#calvanists

[geminiagentgreen]

[pauljpowers]

#blessed #Jesus #christ #christian #church #protestant #catholic #reformed #reformedtheology #calvanism #calvanists #calvanist #arminianism #arminian #weareone #brothers #sisters #brothersinchrist #God #holyspirit #holyghost #bible #pray #seekthelord #theway #truth #life #eternallife #hiddenmickey

[pauljpowers]

#4DaysOfFreedom • We have #freedomFROMsin, not freedomTOsin. Don't abuse #GodsGrace. #Jesus #christ #christian #church #protestant #catholic #reformed #reformedtheology #calvanism #calvanists #calvanist #arminianism #arminian #weareone #brothers #sisters #brothersinchrist #God #holyspirit #holyghost #bible #pray #seekthelord #theway #thetruth #truth #thelife #life #eternallife

[pauljpowers]

John 3:36 via @mad_rob_ #Jesus #christ #christian #church #protestant #catholic #reformed #reformedtheology #calvanism #calvanists #calvanist #arminianism #arminian #weareone #brothers #sisters #brothersinchrist #God #holyspirit #holyghost #bible #pray #seekthelord #theway #thetruth #truth #thelife #life #eternallife

[theraccolta]

Martyrs of Gorkum:

St. Nicasius Janssen

St. Godefroid Coart

[thelostson-blog-blog]

In The Shadow Of A Tyrant

I used to dislike God, and before that I hated Him. And you know what? Both of these times were when I claimed Jesus as my king. I remember speaking harshly to God, even telling him how sure I was that he didn't care about my prayers, and then asking myself why I was still talking to Him then. I walked around feeling like the Devil, having seen God to much in my life to deny his existence but being so angry with Him I would cringe whenever one of my more pious brothers would proclaim his goodness. Why? Well.. Those more theologically inclined may call them the reprobate, laymen like myself call them the vessels of wrath. Those that according to the reformed tradition are inescapably predestined before time began, before they have done either good or evil, to be eternally dammed to suffering by hellfire. You see early on in my christianity I thought of myself as quite the rugged Calvinist, willing to swallow all hard truths that the bible could throw at me. Then I went to Thailand, to a city called Pattaya. There I saw a young girl, a prostitute. We only made eye contact briefly enough for me to see the terror in her eyes and to notice how puffy they were from crying. I still don't know if it was her first time out on the street, I don't know if she is still out there to this day, I don't know anything about her. All I know is that I have seen that stats and I knew that most prostitute start early and die young, and most of those girl in Pattaya had never heard the gospel even once . I came home a different man, how could I follow a God who would predestine someone to live as a prostitute, be raped and abused her entire life, and then burn in hell for eternity. For what? His Glory?? And I was supposed to call this God good??? God was no longer a relatable being, I could not see the Jesus whom I had grown to love in this God. All I could see was a cold distant narcissist whose only concern was for his own Glory, no matter the cost in human souls. So I walked away from my faith, for a few months, I came home and I lived like I had used to before I truly knew Christ. One of my best friend in the entire world Jared Maas was the one who finally made me realize, that even if I hated God, and even if He was evil, if he existed there would be consequences, whether I like them or not. So I lived and served a God whom I feared and hated. In the shadow of a tyrant. So why am I telling you all this because after reading more systematic theology than anyone my age probably should, and searching desperately for understandable God through every book I could lay my hands on something finally changed in me. Even though I no longer claim to hold to the reformed position it wasn't arminian theology that rekindled a genuine like and love for God it was the same scriptures that had brought me to him in the first place. During my time here in Cambodia I have read about a God who was faithful to his people though they sacrificed their children to gods made of wood, rocks, and metal. Who never gave up on them though they hated him and forgot all that he done for them. A God who kept every promise that he made , wile they continually broke every promise they had ever made to Him. This was the God I had fallen in love with, a God who heart moved for the suffering of a rebellious wicked humanity, this was the type of God who would take on flesh and enter into His story and die for us. I like God again, for the first time in a long time I can actually say that with sincerity. I still don't understand how to reconcile certain philosophical, and theological issues and I probably never will but if the God this bible describes is accurate then He is more than worthy to have my life. It's funny how things come full circle and they same book that brought me to God in the first place has now drawn me to him a second time.