Pester Brat's Saint and Sinner Hypocrisy Blog

35 Reasons Not To Sin by Jim Elliff Because a little sin leads to more sin. Because my sin invites the discipline of God. Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted. Because my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me. Because my sin places a greater burden on my spiritual leaders. Because in time my sin always brings heaviness to my heart. Because I am doing what I do not have to do. Because my sin always makes me less than what I could be. Because others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin. Because my sin saddens the godly. Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice. Because sin deceives me into believing I have gained when in reality I have lost. Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership. Because the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the consequences of disobedience. Because repenting of my sin is such a painful process, yet I must repent. Because sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss. Because

Ten Effects of Believing in the Five Points of Calvinism by Dr. John Piper (April 20, 2002) These ten points are my personal testimony to the effects of believing in the five points of Calvinism. I have just completed teaching a seminar on this topic and was asked by the class members to post these reflections so they could have access to them. I am happy to do so. They, of course, assume the content of the course, which is available on tape from Desiring God Ministries, but I will put them here for wider use in the hope that they might stir others to search, Berean-like, to see if the Bible teaches what I call "Calvinism." 1. These truths make me stand in awe of God and lead me into the depth of true God-centered worship. I recall the time I first saw, while teaching Ephesians at Bethel College in the late '70's, the threefold statement of the goal of all God's work, namely, "to the praise of the glory of his grace" (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). It has led m

The following letter was sent to a professing Christian I have gotten to know outside of the church through my secular job. I removed his name of course. I post this to see if God may be pleased to use this in anyone else's life that it may apply to Hey Brother Xxxxx: Sorry, I’m just getting to this e-mail, it’s been a tad busy for a few days. Xxxxx, I appreciate the friendship we have developed even though it has just been through the bank. I feel like I can be honest, and share these things with you. This way you will know how to pray for me, and know where I’m coming from as a pastor and Christian. The Lord has brought me a long way, and of course I still have a long way to go. God saved me in December of 1986 (I’m thinking about having my 20th spiritual birthday party this December), and I began pastoring in November 1997. I have done a lot of reading, and talked to a lot of Christians and pastors over the years. Some of the things I share with you may seem judgmental, but it i

John Piper is bad??? See for yourself... www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhLCus0tsmw PB

Brothers, may we humbly make Tuesday, October 31st, Reformation Day a call to fasting and prayer for reformation, repentance, and revival for His church in every nation TO A BAND OF BEREANS One week from this Tuesday, October 31st is Reformation Day--the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door at Wittenberg calling a recalcitrant Roman church away from the gross sin of indulgences for legal tender to recapturing the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Today's evangelicalism needs another Reformation--a genuine move of God among His people that calls and returns His believers back to biblical Christianity and the gospel of sola fide once again. This is an earnest plea for a day of prayer and fasting. No fanfare; no programs; no famous religious leaders jockeying for media attention; no K-Street spin; no DVD's or MP3's to profit from; no books to promote; no CD's to sell; no contests to judge; and no personality driven agendas to endure. But simply, God&#

He does whatever He pleases! (Arthur Pink, "The Attributes of God") "He does whatever He pleases!" Job 23:13 Ah, my reader, the God of Scripture is no make-believe monarch, no mere imaginary sovereign; but King of kings, and Lord of lords! To countless thousands, even among those professing to be Christians, the God of the Scriptures is quite unknown. The god of this twentieth century no more resembles the Supreme Sovereign of Holy Writ, than does the dim flickering of a candle, the glory of the midday sun! The god who is now talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday School, mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most of the so-called Bible conferences, is the figment of human imagination, an invention of mushy sentimentality! The heathen outside of the pale of Christendom form gods out of wood and stone; while the millions of heathen inside Christendom manufacture a god out of their own carnal mind! In r

Children and The Sermon By Ian Murray, The Banner of Truth, issue #108 http://web.archive.org/web/20040625155003/http://www.foundersbaptist.org/C_Church.htm "I begin to feel more and more that it is a mistake to divide the children from the congregation. I believe in special services for children, but I would also have them worship with us. If our preaching does not teach children, it lacks some element which it ought to possess. I like to see the congregation made up not all of the young, nor all of the old, but some of all sorts together." 1 We believe that Spurgeon had good cause to give this warning in 1873 and the question is now long overdue, ‘How much have churches lost by their all too common acceptance of the non-attendance of children at the preaching of the Word of God?’ It is necessary to be clear at the outset about what is not being discussed. The question is not ‘How are we to reach children with no church connection?’ nor, ‘What means are best suited to bring

