tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98780852011-04-21T23:33:34.092-05:00<br><br><i>... my musings and insights into the Word and the Ways of God ... </i>John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-8001906054862915452008-01-06T12:46:00.000-06:002008-01-06T13:38:47.641-06:00

Recently I listened to Stan Buckley (First Baptist Church of Jackson, FL) as he related an anecdote concerning a question put to him when he was a young minister; a mentor ask him, "What is the most important doctrine in the Bible?"He immediately saw an opportunity to impress his elder-peer with a quick response; he said "Salvation." His friend said, "No, that is not it!" Several others followed

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-84766861068692447832008-01-06T11:23:00.000-06:002008-01-06T12:45:48.872-06:00

THE FOLLOWING POST IS A CONCEPTUAL WORK-IN-PROGRESS ...If God, with reference to His omniscience, foreknows the potential of every thought, word, feeling, and deed, does He need to specifically know the ending (i.e., outcome) of each in order to retain fully His divine sovereignty over the affairs of man? Since He is surprised by nothing, the answer would seem to be no!I would suggest the

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-96674957844907992007-12-24T05:56:00.000-06:002007-12-24T08:17:11.288-06:00

Just because a thing is assigned a particular name doesn't mean it will absolutely function according to that name. For example, calling a thing a "house" plant doesn't mean it will thrive, or even survive, in every house; especially flowering houseplants.All plants, at least all flowering plants, require certain essential things in order to thrive and survive: sunlight, carbon-dioxide, moisture,

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-15701719983920085862007-12-18T11:22:00.000-06:002007-12-18T13:13:44.740-06:00

Consider the following in the light of God's call to Mary and Joseph ...It is one thing to believe God has done the miraculous through others in the past ...... it is quite another to be called to personal involvement in miracles yet to be!The real question for us is how will we respond to God's call on us?Calling, Christianity, Christmas, Faith, Miracles

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-81186585231865358582007-11-24T10:26:00.000-06:002007-11-24T12:24:25.507-06:00

Philosophical anarchy can be described as ...A system of thinking in the field of knowledge which leads to a belief in the eradication of "all direct or coercive government as a political ideal" and that "proposes the cooperative and voluntary association of individuals and groups as the principal mode of organized society" without formal government.Communism is and was is a philosophical

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-35461535281759910792007-08-12T21:32:00.000-05:002007-08-13T00:43:59.785-05:00

In Acts chapter 3, verses 12-15, we see the Apostles John and Peter being rushed by people who had heard about the healing of a man lame from birth.One truth learned from Peter's response to the people (he stopped them seeking a human as the source of the healing power) is the recognition they were doing something wrong - idolatry. They were looking for the men who had done this healing; they

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-64197594213253149482007-08-09T17:27:00.000-05:002008-11-13T03:06:07.877-06:00

I am the proud owner of several years (1957-1960) of The SWORD of the LORD newspaper; a weekly national, Christian rag published by fundie John R. Rice for years ... and, surprisingly, still published to this day.The following is a classic in conservative preaching (specifically in the area of confronting the cults while defending the faith), which was published in the September 5, 1958, issue.

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1158302629162075042006-09-15T01:15:00.000-05:002006-09-15T01:43:49.213-05:00

FOLLOW THE BOUNCING BALL: [Acts: 17:11; other topics - discipleship, Trust]Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.When I was a teen ... way back before the flood ... me and my friend Methuselah would go to the movies together. During the intermission ... for

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1137720149980063782006-01-21T08:00:00.000-06:002006-01-20T18:32:17.263-06:00

Baruch Ha Shem Adonai!(Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the twelfth and final entry in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God.The name before us is Jehovah Tsidkenu, "The Lord Our Righteousness"; there are only two occurrences of this glorious name, the first in Jeremiah 23:6b [23:5-6]...And this is His name by

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1130894673028092252005-12-22T20:00:00.000-06:002005-12-22T21:12:10.643-06:00

