The Unlearned

The Prosperity Gospel (Video)

2011-06-09T19:00:00.000-04:00

Adopt Without Debt

2011-06-07T22:50:00.000-04:00

In 2000, Julie and her husband, Mark, declared war on their debt – credit cards, student loans, cars and the house. Seven years later, as they wrote the check for their last mortgage payment, God called them to adopt two children from Ethiopia. A few months later, with their income unexpectedly cut by two-thirds, they wondered if they could finish the adoption without crossing back over into the red.

When they brought Wendemagegn and Beza home 12 months later, Julie and her husband proved debt-free adoption is possible!

Passionate about helping others achieve their adoption dream, Julie shares how to find extra money in your household budget, apply for grants, and fundraise in order to build your family without saddling it with debt. With over $65,000 worth of creative fundraising ideas from more than 25 adoptive families, Adopt Without Debt shows you how to fulfill your adoption dream without signing away your financial freedom.

(HT: ABBA Fund)

Why Young People Are Leaving the Church (Video)

2011-06-07T08:10:00.000-04:00

"...because our portrait of Jesus Christ is not compelling enough." "Fix your eyes on the cross and never get beyond it."

To The One Who Conquers...

2011-06-04T21:44:00.002-04:00

To the one who conquers:

1) "...I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7

2) "...will not be hurt by the second death." Revelation 2:11

3) "...I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it." Revelation 2:17

4) "...I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star." Revelation 2:27-28

5) "...will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels." Revelation 3:5

6) "...I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name." Revelation 3:12

7) "...I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne." Revelation 3:21

And Paul tells us in Romans 8:37 that "...we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Those in Christ will conquer and receive these 7 gifts.

Legalism: Wanting More Holiness vs Wanting More of Christ

2011-05-26T19:21:00.000-04:00

They differ in their complaints. The legalist will complain more for want of holiness than for want of Christ; seeing he hath taken up with self-righteousness, it is his all, it is his happiness, it is his husband, it is his God. But the language of the evangelical Christian, who is dead to the law, is, O for Christ! O for a day of power! O to be wrapt up in the covenant of grace! to get an omnipotent power, determining me to comply with the gospel-offer.

Ralph Erskine (1685-1752), Gospel Truth, pp. 292-293

Via

Thoughts from Pastor Mark on Friendships

2011-05-24T19:55:00.000-04:00

Pastor Mark Driscoll has some helpful thoughts on what friendship is in his post titled "The Pastor and His Wife Get to Pick Their Own Friends"

He defines a friend like this: "A friend is a trustworthy peer with whom we mutually choose to lovingly live by pursuing intentionally, giving privileged access, and serving for God’s glory and their good."

Based on this definition he concludes that "we are to be friendly with all, but only friends with a few." He ends his post with this upshot:

...we only have a few true friends. A real friendship takes so much time, energy, emotion, and sometimes even money, that we can only have a few true friendships. Our nearest and dearest friend after Jesus is to be our spouse. After that, we may only have one or two truly close friends, as that is all we can handle. This explains why Jesus had only three close friends (Peter, James, and John), despite having a working relationship with the other disciples as well as fans numbering the tens of thousands who wanted to be his friend. Such people chose Jesus, but he never chose them as his friends or gave them the access he did the three.

It will be worth your time to read the whole post here.

St. Augustine and the Sovereignty of God in Salvation

2011-05-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

St. Augustine confesses this so beautifully back to God in his Confessions written in 397 AD:

Belatedly I loved You, O Beauty so ancient and so new. See, You were within and I was without, and I sought You out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things You have made. You were with me, but I was not with You. These things kept me far from You, even though they were not at all unless they were in You. You called and cried aloud, and forced open my deafness. You gleamed and shone, and chased away my blindness. You breathed fragrant odors and I drew in my breath, and now I pant for You. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. You touched me, and I burned for Your peace.

Saint Augustine, Confessions, p.281-282

Google Maps: Where the 12 Apostles Died

2011-05-18T11:40:00.000-04:00

This map shows where the 12 apostles are thought to have died, according to various traditions.

Click here to see the map.

(HT: JT)

Have We Made Parenting Too Complicated?

2011-05-11T12:11:00.000-04:00

Kevin DeYoung:

Does it seem like parenting has gotten more complicated? I mean, as far as I can tell, back in the day parents basically tried to feed their kids, clothe them, and keep them away from explosives. Now our kids have to sleep on their backs (no wait, their tummies; no never mind, their backs), while listening to Baby Mozart surrounded by scenes of Starry, Starry Night. They have to be in piano lessons before they are five and can’t leave the car seat until they’re about five foot six.

It’s all so involved. There are so many rules and expectations. Kids can’t even eat sugar anymore. My parents were solid as a rock but we still had a cupboard populated with cereal royalty like Captain Crunch and Count Chocula. In our house the pebbles were fruity and the charms were lucky. The breakfast bowl was a place for marshmallows, not dried camping fruit. Our milk was 2%. And sometimes, if we needed to take the edge off a rough morning, we’d tempt fate and chug a little Vitamin D.

Trial by Error

I don’t consider myself a particularly good parent. I was asked to speak a few years ago at some church’s conference. They wanted me to talk about parenting. I said I didn’t have much to say so they should ask someone else (which they did). My kids are probably not as crazy as they seem to me (at least that’s what I keep telling myself anyway), but if I ever write a book on parenting I’m going to call it The Inmates Are Running the Asylum.

There are already scores of books on parenting, many of them quite good. I’ve read several of them and have learned much. I really do believe in gospel-powered parenting and shepherding my child’s heart. I want conversations like this:

Me: What’s the matter son?
Child: I want that toy and he won’t give it to me!
Me: Why do you want the toy?
Child: Because it will be fun to play with.
Me: Do you think he is having fun playing with the toy right now?
Child: Yes.
Me: Would it make him sad to take the toy away?
Child: I guess so.
Me: And do you like to make your brother sad?
Child: No.
Me: You know, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. That means loving your brother the way he would want to be loved. Since Jesus loves us so much, we have every reason to love others–even your brother. Would you like to love him by letting him play with the toy for awhile?
Child: Yes I would daddy.

I try that. Really I do. But here’s what actually happens:

Me: What’s the matter son?
Child: I want that toy and he won’t give it to me!
Me: Why do you want the toy?
Child: I don’t know.
Me: What’s going on in your heart when you desire that toy?
Child: I don’t know.
Me: Think about it son. Use your brain. Don’t you know something?
Child: I guess I just want the toy.
Me: Obviously. But why?
Child: I don’t know.
Me: Fine. [Mental note: abandon "why" questions and skip straight to leading questions.] Do you think he is having fun playing with the toy right now?
Child: No.
Me: Really?! He’s not having fun? Then why does he want that toy in the first place?
Child: Because he’s mean.
Me: Have you ever considered that maybe you are being mean by trying to rip the toy from his quivering little hands?
Child: I don’t know.
Me: What do you know?
Child: I don’t know!
Me: Nevermind. [I wonder how my brilliant child can know absolutely nothing at this moment.] Well, I think taking the toy from him will make your brother sad. Do you like to make him sad?
Child: I don’t know.
Me: [Audible sigh.]
Child: He makes me sad all the time!
Me: Well, I’m getting sad right now with your attitude! [Pause, think, what would Paul Tripp do? Thinking . . . .thinking . . . .man, I can't stop thinking of that mustache. This isn't working. Let's just go right to the Jesus part.] You know, Jesus wants us to love each other.
Child: I don’t know.
Me: I didn’t ask you a question!
Child: [Pause.] Can I have some fruit snacks?
Me: No, you can’t have fruit snacks. We are talking about the gospel. Jesus loves us and died for us. He wants you to love your brother too.
Child: So?
Me: So give him the toy back!

Then I lunge for the toy and the child runs away. I tell him to come back here this instant and threaten to throw the toy in the trash. I recommit myself to turning down speaking engagements on parenting.

Growing What You Can

I want to grow as a parent–in patience and wisdom and consistency. But I also know that I can’t change my kids’ hearts. I am responsible for my heart and must be responsible to teach them the way of the Lord. But nothin’ guarantees nothin’. I’m just trying to be faithful, and then repent for all the times I’m not.

I have four kids and besides the Lord’s grace, I’m banking on the fact that there really are just a few non-negotiables in parenting. There are plenty of ways to screw up our kids, but whether they color during church, for example, is not one of them. There is not a straight line from doodling in the service as a toddler to doing meth as a teenager. Could it be that beyond the basics of godly parenting, that most of the other techniques and convictions are nibbling around the edges? Certainly, there are lots of ways that good parents make parenting a saner, more enjoyable experience, but even the kid addicted to Angry Birds who just downed a pack of Fun Dip and is now watching his third Pixar movie of the week (day?) still has a decent shot at not being a sociopath.

I remember years ago hearing a line from Alistair Begg, quoting another man, that went like this: “When I was young I had six theories and no kids. Now I have six kids and no theories.” I must be smart. It only took me four kids to run out of theories.

Getting a Few Things Right

I look back at my childhood and think, “What did my parents do right?” I watched too many Growing Pains reruns and played a lot of Super Techmo Bowl (LT could block every extra point and Christian Okoye was a stud). I never learned to like granola or my vegetables (kids, stop reading this post immediately!). But yet, I always knew they loved me. They made me go to church every Wednesday and twice on every Sunday. They made us do our homework. They laid down obvious rules–the kinds that keep kids from killing each other. They wouldn’t accept any bad language, and I didn’t hear any from them. Mom took care of us when we were sick. Dad told us he loved us. I never found porn around the house or booze or dirty secrets. We read the Bible. We got in trouble when we broke the rules. I don’t remember a lot of powerful heart-to-heart conversations. But we knew who we were, where we stood, and what to expect. I’d be thrilled to give my kids the same.

I worry that many young parents are a) too adamant about the particulars of their parenting or b) too sure that every decision will set their kids on an unalterable trajectory to heaven or hell. It’s like my secretary at the church once told me: “Most moms and dads think they are either the best or the worst parents in the world, and both are wrong.” Could it be we’ve made parenting too complicated? Isn’t the most important thing not what we do but who we are as parents? They will see our character before they remember our exact rules regarding television and twinkies.

I could be wrong. My kids are still young. Maybe this no-theory is a theory of its own. I just know that the longer I parent the more I want to focus on doing a few things really well, and not get too passionate about all the rest. I want to spend time with my kids, teach them the Bible, take them to church, laugh with them, cry with them, discipline them when they disobey, say sorry when I mess up, and pray like crazy. I want them to look back and think, “I’m not sure what my parents were doing or if they even knew what they’re were doing. But I always knew my parents loved me and I knew they loved Jesus.” Maybe it’s not that complicated after all.

Why Must We Work Out Our Salvation? (Phil. 2:12-13)

2011-05-06T12:39:00.000-04:00

This is the best exposition of Philippians 2:12-13 that I've ever read.

Should the Church or the Government be Leading the Way in Funding Adoptions?

2011-05-05T21:19:00.000-04:00

I count it a blessing that you can adopt for free through DSS and that the Federal government offers a refundable tax credit to adoptive parents ($13,170 in 2010) and that various states offer some form of adoption expense reimbursement. These incentives have enabled many parents to overcome one of the major hurdles to adoption - the cost. Typically, the adoptive parent can take advantage of these benefits with little worry that they won't qualify - it's only a matter of paperwork.

Lately, I believe, that God is moving within his church to care for orphans like we have not seen in a long time. There are adoption conferences, workshops, and local church ministries popping up everywhere. My hope is that one of the results of this is that the church begins to take the lead in funding adoptions. I know this is not something that will happen over night, but it's something that I would like to see over the next 10 years or so.

