For those of you that did not get a chance to read my summary letter to those who supported my trip, this is a very large excerpt from that, explaining all that my team and I really experienced while serving God in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Thank you so much for supporting my mission trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica this summer! Thanks to you, I was able to have the opportunity to build a house for a family of six and minister to the people of Jamaica. It truly was an absolutely amazing experience and I cannot thank you enough. While I was in Jamaica, God really made me work outside of my comfort zone. My team was in a different county, a different culture, eating different food, and doing many things we were not used to. Despite all the these obstacles, God used our team, as well as myself, to really affect the family we built the house for and the people we ministered to all throughout Jamaica. While I was in Jamaica, so much happened. I worked with Homes of Hope, I lived at the YWAM base as well as got to know all the staff and people living there, and I was taken all throughout Jamaica, doing various ministerial duties.
Working with Homes of Hope was such a great experience! This was actually the second time I had worked with this specific organization, but it was a completely different experience. It was a new location, new builders, and a new family. The family we were building for consisted of a single mother, named Sheriffa McLaughlin, raising five children. Sheriffa and her children were so sweet and so kind. Her children were even able to help us build the house, which was a cool experience in and of itself. We were told that we were only going to need three days to build this house, which seemed impossible. However, God worked through us and proved the impossible to be possible, and we did finish in three days. On the first day, the heat was unbearable, and the work was extremely hard, but for the most part we were on schedule. Day two was a little different. The prep team who had prepared the sight for us to build, had made some architectural flaws, and the house was not centered on the foundation. So we spent an hour or so actually moving the house over a few inches (definitely not an easy task). However, we were still able to "roll with it" and actually finish day two on schedule. By the end of day two, all that was left was finishing the roof and painting the inside of the house. As day three came around, the team was exhausted but absolutely motivated, and we spent almost the whole day on the roof putting the shingles on. Several of us actually pushed lunch back about an hour and a half in order to finish the roof. It was a lot of work, but it was done. Once we finished building, we ate lunch in the house we had just built and then handed the house over to Sheriffa and her family. We all gathered in front of the house and passed the key around, praying for a blessing on the house, Sheriffa, and her children. It was very emotional, many of us were in tears during the whole thing. After we were finished dedicating the house, we all hugged Sheriffa and left her to move into her new house. Words cannot describe the experience of watching this woman go from having little to nothing to having her own house to safely raise her children in. God heard Sheriffa's prayers and sent His people to be His hands and feet. Getting to be a part of that was so incredible. Even more, EVERYTHING we did for Sheriffa, we did in the glorious name of Jesus Christ.
Living at the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base, and getting to know the staff there was such an awesome experience! The base was located on a mountain in St. James, just outside of Montego Bay. Which meant, we had the most beautiful view of the entire city from where we were staying. The base actually used to be a plantation, and then several owners later, was donated to YWAM. Everything about it was awesome, except for one thing... There was no Air Conditioning! It was SO hot the entire time we were there, and we had nowhere to escape the heat! Luckily, the base had a pool, which made all of us very happy. In fact, we swam in the pool just about every single day after we were done with our duties for the day. Basically, we would go somewhere and pray with people or feed them, then we would come back and swim, then we would have group devotions (we worked through the prayer life of Jesus throughout all four gospels), and then we would play MAFIA! Mafia was almost a must after devos and after we had bought some snacks from the store at the base. One night, a couple of us decided we would try a famous Jamaican drink called Malta. I went in with an open mind, but it did not matter. Malta was arguably the worst thing I have ever tasted. It was so awful! Nobody on our team actually liked it. One thing that made this trip so awesome was how much we bonded as a group and with the people that lived on the base. Our guide, Shashana, was so cool. She was with us just about the whole time. God bless her soul for handling so many Americans for so long! Another person we met was Junior. Junior worked with Homes of Hope, and was hilarious! Our entire team came to love Junior. In fact, we all made fun of our leader, Matthew McNutt and even got Junior and several other staff members in on the fun. We called McNutt "BIG Bird" because the second day on the build site, he wore a yellow shirt and very closely resembled Big Bird from Sesame Street. Junior and a guy named Mr. Grey would only refer to him as Big Bird or just Bird. McNutt was bitter towards the name at first, but definitely came to find the humor in it as well as love it. Another person we came to love, was a man named Arlin. He was actually from Pennsylvania and was a huge Philly sports fan! He worked with Homes of Hope, and we got very close to him during the trip. Another thing that was cool was while we were there, there was a group of almost 50 Canadians there building three houses. Getting to interact with them on the base was so much fun! What still stands out to me when I think of what life was like on the base, is how much personal interaction we had all day and every night. Since there weren't a whole lot of extras to do there except swim, our group spent so much time together enjoying each other's company. We really did bond so much on this trip. Also, when we weren't spending time with each other, we were spending time with God, whether it was in prayer or reading His Word. This trip definitely brought out great group interaction and great personal devotions. Living on the base and interacting with the missionaries was a truly fantastic experience.
