FAIR SUNSHINE

This year marked a great transition into new and better grounds, open opportunities, and fresh revelations of God's word. The steps forwards have been plenty, and so have the wounds of the enemy, but Father has carried us without fail in the palms of His hands. We are back in the simplicity that is Christ: an active love for God, compassion for the lost, mercy for the weak, and duty to the kingdom.  A kind soul who is very dear candidly asked me, 'How do we sum up biblical Christianity?' I replied with two words. Service. Sacrifice. The LORD enlarge our horizons and give us new visions for His great name's sake.

I know your works as well as your labor and endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have even put to the test those who claim themselves as apostles (but are not), and have exposed them to be false. I am also aware that you have persisted consistently, endured much for the sake of my name, and have not grown tired. Revelation 2.2-5 These last days have seen a resurgence in public preaching and doctrinal studies. The internet has had an indelible impact on the rise of the "commendable church". Its preaching. Its pursuit of knowledge, and its strict, and often selectively merciless, administration of church discipline. God aside, even people outside the church are aware of pastors faces and names in facebook when they do a good deed. The visible church has sung God's praise and have consistently done everything, howbeit comfortably, in His name. 'In Jesus' name,' has become a cliche of no value. Like the period in every sentence. There s

What tremendous, unfathomable privilege has God bestowed upon man that He would enlist him to proclaim His Christ's kindness, judgment, and glorious salvation to men? Not even angels were given such grand attention and honor! The most precious investment in this side of eternity is the human soul. How can a true believer profess an understanding of God's justice and mercy and possess a disinterest in souls? It cannot be. It will never be. A true Christian is one who cannot help but proclaim to the world what Christ has done for him. He had been with Christ in His word. He cannot help but exemplify and recommend Christ to men. He will live pleading for souls. He will die pleading for souls. When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4.13

People, the shallow kind, tend to impose their fickle and often clouded judgement upon those who oppose their traditional way of thinking. We are here by virtue of that great and high privilege God has imposed upon us to advance His kingdom that stands in stark contrast to tradition and opinion. That which God has declared abominable no man can make acceptable. That which He declared clean,  no man can condemn. To hurt the pride of men, one need not use hurtful words. Just the truth. Pride is allergic to criticism, even positive ones. Man's opinion makes bitter, God's truth divides.  Truth carries with it confrontation. Truth demands confrontation. Loving confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless. ~ Francis Schaeffer   

Originally posted on September 8th, 2019. Reposted here, as requested. God is sovereign. When my son ran away for three nights I did not pray that he might return home, but that God would teach him what he needed to learn from it. When my wife was laboring for 14 hours in the hospital with our first baby and I was left outside waiting and wondering I did not pray for a safe delivery, but that God would give me reason to abound with joy in trusting him though I see not. When I slid into adultery 19 years ago my wife prayed for me to return, but God patiently changed her selfish petition to one of surrender. 14 years was the LORD witness to her pleas and cries. And when finally the fullness of her time in the school of secret prayer came, God then delivered me. When I received an incurable wound in my body because of my sin I did not pray to be healed, but that it should remain with me unhealed all my life, and that it would serve to remind me that I have offended God severely, yet in Hi

This is an old file stashed away for some years now than I go to every now and then to remind me of the reason for my salvation. It is to make His great name known. But oh, to see the fields ripe for sowing, it is like standing on the edge of the desert, with nothing but dead bones as far as the eye can see. I used to be one of the lost, till God opened my eyes, and I saw Him pointing to these bones.  And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Ezekiel 37:3 Some are trapped in boxes of pea-sized Christianity, full of myths about missions that rob them of incentive to care about the unreached. David Bryant A church that is not a missionary church is contradicting itself and quenching the Spirit. Lausanne Covenant I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light John Keith Falconer God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supp

