The Quotable Round-Up #87

Howdy! It’s a great day to sit down, chill and sip your favorite drink! And while at it, add some awesomeness in your day by reading our latest collection of quotes.  This time we are featuring fresh quotes from the book “The Potter’s Freedom” by James R. White. And if you got stoked with these quotes, please get the book at your nearest Christian bookstore or on Amazon.

“The religions of men, Roman Catholicism, and Arminianism, all share one thing in common: the deep desire to maintain the ability of man to control the work of God in salvation and always have the “final say.” The blunt assertion of Christ refutes this error. The fact is, outside of the divine action of drawing the elect to Christ none would come to Him. It is beyond the capacity of the fallen man.”

“All men would be left in the hopeless position of “unable to come” unless God acts, and He does by drawing men unto Christ. Outside of this divine enablement no man can come to Christ. No man can “will” to come to Christ outside of this divine drawing.”

“Why is one man raised to eternal life and another left to eternal destruction? The Scriptures offer an answer that is satisfying to the believer, but insufficient for the person unwilling to trust in God’s goodness. What is the basis of God’s act of predestination? It is “according to the kind intention of His will.” Each word is important. It is His will, not our will. And remember, this is speaking not of some general plan to “save” so that it is God who “initiates” but man who actuates. This is the specific predestination of individuals to sonship. The basis of this specific decree is God’s will. No mention is found of man’s will.”

“Synergism is the hallmark of man’s religions: monergism the mark of the biblical gospel.”

“When the Scriptures say that men are spiritually dead, we are not to understand this to mean that they are spiritually inactive. Men are active in their rebellion, active in their suppression of the truth, active in their sin. Instead, spiritual death refers to alienation from God, the destruction of the positive, active desire to do what is right in God’s sight, and most importantly, the ability to do what is good and holy.”

“Reformed theologians insist that for one to be free as a creature then one must have first and foremost a sovereign Creator. God is the free and sovereign Creator and acts freely in that realm that is His: we are mere creatures, never sovereign, never autonomous (i.e., without law, without a superior authority), but responsible within the realm of our createdness.”

“The Christian heart is glad to confess, “Salvation is of the Lord.” All of it. In completeness. In perfection. The God who decrees all things saves perfectly. Salvation is a divine act, a divine work. It is centered upon God, not upon man. It is God’s glory, not man’s, that is at stake. The God-centeredness of the gospel is what makes the biblical teaching so fundamentally different than all the religions of men.”

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The Quotable Round-Up #86

Howdy! It’s a great day to sit down, chill and sip your favorite drink! And while at it, add some awesomeness in your day by reading our latest collection of quotes.  This time we are featuring fresh quotes from the book “Good News: The Gospel of Jesus Christ” by John F. MacArthur Jr. And if you got stoked with these quotes, please get the book at your nearest Christian bookstore or on Amazon.

“The message of the gospel is the message of reconciliation. The alienated sinner can be reconciled to God. That’s what we pray for, it’s what we teach, and it’s why we live. Some even die for it. It is the unparalleled message of reconciliation with God through the work of Christ. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation.”

“The only reason God has kept us in the world is for the work of evangelism. Yes, we’re saved to worship, but God tolerates our imperfect worship on this side of eternity for the sake of adding to His kingdom. We’re also saved to be sanctified, but God tolerates our inadequate, incomplete sanctification to keep us here to evangelize. He endures all our consistent errors and failures because He has work for us here that we cannot accomplish in heaven.”

“The notion that God is a loving and compassionate Savior contradicts the core doctrines of the world’s religions. If you study the history of religion, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a savior god among them. When men and demons design gods, that’s simply not how they design them. Demonic religious systems don’t concoct deities anything like the God of the Bible. Instead, they generally range from indifferent to severely hostile.”

“We need to understand that reconciliation does not start with the sinner, or some cosmic cry that God responds to. We don’t have to ask God to accept the sinner—we don’t have to coax Him into it through pressure or praise. He is not reluctant to save. Reconciliation begins with God—it’s woven into His glorious nature.”

“We don’t sit in judgment of God’s judgment. The question is not, why did God send bears out of the woods to destroy a group of boys who yelled “bald head” at a prophet (2 Kings 2:23–24)? The question is not, why did the ground open up and swallow people whole for violating Old Testament law (Num. 16)? The question is not, why did God displace and destroy the idolatrous Canaanites? The question is not, why did God destroy the globe and preserve only Noah and his family? Those questions are easy to answer: the wages of sin—no matter how great or small the sin might seem to us—is always death (Rom. 6:23).”