I know that certain denominational conventions and associations give money to orphanages and boys/girls homes and I don't think we should stop doing that. I do think that a percentage of the missions budget (at the convention level) should go toward funding domestic and international adoptions at the local church level. For example, the SBC or state conventions could have a fund that it's member churches would have access to in order to fund adoptions within their churches. Each member church could have an "adoption budget" funded each year based on church size. The member church would manage their adoption budget how they would see fit (i.e. giving small amounts to many parents or large amounts to a few parents). Of course there would be an application process administered by the member church (i.e. 2 or 3 years of active membership, recommendations and so on).

Adoption funds such as Lifesong, Abba Fund and others have been a great help and bridge, but ultimately I think the local church should be the primary funding source. Going forward Adoption Funds could help supplement what the church is doing and not the other way around.

I think this method is more effective than simply giving money to orphanages because we would be funding the placement of orphans into permanent christian homes.

As the church when have we ever let the government take the lead in something for which God has called us to do. Let's take back the lead on this one.

Advance 2011

2011-05-05T12:25:00.000-04:00

Advance 2011 is finishing up today. I'm sure the audio will be available soon. Among the speakers are Tim Keller, Eric Mason, Darrin Patrick, J.D. Greear, and Danny Akin.

Advance 2011 Promo from Vintage21 Church on Vimeo.

Entrusted with an Eternal Soul

2011-05-03T21:03:00.000-04:00

Most nights part of the bedtime routine with my son includes learning catechisms. The 20th question is "Do you have a soul as well as a body?" he responds with the answer "Yes, and my soul will last forever."

And C.S. Lewis says in The Weight of Glory "You have never talked to a mere mortal" (p. 46).

As a parent this scares me. Why? Because God has placed thiseternal soul under my care and guidance. The question I find myself asking is: What am I doing with this soul? As parents our goals sound something like these: strive to give them a better life than we had, make sure they're always comfortable and in need of nothing, give them whatever will make them happy, help them succeed in sports or academics, ensure they turn out to be a "good/normal" people, etc.

Most of these are not bad goals in and of themselves, but when I think of the eternality of their souls these goals quickly become short sighted. Since I have been entrusted with an eternal soul I must take an eternal perspective on parenting. The best thing we can do as parents is point our children to the one thing that will give their souls eternal joy and that is God - through his Son Jesus Christ. We
should first be concerned with their heart and soul. Everything else should be secondary.

I know and understand this, but functionally more often than not I am a short sighted parent. I get so wrapped up in immediate obedience that I lose sight of their souls. I want them so bad to obey me (right away) that I lose sight of their heart and their real need. Because we live in a fallen world this is something with which all parents struggle and our only hope here is God.We should continually be in prayer for our children's souls and for our own perspective - that God will keep the eternal perspective always before us.

This also has implications for the adoptive parent as well. With an eternal perspective on parenting the line between biological and adopted children disappears. Adoption is just another vehicle by which God places an eternalsoul under your care. To have biological children is great, but to be entrusted with an eternal soul (no matter the vehicle) is immeasurable.

Some Misconceptions About Adoption

2011-04-28T20:39:00.000-04:00

My wife answers some common misconceptions about adoption:

Adoption is something that comes with many questions by those on the outside. People really become inquisitive when they see a family that has a baby of a different race. I never mind answering questions- most times the person asking is either considering the idea of adoption or has themselves been adopted. I learned A LOT just going through our process with Noah! Below I have answered some misconceptions of adoption that people have:

1. "The birthparents can come back at anytime to take back their child."

** Signatures and termination of parental rights depends all on the laws of the state. In our case, once the birthparents signed, their rights were terminated. Also, something interesting we found is even though we adopted in PA, we can ask the birthparents to sign over to SC state laws, which meant that they had to adhere to the laws of SC on adoption.

2. "I just couldn't handle an open adoption."

** We have an open adoption with Noah's birhtmom only. Open means that you have some form of contact with one or both birth parents, whether it be phone calls, visits, letters. In our case, having an open adoption works well and we see it as an opportunity for witnessing.

3. "We feel called to adopt, but it is just impossible due to the high costs."

** I would agree that adoptions are crazy exspensive! The cost of going through a private adoption attorney varies depending on several things: the attorney fees, if the attorney goes through an adoption advertising agency, where the baby is from, medical and living exspenses of the birthmom, pre and post counseling for the birthmom and the saddest one, the race and age of the child also plays a big part in the cost. There are different attorney's out there who are great and charge lower fees and keep you well informed the entire time (Ray Godwin is who we used). There are also tax credits you can apply for. And, DSS is a great way to adopt and is free.

4. "I just can't handle any medical issues, and that is pretty likely when adopting a child."

** In some cases, the attorney can inform you of medical care that the birthmom has been receiving and of the medical background of the birthparents. Some cases they have no clue. At the birth, the hospital does a very thorough evaluation and exam and let you know of any concerns. There are also state agencies out there who can help assist, such as BabyNet. Also, having an open relationship with the birthmom here has helped us. I have been able to ask her questions. And keep in mind, if your family feels called to adopt, then God already has that child chosen for your family and nothing is impossible!

5. "I feel called to do a Transracial adoption but am not sure how to approach all the different issues that come along side it."

** Once again, God is not going to call you to something that you can't handle. There are yearly adoption conferences you can attend with breakout sessions on this topic. There are also great books available. Try building friendships or seek out those who have or are going through transracial adoptions- seek advice from them. Pray- alot of times some of our issues (as I found out) are issues within ourselves that need to be addressed.

6. "I am afraid my love for the child we adopt won't be as strong as my love for my biological children."

** Sometimes you do have to "grow" the love for your adopted child. This bonding comes as you care and love the child. Look for opportunities to bond with the baby. It might not come easy at first, but trust me, the baby will feel like one of yours and God will give you that special love to bond with the adopted child.

7. "The process of adoption is just too long and difficult."

** The process can be long. If you do a private adoption, find out how the attorney matches families with the children. Our attorney called us almost every other week with children and babies available. Also, most of the timing depends on the parental rights and then the state they are being adopted from.

8. "I feel called to adopt, but my husband doesn't feel that calling for our family."

** Just pray about it. Remember God's perfect timing is best and if He truly has called one then He will also call the other as well. Timing is the key-- it's not our timing but His! I had a heart for adoption but personally (if it ever worked out) that timing was later when my kids were older. Obviously God had his perfect timing for us!

9. "How will our extended family feel about us adopting?"

** First of all, if God calls your family to adopt then God will work out the rest. It was a process for us, but Noah fits right into our family and extended family just like all the other grandkids. God might have to work in the hearts of others and work out some issues to open their eyes to the importance of adoption.

Adoption and caring for orphans is something we are commanded to do. Caring for orphans takes place in many different ways, some families are called to really take care of the orphans through adoption or fostering. It has been an amazing 8 1/2 months for our family and our little Noah has truly blessed us beyong measure. There have already been some not so easy times, but God's hand has been in it from the beginning. There will also be more tougher times in the future as we have to answer questions and face issues, but God will still be there to help guide us in rearing Noah if we continue to keep focused on Him.

Holy Week: What Happened on Sunday

2011-04-24T21:36:00.000-04:00

Some women arrive at Jesus’ tomb near dawn, probably with Mary Magdalene arriving first.

Matthew 28:1
Mark 16:1-3
Luke 24:1
John 20:1

Mary and the other women, instead of finding Jesus’ body, are met by two young men who are angels; one of them announces Jesus’ resurrection.

Matthew 28:2-7
Mark 16:4-7
Luke 24:2-7

The women, fearful and joyful, leave the garden—at first unwilling to say anything to anyone about this but then changing their mind and going to tell the Eleven.

Mark 16:18
Matthew 28:8

Mary Magdalene likely rushes ahead and tells Peter and John before the other women arrive.

John 20:2

The other women, still en route to tell the disciples, are met by Jesus, who confirms their decision to tell the Eleven and promises to meet them in Galilee.

Matthew 28:9-10

The women arrive and tell the disciples that Jesus is risen.

Luke 24:8-11

Peter and John rush to the tomb (based on Mary Magdalene’s report) and discover it empty.

John 20:3-10
Luke 24:12

That afternoon Jesus appears to Cleopas and a friend on the road to Emmaus; later Jesus appears to Peter

Luke 24:13-35

That evening Jesus appears to the Ten (minus Thomas) in a house (with locked doors) in Jerusalem

Luke 24:36-43
John 20:19-23

(HT: JT)

Is There Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus?

2011-04-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

(HT: JT)

Doubting Easter

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

(HT: P&P)

Holy Week: What Happened on Friday

2011-04-22T12:32:00.001-04:00

Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested by the authorities (perhaps after midnight, early Friday morning)

Matthew 26:47-56
Mark 14:43-52
Luke 22:47-53
John 18:2-12

Jewish trial, phase 1: Jesus has a hearing before Annas (former high priest and Caiaphas’s father-in-law)

John 18:13-14, 19-24

Jewish trial, phase 2: Jesus stands trial before Caiaphas and part of the Sanhedrin

Matthew 26:57-68
Mark 14:53-65

Peter denies Jesus

Matthew 26:69-75
Mark 14:66-72
Luke 22:55-62
John 18:15-18, 25-27

Perhaps after sunrise, phase 3 of Jesus’ Jewish trial: final consultation before the full Sanhedrin; sent to Pilate

Matthew 27:1-2
Mark 15:1
Luke 22:66-71

Judas hangs himself

Matthew 27:3-10

Phase 1 of Jesus’ Roman trial: first appearance before Pontius Pilate; sent to Herod Antipas

Matthew 27:11-14
Mark 15:2-5
Luke 23:1-7

Phase 2 of Jesus’ Roman trial: appears before Herod Antipas; sent back to Pontius Pilate

Luke 23:6-12

Phase 3 of Jesus’ Roman trial: Jesus’ second appearance before Pilate; condemned to die

Matthew 27:15-26
Mark 15:6-15
Luke 23:13-25
John 18:28-19:16

Jesus is crucified (from approximately 9 AM until Noon)

Matthew 27:27-54
Mark 15:16-39
Luke 23:26-49
John 19:16-37

(HT: JT)

Holy Week: What Happened on Thursday

2011-04-21T17:00:00.001-04:00

Jesus instructs Peter and John to secure a large upper room in a house in Jerusalem and to prepare for the Passover meal

Matthew 26:17-19
Mark 14:12-16
Luke 22:7-13

In the evening Jesus eats the Passover meal with the Twelve, tells them of the coming betrayal, and institutes the Lord’s Supper

Matthew 26:20-29
Mark 14:17-23
Luke 22:14-30

After supper Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, interacts with them, and delivers the Upper Room Discourse

John 13:1-17:26

Jesus and the disciples sing a hymn together (probably from Psalms 113–118), then depart to the Mount of Olives

Matthew 26:30
Mark 14:26
Luke 22:39

Jesus foretells Peter’s denials

Matthew 26:31-35
Mark 14:27-31

Jesus gives his disciples practical commands about supplies and provisions

Luke 22:35-38

Jesus and the disciples go to Gethsemane, where he struggles in prayer and they struggle to stay awake late into the night

Matthew 26:36-46
Mark 14:32-42
Luke 22:40-46

(HT: JT)

Holy Week: What Happened on Wednesday

2011-04-20T17:00:00.000-04:00

Jesus continues his daily teaching in the Temple

Luke 21:37-38

With Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread approaching, the chief priests, elders, and scribes plot to kill Jesus

Matthew 26:3-5
Mark 14:1-2
Luke 22:1-2

Satan enters Judas, who seeks out the Jewish authorities in order to betray Jesus for a price

Matthew 26:14-16
Mark 14:10-11
Luke 22:3-6

(HT: JT)

Holy Week: What Happened on Tuesday

2011-04-19T12:32:00.000-04:00

Jesus’ disciples see the withered fig tree on their return to Jerusalem from Bethany

Matthew 21:20-22
Mark 11:20-21

Jesus engages in conflict with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem

Matthew 21:23-23:39
Mark 11:27-12:44
Luke 20:1-21:4

The Disciples marvel at the Temple; Jesus delivers the Olivet Discourse on their return to Bethany from Jerusalem

Matthew 24:1-25:46
Mark 13:1-37
Luke 21:5-36

(HT: JT)

4 Views of the Sabbath

2011-04-19T06:00:00.001-04:00

A new book from B&H Academic: Perspectives on the Sabbath: 4 Views, edited by Chris Donato. Here are the contributors and the descriptions of their positions from the back cover:

Skip MacCarty (Andrews University) defends the seventh-day view, which argues that the fourth commandment is a moral law of God requiring us to keep the seventh day, Saturday, holy. It must therefore remain the day of rest and worship for Christians.