Baruch Ha Shem Adonai!(Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the eleventh in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God.The name before us is Jehovah Shammah, "The Lord is There"; it relates to a millennial promise of God ... to a future, earthly Jerusalem ... one in which the King of kings rules for a thousand

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1130022711692487182005-10-29T17:10:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:16:01.410-06:00

Baruch Ha Shem Adonai!(Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the tenth in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God.The name before us is Jehovah Shalom, "The Lord of Peace" or "The Lord is Peace." The name occurs only once in the Old Testament, in Judges 6:24 ...Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1129844172171581632005-10-20T16:30:00.000-05:002005-10-20T16:52:36.810-05:00

In Acts 3:1-10 Peter and John were about to enter the temple; they were passing by a lame man begging alms from passersby. This is one of the most memorable Sunday School lessons of all time; it's on the same plain as David and Goliath! I don’t remember where or when I was taught the lesson, but I remember it clearly. But Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1128903710199839162005-10-11T17:57:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:16:45.606-06:00

Baruch Ha Shem Adonai!(Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the ninth in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God.The name before us is Jehovah Sabaoth, "The Lord of Hosts"; I believe this is the name Christ Himself referred to in Matthew 9:37, 38 (below; see also Luke 10:2), where He called upon the people to "pray

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1125881756811182812005-09-05T02:10:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:17:17.116-06:00

Baruch Ha Shem Adonai!(Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the eighth in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God.As I write this post on Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord who heals, I am confronted with the need for healing on a scale not often seen in this country! Hurricane Katrina took place one week ago and the

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1124063221282694592005-08-14T19:30:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:17:44.913-06:00

Baruch Ha Shem Adonai! (Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the seventh in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God.The name before us is Jehovah Raah, "The Lord My Shepherd"; it also appears only once in this form in the bible. It does appear along with Elohim in Genesis 48:15. (both references follow below)

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1121820217520499502005-07-20T08:00:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:18:08.173-06:00

Baruch Ha Shem Adonai!(Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the sixth in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God.The name before us in this post, Jehovah Nissi, "The Lord My Banner," and it appears only once in the bible. (see below)Jehovah is a compound Hebrew word meaning "The Self-existing One." The main

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1120769274678861982005-07-08T08:00:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:18:47.886-06:00

EDITOR'S NOTE: Apologies for the delay in getting to this ... sometimes things just don't go the way you want them to!Baruch Ha Shem Adonai!(Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the fifth in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God.The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying,

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1118624210946395012005-06-13T23:30:00.000-05:002005-06-13T11:32:12.666-05:00

COVER (above): "The Destiny of the Christless Dead"Sermon preached at a Bible conferenceVery early 20th CenturyTEXT (below): as in original; including page numbers,spelling & grammar errors;italics are the author'sFUTURE PUNISHMENTR. A. TORREY, D.D.INTRODUCTION The subject assigned me for this afternoon is Future Punishment. I shrink from speaking on that subject. I have a dread that

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1118442256711383862005-06-10T16:20:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:19:19.193-06:00

Baruch Ha Shem Adonai!(Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the fourth in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God.Who wouldn't want to know God's system of provision for His chosen people ... for that matter for His Church, the called-out!Genesis 22:1-19The ram bleated and struggled in an effort to free himself from

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1116466297373433892005-05-19T08:30:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:19:49.016-06:00

Baruch Ha Shem Adonai!(Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the third in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God. (My apolgies to visitors for the delay in getting this out; God and my wife had other things for me to do)As it was with El Elyon (God Most High) and El Roi (God Who Sees) we must start in the Old

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1115257369854704362005-05-05T08:00:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:22:58.653-06:00

Baruch Ha Shem Adonai!(Blessed be the Name of the Lord!)This is the second in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational names of God.Genesis ...Our first encounter with El Roi (God Who Sees) as a name of God is again found in Genesis 16:13 (1-20), concerning the first solo-pity party by Hagar, Abram's servant ...Then [Hagar] called

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1114653757765353712005-04-28T14:50:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:24:01.493-06:00

This is the first in The CRIB's presentation of the Twelve Jewels of God ... a look at the wonderful, powerful, inspirational name of God - El Elyon (God Most High).Genesis ...Our first encounter with El Elyon (God Most High) as a name of God is in Genesis 14:17-20 (cp. Hebrews 7:1) ...Then after [Abram's] return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1107998383766406372005-02-09T19:18:00.000-06:002005-02-09T19:54:45.970-06:00

I'm going to reproduce almost in total a post from Mike Richmond's Simple Living; go there to read it in context. I'm doing this so readers can see how the simple the movement of the Holy Spirit is when "two or three are gathered together in (His) name" [Matthew 18:20].We did a group lectio of 1 Corinthians 2:1-11 for the "speaking" portion of our worship time last Sunday .... It was obviously

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1107568591567415712005-02-04T20:15:00.000-06:002005-02-04T20:09:00.250-06:00

The unique story of the Star of Bethlehem was wonderfully presented by Craig Chester at Hillsdale College's Center for Constructive Alternatives Seminar, "Man and Creation: Perspectives on Science and Religion," in the fall of 1992. Mr. Chester's words were printed in the December 1993 issue of their powerful publication, IMPRIMUS [Vol.22, No. 12]; the following is an edited excerpt of his

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1107450536350517262005-02-04T20:08:00.000-06:002005-02-04T20:19:17.706-06:00

When I awake each morning (though not every morning) I acknowledge God be reminding myself ...He alone is worthy [Revelation 4:11]my goal for the day is to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness [Matthew 6:33]apart from Him I can do nothing [John 15:4]I need Him to reveal my cross for the day and deny myself in order to follow Him [Luke 9:23]I need not fear the world or the things of the

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1105821269643111332005-01-15T15:12:00.000-06:002005-01-15T14:34:29.643-06:00

In Numbers 27:13-14, the Lord announces to the leader of Israel, Moses, that his days are numbered. But the Lord in His infinite compassion allows Moses to go to the top of Mt. Nebo (biblical Pisgah) and see what he is missing, the land of promise. The Lord then reminds the leader why he is prevented from entering the earthly Promised Land; because of his sin in the wilderness of Zin. What was

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1105562027683941352005-01-12T15:10:00.000-06:002005-01-15T14:46:27.883-06:00

John 13:5-12 addresses the washing of the disciples' feet as an example of humility in our interpersonal relations. When Peter objected to the Lord washing his feet, Jesus warned him that he would have "no part" in Him if He did not! Peter responded, "Then wash me from head to toe, Lord!" Jesus said we are His body [Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18]. If then we are to "to wash one another's feet," since He

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1105137388099282612005-01-07T16:25:00.000-06:002005-01-15T14:48:32.453-06:00

In Numbers 22:5 we see Balaam being sought by Balak the king of Moab so the prophet could curse the nation of Israel, which was encamped just outside his borders. The king said, "Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land." Now what Balak did not know or understand was that God knew in advance how to present His people in the most fearsome way possible. In

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1105057096277263512005-01-06T18:00:00.000-06:002005-01-15T14:50:53.630-06:00

In Matthew 1:17 we read ... "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations." There is a rarely noticed problem with this verse; sequences two and three have fourteen generations each but sequence one has only thirteen. This is then

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1104601940053675492005-01-01T10:58:00.000-06:002005-01-01T12:06:03.986-06:00

John the Baptist, a prophet of God, says, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I ... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." [Matt. 3:11] It seems to me that if there were others, John would have mentioned them. His words were to draw a comparison between his temporal ministry and the Lord's eternal ministry. We argue that water

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878085.post-1104545051651025192004-12-31T19:53:00.000-06:002005-01-01T10:50:30.076-06:00

Genesis 2:25 says, "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." So there was no shame at this point. But in Gen 3:7, "the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings." A companion text is 2:17, which reads, "but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,

John Gillmartinnoreply@blogger.com