“True reconciliation requires God’s forgiveness. The only way reconciliation can occur is if the offended party is willing to forgive and remove the barrier sin creates. The sinner cannot reconcile himself to God. Only the Lord can effect reconciliation by choosing not to count our trespasses against us.”

“We ought to cling to the vital doctrine of God’s sovereignty. But don’t ever let your view of sovereignty overwhelm or obscure the fact that sinners have a responsibility to respond to God—and we have a responsibility to beg them to do so. God accomplishes His reconciling work through—not in spite of—the obedience of faith from those He calls to be reconciled.”

 

The Quotable Round-Up #85

Howdy! It’s a great day to sit down, chill and sip your favorite drink! And while at it, add some awesomeness in your day by reading our latest collection of quotes.  This time we are featuring fresh quotes from the book “Good News: The Gospel of Jesus Christ” by John F. MacArthur Jr. And if you got stoked with these quotes, please get the book at your nearest Christian bookstore or on Amazon.

“Ultimately, the gospel is not for the proud, the arrogant, or those who believe they can get to God by themselves. God intentionally chose a foolish message to humble us and to guarantee that no one would boast in his or her own intelligence. He chose the cross to stifle any inclination in us to think we got to Him on our own. All the glory goes to God.”

“The world must hear the message of Jesus Christ, and we have the precious privilege of serving as His ambassadors and heralds. May we never be so content with our theology—never so satisfied with our salvation and sovereign grace—that we forget that our great God has not only saved us but has also called us to be the means by which He will save others.”

“Make no mistake: the rise of postmodern Christianity and the supposed wideness in God’s mercy isn’t a harmless, potentially helpful theological perspective. It’s a direct assault on the gospel work of the church and an affront to the integrity of countless believers who suffered and died throughout its history.”

“If you can’t even muster the temerity to speak the name of Christ in public, what confidence can you have that He is faithfully interceding on your behalf? If you’re ashamed of the gospel, it’s a strong indication that you have yet to believe it. True, saving faith must not be hidden away. It ought to be the most public thing about you.”

“True believers cannot lose their salvation, but they can forfeit their joy and usefulness. They can sow confusion, doubt and discouragement into their own lives. And they can cripple their spiritual growth by imbibing the lies of false teachers and charlatans. While God alone secures and protects our eternity with Him, He has called us to be on the lookout for one another (Acts 20:29–31).”

“When we look at the life of Jesus Christ, we’re not surprised to see manifestly that He is God. If God became man, we would expect His human life to be sinless. His was. If God, the holy true God, became man, we would expect Him to live in perfect righteousness. He did. If God became man, we would expect His words to be the greatest words ever spoken. They were. If God became man, we would expect Him to exert a profound, unequaled power over humanity. He did. If God became man, we would expect supernatural demonstrations. There were many. If God became man, we would expect Him to manifest the love of God. He did.”

“Jesus never sat down and said, “You know, we’ve got so much common ground; let’s find a connection and have a conversation about the truths we can mutually affirm.” He wasn’t interested in identifying common ground or accommodating ignorance. Only the truth—the full truth— could set an Israelite or anyone else free from the slavery of sin.”

The Digital Round-Up # 20

Hey folks! Prepare for another round of the “The Digital Round-Up” as we serve you interesting articles, freebies and videos. And if you’re enjoying this stuff, please do tell us on the comment section. So buckle up and enjoy the thrill.

FREE audiobook “Jonathan Edwards: America’s Genius” by Christian George. In case you havent grabbed this freebie, let us remind you of this superb “Trailblazers Series” biography that you’ll enjoy and your kids too.

Teen Slang (infographic) – 26 terms that teens use now decoded for you.

North Korea’s Secret Christians – As the historical meeting up of S. Korea and N. Korea left us stunned, let us pray that N. Korea will be opened to the gospel. However there are some Christians that are already spreading the gospel through radio that reaches N. Korea.

How 10 Minutes Can Change What You Learn From the Bible – Let James 1: 25 teach us to step on the breaks and consider God’s Word that will change us even in a couple of minute.

12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World – Based on the survey conducted by George W. Truett Theological Seminary, the list includes Calvinist preachers John Piper, Tim Keller and Alistair Begg.

UP experts produce 80 open videos – These videos are for general education and can be access by anyone. This is through the efforts of University of the Philippines Open University.

Pixabay for Superteachers – Great campaign by Pixabay, a free images website. Truly Pixabay provides the images plus tool that teachers can use and be effective.