Joseph A. Pipa (Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary) backs the Christian Sabbath view. He reasons that every since the resurrection of Christ, the one day in seven to be kept holy is Sunday, the first day of the week.

Charles P. Arand (Concordia Seminary) upholds the Lutheran view that the Sabbath commandment was given to Jews alone and does not concern Christians. Rest and worship are still required but are not tied to a particular day.

Craig L. Blomberg (Denver Seminary) supports the Fulfillment view: since Christ has brought the true Sabbath rest into the present, the Sabbath commands of the Old Testament are no longer binding on believers.

(HT: JT)

Holy Week: What Happened on Monday

2011-04-18T19:00:00.002-04:00

On Monday morning Jesus and the Twelve leave Bethany to return to Jerusalem, and along the way Jesus curses the fig tree

Matthew 21:18-19
Mark 11:12-15

Jesus enters Jerusalem and clears the temple

Matthew 21:12-13
Mark 11:15-17
Luke 19:45-46

In the evening Jesus and the Twelve leave Jerusalem (returning to Bethany)

Mark 11:19

(HT: JT)

My Own Prison

2011-04-18T18:15:00.000-04:00

Rob Yacoviello:

Disciplined people tend to annoy me. I just don’t get it. How does someone routinely go to bed early, eat grapefruit for breakfast, have a flat stomach, and a consistent workout routine? These people exist. I’ve seen them, but I will never understand them.

There are times when I’m able to summon a modicum of will power, and for a few short weeks or months, I make it to the gym or eat healthy meals. But for the most part, if I were given the choice of a grapefruit or a doughnut for breakfast, I would choose the doughnut every day. And if I ever make it to bed before eleven o’clock, it is out of sheer exhaustion from being awake till 3am the night before. I am also under the firm belief that, due to my addiction to Three Musketeers candy bars, I account for a third of the Mars Corporation’s annual income. I don’t list these failures in my resolution proudly; I’m just stating the facts.

It is for these reasons that most of the posts on this blog focus on the bondage of the will. I daily struggle as did the Apostle Paul with the fact the I don’t do the things that I would like to do, but the things that I hate are the things that I inevitably do. As Romans chapter seven comes to a close, Paul asks, “Who will deliver me from myself”? This is where the gospel breaks through for those like me who just cannot get it together. The gospel tells us that there is no condemnation for those fail to be who they would like to be, those who can only trust in Jesus who accomplished for them what they could not do on their own. The gospel has no conditions, no caveats. That’s what makes it the gospel. You don’t have to act a certain way or do a certain thing to be worthy of grace. The point is that you can’t. Quit trying. Accept that the work has been done for you.

I am not endorsing antinomianism. It is just a different perspective. If we are viewed by God as being completely sinless because of the work of Christ, then we can approach the law as something desired as opposed to something required. When we fail, as we always do, we can know that God isn’t standing over us in judgement, but in love.

This is comforting to an undisiplined person like me.

Radical Together

2011-04-15T15:28:00.000-04:00

(HT: Z)

The Elephant Room - Watch Pastors Confront Pastors

2011-04-13T00:10:00.000-04:00

You should sign up to get these videos. The first video below describes the idea and the second is one of the confrontations. It is between Perry Noble, James MacDonald, and Mark Driscoll about Noble playing the song Highway to Hell at his church. I think this is a great idea. We're all brothers in Christ and these are good family discussions that will ultimately help the body. There's also a good one between Furtick and Chandler.

The Elephant Room from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

Highway to Hell - Part 1 from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

Be a Resource, Not a Limiter

2011-04-11T19:46:00.000-04:00

Matt Perman with some good advice for leaders. Leadership is about unleashing the potential of your people rather than controlling them. Let's heed this advice in the board room, in the home, and in the church.

Matt Perman:

The people that are most helpful in any organization are those who take initiative, rather than simply doing what they are told. What organizations need from their people is engagement, not mere compliance. (And, conversely, this is what makes a job most satisfying — being engaged, rather than simply seeking to comply).

This has implications for managers as well. If you manage in a certain way (namely, with a command and control focus), you incentivize compliance. But if you realize that management is not about control, but rather about helping to unleash the talents of your people for the performance of the organization, and that this comes from trusting your people and granting them autonomy, then you see yourself not as the “boss,” but as a source of help.

A manager is a source of help and a catalyst, not a limiter or controller.

(HT: Z)

Memorizing Scripture: Why and How

2011-04-09T07:32:00.001-04:00

from Desiring God

I wish I could persuade everyone to do this.

Here is inspiration and application on why and how to memorize Scripture.

Why Do It?

First, the inspiration.

Dallas Willard, professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, wrote,
Chuck Swindoll wrote,

Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization.

(“Spiritual Formation in Christ for the Whole Life and Whole Person” in Vocatio, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring, 2001, 7).

Chuck Swindoll wrote,

I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. . . . No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified.

(Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994], 61).

How to Do It

Second, the application.

The most helpful practical method I have ever run into, especially for memorizing longer passages, is the booklet from Andy Davis and is downloadable here.

Penguins and the Law

2011-04-06T20:29:00.001-04:00

”I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.”

Romans 7:10-11

(HT: Lager and Gospel)

5 Ways to Make Your Kids Hate Church

2011-03-28T18:09:00.000-04:00

Thomas Weaver:

1. Make sure your faith is only something you live out in public

Go to church... at least most of the time. Make sure you agree with what you hear the preacher say, and affirm on the way home what was said especially when it has to do with your kids obeying, but let it stop there. Don’t read your bible at home. The pastor will say everything you need to hear on Sundays. Don’t engage your children in questions they have concerning Jesus and God. Live like you want to live during the week so that your kids can see that duplicity is ok.

2. Pray only in front of people

The only times you need to pray are when your family is over, Holiday meals, when someone is sick, and when you want something. Besides that, don’t bother. Your kids will see you pray when other people are watching, no need to do it with them in private.

3. Focus on your morals

Make sure you insist your kids be honest with you. Let them know it is the right thing for them to do, but then feel free to lie in your own life and disregard the need to tell them and others the truth. Get very angry with your children when they say words that are “naughty” and “bad”, but post, read, watch, and say whatever you want on TV, Facebook, and Twitter. Make sure you focus on being a good person. Be ambiguous about what this means.

4. Give financially as long as it doesn’t impede your needs

Make a big deal out of giving at church. Stress the need to your children the value of tithing, while not giving sacrificially yourself. Allow them to see you spend a ton of money on what you want, while negating your command from scripture to give sacrificially.

5. Make church community a priority. As long as there is nothing else you want to do

Hey, you are a church going family, right? I mean, that’s what you tell your friends and family anyways. Make sure you attend on Sundays. As long as you didn’t stay up too late Saturday night. Or your family isn’t having a big bar-b-que. Or the big game isn’t on. Or this week you just don’t feel like it. Or... I mean, you are church going family so what’s the big deal?

(HT: Z)

G.O.S.P.E.L

2011-03-25T17:00:00.000-04:00

G.O.S.P.E.L. from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.

Do We Really Believe What We're Saying?

2011-03-23T12:07:00.000-04:00

Do We Really Believe What We're Saying? from The Church at Brook Hills on Vimeo.

(HT: Timmy Brister)

Facebook Makes Us Miserable

2011-03-16T23:53:00.000-04:00

Tim Challies:

It seems clear that Facebook is exposing something, some ugly little corner of the human heart. Facebook is all about making life seem joyful—we “like” one another’s happy status updates, not the sad ones; we post photos of our parties, not our funerals; we use it to celebrate births and marriages and new relationships, not to mourn deaths or remember break-ups. Facebook is meant to be a happy place for happy people. But it doesn’t seem to work out so well. We all think everyone else is happy, but we don’t feel the joy.

And it strikes both ways—when we portray ourselves through social media we do so on our own terms. And of course this means that we present ourselves in the way we want to be perceived, whether or not this is an accurate portrayal. So even while we put only our best foot forward, we look at others and assume that their portrayal is more accurate than our own; we believe that we are the only pretenders, the only ones stretching and exaggerating, trying to keep up. We resent another person for being happy—“She has an amazing life and I don’t!” Or we resent her for being falsely happy—“I know her and I know that her life isn’t all that!”

Either way, we all end up miserable. We all end up trying to be something we are not and believing that everyone else has a better life. Libby Copeland spoke to the author of this paper and he quoted Montesquieu saying: “If we only wanted to be happy it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, which is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are.” We do not want to be happy—we want to be happier. It becomes a competition, a point of comparison. But we can never be happier because we constantly drag ourselves down by believing that we are the only ones who are miserable.

What a ridiculous lot we are. What a sad, jealous, envious, idolatrous lot.

Facebook makes me believe, even stronger, in the value of the local church, in the value of true, deep fellowship, or genuine community. This is just one more reason that we need to live in community—in real community with real people. When I mediate my life by Facebook, I am the one who controls it all. I curate it by tagging the photos I like, by offering up the statuses I like, by making myself who I want to be rather than who I am. But when I live before others, when I live a real life in the real world, well, that is where people see who I really am. And they love me on that basis. In fact, they love me more on that basis.

The fact is, we want to love real people and we want to be loved by real people. Facebook is fiction. Local church is fact—the most real community we can experience this side of eternity.

How Christianity Started vs How Other Religions Started

2011-03-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

(HT: Z)

God's Wrath and Love Meet at the Cross

2011-03-07T18:40:00.000-05:00

The reality is that the Old Testament displays the grace and love of God in experience and types, and these realities become all the clearer in the New Testament. Similarly, the Old Testament displays the righteous wrath of God in experience and types, and these realities become all the clearer in the New Testament. In other words both God’s love and God’s wrath are ratcheted up in the move from the Old Testament to the New. These themes barrel along through redemptive history, unresolved, until they come to a resounding climax in the Cross.

Do you wish to see God’s love? Look at the Cross.

Do you wish to see God’s wrath? Look at the Cross.

—From D.A. Carson, “God’s Love and God’s Wrath,” Bibliotheca Sacra 156 (1999): 388–390.

(HT: JT)

"A Feast For Our Souls"

2011-02-28T22:55:00.000-05:00

The redeemed have all from the grace of God. It was of mere grace that God gave us his only begotten Son. The grace is great in proportion to the excellency of what is given. The gift was infinitely precious, because it was of a person infinitely worthy, a person of infinite glory; and also because it was of a person infinitely near and dear to God. The grace is great in proportion to the benefit He [has] given us in him. The benefit is doubly infinite, in that in him we have deliverance from an infinite, because an eternal, misery, and do also receive eternal joy and glory. The grace in bestowing this gift is great in proportion to our unworthiness to whom it is given; instead of deserving such a gift, we merited infinitely ill of God's hands. The grace is great according to the manner of giving, or in proportion to the humiliation and expense of the method and means by which a way is made for our having the gift. He gave him to dwell amongst us; he gave him to us incarnate, or in our nature; and in the like through sinless infirmities. He gave him to us in a low and afflicted state, that he might be a feast for our souls.

Jonathan Edwards, quoted in The Essential Edwards Collection: Lover of God, p. 61-62

Christianity: Harder and Easier

2011-02-27T15:40:00.000-05:00

The Christian way is different: harder, and easier. Christ says "Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours."

