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January 8th/2008
Rick Disler is no longer available to update his Full Throttle website. Rick is
now involved full time in the ministry and has stepped away from sim racing.
Christian Racing thanks Rick for all his contributions on and off the track. These pages will remain up
for the time being for those that can draw inspitration from Rick's blogs.
11/30/07
I finaly have finished my study of
election. I have spent the last almost 4 months researching
and studying this scripture in light of scripture and with the help
of many books. I had began this endeaver in August and about a
month into my health went south with a condition that had been
dormant for approx 5 years and coincidentaly was the cause and
effect of my salvation at that time. It was quite ironic that
this problem reoccured at this time and it only lasted for about 3
weeks with many doctors visits and tests. What was God's
reason for the timing of this? Of course I did not know but I
now unlike before was able to know that God had allowed me suffering
to bring me into a place of rest and to overcome. This time I
had joy in suffering and I immersed myself into the doctrine of
suffering in scripture. Everyone thinks of Job when this is
mentioned but I relied upon scripture to show me how Joseph and the
nation of Israel had to endure suffering that this suffering might
be the salvation for others. Ultimately this lead me to Paul
and of course Jesus.
I was able to apply this doctrine to a deeper
question of election. When you are in the middle of suffering
or a valley you cannot rely upon yourself for answers but must
completely rely upon God and His Holy and unchangeable word for the
answers. You cannot hold fast to the prosperity message that
is so prevalent within the evangelical church today it has no power
in that valley and there is no assurance in it. This is why
Paul stated after Jesus told him that his thorns would not be
removed but when he is weak in the flesh then he is strong in
spirit. Paul could not rely upon himself but had to rely upon
the spirit within him-Christ. Paul realized through his
weakness in the flesh and many sufferings only then could he be used
as the vessel to become a salvation to many.
This is not the forum to discuss the doctrine
of election because it will be very uncomfortable to many who read
it. The evangelical church today in large has refused to teach
it for fear of losing parishoners. This I believe to be a
travisty and the root of this is seeker-sensitive and spoke of in
many of Paul's epistles but Jesus speaks of this plainly in Mathew
24 -The itching ears, preach and teach only what makes the
people feel comfortable that they will not be offended. This
allows them to be justified in their own lifestyle of sin. I
leave you with several questions that is at the very root of this
doctrine. Do you believe in what Martin Luther stated. "
Justification by faith only through grace only" ? Luther
stated this was the foundational basis for the church. If you
as I state you adhere to this then how is salvation possible by
simply responding to Christ or the gospel for salvation? Do we
choose him first or does He choose us? More than 90% of
evangelical church's today believe in the Armenism view of
predestination. God chooses us based upon His foreknowledge of
us first chosing Him. Does scripture support this
answer? If you say it does as I did then you as I are
disagreeing with Paul not only in Romans but every epistle he wrote
on this subject. This is all I will write on this subject on
this forum. If you are as I working out your own salvation
with fear and trembling, I challenge you to ask the hard questions
and to seek out the answers in scripture. I have prepared a
small writing on my website on this topic. If anyone desires
more scripture references or if I can help in anyway please contact
me.
www.familysfirst.net
God bless
10/20/07
It has been quite some time
since I have written.
Some of you may remember that approx
4 years ago I had a life
changing medical condition that not only changed me physically but
spiritually. I have had
3 years of relatively good health up to about a month ago when
although much contained
it again returned to affect my health. Doctors have no Idea what causes it as
everything checks out.
I believed 4 years ago that this was God and that it was a means to my
salvation. But of
course if you would have asked me prior I would have told you I was
already a Christian. My
reasoning would have been that I Believed there was a creator and that His son died for
my sins upon the cross some 2000 Years ago.
My admission in my own mind was my basis for salvation. Yet my works And the fruit of my life in those works
revealed something different.
I do apologize brothers for not
writing to you about this sooner but I believe I was
being
Constrained for some reason not
to write. My last month
has not been a “why has this
Happened” as it was 4 years
ago, but now it has been “what are you attempting to
teach
Me”. Justification is
instantaneous in the individual but sanctification is a painful
process. I know
brothers some reading this may disagree with that last statement
because Christianity in this country has been relegated to the
prosperity message and a more Abundant life.
Come to Jesus and He will give you the desires of your heart,
is much Of what I
hear today from many.
This is heresy in the sense that God simply exists to please
us in our unbelief. We
can only serve one master, either ourselves and the God
of this world, or
Jesus. Paul in writing
to the Romans makes it clear that we are born sinful and an enemy of
God because of the sin of Adam-total depravation. The wrath of
God and His righteousness
is upon our heads because of the inherited sin-we belong to the
ruler of this world –Satan.
With that said I will be
writing in the future based upon my last months study of the Doctrine of election and the
doctrine of suffering.