 

The Quotable Round-Up #84

Howdy! It’s a great day to sit down, chill and sip your favorite drink! And while at it, add some awesomeness in your day by reading our latest collection of quotes.  This time we are featuring fresh quotes from the book “What’s Your Worldview?” by James N. Anderson. And if you got stoked with these quotes, please get the book at your nearest Christian bookstore or on Amazon.

“Indeed, one of the toughest challenges Atheist worldviews face is explaining how anything can be objectively good or bad if there’s no God to serve as the ultimate standard of goodness. The same goes for objective meaning and purpose: if there’s no God, then it seems that the universe can have no ultimate meaning, purpose, or direction. The universe just is what it is and does what it does; there’s really no good or bad about it, objectively speaking.”

“Unpopular though the idea may be today, the Bible teaches the polar opposite of Pelagianism: we are born in a sinful and spiritually dead state, unable to live good moral lives apart from divine grace. Indeed, Jesus himself preached the shocking idea that heaven is for immoral people who admit that they’re bad and cry out for God’s mercy and forgiveness rather than for moral people who think they’re good enough to deserve it.”

“In effect, Skeptics want us to believe that they alone have discerned some universal truth about human knowledge, namely, that there isn’t any human knowledge. But do they claim to know that? If they do, they’re not being consistently skeptical; specifically, they’re not being skeptical about their own claim to know a universal truth. On the other hand, if they say they don’t know that Skepticism is correct, why should we take their position seriously? By their own profession, their opinions about human knowledge are no better than anyone else’s.”

“There’s no way to be a consistent Relativist. Just consider the basic claim of Relativism: “There is no objective truth.” Is that claim itself supposed to be objectively true? If so, it obviously contradicts itself! But if the basic claim of Relativism isn’t objectively true, Relativism seems to forfeit any right to be universally accepted or meaningfully debated.”

“On closer examination, Pluralism turns out to be just as “exclusive” and “intolerant” as many traditional religions, if not more so, simply because it cannot accommodate any religion that rejects its distinctive perspective on religion. If Pluralism is right, other religions must be quite wrong. So much for “live and let live”! By excluding non-Pluralist religions, Pluralism exposes itself as just one more religious viewpoint in competition with all the others.”

“Your worldview represents your most fundamental beliefs and assumptions about the universe you inhabit. It reflects how you would answer all the “big questions” of human existence, the fundamental questions we ask about life, the universe, and everything.”

 

Translating John MacArthur: Delighting Grace Interviews Marlene Legaspi-Munar

 

photo courtesy of Monergism.com

One of the most anticipated events in MIBF (or Manila International Book Fair) are book launches by some of the best publishing company in the country. It features newly released books the book lovers are anticipating. For OMF Literature this is an opportunity to showcase fresh Christian books for the Filipino readers. One of I think the best release they have is the conversational Tagalog version of two of the most sought after books of John MacArthur.

Recently I have book reviewed Usapang God’s Will and Usapang God’s Peace which are a must read. The translation is done by author Marlene Legaspi -Munar. So Delighting Grace talked to Ms. Marlene about her latest translation project and more about the two books by John MacArthur.
Delighting Grace: How did you end up with an awesome translation gig?
Marlene Legaspi-Munar: I started translating years ago when a missionary friend, Mike Gingerich from Action International Ministries, asked me if I would be interested in translating the book The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. I did and I enjoyed the experience. Since then, I’ve translated modules, Bible study materials, and other books. Some of the books I’ve translated were published by CSM Publishing and OMF Literature. The latter published the Taglish (conversational Tagalog) translation of John MacArthur’s Found: God’s Will and Found:God’s Peace. The translated titles are Usapang God’s Will and Usapang God’s Peace respectively.
Delighting Grace: Prior to the two books you have translated, do you enjoy reading books from John MacArthur?
Marlene Legaspi-Munar: I’ve read books by John MacArthur before, and have listened to his radio program over at 702 DZAS (a Christian AM station in the Philippines).
Delighting Grace: Which of the two books you have translated is more attached to you personally?
Marlene Legaspi-Munar: Usapang God’s Peace is easily a favorite. It covers a topic most of us are interested in: how to overcome uncertainty, worry, and anxiety. The book reminds us to pray with thanksgiving and focus our thoughts on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8). It talks about peace and God’s grace as well. By God’s grace we have been saved, and it is also His grace that enables us to know God and serve Him. And as John MacArthur said, “God’s peace and grace are always available to us”. What a great comfort to know that.
Delighting Grace: Aside from translating the book to make it understandable, what other factors do you consider when translating a book?
Marlene Legaspi-Munar: Of course, I have to adhere to the publisher’s style guide when translating. The goal of translating a book from English to Tagalog, or Taglish (combination of Tagalog and English, or also called conversational Tagalog) is to reach a wider audience who appreciate a book written in this language. So I always keep in mind that the goal is to make the book reader-friendly and easily understood while remaining faithful to the message of the source text.

