|
|
|
Latest Blog: December 26, 2006
|
View SermonIndex.net's blog
|
| Gender |
Male |
| Age |
29 |
| About me |
The work and ministry of sermonindex can be encapsulated in this one word: Revival. Sermonindex is not an organization, business, or any attempt by man to build something for God. It is rather a expression of a heart burden to see the Church revived and brought back to holiness, purity, and power with God. The main thrust of the speakers and articles on the website are towards an 'apostolic' vision of the church of God found in Holy Scriptures. This biblical balanced Christianity is something needed in contrast to our modern day commercial, superficial, cultural Christianity. The desire for a spiritual awakening is in hopes that it will restore this original apostolic church in this world as a better expression of what the Church should be. |
| Denomination |
Non-denominational |
| Current Mood |
content |
|
|
| Xianz Groups |
SermonIndex.net Ministries |
|
Blog Date: December 26, 2006
|
Download this article as a pdf document and freely distribute here.
The Church That Would Not Suffer!
by Greg Gordon
A message showing forth true apostolic power with God
APOSTOLIC POWER
Oh! for a call back to apostolic preaching, apostolic power, apostolic praying. We cry out ‘I want apostolic power’ but do we really? Do we want to suffer as they did? Do we want to crown our offering with a tortured bloody martyrdom as they did? Pentecost has a cost. If we are going to have apostolic success we are going to have to have apostolic suffering. Leonard Ravenhill said: "We talk Apostolic doctrine but lack Apostolic deeds. We claim Apostolic faith but lack Apostolic fruit. Some trumpet Apostolic power but lack Apostolic poverty. Some claim Apostolic enduement but lack Apostolic accomplishment. We may have Apostolic vocabularies. Do we have Apostolic victories? Many claim Apostolic succession. Few, if any, dare claim Apostolic success!" Let us look at the life's of the apostles and see their summation, see how well they ran and also finished the race that was set before them. Will it shock you to know that every apostle died a violent marytrs death. Should we not except to follow the same path our master trod? shall we not tread it still? Let us read their stories: The apostle Andrew according to traditional accounts, was crucified by order of the Roman Governor, Aegeas at Patrae in Achaia, Greece on a X-shaped cross. The apostle Bartholomew according to traditional accounts, was flayed alive and crucified, head downward, at Albanopolis, Armenia as punishment for having converted the King of Armenia to the Christian faith. The apostle James was the first apostle to be martyred when he was put to death in Jerusalem by the sword at the command of Herod. The apostle James son of alphaeus was martyred at Jerusalem by being thrown from a pinnacle of the Temple, then stoned and beaten with clubs and fuller’s mallets, while praying for his attackers. The apostle John was burned with alive with oil and survived and became the only apostle to die of natural causes. The apostle Judas was beaten to death with a club, then beheaded, in Persia. The apostle Matthias according to traditional accounts, he was stoned to death at Colchis. The apostle Paul was a Roman citizen being exempt from crucifixion, so he was beheaded with a sword in Rome. The apostle Peter was crucified upside down because he claimed he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Christ in Rome. The apostle Philip according to traditional accounts, he was martyred at Hierapolis, Phrygia. The apostle Simon was martyred, but the location is uncertain; some claim that he was crucified in Samaria. The apostle Thomas was pierced through with spears by four soldiers in India. The apostle Barnabus preaching the Gospel was martyred at Salamis. Are you willing to add your name to the list of these true apostles for Christ? Perhaps turn your Bible to Hebrews 11 and read where it says: “others tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain by the sword.” ?
SPINELESS CHRISTIANITY
The apostles were living martyr’s for Christ dying daily. If we could share in their sufferings but for one day I am sure many of us would forfeit apostolic power. Leonard Ravenhill: “There is a 'deeper life.' It is as deep as a personal Gethsemane and as costly as a personal Calvary." In our beggared condition in the modern day church we cannot handle the consequences of apostolic power. We need first to have our weak skinned, self-seeking, spineless Christianity purged from us. May God be gracious enough to do this. Then perhaps we will have power with God and once again become the “church militant” on earth. "Apostolic preaching is not marked by its beautiful diction, or literary polish, or Cleverness of expression, but Operates "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." stated Arthur Wallis who longed many years for a true move of God. We need men of renown, those who are willing to count the cost and be amongst the few that do great exploits for God. Hear the heart cry from Samuel M. Zwemer to see these sort of men arise in our day: "A man set on fire is an apostle of his age. And the only one who can kindle the spark of light and fire on the hearth where it has died down is He who has revealed Himself as the God of fire, our Lord Jesus Christ. 'Our God is a consuming fire'...Tell me, is your ministry a burning and shining light, or a smoking wick, slowly dying out to ashes? ...It is a strange custom that we should supply a minister with a glass of water; if only we could supply him with a bonfire in the pulpit, a spiritual bonfire. We need the dynamic of a flaming ministry that will set the Church on fire."?
