True Evangelical Faith

I was sent this message in my Berean Call Newsletter for 14 November 2014, and I just had to share it with you all.  It is one of the best descriptions of how an Evangelical Christian life should be that I have ever seen anywhere. Oh, how I wish mine could be like this!

"True evangelical faith is of such a nature it cannot lie dormant, but spreads itself out in all kinds of righteousness and fruits of love. It dies to flesh and blood; it destroys all lusts and forbidden desires; it seeks, serves, and fears God in its inmost soul; it clothes the naked; it feeds the hungry; it comforts the sorrowful; it shelters the destitute; it aids and consoles the sad; it does good to those who do it harm; it serves those that harm it; it prays for those who persecute it; it teaches, admonishes, and judges us with the Word of the Lord; it seeks those who are lost; it binds up what is wounded; it heals the sick; it saves what is strong (sound); it becomes all things to all people. The persecution, suffering, and anguish that come to it for the sake of the Lord's truth have become a glorious joy and comfort to it."
--Menno Simons (1496-31 January 1561, Anabaptist leader, Simons was a contemporary of the Protestant Reformers, and his followers became known as Mennonites)

You can find The Berean Call website at http://www.thebereancall.org/.  It is an awesome site I found many years ago when I was struggling with, and questioning, things that were going on in the church I was a member of at the time, looking for answers to my dilemma, and it literally helped to save my walk with the Lord.  I learned so much, and the Lord used it to open my eyes to the truth of His Word, and as a consequence I was able to walk away from this church, which was preaching heresy and false doctrine (and which literally destroyed so many of my friends' marriages and lives) without any regrets at all.  

For 3 years after leaving this church, and seeking a deeper relationship with the Lord than I had ever had before, I was inspired to write all the poetry that I will be featuring on this blog.  I had never written poetry before, but I literally had to carry a note pad with me everywhere I went, because I would get a poem whilst driving in the car, walking through the shopping centre, visiting friends and family, in the bathroom, and I would even wake up at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning.  They came to me complete, and I never knew what I had written until I read them again.  I just knew that if I didn't get them down right away I wouldn't be able to write them later.  It was the most amazing and inspirational experience I have ever had.  Then, after writing over 160 poems, it was as though the tap was turned off.  I tried writing more, but I found it was a real struggle, and that is why I believe that I was guided by the Holy Spirit, and it wasn't just coming from me.

As you will realise, when you read my poetry, my life has not been an easy one, to say the least, and I believe the Lord realised that I had to get all my emotions down on paper to help other Christians, who are struggling to grasp the fact that they ARE loved, to realise that there IS someone who is there with them AT ALL TIMES, and who loves them with an everlasting, unconditional love.  This has always been a hard thing for me to believe, having never experienced what a father's love should be like, and never hearing the words "I love you" from my own father (or mother), and I just couldn't understand how anyone could love me the way God did - and the way every earthly father (and mother) SHOULD.  These poems helped me to come to understand that God DOES love me this way as I poured out my heart on paper, day after day.  So, if you are struggling, let me reassure you that He does love you, and always will, even if you stumble and fall.  He understands, and if you truly repent, and ask His forgiveness, He will pick you up, dust you off, wipe the slate clean and you can start again, with Him by your side to guide you, or to carry you when you are going through tough times. 

I also realised that there had been a reason for all the things that I had experienced throughout my life, because if they had never happened, I wouldn't have been able to help others who have been through the same things I have.  People usually say "Oh, I understand what you are going through", but unless someone really has experienced it themselves, they can't understand at all.  However, I started to realise that, as the Word of God says, "all things work together for good for those love the Lord, and are called according to His purpose".  

There have been many times over the years that I have cried out to the Lord "Why me, Lord?" but never seemed to get an answer.  I guess I won't really find out why until my life on earth is over, or the Lord comes to take me home, so I just move on and keep trusting Him to know what is best for me.  I still struggle, don't get me wrong, especially when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February this year and had to undergo surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy for it.  Praise the Lord, though, I have come through OK so far, and my doctors a sure that I am in remission and that they got all the cancer when they did the surgery, so I consider myself a survivor, and I intend to stay one, with God's help.

I hope you will check out The Berean Call site, and that you can find something there that will help you as much as it has helped me in the past, and still is after many, many years.  I also thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you will come back again soon to see what I have for you.  I know this has been a long message, but once I started to write I just couldn't stop, so I guess, once again, the Lord wanted me to write it!  If it helps just one person in their walk with the Lord, I know I will be happy, and I hope the Lord will be happy, too.

