Michael

Interview with Franky Collazo – Wrath and Grace

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Wrath and Grace is holding a conference June 30, 2018 at Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. I sat down with Franky Collazo, who is organizing this event in order to hear from his heart what he and the team at Wrath and Grace hope to accomplish. Michael: Thanks for agreeing to talk to … Read more

No, We Do Not Need to Own Hitler

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1 You can hardly visit a social media thread/debate without seeing the commission of countless logical fallacies. The level at which unregenerate people and immature/uneducated Christians commit logical fallacies is only eclipsed by their perceived mastery of them. Something I have observed is that many people accuse other of fallacious reasoning when there really is not … Read more

Varieties of Gifts

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One thing I’ve noticed over the past several decades of watching the NFL playoffs and Super Bowls is that the teams that go to the playoffs and deepest into the playoffs have the most Pro-Bowl selections. What is striking, though is the team with the NFL rushing leaders or passing leader isn’t always the team that stands victorious at the end.

Teams that hold the trophy at the end are almost universally made up of a large group of guys who all played their part in the success. No one chastises the left tackle for the fact that he scored zero touchdowns. Yet the touchdowns scored by the team are credited to the left tackle for the part he played in making them happen.

A Variety of Gifts

Such is the case in the church as well. In 1 Peter 4:10, Peter writes, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace,” and then follows up with a list of the types of gifts God has given the church. Not only has God provided a variety of gifts to the church, each individual has his or her own personality and character. Some folks are more extroverted while some are introverted. Some people are more likely to dive headlong into a risky situation, and others will be cautious, maybe overly cautious at times.

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International Women’s Day & Knowledge of God

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If you venture to Google.com on March 8 of any year, you’ll find a doodle promoting International Women’s Day. I want to draw your attention to this screenshot from 2018’s doodle. It’s a depiction of women in all sorts of professional roles, presumably roles they once felt prohibited from obtaining. You will also notice that there … Read more

2018 Arnold Classic Outreach Report

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The Lord Jesus Christ blessed us with pleasant weather and friendly crowds at the 2018 Arnold Classic Outreach in Columbus, OH. The Arnold Classic is an international exposition featuring athletes from a number of different sports including, bodybuilding, weightlifting, martial arts, gymnastics, and more. Vendors of all types of nutrition supplements to exercise gear or … Read more

Do ALL Things Without Complaining?

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These guys complained and what happened next will shock you!
Remember Numbers 11? God takes complaining WAY more seriously than many of us think.

My wife posted the quote below on Facebook in regard to complaining:

If you are a sovereigntist, or one who believes in the absolute sovereignty of our God, and you gripe or complain about your circumstances, you’re being a hypocrite; for you demonstrate, with your words and by your actions, that you don’t actually trust God that He is in control. — Gabriel Hughes

One of the commenters offered a perspective I thought was worth considering:

What if I gripe and complain about my circumstances because I see my folly that led me into those circumstances? Yes, I’m a sovereigntist. And yet our God is also one who allows things to happen for his glory. It’s a fine hair because he is still ultimately in control in allowing me to make poor choices.

What follows is my response to that question.

God Really Is Sovereign

First, it is necessary to understand what it means that God is sovereign as well as believe that God is sovereign. That is, he is the supreme ruler, or ultimate power – absolutely. Possessing all power, God is thus able to create any potential circumstance. What we conclude from these facts is that, in a very real sense, we live in the best of all possible worlds. Yes, that is right. Because God is perfect and possesses absolute power and supremacy, we can be sure that there is no world of which we could conceive that would be better in an objective sense. That is to say, the reality we experience is the reality which ascribes to God the glory He deserves.

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Things Above Us?

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Colossians 3:1-2 is, in essence, the theme of this blog.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.[/perfectpullquote]

So how can a group of guys get together, entitle a blog “Things Above Us” in clear reference to scripture, then proceed to make sports one of the four pillars of categories alongside such heavenly minded topics as theology, evangelism and missions?

Let’s briefly (for word count purposes) examine Col 3:1-2. Mouse over the verse references to read them or just keep a copy of God’s Word open next to you or in another browser tab.

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An Evil and Adulterous Generation

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The Argument Matthew 16:4 [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.”[/perfectpullquote] One of the ways many good Christians have attempted to combat continuationism in the church is … Read more

It Hurts Right Here

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The Problem A few months ago I developed a tightness in my right Achilles tendon when squatting. When I would hit the bottom of a squat, I would feel a burning sensation where the tendon attaches to my heel. Realizing it was not correct, I stopped achieving full range of motion and began to treat … Read more

Dispensing the Gospel to a Graduate

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Introduction

This is the first in a series of posts where I hope to provide training and encouragement to dear Christian brothers and sisters who want to dispense the gospel in various situations.

[bctt tweet=”For many people, giving the gospel to family and friends is especially difficult. The fear of offending the family member” username=”ThingsAboveBlog”]For many people, giving the gospel to family and friends is especially difficult. The fear of offending the family member is rational (that is, it’s likely they will be offended), and often overshadows the fear we have of the Lord’s wrath upon the sinner. Do I really want my cousin’s kid to get offended and then tell my cousin, who I’m not even that close with anymore, that I’m a religious nut? Should I be afraid to be accused of taking a time for celebration and turning it into my own personal, religious issue?

I hope that one’s desire to see the lost person saved and belief in the power of the gospel (Rom 10:17) is sufficient to get all of us to push past these fears and give out the gospel even in tough situations. Having prefaced the following with that, here is a sample letter to a recent graduate you can modify to your own liking. I also suggest a proper gift for the occasion, even if you have to ask someone to help you with that.

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