Pagsamba at Pakikibaka

Minsan, isang gabi nakasakay kame ng kapatid ko sa jeep, meron isang batang sumakay na marumi ang mga pisngi at mga kuko na parang kumakanta at nagsasalita. Sabi niya "Mga manong, mga manang penge naman pong pambili ng tinapay, sige na ho, sige na", paulit ulit niya itong sinasabi na parang may tono pa. 

Maraming ganito ang mga nasa lansangan, sumasakay sa mga pampasaherong jeep, nangangatok sa mga bintana ng mga magagarang sasakyan at nakakalat sa buong kamaynilaan. Merong mga bata, matatanda, buntis, may ngipin, bulag, at kung ano ano pa. Mga taong tila kinalimutan na at itinakwil ng lipunan. Mga taong animo'y wala ng pag asa ang buhay. 

Habang tayo ay natutulog sa isang komportableng higaan sila naman ay natutulog sa malamig at maduming semento ng kalsada. Habang tayo'y kumakain ng lagpas 3 beses sa loob ng isang araw, sila naman ay maswerte kung makakain ng kahit isang beses sa isang araw. Habang tayong mga Kristiyano ay nakataas ang mga kamay sa pagsamba sa Dios, sila naman ay unti unting nagiging patapon ang buhay. 

Bilang mga Kristiyano, mga taong nagmamahal sa Dios. Sapat na ba na tayo ay meron isang langit na patutunguhan ? Sapat naba na tayo ay nagsisimba tuwing araw ng Linggo (at minsan hinde lang linggo ? Sapat naba na tayo ay manalangin ? Sapat na ba na tayo ay umaattend ng ating mga Bible studies ?

Meron ganitong mga pangungusap ang Dios na nakatala sa banal na kasulatan.

Amos 5
21Aking kinapopootan, aking hinahamak ang inyong mga kapistahan, at hindi ako malulugod sa inyong mga takdang kapulungan.

22Oo, bagaman inyong ihandog sa akin ang inyong mga handog na susunugin at mga handog na harina, hindi ko tatanggapin; ni akin mang kalulugdan ang mga handog tungkol sa kapayapaan na inyong mga matabang hayop.
23Ihiwalay mo sa akin ang ingay ng iyong mga awit; sapagka't hindi ko didinggin ang tinig ng iyong mga biola.
24Kundi bumugso ang katarungan na parang tubig, at ang katuwiran na parang malakas na agos.

Isaias 1

13Huwag na kayong magdala ng mga walang kabuluhang alay; kamangyan ay karumaldumal sa akin; ang bagong buwan, at ang sabbath, ang tawag ng mga kapulungan, hindi ako makapagtitiis ng kasamaan at ng takdang pulong.

14Ipinagdaramdam ng aking puso ang inyong mga bagong buwan at ang inyong mga takdang kapistahan: mga kabagabagan sa akin; ako'y pata ng pagdadala ng mga yaon.

15At pagka inyong iginagawad ang inyong mga kamay, aking ikukubli ang aking mga mata sa inyo: oo, pagka kayo'y nagsisidalangin ng marami, hindi ko kayo didinggin: ang inyong mga kamay ay puno ng dugo.

16Mangaghugas kayo, mangaglinis kayo; alisin ninyo ang kasamaan ng inyong mga gawa sa harap ng aking mga mata; mangaglikat kayo ng paggawa ng kasamaan:

17Mangatuto kayong magsigawa ng mabuti; inyong hanapin ang kahatulan, inyong saklolohan ang napipighati, inyong hatulan ang ulila, ipagsanggalang ninyo ang babaing bao.

Kung mapapansin naten na ang Dios ay hinde nalulugod sa mga uri ng pagsamba ang ginagawa ng mga Israelita. Bagamat ito'y alay sa Dios at ito ay itinakda ng Dios (basahin ang 5 unang aklat ng Lumang Tipan para malaman ang mga bagay na dapat gawin ng mga lingkod ng Dios), ito pa din ay inayawan ng ating Dios na buhay. Sa kadahilanang walang hustisya sa kapaligiran. Marami ang nagugutom, ang napipighati, mga walang makain o mainom na malinis na inumin man lang. Meron ganyang pangungusap ang ating Panginoong JesuCristo nong Siya pa ay nasa katawang tao.