Pending my fellow Elders' blessing, this will be put on the church website...PB Ten Reasons Why I Do Not Use the King James Version of the Bible By Bret M. Lovitz, Pastor and Co-Elder of Grace Fellowship of Mtn. Home, ID. Another one of those hot topics within professing Christian circles is which bible version Christians should use. I used the King James Version for the first seventeen years of my almost twenty years of Christian life. During that time however, I was never “King James Only.” Even today, when I cite verses of holy writ from memory, it is almost always in the King James. Having said that however, I also do not recommend or condone using just any bible version. I only recommend the more accurate and literal “word for word” translations, which is only several versions in my opinion. I have the utmost respect for many Christians who have stuck with the King James Version. Some of them are sovereign grace/reformed Christians. As with the other short articles in this “Te

http://merf.woh.gospelcom.net Check them out and prayerfully consider supporting them. Bret

I had to punish him (Arthur Pink) "We are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world." 1 Corinthians 11:32 "Is not Israel still My son, My darling child? I had to punish him, but I still love him. I long for him and surely will have mercy on him." Jeremiah 31:20 O the bitterness of provoking Him to punish us, our best Friend; that One who poured out His life's blood for us; who endured the sharpest inflictions of justice to screen us; Him whose heart is love, and on the sense of whose love all our happiness depends! Yet, we forfeit all, and compel Him to restrain His lovely smile, put on instead a frown, take the rod in His hand, and chasten us for our folly! Then we cannot escape: smite He will. How long and how much, we must leave to Him. We are completely in His hands; His power over us is supreme, entire; resistance is vain, and will certainly increase the affliction. There is nothing to be done, but humbly to lie down before Him, and

Excellent blog article by Colin Smith on James White's Blog on the hardening of Pharoah's heart as it relates to Rom. 9. James White sets it up in the first paragraph. Did God Harden Pharaoh's Heart, or Did Pharaoh? Yesterday on the DL I mentioned the appearance on Roman Catholic apologist Dave Armstrong's blog of a brief statement on Romans 9. As much as I wanted to respond to it myself, I had to finish a project by last night (does a little after midnight count?). So I asked Colin Smith, who has written for this website before (you can find his articles in our apologetics sections) if he would be willing to put something together in response to Armstrong, and he was very kind to do so. Very fast movement...for a British fellow! So here is Colin Smith's response to Dave Armstrong on Romans 9 and the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. Passages like Exodus 4:21 and Romans 9:17-18 have been a cause of discussion and soul-searching among Christians for centuries due to

We are no better than they (John Newton's Letters) Jesus, full of compassion and tenderness, wept over His enemies, and prayed for His actual murderers! A feeling of this kind seems essential to that new nature which characterizes the children of God; and where it is not in habitual exercise, it is a sufficient evidence that the soul, if truly alive to God at all--is at least in a lean and distempered state. When we look at the ungodly, we are not to hate them--but to pity them, mourn over them, and pray for them. Nor have we any right to boast over them; for, by nature, and of ourselves, we are no better than they. "For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" 1 Corinthians 4:7 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ We have completed the publishing of volume one of John Newton's Letters. Some of the best letters include: Conformity to the world Blemishes in Christian characte

Richard Baxter; "A Minister's self-examination": 1. You have heaven to win or lose yourselves....A holy calling will not save an unholy man. 2. You have sinful inclinations as well as others. 3. (You) have greater temptations than most men. 4. The tempter will make his first and sharpest onset upon you. If you will be leaders against him, he will spare you no further than God restrains him. 5. Many eyes are upon you, and therefore there will be many to observe your falls. 6. Your sins are more aggravated than those of other men. They have more of hypocrisy in them. 7. The honour of your Lord and Master, and His holy truth, doth lie more on you than other men. 8. The souls of your hearers and the success of your labours, do very much depend upon your self-examination.