Not from the standpoint that Rick is an authority on either
subject but the result of what I believe to be God’s grace in
Giving me a small
amount of wisdom and a helper in understanding scripture based upon
My battle with
this medical condition.
Our battles scripture tells us are not simply in the
Flesh but they are
spiritual. If you call
yourself a Christian as I do then scripture promises us suffering
and tribulation-today that has been relegated only to when we share
Our faith but the
bible tells the complete opposite. Christianity starts with
suffering and It
is the very foundation that ends with suffering. If you do not suffer
spiritually and
Carnally and your walk with
Christ is without suffering then you are not denying your
Flesh and therefore your master
is of this world. I
know that’s a hard pill to swallow and
Goes against what we want
to believe, no one
person chooses to suffer but if we are unified with Christ we must
and we will. If you are
a Christian then you will know suffering and rejoice in it.
It is the means of our
sanctification.
If you have lived with a
medical affliction. If
you have experienced death;
a loved one,
Or someone close to you then
you can relate. If you
can’t relate its only a matter of time. Eventually you will ask
“Why”, this in itself
is not a bad thing even Jesus on the
Cross asked “why”, but if you are a member of the
church, of the elect of God, you must
And will at some point by faith
begin to rest and trust in God that “why” will no longer
Be used as a reason to question
God’s will and sovereignty but to draw you closer in reliance to
Him. I leave you with
this: The history of
God’s elect through the old testament is of captivity, slavery,
oppression, and death.
The new covenant starts with Jesus dying for not the world
but for those the Father has given Him. The first century
Church starts with
ridicule, slavery, oppression, and death. Nero and much of revelation
And Pauls epistles
is writings to Christians to rejoice over this suffering and
persecution Because this is how they will know that they are truly
justified and that the Hope of Glory resides in them. They are not concerned with
a more abundant life or prosperity
In this life. They are looking forward to
a new life after a mortal death with and in Christ. Our last century there were
more martyrs than in all of time. Martyrdom is
not Means to the beginning of the
Christian church but it is a way of life for a
Christian.
It will be for the elect of God
until Christ returns on that Great day of Wrath to
vindicate
And rid this world of sin once and for all time. Thank you
brothers.
5Sep07
I apologize for not posting the
last several weeks. We had two testimonies in this time:
Tom Middleton and Mike Ruder. Both were wonderful examples of
how God used other Christians (ambassadors) of His sovereign word to
reach them. Although their situations were quite different the
commonality was that God sent forth obedient ambassadors to
evangelize to them.
I spoke briefly Monday
evening about a christian as an ambassador (as Paul not only calls
himself-but all christians). An ambassador as Paul stated in
evangelism is a herald, a slave, a steward, commissioned with
Christ's authority and Paul remained faithful to the commission and
said neither less nor more than he had been commissioned to
say. The commission to publish the gospel was not confined to
the apostles nor is it now confined to the church's ministers.
It is a commission that rests upon the whole church collectively,
and therefore on each Chrisitan individually. Every Christian who
declares the gospel message to any fellow man does so as Christ's
ambassador and representative, according to the terms of his God
given commission. Such is the authority, and such the
responsibility, of the church and the christian.
As you operate as an
ambassador never be discouraged by thinking that you are the only one
God can use to reach the lost. Elijah, fearing that all the
other prophets had been killed, said, "I, even I only, am left; and
they seek my life, to take it away"(1 Kings 19:10). Yet God
had reserved 7,000 faithful followers who hadn't bowed their knee to
worship Baal (5:18) Because God has His laborers, we need
never panic when it comes to our loved ones being reached with the
gospel. If we faithfully reach out and touch the lives of
other peoples loved ones, God (in His perfect timing) can use
others to touch the lives of the ones we love so dearly. Claim
your family in prayer, then thank God for His faithfulness in
answering those prayers.
It is by no mistake that
you as an ambassador of God are ridiculed and persecuted for
Christ's namesake when your obedient in heralding the gospel message
of truth. If in your walk with God you don't experience this
you must question your obedience as an ambassador of the sovereign
God. Remember it is not you the world despises but the
sovereign authority that is in you. This authority as Paul
states is nothing of himself. If you don't preach, teach, and
evangelize the truth of the gospel you are no different than the
nonchristian. I leave you with a quote from the late Adrian
Rodgers:
"It is better to be
divided by truth than united in error; it is better to speak truth
that hurts and then heals than to speak a lie; it is better to be
hated for telling the truth than to be loved for telling a lie; it is
better to stand alone with truth than to be wrong with the
multitude...the religion of today is get-along-ism. It is time
for men and women of God to stand, even if they have to stand
alone."
Go To Full Throttle Page 2
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Rick Disler and his wife Christin live in Knoxville Tennessee with their five children. They both work full time outside their home and attend their local Church of God. Rick's ministry is to arm men and women with Biblical truths in order to build a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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