Mateo 2323Sa aba ninyo, mga eskriba at mga Fariseo, mga mapagpaimbabaw! sapagka't nangagbibigay kayo ng sa ikapu ng yerbabuena, at ng anis at ng komino, at inyong pinababayaang di ginagawa ang lalong mahahalagang bagay ng kautusan, na dili iba't ang katarungan, at ang pagkahabag, at ang pananampalataya: datapuwa't dapat sana ninyong gawin ang mga ito, at huwag pabayaang di gawin yaong iba.

Napakaimportante na tayo ay sumasamba sa Dios sa pamamagitang ng mga awiting pagsamba. Napakaimportante sa isang Cristiano na laging magpunta sa kapilya. 

 NGUNIT, habang tayo ay na papayabong ang buhay spiritwal, padami ng padami ang mga taong namamatay sa lansangan dahil sa kagutuman at lamig ng kalsada. Habang tayo'y nagpaplano ng kasiyahan. Habang tayo ay nasa loob ng kapilya na matimtimang nag aantay para matapos ang pananambahan, marami ang nag iisip kung saan kukuha ng pagkain. 

Sana naman tayo ay magising. Nawa pagkakababa ng ating mga kamay buhat sa pagsamba tayo ay dumukot sa ating mga bulsa para sa mga taong nangangailangan.

4PM Habit

Our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal said " Ang mga kabataan ang pag asa ng bayan" (The youth is the hope of our nation). I am really blessed to shout with the youth. To fellowship with the youth. To minister to the youth.

My college days is still fresh in my memory. The days when me and my friends say, "Let's turn the world upside down for Christ". Those days are the most memorable days of my life. When I dream that the next generation will seek the face of God. Will shout His fame. Will rise and stand with faith. Will serve God and the poor.

Earlier this afternoon (I started to write this paper 11:00PM so it's considered Friday lol). Coach Rodel shared about being the model of the youth. He quoted 1 Timothy 4:12

"¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."

Timothy was a young leader of the Church at Ephesus of that time. Church historians claimed that he was the head elder (or senior pastor) of the Ephesian Church. Some scholars said that there was too much issues regarding Timothy's leadership because of his age. There are some members of the church that who don't want to listen to him and come to the point to question his leadership. Paul admonished him to set an example. That despite of doubts and questions to his leadership Tim need to be strong about his calling.

That's happening right now. Some of the elders of our society are doubtful to our talents. To our integrity. They are doubtful on what we can do to change our society.. Our nation...

It is time to rise up young people. It's time to show them that we will bring hope. Not only on our nation, not only in our campus. But in every nation and every campus.

I remember the questions that I always ask to the youth in my former church.

"Are we proclaiming Jesus the Hope of the World?"
"Then why we are still silent and not changing the world for Christ?"
"Do we let the evil dictate the future of the nation?"
"Do we let everyday with dying and going to hell?"


Now is the time. Not tomorrow. Not next month. Not next year. Now is the time.

Everyday Christian Life As Worship

Worship, a very holy word but most debated and misunderstood on religious circles. Christians from different traditions and background debate on this issue for the past centuries on how we worship God in a biblical and reverential way. Most, if not all of us are being subjective in defining and judging the other camps. Terms used such as "silent night" (referring to Reformed-Liturgical-Hymal style of service) and "joy to the world (referring to the contemporary-radical-youthful Evangelical style of service) to describe the distinctions of the style of worship.

But Church and congregational worship is only a part of worship and service to God. In this short paper we will discuss that worship does not confine on the 4 corners of the Church building but beyond. Worship extends to our everyday lives in obedience with the Word.

I will primarily use Romans 12 as our base passage but we will quote some passages from the Scriptures as our discussion goes by.