The various ministries we were able to help with while in Jamaica, were some of the hardest but best parts of the trip. We went to a place called Hope Hospice, where we met two very interesting people; Mr. White and a woman named Cynthia. Mr. White was the kind of guy that none of us expected. We all went into his room expecting to preach to him and to minister to him, but instead he preached and ministered to us. He was such a loving and godly man, and a truly exceptional Christian role model. He prayed for so many of us individually, he definitely touched the hearts of our group. Cynthia, was also a real gem. She was one of the sweetest old ladies I've ever met. About ten years ago or so, she came to the hospice and had both legs amputated due to diabetes. She had literally been in a bed for the past ten years, and she was without a doubt in my mind, one of the happiest people I've ever met. The way she talked about Jesus melted my heart. She truly loved her Savior and trusted in Him in every aspect of her life. We also went to so many other hospitals, soup kitchens, homes for the poor, etc... But the one that still sticks out in my mind was this house for orphaned children. This place housed almost a hundred kids ranging from all types of ages, but no one over say the age of 12. I met and interacted with some of the cutest and coolest kids! While we were there, we put on a VBS (Vacation Bible School) for the kids. It was so much fun getting to play with the kids and entertain them as well as share Jesus' love with them. It was such an amazing experience, and I will always remember it. To top the whole trip off, everywhere we went, we had our own driver, who we all got very close to. His name was Mr. Chambers, and he was such a cool guy. By the end of the trip, he really was part of our team and it was very hard to say goodbye. Overall, the ministry we did in the various parts of Jamaica was truly an amazing experience.
So, in the twelve days that we were there, we built a house with Homes of Hope, lived with some amazing people and got to know them on a personal level, and shared Christ Jesus' love and compassion with all of Jamaica. What an incredible trip! I truly came back with such an incredible perspective on just how blessed we as Americans are, and just how much we take for granted.
IMPORTANT: Although we made it home safe, there are still hundreds, if not thousands who are living in extreme poverty in Jamaica, and all parts of the world, who don’t have the luxury of coming to the United States and living in safe towns and safe homes with a bed to sleep in every night. I ask that you please keep these people and these ministries in your prayers. We really saw the immense power of prayer while we were there, and we got home safely because of it, but they still need to remain in our prayers. Thank you so much for your support! God bless!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Transcendentalism: Defined
This is for Kitsa.
Transcendentalism is the belief that everyone is born good and that true knowledge comes from nature. It states that society and other means of epistemology apart from the metaphysical or transcendent world distort true knowledge and corrupt man entirely.
This belief was advocated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, a 19th century philosopher.
Transcendentalism is the belief that everyone is born good and that true knowledge comes from nature. It states that society and other means of epistemology apart from the metaphysical or transcendent world distort true knowledge and corrupt man entirely.
This belief was advocated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, a 19th century philosopher.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The Simplicity of the Gospel: Confess, Believe, Saved
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 (ESV)
This short verse shows, just how simple the gospel really is. That salvation is as simple as confessing sin, and believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. This verse so eloquently identifies that Jesus Christ IS Lord and that God raised Him from the dead, and that, in its simplicity, is one of the most beautiful things we will ever read in scripture.
I think, as Christians, its very easy for us to become numb to some of the things we have grown up hearing in Sunday school, like this verse. Sure, we know that this is all we must do to be saved, but do we really believe it?
God sent His Son; that Son, Jesus lived and died a perfect life; and three days later, rose from the dead pronouncing victory over sin and death, and reconnecting the intimacy that man at one point had with God, but had disconnected due to sin. That is the gospel.
God sent His Son; that Son, Jesus lived and died a perfect life; and three days later, rose from the dead pronouncing victory over sin and death, and reconnecting the intimacy that man at one point had with God, but had disconnected due to sin. That is the gospel.
We as Christians should never grow numb to something as beautiful and awesome as that! Jesus died, but He lives! He really lives! Now, the question is asked to us… do we want to live?
