Love to God and obedience to God are so completely involve in each other that any one of them implies the other too.

F.F. Bruce TCGG p. 386

Tags: Paris

Heart of Worship (click here to hear on youtube)
Matt Redman

When the music fades and all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring something that's of worth
That will bless Your heart

Love for God

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:19-20

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the things I've made it
When it's all about You
All about You, Jesus

King of endless worth, no one could express
How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor, all I have is Yours
Every single breath

The more I advance, the more clearly I perceive that the greatest human knowledge amounts to a more pompous proof of our ignorance, by showing us how little we know about anything.

John Newton TCGG p.368

Tags: Brazil

Christ is . . . (J. C. Ryle) - From Grace Gems

Knowing God personally

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

True Christians have trustful thoughts of Christ. They daily lean the weight of their souls upon Him by faith--for pardon and peace.
They daily commit the care of their souls to Him --as a man commits a treasure to a safe keeper.
They daily cling to Him by faith--as a child in a crowd clings to its mother's hand.
They look to Him daily for . . . mercy, grace, comfort, help, strength, guidance.

Christ is . . .   the rock under their feet,   the staff in their hands,   their ark and their city of refuge,   their sun and their shield,   their bread and their medicine,   their health and their light,   their fountain and their shelter,   their portion and their home,   their advocate and their physician,   their captain and their elder brother,   their life,   their hope,   their all

At the Cross (click here to hear on youtube)
Isaac Watts, Chorus: Ralph E. Hudson

Alas, and did my Savior bleed,
And did my Sov'reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Chorus:
At the cross, at the cross
Where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

2. Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
And love beyond degree!

Chorus:
3. Well might the sun in darkness hide,
And shut his glories in,
When Christ the mighty Maker died
For man, the creature's sin.
Chorus:

4. Thus might I hide my blushing face
While Calvary's cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt mine eyes to tears.
Chorus:

5. But drops of grief can ne'er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
'Tis all that I can do.

Assumptions are essential ‘matter’ to guide us in life. A an assumption, for our purposes here, is a

The LORD says

But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:1-2)

proposition that is taken for granted, in others words, an idea, a belief that is accepted as true without proof. If I make plans for tomorrow; decide the next trip abroad; start to redecorate a room or prepare activities for Sunday service, probably I would take for granted (I assume) that I'll be alive tomorrow, Sunday and in the near future.

As assumptions are to be expected in life, please remember that privileges that we take for granted (be alive, eat, see, think, feel good, enjoy things and even breath) comes from God's hands. Have a few assumption for life: believe that the Bible is the true Word of God; in Christ we can have all promises that God made to us, and God created us for His glory. Do not fear what man or nature can do to you.

God has two sheepdogs: Goodness and Mercy. He sends them to us from his throne of grace; sometimes to bark at us, to badger us; sometimes to woo us by persuading us that his will is good and perfect for our lives.

Sinclair Ferguson TCGG p.234

Tags: Oxford

At The Cross (click here to hear on youtube)
Hillsong

Oh Lord You’ve searched me
You know my way
Even when I fail You
I know You love me

Your holy presence
Surrounding me
In every season
I know You love me
I know You love me

At the cross I bow my knee
Where Your blood was shed for me
There’s no greater love than this
You have overcome the grave
Your glory fills the highest place
What can separate me now

You go before me
You shield my way
Your hand upholds me
I know You love me

You tore the veil
You made a way
When You said that it is done

And when the earth fades
Falls from my eyes
And You stand before me
I know You love me
I know You love me

The peace of God means being grateful for his past mercies, conscious of his present mercies, and certain of his future mercies.

John Blanchard TCGG p. 441

All quotations are taken from our dear friend John's Blanchard book The Complete Gathered Gold (TCGG), Evangelical Press 2006.

Tags: John Blanchard

Tags: Oxford

Be Still My Soul (click here to hear on youtube)
Words: Katharina A. von Schlegel Music: Jean Sibelius By Libera

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Jesus is our peace

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. (Ephesians 2:12-14)

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

We can have different views about what is the Kingdom of God. Those views can be a result of our secular learning, our church knowledge, consequence of our bible reading our, in mostly cases, result of our many years listen sermons. But a true, a correct, an accurate representation, a complete description of the Kingdom of God must to be found on the Bible. Have a new perspective of God, this universe, this planet and of you. Read the Bible.