ANCIENT AND MODERN
To any careful observer of the church in our day we realize there is a great disparity between the modern day example and the apostolic original. Here is anonymous article written in the 1700’s depicting some of these disparities very vividly. Oh for a reviving of the true apostolic spirit in the Church is the crying need of our day, or perhaps the only answer for the Church in this day:
“Ancient and modern preachers. The difference between ancient and modern preachers taken from the Scriptures. If any think me to severe to the Clergy, let them study the examples of Christ and his apostles, and compare the picture.
Ancient: CHRIST call'd his preachers to renounce their wealth, And set a glorious pattern in himself, Who, tho' he did possess all things in store, Yet for our sakes, became exceeding poor.
Modern: Some preachers now, large salaries do fix, So that, by preaching, they may now grow rich, So far departing from their blessed Lord, They worship mammon and a golden god.
Ancient: CHRIST told them, to be wise, they must be fools, And that not all the knowledge of the schools, Could ever teach one soul the way to heaven, That this is only by his spirit given.
Modern: But now, some go unto the schools of men, Expecting heavenly wisdom to obtain, And that, by reading books, they may acquire The holy spirit, the baptismal fire.
Ancient: CHRIST charg'd his followers, titles to contemn And, often faithfully, admonish'd them Not to be called RABBI, learned, wise, But all ambitious selfishness despise.
Modern: Now, some are call'd Archbishops and Prelates, Reverend Doctors, learn'd, wise, and great, The reverend parson, and master of arts, Old pharisaick pride, in all its parts.
Ancient: CHRIST told his followers, to be meek and mild, As low and humble as a little child, That they must not aspire to lofty seats, But must come down and wash each others feet.
Modern: Now some, in garments long, do love to stand, With college flourishes, they wave their hands, Read their writings, and then call it preaching, Old orthodox apostolick teaching. Now money, schools and books supply the place, Of humble love, and sanctifiing grace, When money fails, these teachers often flee, The reason is, because, they hirelings be. When any now, are call'd of GOD, to teach, And by his spirit, are sent forth to preach, These learn'd scholars soon, will them degrade, Lest their cheap preaching should spoil their trade.
Ancient: CHRIST told his followers that they must expect, The world would hate them treat them with neglect, That as they hated him without a cause, So they would hate his followers and his laws. Fools in the eastern of the world.
Modern: No, say some modern preachers, 'tis not true, The world will love us and respect too, We are commanded for to live in peace, We will not then disturb their carnal ease.
Ancient: CHRIST told them, a distinction they must make, That they, the sheep and goats, must separate, That, as the sheep were separate from wolves. They must not be by worldly maxims rul'd.
Modern: No, say some teachers, this is a mistake; Therfore, we now will join the church and state. Tho' this is very far from GOD'S design, This jargon union, they attempt to join.
Ancient: CHRIST oft declares, the help of man is vain, And, that except a man be born again, And that except we all converted be, GOD'S kingdom we can never, never see.
Modern: Some hold, that there is yet some power in man, And that by creeds, and modes, and forms he can, Profess, confess, and plead, and, by degrees, The holy, angry, jealous GOD, appease.
Ancient: CHRIST says he is the way, the truth, the life, That, our of him, we have no strength or light. We have no faith, no hope, no might, at all. He is our joy, our hope, our all in all.
Modern: Why then, among the herdsmen, is such strife, When all of them can't bring a flea to life. Striving, both night and day, to proselyte, And yet cannot make one hair black or white!
Ancient: CHRIST'S followers, of old, were of one heart, Did, with their worldly int'rest, freely part; Neither did any say, ought was his own; It all in common stock was freely thrown.
