KG, Knowing God Conference

Well, this is pretty exciting! Check it out!

kgcon.org/

Death. . .New Life

I kept looking at the date on August 10th wondering why. . .I know my grandpa died around that date and a cousin was born. . .but it finally dawned on me on the 11th - it was the day I died and was reborn!

August 10, 1990 was the day that God, although knowing before the foundations of the world were set, regenerated me and caused faith to dwell in my heart so that on that day 20 years ago I was able to repent and live for Christ. Ironically, in our American decisionism culture, salvation experiences are really just emotional/spiritually experiences that wane over time. True conversion will progress in seeing God, great and holy and self, low and sinful. As the chasm looks greater and greater, the Cross becomes more glorious. Let us, like David, never forget the joy of our salvation!! I am no more deserving of this grace today than I was 20 years ago. There is nothing I can add to my salvation today, like there was nothing I could offer 20 years ago. It is all grace. Amazing.

I love the lyrics of this song by Vicky Beeching "The Wonder of the Cross" found at the link below. . .

CHORUS:

May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost
Undone by mercy and left speechless
Watching wide eyed at the cost
May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross

http://www.superlyrics.com/lyrics/kGRU3EEBF9@H@U/The_Wonder_Of_The_Cross_lyrics_by_Vicky_Beeching.html


Be in awe of the gospel today! May it never lose its power. . .

God is the Gospel. . .

I've been enjoying this short read by Desiring God on the Gospel and children. Here is an excerpt I have appreciated:

"Imagine a family going for a boat ride on a beautiful summer day on Lake Superior. Being the careful parents that they are, each child is wearing a new life jacket, the best that money can buy. The kids love the jackets because they have neat child-friendly designs and colors. The children are now safe in the unlikely event that the boat should sink or be overwhelmed by waves. But there is something that the parents and children have not taken into account. Lake Superior is very cold. Even in the summer, the water temperature hovers around 55 F. So as wonderful as those life jackets may seem, and as much as the parents and children feel safe in the event of the boat being overwhelmed, the real danger remains unforeseen and unplanned for - hypothermia. In the event that the family is tossed into the water and is left to float, eventually the frigid temperature of the water will kill them.

Unfortunately, the "gospel" that we often present to children is like those life jackets. It is a gospel that we think will protect and save our children, but it is not the safety assurance that we envision it to be. And it may be that while our children think they are safely bound for eternal life in heaven, in reality they continue their slow but dangerous "float" in the deadly waters of hell. Why is this so? Because it is not the Gospel of Scripture.

How have we changed the true life-saving Gospel into child-friendly and colorful but ineffective life jacket? Here are a few characteristics of this changed gospel and why it is so deadly: This changed gospel puts man at the center instead of God. It presents a plan instead of a Person. It seeks to comfort but not convict. It is a message that calls for acceptance of Christ but not repentance. It simply encourages acknowledging true facts rather than embracing and submitting to the One who is both Savior and Lord. It enslaves men to works instead of freeing them to do good works.

But that's not all this "gospel" states. It claims to save by man's decisive choice instead of God's sovereign grace. It promises affirmation instead of radical transformation. It exalts man and the desire to be loved instead of exalting God's love displayed in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who alone brings us near to God so that we might experience the immeasurable joy of making much of Him."

To make much of Him! God must be the Gospel!