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Romans 3:23: For ALL Have Sinned
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23 (ESV)
This verse, in its simplicity, addresses one of the most intense, and terrifying truths in all of Scripture. The fact of the matter is, that God has established a law in which all men must abide by or be destroyed. God has made it very clear that if anyone does not live up to these standards or this specific law, they will be eternally damned and cast in to eternal hell. This is one of the most gruesome truths we will find throughout the whole Bible, and it should cause us to tremble before the throne of God Almighty. There will come a day, when every person will stand before the throne of a Holy God, high and lifted up, and they will give an account for every sin they have ever committed. When they are finished, they will be cast out of the presence of God, and into an eternity of excruciating pain and suffering.
Although God had made it very clear that He will destroy anything that breaks His commandments, He has made a way out. He has sent His Son, to die the death we deserve, so that we might not spend eternity in hell. God has established a covenant of grace amongst His people, in which we have redemption and unity with and through Christ. Jesus Christ came and satisfied the wrath of God, so that we would not have to. Jesus bled and died for a group of sinners whom God had chosen before the foundation of the world, and promises to redeem these fallen sinners, and bring them into the eternal glory of God Almighty. What an awesome God we serve that He would do such a great thing out of such great love for such an evil group of god-hating sinners. Praise be to the God of our Fathers who truly had blessed us with every spiritual blessing, especially that of our salvation.
This verse, in its simplicity, addresses one of the most intense, and terrifying truths in all of Scripture. The fact of the matter is, that God has established a law in which all men must abide by or be destroyed. God has made it very clear that if anyone does not live up to these standards or this specific law, they will be eternally damned and cast in to eternal hell. This is one of the most gruesome truths we will find throughout the whole Bible, and it should cause us to tremble before the throne of God Almighty. There will come a day, when every person will stand before the throne of a Holy God, high and lifted up, and they will give an account for every sin they have ever committed. When they are finished, they will be cast out of the presence of God, and into an eternity of excruciating pain and suffering.
Although God had made it very clear that He will destroy anything that breaks His commandments, He has made a way out. He has sent His Son, to die the death we deserve, so that we might not spend eternity in hell. God has established a covenant of grace amongst His people, in which we have redemption and unity with and through Christ. Jesus Christ came and satisfied the wrath of God, so that we would not have to. Jesus bled and died for a group of sinners whom God had chosen before the foundation of the world, and promises to redeem these fallen sinners, and bring them into the eternal glory of God Almighty. What an awesome God we serve that He would do such a great thing out of such great love for such an evil group of god-hating sinners. Praise be to the God of our Fathers who truly had blessed us with every spiritual blessing, especially that of our salvation.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Jonathan Edwards: Preacher, Theologian, and Writer
In the 16th Century, England experienced some theological reforms. They switched from Catholicism to Anglicanism. This movement won the hearts of many, but not all. There was a group of people intermingled in this reformation called the Puritans. The Puritans did not necessarily oppose these reforms, but they wanted to take these reforms further than the Anglican Church had taken them. The Puritans believed that the Anglican Church was still too much like the Catholic Church and had not been reformed nearly enough (from a personal opinion, I have to agree with them). The Puritans were considered “Calvinists”, meaning they held to the teachings of John Calvin, a 16th Century theologian. Ultimately, the goal of the Puritans was to integrate their Calvinist theology into the Anglican Church, and become more “reformed”.
Sadly, the Anglican Church never subscribed to Calvinism, and the Puritans were actually forced to either conform to the teachings of Anglicanism or be imprisoned. This was all mandated under “The Acts of Supremacy and Conformity”, created by the English Parliament. After this was established, the Puritans fled England and came to America, where they could exercise religious freedom.
The Puritans developed their own colonies, once they were in America. Because of the immense focus and emphasis on the Bible and their personal relationships with the God of the Bible, these colonies were theocratic. The Puritans were very dedicated to right living, modest behavior, and sound theology. The Puritans had many great historical figures amongst them, and they have actually gone down in history for that, however, one of the most famous names to ever come out of the Puritans was a man named Jonathan Edwards.
Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan preacher, and also one of America’s most influential and all around greatest theologians. Edwards was a strong advocate of Reformed theology and/or Calvinism. In his writings and sermons, he focused on God’s absolute sovereignty and had strong Christocentric themes. He was a devout man, very much committed to living a life of purity and honor.
Jonathan Edwards played a very critical and important role in the First Great Awakening, one of the greatest revivals in Church history. He preached countless sermons during this great revival and is still remembered for some of those sermons. Edwards is most noted for his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, a literary work that is still read in schools today.
Edwards was also a prolific writer and the president of The College of New Jersey (Princeton University). Edwards, was one of the greatest figures of American history. Edwards was known and loved for so many different reasons and occupations. However, Jonathan Edwards was an amazing preacher, an incredible theologian, and an exceptional writer.
