He was wounded for our transgressions...

He was bruised for our iniquities...

Did Constantine decide the contents of the Bible at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD ?

We speak every so often to people who make the claim that the contents of the Bible were decided or changed by the Emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicea. Here is an article by Dr. James R. White addressing the issue of what really happened at Nicea. I hope it will be instructive to you.

What Really Happened at Nicea? by James R. White

Summary
The Council of Nicea is often misrepresented by cults and other religious movements. The actual concern of the council was clearly and unambiguously the relationship between the Father and the Son. Is Christ a creature, or true God? The council said He was true God. Yet, the opponents of the deity of Christ did not simply give up after the council’s decision. In fact, they almost succeeded in overturning the Nicene affirmation of Christ’s deity. But faithful Christians like Athanasius continued to defend the truth, and in the end, truth triumphed over error.

Link to the article.
www.equip.org/articles/what-really-happened-at-nicea-

St. Patrick - The Confessions

The Confessions of St Patrick – (probably written about 450 AD)

1. I, Patrick, a sinner, a most simple countryman, the least of all the faithful and most contemptible to many ….. I was at that time about sixteen years of age. I did not, indeed, know the true God; and I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people, according to our deserts, for quite drawn away from God, we did not keep his precepts, nor were we obedient to our priests who used to remind us of our salvation. And the Lord brought down on us the fury of his being and scattered us among many nations, even to the ends of the earth, where I, in my smallness, am now to be found among foreigners.
2. And there the Lord opened my mind to an awareness of my unbelief, in order that …. I might remember my transgressions and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God, who had regard for my insignificance and pitied my youth and ignorance. And he watched over me before I knew him and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil, and he protected me, and consoled me as a father would his son.

7. I am not ignorant of what is said of my Lord in the Psalm: ‘You destroy those who speak a lie.’ And again: ‘A lying mouth deals death to the soul.’ And likewise the Lord says in the Gospel: ‘On the day of judgment men shall render account for every idle word they utter.’

In context the Son of God said that people will give account for every careless or idle word that they speak against the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth. For he says, by your words (for the truth) you will be justified, and by your words (against the truth) you will be condemned” (Mat 12:31-37)

The Apostle Paul wrote that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Rom 1:18)

The writer of Proverbs tells us that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord (Prov 12:22) and that the Lord hates a lying tongue. (Prov 6:17)

David as Patrick quoted says, “You destroy all those who speak lies” (Ps 5:6)

John says in Revelation that, “the cowardly, the faithless… those who are idolaters, and all liars, will have their place in the lake that burns with fire…." (Rev 21:8)

Timothy says that the Law is laid down not for the righteous but for liars. (I Tim 1:8-10)

The question is why is the God, that St Patrick served so concerned about the truth about Himself that he would threaten people who do not love it with eternal justice?

Think of it this way, there may be some lies that you can easily overlook but lies against your character and against your good name cannot be ignored. These kinds of lies are called slander in their spoken form and libel in their written form. They are so serious that they are actionable in our legal system. You can take someone to court and win damages against them because they have done harm to your reputation.

So what if a person makes slanderous accusations against the Creator of the universe? Do you think that would be a serious offense? How bad of a liar is someone who makes false allegations against the Spirit of truth Himself? You see the apostle Paul makes it clear in his letter to the Romans that everyone is aware of God. No one has the excuse of ignorance because God has made his eternal power and divine nature plain to all people ever since the creation of the world in the things that are made. So we are without excuse because even though we are aware of God we are all guilty of failing to honor God as they should. We have all at some time in our lives loved other things more than God and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator. As John Piper has so aptly put it “God is infinitely worthy of our admiration, loyalty and respect” therefore “failure to love Him is not trivial it is treason”. And because God is holy, righteous and just, He cannot overlook our suppression of the truth. People will be called to account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word that they have spoken against God's character and name. And our very words will either justify us or condemn us on that day.

And that is why God sent his Son into the world to save sinful suppressors of the truth like me. And as St. Patrick said, to open my mind to an awareness of my unbelief, in order that …. I might remember my transgressions and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God.

Jesus came into the world about 2000 years ago. Being fully God and fully man he lived a perfectly righteous life. He loved God perfectly as we all should love him and he perfectly loved his neighbor as himself. And 30 to 33 years into his earthly life He voluntarily went to a criminal’s death on the cross taking the full measure of God’s wrath that His people rightly deserved upon Himself. On the third day he rose from the grave, as he had promised, demonstrating that he was truly the unique Son of God and the Savior of the world.

God has commanded all people everywhere to repent and trust in Christ alone to save them from the coming judgment. In order to truly begin to love God you need a deep-seated change of heart and mind which results in a drastic change of direction like that which St Patrick experienced. If you have not yet received the gift of repentance and faith, it is our prayer that our gracious God and Savior will raise you out of death to life through faith in Christ alone. If you love the God of truth we pray that he will empower you to continue to grow in love for the truth about Him and in your willingness to speak the truth in love to others.

Check out the rest of St Patrick’s work here:

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/patrick/confession.toc.html

Is It Wrong to Judge?

What is the real winning of a soul for God?

Panorama of Old Town 12-18-2010 on CleVR.com

What is the real winning of a soul for God? So far as this is done by instrumentality, what are the processes by which a soul is led to God and to salvation? I take it that one of its main operations consists in instructing a man that he may know the truth of God. Instruction by the gospel is the commencement of all real work upon men's minds. "Go ye, therefore, and teach.. CHS “The Soul-Winner” pg 14

Taking the Good News of Christ to Old Town

Lecrae - Don't Waste Your Life

Tony and CJ on Blogtalk Radio

The sky above proclaims his handiwork

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
(Psa 19:1-14)

The best attraction is the gospel...

