Just So You Know...

Hey Y'all,

I try and keep politics away from my blog. I used to be involved to a certain degree, but not anymore. However, this is something that I cannot pass up from post. If you check out this link, it will take you to a story about Colorado State Senator Scott Renfroe, and some comments that he made regarding homosexuality on the floor of the Senate.

I am not posting a link to the story simply because Senator Renfroe spoke out against homosexuality.  I posted the link so that you could scroll down and read some of the comments that several readers left.  It is a scary but insightful example of the response one can expect to receive when they speak out and stand up for what God calls right, rather than what humanity feels is right.

Check it out.  Let me know what you think.  Again, here is the link to the story and comments.

Harvest Crusades

Hey Y'all,

I know you have heard me talk about this before, but I want to talk about it again.  So, you can either continue reading and read something that is similar to something you have read before on my blog.  OR, you could continue reading, and though it may sound similar to previous posts, you may see something new.

Ok, here goes...

Many of you know that one of my preachers that I enjoy listening to is Greg Laurie from Harvest Christian Fellowship in California.  Greg has an amazing way of simply communicating the gospel message with people, and God has used him to reach several people with the gospel, and we have seen God take that message and transform thousands of lives.  

I know what you're saying right now:  "Chris, I get it.  You like listening to Greg Laurie.  Yada, yada, yada, maybe you will write something new next week.  See ya."  Okay, I admit that this is a bit presumptuous and over the top, but it may be what you are thinking.  But I hope that it is not.

Every year, Greg Laurie and his church, along with other churches, work together and hold what are called the Harvest Crusades.  They are somewhat similar to the Billy Graham crusades that you would see on TV, and still see today.    

What is new about this post is this, and this is why I included all this repeat information:  I want to make it a goal of mine this year, to earnestly pray that we would see a Harvest Crusade in Denver, CO in the very near future.  I really believe that the city of Denver, and for that matter, the whole state of Colorado, is in desperate need of revival.  I can tell you from personal experience, from living in the Denver metro area, that there are a lot of hurting people.  People are hurting physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, but more importantly, they are hurting spiritually!  

I am praying that we would see a Harvest Crusade in Denver, CO in the very near future, and at the same time, praying that there would be a revival in the hearts of the people in the Denver metro area, and all over Colorado.  

Would you join me and hold me accountable to continuously pray for revival and evangelism in the Denver metro area?  

Also, below I have included a YouTube video that gives a little background on the Harvest Crusades, and you can also check out the Harvest Crusade website by clicking here.

Happy Birthday Dad!

I just want to take a minute and wish my Dad a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!  

I can't be there for his B-Day this year, seeing as how I am in Dallas, but I want to say Happy Birthday, and hope that it is a good one.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Greg Laurie in Dallas

Pastor Greg Laurie is in Dallas this weekend and he is preaching at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano this weekend.  If anyone is ever in the Dallas area, I would encourage you to stop by Prestonwood Baptist, even if it is not for a worship service, just to check out the place.  It is by far the largest church I have ever been in.  

Saturday night though, they showed Lost Boy, a movie about Greg Laurie's life.  It is a great movie/documentary on Pastor Greg's life, and the story is great, especially for those who think that they have messed up so much that God could not save them, or that they have rebelled too much.  Seeing that way that God shaped his life and brought him through all of that to where he is today is really cool.  After the movie though, Pastor Greg came out and preached.  

I have listened to Pastor Greg on the radio for a while now, and I really enjoy his preaching.  He is someone who is real and down to earth, yet very committed and serious to the gospel message.  When he preaches, you can feel the love that he has for people come through.  It really is the love that God has placed in him shining through.  The message was great though, as he talked about the prodigal son and how when he came back to his father, his father did not cast him aside or make him a slave, but rather ran to him and threw his arms around him.

The point is that if we run to God for forgiveness, He will not turn us away.  When we come to Christ, He forgives us and puts His arms around us.  And God will do that for you as well, if you will come to Jesus Christ, by faith, turning from your sins, and asking Christ for forgiveness and to be your personal Lord and Savior.

Many people tonight came into a relationship with Christ and many prodigal children came confessing known sins in their lives that they were holding onto.  It was a great night!  Plus, I got to meet Pastor Greg after the event.  He is just as nice in person as he seems on the radio, and I am hoping and praying that we might be able to get him to do a Harvest Crusade in Colorado.  That is definitely something that I will be praying about.  

If you want any more information about Pastor Greg and his ministry, you can find out more at:  Harvest Online or at Pastor Greg's Blog

I've Been Absent...But I'm Back

I have definitely been absent from the blog for a while.  Some of you know that the past few weeks have been something of a serious spiritual struggle, and I really have not felt as though I had anything to share.  But I do have some things that God has shown me in my classes that I would like to share with y'all.

My world missions class is probably my favorite class this semester.  At least it is for now.  But this week we looked at how missions is a central theme throughout all of Scripture.  From the very beginning, man was supposed to share the message of God and make God's name known to all nations and to all people.  Israel, God's chosen people, were to make God's name known to all people and all nations.  In the Old Testament, you can find references where the faith of Israel and their obedience would lead to others knowing about God, because Israel would be an example for God.  Through their example, they would learn about the God they served, the one True God.  Israel did not do this though.  Instead of proclaiming the name of God whom had shown favor on them, they instead viewed their election as a privilege.

