Posted in theology

Amazement at how the world is going

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Christians I know are experiencing complex emotions these days. They are alternately angry, fearful, and mournful of the things coming upon the world. See, we know what is ahead for this last chapter of human experience. Though we have always known the fate of the lost and unsaved, sinking in their sin, but because the prophesies are nearing fulfillment at this time, we are starting to see it. And there is a difference between knowing and seeing. Romans 1 is being played out before our eyes.

We see the sin piling up, we see sinners sinking, drowning in their anger and pain. Being separated from God, they are crying out to their idols, voices wafting onto the wind, unheard.

We read of corruption and hate and shooting and evil and lying and false religions and it goes on and on. All we can do is stand on the lakeshore and tell the sinking, perishing ones the truth, that there is a helicopter above their head with a lifeline. Grab it! Grab it! we shout. Many won’t. It is excruciating to see so many refuse to listen. They will not look up at their redemption, and one by one, they strangle in their heavy sins and perish. We cry. Why?

What we are feeling these days is mourning. We are watching the death throes of our world, we are watching the perishing of many souls, we are watching the hardening of heart by God in real time. We sink to our knees in grief.

But God.

But God made a way for sinners to be redeemed,
But God gave us the Holy Spirit so that we have ability to pursue righteousness,
But God gave us opportunity to know Him, enjoy Him and give Him glory,
But God sent His Son to die on the cross, be buried, resurrected and ascended to the right hand of the Father,
But God adopted us into His family!

We Christians above all people in the world have so many blessings. We possess the knowledge of and even the indwelling of the Most High God. We are comforted by His promises.

But God in addition to His holiness, also has the aspect of Justice.

We tend to forget that John the Baptist the forerunner to Jesus came speaking not of love and joy and comfort and encouragement, “He first preached preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;” (Luke 3:3). He spoke of wrath and the coming of Jesus. (Luke 3:7, 16). The Gospel of Jesus Christ has two parts, and the second part is almost upon us: His Second Coming. He could come at any time. Or, death could come for you, any moment.

Are you ready to face the Holy God who created you? To defend your sins, to be tried and found guilty, and be thrown into the Lake of Fire in the end?

Of are you ready to face the Holy God who created you and fling yourself at the feet of Jesus begging for forgiveness? Who will then pursue holiness with the indwelling Spirit propelling you along until death, and then be ready to be ushered into heavenly glory? Are you ready to persevere, continue to do good in the face of darkness and hate? For there is LIGHT at the end.

I continually try to remind us all, me included, to have an eternal perspective. To keep looking up. Not to despair. To not grow weary in the doing good.

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10

Posted in theology

Golden calf

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

After making their covenant, Moses taught the people what God wanted. This included instructions on worshipping God. God was very specific about it. So the Israelites worshipped God His way, which included making an altar with nothing man-made on it- no objects, no idols, nothing even that a man made tool had touched or fashioned. Only stones. Then God called Moses back up to the mountain so He could give him the law in physical form (the tablets containing the Ten Commandments). Moses was gone 40 days and 40 nights.

Being stiff-necked and impatient, the Israelites worried about Moses and they decided he was not coming back. Abandoning the worship of God His way,

“when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

“So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” Exodus 20:22-25, Exodus 32-34

They worshipped a golden calf. An idol.

Paul wrote to Timothy that there will be Godlessness in the last days. We are in the last days. They are the time between the Ascension of Jesus and His return. Paul wrote: “Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.”  1 Corinthians 10:7.

Are you ready? Turn your eyes upon Jesus and Him only. Serve Him and walk in His ways. Forego the golden idols of this world. There are so many! For Westerners, they might not be actual cast idols, as they are in the East, but we have idols that fill football fields, we set up monuments to worshiping work, we’ve got idols of entertainers and musicians. Instead, plan on eternal rewards. The temporary rewards and idols of this world are just that, all too temporary.

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Posted in theology

Communion, Lord’s Supper: Taking it in an Unworthy Manner?

Posted on by elizabethprata

by Elizabeth Prata

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If you are a believing, regular church goer you more than likely take Communion. This ordinance established by Jesus involves eating the bread and drinking the wine. Some churches use pieces of bread, others use crackers or pre-made wafers for the occasion. Some use wine and others use juice. Some stay in their pews and are passed a large plate from which they pluck the elements, others walk to the front and pick them up themselves.

However you take Communion, it is a meaningful and important ordinance, one of only two the Lord Himself established for believers: the other being baptism.

We read about Communion in 1 Corinthians 11,

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Posted in theology

Of Cemeteries and Monuments

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I like visiting cemeteries. I always have. I grew up next to a large one. It was beautiful and even had a beautiful name. Stone columns adorned either side of the entry and a babbling brook ran in front and all along the side. Gentle hills were fun to swoop my bike down and were not hard to pedal up. Huge pine trees looking like Christmas trees allowed a solitude-seeking girl to part the boughs and lay inside the greenery on a bed of pine needles, reading Nancy Drew, at once protected and apart from the world. I liked that cemetery for its quietude, but I was not yet old enough to really ponder the eternality of those residing in it, under the ground.

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Posted in theology

Devotionals

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

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I post a devotional every day on my social media (Twitter, The End Time blog Facebook page, Instagram, MeWe, and Gab). My favorite devotionals are from The Valley of Vision. I heartily recommend the book!

There are a lot of devotionals out there. Lots. Many people don’t read devotionals, and that’s OK. It’s better to read the Bible and not devotionals than to read devotionals and not the Bible! But if you are of a devotional frame of mind, there are some I recommend.

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Posted in beth moore, billy graham, charles spurgeon, discernment, I am the door, martyn lloyd-jones, salvation

Jesus is the door: what do these famous testimonies reveal about their understanding of Christ?

Posted on by elizabethprata
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I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9)

This is one of the famous I AM statements by Jesus. Here they all are.

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Posted in encouragement, grace, repentance, salvation, sin

The Most Terrifying Thing God Can Do: In which I testify to God’s grace in saving me

Posted on by elizabethprata

In the past, Tim Challies posted an article titled The Most Terrifying Thing God Can Do. It’s a terrifying article. It crushed me reading it and apparently it did for many others as well. I saw this article referred to and re-posted numerous times.

The most terrifying thing God can do is to turn an unsaved person over to his sin. Having just gone through Romans 1 in my Sunday School class, I was starkly reminded again of God giving them over to their sin. It’s stated three times at the end of the chapter. This again clutched my heart with terror and grief. Sin is such a powerful drug, a terrifying trap.

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Posted in theology

Discernment: Can we be TOO cautious or TOO critical?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Here is a question: Can a person be too critical or too cautious in discernment?

I was asked this recently. I answered: yes. And no. It depends on what the person saying ‘you’re too critical’ or, ‘you’re too cautious’ means by the words cautious and critical.

The Bible says we are to test everything and hold on to the good. but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good, 22 abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

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