Focus on the Cross

How much time do you spend focusing on the cross?? Do you think about all the things Christ has done for us and the pain he endured?

Over this Christmas season I have been thinking about all the things Christ has done for me and I realized that I do not think about what he did on the cross nearly as much as I should. I mean we all know that he died for our sins but do we think about what it really meant? Jesus Christ, God Himself, became a human and faced temptation, and all the evils of this world to save us from Hell. If you have not seen the Passion of the Christ, I highly recommend it because it does the best job of showing the horror of the things Jesus went through to save my soul.

When I see the pain he went through from the whippings and beatings I cringe thinking that I am personally responsible for all the things he went through and I should have been the one being punished. Here is a site that sell replicas of the whip Christ was beaten with. It has some pictures of the whip against plexi-glass and descriptions of the power of the whip. Really good to see the destructive power of the whip.

Don't spend a ridiculous amount of time focused on the horrors of the Crucifixion but I think it is important to see in order to grasp(as much as possible) what Christ did for us.

God bless,
Anthony

Look, I pulled Jesus out of a hat!

Tia over at Abandon Image wrote a blog on 'showmen' (TV preachers) that parade the name of Jesus around like some sort of magic trick. I cannot stand how these "pastors" can suck the life out of the Gospel to such a degree that all it is useful for is praying to get rich and famous. The story of the Rich young man (Matt. 19:16-25) shows that riches are not always a blessing but can be ones downfall. Why would a person want to give people what the Bible says complicates a persons Salvation. These preachers love money not Christ. Tia also points out that we are all guilty of using the name of Jesus as a way to get what we want. I know I haven't asked for a BMW or a million dollars but I have asked for jobs to work out and such. I am learning now that rather than praying for things to go the way we want them (riches, fame, ect...), we should be praying for Gods will in situations no matter what it be. It may be that a job is lost and while searching for jobs you have to put faith in God for Him to provide. I know that sounds contrary to what a certain smiling southerner would tell you but rather than focusing on living your best life now we should focus on living our lives for Christ.

God bless,
Anthony

Some call it tolerant.... I call it Heresy

I was browsing around the net and thanks to my friend at The Fire of New Desire, I found a video about some churches in Brooklyn that have accepted Homosexuals into their churches. That seems to be the cry of many churches today in an ongoing effort to make everyone feel good while ignoring the Bible. I am sorry if I offend you (not really) but, if you didn't know already homosexuality is against the Bible and is a sin and it is utter heresy to say otherwise. People simply sweep this under the rug by saying that there are errors in the Bible. Well, there are no errors in the Bible as it is the true, inspired word of God. There is no other book like It (sorry Islam, ect.) and we need no other book than It (sorry Mormons). If you are in a church that says there is nothing wrong with homosexuality, RUN FAR, FAR AWAY!!!!!

Homosexuality is a sin like lying, stealing and such. With repentance (asking for forgiveness and turning away from your sin) and trust in Christ a person who is in sin through homosexuality can be forgiven just like a thief and lier can be forgiven.

It is not tolerant to tell homosexuals that it is ok. I am told all the time that I hate gay people because I say that what they do is wrong but in reality, the people that let them sin are the ones that hate homosexuals. I love gay people enough to be ridiculed and to stand up to save them.

If you think that homosexuality is ok, it is time to think and pray really hard be cause you my friend, are sinning and helping others do so. show that you really love gay people by standing up and helping bring them out of sin.

God bless,
Anthony

Merry Chirstmas and some info

Merry Christmas to all my readers!!!

In the hustle and bustle of our consumer driven culture it is important to remember that Christmas is about Christ. Not only his birth but his death as well. Watch this video, it is very good and tells the true meaning of Christmas.

God bless,
Anthony


PS. quick info update, I will be switching blog services shortly and have purchased my own domain name..... so be on the look out for a new page and some exciting new content. Those who are subscribed to my RSS feed will need to change some things.

Abortion is murder?

I recently read a news article on a man that has been arrested for murder of an unborn child after slipping his lover a birth control pill in her drink and causing two miscarriages. The actual charge is called "attempted first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child"...... I find it amusing in a sick sort of way that this man is being sent to prison for what the state says is a womans right. Its just a mass of cells according to them.

This just drives me nuts! Why is it that if a man causes the baby to die its murder but its not of the mother does.... its her right as a woman. NEWS FLASH...... its still murder either way you slice it. If the mother has an abortion, Its murder and if someone else causes the baby to die, its murder as well.

I am not going to hold back any punches. If I offended you by saying that abortion is murder then.... I am not sorry because it is so deal with it. People need to make up their mind, you cannot choose whether a baby is human or not when it is convenient to you. When is this gonna end?

God bless,
Anthony

PURITY: Fully Clothed!: A poem

This is a really sweet poem I read on a site dedicated to purity..... its written by two teen girls who are on a mission to change their generation for Christ. click the link to check it out

God bless,
Anthony
PS more blogs on the way tomorrow

PURITY: Fully Clothed!: A poem

So last night I was watching Lord of the Rings and a line in the movie wouldn't stop going through my head and I ended up writing a poem. This poem has nothing to do with purity, at least not to me, but I felt I needed to share it.



Don't go were I can't follow,
Please don't leave me here alone.
All I want is to hear you again
To feel your touch
And to see you for the first time.
I need you here to guide me through my darkness.
To help me through my confusion.

I need you
The reasons are clear as black is white.
Will you still accept my ruined soul?

