All Things New

Around the web

2012-02-16T19:50:00.000-05:00

Good Links from Around the Web...
Tony Reinke: Obey Your Pastors and Submit to Them
JT: What pagans know about God and why they are responsble
Challies: Reading the Classics Together: Pilgrim's Progress
R21: Important Review: Doctrine
PFrags: Blogging Controversies
STR: Christians Moral Standards Apply to Society?
Everything Must Go: $5 Deals at Desiring God Ministries

Gospel-Powered Humility

2012-02-13T21:16:00.002-05:00

Gospel-Powered Humility by William Farley is a wonderful read so far -- and one that I almost completely ignored. I remember reading a recommendation a while ago on www.challies.com , but with all the "gospel"-focused, "gospel"-centered, "gospel"-driven, "gospel"-you-name-it books and articles flooding the market, my initial attention span, based on the title alone, was about 10 seconds.

However, thanks to Amazon.com's great Look Inside functionality, I was able to browse through the beginning of the book and got hooked. Well, not "hooked" in the typical way that books or articles or commercials and such things "hook" you, which often comes through a veiled appeal to our own self-interest or an affinity to something we desire. Rather, I was hooked because I found in the preface and in the early part of chapter one an answer to prayer that I've had for some time.

For a while now, I've had a distant and rather ambiguous feeling about my faith and relationship with the Lord. Despite my committment to regular attendence at my church's functions and my diligence in studying the great doctrines of Grace, the Bible, and heavy Biblical theology, I simply have felt that something was standing between God and me. I've been praying lately that God would just get this pruning season over with, so I can get back to my close fellowship with Him and be able to live with a sense of true joy once again.

In Gospel-Powered Humility, Rev. Farley has reminded me of my great propensity toward pride and how insidious and deceiving it is in the life of the believer. Pride is the one sin that God hates most and the one sin that we want to consider in ourselves the least. Here is just one of the many points the author makes that is worth quoting:

"Pride is the opposite. It is spiritual blindness. It is a delusional, inflated view of self. It is unreality on steroids. And the scary part is this: The thing to which we are most blind is our pride. A demonic Catch-22, pride causes us to chase our spiritual tails. We cannot see pride - even though it is our most grievous, disabling sin - because its very nature is blindness, and the first thing to which it is blind is its own existence."

Fighting pride is a major spiritual battle - not an external battle against circumstances and other people, but very much internal spiritual warfare. Waking up from pride-induced absorbtion is an experience that leaves one feeling at the same time free and trembling before our Creator God. It is the perfect place to be - contrite in spirit, empty-handed and facedown before the foot of the cross. After reading Part 1: The Problem, with so many excellent scripture references, quotes from the Puritans, the church fathers, the reformers, and contemporary authors like Ed Welch, I can't wait to get started on Part II now: The Gospel that Humbles.

Even though I've not read more than 1/3 of the book, I can already say with confidence that this should not be missed, especially by those looking for something different. We simply do not hear enough about the sin of pride in this culture of ours where self is king. Recommended!

Smart is Not a Fruit

2012-02-02T16:36:00.000-05:00

This is a great article from Ligonier's February 2012 edition of TableTalk Magazine, from R.C. Sproul, Jr. Enjoy!

Smart is not a fruit>>>

Excerpt: "We will not begin to get better until we embrace this obvious truth: smart is not one of the fruits of the Spirit. Of course we are to love God with all our minds. But we are to love God with all our minds, not merely understand Him. When our knowledge cannot traverse the distance from our heads down to our hearts, we are suffering from spiritual emptiness. We will not begin to get better until we come to embrace this obvious truth: we come into the kingdom not as scholars or students, but as children."

Welcome to the Christian Carnival!

2012-02-02T07:30:00.008-05:00

Welcome to the February 2, 2012 edition of Christian Carnival!

Apologetics
Sharon Hoover presents Socrates and Jesus: Proof in the Writers | Journal of Missional Living posted at Journal of Missional Living, saying, "This article confirms the truth of Jesus Christ using the standards applied to historical people, such as Socrates. First in a trilogy verifying the person and teaching of Jesus."

Devotionals
Melanie Grant presents And then there was silence.... posted at Mel's Mouthful on Mothering.

Matthew Hyde presents Martin Luther King Day 2012: Dreams and Visions posted at Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth, saying, "Dreams and Visions was a post inspired by Martin Luther King Day 2012."

Sheri presents How to Be A Christian Wife - Step 2 posted at Humbled Living, saying, "Being a Christian wife today is tough if we live by the world's standards. But God calls us to live by His standards which is always freeing. Join me for the next helpful step in being a Christian wife."

Rebecca LuElla Miller presents The Thing About Household Chores posted at A Christian Worldview of Fiction, saying, "Spiritual disciplines such as reading Scripture and praying have a lot in common with household chores -- they are both so daily!"

Ridge Burns presents Bad News posted at Ridge's Blog,

Finance

Tim @ Faith and Finance presents 101 Biblical Proverbs About Money posted at Faith and Finance, saying, "If you're looking for proverbs about money, this comprehensive list will be helpful to you."

Theology

Ridge Burns presents Preparing the Way posted at Mission Blog/

Henry Neufeld presents The Cross is an Offense Today posted at Threads from Henry's Web, saying, "An excellent quote from a book I'm editing at the moment."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of christian carnival ii using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

R21 Book Review: Jesus + Nothing

2012-01-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

Jared Oliphant at Reformation21 writes a very helpful review of Jesus + Nothing = Everything.
He commends much of the book, including Tullian Tchividjian's passion and zeal for the Grace of God. Yet the one concern that comes through is a great one for me (and probably lots of others) to be highlighted. Oliphant concludes with this:

"Although we do well to live as we are - eternally secure before God in Christ - we are currently still aliens here on earth, and we still have the hard work of obedience to do while we struggle with this world. That hard work requires much more than getting used to, remembering, recognizing, and realizing our justification. It requires the Spirit working through and within us daily to bring to completion his perfect plan of salvation in Christ."

Amen!

Vocation Motivation - How the Gospel Changes Work

2012-01-03T17:37:00.001-05:00

Vocation Motivation from The Gospel Coalition's interview with Matt Perman:

Monday Morning Motivation from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:23:00.000-05:00

Jesus Paid It All!

Verse 1

I hear the Savior say
"Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness, watch and pray
Find in Me thine all in all"

Chorus
’Cause Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Verse 2
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow'r and Thine alone
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt this heart of stone

(Repeat Chorus)

Verse 3
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete
Jesus died my soul to save
my lips shall still repeat

(Repeat Chorus)

Bridge 1

Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead

Bridge 2

Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead!

Why Biblical Manhood & Womanhood Matters

2011-12-22T20:18:00.004-05:00

Why Biblical Manhood and Womanhood Matters
John Piper and Darrin Patrick discuss their journeys.
Excellent.

Why Biblical Manhood and Womanhood Matters from Desiring God on Vimeo.

Christian Carnival: 'Twas the week before Christmas...

2011-12-22T15:30:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the December 21st edition of Christian Carnival II.

This week we have several articles featuring Christmas themes, along with our regular categories: devotional, narrative, and theology.
A big 'thank you!' shout out to this week's participants for all of the excellent submissions. Merry Christmas, everyone!

CHRISTMAS

loswl presents The Birth posted at W2W Soul: Windows to The Woman's Soul, saying, "This birth was no other. It was a birth in which the angels in heaven celebrated. A birth that was foretold from the beginning of time and was announced that a virgin would conceive."

Melanie Grant presents Christmas: A time of gladness or sadness? posted at Mel's Mouthful on Mothering.

Deb presents The Christmas Gift Exchange posted at All Things New, saying, "What my first White Elephant gift exchange taught me about the love of Christ."

Joe Plemon presents Celebrate Christmas All Year Long: Give Like God Does posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, "Is it possible to celebrate Christmas all year long? Maybe, if we can learn to give like God gives."

NARRATIVE

Jason presents Franciscan…what?!?! posted at eckSermonator, saying, "My journey... Assemblies of God Pastor -> Non-Denominational Leader -> Franciscan Friar"

DEVOTIONAL

Josh presents Trust The Lord: Bible Verses and Life Application posted at What Christians Want To Know, saying, "Christians know we should trust the Lord but how do we continue to do it when circumstances in our lives seem helpless?"

Shannon Christman (blog editor) on behalf of author Ridge Burns presents Live a Life of Love posted at Ridge's Blog.

Charles Chua C K presents 7 Delightful Ways to Transform an Ordinary Day to an Extraordinary Day posted at All About Living with Life.

David R Wells presents Brightened Eyes posted at Revelation 3:10 - Blog: Through Davids Eyes, saying, "When spiritual sight becomes weary, Christians have arrived at a very dangerous place. It is treacherous because Christians will always be looking for that next dose of honey, or that next quick fix, to get them through until the next time their faith weakens."

Christian Amit presents Trust in the Lord with all your hearts - Devotional posted at Bible Study Exposition Online, saying, "What does it mean to trust the Lord with all your hearts? This bible devotional describes bible verses for trusting the Lord with many practical areas of our life such as finances, family, children, work, career, decisions, weaknesses and salvation."

Scott presents Pray with Me posted at Mission Blog.

THEOLOGY

Maryann Spikes presents Goodbye, Hitch posted at Ichthus77.

Chris Price presents American Christianity and Communism during the Second Red Scare posted at American Church History, saying, "Many people joined churches during the early Cold War era. Was this a case of people being more pro-Jesus or pro-America?"

Russ White presents Setting Truth Up for a Fall posted at Thinking in Christ.

zachsewell presents Biblical Time Machine posted at The Bible is Not Boring, saying, "If you could be there for any episode in the Bible, which would you choose?"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of christian carnival ii using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

The Christmas Gift Exchange

2011-12-16T12:50:00.005-05:00

My first Christmas as a Christian in 1996 is memorable for many reasons, not the least of which was being in the fine fellowship of other believers with whom I attended Bible study. One couple hosted an amazing Christmas party in their home, which was fortified with a hearty dinner and yummy treats for more than 60 attendees. About half of those present were believers and the other half were not. All who were invited to the party came prepared to participate in the “White Elephant” gift exchange.

For me, this was actually my very first exposure to the phenomenon of the “White Elephant” gift exchange. Since our spending limit was to be $10., I felt particularly challenged to be able to obtain a meaningful gift that would make an impact on the recipient and one that they would cherish for a long time to come. Of course, I would later learn that this is not actually the intended goal of White Elephant frivolity. Without this knowledge, I spent a couple of days shopping for just the right gift and in the process had found some wonderful Christmas music at the local Christian Bookstore that I started listening to.

I was totally blown away by one particular CD called Emmanuel: A Musical Celebration of the Life of Christ .

Since music appreciation is one of my most treasured hobbies, I felt like I had found a gold mine in this particular recording. After having listened to it five or six times, I decided to go back to the store and buy a second copy for the White Elephant! I was so excited with my selection for this tremendous gift giving opportunity that when I returned home, I spent an hour putting special care into the wrapping, adding a spectacular bow, and even curling the ribbon so that the carefully chosen gift would scream out – “pick me, pick me!”

Much to my surprise, when we began the White Elephant exchange, I learned that anything shaped like a CD is most certainly NOT a highly desirable choice of participants. Okay, okay, I thought. I can live with the idea that a lot of people would look at a CD and be concerned that the music therein may not reflect their particular tastes. Sure, okay, it made sense. But when one gift after another was selected and mine was sloughed to the side, I started to feel sad. Then, someone even chose another package, also shaped just like the one I had brought, but instead of containing a well-picked recording, instead it ended up being a used copy of Milly Vanilly! Oh my gosh! That tainted the rest of the evening, and from that point forward, my gorgeously wrapped, carefully selected with love, and personally cherished gift was completely ignored by each and everyone present.

Add to this growing sadness my consternation over the whole “stealing” phenomenon that accompanies the traditional White Elephant exchange. This was a perplexing experience to me, a new Christian, to see other believers (with whom I’ve had otherwise kind fellowship), who after seeing their friends open up a very nice gift, were compelled to take it from them in the very next turn! I was quite startled by the whole affair, but felt blessed that I could opt-out of the stealing aspect, since I had the last number. I was relieved that having the last number meant that my gift could not be stolen by anyone else. At least I wouldn’t have that feeling of loss, after watching everyone reject my gift time after time!

As the gift exchange wound down, I could tell that one of my friends, also a new Christian, was feeling emotions similar to those I was feeling. She had brought a very nice gift – furry slippers – and everyone was fighting over them, wanting to be the one who ended up keeping them. Well, after reaching into the pile to select a random package, she opened it only to find a toilet brush, for cleaning poop! She was visibly grieved. I felt angry as well that someone would be so careless and crass to bring such a vulgar item to gift exchange. I suppose they were trying to be funny. And then I thought about how the item is sort of practical as well, and how I could actually use one for my upstairs bathroom! So I chuckled and went over and sat next to my friend.

Well, the end was near, and the numbers were getting higher and higher, closer and closer to my "number 49" or whatever it was. (if you noticed the difference in the number of people who attended and this number, it is because couples paired up for the gift exchange). I looked at the pile and there was the gift that I brought. When it was my turn to pick, the only gift left was MINE! I couldn’t believe it!

I told everyone, “This is the gift that I brought to give! I already know what it is. And I already have one of my own! I brought it because I liked it so much that I wanted someone else to have it too. But no one wants it.”

Voices from the room chanted, “Steal! Steal! Steal! You can pick from any of these great presents that are still open for the taking.” At first I refused. I thought, there is no way I am stealing from someone here. Then my friend Bill whispered in my ear, “Just take one of those gag gifts, so the other person will pick the gift you brought!”

Ah. The light bulb went off. I thought to myself: I know! I need a crappy toilet bowl brush. And my friend who has it now will love this CD! She is a Music Teacher! I know she’ll love it. Yes, a perfect plan. So, I “stole” the toilet brush and she ended up with gift that I brought. I ended up happy and so did she!

And sometimes when I reflect on this story, I think about how it sort of reminds me of God’s gift to us in Christ. God has given us His cherished Son and we rejected Him. Over and over we reject his gift. In fact, when we crucified Him, we literally sent Him back to God. God sent His gift of His Son and we said no thanks, you take Him back. But then the Lord says, here, give me your filthy rags, give me your worst, and I will give you my cherished gift. He reaches down and takes away our the hurt and junk and sin and gives us His most beloved possession, his only begotten son, Jesus Christ.

What a glorious Christmas Gift Exchange we celebrate this Advent in the birth of Christ!

The Prince of Peace (by On Pens and Needles)

2011-12-13T08:58:00.000-05:00

Cathy Congers over at the blog On Pens and Needles has written a wonderful blog on the subject of heavenly peace - because she needed to hear it and -- I most certainly did too.

She describes two kinds of stress that she came across in a recent Time Magazine article:
1) Challenge stress, which occurs when you feel like you can cope with a situation and despite its high demands, you have the resources to handle it. This is what we might call good stress.

2) Threat stress, which occurs when you feel unable to handle a situation and may even move into a fear or panic response, i.e. bad stress.

“If we can’t make the distinction between a room full of wild tigers and a conference room full of mere people,” says Time’s Alice Park, "mortal terror can consume us... If worrying gets going too long, it actually overrides the ability to problem-solve, which is what the stress response was intended for."

Wow! Can I relate to that, or what? She is describing my own recent experience to the tee.
And she offers several carefully selected scripture references from both the Old and New Testaments. This one in particular struck me this morning:
Psalm 139:23 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”

And she ends the post with the prayer from Numbers 6:24-26:
The Lord bless you And keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you
and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Thank you Mrs. Congers! I needed this today.

Calvinism Today: A SWOT Analysis

2011-12-10T22:06:00.001-05:00

Andy Naselli takes a look at Horton's latest release, For Calvinism. In his recent post (Warning to Calvinists), Naselli highlights the last chapter, entitled “Calvinism Today: A SWOT Analysis”. Interesting stuff; he writes:

"We know from daily experience that our greatest strengths can also become our greatest weaknesses.

