Joy in Christendom

Is this Cross Really the most Important Thing?

Consider the following:

"Evangelical Christians too often believe that God's top priority is the salvation of men. This is a man-centered viewpoint, a kind of baptized humanism ...for Christians. It makes them think that they are the center of God's concern. They are not. God is the center of God's concern. The universe is theocentric. If the salvation of men were God's primary concern, then He is surely a failure, for comparatively few men so far have been saved. The glory of God, which includes hell and the post-final judgment lake of fire (Rev. 20:15), is God's chief priority. The salvation of men is God's means of extending His kingdom in history, but building His kingdom, not the salvation of men, is God's top priority for man." - Gary North.

It is high time that the Church readjust her priorities.  Thanks to my friend Kerry Culligan for finding this quote.

Messianic Expectation

The Messianic Expectation is a theme, in fact it is probably the second biggest theme all through out the Old Testament.  That is to say that the promise of a Redeemer from the Father to His Children, provides Eternal Reconciliation to the Father by way of a Messiah.  As we see the Older Testament unfold, we notice that the Chirst-appointed promises, start out as vague and as we approach the first coming of Christ, they get more progressively specific.

This progression can most pointedly be seen, in the Covenants that God establishes with the Seed of Adam throughout history.  These Covenants are:

1. God establishes dominion and promises to kill Adam should he sin against him.  Adam who was made perfect, sinned against God.  God seeks out Adam who was hiding.  God provides a temporary covering for Adam (Gen 3:11-19), but also promises to save Adam and destroy the Devil (Gen 3:15).  All of Adam's seed is now tainted with Sin.
2. Noah (Gen 8:20-9:7).  God destroyed a world that was already too corrupt to allow it to continue.  Noah was spared.  God starts all over with Noah.  God commands Noah's family to disperse and populate the whole Earth and reiterates the Dominion mandate.
3. Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).  After the sinful actions of mankind at the tower of Babel, God makes another Covenant with Man through Abram.  God promises Abraham a greet seed.  God protects Abraham from himself and his efforts to botch the whole thing up and grants them the birth of Isaac.
4. Moses (Exodus 20).  God sends the "Seed" into captivity, allows them to intermingle with the Heathen to protect the seed. (Gen 38).  Israel, in captivity grows great and strong.  God, through Moses, delivers the seed from captivity.
5. David (2 Sam 7, 11).  The Chosen wanted a King, like the other nations.  The people appointed Saul, God appointed David.  God promises David an Eternal Thrown and promises the Messiah (2 Sam 7:5-17).

After these progressive covenants God sent prophets to remind His Children of their continued duty towards Him, their lack of ability to fulfill that duty, and reminder of the coming Messiah, God's provision of Reconciliation.  These can readily be seen in the following passages:

• Isa 7:14; 9:1-7; 52:13, 53:12
• Jer 23:1-6; 32:37-40; 33:6-9, 14-18
• Dan 2:31-45; 7:13-14; 9:24-27
• Mic 5:2-5
• Zech 9:9; 13:7; 14:1-11

We continually see man's persistent and unyielding sin against God and God's persistent presence, salvation, provision, and preparation for the coming Messiah.  God is the Faithful party, man is the whore.  Only with understanding this Glorious expectation can we truly begin to worship the Lord as the Eternal King, and perfect Messiah.  What a great time to be alive!

The Baptism of Clara Joy

Psalm 145 1-9

I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
 
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.

They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Clara Joy,

Today is about the Lord and His promises to you – His covenant child.  We pray that you will worship Him fully, in all that you do.  The most important thing in your life is the Lord.  Love Him and Keep his commandments.  May you commend Him to your Children and your children’s children.  

We love you, Mom and Dad.