Both harder and easier than what we are all trying to do. You have noticed, I expect, that Christ Himself sometimes describes the Christian way as very hard, sometimes as very easy. He says, "Take up your Cross"—in other words, it is like going to be beaten to death in a concentration camp. Next minute he says, "My yoke is easy and my burden light." He means both. And one can just see why both are true.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 196-197

Tim Keller on Fox News

2011-02-22T20:43:00.000-05:00

Watch Tim Keller on Fox News here answer the question "What is the True Word of Jesus?"

Begotten not Created

2011-02-21T20:36:00.000-05:00

We don't use the words begetting or begotten much in modern English, but everyone still knows what they mean. To beget is to become the father of: to create is to make. And the difference is this. When you beget, you beget something of the same kind as yourself. A man begets human babies, a beaver begets little beavers and a bird begets eggs which turn into little birds. But when you make, you make something of a different kind from yourself. A bird makes a nest, a beaver builds a dam, a man makes a wireless set—or he may make something more like himself than a wireless set: say, a statue. If he is a clever enough carver he may make a statue which is very like a man indeed. But, of course, it is not a real man; it only looks like one. It cannot breathe or think. It is not alive.

Now that is the first thing to get clear. What God begets is God; just as what man begets is man. What God creates is not God; just as what man makes is not man. That is why men are not Sons of God in the sense that Christ is. They may be like God in certain ways, but they are not things of the same kind. They are more like statues or pictures of God.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 167

The only thing I would add to what Lewis has said here is that Jesus Christ is eternally begotten. In other words there was never a time when he wasn't begotten or that he did not exist. I think it is implied in the context, but I wanted to be sure it was explicit in this post.

A Desire Which No Experience in this World Can Satisfy

2011-02-14T20:27:00.001-05:00

The Christian says, "Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it,to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage.

I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same."

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 136

Desiring God: 25th Anniversary Edition

2011-02-07T20:31:00.000-05:00

John Piper's book Desiring God has had a profound impact on my life. This year is its 25th anniversary and they have released a new edition of the book. Check out the promo video below. I may give it a re-read this year.

Almost (saved)

2011-02-01T11:52:00.000-05:00

I love the P4CM Poets. Check this one out...

My favorite P4CM poem is called Rise Up.

(HT: Rest of Sunday)

What Is Faith?

2011-02-01T06:00:00.004-05:00

In Scripture there is practically no effort made to define faith. Outside of a brief fourteen-word definition in Hebrews 11:1, I know of no biblical definition. Even there faith is defined functionally, not philosophically; that is, it is a statement of what faith is in operation, not what it is in essence. It assumes the presence of faith and shows what it results in, rather than what it is. We will be wise to go just that far and attempt to go no further. We are told from whence it comes and by what means: "Faith...is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8) and "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).

In a dramatic story in the book of Numbers (21:4-9) faith is seen in action. Israel became discouraged and spoke against God, and the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. "And they bit the people; and much people of Israel died" (21:6). Then Moses sought the Lord for them and He heard and gave them a remedy against the bite of the serpents. He commanded Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole in sight of all the people, "and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live" (21:8). Moses obeyed, "and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived" (21:9).

In the New Testament this important bit of history is interpreted for us by no less an authority than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is explaining to His hearers how they may be saved. He tells them that it is by believing. Then to make it clear He refers to this incident in the book of Numbers. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14-15).

[A] plain man, in reading this, would make an important discovery. He would notice that look and believe are synonymous terms. "Looking" on the Old Testament serpent is identical with "believing" on the New Testament Christ. That is, the looking and the believing are the same thing. And he would understand that, while Israel looked with their external eyes, believing is done with the heart. I think he would conclude that faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God.

A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, p.81-83

Best Church Ad

2011-01-31T20:25:00.000-05:00

“Before we tell you who we are, we want to tell you who we were."

(HT: T-Wax)

Is there a central message unifying all 66 unique books of the Bible?

2011-01-26T22:03:00.000-05:00

Listen to D.A. Carson explain. God's wrath toward us and God's love for us meet at the cross.

(HT: Timmy Brister)

Adopted For Life Quotes

2011-01-22T21:19:00.000-05:00

It's been about a year since my wife and I read Adopted For Life by Russ Moore. For some reason I found myself thumbing through it today. When I read a book I always have a highlighter in hand. Below I list all my highlights from the first chapter called Adoption, Jesus, and You:
I recommitted to God that we would trust him and that we would adopt whomever he directed us to.

The Bible tells us that human families are reflective of an eternal fatherhood (Ephesians 3:14-15).

Adoption is, on the one hand, gospel.

Adoption is also defined as mission.

As we love our God, we love our neighbor; as we love our neighbor we love our God.

Without the theological aspect, the emphasis on adoption too easily is seen as mere charity. Without the missional aspect, the doctrine of adoption too easily is seen as mere metaphor.

That's why adoption isn't charity - it's war.

Adoption is about an entire culture within our churches, a culture that sees adoption as part of our Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself.

I told my wife, "I don't mind adopting a few years down the road, but I want my first child to be mine." I can still hear my voice saying those words - and it sounds so small and pitiable and hellish now.
Quotes from Adopted For Life, Chapter 1

Saying What You Believe Is Clearer Than Saying "I'm a Calvinist"

2011-01-20T20:15:00.000-05:00

John Piper:

We are Christians. Radical, full-blooded, Bible-saturated, Christ-exalting, God-centered, mission-advancing, soul-winning, church-loving, holiness-pursing, sovereignty-savoring, grace-besotted, broken-hearted, happy followers of the omnipotent, crucified Christ. At least that’s our imperfect commitment.

In other words, we are Calvinists. But that label is not nearly as useful as telling people what you actually believe! So forget the label, if it helps, and tell them clearly, without evasion or ambiguity, what you believe about salvation.

If they say, “Are you a Calvinist?” say, “You decide. Here is what I believe . . .”

I believe I am so spiritually corrupt and prideful and rebellious that I would never have come to faith in Jesus without God’s merciful, sovereign victory over the last vestiges of my rebellion. (1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 3:1–4; Romans 8:7).

I believe that God chose me to be his child before the foundation of the world, on the basis of nothing in me, foreknown or otherwise. (Ephesians 1:4–6; Acts 13:48; Romans 8:29–30; 11:5–7)

I believe Christ died as a substitute for sinners to provide a bona fide offer of salvation to all people, and that he had an invincible design in his death to obtain his chosen bride, namely, the assembly of all believers, whose names were eternally written in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. (John 3:16; John 10:15; Ephesians 5:25; Revelation 13:8)

When I was dead in my trespasses, and blind to the beauty of Christ, God made me alive, opened the eyes of my heart, granted me to believe, and united me to Jesus, with all the benefits of forgiveness and justification and eternal life. (Ephesians 2:4–5; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Philippians 2:29; Ephesians 2:8–9; Acts 16:14; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 3:9)

I am eternally secure not mainly because of anything I did in the past, but decisively because God is faithful to complete the work he began—to sustain my faith, and to keep me from apostasy, and to hold me back from sin that leads to death. (1 Corinthians 1:8–9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 1:25; John 10:28–29; 1 John 5:16)

Call it what you will, this is my life. I believe it because I see it in the Bible. And because I have experienced it. Everlasting praise to the greatness of the glory of the grace of God!

This Should Horrify You

2011-01-19T18:17:00.005-05:00

I had a difficult time reading this news report. If you don't want to read it here's the summary: There is a "Doctor" in Philadelphia being charged with 7 counts of murder. He was an abortion doctor that specialized in illegal and late term abortions. He induced the birth of the babies then terminated life outside of the womb.

Obviously this should horrify any normal person. So, my question is why are we not horrified over legal abortions? What is it about a 6 inch trip down the birth canal that makes legal abortion less horrifying? What it is about a 6 inch trip down the birth canal that makes a life more important?

15 Talking Points on Abortion

2011-01-17T18:17:00.000-05:00

by John Piper:

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother's womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.

7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.

8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.

9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.

10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.

11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.

12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.

13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.

14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.

15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.

(HT: Jared Wilson)

Training in Godliness vs. Irreverent, Silly Myths

2011-01-16T22:37:00.000-05:00

(HT: JT)

Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology For Pilgrims on The Way

2011-01-14T11:26:00.001-05:00

I'm looking forward to getting Michael Horton's book on Systematic Theology called Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology For Pilgrims on The Way. Systematic Theology has been very helpful to me in recent years in understanding different Bible doctrines. We have Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology book and love it. Here is Horton describing the book:

I Will Help You

2011-01-12T20:00:00.001-05:00

I love me some Spurgeon. Here is a Spurgeon quote I found over at Ray Ortlund's blog Christ Is Deeper Still:

I will help you. Isaiah 41:10

“Let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: ‘I will help you. It is but a small thing for me, your God, to help you. Consider what I have done already. What! not help you? Why, I bought you with my blood. What! not help you? I have died for you; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less? Help you! It is the least thing I will ever do for you. I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose you. I made the covenant for you. I laid aside my glory and became a man for you, I gave up my life for you; and if I did all this, I will surely help you now. In helping you, I am giving you what I have bought for you already. If you had need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it to you; you require little compared with what I am ready to give. ‘Tis much for you to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. Help you? Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of your granary asking for help, it would not ruin you to give him a handful of your wheat; and you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of my all-sufficiency. I will help you.’

O my soul, is not this enough? Do you need more strength than the omnipotence of the United Trinity? Do you want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring here your empty pitcher! Surely this well will fill it. Haste, gather up your needs, and bring them here – your emptiness, your woes, your needs. Behold, this river of God is full for your supply; what can you desire beside? Go forth, my soul, in this your might. The Eternal God is your helper.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Style updated.

10 Ways You and Your Church Can Be Involved in Adoption and Orphan Care in 2011

2011-01-10T09:32:00.000-05:00

Ligonier Blog:

There are more than 163 million orphans in the world today. Even in the United States there are almost half a million orphans in the foster care system. Most of these have been abused, neglected or abandoned. These are the ones the Bible speaks of when it mentions the “fatherless.” The Scriptures are clear that the task of caring for these little ones belongs to His people. Christians can not only show the compassion of Christ in caring for orphans, but also display a picture of the gospel.

The question for any believer is not whether to be involved in the ministry of orphan care, but how. Below are ten suggestions to get you thinking about how you might participate in a ministry that can change the lives of children and families.

10 Ways You and Your Church Can Be Involved in Orphan Care in 2011

(HT: T4A)

CS Lewis on Giving

2011-01-09T22:28:00.000-05:00

I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charities expenditure excludes them....For many of us the great obstacle to charity lies not in our luxurious living or desire for more money, but in our fear - fear of insecurity.

CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, p.86

John Piper Sermon Jam on Scripture Memory

2011-01-06T11:40:00.001-05:00

(HT: Tim Brister)

Adoption Myth: Waiting Lists

2011-01-04T23:14:00.000-05:00

This myth was shattered for Judy and I the first time we made a phone call to our attorney to inquire about the adoption process. As soon as they found out that we were open to any race they asked us if we were willing to be matched right away. In the end it took us 9 months from the time we started the process until the time we were able to bring Noah home. However, throughout the whole 9 months we were getting calls every two or three weeks with possible matches. The main reason we were not matched sooner was because my company was being bought out and there was uncertainty surrounding my job. So we had to turn down several situations because of this. Thankfully I found a new job in May and 3 months later we were bringing home.

Adoption waiting lists only exist because parents put restrictions on who they will adopt.

I was reminded of this again when I read the following blog post from Justin Taylor:

A reader writes to Andrew Sullivan:

I’m flabbergasted by your quote of Ross [Douthat] stating that “would-be adoptive parents face a waiting list that has lengthened beyond reason.” They do not. I’ve adopted two children, and the waiting list is not long. It doesn’t even exist: there are 500,000 children in foster care in the US, and 100,000 of those are available for adoption today.