Delighting Grace: Can you tell us the process of translating Usapang God’s Will and Usapang God’s Peace.
Marlene Legaspi-Munar: I was offered by Ian Magallona, senior editor of OMF Literature to translate both books, one after the other. I think it took me more than a month to finish translating each book.
Delighting Grace: If you have to choose one between the two, which do you think is the most needed book that our fellow Pinoys needs to read and why?
Marlene Legaspi-Munar: I believe both books, Usapang God’s Will and Usapang God’s Peace will speak to many Pinoy because they address different needs. We need to know God’s will for our lives, and we certainly need God’s grace and peace to keep us going each day and to live meaningfully and abundantly.
Delighting Grace: Please invite us to get the copy of the books and also books you have written.
Marlene Legaspi-Munar: I hope you get a copy of Usapang God’s Will and Usapang God’s Peace, the Taglish translations of John MacArthur’s original titles Found: God’s Will and Found: God’s Peace. They’re available at OMF Literature Bookshops and other Christian bookstores.
Aside from these translated titles, you might also want to get a copy of the other books which I’ve written. My latest book is a travel-themed devotional called Traveler’s Notebook: Insights from Life’s Journey published by CSM Publishing. And if you’re a mother seeking how to balance family and work responsibilities, my other book How to be a Happy Working Mom published by OMF Literature could be the book you’re looking for. You can order online How to be a Happy Working Mom from Passages Books through this link.
You can also visit and like my author page on Facebook.

Delighting Grace: One last question, what if one day John MacArthur visited you and thank you for translating his books, how would you react?
Marlene Legaspi-Munar: First of all, it’s always an honor to serve God by translating books that communicate God’s will. I’m already blessed translating books by other authors, but a “thank you” from these authors would certainly be an encouragement!

 

The Digital Round-Up # 19

Hey folks! Prepare for another round of the “The Digital Round-Up” as we serve you interesting articles, freebies and videos. And if you’re enjoying this stuff, please do tell us on the comment section. So buckle up and enjoy the thrill.

Free “Pray For your Church” ebook by Mike Leake. Its a “31- Day Prayer Challenge” that helps families on praying for the church to have focus, encouragement, accountability and challenge. The also created a website for this freebie: http://www.31dayprayerchallenge.com/

Why legalism destroys churches and kills Christians – This article shows us how the law in the hands of a sinner has a devastating effect to us Christians and how rightly using it liberates us to such predicament.

What did Jesus Mean by Gates of Hell? – Michael Heiser carefully explains what this passage in Matthew 16: 17-18 and what it means to the church that Jesus built.

5 Ways to Glorify God This Summer (And 1 Way Not To) – Its a hot summer here in the Philippines and aside from hitting the beach there are stuff you can do to glorify God.

How to Talk to Atheist and Skeptics About Jesus – Michael Horton wrote a short excellent article on sparking a conversation about Christ to atheist and skeptics.

The Christian Sabbath – Theology Check looks on the issue of Sabbath and how it affects the Christian and his day of worship.

10 Bible Verses About the Deity of Jesus – A great list of verses that affirms that Jesus is God.

Tim Challies has a new series on which he looks at  great sermons.

 

 

5 Christian Podcast You Should Be Listening Right Now

Here’s my favorite podcast that had a massive impact to me as a Christian. Listen and enjoy these podcast and don’t forget to connect to them and tell them you like their stuff.

1.) Pastor Discussions Podcast – Imagine two rural pastor from Nebraska share Christian living, doctrine and everything in between. Jon and Joe will talk it out that will make you easily relate to every episode you listen to.

2.) Word Matters – A very helpful podcast hosted by Trevin Wax and Brandon Smith as they tackle difficult Bible passages that often confuse Christians.

3.) Reading Writers – Its all about authors, reading, books and writing hosted Aaron Armstrong and David Schoeder. This newly improved podcast will deliver more solid content to the listeners.

4.) Home Row – Hosted by author J. A. Medders, this podcast is similar to Reading Writers but more focus on writing. Each episode provides tips and advice on how to improve in writing and other aspect of the craft.

