Lawsuits against believers

There are lawsuits every where in this litigious country. But let it never be amongst the brethren. In 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul declares:

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud even your own brothers!"

Beloved, let us rather suffer wrong. Let us rather be defrauded then let contempt come to Jesus' name. As Christ was crucified unjustly, suffering all manner of wrong, by the hands of wicked men, surly we can put up with a few misgivings can't we? What about true persecution? What about death?

Dear God I hope and pray.

Ordo Salutis - The Order of Salvation

From monergism.com, an article on The Order of Salvation:

Historically in the Church there has been disagreement about the order of salvation, especially between those in the Reformed and Arminian camps. The following two perspectives of God's order in carrying out His redemptive work reveals the stark contrast between these two main historic views. Keep in mind that both viewpoints are based on the redemptive work which Christ accomplished for His people in history:

In the Reformed camp: the ordo salutis is 1) election, 2) predestination, 3) gospel call 4) inward call 5) regeneration, 6) conversion (faith & repentance), 7) justification, 8) sanctification, and 9) glorification. (Rom 8:29-30)

In the Arminian camp: the ordo salutis is 1) outward call 2) faith/election, 3) repentance, 4) regeneration, 5) justification, 6) perseverance, 7) glorification.

Notice the crucial difference in the orders of regeneration and faith. While the Reformed position believes spiritual life is a prerequisite for the existence of the other aspects of salvation, the Arminians believe that fallen, natural man retains the moral capacity to receive or reject the gospel of his own power. Even with the help of grace he still must find it within himself to believe or reject Christ. This has broad implications and raises questions like why does one man believe and not another? You might also notice that, according to Arminians, election is dependent on faith, not the other way around. This is no small matter ...understanding the biblical order, while keeping in mind its unitary process, is crucial and has a profound impact on how one views God, the gospel, and the Bible as a whole.

Two Questions Based on Romans 8:30:

'...these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.'

Q. In light of the above verse, how many who were called, were also justified?
A. answer: ___________________

Q. In light of the above verse, how many do you think have been called, justified, or glorified that He did not first foreknow or foreordain?
A. answer: ___________________

Beginning to see a common thread?

Since my last 2 posts were on the "Religion of Peace," I thought I'd add another one to complete the week. This report is from The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM):

Davou Bulle, his wife, and their 10 children each climbed into the van, exhausted from another full day of work on their family's farm. He started to pull away but was soon jarred to attention by the sound of gunshots hitting the tires. They were being ambushed because of his faith!

The Muslim attackers soon aimed their weapons at the driver, in hopes to first kill the Christian "infidel" then kill his entire family. In an attempt to protect his father, son Gyan lunged at the bullets to shield him, but the bullets found their way to their intended target, killing Davou. Gyan trying to help his father took 14 bullets during the ambush. Davou's wife Mary was hit in the eye during the attack.

Mary was taken into surgery immediately. She lost one of her eyes as a result of the attack. Son Gyan was also operated on, removing all 14 bullets from his body. Miraculously he survived! Davou left behind a wife and 10 children.

More than 10,000 Christians have been killed since 1999 in Nigeria and nearly 1,000 homes and churches have been burned down by Muslim radicals-all because of their faith in Jesus Christ. VOM has opened up a center in Jos, Nigeria for the purpose of helping Christian widows who have lost their husbands at the hands of Muslim fanatics. This center will help these widows develop a trade in sewing or computers so they can support themselves and their children who were left behind.

I may start another blog that chronicles Muhammad's spiritual descendants "peaceful" activities. I suspect that this would be a full-time job though, so don't expect much of it.

The VOM have a free monthly newsletter that does this very thing and much more. If you want to stay up to date on Christian persecution I'd suggest you subscribe now.

Shocker: London suicide bombers are Muslim

More faithful followers of the Religion of Peace. This article is an interview with the uncle of one of the suicide bombers in London this past week. Seriously, did ANYONE not think Muslims were behind the bombings in London?

"The uncle of one of the London bombers today spoke of his family's devastation. Bashir Ahmed, 65, said the family of Shehzad Tanweer had been 'left shattered' by the news that the 22-year-old was a suicide bomber. Speaking at the family home in Beeston, Leeds, he said: 'The family is shattered. This is a terrible thing.'

Mr Ahmed said it was hard for the family to accept their son had caused such loss of life, adding: 'It wasn't him. It must have been forces behind him.' He said his nephew was intelligent, adding: 'He was a very kind and calm person. He was respected by everyone.'

Pakistan trip Mr Ahmed said his nephew went to Pakistan for two months earlier this year to study religion. He denied earlier reports that his nephew traveled to Afghanistan and took part in training camps. 'There is no way, I have seen his passport.' Mr Ahmed described his nephew as 'calm and collected'. He added: 'He was intelligent. He went to university, Leeds Met, to study sport science. His plan was to go into sports.' He added: 'He had everything to live for. His parents were loving and supportive. They had no financial worries.' He said he now accepted the family may have to move away from the area.

If you want to read brief profiles of 3 of the 4 Muhammad wanabees, go here.

Van Gogh's encounter with the 'Religion of Peace'

This article is from the Netherlands where Van Gogh was murdered in broad daylight by "a religion of peace" adherent. Strangely, this one his very honest about his religion. There are many Muslims that are very honest about Islam and their Founder - Muhammad. You'll only find them in Islamic nations though. Not like the Muslims that hide in free and open societies under the banner of 'moderate.' Or the western, sanitized version of Islam.

The man accused of killing Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh confessed to a Dutch court that he acted out of his religious beliefs, saying he would do "exactly the same" if he were ever set free.

"I take complete responsibility for my actions. I acted purely in the name of my religion," 27-year-old Dutch-Moroccan national Mohammed Bouyeri told the court in Amsterdam on the final day of his trial.

Prosecutor Frits van Straelen demanded a life sentence for Bouyeri for killing Van Gogh on an Amsterdam street on November 2, 2004. He recalled the particular brutality of the murder in broad daylight saying Bouyeri not only shot Van Gogh 15 times but also stabbed him and finally slit his throat.

According to the prosecutor the murder of Van Gogh, an outspoken columnist who often criticised Islam and the multi-cultural society, deeply shocked Dutch society.

The killing -- which happened in plain view of more than 50 witnesses while the filmmaker was cycling to work -- stoked ethnic tensions and sparked a wave of reprisal attacks primarily directed at the Muslim community here.

In addition to a life sentence, the prosecution also demanded that Bouyeri be stripped of his right to vote or stand for election for the rest of his life, "to literally place him outside of our democracy".

After the prosecution's closing statement Bouyeri, who had refused to say anything about his motives during the trial, took the opportunity to make a final statement.

"I can assure you that one day, should I be set free, I would do exactly the same, exactly the same," he said, speaking slowly in sometimes halted Dutch.

He said he felt an obligation to Van Gogh's mother Anneke, present in court, to speak, but offered no sympathy.

"I have to admit I do not feel for you, I do"

"I acted out of conviction -- not because I hated your son."

Yeah, yeah, there will be several people saying, "But he doesn't represent all of Islam!" "There are moderate Muslims." On and on it goes. Well, those 'moderate' Muslims are disobeying, disregarding, and going against their Leader's example and teachings. (At least when it comes to anything other than religious ceremonial practices).

Did you hear the prosecution in the case? They demanded that Bouyeri be stripped of his right to vote or stand for election for the rest of his life, "to literally place him outside of our democracy." Yeah. That'll learn you!