Well, ok, but you want an infant? No problem: less than a month after we adopted our first child, our agency called us asking if we knew anyone at all with a completed home study. They had a healthy baby boy in a hospital and nobody willing to adopt him. (Agency rules didn’t allow us to take him before our first was completed) For our second, the agency tried for days to contact us around Christmas since we were the only people on the list who were willing to take him.

Why was it so hard to place them? Simple: the adoption market is built around healthy white infants. If you’re willing to remove even *one* of those conditions, the waiting list is short to non-existent.

There’s no shortage of children to adopt; the waiting list exists solely because adoptive parents want to wait for the “right” kind of child. Please don’t perpetuate the myth.

I Am Second

2010-12-28T20:35:00.000-05:00

Christian Hosoi a professional skateboarder was big-time in the 80’s, but the 90’s were a different story. He got all strung-out on drugs and eventually landed in jail. But that wasn’t the end of his story. Hear the rest of the story in the “I Am Second” video above.

For Hosoi, the text God used to quicken his heart was 1 Kings 2:1-9—the story of David’s exhortation to Solomon as David lay on his deathbed.

Is Gambling a Sin? (Video)

2010-12-27T20:40:00.001-05:00

Watch Gregory Koukl from Stand to Reason explain why "gaming" (poker, blackjack, etc) may not be sin. Just because there is money involved doesn't necessarily mean it's gambling. Greg explains that games such as poker and blackjack may not be gambling because they involve skill and one can even earn a living at them - similar to other professional sports. He even looks at it from a purely entertainment perspective and concludes that within limits "gaming" is a legitimate form of entertainment. Gaming becomes a sin when it becomes enslaving or when you put it before the needs of your family/ministry - but this is true with everything in life.

I appreciate how Greg takes a balanced and reasoned approach to this topic. It really annoys me when Christians look down their noses (and I am guilty of this) at the guy who enjoys playing poker - viewing him as less spiritual while at the same time wasting their own money and time on things like Xboxes, Playstations, movies, food, cars, restaurants, houses, clothes, home decor, etc. I think this kind of behavior makes us look foolish and hypocritical.

I'm not trying to "stir the pot." I just want Christians to think with a level head here and not be driven by what tradition says is wrong. When we do this our Gospel witness is limited.

Watch Greg's video response here (5 minute video).

TobyMac and Orphans

2010-12-24T10:25:00.000-05:00

(HT: @yacogirl)

My Bible Reading Plan for 2011

2010-12-22T23:38:00.000-05:00

I came across this program earlier this year by way of challies.com and based on his recommendation I decided to give it a try in 2011. It's called Professor Grant Horner's Bible Reading System. The system is simple, but intense. It's simple in it's structure - read 10 chapters a day. It's intense in it's commitment - read 10 chapters a day. It's unique because you will never read the same set of 10 chapters twice. Professor Horner gives you 10 lists and you simply read 1 chapter from each list every day working through the books on each list. Some books you will read once like the Minor Prophets and some you will read 12 times like Proverbs and Acts. I like it because you are not assigned to read specific chapters on specific dates so you never "get behind." If you miss a day you just pick up where you left off and continue on. Since the longest list will take you 250 days that leaves you about 115 days of slack still allowing you to get through every book at least once in a year. It will be intense especially in my stage of life (married, 4 kids, school, etc) so I will probably modify it as I go along. For example, once I get all the way through a list I may drop it from my reading. This way as the year goes on the amount of reading decreases.

Professor Horner suggests to use 10 book markers to keep track of where you are in the system, but that won't work for me. I don't like having a bunch of papers in my Bible so I've created a one page list that I will keep in my Bible (see below). I will use the list to keep track of what chapters I've completed (in pencil) and how many times I've been through each book.

You can read more about and download this system for free here.

What's Next for Francis Chan? Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris

2010-12-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

I really enjoyed this conversation between Chan, Driscoll, and Harris. Driscoll and Harris weren't afraid to ask Chan the tough questions about why he left his church. This is what an accountability group should look like - your brothers (in love) asking you the tough questions.

.
What's Next for Francis Chan? Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Memorizing Philippians

2010-12-21T22:08:00.000-05:00

About a month ago I decided to memorize the book of Philippians in 2011. In fact I couldn't wait and I'm about half way through chapter 2 now. So I was excited to see this post by Tim Brister come through my Google Reader. Now I can follow a system and stay accountable. My Moleskin is in the mail.

Tim Brister:

Starting in 2011, I am beginning a project called P2R (Partnering to Remember). The goal is to memorize the entire book of Philippians by Easter Sunday (April 24, 2011) through partnering with other believers using the memory moleskine. Paul praised the church in Philippi for their partnership in advance of the Gospel, and in the spirit of that partnership, this project intends to bring Christians together for the deepening work of God’s Word in their lives. Simply put, I believe we should partner to remember.

Using the Cahier moleskine, I have created a pocket-size notebook that provides a practical and accessible way to memorize Scripture. Through collaboration with The Resurgence, a customized PDF has been created for you to download with a week-by-week outline for memorizing the book of Philippians in 16 weeks using the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible. On one side of the moleskine you simply paste the week’s verses to memorize, and on the other side you write your reflections on the verses while indicating how many times you rehearsed them each day. Included in this PDF are encouragements and helps to memorizing and retaining Scripture from Donald Whitney, Andy Davis, and John Piper.

The Cahier moleskine can be purchased either directly from Moleskine or from various bookstores such as Borders or Books-a-Million. My hope is that many Christians will establish a rhythm of remembering God’s Word together through a system that helps access Scripture wherever you are. So I encourage you to join me at the beginning of the New Year with a memory moleskine in your hand that God’s Word may be more treasured in your heart!

How to Make Your Own 2011 Philippians Memory Moleskine

1. Purchase your own Cahier Moleskine (3.5×5.5 size)
2. Download the PDF provided by the Resurgence
3. Cut the weekly Scripture reading according to the border
4. Use double-sided tape to paste the weekly section of verses
5. Find someone who you can partner with for encouragement & accountability
6. Jump in starting January 1, 2011!!!

Does Jesus' Claim to Forgive Sins Prove He is God?

2010-12-21T06:11:00.003-05:00

Christ's claim to forgive sins points to the fact that he is either God or a lunatic. You can't say that he was simply a good moral teacher or Rabbi or Prophet. How can a mere man claim to forgive all your sins unless all your sins are against him? A mere man cannot make this claim. If you kill your brother that sin has nothing to do with me and there is no reason why I need to forgive you. The only man able to forgive all sins is the man against whom we sin when we sin. Jesus can make this claim because he is God. CS Lewis explains below:

Then comes the real shock. Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He has always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world at the end of time...

One part of the claim tends to slip past us unnoticed because we have heard it so often that we no longer see what it amounts to. I mean the claim to forgive sins: any sins. Now unless the speaker is God, this is really so preposterous as to be comic. We can all understand how a man forgives offences against himself. You tread on my toes and I forgive you, you steal my money and I forgive you. But what should we make of a man, himself unrobbed and untrodden on, who announced that he forgave you for treading on other men's toes and stealing other men's money? Asinine fatuity is the kindest description we should give of his conduct. Yet this is what Jesus did. He told people that their sins were forgiven, and never waited to consult all the other people whom their sins had undoubtedly injured. He unhesitatingly behaved as if He was the party chiefly concerned, the person chiefly offended in all offences. This makes sense only if He really was the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin. In the mouth of any speaker who is not God, these words would imply what I can only regard as a silliness and conceit unrivalled by any other character in history.

CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, p 51-52

I Dare You To Pray This

2010-12-18T10:49:00.001-05:00

(HT: DG)

The Digital Story of Nativity

2010-12-15T22:39:00.000-05:00

(HT: Z)

Work Out Your Salvation

2010-12-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

Don't Freak Out About X-Mas

2010-12-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

RC Sproul explains why X is used to replace Christ in Christmas:

The simple answer to your question is that the X in Christmas is used like the R in R.C. My given name at birth was Robert Charles, although before I was even taken home from the hospital my parents called me by my initials, R.C., and nobody seems to be too scandalized by that.

X can mean so many things. For example, when we want to denote an unknown quantity, we use the symbol X. It can refer to an obscene level of films, something that is X-rated. People seem to express chagrin about seeing Christ’s name dropped and replaced by this symbol for an unknown quantity X. Every year you see the signs and the bumper stickers saying, “Put Christ back into Christmas” as a response to this substitution of the letter X for the name of Christ.

First of all, you have to understand that it is not the letter X that is put into Christmas. We see the English letter X there, but actually what it involves is the first letter of the Greek name for Christ. Christos is the New Testament Greek for Christ. The first letter of the Greek word Christos is transliterated into our alphabet as an X. That X has come through church history to be a shorthand symbol for the name of Christ.

We don’t see people protesting the use of the Greek letter theta, which is an O with a line across the middle. We use that as a shorthand abbreviation for God because it is the first letter of the word Theos, the Greek word for God.

The idea of X as an abbreviation for the name of Christ came into use in our culture with no intent to show any disrespect for Jesus. The church has used the symbol of the fish historically because it is an acronym. Fish in Greek (ichthus) involved the use of the first letters for the Greek phrase “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” So the early Christians would take the first letter of those words and put those letters together to spell the Greek word for fish. That’s how the symbol of the fish became the universal symbol of Christendom. There’s a long and sacred history of the use of X to symbolize the name of Christ, and from its origin, it has meant no disrespect.

(HT: Challies)

What Does It Mean To Visit Orphans in Their Affliction?

2010-12-08T00:17:00.000-05:00

**This is an excerpt from the lesson I taught on Orphan Care on Orphan Sunday, November 7th.**

In James 1:27 it says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

So, what does the inspired author mean when he says that we should visit orphans in their affliction?

First of all he doesn't mean "visit" like you would visit a friend in the hospital. The meaning here is much deeper than that. The word visit here has its roots in the Old Testament. The word visit here has its roots in redemption. The word visit here has its roots in grace.

I will argue that to visit orphans in their affliction is to rescue them from their affliction and to provide for them permanent homes. I want to make my argument based on two passages – one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.

1) Exodus 4:31

And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

This was the reaction of the people of Israel when they heard about Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush and how God had planned to rescue them from bondage. They used the word visit to describe God's rescue plan. So what was God's rescue plan? Well we can see it most directly a chapter earlier in Exodus 3:

Exodus 3:8

...I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

So, what did God do when he "visited" the Israelites? He freed them from their bondage to slavery ("to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians"), but he didn't stop there - he gave them a home ("to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land"). The Israelites were going from being owned to owning land - land that was big enough to house at least 6 other people groups/nations. When God visits he comes down to rescue and provides a new home.

2) The second passage is found in Acts 15:13-14

After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name."

What does James mean when he says that “God first visited the Gentiles?” If you backup to verse 7 and read through verse 14 you will get the context in which James uses this word visit.

• The means by which he would visit them (the Gospel) Acts 15:7 - by God's choice they would hear the word of the Gospel and believe

• The proof that God had visited them (the Holy Spirit) Acts 15:8 - God gave them the Holy Spirit

• The result of God's visit:
    - Cleansed hearts by faith Acts 15:9 - He cleansed their hearts by faith
    - Saved by grace Acts 15:11 - saved them through the grace of the Lord Jesus
    - Taken to be part of God's family Acts 15:14 - taken by God as a people for His name

So, to be visited by God is to be redeemed. To be visited by God is to be saved. To be visited by God is to be rescued. To be visited by is to be given a permanent home. To be visited by God is to be made part of a His family.

I believe this is what James 1:27 means when it says to visit orphans in their affliction. It means to rescue them from their affliction and give them a permanent home by making them part of your family. We call this adoption. To visit orphans in their affliction is to adopt them.

Now I'm not saying that everyone is called to adopted. Not everyone is called to adopted, but we are all called to some form of orphan care. Outside of adoption I would define orphan care as coming along side those called to adopt. Adoption is the tip of the spear in orphan care. All other forms of orphan care are designed to promote and support adoption. Orphan care can take many forms: Foster Care (providing temporary homes until a permanent one can be found - most families that foster end up adopting), financial support (one of the biggest obstacles to adoption), emotional support, fundraising help, etc.