Let's quote first Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy,

What is God's mercy ? Noticed Paul used the term "therefore". It means that Paul was discussing a topic before chapter 12. If we will look at chapter 11, Paul discussed here the salvation of Israel and how Israel has a big part of the God's plan of salvation. Paul advised the Gentiles not to think that they (Gentiles) are superior than the Jews (11:18). God is still giving and will give Israel chance to respond to the gospel. Since we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) no one is righteous to the eyes of God. But because of His grace He made a way to provide redemption (salvation) for both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 1:16). Now, based on that view that God is merciful. Paul urged the Christians in Rome to:

to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship

Now, this is the prescription written in the Scripture. Our true and proper worship to God is to offer our bodies as sacrifice, holy and pleasing. But hold your horses guys. Does this verse only referring to congregational or church worship only ? Does Paul have the church worship in mind when he is writing this passage ? Let's see on the next lines.


Do not conform to the pattern of this world,  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

What are the things that the world is doing ? Are we doing that ? Are we following their habits and worldviews ? Or are we renewing and changing our way in looking at things ?

As Christians, Paul admonished us to renew our minds. To be holy and to be stained by the sins of this world. In Old testament, the animal sacrifice should be blameless in the sight of the Lord. If we want to worship God then we should have our lives blameless by renewing our mind and not conforming on the pattern of this world.


Conclusion.

Worship is not about just singing (or dancing). It's not just inside the four corner of the Church. Worship is a lifestyle. Making our steps that can bring honor to God. Changing our worldview according to what the bible says. If you want to do the correct worship, be holy since God is holy.

Sola Fide ba ang Batayan ng Kaligtasan?

Mali po ang kaisipang sa Sola Fide (o pagsampalataya lamang) naka-batay ang Kaligtasan. Hindi po ito ang katuruang itinataguyod ng mainstream evangelicalism. Sa katunayan, ang konseptong ito'y hindi ipinangaral ng sinuman sa mga prominenteng repormista ng panahon ng Repormasyon. Higit sa lahat, wala pong biblikal na pundasyon ang koseptong ito.

Maraming kritiko ng Sola Fide (mula noon hanggang ngayon) ang nagaakalang itinuturo ng mga ebangheliko na sa pagsampalataya lamang nakabatay ang Kaligtasan. Sa kasamaang palad, marami ring "ebangheliko" (mula noon hanggang ngayon) ang nagtataglay ng ganitong maling kaisipan.

Ano nga ba ang batayan sa pagtatamo ng Kaligtasan? Ang batayan sa pagtatamo ng Kaligtasan ay ang pagiging "matuwid" ng tao sa paningin ng Diyos. Sa Araw ng Paghuhukom ay masasaksihan ng lahat ang poot ng Diyos sa mga makasalanan, sa mga hindi matuwid, samakatuwid baga'y sa mga hindi nakaabot sa kaluwalhatian ng Diyos (Rom. 2:5-6, 8-9). Tanging ang mga mapapatunayang "matuwid" (o sakdal) lamang ayon sa pamantayan ng Kautusan ang siyang maliligtas sa nakakakilabot na kahatulan ng Panginoon (Rom. 2:7; cf. Mat. 25:46). Ayon nga kay Jesus, "Kayo nga'y mangagpakasakdal, na gaya ng inyong Ama sa kalangitan na sakdal" (Mat. 5:48). Iyan ang kaluwalhatiang kailangang abutin ng tao upang siya'y maging karapat-dapat magtamo ng buhay na walang hanggan.

Ngunit mayroon bang nakaabot sa kaluwalhatiang iyan? Wala, wala kahit isa, "Gaya ng nasusulat, Walang matuwid, wala, wala kahit isa" (Rom. 3:10). "Sapagka't ang lahat ay nangagkasala nga, at hindi nangakaabot sa kaluwalhatian ng Dios" (Rom. 3:23). Kung gayon, sino sa atin ang makakatayo sa kahatulan ng Diyos sa Araw ng Paghuhukom? Wala. Ayon nga sa aklat ng mga Awit: "Kung ikaw, Panginoon, [ay] magtatanda ng mga kasamaan, Oh Panginoon, sinong tatayo?" (Psa. 130:3); at minsan pa, "At huwag kang masok sa kahatulan na kasama ng iyong lingkod; sapagka't sa iyong paningin ay walang taong may buhay na aariing ganap" (Psa. 143.2). Sa madaling salita, lahat tayo ay karapat-dapat lamang ibulid sa impyerno dahil sa ating mga kasalanan. Tayo'y nangangailangan ng Tagapagligtas.