5.) Expositor Podcast – Let Dr. Steven Lawson teach you expository preaching. Every episode is 10 minutes or less and won’t eat up your time. Lawson delivers solid and relevant in every angle of expository preaching  which will really equip you and your sermons.

The Quotable Round-Up #81

Hello guys! I hope you’re having a great day as you dive in this brand new collection of quotes! This time we are featuring fresh quotes from R. C. Sproul’s book titled “The Truth of the Cross” . And if you got stoked with these quotes, please get the book at your nearest Christian bookstore or on Amazon.

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of a holy God Who’s wrathful. But there is no wrath for those whose sins have been paid. That is what salvation is all about.”
— R. C. Sproul

“The Greek word crisis means “judgment.” And the crisis of which Jesus preached was the crisis of an impending judgment of the world, at which point God is going to pour out His wrath
against the unredeemed, the ungodly, and the impenitent. The only hope of escape from that outpouring of wrath is to be covered by the atonement of Christ.”
— R. C. Sproul

“The idea of being the Substitute in offering an atonement to satisfy the demands of God’s law for others was something Christ understood as His mission from the moment He entered this world and took upon Himself a human nature. He came from heaven as the gift of the Father for the express purpose of working out redemption as our Substitute, doing for us what we could not possibly do for ourselves.”
— R. C. Sproul

“Christ came and paid the ransom in order to secure the release of His people, who were held captive to sin. Christ gave this ransom voluntarily, that He might redeem us from our bondage and bring us to Himself as His beloved bride.”
— R. C. Sproul

“When the Bible speaks of ransom, it speaks of that ransom being paid not to a criminal but to the One Who is owed the price for redemption, the One Who is the offended party in the whole complex of sin—the Father. Jesus didn’t negotiate with Satan for our salvation. Instead, He offered Himself in payment to the Father for us. By so offering Himself, He made redemption for His people, redeeming them from captivity.”
— R. C. Sproul

“It is important that we understand that God manifests no enmity toward us. He has never broken a promise. He has never violated a covenant. He has never sworn a vow to us that He failed to pay. He has never treated a human being in this world unjustly. He has never violated us as creatures. In short, He has kept His side of the relationship perfectly. But we have violated Him. We are the ones who violate the creature-Creator relationship. By our sin, we show ourselves to be God’s enemies. Therefore, with respect to enmity, He is the injured party, the violated One.”
— R. C. Sproul

“What do we mean when we speak of God’s justice? In the ancient Jewish mind, justice was never abstract. That’s why, in the Old Testament, justice inevitably was linked with the concept of righteousness. Righteousness means doing what is right. Therefore, God’s justice has to do with His internal righteousness, His character, which defines everything He does. God never acts according to injustice. He never violates any of the standards or canons of righteousness. A simple definition of God’s justice is “His eternal, immutable commitment always to do what is right.”
— R. C. Sproul

The Digital Round- Up (Freebie Edition #4)

Booyah! Freebie fanatics unite! Here we are again for another freebie edition of “The Digital Round-Up”. So gather up and delete some space on your gadgets and make way for these free stuff that will help you walk with God.

FREE audiobook “Reset” by David Murray. Free on the month of April, this book deals with being burnout in the ministry. Read by David Murray himself, youll enjoy the book (and his Irish accent too).

FREE ministry materials from Paris Reidhead teaching ministry.  Reidhead is most known for his sermon “Ten Shekels and a Shirt” has a ministry that gives free books and CD’s derived from his sermons. I suggest you get “Ten Shekels and a Shirt” in CD and “A Reidhead Reader”.

FREE “The Essential Jesus” by Tony Payne. This freebie has been on Kindle for so long. Basically this is the Book of Luke with cultural and historical background to make it easy for you to understand the Gospel.

FREE 16 ebooks by B. B. Warfield. This is an awesome treat for us Reformed that we can download and learn from B. B. Warfield. Thank you Monergism!

FREE “Core Christianity 101” Student Edition. This freebie come with a free e-mail updates from Core Christianity. This student edition tackle some basic difficulties in the Christian faith all in 10 lessons.

FREE “Essential Reading on Preaching”. This free download features alumni, faculty and staff of SBTS to guide you in preaching God’s Word.

FREE 250+ sermon and lectures from Tim Keller’s church. Spanning 28 years, this free resource from Redeemer Presbyterian Church covers lots of topic that will truly equip believers.

FREE “How To Answer A Fool” (full film) Sye Ten Bruggencate. Finally its free and online.