True Truth

Sovereign Grace Chapel at SermonAudio.com

2011-08-06T11:47:00.004-04:00

Our sermons at Sovereign Grace Chapel are now available to hear on SermonAudio. Please check them out and I hope you'll be as blessed by them as I am.Search by speaker for Matt Mager because I can't seem to get the link feature to work properly today.He's currently teaching through Titus and hopefully past sermon series will be available too. We go verse by verse, so you can get a good grasp of

James White Calls Harold Camping to Repent

2011-05-23T17:07:00.006-04:00

Here's a link to James White's open letter to Harold Camping regarding Saturday's failed prophecy of Judgement Day.

Tribute to Eric Adkins

2010-03-21T20:59:00.003-04:00

This week a friend from work died and I wanted to post a tribute to him. Eric was a really nice guy and I already miss him very much. Although I was not as close to him as some of my coworkers were, we had a good working relationship. We shared technical tips with each other and some good laughs along the way. He was attending YSU for mechanical engineering and told me recently that he had

What is the Gospel?

2010-03-18T06:24:00.002-04:00

The gospel is a message of hope and peace. It is God reaching out to people who are, as the Bible puts it, his enemies. God is offering peace to his enemies who wage war against him not with guns and missles, but with their lives and thoughts and words. In our natural state, we are at odds with God because of our sin. God has given us his moral law as the standard of his expectations. The

Romans 7:1-6

2010-03-05T06:59:00.000-05:00

I read this passage and it really warmed my soul this morning, especially since lately I have not deeply desired to think about God or his ways. Just picking up the Bible instead of some other book or a pen has been tough–I had to force myself to read it instead of Faulkner today. And even as I write I want to clear this out and go read his stories, but I need to record some thoughts on this or

God's Wisdom

2010-02-25T06:38:00.001-05:00

Romans 16:25-27I was considering a message that Matt (my pastor) preached on fatherhood in August of 2007, which came during the course of his teaching through Ephesians. I realized that at that point April was not pregnant yet with Zac and it was just after she had lost the first pregnancy. We had decided on a girl’s name only–Tori. And so I began to feel that loss and cry once again for this

Calvinism, Arminianism and the Gospel

2009-11-01T06:20:00.009-05:00

This morning I was contemplating the gospel in my prayer time. I thought back to Genesis 3 and how God prophesied the coming Messiah just after sin entered the world; how Acts 2:23 states that God predestined Christ's suffering and death, and how Isaiah 53 displays the suffering servant being crushed for our iniquities. How beautiful and comforting to think that nothing takes God by surprise, not

E.M Bounds on Prayer

2009-10-12T06:43:00.003-04:00

I picked up "Power Through Prayer" by E.M. Bounds from a used book table at church yesterday. I was moved by the first five pages where I found some real nuggets that inspired me. Here are a few quotes that I've highlighted:"Preaching is not the performance of an hour. It is the outflow of a life. It takes twenty years to make a sermon, because it takes twenty years to make the man.""The preacher

5 Weeks to Fatherhood

2009-05-07T17:33:00.002-04:00

Time is flying by as we wait for Zachary to be born. A mother of six (three of which are triplets) recently told me, "You want them to stay in there and bake as long as they can." But I'm so excited that part of me wants him to come early. We've got his room ready, April's bag is packed and I've been cramming on what to do while she's going through labor. I know for sure that I'm not supposed

Expect Some Delays with the Addictions Series

2009-03-15T14:59:00.002-04:00

Busyness has been the story of my life. I'm trying to discipline myself and prioritize so that I can do what's most important. Currently we're preparing for our son's arrival in June, we have a baby shower next weekend, I lead the Addictions Group at the Mission on Mondays and I work full-time. Blogging has been great, but I'm slacking on it because I have a higher calling in the home (

NICET Certified!