On October 5th, in the year 1703, Timothy Edwards and his wife Esther had their fifth child. A boy, named Jonathan. Jonathan, the only boy in the family, had ten sisters. All throughout his years as an adolescent, his father and some of his older sisters trained him for college. In 1716, he enrolled into Yale College at the age of 13. Edwards was profoundly interested in philosophy and science. He kept journals and notebooks focusing on “The Mind”, “Natural Science”, “The Scriptures”, and some containing miscellanies studies. He was very much interested in science and actually was drawn to theism by his studies of science. What is interesting is that most students of science tend to lean toward deism or evolutionism because of scientific conclusions; ironically, Edwards went the other way with his views of God through science. He claimed to see God’s wonderful, sovereign design in the natural world, and actually was so impressed with nature that throughout his life, his favorite place to pray was the woods because of its natural beauty.
Edwards, at the age of 17 years old, graduated from Yale College in 1720 as valedictorian and top of his class. After his years at Yale, he decided to pursue the ministry and chose to study theology for the next two years. Even though he was so fascinated by science all throughout school, he felt called by God to preach, study, and write about the Word of God.
From 1720 to 1726, Edwards recorded in his diary that he spent a large portion of his time wrestling with some theological reflections and did some self-searching. A specific example of a doctrine he wrestled with was that of Election, the belief that God chooses some for salvation and lets the others remain in their sin resulting in eternal damnation. Edwards writes, he saw this doctrine as “horrible” but then after stressing over this and wrestling with himself, he came to quite the opposite conclusion. Edwards eventually considered the doctrine of Election to be “exceedingly pleasant, bright and sweet.” He suddenly had an immense, new joy in the wonderful beauty of nature, and was delighted in the allegorical interpretation of the Song of Solomon.
On the 15th day in the month of February, Jonathan Edwards was ordained as a minister of the Lord in Northampton. He was the assistant to his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. Edwards served as a scholar-pastor, meaning he spent 13 hours of his day studying and learning, as opposed to ministering to the congregation. Edwards was an exceptional scholar and worked very hard as a pastor.
In the same year, Edwards met the girl he would eventually marry. Her name was Sarah Pierpont. Sarah was only 17 years old and the daughter of James Pierpont, one of the founders of Yale College. Jonathan and Sarah both had an undying love for their God, and their union only brought out the best of both of them. Sarah had rigid spiritual devotion, a quality that strongly inspired Edwards. She truly proved to be a wonderful woman, a wonderful mother to her 11 children, and a wonderful wife to Jonathan.
Sadly, Jonathan’s grandfather died on February 11th, leaving the difficult task of ministering to the church up to young Jonathan. This marks the beginning of Edwards’ career as an amazing preacher, an incredible theologian, and an exceptional writer.
Jonathan Edwards proved himself to be an amazing preacher when he was asked to preach in the town of Enfield, Connecticut. He preached his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in July of 1741, and sparked what will always be remembered as the First Great Awakening, arguably the most intense and mind-boggling outpourings of the Spirit of God in American history. This day that Edwards preached in Connecticut was the height of the Great Awakening, due to the power of God through the sermons Edwards preached. Ironically, Edwards had already preached the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” once before to his own congregation, however, he felt led by God to use it again in Enfield.
What has always amazed historians and students of Church history is that Edwards’ preaching techniques were actually rather unimpressive and what some would even call boring. Edwards would read his sermons in a very flat or even voice, but would do so with great conviction. However, no matter how monotone his preaching style was, or unimpressive his methods were, Edwards always seemed to convict his listeners and be used by God to draw them to salvation. Truthfully, Edwards’ self-stated goal in his preaching was to impress upon the listeners the power of God’s truth and their desperate need for a savior, found in the person of Jesus Christ.
It was no mistake that Jonathan Edwards wasn't just marked in history as a theologian, for Edwards was arguably one of the greatest theologians in American history, as well as Church history. Edwards always included such deep and thought-provoking theological reflections in every sermon he preached and every books he wrote. Eventually, years later, when Edwards moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, he was able to minister to a smaller congregation and also serve as a missionary to a tribe of Indians. It was in this stage of his life that Edwards found time to really focus on his studies of theology and God’s Word, and also to write.
Edwards’ theological persuasiveness in what he wrote and preached, is still remembered and studied to this very day, as well as aiding pastors, teachers, writers, students of theology, and many more. Edwards impacted his culture for the glory of God, and by God’s grace is still impacting people even long after his death.
