Twenty Years of Redemption

It's been twenty years in the making and oh what joy and fun. It's been twenty-years in the making and it's only just begun. It's been twenty years in the making, my soul still being cleaned. It's been twenty years in the making, and I'm still learning ... He is the King!

It was October of 1988 in Houston, Texas. Dede wanted to go to church, and I thought she was out of her mind. Church wasn't for me. Those people didn't like me. But I was wrong. Dede went to church without me, and I didn't like that either. When I walked through the door of Cy-Fair Christian Church, I found something I did not expect. I found warmth, acceptance, and forgiveness, when my sin and shame was staring us all right in the face.

It's been twenty years now, since Roy Davis looked me in the eye and said, "Jesus died for you." It's been twenty years, since I stepped into the watery grave of baptism, professing Christ as my Savior, trading His life for mine. The transformation has been sharp and steep at times and it is not over yet. He works on me daily, shaping me for His Kingdom, turning my heart from myself to others; turning me from my old natural ways to His ways.

I cannot thank Him enough. Where would I be without him? Where would I be, if he had not sent Dede? Where would I be without Cy-Fair Christian Church, Roy Davis, and three men named Doug? Most of all, where would I be without Christ?

Twenty years of redemption. He makes me complete.

To God be the Glory!

Ninety Percent Law - Ten Percent Grace

The name of this blog is Know the Blessing, and I am delinquent in posting a new blessing. "New" in this case would be misleading, because the topic is actually very old.

In order to "know the blessing", you must first understand the curse. In order to see the provision of God in our lives, we must first see what it is like without God in our lives. In order to know the peace, hope, and confidence that surpasses all understanding, we must realize the turbulence, despair and doubt of this temporal world.

I just watched Ray Comfort's video, "Hell's Best Kept Secret" on the Living Waters web-site. Ray is a bold witness for Christ and his basic point is that we tell unbelievers of God's grace without establishing the need for it. There is no need to repent, be baptized and be saved, if you do not think that you are sinful. You do not need to turn around, if you don't believe you are going the wrong way. We must establish the reality of sin and destruction, before folks see the need for salvation. We must establish that we stand condemned in violation of the law, before we can truly accept the redemption we have in Christ Jesus.

John MacArthur put it this way in his sermon, The Law and the Gospel ...

It was John Wesley who said, “Before I preach love, mercy and grace, I must preach sin, Law and judgment.”

It was Wesley who said, “Preach ninety-percent Law and ten percent grace.”

It was Charles Spurgeon who said, “They will never accept grace until they tremble before a just and holy Law.”

It was John Wycliffe who said, “The highest service to which a man may attain on earth is to preach the Law of God.”

J.C. Ryle, “People who will never set their faces decidedly toward heaven and live like pilgrims until they really feel they’re endanger of hell. Let us expound and beat out the Ten Commandments and show the length and breadth and depth and height of the requirements of the Law. This is the way of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount. We cannot do better than to follow His plan.”

John Stott wrote, “We cannot come to Christ to be justified until we’ve first been to Moses to be condemned. Once we have gone to Moses and acknowledged our sin, guilt and condemnation, we must not stay there, we must leave Moses and go to Christ.”

We cannot know the blessing of grace, until we know the curse of the law.

America Bless God