The Reigning King

By Justin Edwards

Transcript:

"He is the heir of all things.

He is the Creator of the universe.

He is the radiance of Divine Glory.

He is the facsimile of God's nature.

He is the providential Lord.

He is the successful High Priest.

And finally, He is the reigning King!

After He provided purification for sins He sat down.

Where?

At the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

He sat down at the Supreme Place in of all the universe.

You see, in the ancient world the right hand of the monarch symbolized royal power, absolute authority, and unparalleled glory.

At the accomplishment of His purifying work, Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and He sat down at the Father's right hand - to reign.

And one day He will leave that throne again.

He will return to this place as King to judge.

The unequaled greatness of God's Son.

God's Final Word.

He is the heir of all things.

You belong to Him.

He is the Creator of the universe!

He made you.

He is the radiance of Divine Glory!

To walk away from Him in any direction is descent.

He is the facsimile of God's nature.

All you need to know about God you will find in Him.

He is the providential Lord.

All of your ways have been marked out by His design.

He is the successful High Priest.

Purification for your sin can be found in no other source.

And He is the reigning King.

The One to whom you owe ultimate allegiance.

The One to whom every man, every woman, every boy, every girl will one day bow." - Art Azurdia

Is the Oslo Terrorist a Christian?

By Justin Edwards

Is Anders Behring Breivik a Christian?  Not be a long shot:

(HT: Grace in the Triad)

Project Pride Charlotte (Gay Outreach)

The 2011 Pride Charlotte Festival takes place on August 27th in Uptown Charlotte, NC, and is the culmination of gay pride week celebrating the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community (LGBT). With the recent passing of New York state law legalizing homosexual marriage, the turnout for this event is expected to be greater than otherwise anticipated (Chicago estimates 750,000 attendees during the Chicago Pride Festival).

If you have a compassionate desire to seek the lost in the gay community, we invite you to join us in sharing the Gospel of Christ with the participants of Pride Charlotte. We expect this to be a challenging day as sexual immorality, wickedness, and rejection will abound, nevertheless, into battle we must go – and we have a plan.

We are currently raising money to purchase 20,000 customized Gospel tracts to distribute for this event. As we have raised about 70% of the funds necessary to purchase the tracts, we can still use your financial support to achieve our goal of $700. If you are unable to attend this event, this would be a great way for you to partner with us. Please see The Rainbow Gospel Tract Fundraiser for details.

With the help of committed evangelists, we will be able to distribute all of these tracts and take opportunity to engage in one-on-one witnessing as the Lord permits. The Rainbow Promise message is one of truth and love and makes no direct charge against the sin of homosexuality. Contrary to the message of some street preachers who preach condemnation with their own wicked speech, our message will be one of patience, humility, and grace as we seek to save that which is lost. After all, it is only by the grace of God that any of us have been saved from the bondage of our sin and the wrath of God to come, and it is this message we proclaim that sinners will be saved through the blood of Jesus Christ by repentant faith.

We pray the Lord will stir you with courage to join us on the streets to engage the homosexual community with the only Hope of salvation. As Christ said to His disciples in Matthew 9:37-38,

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Will you labor with us? You are free to join us for the whole day or as time permits you. Please RSVP at the facebook event page and let us know if you have any questions.

Though we go into battle facing “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12), we go not into battle alone. Our God is greater than he that is in the world, and He has armed us with the armor of Light to boldly go forth to make His name known to the ends of the earth, even the darkest of places. Let us take refuge in our Great God and King, our strength and the Rock of our salvation, our fortress and our shield, trusting that He has equipped us for every good work. Let us be faithful servants of the Most High God, loyal to the Great Commission set before us, being vessels of truth to seek and save that which is lost. Soli Deo Gloria!

The Rainbow Promise Fundraiser (Gospel Tract)

Originally posted at The Speak:Truth Project

The Gospel tract for the upcoming Pride Charlotte Festival August 27, 2011 has been finalized!  Josh Earl did an outstanding job with the art design and I’m so thankful that God has enabled us to produce our first customized Gospel tract for such a large event.

If the recent Pride Festivals that followed New York’s passing of a same-sex marriage law in June is any indication of the turnout to be expected in Charlotte (the Chicago Pride Festival estimates 750,000 attendees), then this is going to be a major opportunity to share the Gospel with thousands of people.