To visit orphans in their affliction is to adopt them.

(The above points were primarily developed through my study of the writing and teaching of Dan Cruver over at Together for Adoption. Buy his book that is to be released January 2011 called Reclaiming Adoption)

Faith is Not Our Rock, Christ is Our Rock

2010-12-07T23:08:00.000-05:00

Refreshing words from Joel Beeke:

Too many Christians live in constant despondency because they cannot distinguish between the rock on which they stand and the faith by which they stand upon the rock. Faith is not our rock; Christ is our rock. We do not get faith by having faith in our faith or by looking to faith, but by looking to Christ. Looking to Christ is faith.

Nor is it perfect faith, great faith, fruitful faith, strong faith that justifies. If we start qualifying our faith, we destroy the gospel. Our faith may be weak, immature, timid, even indiscernible at times, but if it is real faith it is justifying faith (Matthew 6:30). Our degree of faith affects sanctification and assurance, but not justification. Faith's value in justification does not lie in any degree in itself but in its uniting us to Christ and His glorious achievement. As George Downame illustrates:
A small and weak hand, if it be able to reach up the meat to the mouth, as well performs its duty for the nourishment of the body as one of greater strength, because it is not the strength of the hand but the goodness of the meat which nourishes the body.
Far too often we are prone to look to the quality of our faith, the quality of our conviction of sin, the quality of our evangelical repentance, the quality of our love for the brethren for confirmation of our justification, forgetting that it is Christ alone who saves by gracious faith alone.

(HT: Jared Wilson)

Desiring God Christmas Book Sale

2010-12-03T22:55:00.000-05:00

Desiring God is offering some great deals on books. They have 3 different book bundles which contain 3 or 4 books each for just $10.

Click here to check out the deals.

The Heidelberg Catechism Rap

2010-12-01T22:45:00.000-05:00

Why would anybody write a rap about the Heidelberg Catechisms? It was actually a challenge put to Curtis "Voice" Allen by CJ Mahaney. You can hear the challenge here.

Here is Curtis doing it live (lyrics below):

Verse 1

Yeah I’m on a mission like a couple spies, and that guys is the reason why I catechize. The good news we almost forgot I recognize, Heidelberg rediscovering the gospel prize. It’s not scripture but the truth in it will mention he, introduction hide and seek the 16th century. Written in a time when your mind was the weaponry, this document is back into the populace shouts to Kevin D. Better than you think not as bad as you remember, purpose driven truth, from Frederick the elector. He would initiate, the 129 questions to illustrate truths like Christ propitiates. All in a document, whose purpose was to teach children, a guide for preachers, and confessions in a church building. And this is all fact The Heidelberg Cat has been around but now it’s seem like it is coming back.

Hook

We believe in the cross, believe in his life,
We believe in his death, believe he’s the Christ.
We believe that he rose from grave yes it is him
And we read the Heidelberg Catechism
We believe in the after life and we believe nothing’s after Christ,
So we stand our ground, cuz the truth’s been around from the word to the Heidelberg.

Verse 2

Year of the Heidelberg resulting in renewed passion, and we could see it in our lives lights camera action. Let’s take a gander and address a few questions from Heidelberg document then look at the answers. But before that make sure that, you know how it’s broken down, in a Q & A format, a few sections. Suggestions how to read this not to sound promotional, but Kevin put it in his book to make it a devotional. Each question each answer has a bit of commentary, so the application of it is not some involuntary. Mystery, the history screams through rings true but I’ll just leave that up to God, cuz that’s between you. to believe, but to believe you gotta read you and then you meditate on all the truths that the Heidelberg will illustrate. What’s that the catechism homey where you been the good news we almost forgot let’s get it in!

Verse 3

From the word to the Heidelberg, we see that what’s the comfort of life should come first. And in death that I with, body and soul but belong to the savior, commentary from me man, tell this to your neighbor. Moving on, how many things are necessary for thee, enjoying this comfort, to live and die happily? Three, my sin’s misery, deliverance from sin, and gratitude for God is how the answer ends. Let’s stretch it out the Lord’s day 23 the grandaddy of them all, questions 59 and 60. What good does it do to believe in all this? In Christ I am right heir to the promise. Paraphrase, anyways I’m kinda limited I’m just trying to say a couple things my man Kevin did. On the Heidelberg, go and get you one, and by the way CJ homey this was fun.

(HT: Timmy Brister)

55 Years Ago Today: Rosa Parks Refuses to Move and Sparks a Movement

2010-12-01T22:22:00.000-05:00

Justin Taylor has a great summary of Rosa Parks' story and the movement it sparked. Take some time to read it here.Here is the audio of Rosa recounting her story shortly after it happened.

Read Justin's post here (includes the above audio clip)

Buffalo Bills WR Blames God for Dropped Pass

2010-11-30T12:28:00.000-05:00

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson dropped what would have been the game winning touchdown pass in this past Sunday's match up against my beloved Steelers. After the game this is what he Tweeted:

I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO…

Erik Raymond over at his blog Ordinary Pastor writes about Johnson's remarks:

Johnson is appealing to his own righteousness (works, merit, duty, etc) as a basis for God to bless him. This lack of blessing in his life (ie a dropped pass) is a problem because of his religious capital that he has earned. In other words, “You are supposed to bless me because I keep all the rules, I do what I’m supposed to! God, YOU OWE ME!”

This is the exact opposite of Christianity. As it has been said by many people, “Christianity is not if I keep all the rules God will bless me….but instead it says, I did not keep all the rules (in fact I broke them all) but Jesus kept all the rules in my place! and then paid my penalty for breaking the rules!” In other words, God does not bless me because of what I have done but he does so because of what Christ has done in my place. On my own merit, I don’t deserve anything but wrath, judgment, and curse!

Johnson does not appeal to Christ’s work but to his own (perceived) ability to keep the law. This is not Christianity...

Read the entire post here.

(HT: JT)

Woody Allen Interviews Billy Graham

2010-11-24T20:30:00.000-05:00

Watch this civil discussion between two theologically opposed men. I appreciate how Billy was open to engaging with the culture. Billy Graham is one of the most effective communicators of our time. I think this interview proves this - not in the usual way (through his preaching), but through engaging conversation. He is quick, sharp, witty, and Biblical all at the same time. Enjoy:

Part 1:

Part 2:

(HT: 22 Words)

The 3 Most Disturbing Words on TV

2010-11-23T20:30:00.004-05:00

From DesiringGod.org:

Mike Cosper has an excellent post on the three most disturbing words on TV. You could not guess what they are. Think Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and the crescendo of each episode. The three most disturbing words on TV are "Move that bus!"

Really?

Cosper writes:

Again, there’s no arguing with the warmth and altruistic sentiments of the show. The families who have been profiled always seem to be wonderful people, I don’t impugn them or the show’s creators with secret evil intentions. But a disturbing thing happens in the final moments of the show. After profiling the family’s suffering, after talking about hardship and perseverance, after recruiting an army of volunteers, the family is brought in front of the new home, which is hidden from view by a large touring bus. They count down and call out those three words, and the reaction can only be described as worship. There are tears and shouting while people fall to their knees, hands raised in the air.

Here it is on bold display: the ultimate hope of most Americans. It’s as though a phantom voice is responding to their suffering with the words, Well done, good and faithful servant. Here is your reward: dreamy bedrooms, big-screen TVs, privacy fencing, and wireless internet. We watch. We weep. And we hope for ourselves. It’s yet another gospel alternative, this one packaged as a heart-warming vision of the way life is “supposed to be.”

Read Mike's whole post.

Complete List of Mega-Churches

2010-11-22T20:42:00.001-05:00

Here is a complete list of mega-churches in America. Apparently the definition of a mega-church is having 1,800 members or more. First North made the list on page 23 of 30. I thought we had more than 2,000 members so I don't know how accurate this list is. There are other well know SC churches on the list as well. I got this list from Parchment & Pen Blog.

Click here for the complete list.

(HT: Parchment & Pen Blog)

People Don't Learn What You Teach Them; They Learn What You're Passionate About

2010-11-20T21:17:00.000-05:00

Let's be passionate about the Gospel. Hear how D.A. Carson explains this below:

If I have learned anything in 35 or 40 years of teaching, it is that students don’t learn everything I teach them. What they learn is what I am excited about, the kinds of things I emphasize again and again and again and again. That had better be the gospel.

If the gospel—even when you are orthodox—becomes something which you primarily assume, but what you are excited about is what you are doing in some sort of social reconstruction, you will be teaching the people that you influence that the gospel really isn’t all that important. You won’t be saying that—you won’t even mean that—but that’s what you will be teaching. And then you are only half a generation away from losing the gospel.

Make sure that in your own practice and excitement, what you talk about, what you think about, what you pray over, what you exude confidence over, joy over, what you are enthusiastic about is Jesus, the gospel, the cross. And out of that framework, by all means, let the transformed life flow.

(HT: JT)

Mark Driscoll on One Big Ministry Mistake

2010-11-17T20:14:00.001-05:00

(HT: Z)

The Women of the Reformation: "All Were Faithful Servants of Jesus"

2010-11-17T12:02:00.000-05:00

Justin Holcomb highlights the women of the Reformation:

All too often, the textbooks focus solely on the men of the Reformation—Luther, Calvin, Cranmer, and others—and fail to take notice of the faithful women who served among, beside, and with the Reformers.

These women were dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ, some to the point of martyrdom. Many of these women were well-educated, especially by the standard of their time. They read theology books, especially the Bible, and anything they could get their hands on from the reformers. Their inner circles of friends were part of long and frequent Bible studies. Most were wives and mothers. Some were also authors, apologists, ex-nuns, and queens. All were faithful servants of Jesus.

Read their stories here.

(HT: JT)

The NIV 2011 Forces a Choice

2010-11-16T19:06:00.000-05:00

Trevin Wax shares his concern with the 2011 NIV update:

NIV readers who had philosophical misgivings about the TNIV (primarily because of its rendering of the text in a gender-neutral manner) will be happy to see that some of the more controversial revisions in the TNIV have been modified. Still, the NIV 2011 appears to retain its overall commitment to a gender-neutral translation philosophy.

I don’t want to use this space to get into a debate about the merits of gender-neutral translations...

The problem I see with the NIV 2011 is that the publisher (Zondervan) seems to be putting churches and church leaders in a position where they are forced to make a choice. A few years ago, upon considering the resistance from some evangelicals toward the TNIV, Zondervan assured Bible-readers that the 1984 NIV would remain available. But no such assurance is given now. In fact, the publisher has expressly indicated the desire for the NIV 2011 to replace both the original NIV and the TNIV.

Many faithful NIV readers will not overlook the differences between the original NIV and this recent revision. I don’t foresee pastors and churches quickly updating all their literature and switching to the new NIV in the coming decade. Since the old NIV will eventually be out of print, pastors and churches will be forced to make a choice. Either make the move to the NIV 2011 or move to another translation altogether.

Read the rest here.

Compassion for the Fatherless—The Axis Point of Hosea

2010-11-16T18:39:00.000-05:00

by Jedd Medifind at Christian Alliance for Orphans blog:

I was struck deeply this past week by a passage I’d never before noticed in the book of Hosea. My own thoughts and study of Hosea have always revolved around the living metaphor that God directed Hosea to act out in real time. Hosea was to welcome back into his home his adulterous wife Gomer, foretelling how God would someday welcome home His rebellious people. It’s an unforgettable story; but, interestingly, it takes up only two of fourteen chapters. The rest of the book sets up, and then delivers, a powerful window into God’s character, one that hinges on God’s heart for the fatherless.

Virtually all of chapter 3 and 4-14 are heavy-laden with judgment. God’s people have wandered far from him in idolatry, injustice and other sins, and the consequences Hosea lays out can make even the modern reader pale. Amidst it all are glimpses of hope and mercy as well, but warning and punishment are the resounding bass drum of these 12 chapters.

