Caffeinated Thoughts

Called and Chosen, but What about Faithful?
Pittsburgh or Your Family? You Choose Who Lives or Dies
I Support Tamara Scott for Iowa’s Republican National Committeewoman
Sarah Palin to Headline RightOnline

Called and Chosen, but What about Faithful?

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 03:54 AM PDT

Revelation 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

That we are called is without dispute. God saw us from before he even began the universe. We were not afterthoughts. He called us by name, who were written in the Lamb's Book of Life. They were not empty spaces left waiting to be filled, for he foreknew us. Of all that were lost, God has graciously chosen to save us unworthy sinners.

Christian pastors should never resist preaching grace for fear that some might respond to it by living profligate and self-destructive lives, saying to themselves that if God wants to save them, He will. But, if He does not save them, their punishment is just, because the sinner heaps judgment upon himself by saying that “God does not see.” Yet, it is just those kinds of rebellious sinners that God often chooses to save.

Indeed many pastors preach salvation by grace freely, indiscriminately, perhaps to even say promiscuously, and God rescues sinners from their sins, even the sin of unbelief. It is a marvel. It is amazing. For the believer, He grants unto us both faith and repentance and all things needed to save us.

For the same reason, neither should pastors be afraid to preach about election. That many are called and few are chosen. That God passes over some and saves others. Of course, preachers should be clear that whosoever calls upon Him and looks to Him in faith will be saved. This is of great comfort to His people.

So while there are many in our day who willingly preach the gospel call and election, I fear that we have neglected the third

earthly promise gifted to His people: faithfulness. As if to echo the warning in Galatians, if not outright violate it, we have begun in the Spirit but continued in the flesh. Rare is the sermon heard today on the promise of God that He WILL sanctify you. He will cause you to be faithful.

When Christians sin, it is easy to give stern warning, and that rightly so. It is Biblical. But as long as they continue the struggle, they must be also given comfort and hope that God loves them and will forgive them, but also that He WILL sanctify them. This promise is just as sure as the one that he will save us.

Did the Father hear His Son's prayer mentioned in John 17:17?

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

Did God keep the promise He made to the Apostle Paul that his preaching was destined

"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me." (Acts 16:18).

Other relevant Scriptures are:

I Thessalonians 5:23f And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

II Thessalonians 3:3-5 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep [you] from evil And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

God will not only keep you to the end, as many Christians correctly assert, but he will sanctify you in the meantime. You can trust that He has called you, chosen you and He will cause you to be faithful.

Pittsburgh or Your Family? You Choose Who Lives or Dies

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:13 AM PDT

From my new book, With Christ in the Voting Booth:

“If a terrorist threatened to blow up the city of Pittsburgh unless you killed all your family members, would God hold you responsible if you refused the terrorist's demand and he followed through on his threat? Absolutely not. If on the other hand, you killed your family in order to save the city, would you be guiltless? No. You are to do the right thing, and trust that God will bring about justice. Pray that the terrorist is caught or dies of a heart attack. Perhaps it is a hoax. But you cannot do what is wrong, in order to bring about good (A damnable prospect, see Romans 3:1-8)”

I grant that something like this is more likely to happen to Jack Bauer on “24″ than to any person in real life. But the choice is clear, you cannot bargain one life away to save others. In the above dilemma it would be the terrorists who would be held accountable for killing countless people, not you.

Nevertheless, government officials (and voters who vote them in) face dilemmas no less a matter of life or death than this one when they vote on laws dealing with abortion, euthanasia, warfare, vital organ removal or even healthcare legislation. Doctors, nurses, EMTS, firemen and family members with elderly or sick and dying loved ones also face life or death decisions that should be based on the Law of God, not the whims of society.

Former vice-president Dick Cheney received a heart from a living donor, and the only debate was whether he got special treatment and whether someone aged 71 should get a “prized” organ. Hardly any one questioned the practice of killing one person to save another.

May we do evil, that good may come? God Forbid

I Support Tamara Scott for Iowa’s Republican National Committeewoman

Posted: 04 Jun 2012 06:45 PM PDT

I'm not a delegate to the Republican Party of Iowa State Convention so I don't have a vote, but I wanted to weigh in on this vitally important role for Iowa Republicans. Tamara Scott shared with me last week her intentions to run to replace Kim Lehman (who announced a couple of weeks ago she was not seeking reelection) as Iowa's Republican National Committeewoman. I believe Tamara would be an excellent fit for this role. She has been active in Republican and conservative politics in Iowa for many years. She has the right temperament for the role and realizes that she would be representing Iowa's Republicans, not a particular presidential candidate in this role. One of her top priorities is to work to preserve Iowa's first in the nation status. She wants to help bring unity on issues where we can be united while remaining true to her social AND fiscal conservative principles.

Personally I know her to be a godly wife and mother who has been a leader within the homeschooling community. She is a person of integrity, compassion and grace and I believe she would serve Iowa's Republicans well. So I hope that the state convention on June 16th would see fit to make her our state's next Iowa Republican Committeewoman.

I met with her today to discuss her candidacy, why she wants to run, why she thinks she is the best candidate, what her priorities would be if elected and what her concerns are about the Republican Party at the state and national levels. You can watch that video below:

Sarah Palin to Headline RightOnline

Posted: 04 Jun 2012 11:30 AM PDT

LAS VEGAS, NV – Today Americans for Prosperity Foundation announced former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a headline speaker at the fifth annual RightOnline Conference (www.RightOnline.com). RightOnline, held in Las Vegas on June 15 & 16, is the premier conference for bloggers and online activists to network while learning new tactics and strategies for effective advocacy online.

AFP Foundation President Tim Phillips said, “Sarah Palin is an expert at harnessing social media technology and tactics to shape the narrative. Few others have demonstrated Palin's prowess at breaking the rules of the Old Guard Media. We're thrilled to have her join us at RightOnline, which already features some of the most influential figures and publishers of online news in the country."

Governor Palin will participate in Friday evening’s ‘Tribute to Andrew Breitbart’ by the Breitbart News team and will introduce Citizen United’s new film “Occupy Unmasked” written/directed by Stephen K. Bannon and featuring Andrew Breitbart. Palin is the latest to join an already impressive lineup of new media gurus that includes pollster Scott Rasmussen, author Jonah Goldberg, FOX News contributor Michelle Malkin, Breitbart News editor Dana Loesch, and many more. For the fifth year in a row, RightOnline is the can’t-miss event for liberty-loving bloggers and citizen journalists who want to take their online activism to the next level.

To learn about the other speakers at RightOnline and for frequent updates, visit www.RightOnline.com. Join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #RO12.

Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) is a nationwide organization of citizen-leaders committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFPF believes reducing the size and intrusiveness of government is the best way to promote individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFPF educates and engages citizens to support restraining state and federal government growth and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFPF is more than 1.9 million activists strong, with activists in all 50 states. AFPF has 34 state chapters and affiliates. More than 90, 000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial contribution to AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.americansforprosperityfoundation.com. Americans for Prosperity does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

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marți, 5 iunie 2012

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