And this is where you come in!  Beginning today, we are asking you to join us in raising money to purchase 20,000 tracts (4×6″ postcard-size) from Custom Tract Source before August 12, 2011.  You can help us in the following three ways (MUCH thanks to those who have already contributed!):

1. Contributing financially (every $1 counts!)
2. Sharing this post with your social networks
3. Praying for this fundraiser and for the August 27th event

The Speak:Truth Project will post details for the Project Pride Charlotte event in the next week or so, but we encourage you to begin considering donating to this cause for Christ that at least 20,000 patrons of this festival will receive the Gospel.  These tracts will be accompanied by love and compassion for the lost, as such were some of us who were once dead in our trespasses and sins but by Grace have now been washed, sanctified, and  justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 2:1-10).

Below are the front and back of the Gospel tract (click image for closer view or see text at bottom of post for convenience):

Won’t you prayerfully consider contributing to this mission set before us?  Paypal has made fundraising quite easy – you don’t even need a Paypal account to donate! Just click on the image below to pay with your Paypal account or by other means.  If you’d like to send a check instead, please Contact us for mailing information.  And, of course, whether you can contribute financially or not, we greatly value your prayers for this fundraiser and the event to take place on August 27th.  May our great God and King be glorified in this endeavor, and may the Glorious Lamb receive the reward of His suffering – thank you for your support!

The Rainbow Promise

The rainbow is one of the most beautiful phenomena we have the privilege of sighting in nature. Under the right conditions, the human eye can see the majestic display of the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. While rainbows naturally occur in the sky when sunlight shines through droplets of moisture in earth’s atmosphere, they have much greater significance than merely being a meteorological occurrence. Many thousands of years ago, God promised He would never again destroy all living things by a global flood. God Himself said, “I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth…And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”

God destroyed the earth because man had become so wicked that “every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Though God promised to destroy all life on earth, He also promised to save Noah and his family – and God keeps His promises!

Yet another promise from God is that only the righteous will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Because God is fair, He has given us a way to know whether or not we are righteous – the 10 Commandments. Have you kept them? Let’s find out: Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen something? Have you used God’s name in vain? Have you looked with lust? If you are honest with yourself and before God, you would have to admit you have broken at least 4 of God’s commandments. This would make you a lying thief, a blasphemer, and an adulterer at heart. If you died a sinner today, God must give you what you deserve – eternal hell – because He is a good and just God. Does this concern you?

But God also promises He is rich in mercy! 2,000 years ago, God stepped off His throne in heaven to save His people from their sins. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became a man and fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law by living a sinless life. Because of His great love for sinners, He shed His precious blood on the cross to satisfy God’s wrath against mankind. God punished, crushed, and killed His own Son so that all who believe in Him would be saved through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. After lying 3 days in the grave, Jesus conquered death and was raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of God waiting to return to cast wickedness into the lake of fire once and for all.

God commands all people everywhere to repent (turn from a lifestyle of sin) and turn to Him to love Him and obey Him. He promises to all who place their full trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross to heal them from their sickness of sin. Jesus says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Call upon the name of the Lord to be saved from the bondage of sin, and He promises to give you eternal life and save you from God’s wrath to come. You can then walk in newness of life and you will be set free from the slavery of sin.

Just as the rainbow shines brightest against the backdrop of the darkest storm clouds, the Hope of Jesus Christ shines brightest in sinners most afflicted and destitute in the darkness of sin who have been saved by the glorious grace of God! Do you want to be set free and experience true love, peace, and hope in Jesus Christ?

For more information on how to receive the free offer of salvation and other resources, please visit http://thespeaktruthproject.com

Jesus Christ Is Your Only Hope

By Justin Edwards

Cast yourself upon Christ and flee from the wrath to come - He is your only Hope!

Say No to Rick Perry's "The Response" Prayer Event

By Justin Edwards

The Christian right is once again being swept into the next spiritual revival bandwagon led by American politicians and religious leaders (remember Glenn Beck's rally?).  Texas Governor Rick Perry has called Americans to join him August 6th, 2011 for a time of prayer and fasting for the United States of America.  On the surface, this sounds like a noble and biblical idea to petition God to bring revival in America and turn this country from its moral depravity.  The Response website explains:

America is in the midst of a historic crisis. We have been besieged by financial debt, terrorism, and a multitude of natural disasters. The youth of America are in grave peril economically, socially, and, most of all, morally. There are threats emerging within our nation and beyond our borders beyond our power to solve.

