Fiesta Fellowship Saturday June 22 at 5-9

Just a reminder that next Saturday night from 5-9 is our Bible Fellowship Mexican Fiesta at Ken & Paige's House.  We live at 431 Westwood Drive, Maryville, TN 37803

Please email me at allenderpaige@gmail.com BY FRIDAY to let me know how many of your family will be in attendance so we can buy enough fajita fixins.

Also, go to www.perfectpotluck.com to sign up to bring your favorite mexican dishes!  

The last name is Allender, and the password is fiesta.  

We are looking forward to a fun night of fellowship and good food!

Email me at allenderpaige@gmail.com

Gracias!

Paige

Set Free, but on the Journey of Sanctification

John 8:36 "So if the son has set you free, you will be free indeed."  ...                                 Yes we are set free at the NEW BIRTH...the un-regenerated man is absolutely unable to do good, to free himself from sin.  Romans 3:11 There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God (NASB)    But if we are Born Again and Free from the control of sin...why do I still sin?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          God has consoled me with this scripture from Hebrews 12.                                               This is one of the ways we KNOW that we KNOW HIM. As long as I an in the flesh, I will sin. I will fall into sin...not make the pattern of my life to seek after sin.  But when I sin...I am broken...God disciplines the son He loves...                                  He doesn't chastise the sons of disobedience now, only at the judgement seat. The Un-Regenerated man isn't worried about how his sin has crushed the Lord -trampling under foot the grace of God...he may feel loss at the consequences his sin is bringing in his life, but it doesn't lead to repentance...the un-regenerated man doesn't have the Holy Spirit to remind him or correct him of his sin. I am reminded that I am on a journey of sanctification...Jesus is making me into what He wants me to be...to be MORE like my Savior.                                                                         I can best see this journey as a hiking trail up a mountain. I struggle along the trail...trip up and fall down, The LORD  picks me up and dusts me off as a Father picking up His son on a hiking trail. "Let's go on up the trail together."  Yes there are bumps and scrapes...but I never go off the trail - falling off the mountain side or turn back to go away...and it is the only hiking trail you never reach the top while wearing this Earthly "skin suit"...Only when we are Glorified.  But it is a journey with CHRIST...He is my guide on the trail and with me every step of the way. << Hebrews 12 >> New Living Translation

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God’s Discipline Proves His Love

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.^a Because of the joy^b awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;^c then you won’t become weary and give up. 4After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

5And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?^d He said,

“My child,^e don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,

and don’t give up when he corrects you.

6For the Lord disciplines those he loves,

and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”^f

7As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?^g

10For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

12So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

John McArthur: Three Dangerous Gospel Appeals

 Here is a link to an 8 minute clip of Pastor John MacArthur...very conservative, mainstream preacher and one my favorite commentators on the scripture.
He is exposing 3 dangerous Gospel appeals which are grounded in manipulating people to get "decisions", which too often result in "stony ground hearers".

http://www.sermoncentral.com/pastors-preaching-articles/sermoncentral--john-mcarthur-three-dangerous-gospel-appeals-1591.asp?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=scnewsletter&utm_content=SC+Update+20130603

Sinner's Prayer - SBC Resolution June 2012 - David Platt

Link to SBC resolution on Sinner's Prayer June 2012

Below:
Pastor David Platt (author of the book RADICAL) remarking after the SBC Resolution.
David voted in favor of the Resolution. Sadly,  he was blamed as the main reason for the need for the resolution. He was deeply saddened by the rift in the SBC.

"...I believe without hesitation or equivocation that God loves all people in the world (John 3:16) and He desires all people’s salvation (2 Peter 3:9). As followers of Jesus saved by His matchless grace (Ephesians 2:1-10), we are compelled to go with urgency to all people to tell them compassionately of God’s love for them (2 Corinthians 4:5) and to call them clearly to repent and believe in Christ (Matthew 4:17; Acts 2:38). As we do this, I believe we simply need to be as biblical as possible (2 Timothy 2:15). Do I believe it is “wrong” for someone to pray a “prayer of salvation”? Certainly not. Calling out to God in prayer with repentant faith is fundamental to being saved (Romans 10:9-10). Yet as I pastor a local church and serve alongside pastors of other local churches, I sense reasonably serious concern about the relatively large number of baptisms in our churches that are “re-baptisms”—often representing people who thought they were saved because they prayed a certain prayer, but they lacked a biblical understanding of salvation and were in reality not saved. This, in addition to a rampant "easy believe-ism" that marks cultural Christianity in our context (and in other parts of the world), leads me to urge us, as we go to all people among all nations with the good news of God’s love, to be both evangelistically zealous and biblically clear at the same time (Matthew 28:18-20)...."  from Radical.net

http://www.radical.net/blog/2012/06/the-sinners-prayer-and-the-sbc-part-i/