Modern: Some christians now, so selfish they are grown, It is with trouble, we can get our own, And sometimes are obliged to complain, Unto the laws, our rights for to obtain.
Ancient: Christians all took their names from CHRIST, their head, All party names, from them, entirely fled, No Parthians or Medes with them were known, No other names, but christians, they would own.
Modern: Christians are so divided, in our days, The want of true religion it betrays, Presbyterian, Churchmen, Baptist, Quaker, Methodist, Universalist, and Shaker. It makes me almost sick, To see the names Iv'e writ, My pen I now will quit, And will not waste My paper.”
View SermonIndex.net's blog
|
Blog Date: June 16, 2006
|
On Repentance -Tertullian
God hates the wicked everyday. He sharpens His sword, He has bent and strung His bow; He has prepared His deadly weapons; He has readied flaming arrows. 'Is it so difficult to understand that the love of God, is the answer to broken contrite repentant sinners' cry for mercy ? To convict of sin, to cause the sinner to see that he has been an open, defiant, willful, rebel against God. This generation of preachers has taught sin as a disease, opposed to how God treats it, a crime of the human spirit. You can be convinced of danger, if you're told your parents had a disease, and it was congenitally transmitted to you, and you can regret having had such an unfortunate choice of parents, and you can feel yourself in jeopardy, but you cannot feel yourself guilty !
We have failed to advertise the fact that God deals with men as rebels, as criminals, as traitors, as anarchists, as transgressors, that sin is a crime. That it is the sovereign work of the Spirit of God through the right and proper and skillful use of the Word of God, to cause a sinner to understand that he is justly deserving of the justice that is pronounced upon him.' (Paris Reidhead)
How can we be found, when we admit we were never lost ?
How can we be saved, when we were never dead ?
How can we appreciate what God has saved us from, when we never knew that we were dead in sin ?
How can we understand grace, without first understanding God's righteousness ?
Featured Sermon from SermonIndex.net
View SermonIndex.net's blog
|
Blog Date: June 11, 2006
|
RELIGIOUS OR CHRISTIAN?
There are few things quite so boring as being religious, but there is nothing quite so exciting as being a Christian!
Most folks have never discovered the difference between the one and the other, so that there are those who sincerely try to live a life they do not have, substituting religion for
God, Christianity for Christ, and their own noble endeavors for the energy, joy, and power of the Holy Spirit. In the absence of reality, they can only grasp at rituals, stubbornly defending the latter in the absence of the former, lest they be found with neither!
They are lamps without oil, cars without gas, and pens without ink, baffled at their own impotence in the absence of all that alone can make man functional; for man was so engineered by God that the presence of the Creator within the creature is indispensable to His humanity. Christ gave Himself for us to give Himself to us! His presence puts God back into the man! He came that we might have life - God's life!
There are those who have a life they never live. They have come to Christ and thanked Him only for what He did, but do not live in the power of who He is. Between the Jesus who "was" and the Jesus who "will be" they live in a spiritual vacuum, trying with no little zeal to live for Christ a life that only He can live in and through them, perpetually begging for what in Him they already have!
Featured Sermon from SermonIndex.net
View SermonIndex.net's blog
|
Blog Date: May 30, 2006
|
Taking Time to Pray
What is the one thing that most often keeps Christians from experiencing God's making a dramatic difference in their lives? Is it carelessness? Lack of good Christian fellowship? Temptation?
May I suggest prayerlessness?
How often do you and I receive answers to prayer? Many Christians have no idea what it means to be a child of God who can talk with the Lord about a real need, let alone to receive a specific, valid, and recognizable answer to their prayers.
I could tell you Bible promises on prayer, plus some of my own experiences and those of friends, but I can't do your praying for you. You can read all the manuals on prayer and listen to other people pray, but until you begin to pray yourself you will never understand prayer. It's like riding a bicycle or swimming: You learn by doing.
Martin Luther said, "Just as the business of the tailor is to make clothing, and that of the shoemaker to mend shoes, so the business of the Christian is to pray."
The secret of Luther's revolutionary life was his commitment to spend time alone with God every day.
"Consider the lives of the most outstanding and shining servants of God," J.C. Ryle challenges us, "whether they be in the Bible or out of the Bible. In all of them you will find that they were men of prayer. Depend on prayer; prayer is powerful."