What has really stood out to me is that we should not view the election of God as a privilege, and by that I mean, we should not look at God's election as something that places Christians on a higher level above everyone else.  That is what the Pharisees did.  They viewed God's election of Israel as something that put them above everyone else.  Instead, as Christians, we need to look at God's election as an opportunity to serve Him and share His message.  

We need to remember that what God has done for us is for the benefit of others.  Does God do specific things in our lives for us?  Yes, I believe that He does.  At the same time, I believe that everything God does for us, no matter how specific, is ultimately in regards to His plan of redemption.  This something else that I think is really cool that you can see throughout all of Scripture.  God has had a plan of redemption since before the beginning of time.  Think about that for a minute.  Now that you have thought about it, think about it while you read the Old Testament.  It is really cool to see the many passages that speak to God's redemptive plan for all people, in all nations.

Finally, I would like to recommend a book to everyone.  I do not do this very often, but I thought it was pretty good.  It is Let the Nations Be Glad!  The Supremacy of God in Missions by John Piper.  Piper does a good job in showing why we need to go into all nations, while at the same time, emphasizing the central message of Christ and His redemptive work.  

So what's new in y'alls lives?

Billy Graham

For the most part, I do not care much for the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and my post is not meant to be a slam towards them, nor to focus on them.  They broadcast sermons by a couple of preachers that I enjoy hearing, but for the most I do not bother with TBN.  One thing they do show that I enjoy from time to time is the old Billy Graham crusades.

Tonight they are showing one that I believe is from 1959.  It is in the old black and white and Billy is looking a lot younger.  As I first started watching the program, the thought occurred that there is no one that has drawn a bigger crowd in our time than Billy Graham.  When he speaks, people tend to listen.  But what stuck out to me more is that back in 1959, from what I know of that time period, you did not have the crusades and big gatherings to hear people talk about Buddhism.  You did not see large crowds come together to hear Mormon preachers.  You did not see large groups gather to hear lectures on eastern mysticism or things of that bend.  You only saw large masses gather to hear about Jesus Christ.  Today, the story is much different.

Today we do have large conferences where people openly preach false doctrines.  People drop dollar after dollar to hear a 'spiritual coach' tell them how they can be a better person.  A lot of times they will use Jesus' name or God's name while they teach, but the focus is not on them, but on the person themselves and what they can do for themselves.  Today we hear the name it and claim it teaching quite often.  Today we see large groups gather to study eastern mysticism or large atheistic gatherings.  Whatever it may be, we no longer live in 1959, but rather 2009.  In 40 years, the paradigm has shifted.

Another thought that occurred to me was that in 1959, the distractions from the truth, the truth being Jesus, were miniscule compared to the distractions of 2009.  In 1959, people were searching for truth, just as people in 2009 are searching for truth.  The difference is that the way truth is defined in 2009 is different from the way truth was defined in 1959.  You may say or think that this is not possible; truth is truth.  Yes, truth is truth, but the difference is that in our world today, truth is widely accepted as relative.  Many people in our postmodern world will say your truth works for you but it does not work for me.  The greatest example of this mentality is the broad acceptance of the various world religions.

A common theme is that all religions are basically the same and they all lead to the same end, or they all lead to God.  Because our society believes that truth is relative, this is widely accepted.  But is this what Jesus said?  Absolutely not!  Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 ESV).  Jesus claimed to be the truth.  Jesus did not say that you could find another way to God.  Jesus did not say that this truth only applies to some people.  No, the truth of Jesus Christ applies to all people.  Jesus is the truth and His truth is absolute!

In John 18, Pontius Pilate asks Jesus, "What is truth?" (ESV)  This is the fundamental philosophical question that people have been asking for years.  The correct answer, thus, is Jesus Christ.  He is the truth and the only truth.  Do not be distracted by the other so called truths of our world today.  Anything that is contradictory to Christ and says that its truth is just as true as the truth of Christ is incorrect and should be discarded.  Truth is not relative.  There are such things as absolutes.  Just because some "deep thinker" says that truth is relative, does not make it so.  This is one of the great lies that the enemy is spreading today.  Do not be deceived by this line of thinking.

What is truth?  Jesus Christ is the truth.

NEW YEAR!!!

HAPPY LATE NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!!

So I went to Colorado for a couple of weeks and did not feel like doing any upda

ting.  I thought about it, but never did it.  But it was great to go home and see everyone.  I had the opportunity to preach on a few occasions and the experience allowed me to feel what it's like to prepare a sermon from week to week, as well as filling in in some areas on the fly.  It was really cool.  Especially the sermon last Sunday morning.  It was cool to see how God was moving in some people's hearts and lives.

For Christmas I got a new digital camera.  I really like it.  It is a Nikon D-60.  It takes amazing pictures.  Lets just say that the one taking the pictures though is completely unqualified, so the pictures only come out so so.  I also received some DVD sermons by James MacDonald.  I would encourage folks to purchase them from his website, http://www.walkintheword.com/   The ones I received and have watched have been very good.  Did anybody else receive a cool gift for Christmas?  

Before I go though, I thought I would post a couple of pictures that I took while I was home.