Panorama of Old Town April 2010 on CleVR.com

“To try to win a soul for Christ by keeping that soul in ignorance of any truth, is contrary to the mind of the Spirit; and to endeavor to save men by mere claptrap, or excitement, or oratorical display, is as foolish as to hope to hold an angel with bird-lime, or lure a star with music. The best attraction is the gospel in its purity. The weapon with which the Lord conquers men is the truth as it is in Jesus. The gospel will be found equal to every emergency; an arrow which can pierce the hardest heart, a balm which will heal the deadliest wound. Preach it, and preach nothing else. Rely implicitly upon the old, old gospel. You need no other nets when you fish for men; those your Master has given you are strong enough for the great fishes, and have meshes fine enough to hold the little ones. Spread these nets and no others, and you need not fear the fulfillment of His Word, "I will make you fishers of men." Charles H. Spurgeon, The Soul-Winner pg 18

Everyone Knows or No One Knows?

The Word of our God will Stand

The light of the gospel of the glory of Christ

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. (2Co 4:1-12)

Seek the LORD while he may be found

"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
(Isa 55:6-11)

Many people who are not willing to acknowledge God's existence seem to base their refusal on their inability to understand God either in part or in whole. Some claim that the very idea of God's existence is illogical. Others take issue with various aspects of what is claimed to be true about God in the Bible. One question to consider is whether or not we should expect a self-existent eternal Being to be fully understood by creatures that are neither self-existent nor eternal. As the Lord says in this passage, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways". Why should we expect it to be any different?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:31-39)

Go Stand Speak: The Forgotten Power of the Public Proclamation of the Gospel

Should Christians be proclaiming the Gospel of the good news of the glory of Christ outside the fours walls of their church? If not why not? If we should why are not more doing it?

July 2010 Ambassador's Academy

Video by Darryl Bradford Jr

Larimer County Fair Parade

On Wednesday night we went down to Loveland, Colorado. They were having a parade in conjunction with the Larimer County Fair. We were a bit late but were able to catch quite a few people heading back to their cars. We stopped at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and 4th Street and because there was a good amount of traffic from the parade all going north on the one way street, many people were able to see the cross. We handed out tracts to the people passing by and were able to engage a few people in conversation.. We also had some interaction with some local bar patrons and homeless people most of whom were too drunk to really have much intelligent conversation with them. One older gentleman came out of the bar and repeated several times, “Jesus loves you” and then said that we should not make a spectacle of the cross. Another said that his friend told him that he was going to nail me onto the cross. We had a fairly long conversation with both Abraham and Jessica who lived nearby wherein we were able to proclaim the law and the gospel to them. Jessica was congenial and took a New Testament. Abraham was also very nice. He told us he was from Chihuahua. We also talked to a man named Lee who stopped on his bicycle to see what we were doing. He said he was an agnostic fundamentalist and laughed saying it was only a joke he liked to tell. He seemed to be under conviction as we went through some of the commandments with him. As we talked with him, another couple approached us who had a look that said “we really need to tell you something about what you are doing”. We asked them to wait while we finished talking to Lee. Our conversation ended quickly when Tracy told Lee that hatred was murder of the heart. He muttered something about us being “too much” and rode away without looking back. We then turned to the couple that was waiting to talk to us. They both had their arms folded tightly across their chests. Rick and Mya identified themselves as Christians and wanted to know what we believed about President Obama. We told them we were not really there to discuss politics. Rick was sure that Mr. Obama was the anti-Christ. Things went downhill when we began to explain to them the gospel starting with the God and the fall of mankind. We explained that we are all by nature enemies of God. Rick was very sure that we were wrong about this and that God had no enemies at all. We pointed him to Rom 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Rick was not really interested in hearing what we had to say. Shortly thereafter, he and his companion departed rather abruptly. My question is that if, we have never come to grips with the truth that we are by nature enemies of God, can we really be God's friend? We also had the chance to talk to Chris a very nice young man who was looking for a solid church to attend. Please pray for all who heard or read the truth of the gospel or who were reminded of it by seeing the cross.

Where is the one who is wise?

Photo by Darryl Bradford Jr


Sam the Cambridge PhD tries to convince Mark Spence that there are absolutely no absolutes.

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
(1Co 1:20-21)


"An idea has long possessed the public mind that a religious man can scarcely be a wise man. It has been the custom to talk of infidels, atheists and deists as men of deep thought and comprehensive intellect. And to tremble for the Christian controversialist, as if he must surely fall by the hand of the enemy. But this is purely a mistake. For the Gospel is the sum of wisdom, an epitome of knowledge, a treasure house of Truth and a Revelation of mysterious secrets. In it we see how justice and mercy may be married. Here we behold inexorable Law entirely satisfied and sovereign love bearing away the sinner in triumph. Our meditation upon it enlarges the mind. And as it opens to our soul in successive flashes of glory, we stand astonished at the profound wisdom manifest in it." CH Spurgeon

Third Street Promenade Open-Air (July 30, 2010)

We traveled to Santa Monica along with about 60 other Evangelists to proclaim the good news of the glory of Christ. Our goal was to make known the message of what our great God and Savior accomplished in a clear and winsome manner. Did we accomplish our goal? I hope that we did. We know that we have much to learn. The Apostle Peter wrote this, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." Amen, may be it so!