tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-223630412024-03-07T17:53:40.715-06:00DOCTRINE MATTERSScriptural doctrine (II Tim. 3:16) determines our eternal destiny (II John 1:9; II Thess. 1:1-10); our actions (I Tim. 1:10; II Tim. 3:10); preserves the purity of the Gospel message (Gal. 2:5; II Tim. 2:15); edifies believers, maintains unity, & brings stability (Eph. 4:11-14; Titus 1:9); and is essential for our spiritual growth in Christ (Eph. 4:14; I Tim. 4:6). Yes, Doctrine Matters!TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.comBlogger237125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-30611015707425238512013-01-01T13:39:00.000-06:002013-01-01T23:23:00.980-06:00Is Jesus Crazy About Me?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87GHrOgHf3xBFYSHDt8BgZd2d9VEiz1wPNFYblyTZupVKSvqEU9tQxZvb9yRMftJeq2PHyV_WJexH8R3uZpicmUbCbaXPM_MYoSdbBA-17JBGzjlTe9Cb4IJq0kUM5pAPw9_Xeg/s1600/God's+Crazy+About+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87GHrOgHf3xBFYSHDt8BgZd2d9VEiz1wPNFYblyTZupVKSvqEU9tQxZvb9yRMftJeq2PHyV_WJexH8R3uZpicmUbCbaXPM_MYoSdbBA-17JBGzjlTe9Cb4IJq0kUM5pAPw9_Xeg/s200/God's+Crazy+About+Me.jpg" width="189" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">OK, okay, I know it's been ~ 3 yrs since I last posted to this blog. No excuses offered. None needed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
But just this morning I saw a post on Facebook that, for some reason, just really got to me and made me think, "I should post this on my blog and see what others have to say."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
So here it is - the post read,</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"In 2013 I want to live in the revelation that Jesus truly, genuinely, and passionately delights in me. Basically, He's crazy about me!"</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I understand the heart behind this, and the sentiment expressed, <i><u>but</u></i> is this Scriptural? (If so, chapter and verse, please.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Yes, Jesus loves me, came to die a substitutiary death in my place, but, is He "crazy about me?" And what appears to be the focus of this statement? "<b><u>I </u></b>want... delights in <b><u>me</u></b>... about <b><u>me</u></b>."</span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">
So, am I wrong? Too sensitive? Reading too much into this? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What might be a more S</span>cripturally<span style="font-family: inherit;">-informed way of speaking of, and taking joy in, the Father's love for his people - for you, for me? </span>TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-1686361611746746922010-02-19T22:42:00.000-06:002010-02-19T22:43:31.918-06:00The Sermon on the Mount: A Christian Counter-Culture<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxR3MbBAQsdQvqrJiJnFvytyxgIuI00mbYveTfAs-JFFJS329FFA-iTe-oAtxuJEsXLB6XGWR757Reg_QBqoQpYpHpJntY9DvIAHvwP-2vBXS6cuQgKzAfDaLwWCiZTaInX25oA/s1600-h/upstream.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxR3MbBAQsdQvqrJiJnFvytyxgIuI00mbYveTfAs-JFFJS329FFA-iTe-oAtxuJEsXLB6XGWR757Reg_QBqoQpYpHpJntY9DvIAHvwP-2vBXS6cuQgKzAfDaLwWCiZTaInX25oA/s200/upstream.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440181068338757874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Matthew 6:8a - Do not be like them.</span><br /><br />"The Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5-7] is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed. It is the nearest thing to a manifesto that he ever uttered. To my mind no two words sum up its intention better, or indicate more clearly its challenge to the modern world, than the expression 'Christian counter-culture.' ... For insofar as the church is conformed to the world, and the two communities appear to the onlooker to be merely two versions of the same thing, the church is contradicting its true identity. No comment could be more hurtful to the Christian than the words, 'But you are no different from anybody else.' ... Thus the followers of Jesus are to be different - different from both the nominal church and the secular world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture. Here is a Christian value-system, ethical standard, religious devotion, attitude to money, ambition, life-style and network of relationships - all of which are totally at variance with those of the non-Christian world. And this Christian counter-culture is the life of the kingdom of God, a fully human life indeed but lived out under the divine rule." <span style="font-size:85%;">(John R.W. Stott, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Message-Sermon-Mount-Christian-Counter-culture/dp/0851109705/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266622575&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Message of the Sermon on the Mount</a>, IVP 1978)</span><br /><br />So, what evidence of this Christian counter-culture is there in your life?TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-79159272224350079802010-02-05T10:00:00.005-06:002010-02-05T10:17:27.829-06:00Exclusivity of the Gospel: In Christ Alone<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9X-brkba93rYmXXXHhW09YqYm1_VhIU2WfKBCro9TT70JEgICQb_4GO1JgXYQy_Bv5wh6iGIH7ErckHrPUf7IHUR1nIAlEIs_j1Dj1zVkOH-tqUszWTQqYaC4xrCT2upirn6NA/s1600-h/one-way.