we can ask ourselves some questions:

1. What does this passage teach me about God?
2. What does this passage teach me about the church?
3. What does this passage teach me about the world?
4. What does this passage teach me about myself? About my own desires and motives?
5. Does this passage require that I take action? If so, what action should I take?
6. What do I need to confess and/or repent of?
7. What have I learned from this passage that will help me to focus on God and strive for His glory?

Apply: The degree to which we study, memorize, and meditate on God’s Word is the degree to which we understand how it applies to our lives. But understanding how the Word applies is not enough; we must actually apply it (James 1:22). "Application" implies action, and obedient action is the final step in causing God’s Word to come to life in our lives. The application of Scripture enforces and further enlightens our study, and it also serves to sharpen our discernment, helping us to better distinguish between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).

As a final word, it is important to note that we are not alone in trying to understand and apply God’s Word to our lives. God has filled us with His Spirit (John 14:16-17) who speaks to us, leading and guiding us into all truth (John 16:13). For this reason, Paul instructs believers to "walk by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16), for He is a very present Help in our time of need (Psalm 46:1)! The Spirit will faithfully guide us into the will of God, always causing us to do what is right (Ezekiel 36:26-28; Philippians 2:13). Who better to teach how to live according to all that is written in the Bible than the One who inspired the Bible to begin with—the Holy Spirit Himself? Therefore, let us do our part by hiding the Word in our hearts and obeying the Holy Spirit as He draws that Word out of us.

Competenty Christiantiy

The Principles for Your Ministry

Autobiography of a Traveling Man

Paul The Apostle of Jesus Christ

Ministry Principle 1: If you’re a Christian, you’re in the ministry.

Ministry Principle 2: To minister effectively to others, you must know and personally apply biblical truth in your walk with the Lord.

Ministry Principle 3: Trust God to work through others in the body and affirm their ministries.

Ministry Principle 4: Be sensitive towards others.

Ministry Principle 5: Don’t hesitate to be bold in challenging others or in reminding them of what they already know.

Ministry Principle 6: Offer your ministry to God as an act of worship, pleasing to Him

Romans 15:19 Notes

IN THE POWER OF SIGNS AND WONDERS, IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT: en dunamei semeion kai teraton, en dunamei pneumatos (theou): (Acts 14:10; 15:12; 16:18; 19:11,12; 2Corinthians 12:12; Galatians 3:5; Hebrews 2:4) (Matthew 12:28; Acts 1:8; 1Corinthians 12:4,-11; 1Peter 1:12)

Keep the context in mind for Paul has just stated...For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed. John Piper reminds us that "The aim of missions is to bring about the obedience of faith among all the unreached peoples of the world. But that is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal—even of faith and obedience—is "for the sake of His name. " The fame of Christ, the reputation of Christ is what burned in the heart of the apostle Paul. The faith of the nations was not an end in itself. It was the way that the name of Christ would be honored. This is what filled him with such a passion for the Great Commission. Jesus had told Ananias "how much he [Paul] must suffer for the sake of My Name" (Acts 9:16). And he had never turned back from his willingness to suffer if only the fame of Christ would result. Near the end of his life he could still say, "I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13)-- from The Pleasures of God

Power (1411) (dunamis) describes inherent power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature. Ability to accomplish a task. In the present context the power is in the signs and wonders and the dunamis or power of the Holy Spirit. (Compare Acts 1:8 which also uses dunamis). Unless the Spirit of Christ enables us, we can do absolutely nothing of eternal value! (cp Jn 15:5, Jn 6:63).

 

John Stott - It seems that the only preaching God honors through which His wisdom and power are expressed is the preaching of a man who is willing in himself to be both the weakling and the fool.

Charles Spurgeon agreed declaring that "The power that is in the Gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher, otherwise men would be the converters of souls, nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning, otherwise it would consist in the wisdom of men. We might preach until our tongues rotted, till we would exhaust our lungs and die, but never a soul would be converted unless the Holy Spirit be with the Word of God to give it the power to convert the soul."

Vine comments on the phrase in the power of the Holy Spirit—Cp. Ro 15:13, and see note there. Cp. also 1 Corinthians 2:4. This clause probably applies both to what was stated in verse 18 and to what has just preceded. The Holy Spirit was the agent not only in the preaching but also in the signs and wonders. The effectivity of gospel ministry depends, then, not upon human power of eloquence, but upon the Lord, who works all by the Holy Spirit.