Kaya nga, gaya ng alam na natin, ipinadama ng Diyos ang kanyang pagibig, bagamat tayo'y di karapat-dapat, nang suguin niya ang kanyang bugtong na Anak upang ang sinumang manalig sa kanya ay hindi mapahamak kundi magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan sa piling ng Panginoon (Jn. 3:15-18; Rom. 5:8). Ang Kautusan na hindi natin kayang tupdin ay walang salang tinupad ni Cristo nang sa gayon ay "ibilang" o  "ituring" tayong matuwid sa paningin ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ng ating pananalig sa kanya (Rom. 3:24-25; cf. Mat. 5:17, Gal. 4:4-5). Ang katuwirang ito na iginagawad ng Diyos sa mga sumasampalataya ay hindi batay sa kanilang sariling mga gawa (o sa kanilang pagsampalataya), kundi batay lamang sa trabahong tinapos na ni Cristo sa pamamagitan ng kanyang kamatayan sa krus. Sabi nga ni San Pablo: "sa pamamagitan ng pagtalima ng isa ang marami ay magiging mga matuwid" (Rom. 5:19) at ang katuwirang ito'y natatamo sa pamamagitan ng pananalig kay Cristo (Rom. 10:3-4). Hindi nakabatay sa pagsampalataya ang Kaligtasan, bagkus ito'y tugon lamang sa pagliligtas na tinapos na ni Cristo (Rom. 10:9-11).

Ang kabuuan ng Kaligtasan ay nakabatay lamang sa gawain ng Diyos, at hindi sa anumang paraan nakasalalay sa mga gawa o desisyon ng tao. Maging ang pagsampalataya ay kaloob lamang ng Diyos sa sinumang nais niyang pagkalooban nito! (1 Cor. 4:7; cf. Jn. 6:65, Php. 1:29). Ang Diyos Ama ang siyang humirang (Rom. 8:29-30; 1 Pe. 1:2), ang Diyos Anak ang siyang nagbata alang-alang sa Kaligtasan ng mga hinirang (Mat. 1:21; Jn. 10:11, 15), at ang Diyos Espiritu Santo naman ang nagkakaloob ng pananampalataya sa mga hinirang (1 Cor. 2:14; cf. Jn. 3:3). Yan ang dahilan kung bakit Soli Deo Gloria (Latin, "Sa Diyos lamang ang kaluwalhatian") ang paninindigan ng mga lolong repormista. Ito ay sapagkat ang kabuuan ng Kaligtasan, ayon sa Kasulatan, ay naguugat sa Biyaya, at nagtatapos din sa Biyaya.

-Jeph

The Love That Must Be Stopped (an exposition of 1 John 2:15-17)

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17, NIV 2011 update)

There is this idea that love is a matter of the heart and not of the head. That it is an emotion beyond the power of the will. The cultural usage of the phrase "falling in love" suggests that it is uncontrolled and inevitable. In his book What Jesus Demands From the World, John Piper confirms that love is indeed an emotion, but he adds: "Jesus does command the feelings. He demands that our emotions be one way and not another".¹

To support his assertion, Piper marshals these Bible proofs:

a.With regards to rejoicing, he demands that we rejoice in persecution (Matt.5:12) 

b. With regards to fear, he demands and that we fear not those who can harm only our bodies but fear him who could kill the body and send you to hell (Luke 12:5) 

c. He demands that we not feel shame over him (Luke 9:26) 

d. He demands that and that we forgive from the heart (Matt. 18:35)

In verse 15 of our text, God through his apostle John issues another command regarding our affections: "Do not love the world or anything in the world". Since this is a command, it demands our obedience. As followers of Christ we are told to not love the world, and if we feel we are having some sweet affair with the world, we have to stop² it at all cost.

But first we have to clarify what this command does NOT mean. The command to not love the world and the things in the world does not mean that we are to hate the physical created universe. After all, it is God who created this universe and was delighted to see its beauty (Gen.1:31). It does not mean we cannot enjoy works of art like secular music and movies (there could be expressions of worldliness in them but not necessarily). It does not mean we have to distance ourselves from pop culture. This is not about hairstyles or fashion. It does not also mean we have that we hate the unbelieving world. After all, we were commanded to love our enemies even those who persecute us. We are mandated to reach the world with the gospel of grace.

What does it mean then? The word "world" in this context means:

"an organized earthly system controlled by the power of the evil one that has aligned itself against God and his Kingdom" (Daniel Akin)³

"This is not a reference to the physical, material world but the invisible system of evil dominated by Satan and all that it offers in opposition to God, his Word, and his people." (John Macarthur)⁴

Whenever you see the prevalence of anti-God ideas and anti-God agenda, that is a part of worldliness (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Wanna feel the power and influence of this system? Go to U.S.A. and speak against the evils of the LGBT agenda. They will surely gang up on you.

Another verse to consider is Romans 12:2a "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." The Greek word translated as "world" here is different from the Greek word translated as "world" in 1 John 2:15. Some say that it should be translated as "age".Yet when correlating bible verses, you just don't match words; you also match concepts. The concept Paul is conveying here is the same or at least very close to the Johannine concept of worldliness:

"Better translated “age,” which refers to the system of beliefs, values—or the spirit of the age—at any time current in the world. This sum of contemporary thinking and values forms the moral atmosphere of our world and is always dominated by Satan"⁵

In his exposition of Romans 12:2, James M. Boice mentioned several -isms of worldliness. The -ism of course is a suffix added to a word conveying distinctive doctrines or ideas. Not all -isms are worldly like Calvinism or Dispensationalism, but many of them are. Below are some of the -isms in Boice's list⁶ :

humanism-- humanity is of prime importance, not divine or supernatural matters.
relativism-- no absolute truth; it may be true for you but not for me.
hedonism-- the pursuit of pleasure is the highest goal
materialism-- physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life
pluralism-- all belief systems are valid; Christianity is okay but it needs supplement from other systems

These are just examples of worldly expression of man's hostility to God and his revelation in Scripture. If you subscribe to any of these ideas, you love the world.

You Might be a World-lover if...

1. You want to fulfill your desires outside of God's revealed will ("the lust of the flesh"  verse 16)

The lust of the flesh is "any sinful desire, any sinful interest, that draws us away from God or at least makes continuing fellowship with him impossible"- Gary Burge⁷

There is nothing wrong with the desire to earn more, for the sake of your family and for the needs of others; but if you earn by dirty business deals or other corrupt means, then you might be a world-lover.

There is nothing wrong with the desire to have a partner but if you want to fulfill it by marrying a unbeliever, then the world could have had captivated your heart.

There is nothing wrong with watching movies, surfing the net or playing video games; but if these activities cause you to neglect prayer, personal bible study and other spiritual disciplines, you mght be in love with the world.

2. Visual delights arouse your desire for sinful acts ("the lust of the eyes" verse 16)

This point is closely connected to the previous one because the eyes are "often the means by which sinful desires are introduced into the mind of the individual." (Danny Akin)⁸ -- Sinful desires could be awakened by sound or smell and other senses but the most often means is the sense of sight.

~ Eve stared at the forbidden fruit and it was pleasing to the eye (Gen.3:6).
~ Achan stared at a luxury robe, silver and gold, and kept them against the Lord's instruction (Joshua 6-7)
~ David stared at bathing Bathsheba, and ends in adultery (2 Samuel 11)
~ The trick is so effective the devil even tried it on Jesus (Matt. 4:8)

Two Philosophers could be helpful here: Plato and Augustine⁹

For Plato: the good, the beautiful, the true, the real is essentially the same thing. That is if there is one beautiful, it must also be good, and true, and real. Using this criterion, the woman on the magazine cover may be visually pleasing but if her appearance is devoid of goodness and truth, then it is not beautiful.