Don't go were I can't follow.
I don't want to be lonely anymore.
My eyes are blind,
To what you have in store.
I know I try to walk away from you
Which hammers your limbs once again.
Unfortunately nothing will take away the pain I've caused.

Don't go were I can't follow.
Please don't leave me behind.
I'm here begging for your forgiveness
Even though I don't deserve it.


So after I wrote this I read it over to see if it has anything to do with purity and I figured out it does. The first thing I realized is that many people when reading this would automatically think I was talking about a guy. Which this poem is not about a guy, it is about God. From this I noticed that many people in this generation, mainly girls turn everything into something about a guy. But this is the opposite of what God wants us to do. God doesn't want us to be like this, he wants our number one priority to be him. To me learning this is a big key to staying pure, because we have to get our minds off the world's perspective of love and keep our minds on God's path.

Do I have to say it again? Mormons are not Christian!

I previously wrote a blog called: "Don't Let Politics take Higher importance than Christ" in which I stated some reasons why Mormons are not Christians. Christian Post wrote about Romney's recent speech about Mormonism and as usual, I just had to comment. Here are all the comments:

JLF:

"Along with many Christian evangelicals, the Southern Baptist Convention does not consider Mormonism to be part of historic orthodox Christianity." Neither do Mormons. Mormons believe Jesus is the Christ and worship him. We don't claim to be like the historic Christians because of theological differences. We never have. But we are Christians. Our worship of Christ makes us so. Historic Christians claim to be the sole authority on who is and who isn't. They say real Christians must not only worship Christ they must adhere to a 4th century notions of the nature of God. Mormons disagree. So, after the agreement about Jesus being the son of God, we pretty much separate on a lot things. I could go into details of other things but won't. But we generally agree on other values.

amendoza:

JLF,
If I take a box of Kleenex and call it Jesus does it mean I am a Christian?? just because you call you your god Jesus does not mean he is the same as Christianity. You are not Christian. Christ never changes (see Hebrews 13:8) therefore the original thoughts on God are still for today.

"after the agreement about Jesus being the son of God, we pretty much separate on a lot things" you and I don't even agree on that! you believe that Jesus is a created being while I believe that Christ is God in the flesh and is 100% God and 100% man and 1 of 3 parts of the Trinity.

Just because you claim to be a Christian does not mean you are:

Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

2 Peter 2:1
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

God bless,
Anthony

diligentdave:

What could Romney have said more that would not bury him in a never-ending discussion of his religion, rather than the issues he needs to address as a candidate for the U.S. Presidency? Mr Bennett, a good Catholic that you are (other than on gambling), what did you want to hear that Governor Romney could have said AND still remain a viable candidate for president?

Why is it that the founders forbad a "religious test" in the Constitution, but anti-Mormons think to circumvent this with a "religious test' of one's voting Constituency? Apparently, either the pundits think the constitution is wrong, or they simply want to get Mitt mired in an eternally endless discussion of where and what in Mormonism differs in and from 'traditional Christianity'.

Entering such a discussion for a candidate for this office amounts to a "religious test". Are you all for pharisaically forcing the issue? You don't want to really know about "Mormonism". You rather want to embarass and embroil Matt Romney in a protracted back-and-forth explanation of teachings and practices (current and past) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to make Mitt and Mormonism look heretical, weird and wrong.

What did Mitt (or, for that matter, what does 'Mormonism') say about Jesus Christ that conflicts with the Bible?
Answer me on this, and I will answer you!

summathetes:

How can Jesus Christ be "the Savior of Mankind" and not have been fully God and fully man? How can anyone except God Himself be suficient in redeeming the sins of the world?

amendoza:

diligentdave,
The difference between the Christ of the Bible and the Jesus of LDS church is that while The bible says that God and Christ are Eternal the LDS church states that both are created beings and that god was like man is at one point and mankind can become like god. Did I answer your question??

God bless,
Anthony
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please feel free to add your comments and I will add any other comments posted on Christian Post on here.

God bless,
Anthony

The Room: by Joshua Harris : get ready to be convicted

The Rebelution: The Room: by Joshua Harris

I was recently sent this article: it is really worth the read. Here is the entire article (I provided the link for informational purposes):

The Room: by Joshua Harris

May the beauty of salvation embrace you, may your need for Christ capture you, and may the power of the Cross overwhelm you. For information on the authorship of “The Room” please click here. To download PDF, click here.

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for the mysterious array of black filing cabinets. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read “Girls I Have Liked.” I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one.

And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn’t match.

A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named “Friends” was next to one marked “Friends I Have Betrayed.”

The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. “Books I Have Read,” “Lies I Have Told,” “Comfort I Have Given,” “Jokes I Have Laughed At.” Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: “Things I’ve Yelled at My Brothers.” Others I couldn’t laugh at: “Things I Have Done in My Anger,” “Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents.” I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my 20 years to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked “Songs I Have Listened To,” I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn’t found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked “Lust,” I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded.

An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: “No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!” In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn’t matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore “People I Have Shared the Gospel With.” The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.

But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus.

I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn’t bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one?

Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn’t anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn’t say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card.

“No!” I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was “No, no,” as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn’t be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood.

He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, “It is finished.”

I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

By Joshua Harris. Orginally published in New Attitude Magazine © Copyright New Attitude 1995. You have permission to reprint this in any form. We only ask that you include the appropriate copyright byline. To download PDF version, click here.