God bless you, and peace be with you.

 Hugs

Christine

(Please check out my other blog at the link below, too.)

My Nail Art Journey
http://chips48nailartjourney.blogspot.com.au/

Do You Feel There Is No Hope?

I wrote this poem one night when I was thinking about where I had been in the past and comparing it to where I am now. The Lord reminded me that there were a lot of people in the world, including Christians, who, like me, in times of trouble start to feel full of despair and forget that there IS hope and help for them, if they would just reach out their hands to the Lord and let Him take control of their lives.

Do You Feel There Is No Hope?

In your times of deep despair,
Do you feel there is no hope?
As the darkness closes in on you
Do you feel you cannot cope?

As you struggle on through every trial,
Do you say "When will it end"?
As you cry yourself to sleep at night,
Do you wish you had a friend?

 When your body's racked with aches and pains,
Do you feel you are alone?
Or, when you think about the future,
Do you fear the great unknown?

There is someone who really cares,
And He hears your every cry.
His heart is calling out to you,
And on Him you can rely.

When things close in around you,
He sees your fear and doubt –
He wants to hold you in His arms,
And He will never cast you out.

As you stumble through the darkness,
He will be your guiding light.
He wants to wipe away your tears,
For you are precious in His sight.

So, reach out right now to Jesus,
And let Him take complete control –
Then He'll take that heavy burden,
And He'll touch and make you whole.

He's reaching out His arms to you,
 And He wants to be your friend.
 Let Him take you in His loving arms,
For His love will never end. 

Copyright © 1992 Christine Chipman. All rights reserved.

God bless you, and peace be with you.

 Hugs

Christine

(Please check out my other blog at the link below, too.)

My Nail Art Journey
http://chips48nailartjourney.blogspot.com.au/

IS YOUR CHURCH WORSHIP MORE PAGAN THAN CHRISTIAN?

"IS YOUR CHURCH WORSHIP MORE PAGAN THAN CHRISTIAN? [Excerpts]

There is a great misunderstanding in churches of the purpose of music in Christian worship. Churches routinely advertise their "life-changing" or "dynamic" worship that will "bring you closer to God" or "change your life." Certain worship CD's promise that the music will "enable you to enter the presence of God." Even a flyer for a recent conference for worship leaders boasted: "Join us for dynamic teaching to set you on the right path, and inspiring worship where you can meet God and receive the energy and love you need to be a mover and shaker in today's world...Alongside our teaching program are worship events which put you in touch with the power and love of God."

The problem with the flyer and with many church ads is that these kinds of promises reveal a significant theological error. Music is viewed as a means to facilitate an encounter with God; it will move us closer to God. In this schema, music becomes a means of mediation between God and man. But this idea is closer to ecstatic pagan practices than to Christian worship.

Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. He alone is the One who brings us to God. The popular but mistaken notions regarding worship music undermine this foundational truth of the Christian faith. It is also ironic that while many Christians deny the sacramental role of those ordinances which the Lord Himself has given to the church (baptism and the Lord's Supper) they are eager to grant music sacramental powers. Music and "the worship experience" are viewed as means by which we enter the presence of God and receive his saving benefits. There is simply no evidence whatsoever in Scripture that music mediates direct encounters or experiences with God. This is a common pagan notion. It is far from Christian.

[There are] four consequences of viewing music as an encounter with God. I will summarize them.

1. God's Word is marginalized: In many Churches and Christian gatherings it is not unusual for God's Word to be shortchanged. Music gives people the elusive "liver quiver" while the Bible is more mundane. Pulpits have shrunk and even disappeared while bands and lighting have grown. But faith does not come from music, dynamic experiences, or supposed encounters with God. Faith is birthed through the proclamation of God's Word (Rom 10:17).

2. Our assurance is threatened: If we associate God's presence with a particular experience or emotion, what happens when we no longer feel it? We search for churches whose praise band, orchestra, or pipe organ produce in us the feelings we are chasing. But the reality of God in our lives depends on the mediation of Christ not on subjective experiences.

3. Musicians are given priestly status: When music is seen as a means to encounter God, worship leaders and musicians are vested with a priestly role. They become the ones who bring us into the presence of God rather than Jesus Christ who alone has already fulfilled that role. Understandably, when a worship leader or band doesn't help me experience God they have failed and must be replaced. On the other hand, when we believe that they have successfully moved us into God's presence they will attain in our minds a status that is far too high for their own good.