God is on the lookout today for a man who will be quite enough to get a message from him, brave enough to preach it, and honest enough to live it.

Vance Havner TCGG p.483

Tags: Cambridge

Un Lugar Celestial (click here to hear on youtube)
Mark Meimemann/Reggie Hamm/Bob Farrel/David Velásquez
By Jaci Velasquez


Hablando del amor del mundo
y del dolor
yo miro el cielo y pienso en ti
seguro que tu estas formando
desde allá un mundo nuevo
para mi sueño un cariño
limpio y natural un
cielo abierto para la verdad
cierro los ojos y te siento
bien con tu luz de sola en mí ser.

CORO: un lugar celestial nuestro
cielo pequeñito sobrenatural
un lugar celestial
justo lo que necesito
para ser feliz
un lugar celestial.

Hablarte sin mentir pensarte
sin fingir saber que tu eres
mi Dios seguirte a donde vas
estar donde tu estas
vivir tan solo por tu amor
estoy pensada solo para ti
desde el momento mismo
en que nací cierro los ojos y
te siento bien con tu luz
de sol en mi ser.

Tus ojos me llaman tu beso
es mi libertad.

Tags: Spanish song

The kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven refers to the sovereign rule of reign of God, either in grace or in judgement.

As Reymond quotes in his Systematic Theology, “The coming of the kingdom of God in humility

All things by Jesus Christ

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Colossians 1:16

instead of glory was an utterly new and amazing revelation. Yet, said Jesus, men should not be deceived. Although the present manifestation of the kingdom is in humility – indeed, its Bearer, Jesus, was put to death as a condemned criminal – it is nevertheless the kingdom of God, and, like buried treasure or a priceless pearl, its acquisition merits any cost of sacrifice". Be aware.

Tags: Brighton

Sanctification is that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy spirit by which he delivers the justified sinner from the pollution of sin, renews his whole nature in the image of God, and enables him to perform good works.

Louis Berkhof TCGG p.301

God is God (click here to hear on youtube)
Steven Curtis Chapman

And the pain falls like a curtain
On the things I once called certain
And I have to say the words I fear the most
I just don’t know

And the questions without answers
Come and paralyze the dancer
So I stand here on the stage afraid to move
Afraid to fall, oh, but fall I must
On this truth that my life has been formed from the dust

God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting
God is God and I am man
So I’ll never understand it all
For only God is God

And the sky begins to thunder
And I’m filled with awe and wonder
‘Til the only burning question that remains
Is who am I

Can I form a single mountain
Take the stars in hand and count them
Can I even take a breath without God giving it to me
He is first and last before all that has been
Beyond all that will pass

Oh, how great are the riches of His wisdom and knowledge
How unsearchable for to Him and through Him and from Him are all things

So let us worship before the throne
Of the One who is worthy of worship alone

‘Common sense tells us the right people have to be in the right place.’ I would not agree completely with such catchphrase, but around two million people flocked to Central London to watch the biggest annual sporting event in the world, the Tour de France 2007.

Everlasting life

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. (Jonh 3:16)

Le Tour creates a carnival atmosphere, a sense of belonging, a feeling of being part of history, a unique lifetime opportunity. The biggest, hardest cycle race came for the first time in its 100 years of history to London. Robbie McEwen managed to win the race after crash. Indeed Le Tour is a great race, amazing experience! But we have a better place to be, the right place to be and not for hours, or two days, save eternally.

Eternal life is what its name suggests: unending life. In Christ we have eternal life forever in God's kingdom. Lets enjoy great moments of life knowing that they come from the Lord’s hand, without lose sight of what is truly everlasting.

Tags: London

Assurance does not lie in what we are, be we great or small. It lies in what God has done in his plan of salvation to secure us to himsel.

Sinclair Ferguson TCGG p.27

Blessed Assurance (click here to hear on youtube)
Words by Fanny Crosby, 1873 Music by Phoebe P. Knapp, 1873. By Sandi Patty

Blessèd assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.