Baptized September 25, 2011

I'm sorry, we are but exiles in Babylon

I say, "The Lord shall have dominion - He shall have the schools, television and radio stations, music, art, families, law and the magistrate;  this means nothing short of the Christianization of all things, all institutions, all areas of life.  The Gospel will conquer in history, in time.  The world increase in the fullness there of and his Kingdom will grow on earth and it is in Heaven.  Wherever there is darkness, injustice, profanity, there is need for the Gospel - in our schools, television and radio stations, music, art, families, law and the magistrate.  We were given the Great Commission, and what He starts, He is faithful to complete it." (Dan 2:35, Psa 110:1, Mat 13:31-33, 1Cor 15:23, 15:25)

You then reply with, "ah, but we are just exiles in Babylon; for this is not our home".

You say, "but we would like for you to volunteer in the church's nursery".

I say, "ah, but we are just exiles in Babylon; for this is not our home".

You say, "can you please host a small group in your home?"

I say "ah, but we are just exiles in Babylon; for this is not our home".

You say, "we could use your help cleaning the church's bathrooms".

I say, "ah, but we are just exiles in Babylon; for this is not our home".

You say, "we are in need of a new church building, would you please contribute your money?"

I say, "ah, but we are just exiles in Babylon; for this is not our home".

You say, "you need to evangelize, and tell your neighbor about Jesus".

I say, "ah, but we are just exiles in Babylon; for this is not our home".

You say, "the Lord is my salvation"

I say, "ah, but we are just exiles in Babylon; for this is not our home".

If the Lord does not have all, He has nothing.  The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” Psa 110:1

It was a theocracy after all

One of the most improperly and overly used words in the reformed Church the last decade, maybe longer, has been this word "theocracy". Typically, it is used in conjunction with political debates between Christians, especially when one of the sides demands a Biblical standard for government.  The response is often something like "well, Israel was a Theocracy, after all, and we're not living in a Theocracy, therefore the Biblical examples of good government don't apply".  Besides fallacious reasoning, there are a number of problem with such a statement:

1. This reasoning is an implied form of dispensationalism.  The thinking goes that because most examples and exhortations to how a nation is to be governed are found in the Older Testament it no longer applies to Newer Testament Christians.
2. It assumes, categorically, that having God or a god rule a nation is but a choice among many options.
3. There is a notion that Israel's government was an improper combination of Church and State.
4. An improper understanding of things Spiritual.  It is said, "we are exiles in this world" and that therefore is to mean that the material world, with it's hardships, governments, and other heavy things are of no concern to the Christian.  It then follows that Christ is not Lord over all, but Lord only over our "hearts".

 Let's tackle each of these, with the following:

1. Christians must remember that the whole of Scripture is God-breathed and useful for every area of life (2 Tim 3:16, 1 Pet 1:13-2:3); not only useful but to be applied to all areas of life.  A simple antidote to a dispensational outlook, is "if God says it, only God can unsays it".  This is a simple, God-fearing hermeneutic.
2. It is impossible to escape the notion that "religion" or faith, belief of some kind rules a nation.  It is either a belief in God that will inspire a nation's Laws, or a belief in man that will inspire laws.  This is inescapable.  
3. The fear (and it is a good fear) for a softening of the line between Church and State does not remove the responsibility of the Magistrate to kiss the ring of King Jesus (I Kings 1:30, 8-11, Isa 42:1-4, Mic 4:2, Heb 2:8, Eph 1:21, Mat 28:18) and govern by God's Law.  An perverted understanding of both Church and State lead us to tyranny (a.k.a the Modern West).  The rule of God's Law leads to freedom.  Israel was a not a theocracy in the sense that there were no distinctions between the magistrate (did Israel not have Kings and Priests) and the Church. 
4. If Reformation and Revival will happen in our lifetime, dualism will be the big pillar that must topple.  The etherialization of the Church has been her biggest shackle in the last 300 years.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, impedes the Great Commission more than this hyper-individualization, hyper-"spiritualization" of the Scriptures, the church and her mission.  In a Revival, everything ungodly must be converted - and that includes our government and culture institutions.  Ecstatic utterances and cry-baby prayers are not the signs of true Revival, but Lordship certainly is proof that the Lord is at work in the hearts of men.

Our governments, as every other institution must bow the knee to Christ.  The magistrate today, just like in Israel of Old, is required by God's Law to enforce justice and righteousness.  A "Christocracy" ought to be the goal of every Christian, in every nation.