Journal Entry. 10th November. 12.13 AM What a sobering thought it is for me to stand before God on that great day, assuming that in spite dedicating all my remaining years, expecting to have delivered even one soul through my labor, and to find after all, none had been. But then again nothing we do in the LORD is in vain. Though I may not carry any particular interest but only wishes on the salvation of souls through my meager efforts, surely, I have witnessed against my generation. That I cannot deny. The prophets of old did, (though a worm such as I would never dare even compare myself.)  Biblical Christianity has never been that which conforms to accepted practice, but one that stands in contrast against it. I cannot count the number of times I've asked myself, 'why can't I just keep quiet and be like the person next to me?' I find myself abnormally gray amidst the crowd of happy vibrant Christians. And instead, this gray person asks, 'do you even really love th

"Ace" was dozing off on a ledge when I tried nudging him. He didn't budge at the first few tries. But when I asked him, "want to eat?" he sheepishly opened his eyes and sat up.  "Have you eaten yet?" "Later I hope, sir." "When did you last eat?" "Last night. " "If I give you something to buy food with, where will you get some?" He pointed to a fish ball stall across the street. "How about you going there to get what you want? Buy me a jelly drink as well, then come back here so we can eat together and talk." As Ace was over at the stall, I asked the LORD, "how do I do this, what do I say? Have mercy , LORD.. please. For your name."   I tried looking for him, thinking maybe he ran off. But after a short while he came back with a small meal in his hand, and a drink for him and me. He ate his snack, I drank my "gulaman" (jelly) , and asked how his parents were. His father was incarcer

Yet do not believe all that you hear from worldly men or half-hearted Christians about the 'excitement' attending revivals. Conversion is not excitement; zeal is not excitement; love for souls is not excitement; trembling under the word is not excitement; and even if there be some excitement at 'revival  meetings,' better that it should be so than that souls should perish.  There is more excitement in the theater and the ball-room, or the concert, or the political meeting, or the parliamentary election,  or even what is called the 'quiet evening  party.' Yet men do not complain of these, nor get angry at them. By all means be calm; but don't suppose that all excitement is sin or hypocrisy. Excitement is not good; but some things are worse than even this.  A dull and sleepy Christianity is worse, - much worse; a stiff and frozen formalism is worse, - much worse; an easy-minded worldly religion is worse, - much worse. It is a good thing to be 'zealously af

Salvation by the cross was of all doctrines the most offensive, and the most unintelligible.  That the promised Messiah would be crucified, was unto the Jew, who anticipated a triumphant king, a stumbling block; that a crucified man was the Son of God was to the Greek foolishness, for it contradicted sense and reason.  Thus the preaching of the cross was to those who perish foolishness. But there were those whose eyes were divinely enlightened to see, and their hearts opened to believe and receive it. He therefore adds, "But unto us who are saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18.)  Though foolishness to the learned Greek, there were those who saw in the cross a wisdom as much surpassing all other as the midday sun surpasses the faintest star; which made the apostle say, "We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom,

Because in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow. Ecclesiastes 1:18  It was needful by the grace of God to hold two gatherings this afternoon. One special message for the sheep, and one presentation of the law and the gospel for the people we are courting in behalf of the LORD. Breaking of bread every week has also taken on a new meaning, for me at least, to help remind us of why we believe what we believe.

 A short version of an adaptation. From our 12th gathering with the people in the nearby compound. Taken from Hosea 14:8

Missions is one of the true hallmarks of authentic biblical Christianity. And while everyone in church will affirm this, the fact remains that almost no one will participate in it, much less make it a personal matter. David Livingstone, missionary to Africa, rightfully said, "Sympathy is useless without action." Believers who have the gospel keep mumbling it over and over to themselves. Meanwhile, millions who have never heard it once fall into the flames of eternal hell without ever hearing the salvation story. K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia Bible Society. "Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and

If I speak in the eloquence of men and tongues of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have a prophet's power, and have knowledge of all secret things; and if I have all faith, by which mountains may be moved from their place, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I give all my goods to the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it is of no profit to me. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3  Modern Christians tend to cling to works, whether they are aware of it or not. They think that accomplishments in the LORD's name is the measure of faith. But the people who did much for the LORD were the very same ones whom God rejected in the end. Matthew 7.21   You can do all good without loving God. But you cannot love God without doing good to all. You can also claim that the reason for all you do is because you love God. Indeed, Christianity is full of such empty songs and boastings. But loving God prohibits you from choosing who to