4. Division is increased: If we identify a feeling as an encounter with God, and only a particular kind of music produces that feeling, then we will insist that same music be played regularly in our church or gatherings. As long as everyone else shares our taste then there is no problem. But if others depend upon a different kind of music to produce the feeling that is important to them then division is cultivated. And because we routinely classify particular feelings as encounters with God our demands for what produce those feelings become very rigid. This is why so many churches succumb to offering multiple styles of worship services. By doing so, they unwittingly sanction division and self-centeredness among the people of God. 

Scripture is full of exhortations to God's people to sing and make music to the Lord. Our God has been gracious to give us this means to worship Him. But it is important to understand that music in our worship is for two specific purposes: to honor God and to edify our fellow believers. Unfortunately, many Christians tend to grant music a sacramental power which Scripture never bestows upon it."

For more of this article, go to

http://www.christianity.com/church/worship-and-hymns/is-your-church-worship-more-pagan-than-christian.html

I was sent this article in the October 16th 2014 "The Berean Call" newsletter, and just had to share it with you all.  It says what I have been thinking for many, many years, and definitely contained Words of Life and Hope, which is what I want to share on this blog! The information covered is what destroyed the last church my husband and I belonged to, and in the process, destroyed the lives of most of the congregation (including one who actually committed suicide) who were deceived by the pastor of the church and his family, and assistant pastor and his family.  I'm so glad that there are still people willing to speak out against this deception and point people in the right direction again.

God bless you, and peace be with you.

Hugs

Christine

My Nail Art Journey
chips48nailartjourney.blogspot.com

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PROMISES

  

   
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PROMISES

Lord, I want to thank You for the promises
You made in Your Word for me,
And I'm so grateful for Your sacrifice,
For by it I've been set free.

You promised me eternal life
If I would just believe in You,
And I'm waiting for that blessed day
When this fact for me comes true.

You promised I'd be born again,
And Lord, I surely know,
That when You shed Your precious blood
You washed me white as snow.

You promised I'd be forgiven
If in my heart I'd truly repent,
And I'd no longer be hurt and troubled,
But peaceful and content.

You said it would not be easy
To follow the road that leads to You,
But if I kept to the straight and narrow path
That You would see me through.

But the most exciting promise You made,
If I would simply trust in You,
Is that when my work on earth is done
I'd forever live with You.

You've gone to prepare for me a mansion
With You in heaven up above,
And forever I will dwell with You
And bask within Your love.

So I thank You for Your promise
That I'll stand before Your throne,
And forevermore my praise will ring
For You and You alone.

Copyright © 1998 Christine Chipman. All rights reserved.

Thank you for visiting, God bless you, and peace be with you.

 Hugs

Christine

(Please check out my other blog at the link below, too.)

My Nail Art Journey
http://chips48nailartjourney.blogspot.com.au/

As I'd Cower Beneath The Covers...

As I'd cower beneath the covers at night,

So battered, broken and bruised,

I'd feel so lost and frightened…

So utterly lonely and confused.

I'd wonder if I'd done something wrong –

Was this the way things had to be?

I'd silently scream out in my heart,

"Please, won't somebody set me free?"

Just when I'd think things couldn't get worse

Something would happen to prove me wrong,

And I'd wonder if things would ever change –

Or be like this my whole life long.

Then one day I was introduced to Jesus,

And I was told that He'd be my friend –

That, if I would just give my life to Him,

My broken heart He would mend.

I learned if I repented of my sin,

And let Him take complete control,

That He would take me in His arms,

And would touch me and make me whole.

Now, no matter what happens in my life,

I know Jesus will be my guide

And, if I fall, I know He'll lift me up,

For He is always at my side.

I now have a heart full of joy and peace,

And a haven to which I can run,

For Jesus died to set me free,

And my new life with Him has begun.

One day soon He's coming to take me home

To my mansion waiting in the sky –

There'll be no more sorrow, no more pain,

And I know I will never, ever die.

Copyright © 1999 Christine Chipman. All rights reserved.

God bless you, and peace be with you.

 Hugs

Christine

(Please check out my other blog at the link below, too.)

My Nail Art Journey
http://chips48nailartjourney.blogspot.com.au/