God's Curse as Benefit to Man

"We must also see that God's wrath and curse of man and creation was the result of Adam's sin.  Adam's desire was to be as God, to be the Law-maker for both himself and creation.  Since Adam was the Federal Head of all mankind and the head of the hierarchy of creation, his rejection of God's creative law caused God's curse to fall upon him and this world.  But this curse was not destructive.  On the contrary, God's curse was constructive.  It is constructive because man is not God.  Adam could not make the laws necessary to bring creation into existence, and uphold it.  Man is not a law-maker.  Only God is, and because only God can create law, God cursed Adam and creation as a creative and constructive act.  By cursing man and his world God forced man against his will to think God's thoughts after Him.  This was a constructive act of God, for without the curse man would have totally rejected God and destroyed himself.  But God, through the curse, forced man back upon the laws that governed him, which in turn enabled him to survive.  It must always be remembered that God cursed the ground for Adam's sake (Gen. 3:17) to prevent him from destroying himself."  -Rushdoony, Tithing and Dominion.

When was the last time you ever heard the Fall of Man described in those terms?  Praise Him - Praise the Lord and His Goodness and Kindness.  Praise all His Holy Will.  Praise Him.

 

A Biblical Model for the Local Church

Whether we realize it or not, we all have an idealized understanding of what church should be and how it should look; this includes how we judge a church to be "good" or "bad".  Everybody has an ideal (even if it's "there shouldn't be an ideal") of what they believe church should be.  My church, University Reformed Church, is going through a lot of change recently (and not so recently), and my constant prayer is that we would not loose site of the the biblical understanding of what it means to be the Body of Christ.  There are 10 areas that I believe the Lord calling the Church to reform, and these are:

1. Total love and devotion to our liege Lord Jesus Christ.  This is the most encompassing and most difficult item in this list.  To keep Christ first before us means that we, in life, remain devoted and preoccupied to His name-sake (Mark 12:30, I Pet 2:17).  Even when this devotion would mean that we're not "nice", we cause trouble and sacrifice greatly.  It should be our aim that we would begin to loose sight of what Jesus means to me or to us and gain a deep understanding of who Jesus is and what he has already done for His Children, for the delight and sake of His own Glory.  We would then be a people that expects victory of Christ and His Word in every institution, every business, every book, in all walks of life.  We would proclaim that Christ is King and that the world Kiss the Son, lest he be angry.  In doing this, we would agree that in this life we are to be colonists rather than exiles, practicing dominion in everything we do.
2. The congregation would understand that the Gospel is not the most important thing.  Getting the message out or any other good and nobel thing is not the most important activity that the Church undertakes and is not our highest duty as a body.  The Worship and Glory of God is to be our first and foremost concern (Dan 9:4).  Our Corporate Worship would be mindful, most of all, of the magnificent, dread God we serve.  We would seek out opportunities then to make sure all of our liturgy falls within this understanding of Majesty, even in how we align the chairs, adorn the walls, or otherwise outfit the sanctuary.  This would also mean that we would be in the habit of singing the Lord's words back to Him; fostering an attitude of humble obedience, rather than self-fulfillment.  Finally, we would have a very high regard for the means of Grace in the Table and the Baptizing of families, looking forward to and celebrating each.
3. Patience and grace with the work of the Lord (Gen 49:18,Ps 25:2, 27:14).  We, as God's people have been given much.  Especially those within the tradition that hold to the Solas and the doctrines of Grace.  Rather than getting irritated with people who just "don't get it", we would be a congregation that is known for the Love of Christ (Jm 1:26, 3:5), love for His Truth and a patient attitude waiting on His providential Hand for Reformation within the Church (I Cor 13:4) and every other area of life.  We expect our Lord to fulfill His promises and we wait patiently for them while at the same time cry out for His mercies every day.  To that end, the church would be a humble congregation in all that it does - that would would be a people that is characterized with the understanding that we are not alone in "doing church" and that we should not be alone.  That we would rely heavily on the Word of God and those that have gone before us to provide us much needed advice on all that is to be "church".
4. Christianity is a public belief system.  We would hear more and more from the leadership about Public-Sphere sins of our local, State and Federal governments, calling those that rule over us to repentance with the same vigor as we call the congregation to personal holiness
   (Mt 28:18).  Until God does see fit to grant us Reformation, we would see that Christians do not currently have a political party, carte blanche, that represents the Biblical mandate for government and the public square (2 Tim 3:16-17, Mat 4:4).  We would understand that our loyalty to our King would prevent us from voting for dark and un-biblical policies and politicians.  Through the preaching of the Gospel, we would then seek to reform every political institution at every level of authority (Ps 119:160). 
5. We would shepherd within and to the family and fervent reliance upon Prayer and Worship within the family.  The Leadership and church would support this effort with training, small groups, and other avenues that encourage and enable this most basic activity of family life.  Under a biblical conviction of shepherding, we may need to look at greatly increasing the number of Elders to provide discipline (mostly positive and some negative), with the understanding that true and normal discipline is the on-going preaching and teaching and consistent application of the Word within the family over a long period of time.  
6. The importance of the "trustee family" as the most atomic, ordained unit of society, including that of the church.  We, as the body of Christ need to preach, teach and uphold, the Biblical doctrine of the family where the husband is the covenant head, a steward of responsibilities before the Lord and the wife is her husband’s help-meet, unto the Lord.  Members of the family see themselves as trustees of the family blood, rights, property, name, and position for their lifetime. They have an inheritance from the past to be preserved and developed for the future.  The future-focused family is under God, the trustee of children, property, inheritance, welfare, and education. It manages the basic areas of social power in terms of God’s law and grace. Leadership then works within this framework to administer Word and Sacrament.
7. The care for the poor and needy within our midst that rivals and shames the State Institutions.  By God's grace, we would realize that the comforts in our life and culture are a blessing but not a necessity.  On the whole, the congregation would make the Christian lifestyle, especially in the area of personal finances, a reality.  This means that each of us, in service to others would be more independent from the "grid" and other financial obligations so that we can make needed adjustments as needs arise in the body.  Furthermore, we would follow the Deuteronomy model (12:6, 12:11, 12:17, 14:22, 14:23, 14:28) and establish a fund for interest-free loans to the needy within the congregation, along with a "tithe barn" or other "banks" of goods (Mal 3:10) to help those in need.  We must understand that God has established the local Church (not the para-church) for the daily ministry of the saints of God.  As we are called to be a "praying and preaching" church, we are likewise called to be a Tithing Church (Lev 27:30, Prov 3:9, Mat 23:23).  But first, the congregation will have to change many of our habits that we just accept as "normal American" before we can be the tangible witness to the community (I Cor 16:1,2 ).  We ought to be a people characterized by financial freedom instead of financial slavery.
8. Our Gospel mission would be all-encompassing.  We would understand that Evangelism is not limited by the awkward sales pitch but instead it is an all-inclusive activity in all walks of life wherever there is truth to proclaim.  Our missional outlook would be vibrant with an understanding of Church Planting and effective families as the primary means by which the Lord grows his Kingdom.  We would also understand that there is missionary work to be done everywhere and that we would not single out a class, a window, or a geographical area of the world as being special or unique to this effort.  We are to work wherever Christ is not Worshipped as King.  To this end, I would hope that our yearly budget would reflect this understanding and would include often overlooked but viable outreach efforts including adoption, child foster care, crisis pregnancy care, church planting, and Pastoral training and sending to areas of need.
9. In Praise of Unity and Diversity.  We have to come to grip with the One and the Many - unity and diversity.  We respect our racial and cultural differences without pretending that they don't exist.  We uphold unity in Christ and the Word.  We would see the harmony within Diversity and encourage diversity without forcing the notion that differences don't or shouldn't exist; or worse, that people are just interchangeable "parts" in a grand "marxist" machine.  We need to understand that this may mean a certain amount of natural "coagulation" of people with similar backgrounds and convictions and rather than discourage such activity, we would see that this is the biblical understanding of harmony and Unity.  God loves diversity and so must we (Mk 11:17, 13:10, Rom 1:5, 4:18).  We would then be a body that understands the importance of community - that there is great reward for maintaining a geographical proximity to one another and to our children and grand-children.  To be "scattered" is a curse and to be together is a blessing.
10. Focused on the future.  As Christians, we realize that there is much work our Lord has yet to complete.  Because God is sovereign and Loving, we have an optimistic outlook of the future.  To that end, it is my hope that the leadership would be forward thinking in everything we do.  This would mean that they would care for a 500-year plan for the congregation, the community, and the larger area of influence.  We would encourage, through the teaching of the Word, locale permanency and investment in and around our community.  Rather than understanding life as "temporary and throw-away" would would buckle down and outreach to all of life.  Multi-generational congregations speak volumes about the God we serve (Lk 1:48, Ps 33:11, Ps 100:5) and the understanding of God's character; it says something grand about the God we worship and serve. 