Our nation is at a crossroads. More and more Americans are perceiving the critical juncture we find ourselves in – the future of our nation is determined by the courage of its people: first, in recognizing the magnitude of our common trouble; then, by uniting to seize the unique opportunity this moment offers us. Our response can, in part, determine our future and define for our children – and their children – what kind of nation they will govern, serve, and lead...

...Our hope is found in the One who might turn towards our nation in its time of great need – if we, as a nation would turn to Him in repentance, prayer, and fasting. The call of God to His people in times of great trouble is to gather together and call on Him with one voice, one heart, and a unified desire to see great blessing and great glory come to our nation again. The power of unified prayer from a humble gathering of the saints is found in the hope that He might answer us, and turn the tide of trouble and threats that stand against us. 

Rick Perry invites you:

However, as one peels back the layers and understands who is organizing this event, it should give all Christians great pause.  Heretics and heretical theologies are the pillars of this movement.  I therefore urge you to consider what Brannon Howse has recently revealed in his article, Why I Believe Christians Should Not Participate in Governor Perry's "The Response"  Why It is NOT Just A Prayer Event

The article is a must-read for every Christian or church who is considering participating in this event, as Brannon warns,

I do not believe this event will aide in reclaiming the country, restoring liberty, or prosperity, and it certainly will not prompt God to bless America. I believe such an event will actually hasten God's judgment on our nation...

...I do not believe those participating in The Response, and other such projects, are guilty by association but guilty by participation. I believe they are guilty of giving credibility to false teachers by choosing to unite with false teachers. Ephesians 5:11 says, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." 2 Timothy 3:5 says "and from such people turn away."

...The mixing of evangelicals with false prophets for the sake of the culture war is really an offense to the Gospel. God is not dependent on us to violate Biblical principles in order to be successful at restoring righteousness. How can we restore righteousness through an unrighteous manner? How can we hope to restore Biblical principles within government when we have willingly violated Biblical principles within the church? The end does not justify the means.

God is watching and I contend that our efforts are being thwarted by God as Divine judgment for setting aside Scriptural warnings and uniting with false teachers in spiritual enterprises intertwined with our Christian activism.

When Christians compromise the gospel and unite with false teachers in spiritual and political enterprises, regardless of the political outcome, we will have lost because we gave credibility to false teachers and their false gospel. I believe this is Satan's strategy. Satan has moved his false teachers into our camp as a religious Trojan horse and Christian leaders have embraced the Trojan horse of false teachers...

...Entering into spiritual services or enterprises with false teachers is a clear violation of God's Word. Thus, how can God bless the church in America and our nation when Christians and Christian leaders are in direct disobedience to God's Word? How can Christians and Christian leaders repent of sin while participating in an event that in and of itself is something for which to repent? To repent means to turn from sin. I believe Christians and Christian leaders that participate in The Response, or have participated in other events with false teachers, need to repent for their unbiblical event that is ironically calling for repentance.

I believe that many American Christians will allow their commitment to reclaiming the country, reclaiming Congress, lowering taxes, and defeating the progressives trump their commitment to the Biblical mandate declared in 2 Corinthians 6:14. Christians are commanded in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, to expose every high and lofty thing lifted up against the principles of the Lord.

American Christians should not and cannot rate success on whether or not we "reclaim America." Our success or failure must be based on whether or not we have been faithful servants of the one and only true God and have earnestly contended for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

Please do continue to the entire article as Brannon gives details and links exposing exactly who is organizing and endorsing the event (some may or may not surprise you, like Dr. James Dobson, John Hagee, C. Peter Wagoner, and Mike Bickle). Ultimately, "Prayer is important, prayer for a nation is important, political leaders who recognize this are vital to our national health. But a right thing done in a wrong way is wrong. The end never justifies the means!!" Indeed, which is why American Christians must refuse to participate and sound the alarm to those who might.

Why?

By Justin Edwards

Are you seeking the Savior, or stuff?  Are you seeking Life, or mere life enhancement?  Why exactly do you profess to know or follow Christ?