Finally, Edwards was an exceptional writer. All of his books and/or writings, due to his insatiable love for God and His doctrine, are so wonderfully full of biblical, theological, and Christ-centered themes. He has written an abundance of titles such as, “A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God”, “Charity and its Fruits”, “Concerning the End for Which God Created the World”, “Original Sin”, ‘The Nature of True Virtue”, “A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections”, and so many more. However, one of Edwards’ most celebrated books was “The Freedom of the Will”, published in 1754. Edwards wrote it after he moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he had more time to study and to write.
In his book, “The Freedom of the Will”, Edwards thoroughly investigated the immensely contrasting Calvinist and Arminian views of free will and God’s sovereignty, foreknowledge and determinism, and moral agency. Edwards, as the scholarly man he was, attempted to resolve these topics relying on a large variety of resources such as the Bible and many philosophical works by various enlightenment thinkers. Edwards wrote this book as a very challenging piece of literature due to his insatiable passion and strong emphasis on philosophical reasoning, however striving to properly educate his readers by constantly defining the confusing and intense terms he uses to explain such controversial passages of Scripture in clear and understandable depth. Edwards wrote this book for every Christian who has ever found themselves pondering questions about good and evil, as well as desire and choice.
This book is one of Edwards’ most celebrated works because it so eloquently explains some of the hardest doctrines to comprehend and at the same time provokes some serious adoration to God’s glorious sovereignty in salvation, and also causes its readers to finish the book with a vast, new understanding of God’s Word and decrees. Thanks to this book and many others, Edwards is remembered as not only an amazing preacher or an incredible theologian, but also an exceptional writer.
Sadly, on March 22nd, 1758, Jonathan Edwards died of a fever, shortly after he had been established as president of the College of New Jersey. Although, Edwards’ died, his legacy still lives on, through his sermons, books, and various writings in his journal. All of his wonderful characteristics such as humility, devotion to God’s Word, gentleness, and wise leadership, are summed up and have been captured, leaving behind irrefutable evidence of the great man he truly was. Jonathan Edwards will always be remembered as an amazing preacher, an incredible theologian, and an exceptional writer.
The Puritans developed their own colonies, once they were in America. Because of the immense focus and emphasis on the Bible and their personal relationships with the God of the Bible, these colonies were theocratic. The Puritans were very dedicated to right living, modest behavior, and sound theology. The Puritans had many great historical figures amongst them, and they have actually gone down in history for that, however, one of the most famous names to ever come out of the Puritans was a man named Jonathan Edwards.
Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan preacher, and also one of America’s most influential and all around greatest theologians. Edwards was a strong advocate of Reformed theology and/or Calvinism. In his writings and sermons, he focused on God’s absolute sovereignty and had strong Christocentric themes. He was a devout man, very much committed to living a life of purity and honor.
Jonathan Edwards played a very critical and important role in the First Great Awakening, one of the greatest revivals in Church history. He preached countless sermons during this great revival and is still remembered for some of those sermons. Edwards is most noted for his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, a literary work that is still read in schools today.
Edwards was also a prolific writer and the president of The College of New Jersey (Princeton University). Edwards, was one of the greatest figures of American history. Edwards was known and loved for so many different reasons and occupations. However, Jonathan Edwards was an amazing preacher, an incredible theologian, and an exceptional writer.
On October 5th, in the year 1703, Timothy Edwards and his wife Esther had their fifth child. A boy, named Jonathan. Jonathan, the only boy in the family, had ten sisters. All throughout his years as an adolescent, his father and some of his older sisters trained him for college. In 1716, he enrolled into Yale College at the age of 13. Edwards was profoundly interested in philosophy and science. He kept journals and notebooks focusing on “The Mind”, “Natural Science”, “The Scriptures”, and some containing miscellanies studies. He was very much interested in science and actually was drawn to theism by his studies of science. What is interesting is that most students of science tend to lean toward deism or evolutionism because of scientific conclusions; ironically, Edwards went the other way with his views of God through science. He claimed to see God’s wonderful, sovereign design in the natural world, and actually was so impressed with nature that throughout his life, his favorite place to pray was the woods because of its natural beauty.
Edwards, at the age of 17 years old, graduated from Yale College in 1720 as valedictorian and top of his class. After his years at Yale, he decided to pursue the ministry and chose to study theology for the next two years. Even though he was so fascinated by science all throughout school, he felt called by God to preach, study, and write about the Word of God.