But then, with less than ten verses to go in the book, the road takes a sharp turn. And from that point on, Hosea offers only hope and promise of restoration. The axis point of this dramatic change in emphasis is 14:1-3. The preceding words had described death and destruction in horrible detail; those that come after describe healing and flourishing, dew and blossom.

What brings the change? It is a transformation of Israel’s heart: confessing of sin and asking forgiveness of God; rejection of false gods and trust in earthly powers; and then, in what appears to be the capstone of the transformation, a declaration coming from the penitent heart: “for in You the fatherless find compassion.”

It’d be natural to ask why that phrase would be here at all. What does God’s heart for the fatherless have to do with the situation? Why is this idea the axis point separating 10+ chapters of judgment from a grand finale of hope and mercy?

The shocking truth, as best I can tell, is that this fundamental truth about God’s character colors everything else we know about Him. Unlike the Greek gods (who were first appearing in story and song about this time in history), the God of the Bible is not concerned exclusively with the sleek and powerful, great athletes and mighty heroes. Rather, He is to be defined especially by His love for the destitute and protectorless, embodied particularly in the orphan.

Of course, God’s people are called to reflect God’s heart by carrying for orphans as well (i.e. Isaiah 1:17). But we must not jump to that mandate ahead of the primary truth. God’s heart, His character, the color that dyes our deepest understanding of Him, is revealed with particular clarity in His love for the fatherless. We can be confident of His love and faithfulness, pursuit and protection of us precisely because we know that He takes this same stance toward little ones that most everyone else has forgotten. This is the God we serve. And because He loves in this way, we can as well…

Can I Live? by Nick Cannon

2010-11-15T20:55:00.003-05:00

(HT: Randy Alcorn)

Human Responsibility and the Sovereignty of God

2010-11-11T21:07:00.000-05:00

Some good thoughts from Pastor JD Greear on human responsibility and the sovereignty of God:

Adoption Story: How God Provided For This Family's Adoption

2010-11-10T19:26:00.002-05:00

Listen to this story from the ABBA Fund blog on how God provided for this family's adoption:

So I just wanted to share some super exciting and overwhelming news… My husband has been working part time as the pastor of our church for the past year, and also working for the postal service. He finally left the post office and went full time with our church last week. Well, this past Sunday, they called us up to the front to give him a card and express their appreciation for him (evidently October was pastor appreciation month). So we came up, and one of our elders gave him the card and told him to open it then. So he opened it up, and inside was a little certificate that said:

“Just as your adoption into the family of Christ has been fully paid, so also has the adoption of your daughter been fully paid.”

And there was a big “$11,500.00″ written on it. Which is the amount that we still needed to save to cover our remaining costs. And then after we read it, the whole church stood and started clapping!

WOW!! I have no words for how shocked and how thankful and how amazed we were/are. It’s insane. I can’t even express. Our church is NOT big. We have around 50 members, and about 100 total regular attenders. We have no idea where the money even came from… except that it came from God!

I just wanted to share this, because it’s so awesome and we are so thankful and I hope that it will encourage someone. We had no idea where we were going to come up with the money for this adoption when we started… but we never worried about it. We always knew that God would provide. We just didn’t know He would provide such a large sum at one time, haha! He is so good and so faithful! Praise God!

Liv
ethiopiansisty.blogspot.com

Why Use the ESV?

2010-11-09T18:25:00.001-05:00

I started using the ESV Bible a little after I began teaching Sunday School about 2 years ago. I had been using the NIV for a few years prior to that. As I began preparing for my lessons using the NIV I found that the commentaries and other resources were mostly using the NASB or the ESV. Beyond that (and more frustrating for me) was that some of the points the commentators were making I could not see as clearly in the NIV. So, after some consideration I decided to go to the ESV. I love it now because it is easy to read and (as I understand) more literal. From my understanding the NIV is more of a thought-for-thought translation whereas the ESV and NASB are word-for-word translations. Although maybe the 2011 NIV text update has addressed some of these issues.

Piper has some good thoughts on the ESV below. Also, check out the ESV promo video.

John Piper on why the ESV is used at Bethlehem Baptist:

My aim tonight is to help you be persuaded that exposing millions of people (pastors, teachers, students, laypeople) to the ESV would undo the dominance of the NIV and put in its place a more literal, and yet a beautifully readable, memorizable Bible—the English Standard Version. And this would be a good thing.

In the following examples of NIV paraphrasing compared to the more literal ESV there are four convictions at stake.

1. A more literal translation respects the original author's way of writing. It is a way of honoring the inspired writers.

2. Translators are fallible and they may mislead the English reader if they use unnecessary paraphrases to bring out one possible meaning and conceal others.

3. A more literal translation gives preachers more confidence that they can preach what the English text says with authority that it reflects what the original Greek or Hebrew text says.

4. A more literal translation which preserves ambiguities that are really there in the original keeps open the possibility of new insight by future Bible readers.

I do not claim that the ESV is without its own level of "paraphrasing." Some will always be necessary. And there will always be disagreements about how much is necessary. I am simply arguing that the ESV is the best balance available of readability and literalness. I hope that it becomes the standard for the church.

ESV Promo Video:

ESV Trusted By Leaders from Crossway on Vimeo.

(HT: Jared)

NIV Text Update Complete

2010-11-06T10:47:00.001-04:00

From Bible Gateway.com

The Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) has completed their work to update the New International Version of the Bible. Since the most recent NIV update in 1984, the CBT has continued to meet every year in accordance with the NIV charter, which demands constant monitoring of developments in Biblical scholarship and English usage and the reflection of these developments in periodic updates to the text.

Executive Summary:

This graph shows the number of verses and percentage of verses where the NIV2011 and NIV1984 are the same, when the NIV2011 kept the tNIV rendering, and when the NIV2011 has something completely new.

(HT: Trevin)

Interview With Danny Akin

2010-11-04T23:31:00.000-04:00

I really enjoyed this interview with Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Seminary. They hit on the SBC, the evolution of Akin's ministry, Adoption, Limited Atonement, easy believism, seminary, and the Great Commission Resurgence. They even hit on a church plant that my church is involved with - Redemption Hill Church in Medford, Mass.

I first heard Danny Akin when he gave the opening address at our annual missions conference this year. I am so encouraged and thankful that he is a leader in my denomination. If you are a Southern Baptist you should listen to this.

Download it for free here.

"Why Are Christian Movies So Bad?"

2010-11-03T23:37:00.005-04:00

I found this discussion interesting. Mark Moring has a good article over at Christianity Today critiquing Scott Nehring's essay in Relevant magazine. In Scott Nehring's essay he addresses the question "Why are Christian movies so bad?" Nehring uses an excerpt from his book You Are What You See: Watching Movies Through a Christian Lens to answer the question. I appreciate both articles because they are seeking to get to the root of the problem. I think Moring best sums up the issue with this paragraph:

To me, the main thing goes back to something that producer Ralph Winter (the X-Men and Fantastic Four movies) told me a couple of years ago: There's simply no substitute for a great education at a first-rate film school, years of hard labor in the trenches with the best in the business (and yes, that likely means working side-by-side with pagans in Hollywood), and paying one's dues with lots of sweat, heartache, trial-and-error, failure, and dogged, unwavering persistence. There's simply no substitute for it.

Nehring offers this suggestion:

If a film claims to be Christian, it was supposedly done for the glory of God, but we do not glorify God by making lousy movies.

We have the makings of a movement that can change this culture. I honestly believe this. But I also believe the first step toward establishing the groundwork for a vibrant, relevant cultural movement based on scriptural thought is to stop producing “Christian films” or “Christian music” or “Christian art” and simply have Christ-followers who create great Art.

We have the makings of a movement that can change this culture. I honestly believe this. But I also believe the first step toward establishing the groundwork for a vibrant, relevant cultural movement based on scriptural thought is to stop producing “Christian films” or “Christian music” or “Christian art” and simply have Christ-followers who create great Art.

In my opinion the problem stems from how we as Christians address changes in culture and technology. I think as Christians where we messed up in regards to Hollywood is that in our attempt to be "in the world, but not of the world" we played the role of Separatist and now we're not only "not of Hollywood, but we're not in Hollywood either." This is a tragic mistake and is why (in my opinion) the Christian film industry is so far behind. We are commanded to be salt and light in this world. This will never happen by cutting ourselves off from Hollywood. I think we need to encourage our young Christian actors and film makers to pursue their careers in Hollywood with their lives firmly planted in the Gospel.

The same situation occurred in the Christian music industry, but with the emergence of Christian Hip Hop and other alternative Christian music we are little further along here.

As a church I think we have learned from our mistakes in film and music. I am encouraged to see churches embracing the internet. If the internet would have come along 50 or 60 years ago I'm sure we would have boycotted it. Nearly every church has an internet presence and most of those churches are active on Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and YouTube. Maybe this is where we find grace in all of this. Having learned from our mistakes we are much more aware of the impact technology has on our culture. Maybe our mistakes in Hollywood have taught us that something, although developed by the world, can be used by God to magnify his name and spread the Gospel.

I encourage you to read both of these articles:

Relevant magazine

Christianity Today

Serving: A Distraction to Listening?

2010-11-01T23:30:00.001-04:00

A good word from the folks at Desiring God about letting the busyness of ministry distract you from "listening to the Lord's teaching."

Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:42-42)
Jesus’ gracious rebuke to Martha haunts me.

"Martha was distracted with much serving" (Luke 10:40). But Mary "sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching" (Luke 10:39). Distraction is the enemy of listening. For Martha, at that moment, serving was a distraction. Serving became the enemy of the real good.

But that's not how it felt to Martha at the time. She thought she was doing the right thing. That's why she appealed to Jesus to exhort Mary to get off her rear and get busy serving. Martha was tired of carrying the load herself.

She was shocked to hear that Jesus didn’t value her serving as much as Mary’s listening.

A constant battle we face is letting the fragmentation of urgent demands distract us from the good of listening to Jesus. There is so much to do. If we believe things will change when we get on top of things, that we’ll finally have the time to listen more to Jesus after we’ve plowed through these demanding tasks hanging over our heads, we’re likely being deceived.

We tend to value the volume of things accomplished, and call that "productivity." God values the importance of things accomplished, and calls it "fruitfulness" (John 15:5). And here’s what’s important to God: that we listen to and believe Jesus. "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent" (John 6:29).

So beware of your perceptions. Listening often doesn’t feel like doing. But it might just be the most important thing God wants you to get done today.

Top Ten Biblical Discoveries in Archaeology

2010-10-26T20:09:00.000-04:00

I've been following this series over at Parchment and Pen. I find this extremely fascinating. I hope you do too.

#10 Assyrian Lachish Reliefs

...Layard [an archaeologist] found the walls of this room covered with limestone 8 feet tall and 80 feet long wrapping around all four walls. Every inch of the room’s walls powerfully depicted only one scene in history, Sennacherib’s defeat of the southern kingdom city of Lachish. Remember in 2 Kings 18:17, “The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.”

Read the rest here.

#9 Jehu's Tribute to Shalmaneser III

This is the ONLY, to my knowledge, contemporary artistic depiction of anyone mentioned in the Bible. What do I mean by contemporary? This is the only artistic depiction of someone in the Bible done by a person who actually lived during the same time. The Obelisk you see before you was created while Jehu was still the king sitting on his throne in Israel. The people knew what Jehu looked like. History outside of the Bible tells us Jehu and Shalmaneser were kings at the same time. When the Obelisk was created Jehu still had 10 years left of his reign in Israel.

Read the rest here.

