Category: Jonathan Eckel - Remember Ministries

Sin

6/11/2019

I have been reluctant to write on this subject because it is a difficult one to approach. The continual sin in a Christian seems odd and a highly contested issue. There are even people who claim to never have sinned after they became Christian. So, instead of listening to what people say, we should look at what Scripture says about this issue, or any issue for that matter. If we don’t get our answers from there, we are starting from the wrong point.

When we stop and think about what sin is, an offense to God, we often wonder, why would I or anyone else after being saved do such a thing? Well, it has to do with your 2 different natures you have. Your flesh, or natural part of you, cries out for darkness and sin. You also have the spiritual side, that is made new, when you are born again that seeks out the righteous God honoring things. Being a Christian though is a process. It’s not perfection but direction.

Going off of that idea of the “process”, there are 3 different “fied’s” when it comes to the salvation of a Christian. When you get saved you are (1) justified, where you have been made right in the sight of God, cleansed of penalty you owe God for your sin. Then as you live your life, you are (2) sanctified, a gradual growing in holiness. When you die and stand in front of God you will be (3) Glorified. This final one is when you will finally be free of this vile side of you. Where you can finally be cleansed of that sin nature that we have lived with all of our life.

We look at what scripture says and we see that, 1 John 1:8 says ...

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

This is describing the fact that, we have this sin nature still in us while we are still here on this earth. It’s a battle that takes actual fighting of the spiritual nature. Prayer, renewing your mind, and taking up the shield of faith are all involved. A speaker once said “Two natures beat within my breast. The one is foul, the one is blessed. The one I love, the one I hate. The one I feed will dominate.“. It’s so true if you think about it. What are you feeding? Your flesh? If so, you and many others will notice. The exact opposite is true as well if you are focusing your energy on your spiritual life.

Brothers and sisters, let our focus not be on, making ourselves presentable to man but rather to God. May we love Him with that same love that He loved us with first. Christ is and should be the focus of our life. Remember, if we love Him, we will obey His commandments. Not perfectly but with the heart of submission towards the one we love, and our thankfulness in recognition of the sacrifice He paid to save us.

Jonathan Eckel

Easy

5/18/2019

“You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting;” Daniel 5:27

When I became a Christian I knew my life wasn’t guaranteed to be easy. I knew that, Jesus said to pick up my cross and follow him (Matthew 16:24). Not to long after I became a follower of Christ, the real estate bubble popped and down went the market.

Shortly after that, the company I worked for had to shut down (real estate title insurance) because the business just wasn’t there. I couldn’t find a job making what I had made, so I started a cleaning career. I worked as hard and long as I could but, we still lost everything. House, cars, credit cards, and savings.

This seemed like the hardest time of my life but, truly it wasn’t. There have been tougher times, but God has always been there. I know that, I could have wavered in my faith through these times but I didn’t because my hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness. I remember being so down that I could almost hear a whisper “curse God and die”.

The worse it got though, the tighter I clung to Him. We aren’t promised an easy ride. In fact we are warned that we will have troubles. We are told to count the cost, and not to take it lightly. Many say, you are who you are when no one is around. What about when your kids or wife see you in those times? They see how your faith in Christ leads you in times of trouble and need.

How do you act in the rough times? Are you lashing out in anger or depression? Both are easy to fall into but Christ is our strength. Let me encourage to draw near to Him in your times of need and in your times of plenty. If you can’t rely on Him for everything, your statement of faith is nothing more than that, a mere statement, not a real faith.

Jonathan Eckel

Fear

5/8/2019

The fear we think of as Christians should be this kind of fear. We should always remember who it is we call Father, the God of all creation who spoke everything into existence. The one to whom the mountains bow down, is the one we call Lord.

Before I was saved I imagined Him as this angry old guy in the sky and I did have a healthy fear that he would crush me if I sinned (not like I wasn’t a specialist in it) and cast me out. I had a completely unbiblical view of Him and didn’t know God or Jesus as I should. No one ever showed me in Scripture His attributes.