I encourage you to take time every day to talk with God. Don't just give Him thirty seconds while you're rushing around in the morning: "O Lord, bless this day, especially since it is Monday. . . ." What kind of prayer is that?
It is essential to set aside a specific time each day for personal prayer. Strive for order and faithfulness, but avoid legalism. On certain occasions you may need to select a different time during the day to pray. Nothing is wrong with that. But strive for consistency.
I have found the early hours of the day are the best to pray. So have such men of God as Martin Luther in Germany, John Wesley in England, Hudson Taylor in China, and many others. Evangelist D.L. Moody echoed their sentiments when he said, "We ought to see the face of God every morning before we see the face of man. If you have so much business to attend to that you have no time to pray, depend upon it that you have more business on hand than God ever intended." Make room in your schedule to begin each day alone with God in prayer.
On the other hand, prayer is something that should take place during the entire day. The Bible says, "Pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). At any moment, whatever the occasion, we are free to speak with our Father. Albert J. Wollen says every Christian can enjoy "constant, conscious communion with God." We enjoy this communion with the living God, who lives within us,through prayer.
"If Jesus prayed, what about you? What about you?" asks the hymn writer. It's always surprising to see how much time Jesus dedicated to prayer. He never considered Himself too busy to pray. As the obligations increased and as He faced big decisions, He went away alone to pray. How about you?
To Ponder
* Are you a child of God? If so, when do you pray to your heavenly Father? How would you describe your prayers?
* If you're not sure whether you're a child of God yet, I encourage you to read my booklet What Is a Real Christian? (Multnomah).
To Pursue
* Take a minute right now to tell God, "I'd like to enjoy a rich time of fellowship with you—a time so rich, I'll want to spend even more time each day alone with you, praying."
* Set aside fifteen minutes tomorrow when you can be alone with the Lord in prayer. Guard that commitment. Then, tomorrow, show up several minutes early for your appointment with the King of kings!
more info: http://www.palau.org/lpea/resources/article.php?id=1
Featured Sermon from SermonIndex.net
View SermonIndex.net's blog
|
|
|
|
|
    cindy 
|
October 02, 2008
Myspace Comments
 |
NFINIS
(Rap/Hip Hop)
|
October 28, 2007
We just want to encourage you Greg to praise
God in everything because he is for you
and not against you and he is working everything out for your good!
God Bless,
Mic Anon & Q.S. |
LuAnn
|
November 14, 2006
Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com |
Lori Ane
|
November 07, 2006
 |
¤*:·.Lisa.·:*¤
|
July 01, 2006
 |
Giancarlo
|
June 28, 2006
Man you are looking rugged with that beard! Just thought I would say that. Keep up the good work on the beard and the site! |
Victoria
|
June 16, 2006
For some odd reason, Firefox will not allow me to copy paste pictures. Otherwise, I would have had a lovely glitter for you. Thank you for the add and may God continue to bless you richly, and deeply according to the riches of His glory. Peace!
|
|
June 16, 2006
God bless you brother Greg. You are a beacon of light across the sea of the worldwide web. Thank you much for your greetings and encouragement. They mean much to me. |
|
May 31, 2006
Hi, Greg. Cool page, bro : ). May the Holy Spirit continue to guide and conform you increasingly into the perfect image and likeness of God, along with the rest of us who seek His face. Keep on blazing and shining with the sacred Fire of His Eternal Flame and Light of Love. Grace and blessings be to you in the precious Name of Jesus.  |
Robbie D
|
May 17, 2006
Greg, have a great Wednesday and treat your mother right!
|
rickinduluth
(Singer-Songwriters)
|
May 01, 2006
Thanks for the add, Greg! Love your stuff!
|
SermonIndex.net
|
April 08, 2006
I just published a blog site with my friend giving people ways to speed up their systems check it out: http://speedupwindowsxp.blogspot.com
|
SermonIndex.net
|
March 31, 2006
Hi Everyone, I have been quite busy being at Calvary Chapel bible school in Murrieta, California right now. You can check ot the website I have actually helped re-designing it: www.calvarychapelbiblecollege.com I hope to check into this blog more God willing, I love the changes to xianz !! I can see this becoming the most popular chrisitan blog system pretty soon! |
More Testimonials...
|
|
|
|
|