#8 Caiaphas Ossuary

The New Testament describes Caiaphas as one of the primary individuals involved in the crucifixion of Jesus. Matthew, Luke and John each identify Caiaphas as the high priest that presided over the arrest and trial of Jesus. Being the high priest made him second in power only to the Roman governor. Jewish law did not allow the high priest to sentence people to death. The Bible explains Caiaphas worked with the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to carry out a death sentence on Jesus. You may be thinking, “Wait a second. The inscription says Joseph son of Caiaphas. Not just Caiaphas.” That’s what I originally thought too. The way the inscription is written is actually why it drew so much attention
.
The first-century historian Josephus helps piece together the significance of the discovery. He identifies the high priest at the time of Jesus as not only Caiaphas but “Joseph Caiaphas.” Josephus tells us additionally Caiaphas was the Jewish high priest from 18 to 36 AD (Jewish Antiquities 18:35). A source outside the Bible helps us to establish the right name at the right time. Josephus later refers to him as “Joseph who was called Caiaphas of the high priesthood” (Jewish Antiquities 18:95).

Read the rest here.

#7 Hezekiah's Tunnel

“And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?” 2 Kings 20:20

“And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?” 2 Chronicles 32:2-4

Read the rest here.

# 6 Pontius Pilate Inscription

The dating of the inscription, in connection with its mention of Tiberius (42 BC-37AD) places the governor Pontius Pilate at the same place and time as the Bible’s information about Jesus.

As with the Caiaphas Ossuary mentioned in a previous post, the vast significance of the Pilate Inscription is attached to the significance of the crucifixion of Jesus. The inscription does not prove the conversations between Pilate and Jesus. The inscription does not prove Pilate condemned Jesus to be crucified. The inscription does not prove the forgiveness of mankind’s sin through the death of Christ. The inscription does, however, support the historical reliability of the cross, as with the Caiaphas Ossuary, by supporting the existence of one of its central characters.

Read the rest here.

#5 The Crucified Man

The bones of this young man from Jerusalem have no “Top Ten” significance apart from the death of Jesus by crucifixion. This man helps us put the form of death by crucifixion in the exact city at the exact time mentioned in the New Testament. As we gaze upon the nail driven into this foot we can only imagine if the same man swung the hammer placing nails in the arms and feet of Jesus. Were the nails forged by the same blacksmith? We will never know. The discovery does give us more confidence toward the historical reliability of Jesus death on the cross. The discovery can never prove the theological significance of Jesus’ crucifixion. Faith is required.

Read the rest here.

#4 Ketef Hinnom Silver Amulet Scroll

What did they say? Well, to everyone’s further astonishment both of the scrolls contained portions of the exact same writing. Both of the scrolls contained verses from the Bible!

The larger scroll contained more verses than the smaller scroll but both of them contained Numbers 6:24-26. The verse is one of the central passages of Scripture known as the “Priestly” or “Aaronic” benediction saying, “May Yahweh bless you and keep you; May Yahweh cause his face to Shine upon you and grant you Peace.”

These two little scrolls pack a powerful punch. They are significant on several different levels. First, they are the oldest copy we have of Scripture. The Dead Sea Scrolls rocked the archaeological world in 1946 by finding Scripture written around 200BC. The amulet scroll is older than the Dead Sea Scrolls by more than 400 years.

Read the rest here.

#3 Jericho

The two most notable discoveries by Garstang’s team was a collapsed city wall toward the top of the mound (built on top of a wall which was built on top of the revetment wall…yes, possibly 3 different vertical walls), and evidence of a thoroughly violent destruction of the city.

All of these previous findings correlate with the biblical narrative:
The city was strongly fortified (Joshua 2:5,7,15, 6:5,20).
The attack occurred just after harvest time in the spring (Joshua 2:6, 3:15, 5:10).
The inhabitants had no opportunity to flee with their food (Joshua 6:1).
The siege was short (Joshua 6:15).
The walls were leveled, possibly by an earthquake (Joshua 6:20).
The city was not plundered (Joshua 6:17-18).
The city was burned (Joshua 6:20)
Read the rest here.

#2 House of David Inscription

This inscription is fascinating on many levels, but what makes it the #2 biblical discovery in archaeology is the way one of the kings is described. The Aramaean king refers to the kingdom of Judah by its dynastic name, a name frequently used in the Hebrew Bible as well: the House of David. This not only indicates that the family of David still sat on the throne of Jerusalem, but this inscription represents the oldest textual reference to the historical King David ever discovered!

The Tel Dan inscription is amazing. It is made more amazing by the decades of ridicule which surrounded the silence of David and Solomon from the historical record. That silence was broken in such a recent and surprising way through this small 13-line Aramaic inscription.

Read the rest here.

#1 Dead Sea Scrolls

The greatest biblically relevant archaeological discovery, made in the winter of 1946-47, would shake up the biblical and archaeological world.

Archaeologists were able to track down the origin of the first scrolls and together with the Bedouins ended up finding a total of 972 manuscripts from 11 different caves. All 11 caves are in the southeastern Dead Sea area of Israel. The area receives almost no rainfall making it a perfect climate for ancient manuscripts to last thousands of years without decomposing.

The scrolls contain verses from every Old Testament book except for one. Only about 1/3rd of the scrolls are biblical writings. 2/3rds of the manuscripts are not biblical but pertain to Jewish life at the time. Think of it as stumbling across the 1,000 volume library of a Christian with many books of the Bible but then all sorts of books about 21st century Christian life and thought. This is the equivalent of the Dead Sea Scroll discovery. Many of the non-biblical books discovered were not known to even exist!

The scrolls are still, after decades, a discovery still being digested. The 972 manuscripts have shed great light on the accuracy and complexity of the Old Testament. The Isaiah Scroll, in comparison to Codex Aleppo and other manuscripts, show that the message of the Old Testament has not been changed over millennia.

Read the rest here.

Science in the Bible

2010-10-24T23:43:00.000-04:00

Biblical Cosmology:

1) Singularity Beginning - Space Time Theorems - Any universe that on average expands must have a beginning in a finite past.

Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 42:5, Isaiah 45:18, Hebrews 11:3, Colossians 1:15-17, Genesis 2:3-4, Psalm 148:5, Isaiah 40:26

2) Continual Expansion

Stretching the Heavens - Job 9:8, Psalm 104:2, Isaiah 40:22, Isaiah 42:5, Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 45:12, Isaiah 48:13, Isaiah 51:13, Jeremiah 10:12, Jeremiah 51:15, Zechariah 12:1

3) Constant Physical Law - Jeremiah 33:25

4) Law of Decay - Romans 8:20-22

These were some notes I took from Dr. Hugh Ross' address at the National Conference on Christian Apologetics.

David Platt: Religion or Devotion

2010-10-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

The One Minute Apologist: God vs Evolution

2010-10-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Johnny Hunt and Calvinism

2010-10-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

from the Resurgence:

At the recent Advance the Church Conference in Raleigh, NC, I sat down with Johnny Hunt, Pastor of FBC Woodstock and recent SBC President to talk about a number of topics.
In this video, Johnny shares powerfully and transparently about some of his own mistakes and lessons he has learned in regard to learning from those with a different perspective.
I found his comments about the Calvinist movement to be particularly poignant and powerful and if you know his story, I believe you will as well. May God give us all the grace to show this kind of humility and wisdom that Johnny exhibits in this video.

The One Minute Apologist: Is God Real?

2010-10-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

The One Minute Apologist: The Resurrection

2010-10-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

God Story: The Howerton Family

2010-10-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

od
God Story: The Howerton Family from ROCKHARBOR on Vimeo.

(HT: T4A)

Gospel Culture

2010-10-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

Ray Ortlund:

Gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. The doctrines of grace create a culture of grace, healing, revival, because Jesus himself touches us through his truths. Without the doctrines, the culture alone is fragile. Without the culture, the doctrines alone appear pointless.

The doctrine of regeneration creates a culture of humility (Ephesians 2:1-9).

The doctrine of justification creates a culture of inclusion (Galatians 2:11-16).

The doctrine of reconciliation creates a culture of peace (Ephesians 2:14-16).

The doctrine of sanctification creates a culture of life (Romans 6:20-23).

The doctrine of glorification creates a culture of hope (Romans 5:2).

If we want this culture to thrive, we can’t take doctrinal short cuts. If we want this doctrine to be credible, we can’t disregard the culture. But churches where the doctrine and culture converge bear living witness to the power of Jesus.

Trophy Kids

2010-10-11T06:00:00.002-04:00

Grace to you blog:

As parents, we strive to instill respect and obedience in our children—and rightly so. That’s part of our responsibility. We take pride in training them to sit quietly, listen carefully, speak graciously and obey promptly. And that’s what much of the Christian parenting literature aims at—socially acceptable and morally commendable behavior. Trophy kids.

Sometimes, we’re tempted to think that’s the ultimate goal of parenting—controlling our children’s behavior. But is it? John MacArthur wants to sound a warning: parents who concentrate all of their efforts on controlling their child’s behavior take a considerable risk.
God’s goal for parenting is much loftier than mere behavior reformation. He wants our children’s hearts, and our goals as parents must reflect His. Here’s John MacArthur to explain the ultimate goal of parenting . . .

Listen to this 7-minute clip here:

The Unlearned

The Prosperity Gospel (Video)

Adopt Without Debt

Why Young People Are Leaving the Church (Video)

To The One Who Conquers...

Legalism: Wanting More Holiness vs Wanting More of Christ

Thoughts from Pastor Mark on Friendships

St. Augustine and the Sovereignty of God in Salvation

Google Maps: Where the 12 Apostles Died

Have We Made Parenting Too Complicated?

Why Must We Work Out Our Salvation? (Phil. 2:12-13)

Should the Church or the Government be Leading the Way in Funding Adoptions?

Advance 2011

Entrusted with an Eternal Soul

Some Misconceptions About Adoption

Holy Week: What Happened on Sunday

Is There Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus?

Doubting Easter

Holy Week: What Happened on Friday

Holy Week: What Happened on Thursday

Holy Week: What Happened on Wednesday

Holy Week: What Happened on Tuesday

4 Views of the Sabbath

Holy Week: What Happened on Monday

My Own Prison

Radical Together

The Elephant Room - Watch Pastors Confront Pastors

Be a Resource, Not a Limiter

Memorizing Scripture: Why and How

Penguins and the Law

5 Ways to Make Your Kids Hate Church

G.O.S.P.E.L

Do We Really Believe What We're Saying?

Facebook Makes Us Miserable

How Christianity Started vs How Other Religions Started

God's Wrath and Love Meet at the Cross

"A Feast For Our Souls"

Christianity: Harder and Easier

Tim Keller on Fox News

Begotten not Created

A Desire Which No Experience in this World Can Satisfy

Desiring God: 25th Anniversary Edition

Almost (saved)

What Is Faith?

Best Church Ad

Is there a central message unifying all 66 unique books of the Bible?

Adopted For Life Quotes

Saying What You Believe Is Clearer Than Saying "I'm a Calvinist"

This Should Horrify You

15 Talking Points on Abortion

Training in Godliness vs. Irreverent, Silly Myths

Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology For Pilgrims on The Way

I Will Help You

10 Ways You and Your Church Can Be Involved in Adoption and Orphan Care in 2011

CS Lewis on Giving

John Piper Sermon Jam on Scripture Memory

Adoption Myth: Waiting Lists

Top Ten Theology and Church Stories from 2010

I Am Second

Is Gambling a Sin? (Video)

TobyMac and Orphans

My Bible Reading Plan for 2011

What's Next for Francis Chan? Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris

Memorizing Philippians

How to Make Your Own 2011 Philippians Memory Moleskine

Does Jesus' Claim to Forgive Sins Prove He is God?

I Dare You To Pray This

The Digital Story of Nativity

Work Out Your Salvation

Don't Freak Out About X-Mas

What Does It Mean To Visit Orphans in Their Affliction?

Faith is Not Our Rock, Christ is Our Rock

Desiring God Christmas Book Sale

The Heidelberg Catechism Rap

Verse 1

Hook

Verse 2

Verse 3

55 Years Ago Today: Rosa Parks Refuses to Move and Sparks a Movement

Buffalo Bills WR Blames God for Dropped Pass