“This, you see, is the preparation for the gospel. This is the way to evangelize, because evangelism means that we do not simply make a positive statement as to what the gospel does; we show people their need of it. In other words, there must be a conviction of sin as well as a display of salvation, and there are not many passages of Scripture in which the terrible nature and character of sin are brought out more strongly than they are in this particular section.

So when the Apostle evangelizes, you see, he does it in this way. He does not come to people and say in his first approach, ‘How would you like to be a bit happier, or would you like to have a Friend, or are you seeking guidance?’ He does not say something like that. He does not start with that; he cannot possibly start with it. What is the use of asking questions like that if a man is in the wrong realm, if a man is under sin? The primary thing is not whether I am happy or miserable, or anything else; the question is, what is my relationship to God in the judgment, what is my realm? If I am under sin, the first thing I want to know is how I can get out of that and be under grace. So we must not hesitate to say that an evangelism which does not start by a call to repentance and conviction of sin is unscriptur­al. It is wrong to say to people that they can come to Christ as they are and later on repent and learn something about sin.

The greater you understand the sinfulness of your condition, the greater will be your understanding of the love and grace and the compassion and mercy of God.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones Commentary on Romans 3:9-20

When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time, that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award—yet receives such a gift anyway—that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God.

I think Orlando has been spending to much time with my 8 year old boy.

The Puerto Rican influence is starting to have an impact.

Orlando calls it the Suave Syndrome apparently only men from Puerto Rico have this quality - so this is indeed a rare case.

Find the original article here.

Two great achievements occurred in 1953, more than half a century ago.

The first was the successful ascent of Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Sir Edmund Hillary and his guide, Tenzing Norgay, reached the summit that year, an accomplishment that’s still considered the ultimate feat for mountain climbers. Since then, more than a thousand mountaineers have made it to the top, and each year hundreds more attempt it.

Yet the second great achievement of 1953 has had a greater impact on the world. Each year, many thousands join the ranks of those participating in this accomplishment, hoping to ascend to fame and fortune.

It was in 1953 that James Watson and Francis Crick achieved what appeared impossible—discovering the genetic structure deep inside the nucleus of our cells. We call this genetic material DNA, an abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid.

The discovery of the double-helix structure of the DNA molecule opened the floodgates for scientists to examine the code embedded within it. Now, more than half a century after the initial discovery, the DNA code has been deciphered—although many of its elements are still not well understood.

What has been found has profound implications regarding Darwinian evolution, the theory taught in schools all over the world that all living beings have evolved by natural processes through mutation and natural selection.

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