Persistence can become stubbornness;
sympathy can devolve into sentimentality; and
genuine concern for others sometimes turns into an obsequious craving for approval.
Remarkable gifts of leadership and creativity can be used for good or ill, depending on the motivation and the goals.
The same is true of movements, since they are largely the collective activity of people like us.

It has become popular for businesses and organizations to conduct a periodical “SWOT” analysis, exploring

Strengths,
Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and
Threats.

Since acrostics appeal to “TULIP”-loving Calvinists, this kind of analysis may be a useful in-house evaluation, although I do not presume to speak for anyone other than myself. (p. 170, formatting added)

The chapter divides into two sections:

(1) Strengths and Weaknesses

Intellectual Boldness/Cold Intellectualism
Love for Truth/Factionalism
Respect for Tradition/Traditionalism

(2) Opportunities and Threats

Revived Interest in the Doctrines of Grace/Replacing the Church with a Movement
A New Interest in Sound Doctrine/A New Fundamentalism

The section “Love for Truth/Factionalism” is especially insightful. Here are some highlights:

It is possible to be selfish and human-centered even in the way we defend what we believe to be a God-centered interpretation of Scripture. We do not cherish propositions and principles, but we place our trust in Christ and embrace each other in that love that he has won for us.

I have to check my motives. Why am I so eager to convince this brother of a Reformed position?"

Read the entire post>>>

Home Burdens & Our Great Burden-Bearer

2011-11-30T15:26:00.002-05:00

From Octavius Winslow in his book The Ministry of Home (London: 1847), pages 351–352:

"Every home is an embryo kingdom, an epitomized world, of which the parent constitutes the sovereign. There are laws to be obeyed, rules to be observed, subjects to be governed, cares to be sustained, demands to be met, and “who is sufficient for all this?” is often your anxious inquiry. Who can tell what crushing burdens, what bitter sorrows, what corroding cares, what pressing demands, may exist within a single family circle, deeply veiled from every eye but God’s? . . . Your children are an anxiety. Your domestic duties a trial. Your necessities are pressing. Your whole position one of embarrassment and depression financially.

What shall you do? Do even as the Lord who loves you enjoins — “Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you.” Your Heavenly Father knows all your home-trials, for He has sent them! Jesus, though he had no home on earth, yet sympathized with the home-cares and sorrows of others, and is not a stranger, nor indifferent to yours. Bring all to Him, tell Him all, confide to Him all, trust Him in all. You have no family trial too great, and no domestic need too little, and no home-sorrow too delicate, to take to Christ. Obey the precept, “Cast your burden upon the Lord;” and He will make good the promise, ”and He shall sustain you.” O costly and blessed home-burden that brings Jesus beneath our roof! . .

Jesus is the great Burden-Bearer of His people. No other arm, and no other heart, in heaven or upon earth, were strong enough, or loving enough, to bear these burdens but His! He who bore the weight of our sin and curse and shame in His obedience and death — bore it along all the avenues of His weary pilgrimage, from Bethlehem to Calvary — is He who now stretches forth His Divine arm, and makes bare a Brother’s heart to take your burden of care and of grief, dear saint of God, upon Himself."

HT: TonyReinke

Free Audio Download: Quest For Comfort

2011-11-28T20:40:00.000-05:00

The Quest For Comfort: The Story of the Heidelberg Catechism is available for free audio download at Reformation Heritage Books. Enjoy!

Dr. Horton on Our Thanksgiving Parade

2011-11-26T11:34:00.002-05:00

Dr. Michael Horton's piece over at The White Horse Inn today is absolutely amazing! I would love to quote the entire thing here, but it is a fairly long article (worth every word!). I've copied two quick excerpts below from a couple of exceptionally strong, Biblical, and encouraging points. Read the entire article here>>> Enjoy!

Excerpt:
"the psalmist is pointing to Christ, the one who is not only a guilt offering, but actually renders at last the thank-offering: the covenantal faithfulness that humanity in Adam has failed to yield. ...
.... The old covenant sacrifices did not absolve transgressors of guilt once and for all, so their negative function (forgiveness) was temporary, and furthermore, such sacrifices could not offer to God the positive obedience (justification) that God required of his covenant partner.
In Christ, however, both types of sacrifices converge: not only is he the only qualified substitute for the guilt of sinners; he is the only one capable of rendering the life of thankful obedience in which God truly delights."

In his conclusion he writes:
"We need not wallow in our unworthiness, but join the thanksgiving parade that is already in progress, until one day we join our voices with the rest of redeemed creation. The vision of the heavenly kingdom in Revelation is a restored liturgy, with every part of creation performing its ordained role. It is a universal city without man-made walls or a man-made temple, for the Lord surrounds it in safety and the Lamb is its temple. At last, the symphony resounds throughout the empire: “Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!…Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the Lord” (Ps 148:3, 12-13). "

Fasting changed to feast

2011-11-23T12:10:00.001-05:00

"Then joined the voice of first and least
A hymn of thanks to raise,
Our day of fasting changed to feast
And prayer gave way to praise
So once in every year we throng
Upon a day apart,
To praise the Lord with feast and song
In thankfulness of heart.”

-excerpt from “The First Thanksgiving,” by Arthur Guiterman (Mr. Guiterman was most known for writing poetry that appeared in periodicals, such as, Life, the Saturday Evening Post, Harper's, and the New York Times).

A Real World Titus 2 Legacy

2011-11-19T22:49:00.003-05:00

"How mistaken the Communists were when they allowed the older women to continue worshipping together! It was they who were considered no threat to the new order, but it was they whose prayers and faithfulness over all those barren years held the church together and raised up a generation of men and young people to serve the Lord. Yes, the church we attended was crowded with these older women at the very front, for they had been the stalwart defenders and maintainers of Christ’s Gospel, but behind them and alongside them and in the balcony and outside the windows were the fruit of their faithfulness, men, women, young people, and children. We must never underestimate the place and power of our godly women. To them go the laurels in the Church in Ukraine."

Quoted from Prayers of the Bible by Susan Hunt, page 24. She was quoting Pastor Glen Knecht who had written about his experence attending church in Ukraine after the fall of communism

Prayers of the Bible - new from Susan Hunt @ Monergism

2011-11-19T10:56:00.001-05:00

Another great addition for my wish list! New from Monergism.com

Prayers of the Bible: Equipping Women to Call on God in Truth
by Susan Hunt
Prayer is our direct means of communication with God. Yet many people are unsure how to pray. Is there a specific way to do it? Any examples we can study? Just where do you go to learn about prayer? Go to the Bible; specifically, to the prayers in the Bible. Susan Hunt guides women to explore prayers from the Bible, highlighting the overarching story of redemption that shapes these biblical prayers and equips us to know God's nearness and call on Him in truth. She passionately believes that only a true woman can do this-so she lays out foundational, biblical principles of true womanhood, showing that true women are redeemed women. Prayers of the Bible is an excellent study for women's Bible study groups. Each prayer passage comes with an outline, questions to focus your thoughts, a prayer story, practical suggestions for prayer, and suggestions for personal reflection.Sample Chapters - PDF

Quest for Comfort

2011-11-06T19:36:00.001-05:00

Quest for Comfort: The Story of the Heidelberg Catechism

ht: Kevin DeYoung

Cruciform Press: Getting Back Into the Race

2011-11-04T11:01:00.000-04:00

Cruciform Press is an awesome resource that I found through Challies.com.

They provide helpful, inspiring, biblical, and gospel-focused books conveniently and affordably. Every book I've received has been short, clear, well-written, well-edited, and accessible.

If you subscribe to the service, you receive a new book on the first day of each month from a trusted source that only gives you "the good stuff". All of the books are available in print, in a variety of ebook formats, and sometimes as audiobooks. The print or ebook subcription can save a bundle of time and money. This month's ebook is Getting Back Into the Race by Joel R. Beeke. Here is an excerpt from the Introduction (pgs. 9-10):

Every Christian faces numerous discouragements in striving to follow Christ. Our knees go weak and our hands hang down when we face personal failure, when others let us down, or when providence denies our desires.

Disappointment can lead to discouragement, and discouragement may end in doubt, fear, and even despair. We feel weak and tired, emotionally and spiritually, and we are tempted to throw in the towel. Why should we persist in confessing a faith that is despised and hated in the world?

It all seems pointless and hopeless. We say with Asaph, “Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain” (Psalm 73:13).

But we must press on, firm in the confidence that we run alongside other believers, that we run a well-trodden course, and that we run with God’s inexhaustible assistance and support. J. C. Ryle (1816–1900) said, “We have a race to run,” and went on to explain that every true Christian must endure great opposition:

Without there will be fightings, within there will be fears; there will be snares to be avoided, and temptations to be resisted; there will be your own treacherous hearts, often cold and dead and dry and dull; there will be friends who will give you unscriptural advice, and relations who will even war against your soul; in short, there will be stumbling-blocks on every side, there will be occasion for all your diligence and watchfulness and godly jealousy and prayer, you will soon find that to be a real Christian is no light matter.

But the Lord does not call us to go where he has not gone before. We are called to endure what Christ endured before us, to follow the course he has already taken. Hebrews 12:1–2 says,

Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth

so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race

that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author

and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set

before him endured the cross, despising the shame,

and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

There’s the key: “looking unto Jesus.” The more we fix our eyes on the glory of the one who died and rose and now sits at God’s right hand, the more we will press on to meet him. John Bunyan (1628–1688), himself no stranger to hardship, said, “When men do come to see the things of another world, what a God, what a Christ, what a heaven, and what an eternal glory there is to be enjoyed; also, when they see that it is possible for them to have a share in it, I tell you it will make them run through thick and thin to enjoy it.”

This month's ebook, Getting Back Into the Race by Joel R. Beeke, is available for a one-time price of $5.99 or by subscription at $3.99. Subscriptions are either pre-paid or pay as you go on a monthly basis.
Even if you don't subscribe, Don't Miss Out on getting the November offer!

C.S. Lewis on Pride

2011-10-27T19:52:00.002-04:00

"As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you."

Hermeneutical Hall Passes

2011-10-26T14:33:00.003-04:00

Would the apostles pass one of our modern hermeneutical classes?
Matt Smethurst of the TGC, quoting Greg Beale, thinks we may demand too much from the original historical context in our understanding of the relationship between the allusions and quotes in both the Old and New Testaments.
His test case is Matthew 2:17-18, which is a quote from Jeremiah 31:15:

Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more."

Read the TGC blog here >>>

Download Dr. Beale's excellent original article in Themelios here>>>

Free Audio: Luther, In His Own Words

2011-10-25T11:46:00.001-04:00

Reformation Day is just around the corner!

It was October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg. Outraged by the church's practice of selling indulgences as a means of forgiveness, Luther wrote the theses in protest. He argued that forgiveness was a gift of God freely given, and the church was wrong to profit from such sales.

Word of Luther's challenge to the church quickly spread through Europe and his Ninety-Five Theses are considered to be the genesis of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that forever changed the church. October 31 is observed by many as Reformation Day, in recognition of Luther's work.

In honor of Martin Luther, christianaudio.com is pleased to offer Martin Luther: In His Own Words as a FREE audiobook download through October 31. This title is a compilation of many of Luther's most important writings, including the Ninety-Five Theses and six other works. In addition, there are other resources on sale for our enjoyment! Hope it is a blessing.

C.S. Lewis & the Four Loves Concert

2011-10-09T09:28:00.001-04:00

If you happen to be anywhere near Newark, DE, this weekend, come on by to hear a wonderful evening of vocal music as we explore through music C.S. Lewis’s book ‘The Four Loves’. Each of the pieces chosen will highlight an aspect of C.S. Lewis’s thinking as it relates to love. The audience will be engaged with the program through spoken word and world-class singing. You don’t want to miss this!

This concert of art song, musical theatre and sacred music will take place on Sunday, October 9 at 6pm.

Can there be meaning without God?

2011-10-09T09:23:00.000-04:00

Dr. William Lane Craig discusses the difference between objective meaning and subjective meaning, answering the question: "Can there be meaning without God?"

Redux: The Gospel of Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T15:12:00.002-04:00

I'm reposting a link that I referred to in my January blog post, A World Without Jobs?

The original article by Andy Crouch is about former Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, and his ability to articulate a "perfectly secular form of hope" Christianity Today ran the article again today and retitled it The Gospel of Steve Jobs.

I do pray that he found the only truth that can satisfy, after all the years of technology's empty promises. Perhaps, like the laborer who was hired at the 11th hour in the parables or the thief on the cross, Jobs met Jesus Christ in the last hours of his time with us here on earth.

Review: The World-Tilting Gospel

2011-10-04T10:16:00.006-04:00

Update: Just for today, October 4th, Amazon.com is offering the book for Free on Kindle!

The World-Tilting Gospel: Embracing a Biblical Worldview and Hanging on Tight by Dan Phillips
5/5

Introduction
Dan Phillips has written a witty, highly-readable and well-researched presentation of the Good News that turned the early church upside down and that is still guaranteed to upend today's world just the same. Recommended for all readers - from those who are new to Christianity through veteran faith warriors who want to bolster their faith and be encouraged.

About the book
Like primordial glue, the content of this book pulls together four essential Biblical truths that together answer life's most important questions: who we are, what God has done for us, how we may come to Him, and how we then live. This book is like a satisfying meal that sticks to your ribs and sends soul-lifting, truth-telling endorphins to your cranium. Totalling just over 300 pages in all, its weighty material is easily consumed in a few sittings by the average reader.

Who are we?
Following John Calvin's formula from The Institutes, Phillips begins with self-image and sets forth several examples of how holding wrong answers about who we are causes great damage in our lives. Through the examples of three specific faulty views, he show us how we need a whole-Bible view of ourselves, and not just a slice of scripture that supports our pre-conceived notions. He has creatively devised three characters that are representative of our typical false positions about man (which invariably lead to false views of God).

What has God done for us?
Phillips deftly deals with God’s overarching plan of salvation in section two by beginning with a glimpse of the holy, covenantal God who has planned our ultimate “Rescue Operation”. He then unfolds that great plan by showing how God’s rescue mission is executed by sending Jesus Christ, who conquers our enemy for us.

How do we get in?
In Section three, Dan covers what he terms the “Two Towering Truths” of how God deals with our record of sin and our sinful nature. When we are saved God deals with our “record” through the atonement, which can only take place by God's power of regeneration -- a complete reorientation of our nature and will.

How do we get going?
In part four, Phillips tackles some difficult areas of application and practical theology. I thoroughly enjoyed this section of the book, especially the sections where he deals with understanding what the scripture means by “the flesh”; how the Christian’s biggest problem isnt’ external; and the critical role of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and sanctification.

In addition, he deals with some typical gospel errors, such as: misunderstandings of grace and obedience. He illustrates three faulty views of sanctification that are prevalent today by creating corresponding caricatures: the gutless gracers (who basically see Jesus as Lord as optional), crisis upgraders (who come up with quick fixes that don’t exist), and muzzy mystics (who limply let go and Christ do the living).

This is probably a good time to mention the only thing that I would consider a possible negative about the book. While I am in agreement with the author's content and assessment of the prevalent faulty views, I am concerned that other readers who may have been persuaded by his work may instead be put off by these negative labels. "Gutless Gracers", "Crisis Upgraders", and "Muzzy Mystics" are colorful descriptions that could do as much to alienate the reader as they do to help portray particular views of sanctification. What is perhaps worse from my perspective is when Phillips actually ascribes names to the faulty views in part one of the book: Bud Goodheart, Lodo Legup, and Misty Call. Personally, I don't mind the use of this device. I'm just concerned that non-Calvinists might see the labels and names as too divisive. (Back to the rest of the review).

