No 100 Degree days yet in Oklahoma City!

June 23, and Oklahoma City has not reached 100 degrees yet! Of course it's pretty humid outside because of all the rain, but at least we have not hit the century mark yet. Will we get through this summer staying in the 90's?

52 Words Every Christian Should Know (Continued)

11. Prophecy – Prophets were spokesmen for God, with a message inspired by His Spirit that often included predictions about near and remote events. Their prophecies, given orally at first, were often written down and included in the Scriptures.

12. Interpretation – To interpret a passage of Scripture is to explain its message: first as it was meant to be understood in its original setting; and second as it was significance in a contemporary setting. Christ is the central theme of Scripture, and the Spirit guides persons to right interpretation.

52 Words Every Christian Should Know (Continued)

9. Infallibility – The infallibility of the Bible means that it is perfectly true and that it accomplished the purpose the diving Author intended each of its parts to achieve.

10. The Law – Although the five books of Moses – and the Old Testament as a whole – may be call the Law, in essence “law” refers to all the righteous demands of God that reveal His hold commandments for His people, including moral, religious, and civil obligations.

52 Words Every Christian Should Know (Continued)

7. Trinity – God is eternally one Being. Yet He exists eternally as three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. There are not three Gods, only one. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are distinct from each other.

8. Inspiration – Biblical inspiration refers to the work of the Holy Spirit by which He produced the words of the entire Bible, using the personality and literary skill of its human authors, so that the resultant written text is God's authoritative Word to mankind.

52 Words Every Christian Should Know (Continued)

5. Presence – God's presence is His “being there.” Omnipresence means that He is everywhere at all times. There is no place or time God is not. Yet the biblical emphasis is on His manifested presence, experienced only at certain times and places and by specific persons.

6. Love – God's love is His freely given, intense affection, actively showing delight and goodwill toward the objects of His pleasure. Grace is His love expressed to those who don't deserve it; mercy is His love shown to those in need.

52 Words Every Christian Should Know

3. Sovereignty – God's sovereignty includes both His power to do all that He wills and His rightful exercise of authority over His creation and His creatures. As the Almighty, His rule is righteous, and He expects human beings to recognize and submit to His lordship.

4. Omniscience – Omniscience means to know all things, and the Scriptures affirm that God alone is all knowing. Although this includes factual knowledge, the biblical emphasis concerns God's intimate knowledge of persons.

52 Words Every Christian Should Know

A while back I came across the book, "52 Words Every Christian Should Know" by Kendell Easley. I'm impressed by it because in this age of post-modernism where words can mean whatever you want, Christian theology is being twisted into something that robs the believer of the original definition and meaning.
The author picked 52 concepts of the Christian faith, and gives definitions and explanations of each. As I read them I'll post what the author gives as a definition of each word.
 My intent is to understand the original meaning of doctrine, not what our culture has changed it to mean.

1. Glory – God's glory is the display of His greatness, goodness, and beauty so that persons are aware of Him through sensory experiences such as sight and sound. To glorify God means to respond to His revealed glory in the ways Scripture teaches, such as praise, love, joy and obedience.

2. Holiness – Holiness is the quality of being set apart. God is holy because He is like no other, and He exists eternally as the Holy Spirit. God's holiness includes His moral perfection and righteousness. Persons, places, and things set apart for God are hold rather than common.

 

DeGarmo & Key "The Pledge" Verses & Lyrics Day Ten

When we get discouraged, here are reminders of God's love...

If God is For Us (Who Can Be Against Us?)

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Joshua 1:5-6 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. (6) Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.

Matthew 28:20b “ And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Matthew 6:33-34 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. (10) That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Romans 8:28-39 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (29) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (30) And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (31) What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (32) He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (33) Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. (34) Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. (35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (36) As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." (37) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (38) For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, (39) neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

If God is For Us (Who Can Be Against Us?) Lyrics

If you're weary, don't lose hope in fighting the good fight,
Just remember God is with you through the darkest night,
In the heat of battle keep your head up high,
God is marching with us; he's always at our side.

If God is for us, who can be against us?
No power on Earth can take his love away,
If God is for us, who can be against us?
We can live in victory today.

When you worry, when you feel like the world is caving in,
He is stronger than our weakness, faithful to the end,
Like the master taught us, there's life beyond the cross,
Even though we're weary, our battle won't be lost.

If God is for us, who can be against us?
No power on Earth can take his love away,
If God is for us, who can be against us?
We can live in victory today.

If God is for us, who can be against us?
No power on Earth can take his love away,
If God is for us, who can be against us?
We can live in victory today,
We can live in victory today.

 

DeGarmo & Key "The Pledge" Verses & Lyrics Day Nine

When is the Christian lifestyle like a marathon?

Right on Track

Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (13) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, (14) I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (25) Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. (26) Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. (27) No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Philippians 2:14-18 Do everything without complaining or arguing, (15) so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe (16) as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. (17) But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. (18) So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (2) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (3) Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Right on Track Lyrics

I can feel it tugging,
This world, it tries to slow me down,
In this race I'm running, I won't give up one inch of ground,
Headed for the future, I leave behind the past,
Walking with my saviour, I know...I know...I know I'm free at last.

Right on track,
Pressing forward, won't look back,
Right on track,
With my eyes on Jesus, I'm right on track.

I can see the finish,
I will not stop before it's done,
It's not enough to enter, I've got to cross that finish line, oh yeah,
Even though I stumble, the Lord will watch my pace,
Looking up to Jesus, I know...I know...I know I'll win this race.

Right on track,
Pressing forward, won't look back,
Right on track,
With my eyes on Jesus, I'm right on track.

Headed for the future, I leave behind the past,
Walking with my saviour, I know...I know...I know I'm free at last.

Right on track,
Pressing forward, won't look back,
Right on track,
With my eyes on Jesus,
Right on track,
I'm pressing forward, won't look back,
Right on track,
With my eyes on Jesus, I'm right on track.

I said, I'm right on track,
I'm right on track, (right on track)
Right on track, (right on track)
I'm right on track, (right on track)
I said I'm right on track, (right on track
(fade)

DeGarmo & Key "The Pledge" Verses & Lyrics Day Eight

Who will stand up for the rights of the 1.3 million unborn children who are aborted in America each year?

Who Will

Psalms 139:13-16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. (14) I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (15) My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, (16) your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Proverbs 24:11-12 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. (12) If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

Psalms 82:3-4 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. (4) Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

 Who Will Lyrics

It's in his image they're created, each one a precious gift of life,
How can we steal away their future?
What gives us the power? What gives us the right?

Who will stand up for the children?
Who will fight the battle for them?
Who will speak up for the unborn child?

They long for life with every heartbeat,
They speak with tiny hands and feet,
But who will help our nation hear them?
It is up to you and it is up to me.

Who will stand up for the children?
Who will fight the battle for them?
Who will speak up for the unborn child?

Who is gonna be the voice for those who have no say or choice?
My heart tells me what I must do,
It is up to me and it is up to you.

Who will? (we will)
Who will? (we will, we will)
Who will speak up for the unborn child?
Who will? (we will)
Who will? (we will, we will)
Who will speak up for the unborn child?
Who will stand up for the children? (we will)
Who will fight the battle for them? (we will, we will)
Who will speak up for the unborn child?
(fade)