Competenty Christiantiy

The Principles for Your Ministry

Autobiography of a Traveling Man

From the sermon today from Romans 15:17-33

Ministry Principle 1: If you’re a Christian, you’re in the ministry.

Ministry Principle 2: To minister effectively to others, you must know and personally apply biblical truth in your walk with the Lord.

Ministry Principle 3: Trust God to work through others in the body and affirm their ministries.

Ministry Principle 4: Be sensitive towards others.

Ministry Principle 5: Don’t hesitate to be bold in challenging others or in reminding them of what they already know.

Ministry Principle 6: Offer your ministry to God as an act of worship, pleasing to Him.

"The profound falsehood of this theory and of the anthropological revolution contained within it is obvious. People dispute the idea that they have a nature, given by their bodily identity, which serves as a defining element of the human being. They deny their nature and decide that it is not something previously given to them, but that they make it for themselves. According to the biblical creation account, being created by God as male and female pertains to the essence of the human creature. This duality is an essential aspect of what being human is all about, as ordained by God."

"This very duality as something previously given is what is now disputed. The words of the creation account: "male and female he created them" (Gen 1:27) no longer apply. No, what applies now is this: it was not God who created them male and female - hitherto society did this, now we decide for ourselves. Man and woman as created realities, as the nature of the human being, no longer exist. Man calls his nature into question. From now on he is merely spirit and will."

"The manipulation of nature, which we deplore today where our environment is concerned, now becomes man's fundamental choice where he himself is concerned. From now on there is only the abstract human being, who chooses for himself what his nature is to be. Man and woman in their created state as complementary versions of what it means to be human are disputed. But if there is no pre-ordained duality of man and woman in creation, then neither is the family any longer a reality established by creation. Likewise, the child has lost the place he had occupied hitherto and the dignity pertaining to him."

 

Maybe we are all going to have to carry our birth certificate to make sure we have an offical document as to what our gender really is before we enter into the bathroom

The complaint comes after the school board passed the resolution 4-1 last month after a parent claimed that his son's rights were being violated because he didn't like sharing the Vanguard High School bathroom with another student that was born female but now identifies as male.

The ACLU's complaint says a transgender student was suspended several days later for using the men's restroom at school, despite having done so for years.

"In case anyone doubts that the current ugly political rhetoric doesn't have an impact — in this case the student was suspended from school for using the bathroom he has been using for years!," said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, in an email.

The complaint calls for requiring the district to permit the student to use male restroom facilities, remove the suspension from his disciplinary record and revise relevant policies.

Marion County Public Schools spokesman Kevin Christian said he couldn't confirm the student's suspension and said the district's attorney would handle any legal action.

"We're not surprised a complaint was filed," Christian said. "The school board was warned litigation was likely when they passed it. It's obviously going to play out in the court system."

Attorneys for the Liberty Counsel are representing the family of the boy who complained, arguing that he is a devout Christian whose religious beliefs and right to privacy were violated when the district previously allowed transgender students to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

Here is my take: Can a Christian who has a new nature within him, be convince that he was born a woman but looks like a man? We are now seeing that children are giving the freedom to deside if they are a woman or man, boy or a girl.

　

Transgender: denoting or relating to a person who self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notins of male or female gender.

The Obama administration to issue guidance on transgendeer bathrooms. 05 13 2016.

Deuteronomy

 

WHY SHOULD YOU READ DEUTERONOMY THIS WEEK
Deuteronomy 1:29
1:30
2:7
3:24
4:4
4:29
5:6
5:10
5:14
6:4,
6:5
6:7
7:7
7:8
7:9
7:21
8:2
8:10
8:18
9:4
9:5
10:14
10.20
10:21
11:19
12:11
13:8
13:14
14:21
15:10
16:17
17:20
18:1
18:5
18:15
18:18
18:19
18:21
8:22
20:1
20:4
20:8
21:18
22:6
22:7
23:5
24:21
25:15
26:11
27:10
28:2
28:12
28:14
29:29
30:6
30:19
30:20
31:8
31:6
31:8
31:23
32:4
32:11
32:12
33:27