From 1720 to 1726, Edwards recorded in his diary that he spent a large portion of his time wrestling with some theological reflections and did some self-searching. A specific example of a doctrine he wrestled with was that of Election, the belief that God chooses some for salvation and lets the others remain in their sin resulting in eternal damnation. Edwards writes, he saw this doctrine as “horrible” but then after stressing over this and wrestling with himself, he came to quite the opposite conclusion. Edwards eventually considered the doctrine of Election to be “exceedingly pleasant, bright and sweet.” He suddenly had an immense, new joy in the wonderful beauty of nature, and was delighted in the allegorical interpretation of the Song of Solomon.
On the 15th day in the month of February, Jonathan Edwards was ordained as a minister of the Lord in Northampton. He was the assistant to his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. Edwards served as a scholar-pastor, meaning he spent 13 hours of his day studying and learning, as opposed to ministering to the congregation. Edwards was an exceptional scholar and worked very hard as a pastor.
In the same year, Edwards met the girl he would eventually marry. Her name was Sarah Pierpont. Sarah was only 17 years old and the daughter of James Pierpont, one of the founders of Yale College. Jonathan and Sarah both had an undying love for their God, and their union only brought out the best of both of them. Sarah had rigid spiritual devotion, a quality that strongly inspired Edwards. She truly proved to be a wonderful woman, a wonderful mother to her 11 children, and a wonderful wife to Jonathan.
Sadly, Jonathan’s grandfather died on February 11th, leaving the difficult task of ministering to the church up to young Jonathan. This marks the beginning of Edwards’ career as an amazing preacher, an incredible theologian, and an exceptional writer.
Jonathan Edwards proved himself to be an amazing preacher when he was asked to preach in the town of Enfield, Connecticut. He preached his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in July of 1741, and sparked what will always be remembered as the First Great Awakening, arguably the most intense and mind-boggling outpourings of the Spirit of God in American history. This day that Edwards preached in Connecticut was the height of the Great Awakening, due to the power of God through the sermons Edwards preached. Ironically, Edwards had already preached the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” once before to his own congregation, however, he felt led by God to use it again in Enfield.
What has always amazed historians and students of Church history is that Edwards’ preaching techniques were actually rather unimpressive and what some would even call boring. Edwards would read his sermons in a very flat or even voice, but would do so with great conviction. However, no matter how monotone his preaching style was, or unimpressive his methods were, Edwards always seemed to convict his listeners and be used by God to draw them to salvation. Truthfully, Edwards’ self-stated goal in his preaching was to impress upon the listeners the power of God’s truth and their desperate need for a savior, found in the person of Jesus Christ.
It was no mistake that Jonathan Edwards wasn't just marked in history as a theologian, for Edwards was arguably one of the greatest theologians in American history, as well as Church history. Edwards always included such deep and thought-provoking theological reflections in every sermon he preached and every books he wrote. Eventually, years later, when Edwards moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, he was able to minister to a smaller congregation and also serve as a missionary to a tribe of Indians. It was in this stage of his life that Edwards found time to really focus on his studies of theology and God’s Word, and also to write.
Edwards’ theological persuasiveness in what he wrote and preached, is still remembered and studied to this very day, as well as aiding pastors, teachers, writers, students of theology, and many more. Edwards impacted his culture for the glory of God, and by God’s grace is still impacting people even long after his death.
Finally, Edwards was an exceptional writer. All of his books and/or writings, due to his insatiable love for God and His doctrine, are so wonderfully full of biblical, theological, and Christ-centered themes. He has written an abundance of titles such as, “A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God”, “Charity and its Fruits”, “Concerning the End for Which God Created the World”, “Original Sin”, ‘The Nature of True Virtue”, “A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections”, and so many more. However, one of Edwards’ most celebrated books was “The Freedom of the Will”, published in 1754. Edwards wrote it after he moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he had more time to study and to write.
In his book, “The Freedom of the Will”, Edwards thoroughly investigated the immensely contrasting Calvinist and Arminian views of free will and God’s sovereignty, foreknowledge and determinism, and moral agency. Edwards, as the scholarly man he was, attempted to resolve these topics relying on a large variety of resources such as the Bible and many philosophical works by various enlightenment thinkers. Edwards wrote this book as a very challenging piece of literature due to his insatiable passion and strong emphasis on philosophical reasoning, however striving to properly educate his readers by constantly defining the confusing and intense terms he uses to explain such controversial passages of Scripture in clear and understandable depth. Edwards wrote this book for every Christian who has ever found themselves pondering questions about good and evil, as well as desire and choice.
This book is one of Edwards’ most celebrated works because it so eloquently explains some of the hardest doctrines to comprehend and at the same time provokes some serious adoration to God’s glorious sovereignty in salvation, and also causes its readers to finish the book with a vast, new understanding of God’s Word and decrees. Thanks to this book and many others, Edwards is remembered as not only an amazing preacher or an incredible theologian, but also an exceptional writer.