2009-03-15T14:04:00.004-04:00

Three weeks ago I took the NICET Fire Alarm Systems certification test. I've been preparing for this now for about a year, and the test was rigorous. I was testing for some things I'd never even studied for or heard of, much less could find in the NFPA code books. Yesterday I got my results in the mail. It was an intense moment, and my hands trembled opening the envelope. Of course I was so

Open Letter to a Straying Soul

2009-03-08T13:25:00.009-04:00

Dear Christian Friend,You've been heavy on my heart lately as I consider our common struggle against sin (Col 1:28-2:7). The Bible tells us to encourage one another daily as long as it is called today so that we won't be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:13). Sin is a funny thing. Very deceptive. It almost kidnaps us and forces us to do its will at times, tricking us into thinking it's

The Cross, the Cross of Christ

2009-02-28T19:39:00.000-05:00

I wrote this last year. It was inspired by a temptation I faced which I could not seem to get out of my mind. I ended up yelling out loud, "The cross! The cross! The cross!" to try to fix the image of Christ's sacrifice into my mind's eye. Several hours later I ended up with this poem.The Cross, The Cross of ChristMy flesh lures me away to give into my lustsAnd taunts me without ceasing to

Wanted: Affordable Internet Filters

2009-01-12T19:15:00.002-05:00

I currently have Be Safe for my PC, and the renewal is up next month. It protects against a variety of things and sends out accountability reports to friends. I think it cost me $50 to $60 for a year's subscription, but I'm just not crazy about dropping the cash next month. I'm looking for any good software that protects against internet pornography, viruses, etc., and has a nicer price tag.

Why do I go on sinning?

2009-01-04T14:44:00.005-05:00

If you're beginning to see that drunkeness and indulgence in drugs and other sinful behaviors are actually sin, you may be wondering what the solution is. Is there hope, or do I have to white-knuckle it through cravings and dreams of beating the demon of addiction indefinitely?I'm currently preparing the next addictions study at the Rescue Mission. We're going to use Kris Lundgaard's book The

Alcoholism: Disease or Sin? part 3

2008-11-14T15:53:00.012-05:00

I was reminded this week of the often subtle differences between biblical Christianity and the recovery movement while listening to a sermon series by C.J. Mahaney called, "Another Gospel? The Challenge of the Therapeutic Movement." The beliefs many Christians hold in regard to addictions and popular psychology are, at times, in direct opposition to sound biblical doctrine.For example, many

Poland Schools Rated Excellent?

2008-11-08T06:38:00.005-05:00

On the way to work each day I see a lot of billboards and advertisements, especially since the election. But two new signs have caught my attention as I leave Poland township and enter Boardman, Ohio. The largest is a billboard with big letters: "Poland Schools Rated Excellent." Two years ago I moved from Fairfax, Virginia, where everyone visits Starbucks several times a week and still has

The Pregnancy Help Center Banquet

2008-11-07T06:38:00.003-05:00

Last night my wife and I went to a benefit dinner for the Pregnancy Help Center (formerly Carenet) located in the Youngstown, Ohio area. The main speaker was Star Parker, the president of CURE. What a timely and inspiring talk she gave on the topic of fighting abortion and the gospel of Jesus Christ. As she put it so well, abortion "may be legal, but it's not lawful in God's eyes." Our

Alcoholism: Disease or Sin? part 2

2008-11-05T06:36:00.007-05:00

What is alcoholism if it is not a disease? How can people scoff in the face of medical research and say that scientists and doctors don't know what they're talking about? Well, Christians can object to the disease model in the same way we object to evolution--our authority, the Bible, says otherwise.The Bible calls drunkeness a sin (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:21, Ephesians 5:18). Some may

Four Days and 18 Hours of Darkness

2008-09-19T18:15:00.004-04:00

What a week. We just got our power back this afternoon! Sunday night, Hurricane Ike sent wind up through Ohio. I heard a thud on my roof and thought, "That was a big branch." A little while later the power went out. As I looked out front I was shocked to see that our neighbors still had lights and part of our maple tree had dropped across our driveway, disconnecting our power lines from the house