Augustine added a Christian flavor to Plato's musings. For him, there is only one good; only one real; only one true; only one beautiful. In saying this, he was not denying that there are other things good, true, real and beautiful. They do exist but only as reflections of God's infinite perfections. Because of that:

a. God is the SOURCE of anything good, true, real and beautiful
b. God is the JUDGE of what is good, true, real and beautiful
c. God's glory is the CHIEF END of all things good, true, real and beautiful.

Thus, when you are captivated by what you see but fail to honor God, you are in love with the world.

“The problem is not that God created the material things in the world. The problem is that people have made these things into idols” (Daniel Akin)¹⁰

3. You measure the worth of yourself and the worth of others by possessions and accomplishments ("the pride of life" verse 16)

The pride of life is "an attitude of pretentious arrogance or subtle elitism that comes from one's view of wealth, rank, or stature in society. It is an overconfidnce that makes us lose any notion that we are dependent on God"-- Gary Burge¹¹

I'm somebody because of my assets and income.
I'm somebody because of my degree and alma mater.
I'm somebody because of my position.
I'm somebody because of good looks.
I'm somebody because of my medals and trophies.

Some Biblical examples
~ Nebuchadnezzar's pride on his projects (Daniel 4:30)
~ Herod's pride on his oratorical skills (Acts 12:21-22)
~ Even religious people can be guilty of this like the Pharisees who were proud about their religious standing and looked down on others(Luke 18:9-12)

Reasons for Breaking this Kind of Love

1. Because if you love the world, you don't love God

I John 2:15b "If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them"

The text says that you either love God and hate his rival or love his rival and hate God. Take one of the world's ideas-- materialism for example, "the idea that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life"12. The Lord Jesus says,

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Matt. 6:24)

James 4:4 says "... don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God"

If we are divided between loving God and loving the world, it will not end in a 50-50 division. Rather, it will end 0-100, that is zero for God and 100 percent for the world. And if you have two hearts, you will not give one heart for God and one heart for the world. Rather, you will give both hearts to the world.

The Psalmist seems to have understood this, so he prayed "... give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name". (Psalm 86:11)

2. Because of this love's unhappy ending

Fairy tale endings are quite predictable. When the Prince finally marries her Princess, expect the last line to be "and they lived happily ever after". I guess it is a time-tested formula for fictional love stories. People like happy endings.

Soon, unbelieving people will realize that they pursued worthless things. Soon they will see that they have invested in the wrong place. The text says "the world and its desires pass away" (verse 17 a). It's like enjoying your stay at Sodom and hoarding possessions there, only to realize later that you will perish with them. For one of the reasons why God burned Sodom and Gomorrah is to make them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly (2 Peter 2:6).

If you want a happy ending to your love story, love God. Scripture says, "but whoever does the will of God lives forever" (verse 17b). What he prepared for those who love him is not just a happy ending but an eternity of endless joy in his presence.

"May thy dear Son preserve me from this present evil world, so that its smiles never allure, nor its frowns terrify, nor its vices defile, nor its errors delude me."  (The Valley of Vision)¹³

-----------------------------------

NOTES

1. John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World
2.  In his online free bible commentary on the Johannine corpus, Bob Utley says that the grammatical construction conveys the meaning "to stop an act that is already in progress.
3. Daniel Akin, 1,2,3 John, New American Commentary

4. The Macarthur Study Bible
5. The Macarthur Study Bible
6. James M. Boice, Mind Renewal in a Mindless Age
7. Gary Burge, The Letters of John (NIV Application Commentary)
8. Daniel Akin, 1,2,3 John, NAC
9. See Albert Mohler's "A Christian Vision of Beauty, part 1"
10. Daniel Akin, 1,2,3 John, NAC

11. Gary Burge, The Letters of John (NIVAC)
12. American Heritage Talking Dictionary
13. The Valley of Vision's Facebook Page, March 5,2012 

The Faith of our Founding Fathers

If you're a Southern Baptist and you are interested to learn about the real traditional / historic Southern Baptist understanding of God's plan of Salvation, you might want to investigate through the writings of our founding fathers which are compiled on the link below:

http://www.founders.org/library/founders.html

Be informed. Be reformed. Be a Foundersist!

-Jeph