Sadly, on March 22nd, 1758, Jonathan Edwards died of a fever, shortly after he had been established as president of the College of New Jersey. Although, Edwards’ died, his legacy still lives on, through his sermons, books, and various writings in his journal. All of his wonderful characteristics such as humility, devotion to God’s Word, gentleness, and wise leadership, are summed up and have been captured, leaving behind irrefutable evidence of the great man he truly was. Jonathan Edwards will always be remembered as an amazing preacher, an incredible theologian, and an exceptional writer.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Judgement, Holiness, and Election
This is my reaction paper to a verse I had to memorize for school.
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.” -Revelation 20:11 (ESV)
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.” -Revelation 20:11 (ESV)
This verse is referring to Judgment Day. The day that the souls of all men will brought before the throne of a Holy God, and will be accounted for every sin they have ever committed. God will be seated on a great white throne, because He is the Ancient of Days. His throne is white because He is pure and His throne signifies His purity. He is doing away with the old heaven and the old earth to make way for the new heaven and the new earth that He will establish later and rule over for all of eternity.
This verse shows the awesome majesty, Holiness, and authority of God Almighty, and displays His sovereignty over all things. He is seated on a throne and things are trying to flee from Him because of His sheer majestic Holiness, yet they are unable. My God is an awesome God, and while many will dread Judgment Day (as they should), I am looking forward to Christ’s return and God’s Holy Judgment, because I have been bought by the blood of Christ my Redeemer, so I will no longer be turned away from God and have His wrath poured on me, rather I will be welcomed by God with open arms, and that changes everything.
I am no longer condemned by this great Judge on a white throne, because before the foundation of the world, my God made a covenant among Himself, to adopt me in His family, and to go and die for me, so that my sins might be atoned for and I might have eternal life. None of this is based on my merit or good works, rather it is a complete act of grace and love by God. What an amazing gift of grace that is. When I stop and think about all that the God of the Universe has done for me, a wretched sinner, I can’t help but to smile. To know that God has chosen me out of love, and one day I will go home to be with Him for all of eternity, is truly a peace that surpasses all understanding. For me, to live is Christ, but to die is gain.
While I may look forward to the day God calls me home to spend eternity with Him, I will live to spread the Word of God and to tell people of this day that is coming, and its coming quite fast, so I will not take one day for granted.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Mission Trip Summary: Costa Rica 2011
For those of you that did not get a chance to read my summary letter and/or thank you letter to those who supported my trip, this is a large excerpt from that, just explaining all that I really was able to do and experience while I was serving God in San Jose, Costa Rica last summer.
Homes of Hope was one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of. The people that worked with Homes of Hope were really kind, awesome people and I enjoyed working with them very much. When we first started building this house, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but let me tell you, it was insane! Imagine 19 high school students and five adults having little to no experience with building a house or anything relating to that subject. I had little hope, but sure enough, God worked in us and enabled us to build that house in three days! It was amazing to actually be able to see God’s Hand at work and to take part in it! I still cannot get over this experience. Everything that happened was amazing. We were able to work alongside the family we were building the house for. We really bonded with this family even with the language barrier! We walked to the local market (Mercado) with their kids and it was so awesome communicating with these kids through the Spanish we knew and the English they knew. I’ll never forget when the house was finished and we gave this family the keys to their new house, the reaction of the family, the community, and the team. We had watched this family go from having the least to having the most in their community and it was very powerful. The moment they walked in that door, I don’t think anyone was able to hold back their emotions. Almost the whole group was in tears for this family. The hope we gave this family was such a great feeling, and what made it even better, was the fact that we did it in the name of Jesus. That’s what made this experience so fantastic.