Alcoholism: Disease or Sin? Part 1

2008-08-23T11:56:00.004-04:00

Toward the end of his drinking career, Bill Wilson, one of AA’s cofounders, called alcohol his master. Anyone who has suffered through an addiction of some sort has experienced the gripping drive to have “one more.” It feels as if an invisible hand is causing you to pick up the drink, the pipe, or even that next bite of German Chocolate Cake. Bill Wilson was right on the money when he spoke of

Apologies for the long interruptions

2008-08-16T07:43:00.002-04:00

As always, I've been quite busy. Yard projects, teaching opportunities at church and the Rescue Mission, family responsibilities and more have kept away from my addictions series. I do plan on continuing it, so please check back soon. I just took over the addictions class that my pastor and I began a few months back, and we're currently discussing the subject of alcoholism as sin or disease.

The Marks of a True Convert

2008-04-18T10:49:00.002-04:00

What exactly does a true Christian look like? So many people identify themselves as believers that it’s hard to tell. Some professing Christians might be the kind who carry a huge Bible, are always talking to you about Jesus and trying to get you to go to church with them. They may even say that their church is the only right one to attend. On the other hand, there are those who are very open

Battling Addictions

2008-01-01T20:16:00.001-05:00

I’m preparing to write a series of articles on battling addictions. As I contemplate all that I’ve learned in the past year alone about my own struggle with sin and addictions, and how I can help others, I realize there are some things that I must clarify in order for this series to be of much use to anyone. First, how do I know what it’s like if I don’t know you or your situation? Well, I’ve

I’ve Done My Friends a Disservice

2007-11-28T20:56:00.000-05:00

During my college career I was very active in campus ministry. I led Bible studies and evangelistic outreaches of various types and attended short term local mission trips. My faith as a Christian was deep and meaningful, and I was timid yet vocal about my beliefs. While I wouldn’t say that I had zeal without knowledge, I admit that I was somewhat on the spiritually immature side. Today I

Faith in a Higher Power

2007-10-01T20:12:00.000-04:00

After attending a few AA meetings and achieving some early sobriety, the fog begins to lift from the alcoholic’s or drug addict’s mind and he or she learns the reason why sobriety has been unattainable. In the Big Book we are told that a “lack of power” is our dilemma. The reason we can’t quit has been that we are powerless over our drug of choice and what we really need is power from an

The Argument for Hell

2007-09-24T20:28:00.000-04:00

I’ve heard an old timer with over 20 years of sobriety tell me that he doesn’t believe in hell because a loving father would never send his children to a place of eternal punishment. God is good and only does good to his children. Everyone is a child of God; it’s just that some are disobedient children. This individual grew up in a southern Pentecostal church and could not accept their idea of a

Truth in Crime and Punishment

2007-07-24T20:13:00.000-04:00

Recently I read about a man in New York who had been released from prison after 21 years. He had not served his entire sentence, and justice had not been served, even after two decades. This man was convicted of raping a police officer’s wife. The victim’s husband had been tied up with phone cord in their bedroom, and his wife repeatedly raped in other rooms. This crime would have merited

Something to Think About

2007-07-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

An estimated 100 people die every minute. When will you become a part of the statistic? The Bible, God’s inspired word, says that after you die God will judge you. Will you be found guilty of breaking His Law, the 10 Commandments? Ask yourself: Have you ever lied, stolen anything, lusted or hated anyone? (God sees lust as adultery and hatred as murder) Ever use God’s

Welcome

2007-07-17T22:46:00.000-04:00

I'm working on several projects right now: first, developing discipline by getting to bed on time (45 minutes ago); next I'm hashing out writings on the topic of alcoholism and addictions, including the nature of addictions and how that all works out in light of biblical Christianity. I'll possibly include some surveys to find out what folks think about these topics, then I'll have some