I Once Was Blind, But Now I See

Why was the statement "By Christ Alone" such a divisive issue? In the 1500's, Martin Luther was brainwashed to look to his priest, pope, Mary, and other saints as mediators between him and God. The Catholic Church's only way to maintain this stronghold is to not allow the Bible to be translated into an everyday language. The way false belief systems could maintain their legitimacy was by controlling the information that goes out to the public. Even though Martin Luther was trained in this false belief system, God opened His eyes the heretical teaching of the Catholic Church. Martin Luther realized the meaning of Hebrews 4:14-16 which says, " Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.   For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.   Let us then with con...

This is probably one of the most misunderstood topics. Please do not write me off at this point. Please finish reading it. It is ok if you disagree with me. Write a comment, and let's talk about it. Before we get started, allow me to share two examples that will help us understand grace a little bit better. It is generally taught that faith has three different levels. First, data faith consists of people believing that Jesus is a historical person. Some people may believe that he was a prophet, or simply a nice man. Second, James 2:19 states that even the demons believe in God and they tremble. Third, there is reliance faith. This is where we rely on God to save us. The reason that I am talking about this verse is because when we realize that there are different levels of faith or belief, then we have to consider different levels or types of grace.  An other example is that there are different kinds of revelation: general revelation and special revelation. Psalm 19: 1 says, " ...

All of Holy Scripture, from beginning to end, points solely to Christ as our source for grace and truth. - Martin Luther The idea "By Scripture Alone" comes from a rebuttal towards the Catholic Church adding to Scripture and salvation. " The doctrine of justification of the Roman Catholic Church then and now is grounded in works of penance, the treasury of merit, and other elements established in tradition, not the Word of God." ( https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/scripture-alone) These additions were accepted because of the Bible not being in the common language of everyday people. The people did not have any grounds of contradicting the Catholic Church. Live in fear was the biggest push from the Catholic Church. In today's world, it is about you not having enough faith. If you are not healthy, then you must not have enough faith. You are not rich, then you must not have enough faith. This type of faith is not about Jesus. It is about placing your fait...

 Naomi and I drove to the Georgia Diner in Tallapoosa (Great place to eat if you have never been there) for breakfast on our way to the after surgery check-up. It was raining all the way there. We didn't seem to have too much nervousness going into the appointment.  We started to go into the parking deck, and Naomi said "Awe...this seems so nostalgic!" Usually you don't have that type of reaction after cancer surgery. We really did have a great experience there. Everyday we walked the paring deck, so we knew that place very well. We headed up to the 7th floor to see the doctor. The first nurse we saw did a few eye tests. She asked a series of questions about headaches, dizziness, etc., and I said no to all of the questions. I noticed that she looked back at me with a little shocked look. Soon after the doctor came in. He looked through the magnifying instrument that shines a light directly into my soul (the light that is as bright as the sun), and he said "Your e...

For those who do not know, my mom is not expected to live that much longer. She has suffered with dementia for around 11 years. Naomi first noticed it when Ethan was around 12 years old.  Dementia is a horrible disease, and it eventually changes the entire personality of the person. In what is probably her final weeks on earth, I would like to write a short tribute to my memories of her. Sarah Dianne Milam was born and raised in Attalla, AL. Her family was heavily involved at Red Hill United Methodist Church. They were so involved in the United Methodist denomination that they also volunteered a good bit of time at Camp Sumatanga (the local United Methodist camp). Many of my relatives served in the kitchen there. Mom loved her denomination so much, that she somehow convinced my dad to give me the middle name Wesley (after John Wesley). Mom was pretty much a rebel at heart. Whenever dad went away on a hunting, golf, or ministry trip our house turned into a party. We bought everythin...

In this series of the Five Solas, we are going to be forced to touch on some sensitive topics that are taught in some churches. We are in no way trying to alienate ourselves. We have good friends that follow some of these teachings. All we are trying to do is break down the truths of the Word of God, and let the chips fall where they may. We love you guys, and appreciate deep friendships from people that disagree with us. By Faith Alone Part 2 Before we get started, we must lay the foundation of our argument. Below are the first three questions and answers from the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God,   and to enjoy him forever. Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him? A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments,   is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. Q. 3. What do the Scriptures principally teach? A. The...

In this series of the Five Solas, we are going to be forced to touch on some sensitive topics that are taught in some churches. We are in no way trying to alienate ourselves. We have good friends that follow some of these teachings. All we are trying to do is break down the truths of the Word of God, and let the chips fall where they may. We love you guys, and appreciate deep friendships from people that disagree with us. Out of the heart of the Reformation, that started October 31, 1517, came the Five Solas. Sola being the latin word for "alone." The first of the solas is by faith alone. During the Tudor Age, the Catholic Church owned everything. Tenant farming was a popular thing during this time. Tenant farming is where farmers would rent property from the church to grow vegetables, raise animals, etc. Often times, the local monastery would be the only ones who owned a weaving loom, or other large machines needed to make everyday necessary things. Basically, the Catholic C...

 It has been such a joy to take some time away from ministry (for the most part) and spend 5 days with my wife. Has it been super restful? No. We couldn't hug or kiss. The hospital food was gross. But, we took walks through the parking deck. We talked so much. We had friends send us door dash, and we had dates on picnic tables outside of Eye Hospital Emergency Room. Watch 2 John Wayne movies (We love old movies). We watched a phenomenal film called American Gospel: Jesus Alone. We laughed at all the times I messed with little old nurse (That was so much fun. She was worried about me not eating the bad food. I told her, "Don't worry, I have eaten gummie bears." She walked in as I was finishing an ADHD dance session. Later on, she asked me if I was still dancing, and I said, "Do you want to dance with me?" She politely declined my very generous offer.). For me, this time gave Naomi and I an opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of ministry and lif...

As a counselor, people are encouraged to come talk when problems arise. It could be problems at work, the spouse, kids, etc. Biblical counselors are here to listen to your struggles, and give advice according to the Bible. Growing up, this is how I pictured God's relationship with His creation. Adam failed, so he kicked them out of the Garden of Eden. Everyone sinned, so God destroyed the earth. Sodom and Gomorrah were evil, so God destroyed them. Over and over it appeared that God was seeing a counselor to figure out what to do next, and everything came to a climax at the ultimate overhaul: the crucifixion and resurrection. This type of thinking leads us to think of God as the ultimate child abuser by using Jesus to fix His problems. Then a question popped into my mind "What if God is not a reactionary God? What if everything is part of a plan?" I continued to just meditate on those questions. My conclusion to these questions were "the Bible says that God is soverei...

Having the gold plaque in my right eye throws off the vision in that eye. It doesn't move like it should. It is off centered. What I see if a crooked picture. It reminds me of the old television commercial of V8 where they all walk on a tilt. It is also so amazing how much depth perception you lose when you are only seeing through one eye. Last night, I had to get Naomi to help me put toothpaste on my toothbrush.  This makes me think of how many people live with one foot in the world. Jesus refers to this as being lukewarm. I used to think this is was a cool thing to strive to be simply because it has the awesome name of Luke inside the word. We struggle to live with our heart, soul, mind, and strength devoted to God, while worshipping something else. It is impossible to only worship one hour a week, but we pat ourselves on our own backs when we do this week after week. That is like taking an ibuprofen for a gun shot wound.  And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall ...