Wed Devo

This Sunday’s Sermon in a Nutshell I have been asked to speak at Turners Station Baptist Church this Sunday and thought I would use this Wednesday’s devo to bring about some thoughts for Sunday. Ephesians 2:8—For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. I am going to speak on the topic of the sure salvation of believers. In the Baptist church this is often referred to as “once saved, always saved”. I find this phrase to be a little misleading. I believe that if you are truly saved, you remain saved but this phrase can be taken in the wrong way. If when we say, “once saved, always saved” we would be correct if we were referring to placing faith in Christ. But if we are simply referring to walking an isle, praying a prayer, and putting our name on the church roll we may be sadly disappointed. Before you talk about how one would stay saved, you must look at what saves us to begin with. When asked about this subject, many would say, “You can’t get saved and then just do whatever you want and stay saved. You lose your salvation if you don’t continue in the faith.” True believers will not “get saved” and then do whatever, whenever. But this whole debate or argument will fade away when we see that what we “do” has nothing to do with our salvation. Paul wrote that it is by grace that we have been saved and our salvation is not a result of works. The fact of the matter is we aren’t good enough to save ourselves, much less good enough to keep ourselves saved. What we “do” before or after has nothing to do with saving us. It is strictly grace! In Romans 11 Paul speaks of salvation saying that, “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” If we were saved by “works” or “do’s” they would nullify grace. Which in turn would give us something to boast about. Our works do not save us and they do not keep us saved, these both happen by grace alone. Ephesians 2:10—For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. I hope that you understand that we are saved by grace alone and nothing is owing to ourselves. If you don’t get that, this last part will not make sense. Paul writes that we are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus”. The reality that you are saved is due to the fact that your salvation is the work of God. He created you (as a believer) in Christ. The new creation inside of you (2 Corinthians 5:17) was created by him and only through Christ. Once again, we do not “do” this-God does it. We were created for good works and they will necessarily follow in the lives of believers. Necessarily. They are not necessary for salvation, but they must follow. If I put you on an invincible chain and drag you around, you will necessarily follow wherever I go. The same is true with saving faith and works. Works or “do’s” are chained invincibly to saving faith. They must necessarily follow. God saved us that we would walk in them. Can a believer lose their salvation? Absolutely not. The only way this could be possible is if God ceased to be God. How can I lose something that I did not create, hold, or manipulate? God will not allow boasting before His throne. This has been ensured by the fact that since we are saved by Grace and not by works, we have nothing to boast about. We get the benefits, and He gets the glory.

Ok, I'll Post

Seeing Josh's post saying he missed me and the rest of the guys brought me out of the woodwork. I think I've created a monster with Josh and his blogging. Anyway... I'm sure all of our great fans would love to hear about one of my recent purchases - an electronic drumkit. As most of you will soon found out, our recent recording sessions spawned a new side of the Josh Martin Band - an 80's power pop dance band. Next time you hear "Trading My Sorrows," it won't quite be the same version you're used to hearing. See you all at the next gig! :-) -Andrew

Liking this guy more and more.....

“I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God. Music drives away the Devil and makes people gay (happy in a straight way); they forget thereby all wrath, unchastity, arrogance, and the like. Next after theology, I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor.”-- Martin Luther

Where did you guys go?

I miss you guys! We need to play soon. I miss your blogging too.

The Rich Young White Middle-Class American

The Rich Young White Middle-class Amercian Luke 18:21,22—And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” There have been many times in the past few months that God has used the voice of Derek Webb to convict me about biblical truths. Derek (do you like how I call him by his first name as if we know each other) has written a song entitled “Rich Young Ruler”. There are several lines in this song that absolutely tear me up, because if we will be honest with ourselves, we are no different than the rich young ruler. It is very easy to justify ourselves based on our works. When I read the story of the rich young ruler, I want to believe that that does not really pertain to me for a couple of reasons. First of all, I’m not a rich man. I am middle-class at best. And I didn’t walk away sad when Christ spoke, “Come follow Me”. So, obviously, the only way that this passage pertains to me is by possibly teaching my youth that being rich can be a dangerous thing. It is a dangerous thing, but after a little more meditation these verses, the Lord began to speak more than what came at face value. I have a few questions that I must ask myself and hopefully you will apply them to you. Have we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood? Jesus said that what we do to the least of these, we do to him. Christy and I live in a brick house in the country where we don’t really have to worry about being bothered by anyone. We don’t have to worry about too much about a neighbor calling on us for anything because we are just far enough away from folks that it would be too much of an inconvenience. We don’t live anywhere near the least of these. We have moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood. Do you believe that you are basically good? John Piper said in a sermon once that we as Americans “swim in a sea of arrogance.” At the beginning of this passage of scripture, the rich man referred to Jesus as “good teacher”. Jesus responded by saying no one is good. I think that each of us basically think that we are good. We don’t lie all the time and we don’t disrespect our parents. We will admit that we are not perfect. But maybe we think of ourselves more highly than we ought (Romans 12:3). The fact is we are not good. That flies in the face of everything that this American culture wants you to think. But God’s word boldly speaks that there is nothing good within us (Romans 3:10-18). Romans 3:20—For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes the knowledge of sin. In Derek Webb’s song Jesus says, “Come follow me, sell your house, sell your SUV, sell your stock, sell your security and give it to the poor.” To this the rich man responds, “What is this!? Hey what’s the deal? I don’t sleep around and I don’t steal.” Then Jesus responds, “I want the things you just can’t give me.” I think that this is probably what he is saying to most of you just like he is saying to me. We will view the loving the “least of these” as “ministry opportunities” and not as a way of life. How arrogant we are! We will gladly give our money to missions and pray for the homeless and possibly even bring them something to eat. But rarely will we go in front of our money. Would we invite a homeless man to live in our “guest bedroom”? Could it be possible that our guest should be the least of these? Jesus said they will know we are his by the way that we love one another (John 13:35). I know that this is a lot to think about and I definitely don’t want to take anything out of context. The passage of the rich young ruler is talking about salvation. But these are just some thoughts that I believe that the lord has laid on my heart to meditate on and I thought I would share them. “I want the things you just can’t give me.”

Quote of the Day

"You won't go to hell for smoking, you'll just smell like you've been there."--Author Unknown

Here is my Christmas wishlist for those of you who shop early. Josh

New Recording

Just so you know, I have finished all of my vocal "stuff" for the recording. We are just about ready to start the EQ and mastering process. I am really excited! I am very pleased with the sound. Josh

Second Jobs

Since radio releases have been lacking, Carmen has taken up a second job.

Conspiracy #2

David Crowder is out of this World!!

Cospiracy #1

Seperated at birth or Federal Witness Protection Program? Either way, it's a little scary! josh

Something to think about.....

Ralph Winter is the founder of the U.S. Center for World Missions. He has an interesting comparison that took me back. Here it is.

"America today is a "save yourself" society if there ever was one. But does it really work? The underdeveloped societies suffer from one set of diseases: Tuberculosis, malnutrition, pneumonia, parasites, typhoid, cholera, typhus, etc. Affluent America has virtually invented a whole new set of diseases: obesity, arteriousclerosis, heart disease, strokes, lung cancer, veneral disease, cirrhosis of the liver, drug addiction, alcoholism, divorce, battered children, suicide, murder. Take you choice. Labor-saving machines have turned out to be body-killing devices. Our affluence has allowed both mobility and isolation of the nuclear family, and as a result, our divorce courts, our prisons and our mental institutions are flooded. In saving ourselves, we have nearly lost ourselves."

Words I Love to Sing (and know) The more time that I spend in God’s word, the more I find myself falling in love with some of the hymns I sang as a child. The worship services here at Harvest Community are mostly filled with modern contemporary music, which I believe have some very great truths within them. Contemporary worship music tends to get a bad name because some of it is pretty wishy-washy. But just as much can be said of some hymns. Take for instance, “The Savior is Waiting”. I have never sang a song in all of my life that makes God sound so much like a helpless old man with no power at all. “Time after time he has waited before and now he is waiting again, to see if your willing to open the door, Oh, how he wants to come in.” Now, seriously, who in their right mind believes that this depicts the God of the Bible? God is not helpless and begging you to just please, please, please let him be God. He wants to be God. Why won’t you let him? Seriously, this is pretty lame and in my opinion, blasphemous! Enough of my soapbox. That is not what this is about. I want to talk about another hymn that is pretty stinking awesome! Charles Wesley wrote a hymn called “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and it is one of my favorites. Here is my favorite line: “He breaks the power of cancelled sin, and sets the prisoner free, His blood can make the foulest clean, his blood availed for me”. I believe this to be one of the best lines to ever be written on paper. I love the part that says, “He breaks the power of cancelled sin, and sets the prisoner free.” I want us to look at what “cancelled sin” means. Colossians 2:13,14—And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Christ cancelled our sins on the cross! The cross stamped the word “PAID” on the sins debts of any who would believe. It was cancelled just like a stamp that you would mail a letter with. Done away with, not to be brought up again. Paul made it pretty clear in this letter that the blood of Jesus has canceled our sin. But looking back at the song what does it mean to “break the power” of that “cancelled sin”? I believe that the grace that we have been given is not just canceling grace, but overcoming, conquering grace. Romans 6:14 says, “Sin shall not be master over you for you are not under law but under grace.” If you are a believer then your sins, past and future, have been cancelled. Your sins in the future have been cancelled even before you commit them (now that is Amazing Grace!). But for all of us, sin still demonstrates some power in our life. If you think it doesn’t, maybe we should take a look at your pride. We all struggle with some things more than others. For instance, I don’t struggle with being a thief. Maybe some of you do. I struggle with pride and loving my enemies. Some of you may not. But just because we struggle with particular sins does not mean that the blood of Jesus has lost its power. Because this blood that has cancelled your sin will also break it’s power through faith in the grace that awaits us. In “Future Grace”, John Piper writes about overcoming lust; “Triumph over the sin of lust is all of grace—past grace canceling lust’s guilt through the cross, and future grace, conquering lust’s power through the spirit. That’s why the only fight we fight is the fight of faith. We fight to be so satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus, that temptation to sin loses it’s power over us.” “O for a thousand tongues to sing, My great redeemers praise, The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace.” May God embed this truth deeper and deeper into your heart. Josh Martin

From One of America's Greatest Thinkers

"You all have by you a large treasure of divine knowledge, in that you have the Bible in your hands; therefore be not contented in possessing but little of this treasure. God hath spoken much to you in the Scripture; labor to understand as much of what he saith as you can. God hath made you all reasonable creatures; therefore let not the noble faculty of reason or understanding lie neglected. Content not yourselves with...divine truth...you accidentally gain in conversation; but let it be very much your business to search for it, and that with the same diligence and labor with which men are wont to dig in mines of silver and gold." JONATHAN EDWARDS

Don't Waste Your Cancer

I think that all of us have had contact with cancer in one way or another. If not cancer, then some other illness. John Piper has just had surgery to remove cancer from his prostate. These are just a few words that he wrote the evening before his surgery: "Satan’s and God’s designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God’s design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. It is meant to help you say and feel, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” And to know that therefore, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 3:8; 1:21)." Just thought I would share some words of encouragement. josh

Quote of the Day

Judge not the lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his Grace, Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. --William Cowper

Wednesday Devo

Peace with God: The affects of Justification Romans 5:1—Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. Romans 5:11—Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through whom we have now received reconciliation. One of the greatest realities that is never spoken is found in Romans 5. If you are a believer, there have most likely been times in your life when you have felt like you are not a peace with God. You have felt like you can’t read your bible because God is mad at you for sinning. You may have felt like you can’t pray because you can’t overcome a repetitive sin and wouldn’t be comfortable talking to God about other stuff if you feel like you can’t come clean with it. (The fact of the matter is, you can’t do these things but that is another day’s devo.) Why can’t we find peace with God? Have you ever done something that made you feel pretty stupid or silly? I can remember looking all over the house and car for my sunglasses only to find that they were on the top of my head the whole time. If you would be honest with me, you have probably done something like that too (or I am the biggest dork in America). The same thing is true for most of us when we apply this to our trusting in Christ. We run around looking for peace with God when Jesus already accomplished that for anyone who would repent and believe. Let’s take a look at what Paul says in Romans. Romans 5:1 starts by saying therefore which means we need to look back to see how this next part of the letter is connected to what Paul had just written. Paul had just spent a whole chapter (4) explaining how the righteousness of Christ is counted towards us by having faith in what Christ accomplished for believers. Although we are still sinners, God now sees us as righteous. “Therefore”, we have peace with God. Jesus made things right for anyone who would believe. Peace. Peace!! If you have been forgiven then you have also been reconciled to God! Praise the Lord for that! There is no reason for you to be scared of going to God when you struggle with sin! He knows about it. Remember, he has paid for it so that you can be at peace with him. We don’t have to live in fear of God’s wrath any longer! Christ bought our peace with his own blood! I hope you are getting this. Let me know if you are not. This is a crucial part of what it means to be liberated by the Gospel. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed!” John 8:36. If you have been freed from the law that binds our souls, then you are truly free! It almost sounds too good to be true. That is the reason why it doesn’t get said. Could you imagine what would happen to the church if this Sunday morning, every pastor in America stood up and preached a sermon entitled “The Freedom of the Believer” and covered these verses in depth. I believe that revival only happens to believers. You have to be alive in order to be revived. I believe that if the church would not hide any longer as if God were against them, then we would see the church as the church was created to be. Then revival would break out. Does it not stir your heart to think that your soul is at total peace with God and nothing can change that? Confession and repentance come much easier when we are not afraid of God.

Clinging to the Cross,

Josh

A Word to Ministers (Christians)

As most of you know, I like to read books by either John Piper or dead people. Well, I have recently read a great book by a guy who is still alive that is not named John. Actually it is a co-written work. Mark Dever and Paul Alexander have written a book entitled "The Deliberate Church"--Building your ministry on the Gospel. Incredible book! I read the book a few months ago but while preparing for bible study for wednesday night youth here at Harvest Community, I picked it up again. I have written a series of studies called "Don't Go to Church!" with the implication that WE are the church. I came across a some sentances that I had underlined when I read it and thought I would share them. they are as follows: "But if you define success in terms of faithfulness, then you are in a position to persevere, because you are released from the demand of immediately observable results, freeing you for faithfulness to the Gospel's message and methods leaving numbers to the Lord............God is happiest to entrust his flock to those shepherds who do things His way." Josh

Great Words!!

"When a certain rhetorician was asked what was the chief rule in eloquence, he replied, 'Delivery'; what was the second rule, 'Delivery'; what was the third rule, 'Delivery'; so if you ask me concerning the precepts of the Christian religion, first, second and third, and always I would answer, 'Humility' AUGUSTINE

Big Weekend

Hello Hello! Derek here. I just felt like popping my head in for a few to talk a little bit about this weekend and what's going on in my life (like anyone actually cares). Last night was the Homecoming games at Franklin County High School and it was quite a night. Both the guys and girls played and we were victorious in both games. I was worried during the 1st quarter of the guys game (and the 1st half of the girls game!) but both teams really played hard and pulled out the big win. In between the two games, the !Fly Guys danced their first dance of the basketball season. We came prepared with our Space Jam show and pumped up the audience for some more basketball. It was definitely our best dance of the year and it seemed as if every guy on the squad had twice the energy as usual. It was really a great night. I wish that I could have screamed and cheered a bit more but I had to reserve my voice for my first college audition which took place this morning. I auditioned for the University of Kentucky School of Music at 11:30 and everything went great. I had to sing a prepared piece for a group of professors and then they had me sight-read a piece and clap a written out rhythm. I felt pretty confident about the prepared piece but I know that I totally nailed the sight-reading portion. They gave me a few minutes to review over the sight-reading so I tried to sing it out in my head, but for some reason, I couldn't hear it at all. It was as if my brain just didn't feel like working at that moment. But as soon as I started singing, the notes just flew out of me. God is truely amazing isn't he? There is no way that I could ever accomplish anything like that if it wasn't for his amazing grace. I have another audition at UofL on the 18th so try to keep my in your prayers. More to come as more develops...

A Thought for Prayer

A man is what he is on his knees before God, and nothing more. ROBERT MURRAY M'CHEYNE

Let the Dead Speak!!

"To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect." JOHN OWEN, III:433

Discernment and the Sovereignty of God

Discernment and the Sovereignty of God Proverbs 16:33—The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Romans 12:2—Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. God is perfect (Matt. 5:48), sovereign (Deut. 32:39), and holy (Lev. 11:44). He makes no mistakes. Nothing comes to pass without his ordaining that it be so (Romans 11:36). He is light and in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Humans are accountable (Romans 3:19), sinful (Romans 3:23), and the best things about us are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). With that being said, I want to address how we as the church are to be discerning the sovereign will of our Lord. You may ask, “If God’s will is going to be done regardless, why should I pray ‘Thy will be done’? Why try to discern something that is out of your control?” There are several reasons for this. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he told them to pray “Your will be done”. The same is true for us. That answer may not be sufficient for your questions but it is sufficient for obedience. If you are given no other reason than that, it is sufficient. Now, before I start to sound too legalistic, let’s dig a little deeper. Much of our growing into holiness is about the means that get us to the end. In our attempts to discern the will of God, we are being sanctified. As we come to him, we see him, and he reveals truth. Truth about our sin, our situation, our plans. How can we come to him in this way? Through the final authority, his word. As you seek to know him and seek his will, your sin will be exposed. You can’t truthfully come to him without your infirmities being revealed. This is one of the reasons that we pray for his will and try to discern his will. The key is to come honestly, humbly, and prayfully. Even then only God decides whether he reveals or conceals. We are to be seeking his will, even if we don’t understand it. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”. (John 20:29)

180 Table Talk

Hey guys, Mike Cabell and myself have started a blog call at www.180tabletalk.blogspot.com Check it out if you get a chance. josh

Wed Devo (sort of)

Boldly Speaking the Truth This morning’s devotion is a little more of a confession than examination of scripture. Never the less, hopefully you will be encouraged and challenged. Having just come out of the recording studio, I am finding myself reexamining the songs that I have written. Many of the songs that I have written are songs of challenge. Songs like “Not So Easily Pleased” and “Depths of Your Mercy”, although they may be considered fast songs, are really songs that I must sing to myself everyday. If the truth be known, I am very easily pleased most of the time. I am wearing a shirt that bears the title of that song along with Philippians 3:7-9 to remind me that I have someone who is infinitely more satisfying than anything I have ever seen, touched, or tasted. If the truth be know, I often view God’s mercy as very shallow because my pride would have me believe that I really don’t need too much mercy to start with. I have a tendency to believe that I am basically good when in reality I am just good at hiding my sin. Martin Luther was pastoring a church a few years after the reformation and his congregation would come to him and ask “why do you continue to preach us the gospel week after week?” They were implying that they were ready to move on to something else. He responded by saying, “Because week after week you forget it. Until you come in here looking like a people who are truly liberated by the gospel, I will continue to preach it to you.” Is that not a picture of us? Has the truth of the gospel set you free? Have you been set free from comparing your ministry to others? Have you been set free from living in fear of your sin being found out? The gospel liberates because the gospel will expose a crucified Christ and expose your sin. How beautiful and offensive is the cross! The cross exposes my pride. The cross exposes my lack of love for my enemies. The cross exposes my wandering mind and lustful heart. STOP HIDING!!! Your sin HAS been exposed! It is my prayer for myself and for you as the church that we would truly repent and stop hiding as if God were against us. I have always had a desire to speak truth through music and that is why I must go back and examine what I sing and say night after night. This conviction has come at what seems to be full force just in the past few months. I have written songs that many people have commented about how much they love the song. After having examined the song a little closer, I find that the song glorifies man and not God. In case you have ever wondered why we sing and play, it is to glorify God by lifting him up and portraying him as he is which is something that our minds can’t fathom. I am interested to see what songs filter through my brain and heart for future concerts. If any songs on our new recording should be dwelt on, I would recommend “Wrap me in Your Cross” and “Redemption Hymn”. Until then, here is a song to read and re-read and re-read again and again. Read this aloud if you can. You need to hear this as much read it. The Church’s One Foundation by Samuel S. Wesley The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord She is His new creation by water and the word From heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride With His own blood he bought her, and for her life he died Elect from every nation yet one o’er all the earth Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth One holy name she blesses, Partakes on holy food And to one hope she presses, with every grace endued Mid toil and tribulation and tumult of her war She waits the consummation of peace forevermore Till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest And the great church victorious shall be the church at rest Yet she on earth hath union with God the three in one And mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won O happy ones and holy! Lord give us grace that we Like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with thee. A-Men. josh

Two days later

The Cedarmore Sessions have officially ended. I am glad that the band decided to record most of this project in one weekend. It makes things so much easier on everybody. I think that we all had as much fun just hanging out and goofing off. The ghosts of Cedarmore past spared our band until next time we visit. Although one of the beds from the lodge mysteriously appeared in the hallway the last night. BOO!! That was for derek! LOL! Hope to see you guys soon! josh

JMB Recording: Day 3, Part 3

Technically, it's Day #4 (12:39 a.m.). Josh is in the drum booth (which has been converted to a guitar booth) recording his acoustic guitar tracks. "Get Up to a High Mountian" is up currently. He's moving through the songs pretty quick, so he'll probably wrap up pretty soon. Bert is passed out in the middle of the floor (he fell asleep listening to Josh record). Kelly is manning the recording console. I (Andrew) have torn down most of my drum & recording gear. I'll be packing up in the morning and heading to the first service at my new church, The Point. Derek & Danny headed home a little earlier - they have an early church service in Frankfort tomorrow. Doug has also packed up and headed home. The rest of the guys will come back after their church services to lay down vocals. From that point, we should be pretty close to finishing recording. We've had a great time this weekend and can't wait to start mixing the album. We're excited about what God has in store for this album. See you soon...

JMB Recording: Day 3, Part 2

As a band, we finished the last two songs today ("What Part of Go Don't You Understand" and "Depths of Your Mercy"). Doug has been busy laying down his tracks in the mean time. Josh, Kelly & Derek will begin adding vocals tomorrow. From there, we'll take care of any overdubs that are necessary and then begin mixing the album. As of right now, it's still untitled, although we're leaning toward a few ideas. We'll check back in tomorrow...

JMB Recording: Day 3, Part 1

Day #3 of recording is underway. Our good buddy Doug has arrived and is getting set up as I type this. We opened the morning, as we did yesterday, with a devotional by Josh and prayer. This morning's prayer time was very encouraging. A lot of great progress was made yesterday, and we should be in good shape to finish up the bulk of the project today. More to come...

JMB Recording: Day 2, Part 3

Day #2 of recording is done here at Cedarmore. Work has been done on a total of eight songs to this point. Our good friend Doug (as heard on our live album) will join us tomorrow to lay down some tracks. He's pretty stinkin' good, and we can't wait to hear what he adds to the songs. It's looking like we'll be in good shape to finish up the bulk of the recording by tomorrow night. After that, we'll overdub vocals, extra parts and all that good stuff. For now, we're off to play some Texas Hold 'Em and call it a night. See you in the morning...

9:25 pm Cedarmore Sessions

I have now witnessed a different side of Andrew. While recording Sweet Embrace he decided he would do a complete lip sync to Josh's track that already had been laid down while a couple of us fixed a few things. I must say he looked like a pro holding that guitar and standing up to that microphone (key words are "looked like"). I think we are wrapping it up for the night and going to break out the cards and let our minds relax. By the way, Danny (Derek's dad), is doing an awesome job at engineering this thing for us. He has been extremely patient. Thanks Danny, and thanks to Rhonda for letting him come out and play.

Goodnight Ericcia

Seeya bye,

Kelly

JMB Recording: Day 2, Part 2

For the record, I'm typing this post in one take. Ha ha. Just a little recording humor for you. After a slow start this morning, we seem to be picking up steam. Most of the tracks for "Wrap Me In Your Cross" were recorded this morning. We just started working on "Learning More Everday." We were pretty happy with the first take, so a couple of us are fixing minor parts right now. "Call Me Crazy" is up next. We're looking forward to relaxing a bit tonight and getting our minds off recording. Another game of Texas Hold 'Em is in the works.

1:05 at cedarmore

We have completed two songs as of 1:05 and we are taking a break shortly. Recording is very tedious work. We are taking a break! sounds a lot like a union,huh.

JMB Recording: Day 2

Day 2 is underway here at Cedarmore. God protected us from the ghosts of Cedarmore our first night (more on this possibly later). Bert is busy making fried doughnuts for breakfast. Yesterday didn't see much recording get done. A lot of Texas Hold 'Em was played (no money changed hands - Andrew won big). The band sat down for a short meeting to discuss possible song order for the album, transitions, etc. We attempted to record "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" late last night. No one was terribly satisfied with how it turned out, so we're going to tackle it again this morning. More to come....

JMB Recording: Day 1

Howdy folks. We're settling into our "studio" here at Cedarmore (Boone Lodge). No recording as of yet, other than checking levels and all that good stuff. We'll probably get the ball rolling a little later tonight. Check back soon!

Time to Record!

Well folks it is that time again! It seems like only a few weeks ago we were trying to finish up the Alive project and now we are jumping right back into it. We have the privilege of being able to set up and record at the Cedarmore Campgrounds in Baghdad. We are so excited about the new songs that the Lord has laid upon Josh's heart to write, and also the variety of styles that this project is going include. Anything from blues to country and of course our own little style which I have yet to figure out what it is called, is going to be on this one. It is the afternoon before we go and set everything up and get ready for a grueling weekend of recording and fellowship. Please be in prayer as we try to lay down the songs and hopefully we will be able to give updates as we go along and maybe add some pics in the process. Well I now must go and start getting all of this equipment together and figure out how I am going pile it all in my jeep. Wish me luck!! Until next time. Seeya bye! Kelly

Recording Preparations (from Andrew's blog)

I posted this over at my personal blog, but I've decided to post it here as well:

Next week, the Josh Martin Band heads into the “studio” (that term used loosely in this case - our studio will be the dining room of Boone Lodge on Cedarmore’s campus). This long weekend will involve almost everything I love - playing the drums, recording, blogging, taking pictures, video, hanging out with friends, not working, updating websites, eating, sleeping, etc. (read further for more explanation). Most of all, these things will be done to glorify God. As you can imagine, I’m pretty excited. During the weekend, I will document the entire process. I’ll have my iBook, camera, and camcorder in tow. My goal is to use the JMB blog as a recording journal and keep folks updated on the progress. I’m anxious for everyone to hear the new songs. We had our last rehearsal last night, and the new songs are sounding great. Here’s a look at the tracklisting (not in order): -Wrap Me in Your Cross -Learning More Everyday -Will the Circle Be Unbroken -Sweet Embrace -Redemption Hymn -Depths of Your Mercy -I Am -Not So Easily Pleased -Call Me Crazy -Get Up To A High Mountain -What Part of Go Don’t You Understand Aside from the new album, we have started planning a live DVD to be released later this year. We’re planning on filming one of our performances at Cedarmore in July. Also, we have new t-shirts finally!

Back to the Old Blog

We've come back to Blogger for our blogging needs. Seemingly, our move to Wordpress wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. So, we'll stick around here! Be sure to check out the links on the sidebar. I've updated them with sites to ministries, devotionals, and more! Later y'all....

Wed Devo

Old Testament Salvation Question: Before the death of Christ, how were people saved? Answer: The same way people have been saved after the death of Christ. Here’s why. Romans 3:25—whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. I can remember a few years ago when this question came to me. I don’t know why but it took a while for me to even think of such a question. I always thought that if Jesus had not yet died then there was no forgiveness of sins. I thought that through the Old Testament sacrifices people where saved when in fact, these sacrifices could not take away sin (Hebrews 10:4). These sacrifices were considered sacraments just like baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Being dunked in water doesn’t make you a new person but it is symbolic of the death of your old spirit and the new life that comes with the new spirit, which is Christ. When we partake of communion we are not actually eating flesh and drinking blood but this symbolizes the atoning work of Christ in the life of a believer. The same is true with the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament. These sacrifices did not atone for sin but were symbolic of the atonement of Christ. Let’s look back at Romans 3:25. We see that it is not the blood of animals that is the propitiation (the removal of God’s wrath by the removal of our sin from his sight) for us but that it is the blood of Christ. We receive this through faith. So the Old Testament people were required to have faith in the blood of Christ to be saved. In speaking with reference to time, the Old Testament believers faithfully looked forward to the sacrifice of Christ for salvation, while we look back to the sacrifice of Christ. Regardless of when you lived, salvation is only possible through faith in Christ. The ability to look forward to the sacrifice was only because of divine forbearance. When Romans says that he passed over former sins, it does not mean that he just forgot about them and didn’t hold them against the people. It means that what Christ did on the cross 2000 years ago was effective before it even came to pass (Ephesians 1:4-6). The Bible establishes salvation in one way: faith in Christ. If it were possible to live perfectly then you would be saved. But Romans 1:18-3:20 is a staggering reminder that we are all sinners and therefore not perfect. Our hope for salvation is the same hope that was present for Isaiah, Deborah, Abraham, Moses, and Hosea. Only faith in Christ’s atoning work on the cross saves us. Nothing else.

"Sola Fide"

“Sola Fide” Galatians 2:16—yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ…” Another foundational belief of true Christianity is justification by faith alone (sola fide). Justification by faith alone is a very crucial doctrine that we must understand. Concerning this article of faith, Martin Luther said that it is “the article with and by which the church stands, without which it falls”. Before we look at “faith alone” lets look at justification. Justification is the act of God in which he pardons sinners and accepts them as righteous for Christ’s sake. Once this has taken place you are then declared justified. Just-if-I’d never sinned! This is incredibly important to believers because without this justification we will face the wrath of God. So if justification is this important, it is equally important that we know how one becomes justified. This is where faith alone comes in. James 2:24—You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Oh boy! What do we do with this verse? This seems to be an apparent contradiction, doesn’t it? One verse says faith alone, and one says works and faith. So what can we make of this? If “sola scriptura” (scripture alone) is how we discern the truth, what happens when we find these apparent contradictions? Well, this isn’t a contradiction. James 2:24 became the verse that Rome used to refute faith alone. Rome would have been right if that verse stood alone apart from any other idea or point--------but it didn’t. This is where most of us pick up bad theology. We read a verse, remove it from it’s context and then interpret it as literally as possible. Scripture must always be used in the context in which it is presented! Any other way will be spiritually devastating! To understand this verse we must look at James’ original reason for making this statement. James 2:14—What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? First of all, James is automatically implying that the faith that is not accompanied by works is not saving faith. We can only conclude by “can that faith save him?” that James does indeed believe that it is faith that saves. James is talking about a kind of faith that does not produce works. That faith is no faith at all. It is like the seed that fell on the shallow soil (Matthew 13:5,6). It appears to be faith and claims to be faith but is not saving faith. James is making clear that no one is justified by simply professing to have faith, but that justifying faith will always manifest itself in works. John Calvin wrote, “it is faith alone that justifies, but the faith that justifies is never alone.” This belief has been deemed the “storm center of the Reformation”. This doctrine was arguably the beginning of the protestant faith. The Roman Church had believed and still believes that the combination of works and faith save a person. Let there be no mistake. Works necessarily follow saving faith. If you go to McDonalds and order a hamburger you will also get a bun, ketchup, mustard, pickles and onions. No one orders a hamburger and gets a plain patty. It’s the same way with faith. If faith is given it is accompanied by works. Faith saves all by itself, but it is not by itself.

Update

Well, I said that I would keep you all updated on the play auditions, so here I am. I was selected to play the part of Reuban. If you've seen the play, or the movie, this is the brother that sings the French song- "Those Canaan Days". Thats about all of the updating that I have at the moment. Right now I am just waiting for the next JMB practice. The new songs for the new album are coming together very nicely and I hope that you all will enjoy them as much as our current songs (or even more!). I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'll see you when I see you...

Chasing Rabbits

Chasing Rabbits Originally today’s devotion was to be about “sola fide” but it’s not. Something that has been weighing heavy on my heart completely crushed it last night. I’ll try not to get too preachy but no promises! Last night I watched Barbara Walters special about heaven on WHAS. In this special Ms. Walters interviewed many different religious leaders about their beliefs of heaven. Islamic, Judaist, Evangelicals, Catholics, and Atheists were among the groups interviewed. Many different people with many different beliefs. My heart was saddened as I listened to some of the interviewees’ responses. This is what I would have said if given the opportunity to share and this is what I am saying to all of you who would read this: Heaven is not just a place where all troubles cease. It is not just the place where I may be reunited with loved ones. It is not just the place where no sickness, disease, or death never take place. It is not just a beautiful paradise with pearly gates, streets of gold, walls of jasper, and a crystal sea. Heaven is a real place. It is not just a state of mind or the hope of R.C.’s and Moon Pies. You can forget all of the beautiful sights and loved ones. You can forget about the extinction of disease. There is something far greater than any of that. HEAVEN IS THE PLACE WHERE WE ENJOY THE FULLNESS OF GOD FOREVER!!!!! It is the place where the glory of Jesus himself is the very light by which we will see everything. And all of those things will only exist to bring more glory to him. That is heaven! There is grave danger in any other view of Heaven. There is a way that seems right to man but in the end leads to death and destruction (Proverbs 14:12). The greatest realization that I believe a person can come to is that everything exists, including us, to glorify God. That is it. That is the secret of Life! If you’ve ever wondered why you’re here, that’s it! We must so preach, so teach, and so share the gospel in order to get people to God, not heaven. Heaven does not save anyone. NOBODY! But God does! If you get to heaven you are going to get to God. Heaven is not the end but it is a means by which we enjoy God. The Westminster Confession of Faith states that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. I like John Piper’s spin on that. The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. God is the beginning, middle and end of the gospel. John Piper has just recently written a book called, “God is the Gospel”. I will buy that book for any of you who want it. It is imperative that God be the focus of the gospel. We often share the gospel and end it like this; “if you trust Jesus as your savior and lord then you will get to go to heaven.” This makes heaven out to be our God. Heaven becomes the end and God becomes the means. This is simply wrong and possibly suicide. If you could go to heaven and receive all of the blessings of heaven without God, would you still want to go? R.C. Sproul writes in “Grace Unknown”, “This is our error. In our fallen condition we desire the benefits that only God can give us but we do not want him. We want the gifts without the Giver, the benefits without the benefactor.” I have never felt such urgency to share the real gospel in my entire life. Most of the folks in Ms. Walter’s special simply said that they believe in heaven because it brings comfort. One man even said that even if heaven doesn’t exist, believing in heaven so alters our lifestyle that it is well worth the belief even if it turns out to be false. 1 Corinthians 15:19 says that if that is true, we should be the most pitied people of all. I will end with some thoughts that have been running through my head all week thanks to Derek Webb. The cross is both beautiful and offensive. It must be both. The rich young ruler came and found that the true gospel is not seeker sensitive (whatever that means) in nature. It is a call to come and die, but live. Love is not efficient. That is a mouth full. I hope to encourage you to find your peace in trusting a holy God. Not just in his heaven. I also encourage you to search your desires. I hope that God becomes your desire. It will be a fight for us all to desire him more than the things of this life. Evangelical Christians as a whole are not teaching the real gospel. God is the Gospel. Everything else are just simply means in which you get to him or enjoy him. God is the hope of life!

It's Me Again...

Hey guys! It's been awhile since I posted anything on here- life is pretty hectic in high school (I'm sure it all smooths out the day after graduation... right?) Anyway, I don't really have a lot to say, just wanted to share what's going on in my life as we speak (or, i guess as i type and you read). Auditions for the spring musical have been going on for the past two days. Franklin County High School will be presenting "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" (yes, just like that cheesy Donny Osmond movie). We have a lot of talented male singers this year so the show should go well. I tried out for the part of Joseph so I'll keep you posted on how that all turns out. I've also been doing some reading for the past few days. I finally finished "Don't Waste Your Life" that I started this summer and never got a chance to finish. It is a truly amazing book by John Piper that will completely turn your life upside down. So once I finished that one, I picked up "Desiring God" (also by Piper) which Josh gave me for Christmas. I am about 1/3 of the way through and it's fantastic. Along side these things, The Josh Martin Band is working hard to get all of the kinks worked out of our new songs before we record them in the upcoming month. Josh has been writing some really phenomenal songs and I think that you will all be pleased with the album. Well, I'll be sure to post more as more developes in life, but until then...

Back to the Studio

In january we will be recording our 3rd album (2nd studio album). I don't know why they call it an album! Can you even get an album anymore? Anyway, the new "cd" will have some of our new songs that you may have heard at some of our concerts. Songs like "Wrap me in Your Cross", "Learning more everyday", "Sweet Embrace" and "I am". Hope to have more details soon. Recording is like no other experience. It is full of mountaintops and valleys with a few screams of aggravation! Probably more screams than mountaintops but oh well!...josh

Sola Gratia

Sola Gratia Romans 11:5,6—So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. Almost every believer will say that they are saved by grace but will differ on how much grace was needed to save them. What you believe about grace coincides with what you believe about your spiritual condition. Whether you believe you are born spiritually sick or dead? Some still believe that they are born spiritually well. All of these views determine a person’s beliefs about grace. Pelagianism believes that man is born with no inclinations to sin or goodness. He is like a sheet of white paper. Semi-Pelagianism and Arminianism believe that a man is born spiritually sick. Calvinism believes that a man is born spiritually dead. Regardless of the rest of the luggage that is unpacked with each view, one of them must be right. There are no other options. I believe the grace required for salvation is total. There is no room for me to try and work my way to salvation. The fact of the matter is that we are dead in our sins. Nothing can be done apart from God’s grace to save you. This is why “sola gratia” or “grace alone” is a fundamental truth in the Christian faith. “Grace alone” means that it doesn’t work along side of us. It doesn’t need our assistance even if we were spiritually able to give it. Ephesians 2:8 states that we are saved by “grace through faith” and that it is not by works. Until you come to grips with your sin, you will not understand the grace of the Gospel.

Caedmon's Call Concert

Friday night I had the opportunity to go to see Caedmon's Call and it was awesome! I heard that our Number one fan was going be there but she failed to show so I just sat behind her parents. They finished out the show with "Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus". That was worth the whole night. Great concert!! Just thought I would let you know...Josh

Sola Scriptura

Sola Scriptura The next four weeks devotions are going to be on the basics of the Christian faith: “Sola scriptura”, “sola gratia”, “sola fide” and “soli Christo”. This simply means scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, and Christ alone. These are the very doctrines that define true Christianity. This week we will look at “sola scriptura”. “It is not the word of God because the church says so; but that the word of God might be spoken, therefore the church comes into being. The church does not make the Word, but it is made by the Word.” –Martin Luther 2 Timothy 3:16,17—All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Is the Bible infallible? I hope you say yes; at least in the original manuscripts. This is not a new question. But this topic has been brought to my attention several times in the past few months so I thought I would give my two cents worth of conversation. “Sola Scriptura” simply means scripture alone. This is one of the declarations of the Great Reformation of the 1500’s. Martin Luther was very vocal about his convictions concerning the infallibility and inerrancy of scripture. Martin Luther believed verses like 2 Timothy 3:16,17 were foundational to the growth and well being of the church. Luther stated that “the church does not make the Word, but it is made by the Word.” You may ask how this is true. 2 Timothy states, first of all, that all scripture is God-breathed. The hand of man wrote the Holy Scriptures but only by the guidance and inspiration of God. Each prophecy of the Bible is given by the Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). Many people believe that the translations we have today are not accurate. On the contrary, the English Standard Version is one of the most accurate translations in print today. Many folks hold to the “King James Only” tradition. They believe that this is the only correct translation of the Bible. Many folks don’t realize that the King James Version was a direct translation from the Geneva Bible, which was a translation of the Matthews, Coverdale, and Tyndale versions, which were in turn translations of the Vulgate in 400 A.D. So how can one really look back at all these translations and believe that the bibles that we use today could be infallible? I think that R.C. Sproul put it best in his book “Grace Unknown”. “Suppose the normative yardstick housed at the National Bureau of Standards were to perish in a fire. Would we no longer be able to determine the distance of three feet with accuracy? With the multitude of existing copies, we could reconstruct with almost perfect accuracy the original yardstick.” Luther also believed that the church was made by the word. If you are a Christian, then you are to believe the Bible. That sounds pretty simple but do you conform to God’s word or make it conform to you. It is imperative that you know who the God of the Bible is and not what you can make Him to be. We are made by the teaching, rebuking, correcting and training of the Bible. These are the things that make us who we are. The Bible is the only authority that may bind the conscience of believers. To take the Bible as anything less than the living, active word of God would be spiritual suicide. “Sola Scriptura”! “Semper reformada” (always reforming) should be the battle cry of all believers who will reckon their lives with the Holy Scriptures. Josh Martin

Wednesday Devo

Today’s Devotion is a new song that I have written. This song is my way of saying salvation is possible by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. May God grant you eyes to see and ears to hear. Redemption Hymn A holy God, A righteous son Requires of me, A holy love On my own, no gift to bring Where will I gain, such a thing? Dead in my sin, nowhere to go Broken life, without a hope I have no faith deep inside I fall short, His love provides Tears of sorrow, tears of joy Down on my knees a helpless boy In my life your glory known Only by grace, through faith alone Purchased by God, The great exchange He took my sin, I took his name His blood for sins, such a cost And not one drop is ever lost My spirit wills, my flesh is weak A sinful man, can he keep? But for His church, grace proves the way He draws us near and near we’ll stay No firmer grip than in his hand The will of God, now of man He holds us fast within his Grace In him we find our hiding place Josh Martin

Cowboy Up

We had a great time playing at both Cowboy Churches (Centerfield & Brandenburg). I was surprised with the Glad Tidings Christian Center - it's probably become one of my favorite places I've ever played. The room was nice and sounded great. We were also pleased to have Doug Dearinger come out and play with us again. He last played with us on our live recording. He's a phenominal musician. Here's what I like best about the Josh Martin Band: During soundcheck, Doug started messing around with a jazzy version of "White Christmas." One by one, we all joined in and played along for a few minutes. Josh turns around and says, "Yeah, we'll play that tonight." We pulled it out mid-set and it came off without a hitch. The crowd really seemed to enjoy it, and had no clue that we'd hardly rehearsed it! In other news, we had a "band meeting" tonight. We have some great things in store for 2006, including some new t-shirts, our next studio recording, and more stuff that you'll find out about later! In the mean time, we're taking December off to enjoy the holidays with friends and family. Adios! -Andrew

Wednesday Devo

Sick or Dead? I think it is pretty safe to say that none of us enjoy being sick. That is particularly true for me today. I have had a sore throat the past few days but wasn’t too worried until I started to lose my voice yesterday. We have two concerts this weekend so I thought I better not wait to the last minute to go to the doctor. I went to the doctor Tuesday morning and was diagnosed with a virus. All I can really do is go home, rest, drink plenty of liquids, and take it easy. You know, all $50 dollars worth of advice! I really got to thinking last night about being sick and remembered an example that an evangelist once used for a conference. He showed a picture of a man lying in a hospital bed with a respirator, IV, the whole works. He said that this man is the perfect picture of those who are non-believers. He said we are all spiritually sick and will die if we do not come to Christ. At the time it seemed like a pretty neat illustration. But after becoming more familiar with the Word of God I must say, I disagree. I believe the evangelist had good intentions, but bad theology. Ephesians 2:5-9—even when we were dead in our trespasses (God) made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. According to Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus we are dead in our sin, not sick. Sick people can help themselves to a degree. I can go to the doctor. I can pick up my prescriptions. I can take my medicine. I can seek help. Being sick does not mean I am totally unable to take care of myself. It just means I need some help. The bible is very clear that we are not just sick. We are dead!!! A dead man can’t do any of the things I just described. The evangelist I referred to earlier has also come to this conclusion and has since changed his illustration. He now shows a picture of a man in a coffin. You may ask, “If the point is that we all need Christ to be spiritually well, then why get so hung up on whether some folks believe we are sick instead of dead?” If a man were spiritually sick (not dead) and believed on Christ, then this type of salvation would be grounds for the man to boast. He would have assisted Christ in his redemptive work. The efforts required would be divided between the man and Christ—and the glory too. But if a man was spiritually dead (not sick), and raised to life by Christ, then this type of salvation (which is the only type) would not leave any room for man to boast or glory in himself. This is what makes grace so amazing! The fact that we were totally dead in our sin and only the grace of God brought us to life. We played no part in our spiritual resurrection. I can’t save myself and you can’t either. Only God can do that. It is not a result of any work. Dead people can’t do works. It is imperative that God receive all glory in your salvation. If we could do even the smallest of things concerning our salvation, we would have something to boast about. We could say, “With the help of God I was able to save myself.” The fact is if we are saved, it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We cannot assist God in saving us. I remember a true story about a guy one time that tried to take glory from God. Now he is commonly referred to as Satan.

Cowboy Church

I am looking forward to next weeks gigs! Cowboy church is always a great place to sing. It's a place where you can just relax and minister. The crowd is used to having good music so we will have to be on our toes. They have some pretty incredible singers and musicians come every month. I hope that the rest of the guys are as excited as I am. This last weekend's concert was very encouraging. Sometimes we have opportunities to sing in some places where people just stare at you and honestly look like no body's home! But that wasn't the case at Ninevah Christian church. Every now and then you will come to a place and feel like you are home. This was exactly the feeling I got from those folks. I asked the pastor, "How long do you want us to play?" He said something like, "Until the lord tells you to quit." Gotta love that! That is a body of believers that the lord is using and will use. Until next time.... Josh

Wednesday Devotion

The Three W’s of Service Ephesians 6:7-8----Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, Because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. There are three words in this passage that I want us to look at this morning. They conveniently all start with “W” so it makes them easy to remember. These verses are very essential to the way you view your day. Let’s take a look at the first one. Wholeheartedly-- “Serve wholeheartedly…” I am a big fan of college basketball. You see things in college basketball that you don’t see in the pros. When was the last time you saw a professional ball player so overcome with fatigue, that at the final buzzer, he collapsed on the floor? When was the last time you saw a pro player exhausted to tears when losing an overtime tournament game? The sad reality is, that few players play the game wholeheartedly. Even worse, we often serve the Lord as pro basketball players play ball. A professional player plays as one who knows that regardless of the outcome, his paycheck is still going to be there. He’s not worried about the small things or anything else for that matter. He is comfortable and at ease. Sound familiar? Whatever—“whatever good he does” A tornado had ripped through a small rural community leaving trees and debris everywhere. Everyone in the community pitched in to clean up and get things back to normal. While cleaning up one day two brothers, one 15 years old and the other 7, had a conversation. The older brother was picking up large pieces of wood while the younger could only carry simple twigs. The older brother said, “Why do you even try if you can only pick up such a small amount?” The younger brother smiled and said, “Every little bit helps!” Does God take pleasure in seeing you glorify Him in small things as well as big things? Of course He does!! God rewards us for “whatever” good we do. There is nothing that we do that is not seen by the eyes of God. Likewise there is nothing we do in His name for His glory that he will ever forget. Little is much when God is in it. Praise God for the small things! Whether—“Whether he is slave or free” When I was in high school, I had a part-time job as a stock boy at a major supermarket. I can remember when the big bosses would come in and do an inspection of the store to see if things were up to snuff. They would walk past us as if we were invisible. They had no time or interest for us even though four days a week, we were there working as hard as anybody. We were simply seen as a lesser being in the grocery world. The whole time I worked there they never talked to us or acknowledged our existence but I would still receive my check just the same. “Whether” you are a big boss or a stock boy, our lord sees us on the same level. He rewards good work “whether free or slave”. You may feel like you are insignificant because of your position in life, but let me remind you, the lord does not show partiality and He will hold true to every one of His promises. Billy Graham once said during a staff devotion time that he believed that some of his office workers would be ahead of him in line for the Lord’s rewards. They chuckled at that thought but he became very serious and reminded them that God rewards faithfulness over fruitfulness. Pray today that in everything you do, that you do it wholeheartedly, whatever it is, whether big or small, young or old.

Josh Martin

Back from Indiana

We had a great time in Indiana last night at Derek's aunt's church. They were a great audience, and we were blessed to be able to spend the evening glorifying God with them. Not to mention, they fed us! Thanks for the food! On the drive up, I decided to ride with Josh & Kelly. Big mistake. I didn't know it would result in my yearly fill of southern gospel music. I also didn't know that I'd only get to hear 45 seconds of each song before Josh would skip to the next one. (disclaimer: sorry, southern gospel just isn't my style, but I DO appreciate and respect it) The gig went well, considering we hadn't played together in a while. Josh surprised us by going into "Here I Am to Worship" off the cuff. Good thing we know it! The jazz musician in me loves the "flying by the seat of our pants" parts of our shows. On the way back, Josh & me put Kelly to sleep by going into deep, theological discussions about churches and more. It was great. The best part was, I didn't have to listen to any southern gospel! We look forward to going back sometime and playing there again. Adios...

A Little Different Today

This week’s devotion is a little different from the norm. This should possibly just go on the message board but this is something that has been on my heart a while and I had a discussion with a friend on this topic just the other night. There is way too much stuff to put into a couple of paragraphs so this is honestly a horrible attempt to address these things. But anyway, here it is. What affects have “tradition” had on the body of Christ? Now, when I say tradition, I’m not talking about singing hymns or not having a praise band. Jesus tells us that we must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). So it is not a matter of style or taste of music. In fact, those who “must have” one or the other in order to engage in worship seemed to have missed the point completely. And may need to take a look at Matthew 5:17-20 to see where their heart rests. When I say “tradition” I mean things that we have always taken for granted; the things that we have never looked into because everybody seems to agree that it is right or it has just always been done this way. I have spent quite a bit of time in the past few weeks studying and learning about church structure and leadership and have come to this conclusion. Biblically structured churches are hard to find. About 5 years ago, I had some pretty stiff issues staring me in the face and in dealing with them I simply relied on what I had been taught or on the beliefs in which I had grown accustomed. I came to find out just how sharp this “double-edged sword” really was. I knew what I had always done and what I always believed, but in my quiet times I was reading some things in the bible that were contradicting my beliefs. So I began to twist these verses and words to conform to my beliefs (this is the reason I referred to the passage in Matthew). But just like the sword that it is, it cut my reason and logic to shreds. My traditions would have me believe things contrary to God’s word. So, I had a choice to make; will the bible be the authority on which I believe or will I trust in my traditions. Hang on, my point is coming. This mindset changes things. I don’t just believe something because my pastor says it, I read it in a book, or a friend feels strongly in a certain direction. We must do as the Bereans did (Acts 17:11). The bible does not always directly address an issue, but never the less; it is to be the only belief system of the church. Back to the original question; what affects have tradition had on the body of Christ? Have we missed something because of our traditions? Here are some questions to think about. I would love to have your thoughts or comments. Please let me know what you think. Nothing will be replied to negatively. First let me just say that Christ is the head of the church and the bible is totally infallible. Now we can view these questions. Should churches be elder led or led by the congregation? Is there a difference between pastors and elders (overseers)? Who should have the final say in spiritual matters of the church? What is the role of the Deacon? Is it a biblical requirement for churches to meet once a week? Are small group meetings biblical? Can a woman pastor a church and be biblical? These are all church structure questions. Here are a few doctrinal questions. Does man have a free-from-god will? Can you lose your salvation? What is the importance of Jesus’ blood? Did Christ descend into hell and what did he do there if he did? Did Christ come to save all or some? Is the future predetermined? What does “election” mean? Does the “gift” in Ephesians 2:8 refer to faith, grace, salvation, or all three or any combination of two? Many of us know what we believe, we just don’t know why? This is the aim of this morning’s devotional. To get you to examine why you believe what you believe. This is a lot to think about at one time and way too much to discuss or answer on this short devotion page. But the awesome thing is that you have all the answers if you will just open up the bible and search for them. Never once, did any of the apostles say believe without a reason. In fact we are to be ready to give an account for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15). May I remind you that the bible was written to ordinary folks just like you and me. Some things may be hard to grasp or may require a lot of study, but who said deep truths are found in shallow water. Be good Bereans. Don’t just take my word for it. Look it up. What you find may surprise you! Put your traditions to the test and see if they pass or fail. Pray for the lord to open your heart to His truth and leave your preconceived notions behind. It is an amazing thing to read scripture with this attitude. It will shake the very foundations of your life. Josh Martin