"Blessed Magnificent God, we are not deserving of your favor in anyway.  For the Love of thy dear Son we humbly ask that you visit your Church with renewal and Reformation.  We pray, Father, that you would grant an awakening that touches all things - an awakening that produces a faith to do the hard things, say the hard things, and believe the hard things, to your Glory. In Christ alone, we would fear nothing but you and your judgements.   Amen."

What do Postmillenialists Believe?

"According to evangelical, Bible-believing postmillennialism, fallen man is utterly incapable of entering or advancing the kingdom of God in his own effort, wisdom, or accomplishment. God's kingdom comes not by human work, but by the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ (cf. Colossians 1:13-14) and according to the gracious power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said to Nicodemus: "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

Postmillennialists believe that Jesus established the kingdom of God on earth during His first advent. Mark summarizes what Jesus preached: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:14). From His exorcism of demons Jesus authoritatively concluded: "the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matthew 12:28). Jesus is now despoiling Satan's house (v. 29), as the kingdom slowly grows in the earth (Matthew 13:31-32), and every enemy is brought in submission under His feet (Hebrews 1:13; 10:13). He must reign until all opposition is defeated, and then He will deliver up the kingdom to the Father -- at His second coming, which is "the end" of history (1 Corinthians 15:24-25).

Postmillennialists believe that the victorious advance of Christ's kingdom comes about by means of the preaching of the gospel and the powerful work of God's Spirit in regeneration and sanctification. That is, it is the pursuit of the Great Commission, rather than the use of violence or military confrontation, which peacefully secures the widespread conversion of the world and brings it to obey all that Jesus has commanded (cf. Matthew 28:18-20).

However, the process through which the kingdom grows involves an intense spiritual battle, with its ensuing afflictions, persecutions, hardships and suffering for God's people. The ultimate victory which shall come through the struggle does not cancel the pain and sorrow which attends that struggle. The Apostle John spoke of himself as a "companion in the suffering and kingdom... that are ours in Jesus" (Revelation 1:9). Paul called on Timothy to "be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:8), realizing that "if we suffer [with Him], we shall also reign with Him" (2:12)." - Dr. Greg Bahnsen

I love being a Christian.

Do Postmillennialists Overlook Suffering in this Life?

"This is a rhetorical distoration of the Postmillenial Position.  By using language like this the critic insinuates false accusations and communicates unfair connotations about the postmillennial position, without offering details or objective proof. You will find that it is much easier to make these kinds of claims than to demonstrate them through responsible analysis and scholarship.

Postmillennialists do not deny, try to evade, or downplay the constitutive dimension of suffering and sorrow in the Christian life or in the history of the church. One can hardly imagine that the Scottish theologians Symington or Brown had somehow forgotten the "killing times" of the Covenanters when they expressed their postmillennial confidence.

Charles Hodge, the postmillennial "dean of theologians" at Princeton Seminary in the last century, wrote in his commentary on 2 Corinthians 4 that "We constantly illustrate in our person the sufferings of Christ... [being] neglected, defamed, despised, maltreated...." This is hardly consistent with the charge that postmillennialists forget the theology of the cross!

Both postmillennialists and amillennialists (not to mention premillennialists) recognize the inevitable hardships and persecution which believers undergo in this world. That is not what separates them. Postmillennialists trust the word of the Lord that, even when contrary to outward appearances, our sufferings in this world eventuate in a greater manifestation of Christ's saving rule on earth, not a diminished one. We suffer to be sure, but it is a suffering-unto-victory, rather than a suffering-unto-defeat." G. Bahnsen

A College Student's Righteous Struggle

I received the following question from a good friend of mine.  I was very grateful to receive it as it is a sign and reminder of the struggle that we should all have.  I wonder if our "sanctification" is all too easy and taken for granted, but then I am reminded that people really do wonder, struggle and wrestle with difficult things - a true sign that the Spirit is at work.

Here is his question:

Dearest brother David, how art thou! K so, Ima try my best to phrase the question I was trying to ask :)

So here is the conflict:
Whenever I bring my sins before the Lord, I recognize what sin is and that I am a sinner, and I remember that Christ has taken their weight and punishment from me already. I pray this, but inside my head there is this nagging thought that hits me every time, telling me that I don't fully believe this. I feel as if I am saying, "Thank you Christ for dying for my sins, but I only deserve to go to hell because you created me so."

How can I be born (essentially with no choice) deserving nothing but hell? I could accept understand better the concept of deserving eternal punishment if I feel like I had a choice to sin or not, but the problem lies with me feeling my only choice is to sin.

So therefore when I am given relief from eternal punishment, I am inclined not to feel the fullness of joy and thankfulness I should, as I am only dug out of the hole I was put in.

This sounds extremely greedy and unthankful of me, but its the reality of how I feel and these questions are stopping me from feeling grace how I should, and from giving God the praise he deserves. I don't want to feel this way when I ask for forgiveness, and I guess I just want a way to accept or understand that I am believing a lie. But this lie looks so true. Anyways, yeah so thats the nuts and bolts, I'm sure the issue will become less of one through sanctification, but for now its eating me up.

Thanks for reading :P

Yeah, Bob, this is a good thought.  I can see that you don't take Christ lightly and you don't see the Faith as something silly or trivial.  I've always been encouraged by your thoughtfulness.

When I read over this, I hear a lot, perhaps more than you are meaning to say.  I believe that you are struggling with two things.  First, you don't see how utterly Holy the Lord Almighty is, and secondly, you are struggling to see how utterly holy you are not.  Yes, on an academic level you get it; you know how to say the right things, you get TULIP and the other "isms", but when I read statements from you like "dug out of the hole I was placed in", and "how can I be born, with no choice, deserving hell", there appears to be a disconnect between what you know and what you know know.  You are being tempted here, and I pray that you flee it. All that said, I believe the following will be helpful to keep in mind.

First, we must understand that there is no "I" without the Lord.  You and man are his creation.  He has every right to do with it as he pleases.

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, [2] but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. (Rom 9:14-18)

Secondly, you are being tempted to think, "this is not fair, I had nothing to do with this."  You're right, it isn't fair, but the object of fairness is backwards here.  Was it fair that man brought sin into creation?  Certainly not, is it fair that the Lord cursed man and his offspring? Yes, completely fair and just.  For if God does not punish, God becomes the harlot.  Because of His Holy Character and His Just Will, there must be payment.  Would 60 billion lost souls in hell be enough for this payment?  Would that we all died and eternally punished would certainly be fair.  But, because He is merciful, and in light of His dear son, he has sought his sheep and rescued them from what they deserve (2 Timothy 2:25-26).  How amazing is that?  How amazing was it that as soon as man sinned, the Lord provided a way. 

Thridly, having a choice to sin or not does not make us potentially Holy before God.  As I have established above, we are not born in a state of neutrality.  If we did have choice we would not choose God (Psalm 10:4, John 3:20, Romans 3:10-12), so in turn knowing this should spur us on in gratitude.

Finally, I believe that you are being honest with this, which is so encouraging to see.  This is not easy stuff, and I know that more people struggle with it but are not willing to take the time and effort to know their savior and search the scriptures, like you are.  You have been a big encouragement to me.  Let's continue the dialog.