Famous Last Word..."Almost"

The Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." -Acts 26:28


Paul had a miraculous opportunity to share the faith before King Agrippa. It was an opportunity that was orchestrated by God. God used the persecution of Paul by the Jewish leaders to bring Paul to this point. I enjoy how clearly Paul explains his own conversion in this chapter of Acts. King Agrippa patiently listened to Paul expound from the very beginning his own persecution of the church, his miraculous conversion, and his ministry to the Gentiles.

But Agrippa could not bring himself to commit his life to Christ. He said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian. We don't know if Agrippa ever put his trust in Christ. I certainly hope that he did, but I am saddened that he couldn't quite make the choice. Someday Agrippa will stand before God to give account for his life. How sad it would be to have to say to God, "I almost became a Christian."

If you have not become a Christian, put your trust in Christ. Turn from your sins and trust Christ for salvation. Don't be like Agrippa. Don't let almost get in the way. Give yourself fully to Christ.

Bible Reading Plan Update

To begin this wonderful year of 2012, I started using a Bible reading plan that involves reading 10 chapters of the Bible from 10 different books of the Bible every day. I am now two months into it, and let me tell you, I am amazed by how effective it has been for me. Here's what I've been able to read in just two months following this plan:

• Genesis, some of Exodus
• Joshua, Judges, Ruth, some of 1 Samuel
• Job, 1/3 or Psalms
• Proverbs almost twice
• Ecclesiastes
• most of Isaiah
• Matthew, Mark, half of Luke
• Acts twice
• Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians
• 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, &3 John

I have never read Scripture so diversely and in such volume. The Lord is using this reading plan to strengthen my understanding of the Word and to give me a new appreciation for hearing from God each day. If you don't have a Bible reading plan, I suggest starting with this one. You can find an explanation of it HERE. 

Don't just nibble on the Word, FEAST ON IT!

The Valley of Vision - A Convert's First Prayer

MY FATHER,

I could never have sought my happiness in thy love,
   unless thou had'st first loved me.
Thy Spirit has encouraged me by grace to seek thee,
   has made known to me thy reconciliation in Jesus,
   has taught me to believe it,
   has helped me to take thee for my God and portion.
May he grant me to grow in the knowledge
     and experience of thy love,
   and walk in it all the way to glory.
Blessed for ever be thy fatherly affection,
   which chose me to be one of thy children
   by faith in Jesus:
I thank thee for giving me the desire to live as such.
In Jesus, my brother, I have my new birth,
   every restraining power,
   every renewing grace.
It is by thy Spirit I call thee Father,
   believe in thee, love thee;
Strengthen me inwardly for ever purpose
   of my Christian life;
Let the Spirit continually reveal to me my interest in Christ,
   and open to me the riches of thy love in him;
May he abide in me that I may know my union with Jesus,
   and enter into constant fellowship with him;
By thy Spirit may I daily live to thee,
   rejoice in thy love,
   find it the same to me as to thy Son,
   and become rooted and grounded in it
     as a house on a rock;
I know but little--
   increase my knowledge of thy love in Jesus,
   keep me pressing forward for clearer discoveries of it,
   so that I may find its eternal fullness;
Magnify thy love to me according to its greatness,
   and not according to my deserts or prayers,
   and whatever increase thou givest,
   let it draw out greater love to thee.

-The Valley of Vision, p. 94-95
Banner of Truth Trust 1975

Confident Eternal Life In Him

"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." -1 John 5:20


I have confidence in my faith in Christ. This comes not from the strength of my faith, for often my faith waivers. This confidence comes from the object of my faith--Jesus Christ.

1) I have confidence in His person. He is the Son of God. No one else could have done the things that He did. No one else could have accomplished salvation for mankind. No one but Jesus, the Son of God, can give me confidence in my faith. Jesus never fails, Jesus never fails. Heaven and earth may pass away, but Jesus never fails.

2) I have confidence in His truth. He is the true God. Idols are powerless. Idols are fake. Idols cannot give truth. Jesus, on the other hand, is the source of all truth. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the faithful and true witness. His word is truth. You can trust the truth. You can build your life upon the truth and it will never fail. But if you build your life on anything else, it will crumble under the weight of life's trials.

3) I have confidence in His promise of eternal life. As the God of truth, you can trust what He promises. He promises eternal life to all those who put their trust in Him. I love how clearly John puts it: This is the true God and eternal life.

Do you have confidence in Jesus? He is trustworthy. You can know for certain that you are saved and that you will have eternal life through God's Son Jesus Christ. Your faith may falter from day to day, but Jesus will never fail.

Book Review: What Does God Want of Us Anyway?

A quick overview of the whole Bible

Copyright 2010 by Mark Dever

119 pages, Published by Crossway

In case you are just starting to follow these book reviews, I’ve been working on reading the 9Marks series. If you are not familiar with 9Marks, please check out their website. The goal of the series is to provide books explaining what the Bible has to say about the 9 marks of a healthy church. This next book is by Mark Dever, senior pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in DC.

This book is the result of three sermons preached by Pastor Mark Dever. The first is an overview of the whole Bible, the second an overview of the Old Testament, and the third is an overview of the New Testament. By using this outline, Dever has done a great job breaking down each of the major sections of the Bible and explained a little about the books that are in each section.

I always enjoy reading about the Bible. I find its unity and cohesion totally miraculous. Naturally, I enjoyed this little book. It is a great resource for explaining to a new Christian the basic outline and theme of Scripture. It is also a great tool for believers to be reminded of the greater narrative that is going on in the Bible. Sometimes we lose sight of that in the day to day Bible reading that we do. Don’t lose sight of the main theme. As they used to tell us at Bible school: Keep the main thing the main thing.

Read this book. It will encourage and refresh you.