Everlasting Father

Everlasting Father Our finite minds cannot comprehend the word everlasting. We live in a world where everything comes to an end. Days, minutes, roads, paychecks, mortal life, careers, seasons, chores, and the list could go on for days but even this list would eventually come to an end. Words like everlasting and forever are words that have a simple meaning (never ending) but a complex working out. None of us can fathom forever. There many places in the bible that mention forever and everlasting but they always refer to the work and presence of God. No mortal man will do anything forever. All mortals die. But those who have trusted in Christ for salvation will be able to experience forever. God made an everlasting covenant with Noah (Gen. 9:16). Nebuchadnezzar declared that the kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom (Dan. 4:3). Isaiah prophesied of the coming of the Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6). These are all declarations of how great our God is and the fact that He alone can fulfill each of these is a credit to His glory. Even God’s steadfast love will endure forever (Psalm 100:5). His will abides forever (1 John 2:17). His word remains forever (1 Peter 1:25). What I am trying to say is that our God is incredible! God is wholly perfect and completely holy. That will never change because he never changes (Hebrews 13:8). Only God can fulfill his everlasting promises. It is such a comfort to know that our loving Father is an everlasting father. He will never come to an end. He created everything and will see to it that His will is fulfilled in everything. Nothing will ever disrupt or frustrate His everlasting plans. They are as good as done. This is the truth that we must fall on in times of pain and hopelessness. God is everlasting and will always fulfill all that he intends to fulfill. His word is as steadfast as his love. His ultimate will is a sure thing. He alone is the everlasting one. Those who have trusted Christ as savior will endure forever. We have nothing stable without him. Our heart and flesh may fail but God is the strength of our heart and our portion forever (Psalm 73:25,26). Everlasting is an unfathomable truth. Praise the lord of eternal things!

BEHOLD, YOUR GOD!!!

“Behold your God!” Psalm 113:5—Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, Psalm 46:10—Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 73:25,26—Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my hear may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Isaiah 40:9—Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” “Behold your God!” How awesome is that! The great end to the Christian life is God and we should behold Him in profound ways because he is incredibly profound! For centuries people have been taken aback by His ever-present Glory. Steven Curtis Chapman once wrote: “I am speechless, I’m astonished and amazed I am silenced by your wondrous grace You have saved me, You have raised me from the grave I am speechless in your presence now, I’m astounded as I consider how, You have shown us a love that leaves us Speechless” I love the book of Psalms. There are many reasons but the main reason is because as a songwriter, I tend to get a little more out of songs than most people. But I have found that the prophet Isaiah has spoken some of the strongest words to my heart. “lift it up, fear not:….. ‘Behold you God’”. Isaiah refers to Zion and Jerusalem as “herald of good news”. These words are followed by “behold your God”. The good news is referring to the gospel. Why is the gospel such good news? There is no greater gain in life than Christ. The psalmist asked who is like our God? The answer: no one. Nobody is like our God. That is what puts the “good” in “good news”. There are a lot of benefits of belonging to Christ such as going to heaven, an abundant life, forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, peace that passes understanding, refuge in stormy weather, Godly love, etc… The list goes on and on. But all of these benefits are screaming “BEHOLD YOUR GOD!” There is nothing wrong with finding joy in these things. In fact it is right to find joy in these things. But the key word is “in” these things. In the very center of all things is Christ. (Romans 11:36) That is where you find your joy. I am excited about going to heaven but not because of streets of gold, pearly gates or loved ones that I long to see. Those things will be great but only because God is awesome! Our excitement about heaven should be in being with our father in all of His glory! I love the truth of being forgiven of sin, but not because it rids me of a guilty conscience. I love this truth because it means being restored to God and enjoying Him. It is a very dangerous thing when we begin to love the gifts more than the giver. There was a poor man who once had the invitation to come and fly in a small airplane free of charge. Opportunities like this were not offered everyday so he accepted the invitation with great joy. As he arrived at the airport he was instructed to board the small six-passenger plane. Once inside the pilot fired up the engines and they were off. The poor man was so fascinated by the cockpit that he couldn’t help himself. He read all of the switches and gauges and was quite impressed with all that made this airplane operate. He loved the airplane and began to envision himself never getting out of the plane. But much to his dismay the plane landed and the ride was over. “This is a really nice plane!” he said to the pilot. “Thanks, but how did you like the Grand Canyon?” He responded, “the grand what?” This is a picture of many of us. We get so caught up in the plane that we miss the glorious Grand Canyon. I plead with you to not get caught up in the things that God provides. Get caught up with who He is. Be still and know that he is God. Josh Martin

Who I am Now

Who I am Now 2 Corinthians 5:17----Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. (NIV) What exactly is this new creation inside of me? Where did it come from and how did it happen? Is there more to my salvation experience than a prayer? Of course there is! Something supernatural has happened in the life of each Christian. And what is really sad is that many times we are not even taught who we are in Christ. Galatians 2:20---I have been crucified with Christ and no longer live, but Christ lives within me. (NIV) Romans 6:6---For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin---because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (NIV) When the finished work of the cross is applied to our life we must realize something. Part of the finished work was our own death. We were crucified also. Not our physical bodies obviously, but our old man. The sinful spirit within us did not just die on it’s own, it was crucified! Supernatural movement was made to send the old spirit to the cross and there be crucified. This is where our new creation comes into play. You see, Christ does not change us, he ex-changes us. Paul wrote that he no longer lives but that Christ lives within him. This is the new spirit. It is a spirit of love and it is Jesus Christ himself! Your old spirit (the one that was directing your soul straight to hell) has been crucified and a new spirit has come! Praise the Lord!!! This is part of the Gospel that doesn’t always make the Sunday sermon. Your full Christian potential is already inside of you. You can do nothing more to attain more of it. It is already there and sealed with the blood of Jesus. We must allow that new spirit to come forth in our lives. He is there and he is real! No one can take that from you. You are no longer the same. Study the word. Receive revelations. Pray. Talk to God but listen also. You were given two ears and one mouth. No matter what situations arise or how tough life gets, if the new spirit comes forth, Christ will be glorified. To him be all glory, praise and thanksgiving. Will you be the avenue for the new spirit to come forth?

Hello from St. Thomas!

Well I am posting this blog from the Island of St. Thomas! The weather is perfect here. We just got off the boat a little while ago and of course as soon as we got off, we are bombarded by the taxi drivers wanting to take us around on a tour. No just isn't a good answer for these guys lol. So far everything has been pretty good. New York City was very rainy and COLD!, but still the scenery was overwhelming compared to Lexington. Once we left port and got out into the ocean the wind was pretty strong at a little over 70 mph at times. There were a few glasses rocked off the tables at dinner and my wife and father in law got a little sick. It's quite funny to watch the people trying to walk straight though. When we awoke the next morning everything was calm and hot! We spent two days at sea before arriving at San Juan where we took a tour with taxi driver Frank who was quite a character! We then left port at midnight and headed over here to St. Thomas which brings me to now. As I said in my last post the views are just incredible and it is amazing to think that it was done in only six days, just imagine if he would have taken two weeks!!!!!! Anyhow, I am sitting in this little internet shop where they charge by the minute, so my time is limited. I can't say I am very anxious to get back, but I am looking forward seeing everyone and getting back with the guys and jamming again. We will hit the island of Tortola tomorrow and then two days back at sea to New York and then home. Oh by the way, we did meet one of the musicians on the boat who just happens to be from Belleview, KY which is nothern KY, only about an hour from my house. I found it pretty interesting and nice to talk to someone with the same accent. Ericcia has just informed me that I am running out of time, so until next time. God Bless!! Kelly

Is it time yet?

I'm not sure about the rest of the guys, but my time spent between gigs usually involves anxiously awaiting the next gig. Sure, there's this whole "life" thing I got going on, but nothing beats being on stage, hitting things and making noise, all for God. We had a really busy September, but October & November are a little slower with only a few gigs on the schedule. I think we're taking December off, but we'll be back at it again come 2006. I'm also looking forward to our next studio project. We've started making plans, but I can't tell you too much right now. We gotta keep you guessing. We've tossed around a few ideas for the next album - rock opera? Acapella punk music? Songs of the Romantic era performed with rock band instrumentation and Christian lyrics? We can't make up our minds. Over and out... - Andrew

The Plan

Alright alright- Check this out. I was editing my profile and it propositioned me with this situation: "You're trapped in a well with a goat and a slinky. Describe how you will escape." Well, I got really pumped and started a massive brainstorming session that ended with one of my best plans ever. But, as I wrote it out it seemed that I had a few too many words and it wouldn't allow me to post it. SOOOO.... Here is my plan- unrated, uncut, and unbowdlerized. "Ok... First off I would give the goat a proper name. If he is going to be helping me in my escape it would benefit me to be able to call him by name. I believe that the best possible name for this goat would be Constantine. Our next task would be to stretch out the slinky. I am positive that no well in this universe is deeper than the length of that coil of metal and fun. After that I would train Constantine to throw my body as far as he could and with enough practice he would be able to get me over the top. Next, Constantine would help me tie the stretched out slinky around my waste and then proceed to hurl me over the top. Using my weight as leverage, Constantine could then easily climb up the slinky and meet me on solid ground. Our final task would involve me to mounting my faithful steed and cohort and riding off into the brave new world." Thank you for all of your time and imagination as you read my plan and visualized it in your mind's eye. Now, on a more serious note- I got back just a short while ago from two college visits. I spent a few hours this morning at the University of Louisville and then sped over to Boyce Bible College. I could definitely feel God working through these meetings and I happy to say that God is slowly revealing his will for my life more each day. At this moment I hesitate to make any big statements about my plans for college because decisions such as these deserve much more prayer and thought but I will keep you all updated as time travels on.