Chapter 14, "Culmination" is not just a conclusion, a summary, or an effort to avoiding ending the book on an unfortunate chapter number "13". His culiminating section outlines nine ramifications of the world-tilting Gospel:

God over everything,
Sin is a universal massive factor,
The world does not define its own significance,
Meaning and fulfillment cannot be found within the world,
What we see is not how God wanted it to be,
We are being restored to our intended being through Christ,
Jesus is the most important person in all history,
We have been given everything we need for godly living in Christ through the cross, and
God's provision for us in Christ allows us to live to His glory.

A lot of readers will want to jump right to the fourth part, which contains the application or "so what" portion of Phillips book. Unfortunately, many too many of us, myself included, see the doctrines of grace laid out in parts one through three as dessert or the icing on the cake, when in reality these doctrines are our sustenance. They are the engine the makes practical theology possible. Without the doctrines of grace (who we are, what God has done for us, and His plan for rescuing us), practical theology is impossible. And I am extremely grateful for Phillips' contribution in all four parts.

The World-Tilting Gospel is in my top three most worthwhile reads this year! Buy it. Read it. Share it.

Why the Church Needs Bioethics (I won!)

2011-10-01T10:45:00.002-04:00

Each Wednesday the Koinonia Blog ( hosted by Zondervan Academic and Friends) offers a free resource giveaway to readers and commenters. I've actually won a few of these already, so I highly recommend participating if you like this sort of thing. This week, they were featuring an amazing resource that I am elated to have won. It's called Why the Church Needs Bioethics, and the contributors include leading Bible and theology scholars, such as D. A. Carson and Kevin Vanhoozer; leaders in the areas of preaching, ethics, and other experts in the fields of biblical-theological studies, ministry, communication, business, law, healthcare, and bioethics.

Here is an introduction to the book by John Kilner (PhD, Harvard), the Franklin Forman Chair of Ethics, Professor of Bioethics and Contemporary Culture, and Director of Bioethics Programs at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois.

Welcome to the Christian Carnival!

2011-09-28T08:45:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the September 28th version of the Christian Carnival!
This week, in order to generate some interaction between all of the blogger participants, I am offering to give away a brand new resource called: The World-Tilting Gospel: Embracing a Biblical Worldview and Hanging on Tight by Dan Phillips. The winner of the free copy will be the blogger to visit the most websites featured on this week's Carnival - and to write an encouraging and/or insightful comment on the other bloggers' sites!! Hopefully, this will help create some online interaction and fellowship.

UPDATE: As it turns out, it seems like the majority of the blog sites are having issues with comment posting. So, what I'm going to do is have anyone who would like a chance to win the book either email me (DEBLW at YAHOO dot COM) or put a comment on this blog post. Next week, I will announce the winner of the book and send a copy by Oct. 15th. Hope this helps!

Enjoy your reading!

Apologetics
Maryann Spikes presents Peter Williams on how the Gospels get people, places and plants right posted at Ichthus77.

Deb (that would be me:) presents Which is Easier? posted at All Things New.

Dean presents My Jarrol Spot: Gracious Sovereignty posted at My Jarrol Spot

Narratives
Ched presents When Hope Screams . . . posted at Ched Spellman.

Ridge Burns presents Setting Off the Alarm posted at Ridge's Blog.

Melanie Grant presents Learning Chinese Mandarin as a Second or Third Language posted at Mel's Mouthful on Mothering.

Rebecca LuElla Miller presents Groaning posted at A Christian Worldview of Fiction.

Devotionals
loswl presents The True Meaning of Grace posted at INSPIKS.

Russ White presents Misunderstanding Judgment posted at Thinking in Christ.

Jenny Davis presents Listening posted at InFaith's Mission Blog.

Henry Neufeld presents Our Father posted at Under Christ's Archy.

Zowada presents Jesus should not be first in your life. posted at Zowada Blog.

Josh presents 20 Inspirational Bible Verses About God’s Love posted at What Christians Want To Know.

Jason Price presents Needs vs Wants: What’s the Difference? posted at One Money Design.

Richard H. Anderson presents Fatigue in keeping time posted at dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos Theophilos.

Josanne presents Is Submission In Marriage Slavery? Part 1 posted at Just Josanne.

Ashley Reid presents Be About Our Change: Living What We Preach (Troy Davis Case) posted at The Real.

Future Submissions:
Submit your blog article to the next edition of christian carnival ii using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Which is Easier?

2011-09-27T10:39:00.006-04:00

“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?” (MAR 2:9).

I love having Bible study with young people from other countries who are new to the Bible and new to Christianity. Sometimes, their questions bring out things in our discussions that shed a new insight or perspective that I’ve never thought of. And their questions always make me think deeply about what I believe and why I believe it.

As we were studying Mark’s Gospel account of Jesus forgiving the sins of the paralytic, we came to the part where Jesus says: “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?” (MAR 2:9).

One of our Asian students looked puzzled about the question and responded: “What sins could the paralytic need to be forgiven of? If he was paralyzed, maybe he didn’t have that many sins?” Another student, from an African country, added, “So, maybe it was easier to forgive his sins than to heal him?”

Now, I’ve been in several past church Bible studies with other Christian and we always seem to take for granted that it is easier to physically heal someone than to actually forgive their sins. Even the scribes and Pharisees in the text knew that! After all, they had thought to themselves, who does this guy think he is?? Only God can forgive sins (MAR 2:8).

Church people understand that only God can forgive sins. We’ve been trained, after all.

But it wasn’t until I had to walk some folks brand new to the Bible through the sinfulness of sin that I realized how much we probably all take this for granted – And how much more we are like the paralytic than we even know.

You see, a paralytic is similar to the Pharisee, in a strange sort of way. A Pharisee (in the most negative connotation that we often use) measures holiness primarily by outward adherence to rules. “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch!” If we can keep our outward circumstances in check, then we will rule out temptation to commit outwardly sinful acts. This is exactly what our international students were picking up on! The paralytic has (probably) never committed adultery, murder, theft, or serious rebellious acts.

So, observing the lame man strictly from an outward vantage point, as we humans are so prone to see other people, one might imagine that this man’s sins are not all that great. On the other hand, we know that his physical disability is very great. So, in our human nature, we are prone to think that it is more difficult to be healed physically than to be healed spiritually – that is, to be forgiven from our sins.

By the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we do come to believe and understand what Jesus taught later in the Sermon on the Mount: If we hate our brother or sister, we are guilty of murder in our hearts. If we look lustfully on another person’s spouse, we are guilty of adultery. If we covet another’s position, wealth or goods, we are guilty of theft inour hearts. And on and on it goes. If we live and breathe, we’ve committed enough sin in our thoughts alone to separate us from our Holy, Majestic, Perfect Creator for all eternity. If we understand the human heart’s wickedness, we know that no matter how good we look to the world, we are always in desperate need of a Savior who can forgive our sins!

Make no mistake, the most difficult thing that Jesus did while he was incarnate and dwelled among us was to pay the penalty for our sins by suffering a cruel death on the cross, enduring the Father’s wrath for every sin of ours – past, present, and future. Being separated from his Heavenly Father as he became sin for us caused Jesus to cry out: “My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me?” Yes, by His Wounds We are Healed! But the hands-down most significant healing he gives us is the healing of our souls, by the forgiveness of our sins.

One day. One day, dear brother, dear sister in Christ. We who have received the forgiveness of our sins by faith in Christ, one day will have perfect bodies! Fully healed bodies – without any more pain or disease or suffering! This, Jesus promises us!! And today we can pray for the consummation of his healing in our physical bodies, and we praise the doctors who are able to fix us temporarily. Even unbelievers can be healed supernaturally or by medical doctors in this temporal life that we live, and so we can pray for them. But only by faith in Christ are we forgiven our sins.

One day, these mortal bodies of ours will pass away (unless we are alive at the resurrection). But then, the worst thing that we can imagine happening to us in this life as a result of the decay of sin, our physical deaths, will usher us into the absolute best thing that we have been given in Christ – Our eternal communion with Him!! The forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ IS the gift of eternal life.

So, now we ask again with Jesus, “Which is easier?”
I hope the "textbook answer" has a greater meaning to you after reading this explanation. It has to me!

Application to those of us in the church:
After we fill our prayer lists with all of the abundant physical needs that God has laid on our hearts to pray for -- the great needs which we see around us everywhere -- let us also ask by God’s mercy for whom do need to pray that Jesus will forgive their sins? And let us confess our own sins to one another, so that we may repent and be set free, and so that we can encourage one another.

Let us go to any lengths (as the paralytic's friends did by digging a hole in the roof and lowering him down in front of Christ) to bring all of these to the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ that they and we may hear His Word and receive His forgiveness of sins. To the glory of our holy God!

Polemics as medicine, not food

2011-09-25T20:24:00.001-04:00

Excerpt from Tim Keller's blog on the topic of Polemics:

"Polemics is medicine, not food. Without medicine we will surely die—we can’t live without it. This is why polemical theology must be a required part of every theological curriculum. Yet we cannot live on medicine. If you engage in polemics with relish and joy—if polemics takes up a significant percentage or even a majority of your time and energy—it is like trying to live on medicine alone. It won’t work for the church or for you."

Read the entire post here>>>

A couple of interesting things this quote brought to mind:
- Medicine can be addicting - so can engaging in polemics all the time
- Medicine heals and restores - so the goal of polemics is not to defeat and demoralize, but to restore and heal each other.

That's some pretty good medicine!

Christ, the Church, Fidelity & Pat Robertson

2011-09-16T13:12:00.000-04:00

Russell Moore writes" "Christ, the Church, and Pat Robertson"

Here is his conclusion (but don't miss the entire article, here>>>):

"Jesus tells us he is present in the weak, the vulnerable, the useless. He is there in the least of these (Matt. 25:31-46). Somewhere out there right now, a man is wiping the drool from an 85 year-old woman who flinches because she think he’s a stranger. No television cameras are around. No politicians are seeking a meeting with them.

"But the gospel is there. Jesus is there."

Amen and Amen!!! (ht:challies.com)

Five Books Every Christian Should Read

2011-09-16T09:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Michael Horton shared his list of The Five Books that Every Christian Should Read:

1. Athanasius, On the Incarnation
2. Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians
3. John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion (Which isn’t as hard as the title sounds!)
4. The Heidelberg Catechism
5. R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God

I've read #2, #3, and #5 completely. Most of #4. And none of #1. Since I'm Presbyterian, I'm more a WCF person than a Heidleberg Catechism person. However, since I lived in Heidelberg for a year -- and since Dr. Horton is recommending it, I suppose I will at both it and Athanasius, On the Incarnation, to my WishList.

Great ideas! HT:White Horse Inn Blog

It is Truth! (ee-taow!)

2011-09-12T12:13:00.001-04:00

An incredible story of an older couple with children who were called to bring the Gospel message to a tribe of people in New Guinea. The video is about 20 minutes long. Enjoy!

EE-TAOW (The Mouk Story) from oliver wong on Vimeo.

The Gospel at Ground Zero

2011-09-11T16:30:00.001-04:00

The Gospel at Ground Zero | by Russell Moore at Christianity Today

Here is a short, but great excerpt:

"In the word of the Cross, God tells us he knows all our traumas, our insurgencies, our secrets -- and that he has already executed them at Golgotha. We need not fear hell, not because there isn't one, but because -- if we are found in Christ -- we have already been through all of that. We are free. And whenever our consciences accuse, the gospel takes us away from denial or preoccupation and right back to Ground Zero -- the the Cross."

Eight Objections to Being a Missionary

2011-09-11T08:13:00.000-04:00

Brother Eugene, a missionary to China, posted an article that answers the Eight Most Common Objections that People Have to Becoming a Missionary. The original article is by John Piper, but you can read the latest post here>>>.

Sola Scripture - Free PDF Giveaway

2011-09-10T10:39:00.004-04:00

If anyone would like a free copy of Sola Scripture on PDF, email me or let me know in the comments.

Update: the free pdf has been claimed (I received three emails -- and no comnents, in total).

Sola Scripture is published by Reformation Heritage Books and the contributing authors are:

Dr. W. Robert Godfrey is president of Westminster Seminary California in Escondido, California, and professor of church history there.

Dr. James White is the director of Alpha & Omega Ministries, a Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a professor, having taught Greek, systematic theology, and various topics in the field of apologetics.

Dr. R. C. Sproul is founder, chairman, and president of Ligonier Ministries of Lake Mary, Florida, and minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Florida.

Dr. Derek W. H. Thomas, a native of Wales, is a professor of systematic and practical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, and minister of teaching at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson.

Dr. John MacArthur is pastor/teacher at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. Dr. MacArthur also serves as president of the Master’s College and Seminary in Southern California.

Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson is senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina, and professor of systematic theology at Redeemer Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Joel R. Beeke is a pastor of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation; president of and professor of systematic theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; editor of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth magazine; editorial director for Reformation Heritage Books; president of Inheritance Publishers; and vice president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society, all in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Rev. Ray B. Lanning is pastor of the First Reformed Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ordained to the ministry in 1977, he has served Presbyterian and Reformed churches in various parts of the United States and Canada.

"We are not little Adams"

2011-09-08T13:12:00.001-04:00

"The first Adam failed terribly, but God sent a second and last Adam into the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 3 tells the main points of this wonderful biblical story. Christ the last Adam not only took upon himself the penalty of the first Adam’s sin, but also took upon himself the responsibility of fulfilling Adam’s original task. Christ offered perfect obedience in this world to his Father, and was exalted to his right hand as a result. The Lord Jesus, as a human being—as the last Adam—has attained the original goal held out for Adam: a glorified life ruling the world-to-come. Because Jesus has fulfilled the first Adam’s commission, those who belong to Christ by faith are no longer given that commission. Christians already possess eternal life and claim an everlasting inheritance. God does not call them to engage in cultural labors so as to earn their place in the world-to-come. We are not little Adams. Instead, God gives us a share in the world-to-come as a gift of free grace in Christ and then calls us to live obediently in this world as a grateful response. Our cultural activities do not in any sense usher in the new creation. The new creation has been earned and attained once and for all by Christ, the last Adam. Cultural activity remains important for Christians, but it will come to an abrupt end, along with this present world as a whole, when Christ returns and cataclysmically ushers in the new heaven and new earth."

VanDrunen, David (2010). Living in God's Two Kingdoms (p. 28). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Thanks to Challies.com announcing the great Kindle deal (just $3) on VanDrunen's book, I have the pleasure of reading this gem of a book this week. The quote above was taken from the introduction and seemed to capture the essence of why I'm excited about reading it.

The Critical Question for Every Generation

2011-08-23T20:48:00.000-04:00

John Piper:

The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—is this:
If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?
And the question for Christian leaders is: Do we preach and teach and lead in such a way that people are prepared to hear that question and answer with a resounding No?

ht: JT

The Just and the Justifier

2011-08-18T20:27:00.009-04:00

Over a half-century ago, Donald Grey Barnhouse, pastor of Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church at the time, asked his congregation, "What would things look like if Satan actually took over a city?" The first slides in our imaginative Power Point presentation would probably depict mayhem on a massive scale: Widespread violence, deviant s3xua1ities, p0rn0graphy in every vending machine, churches closed down and worshipers being dragged off to City Hall. As Barnhouse gave his sermon to a CBS radio audience, he had a different picture of what it would look like if Satan took control of a town in America. He said that all of the bars and pool halls would be closed, pornography banished, pristine streets and sidewalks would be occupied by tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The kids would politely answer “Yes, sir,” “No, ma’am,” and the churches would all be full on Sunday … where Christ is not preached.” (ref: Christless Christianity).

Since Satan desires to keep the Gospel of Jesus Christ from being made known, it is not uncommon for him to do so often by substituting other things for Christ. Like an illusory veil of moralism that hides our need for the Savior. He does both inside and outside the church.

Andree Seu recently quipped at the WorldMag blog:

"There is a woman on my street who is loving, gentle, thoughtful, caring, joyful, and redolent of a deep inner peace. She has that beauty that comes from the inside and radiates outward. I see her on her porch early in the morning having coffee and earnest conversation with her husband. They walk down the street at a leisurely pace, hand-in-hand, and she points out flowers to him, and he listens.
"And she is not a Christian...
"I am not like my neighbor. I am not so loving, so kind, so gentle, so peaceful, and do not have a close relationship with my daughter. My neighbor is all the things I want to be.
"And I am a Christian."

Such observations remind me that I am being renewed from what I once was to what God is making me. It does no good to compare our own progress with others, because that will either lead us to pride (Lord, thank you that by your grace I am not a sinner like “that” man or woman over there”) or to despair (Lord, I will never be as holy and effective for the kingdom as Paul was. Or as kind and gentle and forgiving as so and so).

In our walk with God, we must not fix our gaze on ourselves. Rather, we acknowledge with the hymnist that nothing in our hands we bring, simply to Christ’s cross we cling.

We rely upon the Holy Spirit to convict us not only our lack of outward obedience, but also of the heart’s sin stained motives even for the apparent "good" that we do. It is easy, afterall, to work one’s self up even by a host of potential worldly motivations in order to accomplish deeds that appear outwardly good. Of course, this is exactly the type of moralism that Satan uses keep people from understanding their true need for and utter reliance upon Jesus Christ.

Your neighbor and mine, though neither may be Christian, were created in the image of God and have an understanding of the law. Paul explains how this works in Romans 2:14-16:

“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”

Fast forward to Romans 3, and I think Paul explains why things often appear as they do and he provides the perfect evangelistic response in case someone voices this as an objection to the Christian faith:

21 "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 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. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.** (emphasis mine)

Blessings.

Post-Secular Amsterdam?

2011-08-15T09:05:00.000-04:00

The Weekly Standard recently featured a fascinating article, "Holland's Post-Secular Future". The writer details a host of trends seen coming from what is seen as a country destined to become the fully secularized bastion of atheism and immorality.

CCEF on CS Lewis & Four Loves

2011-08-14T00:28:00.000-04:00

David Powlison gives a brief summary on the usefulness of C.S. Lewis's writings on The Four Loves. This is part of a series on secondary resources for counseling.

Dr. David Powlison - On C.S. Lewis and The Four Loves from CCEF on Vimeo.

Four Themes in London's Looting

2011-08-12T13:19:00.001-04:00

Mike Ovey of Oak Hill College writes in Looters: Them or Us? about four themes that can help Christians learn and respond to the recent widespread Looting in London events.

First, we must recall what the Bible teaches about wealth.
The second theme is to understand the evilness of envy.
The third theme is about civil disobedience.
The fourth theme is the great biblical theme running throughout the Bible: sin doesn't work.

He makes some awesome observations, applications and scripture references that elaborate on his themes. Check it out>>>

ht: challies.com

Law of Love AND Love of Law

2011-08-12T13:05:00.000-04:00

Kevin DeYoung's post entitled The Law of Love and the Love of Law discusses how we can tread the correct path when it comes to love and the law. Love and the Law are not two mutually exclusive, either or propositions. The law cannot save us, but it is useful and necessary for both the unbeliever and believer alike. In his article, DeYoung quotes The Lutheran Formula of Concord, which says:

“We believe, teach, and confess that the preaching of the Law is to be urged with diligence, not only upon the unbelieving and impenitent, but also upon true believers, who are truly converted, regenerate, and justified by faith” (Epitome 6.2).

One point that I especially thought I'd highlight is when he writes, “'love' is a command of the law (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:36-40). If you enjoin people to love, you are giving them law. Conversely, if you tell them law doesn’t matter, then neither does love, which is the summary of the law."
Read the whole piece here>>>

When What We are Against Defines Us

2011-08-10T11:22:00.001-04:00

Byron Yawn has posted an excellent article on the Danger of Defining Ourselves by What We Are Against.

Here is his top 10 (very convicting!) which I've copied and pasted here for reference:

1. You’ll forget to talk about what’s good… especially about Jesus. The majority of Jesus’ discourses did not include “woes.” Paul wrote Colossians and Ephesians 1:3-13 from the same prison cell. Pointing out error is only part of the job of disclosing truth. At some point, after we wrestle the opponents to the ground, we must get around to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and his person. It’s okay to come off positive about Jesus. It’s acceptable – from time to time – to have no agenda other than loving Jesus and drawing attention to him. We are stewards of a mystery just as much as we are defenders of it.

2. You’ll begin to take yourself too seriously. You can easily lose sight of the necessary difference between your opinions about the truth and the truth. The truth stands outside of us and will survive without us and our laser beam defenses. The primary unintended consequence of taking yourself too seriously is a noble sounding arrogance. “Hey man I was only speaking the truth.” The truth should foster humility not swagger. What do we have that was not given to us? Besides, as far as messengers go, we are completely dispensable and easily replaceable. Lighten up. You’ll live longer.

3. You’ll begin to preach the same sermon from every passage. You will become the angry prophet. The cadence of all your sermons will march out to set fire to the straw man of the week. We so often seem to end up preaching about preaching rather than actually preaching. This is my favorite manifestation of this attitude. We rail against the absence of expository preaching while butchering passages that have nothing to do with the need for expository preaching.

4. You’ll foster mean people. You will attract people with gnarled and rancorous dispositions. Brawlers. Sword drawn zealots ready to throw themselves on an edge over the smallest disagreement. Often, it’s not us but those who come behind us and take our opinions to the next level who do the most damage. Note: they will one day come calling for you. You will be the last victim of your own edge.

5. You’ll eventually assemble an audience of self-congratulatory clones. Ironically, despite the emphasis on discernment in your ministry, the people under your ministry will become undiscerning as they depend on your pontifications rather than thinking for themselves. Everything you say and write will be hailed as brave and brilliant. “Great point Byron. Let em have it!” Each of your sermons will be delivered directly to the choir. Their main (and your most preferred) compliment will be your capacity for “telling it like it is.” There will be no constructive conversation. Only monologue. Your theological entourage will be rubber stamps. Don’t be encouraged when you gather a following. There’s no shortage of the angry fringe element looking to get a sip of your Kool-Aid.

6. You’ll take all correction personally and as an unpardonable offense against “God’s man.” Any disagreement with your position will be received as an offense. Any critic will be labeled as unfaithful. Any critique of your view will only go to verify the obstinate blindness of your opponent. All your defenses will come down to a small-minded ad hominem. People will eventually stop trying to talk with you. You will consider this a victory. You will become a self-fulfilling prophecy of a self-inflicted martyrdom.

7. You’ll make a terrible shepherd. “Angry prophets” never make good pastors. They’re snipers not shepherds. Your impatience for inconsistency will eventually come out in those given to your care. It’s ministry according to Darth Vader. The distance between a confrontation of a brother’s sin and room for change will become increasingly short. You’ll lose all sense of grace. You’ll forget your own sin. You’ll lose sight of how much patience Christ has with your misrepresentation of his character. You’ll eventually begin to think love is weakness if it means walking beside people who struggle to change.

8. You’ll become the type of person you warn others about. You’ll eventually become the type of person you could easily preach against. A small-minded, self-taught, belligerent purveyor of doom trying to make a name for themselves. Discernment will be the least of your qualities.

9. You’ll thrive on controversy. If it isn’t negative, you won’t have much to say. You will end up having to out do yourself in the “shock value” department every week. You will be able to make a sermon on “God is love” sound like a funeral dirge. It will get old. You will get old. You’ll become petty, lacking substance in your observations as you spend your intellectual rounds time picking off easy targets. You’ll become a master of the obvious.

10. People will stop listening. The “flavor of the week” will begin to apply. They have heard it all before so why listen at all. It’s all the same message, “Pull Pin. Throw Grenade. Wait for Shrapnel.”

Brothers, Birthright and The Good News

2011-08-09T11:24:00.001-04:00

I love studying apologetics; however, when I get into discussions with other Christians about apologetic topics, our conversations often breakdown along the lines of intended outcomes. In the strictest sense, an apologetic argument is measured on its ability to defend one's original position (or presupposition) and defeat one's opponent. While I also generally approach apologetics this way, rather than defeat the opponent (or their position), I prefer an approach that would be more akin to 'converting' a fellow image bearer. So, a distinctive approach for me is that I try to leave room for an open door to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Theologians who "do apologetics" tend to view this more as evangelism than actual apologetics. However, I think they go together.

The other day is a case in point. A young Chinese college student was in our small group asking what seemed to be sincere questions about the fairness of God's justice against sin and the idea that He "choses" some to be saved, while condemning others. This is a common objection that comes up in formal debate, just as much as it does in conversations with skeptical unbelievers.

In order to make her case, she gave an illustration of two brothers who both steal from their father and are caught. How is it "fair" that the father choses to forgive one brother and yet still punishes the other? How is it fair or just that both are guilty but one is allowed to go free without punishment?

Of course, the standard theologically trained apologetic approach is to rightly quote Romans 9:13-15 which says,
¹³ Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
¹⁴ What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Clearly, this answer is a slam dunk. Two brothers. Both wretched sinners. One is the chosen heir of God's promises, the other rejected and turned away. Both deserved wrath, but God is merciful to whom He wishes to be merciful and is perfectly just to do so. And if we end the discussion there, we plainly declare in unspoken terms: "See, we win. We're right and you (unsaved, unchurched, untrained, skeptical, young woman from a foreign, secular, atheist upbringing) are just wrong."

Having been much like the young girl who asked this question myself at one time, I also like to take "the book answer" further toward a trajectory of how such questions are answered in Jesus Christ himself.
The girl's presupposition is that both disobedient brothers deserve equal punishment -- the father's wrath for what they have done to him. That is a perfectly true presupposition. I believe we should acknowledge this with her, so as
1 - not to give the impression that we are saying that God is unjust, and
2 - to carefully be sure that she does not view Christianity as promoting antinomianism (rejection of the holiness of God's law and His character).
By recognizing that law-breaking deserves punishment and wrath, she is demonstrating a strong sense of justice and understanding a vital foundation (the bad news) for laying out the truth of the Gospel (the good news).

Where she goes wrong, however, is in thinking that both crimes are not equally punished -- that the crime committed by the brother who receives mercy goes unpunished.

So, here this is the point in which I introduce Jesus Christ. I ask her to consider that there are not merely two brothers, but in fact three brothers. The two who sin greviously and both deserve punishment. Now, the third brother is the true elder brother (thank you Tim Keller, Prodigal God). Jesus is the third brother who has not sinned or done any wrong. He doesn't deserve punishment. He has lived in perfect obedience to His father. He is the true heir and the brother with the entact birthright. Yet, he loves his true younger brother Jacob so much that he steps in and says, I will take his punishment for him.

Thus, the forgiven brother has his sin paid for by Jesus on the cross -- and he is also made co-heir with Christ in the father's kingdom. In the same way, when we we are forgiven by trusting in Christ's death on the cross for our sin against our Heavenly Father, we are made co-heirs with our elder brother Christ in His kingdom.

Not sure what kind of impact it made, but she seemed to be thinking pretty hard about it. Now, we pray.

Tears of the Saints

2011-08-05T13:15:00.000-04:00

Powerful video here that starts off with a little narration from John Piper:

ht:challies.com

Difficulties and Rewards of Friendship

2011-08-02T19:25:00.001-04:00

Noel Piper recently wrote candidly about her adventure into asking for friendship with some women in her local church >> here>>. She attributes her difficulty with the fact that she is an introvert, but I wonder whether it is a common struggle among women to find friendship and fellowship with other women? I hear about it so often that I think it may be a rather common struggle for all of us. If so, then that fact provides a great incentive for being all the more diligent in seeking out friendship and fellowship among our peers. Something I desire to be much more proactive about. And thus I pray.

Temptation Starts with Distorted Identity

2011-08-01T10:44:00.004-04:00

"Who am I?" Perhaps the quintessential question of human existance for all of us. Dr. Russell Moore's awesome new book called, "Tempted and Tried: Temptation and Triumph of Jesus" helps dissect the human experience of temptation by showing how the question of human identity is really the starting point of our downfall into sin. Here is an excerpt from Chapter Two, in which he writes:

“Temptation – for the entire human race, for the people of Israel, and for each of us personally – starts with a question of identity, moves to a confusion of the desires, and ultimately heads to a contest of futures. In short, there’s a reason you want what you don’t want. Temptation is embryonic, personality specific, and purpose directed.
Something is afoot out there that’s deeper and older and scarier than we can contemplate. The Christian Scriptures propose an answer to the question, What’s wrong with me? Before you wrestle with the temptation in your own life, you’ll need to see the horror of what it really is, as well as the glory of how Jesus triumphs over it. Jesus walked through the cycle of temptation for us, and does so with us. Like “a lamb that is led to the slaughter” (Isa. 53:7), he walked out into the wilderness and onto the stairway to hell.
WHO ARE YOU?
The first step in the cycle of temptation is the question of our identity. James told the poor and the beaten down to “boast in his exaltation” and told the prosperous and the up-and-coming to glory “in his humiliation” (James 1:9-10). Why? James understood that temptation begins with an illusion about the self – skewed vision of who you are. The satanic powers don’t care if you illusion is one of personal grandiosity or of self-loathing, as long as you see your current circumstance, rather than the gospel, as the eternal statement of who you are. If the poor sees his poverty as making it impossible for him to have dignity, he is fallen. If the rich sees his wealth as a denial that “like a flower of the grass he will pass away,” even “in the midst of his pursuits” (James 1:10-11), then he is undone.
Temptation has always started here, from the very beginning of the cosmic story. When the Bible reveals the ancestral fall of the human race, it opens with a question of identity. The woman in the Genesis narrative was approached by a mysterious serpent, a “beast of the field” that was “more crafty” than any of the others (Gen. 3:1). And that’s just the point. The woman, Eve, and her husband were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). They were living signs of God’s dominion over everything except God and one another. This dominion was exhaustive, right down to “every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Gen. 1:26).
But here she was being interrogated by a “beast of the field” that questioned God’s commands and prerogatives. Without even a word, the serpent led the woman to act as though he had dominion over her instead of the other way around. He persuaded her to see herself as an animal instead of as what she had been told she was – the image-bearing queen, a principality and power over the beasts.
At the same time the serpent was treating his queen as a fellow animal, he also subtly led her to see herself as more than an empress – (as god)… The serpent walked the woman along to where she could see herself as if she were the ultimate cosmic judge, free from the scrutiny of her Creator’s holiness. At the very beginning of the human story was a question: Who are you?" (Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Jesus, Crossway 20011, pages 28-29.)

The book just keeps getting better from there. So far, it has exceeded my expectations and I'm thrilled that other bloggers have been recommending it, otherwise, I may have missed out entirely.

Two things that I really loved about the excerpt above: 1) Learning that a distortion of our identity precedes our distorted desires and lusts taking root in the heart. 2) Reading his exposition of the creation/fall account which focuses on Eve's identitity as an image bearer. Typically in conservative Christian circles, our main focus is on Eve's identity as wife, but here Dr. Moore shows us why her core identity is much more essential, eternal, and evangelistic than her peripheral identity. The entire book is full of insights that are at least this good, for which I am extremely grateful.

(as a side note: Today's RZIM Devotional, "Peripheral Identities", discusses a similar idea from the perspective of Ruth and Naomi. I thought it was worth sharing.)

Evangelism: Past, Present, Future via John Stott

2011-07-28T09:58:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, John Stott died and went home to be with the Lord. He has been called an architect of 20th-century evangelicalism. His influence on the evangelical church's mission and beliefs was far reaching. In 2006, CT senior writer Tim Stafford interviewed him at his home in London specifically on the topic of evangelism - a topic near and dear to my heart.

Here are the first two questions and answers where he lays the foundation that links evangelicalism and evangelism:

CT: As you see it, what is evangelicalism, and why does it matter?

Stott: An evangelical is a plain, ordinary Christian. We stand in the mainstream of historic, orthodox, biblical Christianity. So we can recite the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed without crossing our fingers. We believe in God the Father and in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit.

Having said that, there are two particular things we like to emphasize: the concern for authority on the one hand and salvation on the other.

For evangelical people, our authority is the God who has spoken supremely in Jesus Christ. And that is equally true of redemption or salvation. God has acted in and through Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners.

I think it's necessary for evangelicals to add that what God has said in Christ and in the biblical witness to Christ, and what God has done in and through Christ, are both, to use the Greek word, hapax—meaning once and for all. There is a finality about God's word in Christ, and there is a finality about God's work in Christ. To imagine that we could add a word to his word, or add a work to his work, is extremely derogatory to the unique glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

CT: You didn't mention the Bible, which would surprise some people.

Stott: I did, actually, but you didn't notice it. I said Christ and the biblical witness to Christ. But the really distinctive emphasis is on Christ. I want to shift conviction from a book, if you like, to a person. As Jesus himself said, the Scriptures bear witness to me. Their main function is to witness to Christ.

That statement resonated with me wholeheartedly and is something that often gets ignored on both sides of debate. Liberals tend to eschew strong Biblical teaching, supposedly in favor of "reaching" people for Christ, when the Bible clearly shows that we should be reaching people WITH Christ (ie, the Scriptures). Many conservatives overly emphasize the imperatives found in the Scriptures - things that we need to do, do, do, but forget the the purpose of the Scriptures is not primarily prescriptive, but rather a revelation of WHO GOD IS and what He has done in Christ. The unfolding of scripture moves from types and shadows to fulfillment.1 Cor. 13:12 says, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." Until then, His grace is sufficient and His revealed Word will continue to point us to Him.

The whole interview is a worthwhile read (esp. on the topic of evangelism) >>>

Love Never Fails (Catching up on Podcasts)

2011-07-20T10:37:00.000-04:00

So, yesterday I started catching up on listening to the podcasts to which I subscribe and somehow an "Oldie but a Goodie" made it into the cue. I'm really not sure how exactly it came up in my IPod, but the second podcast that came up was this amazingly relevant and appropriate sermon by Dr. Philip Ryken, formerly of 10th Pres in Philadelphia. He gave the message in 2009, when he was still the pastor there.

I will probably listen to it two or three times this week -- it's just that good!

Here's a link to Sermon Audio where you can listen to him>>>
The two key scripture verses are: 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 and Romans 8:30-39.

"Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away” —1 Corinthians 13:8 (from 1 Corinthians 13:8–10; with Romans 8:30–39 ESV).

Enjoy.

Beholding is Becoming

2011-07-18T10:32:00.002-04:00

This awesome article written by John Piper to "An Incomplete, Insecure Teenager" applies to my life just as much as it does to any high school teen. It is a "must read" for anyone who is interested. I could quote the entire letter as a favorite quote, but here is one great excerpt:

"The most important text on my emergent frogishness became 2 Corinthians 3:18 —
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.

This was one of the greatest secrets I ever discovered: Beholding is becoming.

Introspection must give way to amazement at glory. When it does, becoming happens. If there is any key to maturity it is that. Behold your God in Jesus Christ. Then you will make progress from tadpole to frog. That was a great discovery."

Read the entire letter here>>>

Free E-Books at Monergism

2011-07-18T09:47:00.001-04:00

Monergism Books is currently offering several e-books for free.

Some of the titles I'm looking forward to checking out include:

God's Canon - New! - by Steve Hays
Available in Kindle .mobi and ePub formats
Traditionally, the case for the Protestant canon has emphasized external lines of evidence (e.g. Josephus, church fathers), as well as the witness of the Spirit. And that remains a valid line of evidence.

More recently, however, many scholars have been giving close attention to the intertextuality of Scripture as well as the paratextuality of the canon. That's a neglected line of internal evidence for the canon of Scripture. And it dovetails with the self-witness of Scripture.

The chapters in this book emphasize the self-attestation of Scripture to the canon of Scripture via intratextual, intertextual, and paratextual lines of evidence. The Bible is far more self-contained and self-referential than first meets the eye.

To the degree that the canon of Scripture is grounded in the self-witness of Scripture, we have not only a canon of infallible books, but an infallible canon–where one infallible book implicitly bears witness to another (or other) infallible book(s), through a tapestry of allusions, foreshadowings, and other types of cross-attestation.

A Treatise on Grace
by Jonathan Edwards
Available in Kindle .mobi and ePub formats

Chapter I: [Shewing] That Common and Saving Grace Differ, Not Only in Degree, But in Nature and Kind.
Chapter II: Shewing Wherein All Saving Grace Does Summarily Consist.
Chapter III: Shewing How a Principle of Grace is From the Spirit of God.

All of Grace
by C. H. Spurgeon

Available in Kindle .mobi and ePub formats
Here is my fountain, and here is my cup: find fault if you please; but do drink of the water of life. I only care for this. I had rather bless the soul of the poorest crossing- sweeper, or rag-gatherer, than please a prince of the blood, and fail to convert him to God.

The Reformed Faith
by Loraine Boettner
Available in ePub and Kindle .Mobi formats.
This clear introduction to Reformed theology offers a brief outline and exposition of the main teachings related to God’s sovereignty in salvation.

The purpose of this booklet is to set forth, in plain language and in terms easily understood, the basic differences between the Calvinistic and the Arminian system to theology, and to show what the Bible teaches concerning these subjects.

Consider Jesus: Thoughts for Daily Duty, Service, and Suffering
by Octavius Winslow
a 31-Day Devotional
Available in ePub and Kindle .Mobi formats.
"Consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess."
–Hebrews 3:1

Regeneration Or the New Birth
by A.W. Pink
Available here in both Kindle .mobi and ePub formats.
"... to mortify the lusts of the flesh, to be crucified unto the world, to overcome the Devil, to die daily unto sin and live unto righteousness, to be meek and lowly in heart, trustful and obedient, pious and patient, faithful and uncompromising, loving and gentle; in a word, to be a Christian, to be Christ-like, is a task far, far beyond the poor resources of fallen human nature."

Saving Faith
by A. W. Pink

Available here in both Kindle .mobi and ePub formats.
Saving faith is a genuine coming to Christ (Matt. 11:28;John 6:37, etc.). But let us take care that we do not miss the clear and inevitable implication of this term. If I say "I come to the U.S.A." then I necessarily indicate that I left some other country to get here. Thus it is in "coming" to Christ; something has to be left. Coming to Christ not only involves the abandoning of every false object of confidence, it also includes and entails the forsaking of all other competitors for my heart.

Alive or Dead?
by J. C. Ryle
Available here in both Kindle .mobi and ePub formats.

"And He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins." Ephesians 2:1

The question which forms the title of this paper deserves a thousand thoughts. I invite every reader of this volume to look at it carefully, and ponder it well. Search your own heart, and do not lay down this book without solemn self-inquiry. Are you among the living, or among the dead?

Defending the Faith
Cornelius Van Til
Available in Kindle .mobi and ePub formats
A six-part series on which appeared in Torch and Trumpet in 1951 and 1952. In this series of articles our concern will be to discover some of the main features of one of the Reformed approaches in Christian Apologetics.

Anti - Pelagian Writings
by St. Augustine
Available in Kindle .mobi and ePub formats
Preface by B. B. Warfield. Includes among other writings, "On the Spirit and the Letter", "On Nature and Grace", " On the Proceedings of Pelagius", "On the Grace of Christ and Original Sin" , "Of Grace and Free Will". "On Rebuke and Grace". "On the Predestination of the Saints", "On the Gift of Perseverance"
"The grace offered by the Lord is not merely one which every individual has full liberty of choosing to receive or reject, but a grace which produces in the heart both choice and will: so that all the good works which follow after are its fruit and effect; the only will which yields obedience being the will which grace itself has made." - Augustine

Joined Together in Christ's Body

2011-07-17T15:12:00.004-04:00

Today I became a new church member of an established local PCA congregation.

One thing I know for sure is that satan sure doesn't want God's people to join up in an official capacity with a local congregaton of Christ's Church.

For the past several days, I have been assaulted relentlessly with thoughts of condemnation, self pity, rejection, defeat, apathy, hatred, and all kinds of other unGodly inward dialogue. And it has grown worse each day.

As I sat in the worship service, reading the bulletin, I noticed that the new members were going to be received right before the offering, which comes before a second hymn and the sermon. "Oh, no!", thought I. Either at the very beginning -- before the confession and repentence and assurance stuff (which I knew was going to tear me up today, given the trajectory of my thought life over the past several days) or after the sermon which was on Psalm 142. But, please, not in between!!

Just as I suspected, I looked like a complete fool up there. As I stood in front of about 350 people, I had blood red eyes, tears rolling down my cheeks, and such a downcast countenance that Psalm 42 could have been a personal request for today's message.

Again, God is omniscient and knew that Psalm 142 was exactly the sermon that I needed to hear. It is encouraging when so often the weekly sermon is perfectly timed and tailored just for me! God really is gracious and awesome that way.

But, really? Psalm 142/42, right there in front of 350 people? Not cool, God (but very Holy and Wise and Gracious). God never said He would always make us look cool, right? Embarrassed, sometimes, yes, apparently. Humbled, definitely. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians Chapter 4:

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

We must reject any lie from hell, satan, and our old nature that sets itself up against the idea that we should not belong to the body of Christ. There is no other place for broken hearted sinners than in the community of blood-bought believers. There is no other place for people who are called to take up their crosses daily and follow Jesus.

Just as we suffer in these mortal bodies while we are here, Christ suffered in every way we do, so that He now intercedes on our behalf. As we are joined together in His Body, we endure these present sufferings in His strength and we strengthen one another along the way. For His Church, He suffered an eternity in hell on the cross, so that we will not have to endure the eternal suffering that we deserve. We are joined together in the suffering of the here and now, and we are joined together in our future hope of the resurrection together that we have in Him. We were not meant to take this journey alone.
As Paul would write to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 4:

¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Thank you for indulging me as I "Talk to Myself" (ht:challies.com)

Casey Anthony & Where I am

2011-07-17T14:02:00.001-04:00

R.C. Sproul, Jr, has a great article at Ligonier with some answers to questions about what we can make of the Casey Anthony decision. Here is an excerpt:

"It is not a mistake that we are called to love our neighbor. Empathetic feelings about a tragedy far, far away, whether it be a little girl’s death, or an earthquake in Japan, can’t run that deep, given that we aren’t in the least jolted to see the coverage we are watching be interrupted by a pitch to switch which brand of dish soap we use. It is faux empathy, faux compassion, just enough to persuade us that in feeling bad we have actually done something.
"Real empathy requires real relationships with real people, with real neighbors. Were we invested in those closest to us, our families, our neighbors, our pew neighbors we would live real lives."

Read the whole article here >>>

Where this hits home for me is in my quest to serve God for His glory and His kingdom. So often, I feel such a deep empathy for people on the fringe -- folks that don't fit in to the immediate community: the alien, the widow, the fatherless, the elderly, the unchurched, and so forth. I actively give and seek out opportunities to be involved in the lives of these people in order to make friendships and share Christ. Yet, in God's infinite wisdom (or should I say sarcasm and irony??), He has given me neighbors, roommates, coworkers, and even family members who all fall into these same categories. God has brought my mission field home to me (as He probably is doing with most Americans these days).

How do I serve my own neighbors in the immediate context and vocations in which God has already placed me?? Certainly, if my daily obedience and effectiveness are to be of any measure or confirmation of my supposed calling or vocation to such a mission, I am sadly misguided.

Sometimes, when I am reminded that Jesus himself said, "A prophet has no honor in his hometown" (John 4:44), I feel like I might be making excuses and trying to "get myself off the hook". But certainly there is truth in the Word of God! I more often than not beat myself up for not loving the people close to me very well or not being gracious enough in sharing God's Word. It is good to be sensitive to such matters. However, it is also important to remember that the Pharisees witnessed nearly ALL of Jesus's miracles and even that could not persuade them to the truth of God's Word.

In fact, what Jesus tells many of the recipients of his miracles to do as his disciples is to go tell the people where they came from what the Lord has done for them. Jesus heals a person whom He has found outside of the community, living on the fringe in someway, and then sends them back into the community where they came from to tell what He has done for them. He does this with the demoniac, the Samaritan Woman, the paralytic and a number of others. Meanwhile, as the outcasts are being brought back in, Jesus leaves or is sent out of the land where he performed the miracle -- back to more outcasts.

My point is that while we clearly are commanded to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves, I also have to remind myself that the quality, frequency, and consistency of my love toward them is not the main determination of the outcome of their response toward God. That is a huge relief and a heavy burden removed! Yes, I pray for a moldable heart that is conformed to likeness of our loving Savior's gracious heart toward me and that I'll be ready to give graciously just as I have received grace from Him. And I know that God rworks through us this way. But simultaneously I know that if God is working in them, He can even use my filthy rags of intended good deeds to glorify Himself, even if my efforts appear to be utter failures.

This motivates me to keep pointing to the Cross of Christ, even among people who as of today I have a hard time loving the way I am called to. Lord, use your weak vessel to glorify yourself and to make your Gospel shine even through a cracked pot like me. Amen

Is Being Radical for Jesus Boring?

2011-07-14T19:23:00.001-04:00

Stephen Altrogge (author of The Greener Grass Conspiracy and blogger at The Blazing Center) offers up a good word on what the Bible says about being radical Christians. Here's an excerpt:

"The book of Ephesians is a helpful example in this regard. In the first three chapters of the book, Paul details the incredible, brilliant, mind-blowing plan of salvation that God has devised and put into action through Jesus Christ. I mean, we’re talking serious stuff here: election, predestination, adoption, redemption, and the grand plan to unite all things in Jesus Christ. This is explosive, “set your heart on fire for Jesus” kind of stuff.

Then, in chapter 4, verse 1, he says: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…” When I read that I think, “Alright, here it comes. The call to be radical and to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. Lay it on me Paul. Hit me in the face with it!”

And Paul does hit me right in the face. He tells me to walk, “…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Hold on. What? That’s what it means to be radical? To bear with one another in love and maintain unity? That seems so, I don’t know, boring. Maybe if I read farther in the book I’ll get to the really radical stuff."

Read the whole post here>>>

About My Break from Blogging

2011-07-02T19:14:00.000-04:00

It's pretty obvious by now that I'm on a Blogging Break, especially because it has been 10 days since my last post.

I have found an excellent church that I've been attending regularly that is near to my home and in the same denomination. In addition, they have a small group ministry to international graduate students which i've been attending -- and enjoying immensely.

So, I'm actually just 'taking it all in' right now and serving as the opportunity presents itself. I've had a few ideas for a blog post here and there. And I've found quite a few great resources on blogs like challies.com that are keeping me occupied (for example, e-books from Cruciform Press). Overall though, I consider myself as being mostly in 'receive' mode at this time. I do plan to get back to my blogging eventually, but for now, I guess this is somewhat of a "tech fast" for the short term.

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far! Have a Happy 4th of July!

Welcome to Christian Carnival ii

2011-06-22T16:40:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the June 22, 2011 edition of Christian Carnival ii!

Rodney Olsen presents Nicky Gumbel talks Alpha posted at Beyond Belief.

loswl presents Evolutionary Tales Exposed – The Origin of Life posted at INSPIKS, saying, "What is life? Is it just having the right combinations of proteins in just the right order? Is a man nothing more than a collection of substances and chemicals that happened to somehow `become alive`?"

Deb at All Things New presents Nothing New Under the Sun: Theistic Evolution and the Early Church posted at All Things New.

Isabel Anders presents Chant of Death: Interview with mystery writer and poet Diane Marquart Moore | BlogHer posted at BlogHer.

Joe Plemon presents 5 Success Traits We Inherit From Our Heavenly Father posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, "God's desire is that his children be like him. This post shares some success traits we inherit from our heavenly father."

Calling Her Blessed presents Bible Lesson Activities: Elijah and the Prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:17-40 posted at Calling Her Blessed, saying, "Here are some great activities for Bible class teachers when studying Elijah and the prophets of Baal!"

Maryann Spikes presents ANNOYING LIGHT written by Thea Nelson posted at A Passion to Speak His Truth.

Cowboy Bob presents Slick and Worldly posted at A Soldier for Jesus, saying, "Many Christians use the phrase "worldly" as a catch-all, not really understanding it. What is "worldly" — really? Also, how does it affect 1 Cor. 9.22, about being all things to all men? I have some thoughts on this..."

Alexandra Hobbs presents ?Who have you Served today? posted at win souls for christ.

Ridge Burns presents The God of the Unexpected posted at Ridge’s Blog.

michelle presents he saw Jesus in me? posted at going into all the earth....

Christian Amit presents Angels and Demons: Biblical View posted at Bible Study Exposition Online.

Diane R presents More Great Ideas from Machen posted at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet, saying, "Gresham Machen's book, "Christianity & Liberalism" reads like it was written for today. It's truly amazing how history really doesn't change much."

Chris Price presents Whigs--One Philosophic Approach to History posted at American Church History, saying, "In looking at the topic of church history, does one's underlying philosophy impact the way that he/she interprets the facts? This post points out one school of thought with problems, while referring to the work of historian Herbert Butterfield, himself a Christian scholar."

Joseph Tlhong presents Product Review Blog posted at Product Review Blog.

That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of christian carnival iiusing our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Nothing New Under the Sun: Theistic Evolution & the Early Church

2011-06-22T16:29:00.001-04:00

Nothing New Under the Sun:

Theistic Evolution, the Early Church, and the Return of Gnosticism, Part 1

Below is the Chapter One Introduction to God and Evolution, a compilation of writings on one of today's great debates in our contemporary churches. But is there anything really new in all of this debate? Below you will see, there is truly Nothing New Under the Sun. Been there done that.

I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,
Who formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.
—Isaac Watts (1715)

From the words of English hymnist Isaac Watts to the music of Hadyn‟s Creation, from the ceiling of Michelangelo‟s Sistine Chapel to the pages of C.S. Lewis‟s novels Perelandra and The Magician’s Nephew, the Christian doctrine of creationi has inspired countless poets, composers, authors, and artists to celebrate the beauty and artistry of God as Creator. Yet in his recent book Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution (2008), theistic evolutionist Karl Giberson writes dismissively of the Christian doctrine of creation, insisting that it is but “a secondary doctrine for Christians. The central idea in Christianity concerns Jesus Christ and the claim that he was the Son of God.”ii Giberson‟s point seems to be that so long as people accept the divinity of Jesus, their view of God as Creator is unimportant.

Early Christian thinkers would have disagreed vigorously. For example, when Irenaeus (c. 130-200) began his refutation of Gnosticism in Book II of Against Heresies, he started not with the doctrine of Christ, but with what he called “the first and most important head,” namely, the doctrine of “God the Creator, who made the heaven and the earth, and all things that are therein.”iii Similarly, the Nicene Creed, which reaches back nearly 1700 years and is accepted by all the major branches of Christianity as authoritative, begins by affirming “one God, the Father Almighty” who created “all things visible and invisible.”iv Many other affirmations of God as the Creator can be found in the early centuries of the church.v Thus, far from regarding the doctrine of creation as secondary, early Christians took it as the indispensable starting point for their theology.

Why were early Christians so insistent about the doctrine of creation? One obvious reason is that without God as Creator, the rest of the Christian story makes very little sense. Church historian Philip Schaff rightly observed that “without a correct doctrine of creation there can be no true doctrine of redemption.”vi According to the traditional Christian narrative, redemption is understood in light of the fall, and the fall is understood in light of a prior good creation. Thus, efforts to disassociate the doctrine of creation from the doctrines of redemption and the fall are likely to result in theological incoherence.

But there was another, more pressing reason why early Christians emphasized the doctrine of creation: They faced sharp opposition to the idea of God as Creator from the intellectual elites of their day. In many ways, that opposition foreshadowed debates over God and evolution in our own time. Perhaps there is no better way of gaining clarity about what is at stake theologically in today‟s debates over evolution than by understanding what was at stake in the conflicts over creation in the early church.

Read Chapter One in which John West refutes first century arguments such as: The Epicurean Materialists, The Gnostic Heresy, Natural Selection as the New Demiurge, God as the Cosmic Trickster, and Denying the Fall. We could learn much from his apologetic approach.

Is Theistic Evolution A New Theology? Or is it just the same old heresy wrapped in today’s garb?

ht: World Magazine

A Quiet Mind

2011-06-18T21:28:00.000-04:00

Mary Kassian at Girls Gone Wise writes about desiring a quiet mind, 1 Peter 3, Proverbs 7 and how it applies to daily life.

She ends with this Amy Carmichael poem:

GIVE ME A QUIET MIND

When winds are blowing, waves are rising, falling
And all the air is full of dust and spray;
When voices, like to sea birds’ plaintive calling,
Confuse my day;

Then, then I know Thee, Lord of highest heaven
In newborn need discover Thee, and find
Nought can discomfort him to whom is given
A quiet mind.

When hopes have failed, and heavy sadness crusheth,
And doubt and fear would weave their deadly spell,
Then thought of Thee my troubled spirit husheth;
And all is well.

In midnight hours when weariness ignoreth
Heaven’s starry host, and battle wounds are mine,
Then Thy right hand uplifteth and outpoureth
Love’s oil and wine.

O Blessed Lord, beyond the moment’s sorrow
I see above, beaneath, before, behind–
Eternal Love. Give me today, tomorrow,
A quiet mind.

(From the collected poems of Amy Carmichael)

Thou Lovely Source of True Delight

2011-06-14T21:24:00.001-04:00

We sang this hymn Sunday night at church and I recognized it right away -- from album Redemption Songs by Jars of Clay. Love it.

Let the Nations Be Glad!

2011-06-13T20:43:00.001-04:00

"Disciple-making is not a call for others to come to us to hear the gospel but a command for us to go to others to share the gospel." - from Let the Nations Be Glad website, quoting David Platt.

“Missions exists because worship doesn’t” by John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.
Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. “The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!” (Ps 97:1). “Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!” (Ps 67:3-4).
But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. Missionaries will never call out, “Let the nations be glad!” who cannot say from the heart, “I rejoice in the Lord…I will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High” (Ps 104:34, 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.”

–John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions, 2nd Ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993/2003), 17.

Church Mission & Baptism

2011-06-11T12:26:00.002-04:00

First thing needs to be said: I'm not a fan of church growth gurus, so the source of this quote comes from someone I normally wouldn't read. I found the quote while doing some research and couldn't help but shout a hardy 'Amen!' to his point about baptism. I've notice quite a few articles floating around the blogosphere discussing the pros and cons of paedo vs. credo baptism. And I admit being strongly attracted to the Reformed Baptist church down the street from where I live (although, I'm a PCAer and plan to stick with my denom). Yet there is something to be said for link between the genuine mission of the church and this quote on adult baptism that I felt compelled to share:

"Here’s the bottom line and THE key mark of an effective congregation. Adult baptisms. This is not a slam against those of you who are Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, etc. who do infant baptism. Infant baptism typically represents biological church growth. However, adult baptisms represent something altogether different. Adult baptisms represent conversion growth. In the West, one of the fastest growing populations is the “never churched” population. We’re in the third generation of a largely unchurched population: the Boomers quit church; Gen-X only went to church when grandma took them; and the Pre-Millennials have never been to church (of course this is a broad generalization, but the fact is, it’s generally true). And so, effective churches are engaged in real evangelism that is touching real lives and that results in adult baptisms."

From Five Marks of an Effective Congregation by Bill Tenny-Brittian, Net Results Magazine.

Korea Has Talent: (aka move over Susan Boyle)

2011-06-10T18:29:00.002-04:00

What an incredibly touching story from a young man in Korea who was an orphan from the age of three and lived on the streets since five.

These stories always make me cry.
BTW, the song is supposedly from the movie The Mission (fyi).

The Rest Story

2011-06-08T09:51:00.000-04:00

Since I'm recovering from pneumonia and have been prescribed a week of rest as part of the cure, I really enjoyed reading this article in the current issue of TableTalk Magazine by R.C. Sproul, Jr. The title is 'The Rest of the Story' and here is an excerpt:

"the key question is ultimately the gospel question: Are we resting in the finished work of Christ? The most faithful Sabbath keeper will in the end be the most joyful Sabbath keeper. Sabbath, in the end, isn’t something to be observed but something to be celebrated. And we celebrate not merely a day off from work. We celebrate the victory of our King."

Session Notes

2011-06-07T21:12:00.006-04:00

Dr. Harry L. Reeder gave the message at the GA tonight. I was listening online to the beginning and started taking notes about 3 or 4 minutes into his sermon. Here they are.

Threefold DNA of the Church:

Spirit-filled (do we grieve Him by saying I can do it by myself in self-reliance? Have we waited for Him? via His Word, in prayer?)
Christ-centered (this is how we know the church is Spirit-filled. The Spirit leads us to Christ. He is what we are bringing to the world. All our blessings are from Christ, that we might point people to Christ alone. He is the center, the sum, the substance, and circumference of everything)
Gospel-driven (when the holy Spirit comes upon ppl, we turn the world upside down-which is really right side up. The Gospel is the foundation.

The good news is the Christ came for each of us wretched sinners.We are delivered from our sins. The gospel. Legalism is not the only sin. Jude, 1 John, those books are in the Bible for a reason.There is the trap of antinomianism. Gospel blessings are accompanied by gospel imperatives. It's not what we do to be saved, but it is an imperative for those who are saved. Now walk in a way worthy of your calling. Utterly devoted life. Because you live to pour yourself out for Him.

Romans Ch. 11 Doxology is followed by Romans 12, In light of God's mercies - in view of God's mercy - present yourselves ...... There is strength in Christ. Be strong in Grace. Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Follow me. - imperative. When we come to Christ, we come to follow Him. Jesus went to the cross to save us from what? Our sins. The power of our sin. He has saved me from my sins to bring me to Himself. He has redeemed me.

Then His promise to take us home to be with Him. Ransomed, Redeemed, Reconciled and Resurrected. I love the Virgin Birth, the ascension, yes I love the promise He is coming back, but Paul takes us to the cross. This where people saw Him face to face, incarnate and we crucified Him. Not the Jews or the Romans only. We did this. This is the heart you and I were born with. Jesus Christ went to that cross, he gives us a new life, new record, new family, new home. Ever wonder why it's the new believers in the church who are winning people to Christ? It's new and it means something. They're not asking are we singing all the verses to Amaing Grace. We who have been Christians for a while have 'gotten used to it.' They don't know EE or bridge to Christ yet, but they are winning folks to Christ. Why? Because the Gospel is fresh to them. It has changed them.

So, we take this Gospel, this Christ to the world, shaking the world. It's not cosmetic. Not where the pastor buys his clothes. It's not about Blue jeans or khakis.. The last shaking we had here preachers were running around the countryside with black robes. They probably scared a lot of widows, but they were Spirit-filled and poured out their life for the sake of the Gospel. The Gospel changes lives. The world laughs at it, but all we have to do is lift up the hood (used a story about a 57 Ford....)

The greatest contextualization is people love people for the sake of Christ, with the love of Christ.
When we have churches that are spirit filled, hospitals for sinners, but death traps for sin.

Who drank the cup of wrath to the bottom, so we could have overflowing eternal life? Jesus Christ
Who held back the angels to endure all that our sin deserved? Jesus Christ
Who sat down at the right hand of the Father? Jesus Christ
Who prepared a place for us, that we might be with Him forever? Jesus Christ
He is the center, the sum, the substance, and circumference of everything
Oh that we are so Christ-centered and Gospel-driven in all we do.
(Prayer that we would surrender to Him.. that the Holy Spirit would move powerfully, that the Gospel is both seen and heard from us...)

I missed a lot of what he said, because I type way too slowly. But I'm sure these sessions will be available later. Don't miss Dr. Reeder's sermon!! Powerful.

Prayer this Week - GA

2011-06-07T15:36:00.000-04:00

This week I have been flat on my back with pneumonia, an ear infection, and sinusitis.
I've tried to keep up with emails while resting as much as I can, but mostly I'm finding lots of time for reading and prayer.
In fact, one of the big things a lot of us are praying for this week is the General Assembly of our denomination.
Plus, I just learned that some of the sessions are being broadcast via the web starting tonight.
They're singing Crown Him with Many Crowns from one of last year's sessions right now! Awesome.

A Theology of Work

2011-06-03T14:44:00.000-04:00

I received a complimentary copy of this sermon from Grace To You, John MacArthur's online ministry, about two months ago. The CD is titled, "A Christian Perspective on Work." It is really awesome, and I've listened to it on my way to work several times since receiving it.

Today, as I was searching for something else, I came across the same recording online here. The GTY website calls the sermon "A Theology of Work, but the content is exactly the same. You can read the entire transcript or download the sermon and listen to it for yourself if you'd like.

Hands down, this is the absolute best treatment of the topic I have listened to. It really is a treasure. Check it out.

Happy Ascension Day!

2011-06-02T18:10:00.000-04:00

From the Apostle's Creed:

"He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty."

And from today's RZIM devotional email:

"On the day Jesus was taken into heaven, the work God sent him to accomplish was finally completed. The ascension was a living and public declaration of his dying words on the Cross: It is finished. Ascending to heaven, Jesus furthered the victory of Easter—the victory of a physical body in whom God had conquered death. Because of the ascension, the incarnation is not a past event. Because of the ascension, we know that the incarnate Christ who was raised from the dead is sharing in our humanity even now." READ MORE HERE>>

Remembering the Fallen and Jesus Christ

2011-05-30T18:51:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day: Remembering the Fallen and Remembering Christ
Written by a Navy Chaplain serving in Japan.
HT: JT @ Between Two Worlds

Dead Right is Still Dead, Right?

2011-05-28T13:20:00.011-04:00

(alternate title: The City of God is Bigger than My Personal Crosswalk)

Today is graduation at U of D here in Newark, which I totally got messed up. I was sure that graduation day was last weekend, so it didn't even dawn on me not to drive over to California Tortilla on Main Street to buy my favorite salad for lunch.

As I was driving down Main Street to get home, it became painfully obvious to me how much more chaotic and dangerous Main Street actually is when the pedestrians are not primarily college students. On graduation day (as well as visitors day), the town is flooded with parents and siblings who have no idea how to navigate the town successfully and safely as a pedestrian.

Parents... siblings... non-city residents... are rather clueless and therefore very dangerous walking about the town on days like today. Essentially, we have a free for all going on which means at least one thing can be guaranteed for drivers: GRIDLOCK.

What crosswalk? We can just jaywalk, right??
What traffic signal device? Those things aren't really for pedestrians are they?
What sidewalk? Sidewalks are for decoration, right? Clearly, they are not supposed to actually perform a function are they?
Nope. "Pedestrians Have the Right of Way!" Just ask any of the violators of the above. That's what the law states. So, there you have it. (Read: You can mow me down, but as a pedestrian I was 100% in the right!)

To an outsider watching students during the semester navigate the city and interact with the traffic, pedestrian movement tends to look somewhat arbitrary. In fact, a number of friends and family members who visit regularly comment with frustration that students seem to be so confident moving about so freely, while such high volumes of traffic flow all about them. Yet, there is very rarely a deluge of chaos during the semester or a pedestrian injury (except perhaps at 3:00 am Saturday mornings, but that's another story).

After the first week of their freshman classes, most college students have been shown or have figured out how to use the crosswalks properly, where to cross busy roadways safely, and how to navigate busy intersections successfully. The norms and rules for getting around and co-existing with thousands of two-ton projectiles are firmly fixed for most students. Crosswalks are the designated free crossing zones, so they don't jaywalk.Sidewalks are protected walking areas, free from bikes, skateboards, and most importantly motor vehicles. And traffic signal devices provide reliable crossing cover for treacherous intersections.

Not so much by deliberate choice as by a desire to survive, students develop a complex system of interpreting the interplay of ALL the legal requirements in order to live safely and harmoniously.

This is my key point: How often do we take the letter of a particular aspect of the law and make everything else subservient to it? In this case, I used "The Pedestrian Has the Right of Way" to illustate my point, but I could just as well have used something from the moral law or some sort of social justice mandate to make the illustration.

So often, we tend to elevate a particular aspect of the law, typically one that favors us somehow, and make other aspects of God's law subservient to it. I know I do. If we go to the analogous extreme that the pedestrian example does, we actually turn the law on its head and make it our own personal right! I know I do this, too.

Instead, shouldn't we ask ourselves how can we better obey the spirit of the law by exhibiting our love for our Savior and neighbor?

Here are a few ideas for pedestrians, drivers, me (and anyone else interested) toward that end:

cultivate a desire to love and obey all of the the law (not just the parts we agree with)
make a decision whenever we get behind the wheel to love and respect our neighbor as ourselves (instead of making our desires more important than theirs).
and love the Lord thy God with ALL of ourselves - heart, mind, and soul. (understanding that the city of God is much bigger than our own present crosswalk.)

(above ideas not in any particular order).

God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment

2011-05-27T07:41:00.002-04:00

Two things I'm grateful for this morning:

I purchased Hamilton's book called God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment on Kindle for only $7.99 (retail $40).
Kindle has added the copy function to their Kindle for PC app, making it easy to copy excerpts and attribute them well.

That said, here is a great paragraph from the book that summarizes what I think the book will primarily be about:

"Salvation shows God to be “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and great in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Ex. 34:6b–7a). Ross Wagner rightly states, “These words are invoked repeatedly throughout Israel’s sacred writings as a way of characterizing the intimate connection between God’s very nature and his commitment to his people.”88 Judgment shows God to be the one “who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons and on the sons of the sons, on the third and on the fourth generations” (Ex. 34:7b; for a catalog of quotations of and allusions to this text, see the appendix to chap. 2, §8, “Exodus 34:6–7 in the Law, Prophets, and Writings”). Thus, salvation and judgment balance one another. The reality of judgment should keep us from thinking of God in purely sentimental terms as though he were a grandfatherly buddy who just lets things go. The reality of salvation should likewise keep us from thinking of God as merely a terrifying, vengeful judge89 Those who flee to him will be saved, but those who do not fear him will be judged. Paradoxically, it is the reality of his terrifying judgment that is meant to send us fleeing to him. This matches the “eternal gospel” proclaimed by the angel in Revelation 14:6–7: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship the one who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of water.”

Hamilton Jr., James M. (2010). God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology (Kindle Locations 929-940). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

Dying to Self Precedes Resurrection

2011-05-25T14:16:00.000-04:00

Excerpt from today's Peacemeal:
"The expansion of the peaceable kingdom comes alongside the death of our own pleasure or convenience. Jesus willingly demonstrated this and set an example to be followed. Resurrection is a reality that we as believers should cling to with a fierce tenacity; but we must remember that something specific always precedes resurrection -- death. But if it dies, it produces many seeds… "

Subscribe to PeaceMeal or other free e-publications from Peacemaker Ministries.

John 12:23 "And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him."

On Being Joyful Exiles

2011-05-24T15:03:00.001-04:00

In this month's TableTalk magazine, John Piper writes about our position as Christian exiles in this world:
"This is my main point: being exiles does not mean being cynical. It does not mean being indifferent or uninvolved. The salt of the earth does not mock rotting meat. Where it can, it saves and seasons. Where it can’t, it weeps. And the light of the world does not withdraw, saying 'good riddance' to godless darkness. It labors to illuminate. But not dominate. Being Christian exiles in American culture does not end our influence; it takes the swagger out of it."

More of this month's articles from TableTalk are available from Ligonier.

Are We 'Linked In'?

2011-05-20T09:08:00.000-04:00

Social networking can be a wonderful supplement to the body of Christ and helps facilitate communication and relationships in a helpful way. However, there are also reasons for strong warning against the human heart's tendency toward falseness, evil, and too heavy a reliance upon the medium to facilitate our interactions. To do so, it would seem, would be to thwart God's intention for building His community of His people to His glory.

Jill at RZIM writes in this morning's devotional titled Linked In:

"Showing a child as a sign of the community of God's kingdom, Jesus seems to be saying something deliberate about the kind of community he is drawing together. Little children love readily with all of themselves. Their connections are real; their unity genuine, perhaps because their minds have not yet been deterred by suspicion, disappointment, or pride. And as such, their hearts grasp something about communing we often do not as adults."

Read Here to Find Out What

"Jesus suggests that those who will be like children, like men and women aware that the love we seek also seeks us, will find the kingdom of God. In other words, the very community we long for is governed by one who longs for us to be in it."

Amen to that.

We Don't Drift Toward Holiness

2011-05-16T22:40:00.000-04:00

From Desiring God:
Hard work is not the opposite of grace, it is the result of experiencing grace.

D. A. Carson explains:

People do not drift toward Holiness.
Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.
We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.
(For the Love of God, Volume 2.)

Psalm 90 from Pyromaniacs

2011-05-16T22:28:00.001-04:00

Phil Johnson writes a timely piece on Psalm 90 about the toil and trouble of life, Moses, and God's promise of our heavenly dwelling in Him, at Pyromaniacs.

Psalm 90

From Everlasting to Everlasting

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3 You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.

5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.

7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.

9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?

12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!

Cherishing the Church

2011-05-15T16:27:00.001-04:00

Wow. I just listened to the sermon by Dr. Joel Beeke, preached in 2009 during "Echoes from the Genevan Pulpit" aka the Calvin500 Conference.

Here is a link to the recording from SermonAudio, and here is a link to Beeke's paper which is a pretty close representation of the original talk. Dr. Beeke used the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:18, “Upon this rock I will build my church” as his text for the message.

A few key points:
The Status of the Church
The church belongs to Christ: “My church.” Christ died for the church to purchase her; therefore shouldn’t we cherish her also? We may be quick to criticize, but we should only do so as did Jeremiah, with tears streaming down our faces, weeping for her. Jesus was also exalted to God’s right hand to make intercession for the church; this should be emphasized more in our ecclesiology. Finally, Jesus used the word “My,” referring to His bride - the church - made possible through the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Substance of the Church
The church as founded upon Christ: “This rock” refers to the divine sonship of Jesus. Thus, the substance of the church is three-fold: 1) Christ is the undergirding cornerstone (I Cor. 3:11). 2) The apostles build their doctrine on Christ as the Chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). 3) All the bricks form the building, the new Jerusalem, the true believers who are living stones built on the foundation of the apostles, who are in turn built on Christ the cornerstone (I Pet. 2:4-5).

The Success of the Church
Success as the workmanship of Christ: “I will build.” This shows us five guarantees: 1) wonderful indestructibility (as Flavel said, we must not to be quick to bury the church before she is dead); 2) wonderful institution (the bride of Christ has lasted 2,000 years; it is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints); 3) wonderful individuality (we complain about the church’s messiness, it's sloppy building site, but we are part of the mess — we are all a work in progress, and God deals with us individually to be the exact stones He wants in His building); 4) wonderful churchly inheritance (we cherish the church for this inheritance, that is laid away and undefiled, that we will one day receive); 5) wonderful invitation (Jesus has more work to do, as the world has not yet ended — we still invite people to come repent and believe the Gospel).

He had so much more to say than this, so I want to listen again to catch it all.

All of the MP3s from the conference can be purchased and downloaded at Ligonier. I purchased my copy of the entire conference during a $5 Friday promo. (Sales begin at 8:00am on Fridays at Ligonier.)

HT: Gospel-Centered Musings

This (what's going on?)

2011-05-14T12:47:00.010-04:00

http://allthyngs.wordpress.com/ asked a question on my previous post (What's Going On) that I thought warranted a separate post. He started by saying that he remembered playing that song when he was in a band back in the day. He then asked me what I thought of the song today.

(Of course, that was prior to Blogger going down for two days and subsequently, my ISP service going down yesterday. In the Blogger reset, apparently his comment and question was lost.)

What do I think of the song What's Going On today?
First, although I still think the song has amazing musical quality and the vocalist can really belt it out, I also consider the song a near perfect expression of unbelief.

I don't say that at all to be unkind, but rather as an admission of my own tendencies toward unbelief. The lead singer and songwriter is incredibly honest, raw, open, and vulnerable. "Authentic" as some might put it. Granted this particular artist is unsaved, but she really does an amazing job of capturing much of the underlying skepticism and disillusionment of people who grew up in my generation. I do think that God used music like this to prepare the soil of my soul just before I met Jesus Christ.

It's obvious listening to this song now that the trouble with the worldview that I held at that time (and that this band sings about) is that it is essentially man-centered! It magnifies so much of what is wrong with the culturally popular American Worldview. The singer is praying for revolution because she is disillusioned by "still trying to get up the great big hill of hope" and because all she does is try, omg, does she "try in this institution." The best thing communicated in the song and video is the 'brotherhood of man' as she calls it, and then depicts her friends reaching down from the slide to pull her up. (People outside the church sometimes get the fellowship thing better than we inside the church do, unfortunately. I wouldn't say that about my church at all, even though we all have opportunities to do better with this. Ah, yes. that is a a topic for another post, I suppose.)

The good news for me was that the true "revolution" is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In America, we need to understand that even a pagan unbeliever's life is often characterized by moralism and legalism. So, is it any wonder that moralistic therapeutic diesm would be totally unattractive (and ineffective to bring about salvation!) to someone who's worldview is embodied in this song?

When, as a Christian, I find myself with the same type of feeling portrayed in this song, I find solace in the scripture passage, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." I return to the true Gospel message of Jesus Christ to find out that -- it's not about me or what I've done or not done. Rather, the Gospel is ALL about our great Savior God and what He has done for us in sending His Son to live the perfect life so that through Faith in His sacrficial death for our sin, we will have true fellowship with God now and eternally. He has become our our true hope and destination. That is very good news which is truly counter-cultural!

Then this is where the fellowship/brotherhood thing comes in. The Bible tells us that we are Christ's ambassadors, as if He is making His appeal thru us to the world. We are commissioned to take this revolutionary, counter-cultural message to the lost -- and -- we are 'called out" (ecclesia) from the world in order to build one another up -- with the Gospel of peace. I need the body of Christ - the Church- for this. Because the world cannot give it; they don't have it. The world might have an understanding of some things by the light of nature, but the world's wisdom is not going to contain or comprehend Gospel Truth. I need the church for this, the fellowship of believers speaking Gospel Truth into my life.

And now that my church is ending this week and with my pastor resigning three weeks ago, I will be for a short time, a sheep without shepherd and a flock. Please pray that this intermittent time will pass quickly and will lead to God's best for all of those in our little fold. Thank you!

What's Going On?

2011-05-12T12:42:00.000-04:00

Back in the early 90's before I was saved, I used to listen to this song all the time. Kind of my theme song.
Lately, it seems to be popping up in my memory a lot. Hmmm.

Greener Grass Conspiracy: Book Review

2011-05-02T20:54:00.004-04:00

Saturday, as I made my "To Do" list for the day, I noticed a strange irony. The top two tasks on my list for the day were 1) mow my lawn/do yard work and 2) finish reading and reviewing The Greener Grass Conspiracy by Stephen Altrogge. Funny how the first task sort of had the effect of diminishing my tendency toward desiring "Greener Grass" at least from a literal standpoint. Afterall, the people with the nicest yards also put in the most effort trying to achieve some standard of lawn perfection and as a result are then required to spend a lot more time tending it to keep it that way. The rest of us who only wish we could have such manicured lawns. When it comes to grass, I don't think anyone is truly content.

Well, Mr. Altrogge doesn't even mention mowing the grass in his book, but he has presented us with the truth about his so-called Greener Grass Conspiracy. He describes it this way: "This grand conspiracy of the world, Satan, and my heart is called the Greener Grass Conspiracy." The conspiracy leaves us "always believing that the grass is greener somewhere else, always wishing that things were different, always dreaming of a brighter tomorrow without ever enjoying where God has me today."

This is a great little book that reads quickly and is packed with really great material.

I like to think of it as John Calvin and Jeremiah Burroughs meet Tim Keller and Donald Miller.

The flow of the book moves from a convicting view of our lack of contentment, our inclination toward idolatry and the vanity of King Solomon's life to the true contentment found through the blood of Christ and the Gospel. From there, Altrogge moves to the secret of learning contentment in every situation. Each chapter throughout the book ends with thoughful discussion questions, making it ideal for a group study or individual reflection.

The first four to five chapters will sound really familiar to most readers of contemporary reformed authors such as John Piper, Jerry Bridges, and Tim Keller. Altrogge's conversational style is funny at times and helps the book move along at a refreshing pace.

I'm grateful that he ushers the reader quickly into the second half of the book, because for me this is where I found the real "jewel of contentment," so to speak. Where some books tend to lose steam midway through, The Greener Grass Conspiracy actually hits its stride in the middle.

My favorite chapter was 7: "Some People Have to Learn the Hard Way." At first, I was sure this chapter was about hard-headed, stiff-necked folks just like me. Instead the chapter was really for all of us. It focuses on the example of Paul in scripture learning to be content in all situations. Contentment is just not our natural disposition since the Fall.

Even though Altrogge quotes Puritans Thomas Watson and Jeremiah Burroughs fairly extensively in the second half, his engaging and approachable style make re-reading these timeless truths enjoyable and rewarding. I would even recomend this one to teens and young adults, feeling sure that they would not be bored, disappointed or alienated by the tone or prose. Overall, I would give the book a full 9 out of 10 stars.

Thanks to Crossway Books for providing a free review copy! If you would like me to send my finished copy to you, reply in the comments thread. (it looks slightly used now, but no marks or dog ears).

He is Risen: Thanks be to God!

2011-04-24T12:43:00.000-04:00

1 Cor. 15: 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Free eBook for Easter: The Atonement

2011-04-23T10:09:00.001-04:00

Monergism Books is offering a Free eBook on The Atonement

The Atonement (eBook)

by Loraine Boettner
Table of Contents

1. The Atonement

2. The Significance of Christ's Death

3. The Satisfaction View of the Atonement

4. The Active and Passive Obedience of Christ

5. Christ as Our Ransomer

6. The Representative Principle

Free Download in Kindle .mobi and ePub formats here.

Jesus knows what to fear

2011-04-23T09:50:00.002-04:00

Russsell Moore writes in Why the Insomnia of Jesus Matters to Us:

Danger doesn’t keep Jesus awake; the judgment of God does.
Why is it easier for me to worry about next week’s schedule, and to lose sleep over that, than over those around me who could be moments away from judgment? Why am I more concerned about the way my peers judge my actions than about the Judgment Seat of Christ?
He ends with a wise exhortation that I hope to remember:

The next time you find yourself unable to sleep due to worry, ask whether you’re in the Galilee waters or the Gethsemane garden. Ask yourself whether your wakefulness is of the weakening flesh or the awakening Spirit.
Read the whole article>>> (ht:challies.com)

'Remembrance' - Maundy Thursday

2011-04-21T23:16:00.000-04:00

Video from The Passion of the Christ depicting the Last Supper, accompanied by the song "Rememberance" by Matt Maher.

The "-ations" of the cross

2011-04-19T21:58:00.001-04:00

Jared Wilson at the Gospel-Driven Church writes about the "-ations" (not stations) of the cross. Below is the list, but click here to get his detailed explanations and scripture references:

Mediation
Condemnation
Propitiation
Imputation
Expiation
Sanctification
Justification
Reconciliation
Nations

He's The One: not just one of

2011-04-19T21:12:00.001-04:00

A quote from Kevin DeYoung's blog and article in the April edition of TableTalk:

"So away with all this nonsense that Jesus is like Mohammed or like the Buddha or like the Dali Lama or like Ghandi or like your saintly grandmother. He is not like anyone else. And so we will not pretend to be impressed when others call Jesus a good man or an enlightened figure or one of the prophets. He is not one of, He is the One."

I also came across another excellent article by a ThM student that discusses the article by Volf in more detail. He makes some other excellent points that I agree with.

If Only... (Greener Grass Conspiracy)

2011-04-18T20:11:00.000-04:00

I'm currently reading through Stephen Altrogge's new book titled, "The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence" to do a review/blog tour for Crossway Books. It releases on April 30th and so far it is fantastic.

Crossway has put together a promo video for the book that I found intriguing and thought I'd share. Enjoy.

"Greener Grass Conspiracy" Trailer - Stephen Altrogge from Crossway on Vimeo.

Easter Greeting from the Empty Tomb

2011-04-18T19:45:00.000-04:00

He Is Risen!
Bryan Chappell, president of Covenant Theological Seminary, presents a two-minute video to help us in our thinking, praying and worship for this coming Easter Sunday.

O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

2011-04-17T00:39:00.000-04:00

No, all monotheists do not worship the same God

2011-04-17T00:12:00.006-04:00

In the current Christianity Today article titled, "Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?" Miroslav Volf posits that peaceful living depends on our answer. His answer is yes, but my answer is that he is very wrong.

He correctly starts by pointing out that how we answer the question of whether Jews and Christians worship the same God is a key clue and building block toward answering the former question regarding Muslims.

The answer to the question of whether unregenerate Jews and Christians worship the same God is answered quite clearly by Jesus when he addressed the Jewish leaders of His day:

John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Before Abraham Was, I Am
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” [4] 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (emphasis mine)

Of particular note: Despite being monotheists, if other worshippers of other religions do not love Jesus and acknowledge him as Lord, then they do not know God the father. In addition, if they do not listen to the word of Jesus, then their father is the devil. That's pretty blunt. Furthermore, by stating, "before Abraham was, I am", Jesus is pre-dating Isaac and Ishmael, which is significant to both Jews and Muslims.

Volf also mentions that he thinks the Muslim "referent" is the same God, because they worship a sovereign creator that bares many likenesses to our Christian God. However, this description matches more closely with Chapter 1 of Paul's letter to the Romans:

"19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made."

Calvin, in Book 1 of the Institutes of Christian Religion, gives a great exposition of how general revelation, while leaving all men without excuse, is also denied and corrupted by the human nature, so that rather than man worshipping God truly, according to His will as proclaimed in the Bible, mankind instead turns that worship into idolatry. This seems to explain really well that Muslims do not worship the same God, even if they start with a referent equivalent to a generic, sovereign, impersonal creator, one who is known to all people through general revelation. They may start with this common understanding, but it is more important to understand that they go further -- rejecting Christ, adding to the scripture, adding Mohammed, and worshipping a different god, named: Allah.

Volf argues incorrectly that peaceful cohabitation between Muslims and Christians depends upon admitting that both religions worship the same god. True shalom can only be experienced and known through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for both Muslims and Christians to know the only One who can bring true peace.

Everyone has a story

2011-04-16T16:12:00.000-04:00

HT: Tara @ Considerable Grace

What is the Bible About?

2011-04-15T19:49:00.002-04:00

This one has been out there for a while, but it's still a goodie:

All We Need: Calvin on Contentment

2011-04-13T19:15:00.000-04:00

"The happiness promised us in Christ does not consist in outward advantages--such as leading a joyous and peaceful life, having rich possessions, being safe from all harm, and abounding with delights such as the flesh commonly longs after. No, our happiness belongs to the heavenly life!" John Calvin http://www.reformedtheology.ca/quotes_topic.htm

and

"Whenever those things present themselves to us which would lead us away from resting in God alone, let us make use of this sentiment as an antidote against them, that we have sufficient cause for being contented, since he who has in himself an absolute fullness of all good has given himself to be enjoyed by us.

In this way we will experience our condition to be always pleasant; for he who has God as his portion is destitute of nothing which is requisite to constitute a happy life."

— John Calvin

Commentary on the Psalms
(Edinburgh, UK: Banner of Truth, 2009), commenting on Psalm 16:6

Useless - video award winner

2011-04-13T19:00:00.000-04:00

Useless (2011 168 Project Winner) from Brandon Adams on Vimeo.

note:there is one use of profanity in the script.

On Contentment: Everything Short of Hell is Mercy

2011-04-09T17:14:00.000-04:00

Everything short of Hell is mercy

by James Smith, "Good and Evil Alike from God" 1861

"What? shall we receive good at the hands of God--and shall we not receive evil?" Job 2:10

Jehovah's Prerogative: He sends GOOD--all good. He sends EVIL--not moral evil, for God cannot be the author of sin, nor in any way give His sanction to it.

But He does send afflictions, bereavements, losses, crosses, pains and sorrows. He sends good and evil sometimes in quick succession. He sent the fish to preserve the life of Jonah, and the gourd to screen him from the sun--but He sent also the worm to destroy the gourd, and teach Jonah a beneficial lesson. Who can read the life of Jacob or Joseph, of David or Daniel, and not see that the Lord sends both good and evil upon His people. Hence the prophet asks, "Shall there be evil in a city--and the Lord has not done it?"

The Believer's Duty. We should receive all as from God's hand. The reference is not so much to the receiving--for we must receive it; but the manner of receiving--as from God. We often receive good as from God--but we do not so receive evil; yet both alike should be so received.

GOOD should be received with gratitude and praise, with humility and love--with a deep sense of our unworthiness, and God's unmerited goodness. Nor should we forget, that we are held responsible for the use of all the good things we receive from God.

EVIL should be received with patience and submission, saying with Eli, "It is the Lord--let Him do what seems good unto Him." There should be a recognition of His justice, as Aaron, when his two sons were slain--he held his peace. He was dumb, he opened not his mouth, because the Lord did it. There should also be confidence in His love, because the dispensations of His hand--never prove a change in His heart. He loves us as much when He sends evil--as when He sends good; for His love is not only everlasting--but unchangeable.

We should receive good and evil alike--as from a sovereign, wise, gracious, loving and holy God!

The Expostulation. "What? shall we receive good at the hands of God--and shall we not receive evil?" Are we to view good alone as coming from God? Are we not to look at evil--at our trials, troubles, and tribulations--as coming from Him?

Are we to forget His favors, lose sight of His paternal relationship, quarrel with His wisdom and love--and thus act the rebel and the ingrate? Alas! this is too often the case. One trouble swallows up the remembrance of many mercies. We think more of one loss--than we do of the gains of years; and we are more affected with one hour's pain and sickness--than we are with months of ease and health. But it would not be so--if we were properly affected with a due sense of our sinfulness, ingratitude, and unworthiness. Then in the midst of our good things, we would say with Jacob, "I am not worthy of the least of all Your mercies!" And in the midst of our evil things we would say with Job, "The Lord gave--and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord"

It is folly to lose sight of God's hand in our troubles. We should rather say, "This also comes forth from the Lord Almighty, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working."

Nor is it wise to complain of His dealings with us, for a sinner out of Hell--can never have any reason to complain. Everything short of Hell is mercy!
He assures us that all that He does, is in love. His word to us, when things are at the worst is, "As many as I love--I rebuke and chasten." Silence befits us, though to justify God would befit us more.

We should not make too much of the instruments by which we suffer. Joseph said unto his brethren, "It was not you--but God." David said of Shimei, "Let him curse--for the Lord has bidden him." The holiest of men have always looked more at God who uses the rod--than at the rod which He used. If He appoints it--it is wise. If He permits it--it is for our good. He does nothing, He permits nothing to be done, which affects His children--but they would do themselves--if they were as wise, as judicious, and as far-seeing as He is. Nor is there a doubt--but in eternity we shall bless and praise His holy name--for the very things that grieve and distress us now. Believer, receive everything, whether painful or pleasant--as from God's hand! And bless a taking God--as well as a giving God.

Lord, pardon our folly and forgive our sins, for we have been guilty of both in our conduct toward you; and help us in future if tempted to repine, or if rebellious feelings arise in our hearts to say, "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God--and shall we not receive evil also?"

Veith: Perspective on the Looming Federal Shutdown

2011-04-08T18:36:00.002-04:00

Since I may be furloughed next week, I thought I'd post a link to Veith's post called Perspective on the Shutdown.

UPDATE: Furlough averted! Looks like we will be going to work next week -- and getting paid, which is great news. Hooray! :)

Half the Church: Blog Tour & Book Giveaway

2011-04-04T21:24:00.005-04:00

Zondervan recently asked if I would like to participate in a blog tour for this week's launch of the new book titled Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women by Carolyn Custis James.

I was very excited and felt honored to be asked to preview a book by the author of one of my favorite women's study group texts from back in the day: When Life and Beliefs Collide. (How many other books have you ever heard of that earned five stars in 28 out of 29 reviews on Amazon? I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of her new book!

Zondervan and several other reviewers have called Half the Church an incredibly important book—as a Christian response to—or a wrestling with the issues raised in—the bestselling and influential book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. This too is very interesting to me, because I appreciate thoughtful Christian authors like Tim Keller and others who are not afraid to enter into the fray and speak to current issues from the Christian worldview.

Yet, according to James, this was not the original intent of her book. Originally, she intended to share what she had been learning about the Bible's message for women as Image Bearers, ezer-warriors, and the Blessed Alliance. But then she was impacted so much by the global suffering of women as told in Half the Sky, she wanted to show how the Bible's message for women would bring light on the world's social concerns as well.

James has a true passion for communicating and addressing important, global issues that affect at least half the world's population. Her stories both unveil the hidden faces behind all manner of oppression and suffering by women while simultaneously pointing us to God as the only solution and the only motivation for lasting change. True, biblical justice is laid at the feet of the body of Christ, as James calls all in the church (not only the male half), to work toward restoration for those who have been most deeply harmed by the loss of freedom and dignity that we see as inalienable in our culture.

Finally, as a worker in women's ministry, I found her challenges for the church to offer a more holistic gospel helpful and enlightening. More and more women in this country are being disenfranchised and alienated from the body of Christ over socio-economic reasons -- such as, single mothers and divorcees who work two or three jobs. There are so many non-traditional situations in which women find themselves to which the American church is not geared to minister. Her exhortations for those of us who are in women's ministry and for the leaders in the church to put forth a robust gospel that transcends cultural and social difference hit home and will be of great help.

However...
As I read along later into the book, when James began to discuss her theological ideas with regard to women in the church, I found that she and I have some very different understandings about the issues she tackles. For instance, I was drawn toward her attempt at discussing the hebrew term "ezer" in one of the chapters near the middle of the book. However, when I made my way there, I was dismayed that the chief idea I found there was to develop a strong link between "ezer" and warrior, which for me misses more primary functions of the "ezer" in the O.T. and how important those functions are to womanhood.

While I fully agree with her premise that women are equally created in the image of God with men, I hold a very different postion than the one she presents which is a pretty bold form of egalitarianism, including ordaining women pastors. Of course, I and others in most traditional churches don't hold that position and won't be budging anytime soon, despite some her arguments.

Finally, from a stylistic standpoint, I know there are a number of readers who enjoy James's poetic phrases and vibrant imagery, but for me her heavy reliance on anecdotal narrative for the majority of each chapter was just not that desirable. I found there was more fluff than meat, and much of the source material in the beginning of the book came directly from Half the Sky.

At the end of the day, it makes me very sad that I cannot recommend this book to most readers, because there are some extremely important themes that men and women in all the churches, regardless of denomination, need to hear and to be talking about in the context of how they do ministry. Things like how we fail the most needy women in our churches; how we ignore strong Biblical teaching for women that goes beyond a focus on what we are not allowed to do in the assembled church; and how we can open our eyes to the brutal facts that surround us in the carnage snd suffering of women in the world who are being raped, sold into slavery, and deeply oppressed.

Yes, yes, a thousand times over, I think these messages ought to be heard in our churches!

However, by blending in an egalitarian agenda that goes against the grain for many if not most of the leadership in traditional and influencial churches, I'm afraid James's ideas and concerns will not receive a hearing across a broad enough cross-section of churches. That makes me sad.

So, although I cannot recommend this book broadly,

I do, however, recommend this book if you are someone who wants to expand your vision for ministry to women inside and outside the church and who is aware that the case for egalitarianism will come with the package.

Free Offer:

If the above describes you, and you want a free copy of Half the Church, write a comment or email me at DebLW at yahoo dot com and I'll send one to you!!!

The Hiding Place - free at Christian Audio

2011-04-02T08:25:00.000-04:00

I've always wanted to read Corrie Ten Boom's story in The Hiding Place, so now I'll be able to do one better -- download the audio book from Christian Audio for free and listen to it on my way to and from work!! Yeah!

Each month Christian Audio features at least one audio book download for free and for the month of April this is it. These free offerings have been excellent so far. What a blessing.

All Things New

Around the web

Gospel-Powered Humility

Smart is Not a Fruit

Welcome to the Christian Carnival!

R21 Book Review: Jesus + Nothing

Vocation Motivation - How the Gospel Changes Work

Happy New Year!

Top 10 Reads Published in 2011

Why Biblical Manhood & Womanhood Matters

Christian Carnival: 'Twas the week before Christmas...

The Christmas Gift Exchange

The Prince of Peace (by On Pens and Needles)

Calvinism Today: A SWOT Analysis

Home Burdens & Our Great Burden-Bearer

Free Audio Download: Quest For Comfort

Dr. Horton on Our Thanksgiving Parade

Fasting changed to feast

A Real World Titus 2 Legacy

Prayers of the Bible - new from Susan Hunt @ Monergism

Quest for Comfort

Cruciform Press: Getting Back Into the Race

C.S. Lewis on Pride

Hermeneutical Hall Passes

Free Audio: Luther, In His Own Words

C.S. Lewis & the Four Loves Concert

Can there be meaning without God?

Redux: The Gospel of Steve Jobs

Review: The World-Tilting Gospel

Why the Church Needs Bioethics (I won!)

Welcome to the Christian Carnival!

Which is Easier?

Polemics as medicine, not food

Christ, the Church, Fidelity & Pat Robertson

Five Books Every Christian Should Read

It is Truth! (ee-taow!)

The Gospel at Ground Zero

Eight Objections to Being a Missionary

Sola Scripture - Free PDF Giveaway

"We are not little Adams"

The Critical Question for Every Generation

The Just and the Justifier

Post-Secular Amsterdam?

CCEF on CS Lewis & Four Loves

Four Themes in London's Looting

Law of Love AND Love of Law

When What We are Against Defines Us

Brothers, Birthright and The Good News

Tears of the Saints

Difficulties and Rewards of Friendship

Temptation Starts with Distorted Identity

Evangelism: Past, Present, Future via John Stott

Love Never Fails (Catching up on Podcasts)

Beholding is Becoming

Free E-Books at Monergism

Joined Together in Christ's Body

Casey Anthony & Where I am

Is Being Radical for Jesus Boring?

About My Break from Blogging

Welcome to Christian Carnival ii

Nothing New Under the Sun: Theistic Evolution & the Early Church

A Quiet Mind

Thou Lovely Source of True Delight

Let the Nations Be Glad!

Church Mission & Baptism

Korea Has Talent: (aka move over Susan Boyle)

The Rest Story

Session Notes

Prayer this Week - GA

A Theology of Work

Happy Ascension Day!

Remembering the Fallen and Jesus Christ

Dead Right is Still Dead, Right?

God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment

Dying to Self Precedes Resurrection

On Being Joyful Exiles

Are We 'Linked In'?

We Don't Drift Toward Holiness

Psalm 90 from Pyromaniacs

From Everlasting to Everlasting