Living at the YWAM base was an awesome experience, and interacting with the students and staff that were living there was even better! The base was a very cool building. It had high ceilings, a store, dormitory style bunking, and no hot water! The showers there were really cold. The warmest shower I ever took there was probably about “Luke Warm”, maybe even a little colder than that. Although the showers were terrible, getting to hang out with and talk to the students and staff there was awesome! The students doing D.T.S. (Discipleship Training School), are some of the most godly and amazing people. There were so fun to talk to! Between the 20 or so students there, I believe 13 countries were represented. They had some stories to tell! This one night, a few friends and I spent about twenty minutes in prayer with this student named Scott who was from Australia. This guy had amazing faith! It was so cool getting to know him. Another night, during worship, I was standing in the row in front of some of the D.T.S. students, and this one guy named Peter was getting so into this one song, and it touched my heart how much this guy was being moved by a song about his Savior. Although Peter was an amazing Christian guy, he was hilarious! His whole personality was just so funny. Also, we had some really great theological discussions with this guy Eric, who was just visiting some friends and helping out at the base a little. He was a seminary student, currently on a break from school, just going from place to place serving God. Another guy we met, who was part of the staff, named Trooper, was an amazing guy and had completely given his life to the Lord. He was going from country to country, place to place just serving God, giving Him his all. He was such an amazing influence. I remember something he said to another team member, he said “Home is where the heart is, and my heart is with Jesus, so I’ll go wherever He wants me to be.” That quote moved me in a way I cannot explain. He has totally surrendered himself to God, and it was evident in his lifestyle. Another cool person on staff we got to meet was a man named Giovanny (and his awesome wife and kids!). Giovanny pretty much ran the Homes of Hope organization there. He was such an awesome guy. He had totally given himself to the ministry of Homes of Hope and was living solely on faith alone. Money was tight and he didn’t even care. He was building homes for everyone else, when he didn’t even have one himself! He lived at the base. That was his place of residence. One night, I just talked with Giovanny and his wife Gretel for about an hour and a half. Between the Spanish I knew and the English they knew, we managed to make it work, and I got to hear their story. It was so amazing talking to them even though there was a language barrier. He was just such a fun guy and he and his wife really loved Jesus. I also became close with one of the guys that worked with Homes of Hope named Pedro. Pedro and I would have long conversations in Spanish and whenever I didn’t understand him, I would make some smart remark in Spanish and we would both laugh, it was fun. One of the coolest things about the base though, was that I could feel God’s presence there. God was clearly at work in San Jose, Costa Rica. His Hand was there and He was using this group of people to do His ordained work. Another cool thing was, pretty much every night, we would get a group of us together and just have deep theological talks. We would seriously sit down and systematically and exegetically study the Word of God together. It was so awesome! We developed such amazing unity from this and I will never forget all that happened at the base. I thank God for my experiences there.
So, in those ten days, we built a house, met and interacted with some amazing Christian people, bonded and developed unity within the team, and took part in other ministries that were changing Costa Rica for Christ. I’d have to say, it truly was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. I will never forget that trip, the things we did there, and the people we met there.
IMPORTANT: Although we made it home safe, there are still hundreds, if not thousands who are living in Costa Rica who don’t have the luxury of coming to the United States and living in safe towns and safe homes with a bed to sleep in every night. I ask that you please keep these people and these ministries in your prayers. We really saw the power of prayer when were there, and we got home safely because of it, but they still need to remain in our prayers. Thank you for your support!
Some of the other various ministries we were able to get involved with were really cool. There was this one, called Metro Ministries. It was these two women who drive around the poorest areas of San Jose, and put on an outdoor VBS (Vacation Bible School). It was so cool, because some of the kids had participated with it before and the kids that were new to it loved it just as much! It was like the “Ice Cream Truck for Jesus”! Another ministry that I really enjoyed was called Freedom Street Ministries. This group went into the darkest areas of San Jose, and just prayed and shared the gospel. Most of the time, they would go to one of the biggest brothels in San Jose, and just pray right outside of it. They would pray with the prostitutes, the johns, and the pimps. They literally went into the most seemingly “god-forsaken” areas, and brought the "visible" presence of God to them! We were able to participate in this ministry by going down to the park right near the largest brothel in all of San Jose, one of the most dangerous areas of San Jose, and just pray and lead worship. It was amazing! Everything was so spirit-filled, it was phenomenal. People would stop and stare at us like we were freaks, but amazingly enough, none of us were ashamed of the gospel we were sharing! It was one of the highlights of my trip. Also, while we were praying and singing praises, at different times, two people walked up to us expressing that they felt God’s presence with us that night in the park! The cool part was that one of them had been praying about starting a youth group at his church, and he felt that this was God’s sign that he should do it, and he had us all pray over him. It was so amazing! I felt God’s presence throughout the whole trip, and it was life-changing.
So, in those ten days, we built a house, met and interacted with some amazing Christian people, bonded and developed unity within the team, and took part in other ministries that were changing Costa Rica for Christ. I’d have to say, it truly was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. I will never forget that trip, the things we did there, and the people we met there.
IMPORTANT: Although we made it home safe, there are still hundreds, if not thousands who are living in Costa Rica who don’t have the luxury of coming to the United States and living in safe towns and safe homes with a bed to sleep in every night. I ask that you please keep these people and these ministries in your prayers. We really saw the power of prayer when were there, and we got home safely because of it, but they still need to remain in our prayers. Thank you for your support!
Soli Deo Gloria
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