As a Christian though, I have learned to study and see that, the one who I was afraid of, wasn’t even real. True, God could squash us like bugs, and honestly that’s what we deserve for sinning against Him, but He has grace and mercy for us. The fear I now have, is a Biblical one. I hate my sin, I hate my pride. Really, the beginning of wisdom and knowledge, is hating what He hates, and loving what He loves.

When we stop and think about it, doesn’t this just make you want to praise Him more?! How much different is the God of the Bible than what you where taught as a kid? The true God of the Bible is amazing and loving, the just judge for sure but truly more than I could have ever imagined. I can’t wait to open His Word and get to know Him better. I hope you feel the same.

Jonathan Eckel

Now Available: On the Origins of Kinds

1/12/2017

It has been our objective to write a Biblically sound evangelism book. While many fantastic books exist that teach Biblical evangelism, presuppositional apologetics, and creation apologetics separately, there aren’t any that put everything together into one easy-to apply book. In this book, you will learn how to evangelize properly, using the Law and the Gospel, and to handle the most common objections using presuppositional and creation apologetics.

The book will also address one of the biggest lies today – we will demonstrate why evolution is wrong and why the Christian evolutionist must attempt to serve “two masters” – man and God. In the end, he is only serving man.

Dr. Anthony R. Silvestro, Jr. & Jonathan Eckel, Ev.

Biblical Church Growth

8/1/2016

How does a church grow Biblically? As we take a look at this “popular” subject, we have to remember that, as Christians, we must start and stand on God's Word (The Bible) for all of our views. This is no different, although you might get confused while walking around a "Christian" bookstore. You will see all kinds of strategies and different “ways” to manipulate people into coming through your doors. One of the things that you have to remember is that it is not your doors. The doors (as well as the rest of the church) belong to Christ. He gave you the lamp stand. If He chooses to grow the body of believers in your church, that's His prerogative to do so.

Top 10

5/1/2016

This list should look familiar to you - it is the top 10 New Years’ resolutions most commonly made in America. I'm not sure what yours were, but, if you notice, there aren't any resolutions here involving faith or religion. Most people (63%) who make New Years’ resolutions break them within a month. Does this list match up with yours?

More than that, most people make "deals" with God, and they break their promise all the time. Think about it: How many times have you said, "God if you help me here, or if you help me out of this, I will..."? Far too many times people view God as a genie instead of the God of the universe!

Many ways to heaven you say?

3/19/2016

In this blog post, we will be dealing with heavy theory and working in a theological playground. You may first be asking, "Where in the world is he going with this?"

Many people say that there are a number of ways into Heaven - different religions, multiple “saviors”, several “prophets”, etc. The reality is that all religions on the earth can be placed into 2 categories: works-based and grace-based. Every religion on the planet, other than Biblical Christianity, is works-based. It is what you do to earn, aka bribe, your way into Heaven. We are going to establish here that this is wrong: there is no amount of good works that you can do to outweigh the bad. Biblical Christianity, on the other hand, is based on the Doctrines of Grace. It is by the grace of God, through Faith in Jesus Christ alone that gets us into Heaven. Why is that?

The “In-Between” Moments

1/1/2016

I would like to start off with a simple question:

Dear Christian. What do you do with your in-between moments? Not just the ones you have between the next two meetings, or the ones you have between your meals. I'm talking about all of them. Every moment from when you leave church one Sunday and then arrive on Sunday the following week. How do you live your life on a regular basis between the Sundays?

I Just Love Reading God's Word

11/15/2015

I just love reading God's word - I cannot go a day without it!

As I opened my Bible today, I decided to read Psalm 103. There is so much in this Psalm; I will only point out a few things that made me praise the Lord for His mercy. The Psalm 103:1 starts off with pure praise! It says, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” Do you see what David is saying? He is praising God with everything that he is! He is pouring himself out in praise to God!

Witness to a Catholic? Why?

9/1/2015

Over the years, I have spoken with many people on the streets. Due to the many Roman Catholic churches in Cleveland, I often find myself witnessing to their parishoners. Some of you may ask, “Why?” I have spoken to other Christians that say we don't need to witness to Roman Catholics because they are Christians just like us. They believe in the same Jesus as we do. Well, that statement, my dear brothers and sisters, flows straight out of ignorance of the theology of the Roman Catholic Church and the theology of many professing evangelical Christians.