'i was a very young believer and had just come through a tough temptation; i asked my pastor if the christian life gets any easier. i never for got his answer, 'no, but it's one day shorter'. with that thought in mind, i stopped looking for the christian life to get easier, but i'll not stop looking for the coming of Christ.
CONTENTS:
introduction speaks of the battle of his childhood..rejected of his father and step mother, he (aged 3) and two sisters (5 and 1) left home and were placed in an orphanage where the goal of bob was to be the 'top dog' which only came through beating up those above you.
the battle for my soul - salvation
my battle as a new believer
the battle to get into full-time service
the battles for lansdale, pennsylvania
the battle for separation
the battle against bob jones university (where he admits not going privately to bob jones first)
the battle against tragedy (where he speaks of parkinson's disease)
the battle against new evangelicalism
the battle against calvinism
the battle against the flesh
the battle against the masonic lodge
the battle against arminianism
speaking of his tragedy..
1. you act as though it is a mistake because you really do not want to have it.
2. you tend to feel guilty and ashamed about it.
3 you withdraw from crowds, parties and family affairs.
4. it's hard to have fellowship when you can't talk.
5. you feel bad as you watch your family and friends taking pity on you and feeling sorry for you.
wake up! thank God you still have family and friends. (note: and if not them, the Lord...whom have i in heaven but Thee and there is none on earth but Thee...this is the idea anyway.)
at this time the Lord gave me another precious life verse: mark 14.8..speaking of the woman pouring precious oil over Jesus...'she hath done what she could' were Jesus' words..
'the Lord will never ask of require you to do what is impossible ..but everything that He does require, He will provide the wherewithal to do it.
i preached for the best part of 50 years.
i can't do that anymore!..
i was able to see many souls get saved.
i can't do that anymore!
i used to love to sing hymns.
i can't do that anymore!
so what should i do? i could cry, but crying will not stop parkinson's. i could kill myself, but that would destroy my family. that would cause much stumbling.. i could do what job did in one of his strong moments..'though he slay me, yet will i trust in Him. psalm 40.4 says, 'blessed is that man that maketh the lord his trust'. and by God's grace that is what i am learning to do. i would like to be like mary and show that i can do what i can do with all of my might.
after finding out what i couldn't do, i determined to find out what i could..
i couldn't do electrical work, but i could be the electrician's gofer.
i am not a carpenter, but i could be his helper.
i cna't do any electronics, but i can follow someone around and be his cleanup man.
i am not much at gardening, but i can did, haul, plant and pull weeds.
i can't install a dropped ceiling, but i can hand up, pick up and pile up after someone.
i found in scripture a verse that makes me eligible to serve in God's haouse to work with my hands: II corinthians 8.12, 'for if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not'.
i found that by working around the church i met a lot of members in a new way. we became good friends and learned a lot about each other's needs. we found a lot of time to pray together and it certainly changed our prayer life.
if there is a need, then no job is too small or too dirty. jobs i found that needed a willing believer to perform are
straightening up the pews after the evening service
repairing hymnals
picking up trash outside the building
setting up sunday school rooms and other rooms that will be used
volunteering to drive or pick up missionaries and take the sick to the doctor or hospital
praying and developing a good prayer list
visiting the hospital and shut-ins
cutting the grass
shoveling the snow
helping members (note: or anyone?) move
replacing burned-out bulbs
mailing letters to missionaries
folding the sunday bulletins
taking a hot meal to a shut-in
meet tragedy with II peter 1.4-10..'giving all diligence add to your faith virtue..knowledge..temperance..patience..godliness..brotherly kindness..charity..for if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord..for if ye do these things, YE SHALL NEVER FALL.
battle against the flesh
the goals of God for the christian -
1. II corinthians 2.14 - we do not always triumph , do we?
2. romans 8.38-9 - we allow a lot of things to separate us from the love of God
3. galatians 2.20 - we are not always crucified with Christ
4. I corinthians 15.57 - many times we are defeated
5. I peter 1.8 - we are not always filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory
6. II corinthians 13.11 - there is turmoil and division on every hand
7. galatians 1.4 - are you delivered from this present evil age?
what to do -
1. i DIE daily I corinthians 15.31 (II corinthians 4.10)
2. i SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES daily (acts 17.11)
3. i TAKE UP MY CROSS daily (luke 9.23)
4. i PRAY daily (I thessalonians 5.17)
5. i PRAISE daily (psalm 119.164)
6. i DEPEND ON THE LORD daily (luke 11.3)
7. i CONFESS MY SINS daily (I john 1.9)
8. i PERFORM MY VOWS daily (psalm 61.8)
SINS -
7 that come from the natural heart and defile (matthew 15.18-20)
13 that come from the natural heart and defile (mark 7.21-3)
23 that bring the judgment of God (romans 1.29-32)
7 that christians must not do (romans 13.13-4)
10 that bar from the kingdom of God (I corinthians 6.9-10)
11 from which christians must turn away (II cor. 12.20-1)
17 that bar from the kingdom of God (galatians 5.19-21)
9 in which the unsaved live and in which christians must not live (ephesians 4.17-9)
9 that christians must put away (ephesians 4.25,28-9,31)
6 that must not be named as existing among christians (ephesians 5.3-4)
4 that bar from the kingdom of God and of Christ and that bring the wrath of God (ephesians 5.5-6)
6 that christians must mortify and that bring the wrath of God (colossians 3.5-6)
14 for which the law was given (I timothy 1.9-10)
19 from which christians must turn away. (II timothy 3.1-5)
9 from which christians are saved (titus 3.3-5)
5 that christians must lay aside (I peter 2.1)
7 sins of the flesh in which christians used to live (I peter 4.2-4)
8 that condemn to the lake of fire (revelation 21.8)
6 that bar from the tree of life and the holy city (revelation 22.15)
-don't call sin by a euphemism. ie. gluttony not overeating, lying not fibbing, stealing not borrowing, adultery not lusting, murder not hate.
-be specific when you confess your 'sinS' I john 1.9)
-ask God to make sin exceedingly sinful to you, rather than treat it as the world, flesh and devil would have you treat it
WALK in the control of the Spirit (galatians 5.16)
WALK not according to the course of this world (ephesisns 2.2)
WALK as His workmanship (ephesians 2.1)
WALK not as the lost ( ephesians 4.17)
WALK in love (ephesians 5.2)
WALK as children of the light (ephesians 5.8)
WALK in wisdom toward them that are without (colossians 4.5)
WALK circumspectly, with caution ( ephesians 5.15)
it's ok to get excited about anything except
being saved
being forgiven
going to heaven
having my whole rotten life completely changed
having a KNOW SO salvation
being able to pray...and for the first time in my life knowing he heard me.
expect and live so as and pray so as that your salvation gets 'gooder and gooder'!
this man was the man who baptized me and who started the seminary i graduated from. may God help me to walk in his steps as he walked in Yours, dear Lord.
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