The Hatred of Sound Teaching

The Hatred of Sound Teaching 2 Timothy 4:3-4---For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. Who are these people that Paul is talking about? Is he talking about the world or professing Christians? Although there are arguments for both sides, I believe he is talking about professing Christians. J. I. Packer once said that God honors the needle of truth in the haystack of lies. By that, I believe, that he means Christians can have bad theology and still be a Christian. I know this personally. There was a time in my Christian life when I rejected the truths of scripture, believed and taught doctrines with no scriptural base, and was still a Christian. The blood of Jesus set me free and gave me life. But my thinking and reasoning was determined by my pride and not by scripture. Can you think of any myths that you believe that the church has bought into? Can you think of any myths that you have bought into? I cannot stress the importance of bible study and prayer. You will not know what’s in your bible unless you study your bible. If you are a Christian, the bible is what you believe. I have discussed doctrinal issues with many people who disagree with the bible yet believe they do not. They give a defense of their beliefs that are based upon opinion and human reasoning, not biblical reasoning. They have not scripture to back up what they believe, and the scripture they do know, is taken out of context. We do not make God. He makes us. God is God and we are not. Secondly, the Holy Spirit must reveal the meaning of Scripture to you. You can’t get it on your own. No matter how much you study and memorize, revelation must take place for you to gain the knowledge of the truth. (Proverbs 2:1-6,Matthew 16:15-17). Some of the myths are things such as losing your salvation, universalism (everybody goes to heaven), the sovereignty of man (total free from God will), modernism, post-modernism, truth is perception, no truth is absolute, there are exceptions for everything. The list goes on and on. People who love these teachings hate scripture or are totally ignorant of it. When the deep truths that I once opposed where revealed to me, my initial response was to twist scripture to fit my beliefs. There is nothing worse than to make a God out of your beliefs. Guard your heart. Be good Bereans. Study your bible and pray for God to teach you. Do not base your faith on opinions or reasoning that will not match up with scripture. The knowledge of God is unsearchable. (Romans 11:33) You will never understand everything about God or his ways. But that truth is not meant to stop us from seeking or studying. Psalm 119:105 stands true. “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” You will not see any truth about God that is not found in Scripture. I urge you to search your beliefs and reckon them with scripture. Remember, the bible is one book with many truths. Scripture does not contradict itself. It all fits together and says the same thing. Do not hate sound teaching. Instead, repent of your pride and fall on the grace of God. I did not make it No it is making me It is the very truth of God Not the invention of any man—Rich Mullins Josh Martin

Vacation has arrived!!!!!

My wife and I have only hours before we are waking up to head to the airport to fly to New York City and get on the cruise boat. Our plane is leaving Lexington at 7:40am on Wednesday morning, please keep us and my in-laws in your prayers as we embark on our journey. This will be my third cruise in the last six years and I must say that I am amazed each time we set off into the ocean, then I realize that the picturesk sunrise and sunsets over the sea do not even compare to the beauty that is waiting for us in heaven. However, I am reminded of the sermon Josh gave this past Sunday at my church when he spoke of not even noticing the streets of gold and the walls of jasper due to the fact that the presence of our Lord will outshine it all. What a feeling that is going to be! I pray that everyone is doing well and I will miss being at home.......well, maybe not, but I will at least think of you while I'm laid out on the deck and eating all that food!!!! If at all possible, I will try to give an update while I'm gone. Until then, God bless and take care. Kelly

Fall Break

Here I go again on my own... walking down the only road I've ever known... like a drifter, I was born to walk alone... well you know the rest. So I'm back- it took me a little while to figure out how to post another blog (I'm not exactly what you would call "computer savvy") but I will try to remember what I did so next time it won't take so long. Well, I am currently sitting at home because school is out for FALL BREAK which is quite possibly one of the best ideas to ever hit the department of education since recess. I have got a couple different college visits lined up for this week (Georgetown college tomorrow, Boyce and Louisville on Thursday). I am really pumped about getting out of high school and going to college... but I am not excited in the least bit about filling out applications and scholarship papers. I want to stick around pretty close to home (Frankfort) during my college years because I don't want to give up my home church (Buck Run Baptist) or musical groups (such as The Josh Martin Band) so that has narrowed down my search quite a bit. I would love to study church music and then go to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and study to become a music minister- I really feel that God is leading me in that direction (I'm just not sure where He wants me to start!). Oh, since my last post The Josh Martin Band lead worship at the first ever Crossings for Kids at Cedarmore. (Actually I suppose the first ever was the previous weekend at Jonathan Creek but this was the first to take place in my neck of the woods). It was a really awesome experience and it is always amazing to see God working in the hearts of younger children. Well, that's all I have at the moment. Go sign up for the message boards and post stuff!!!

Where your treasure is

Where Your Treasure Is Matthew 6:19-21—Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. 20Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. 21Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be. (NLT) I believe that no other verses in the bible will bring a man to examine himself more than these particular verses. This small passage of scripture crashes on our soul like the waves of a hurricane, consuming every aspect of our life and if taken to heart, will allow Christ to cleanse us from our own selfish desires. Where is your treasure? With whom or what do we spend countless hours? If we take a look at the words and actions of Jesus, we find one common denominator and are able to see the treasure of His life. Everything that Jesus did or said portrayed His love for the Father. The Father was Jesus’ treasure and his heart remained with the Father. Jesus was not looking for approval in the eyes of man nor was he looking to astonish them. He simply loved His father and because of His love for Him, He loved us. If you remember, the Sadducees and the Pharisees questioned Jesus about which commandment was the greatest. Jesus replied “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” Jesus was not in love with serving the Father. Jesus was not in love with the attention that followed Him as He served the Father. He simply was in love with the Father. It is not our responsibility to determine the treasures of others but to only decipher our own. Only one thing will last throughout eternity. Will this be your treasure or will your treasure fade and rust away with time? Take a look at your heart and what it stands for. Where are your thoughts? There is your treasure. It’s that simple. No amount of reasoning can change that. This morning as you pray, give God praise for who He is, not just for what He does. Ask the Lord to help you determine what the treasure of your life is right now. By the way, this is an everyday battle. You will fight this the rest of your life. Pray for strength and discernment. Today God wants to be glorified in you and in all you do. If He is your treasure, His glory will flow from you like streams of living water. God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him—John Piper Josh Martin

Wednesday Devos

6 months later…………(finishing strong) As I sit here at my computer and type these words, several people come to mind. The people that I am thinking about are folks that I haven’t seen in a while. They are all folks who I have seen make professions of faith, join the church, and then leave the church. I am ashamed to say that where they are now, I do not know. They may be attending another church, have moved away, or possibly just stopped coming. What can we make of these situations? What can be said of those who were burning for Christ, and then their flame simply seemed to die? Before I go any further we must understand something. I am not being judgmental. I do not presume to know the condition of any one person’s heart but it is my desire to share scripture and thoughts right now so that God may enable you to finish strong. 1 Thessalonians 5:23,24—Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. Only those who finish strong are true believers, and only true believers finish strong. This statement is made for us to examine ourselves, not others. Do you notice how everything, in the act of keeping us blameless is done by God? God sanctifies. God keeps us blameless. God calls. God surely does it. Surely. God is the worker of our assurance. Do you remember Fannie J. Crosby’s hymn? Blessed 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 To be purchased by God means that the cross effected your salvation. Effected, not affected. Effect is the result. Affect means it did something to it. Effect means it did it. Paul says that God will keep us blameless to the day of Christ’s return. He keeps us! Now, obviously, Christians sin. I sin all the time. So what keeps us blameless if we are worthy of the blame? The Answer-the blood of Jesus! If he calls us, he is faithful to keep us. The bible does not speak of a hypothetical bride or church. The assurance of Christ having a bride is in the assurance that God is faithful to keep us. “He will surely do it”. So what does this mean to us? It means this—if you are a true believer, Christ will keep you. He may allow you to wander off and resist him for a while, but you are His and if you are a true believer, your resistance will be overcome by His grace and you will return just as the prodigal son. The story of the prodigal son is as much about you coming home, because you are His, as it is coming home because you are in need. God is Love! He is faithful! He will surely do it! Josh Martin