A Word of Caution to Fire Starters - GTY Blog

Travis Allen
Director of Internet Ministry, GTY.org/blog

If you hadn’t guessed it already, I work for Phil Johnson, the original Pyromaniac. I’m sure you have your own view, but in my opinion he’s not the Pyromaniac because he starts fires. No, he burns with a fire like Jeremiah (Jer. 20:9) and preaches God’s Word, which is like fire, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces (23:29).

Phil learned at least some of what he knows about preaching by watching another prophet-like preacher, John MacArthur. So, maybe John is the original Pyromaniac. But John doesn’t set out to start fires either…it just happens. Like many of you, I’ve appreciated their ministries, and the ministries of many other faithful preachers around the world who are “worthy of double honor” because of their diligent “labor in preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17).

So, speaking of starting fires, I was quite surprised that a passing comment John made in a recent interview received so much attention, while his comments on more significant, more controversial issues passed by unnoticed. Someone else made the same point. In my view, a mountain was made out of a molehill (not the issue itself, but the comment), and the mountains were ignored.

How Should I Pray?

We don't always know how to pray as we ought. We know essentially what to pray and when to pray but we don't always know how to pray.
A friend might come up to you and ask you to pray for their sick grandfather in the hospital, but you don't know what to pray for exactly. When we pray for someone we must understand that even though we don't know what God wants for this man we can still pray what's on our heart. We don't know if God wants him to be healed or if God wants to take him now. We know by scripture that we should pray for their salvation if they are not yet saved. God makes the call on who will be saved. Scripture says that God's will is for everyone to be saved. But that is not the case for everyone.  In Romans chapter 8, verse 9, Paul writes, "Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." Man's heart does not seek the Lord. The Lord must pull us toward Him. It is all by God's power to save an individual. Not everyone will be saved because man's heart is carnal and dark and he might never see God's grace because of the constant fight against the light. It is up to the Holy Spirit to break a person and to humble them until they submit to the Lord. As thereof, we should pray for the person or someone to gracefully and lovingly speak to them in hope that their heart is touched by the Holy Spirit and opens up to the will of God—that is for them not to perish.
We don't know the purposes of God concerning death. His ways are not our ways. We don't know what to pray—in that—what should be the outcome. We know what scripture lays out for us in what to pray. But we don't know for what outcome to pray.
In light of what I just mentioned, I believe the best way to pray is to ask God for His will and purpose and to leave the final answer to Him. Pray what's on your heart then leave it up to the Lord. Lay it rest in Him.

Does Apple Think Christianity is Offensive?

Posted by Jim Daly on 06-Jan-2011 17:15:41

I am one of the nearly 500,000 proud signers of the Manhattan Declaration, a document and movement spearheaded by my friends Chuck Colson and Dr. Robert George. As drafted, the piece and its adherents proudly and unapologetically affirm support for the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty.

For the last few months, the organizers behind the Declaration have been trying to get Apple to reinstate an app for its iPhone users. Apple had originally approved the app, but pulled it after a small but well organized group of homosexual activists voiced their objections. Minor modifications were made to help it pass Apple’s muster.

Just before Christmas, Apple rejected the app again, citing in a letter that the “references or commentary about a religious, cultural or ethnic group that are defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited or likely to expose the targeted group to harm or violence will be rejected. We have evaluated the content of this application and consider its contents to be objectionable and potentially harmful to others."

Read the rest of Jim's thoughts on this app>

A Healthy Fear of God

No Compromise

For some, that translates into compromised speech—profanity and crass humor at work, and discussing openly what God intends to stay private and sacred. Others compromise their relationships. Where Scripture calls for separation, they cry for unity. Friendships, romantic pursuits, even ministry alliances all seem to push—or cross—biblical boundaries. Others resist suffering by blending in with the culture, immersing themselves into every fallen fad imaginable—movies, music, even their clothing is marked by compromise.

John MacArthur


Resource: http://www.gty.org/Blog/B101203