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9X-brkba93rYmXXXHhW09YqYm1_VhIU2WfKBCro9TT70JEgICQb_4GO1JgXYQy_Bv5wh6iGIH7ErckHrPUf7IHUR1nIAlEIs_j1Dj1zVkOH-tqUszWTQqYaC4xrCT2upirn6NA/s200/one-way.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434791146948564562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a target="_blank" title="Mark 16:15-16 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark%2016:15-16">Mark 16:15-16</a></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes [the gospel] and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe [the gospel] will be condemned.</span><span style="font-style: italic;">"<br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="I Cor. 16:22 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=I%20Cor.%2016:22">I Cor. 16:22</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />If anyone has no love for the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="Rom. 10:14-17 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom.%2010:14-17">Rom. 10:14-17</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="John 14:6 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=John%2014:6">John 14:6</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.</span>"<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="Acts 4:12 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Acts%204:12">Acts 4:12</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />And there is a salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="I Tim. 2:5 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=I%20Tim.%202:5">I Tim. 2:5</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.</span><br /><br />How do we (can we?) line up the following quote with Scripture?<br /><blockquote>"Christianity and being a true believer, you know, I think there's the body of Christ which comes from all the Christian groups around the world, or outside the Christian groups. I think that everybody that loves Christ or knows Christ, whether they're conscious of it or not, they're members of the body of Christ. . . . What God is doing today is calling people out of the world for His name. Whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the body of Christ because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts they need something that they don't have and they turn to the only light they have and I think they're saved and they're going to be with us in heaven. [Question: So, it's possible for Jesus Christ to come into a human heart and soul and life even if they've been born in darkness and have never had exposure to the Bible. Is that a correct interpretation of what you're saying?] Yes, it is because I believe that. I've met people in various parts of the world in tribal situations that they have never seen a Bible or heard about a Bible, have never heard of Jesus but they've believed in their hearts that there is a God and they tried to live a life that was quite apart from the surrounding community in which they lived."<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(May 31, 1997, interview with world-famous evangelist)</span><br /></blockquote>I don't know that we can.TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-46952223244836018372010-01-30T12:26:00.003-06:002010-01-30T12:37:05.904-06:00Here vs. There: Oh, Happy Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbPheLgQCbo_CYTt_5RkAZWTtinqRRkY_TfBH2AcqkLRMtM-tDxxgrIWrDEDGsQasqCJb0xJntrkmAmVJqaF0SBGFl78MLiKBa_jb5o-n9j8OLy0TSKJQBOKnYpaxHGJBmUnDMQ/s1600-h/Heaven.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbPheLgQCbo_CYTt_5RkAZWTtinqRRkY_TfBH2AcqkLRMtM-tDxxgrIWrDEDGsQasqCJb0xJntrkmAmVJqaF0SBGFl78MLiKBa_jb5o-n9j8OLy0TSKJQBOKnYpaxHGJBmUnDMQ/s200/Heaven.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432603387721438146" border="0" /></a>C.H. Spurgeon on how different will be the state of the believer in heaven from what it is here on earth.<br /><br />"Here, rest is but partial, there, it is perfect. Here, the Christian is always unsettled; he feels that he has not yet attained. There, all are at rest; they have attained the summit of the mountain; they have ascended to the bosom of their God. Higher they cannot go. . . . Here, my best joys bear “mortal” on their brow; my fair flowers fade; my dainty cups are drained to dregs; my sweetest birds fall before Death’s arrows; my most pleasant days are shadowed into nights; and the flood-tides of my bliss subside into ebbs of sorrow; but there, everything is immortal; the harp abides unrusted, the crown unwithered, the eye undimmed, the voice unfaltering, the heart unwavering, and the immortal being is wholly absorbed in infinite delight. Happy day! happy! when mortality shall be swallowed up of life, and the Eternal Sabbath shall begin."<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(C.H. Spurgeon, Morning & Evening, <a href="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/morneve.d0118am.html" target="_blank">Morning January 18</a>)</span>TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-45323469156656116402010-01-01T10:25:00.004-06:002010-01-01T10:35:46.688-06:00Eye of Faith's Grand Object - The Future With Christ!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFs4Loo5DzbDc-ZgGEQagVol-mRyLTH33eT7OoF7KRlq3yDCqEGGvpBf4R8KnmvriwcCAIcQ_7xexUIa0D4mtFj6rUP9taNHrwK_IQ7FKQkCqQBjgNUjfpWkR72mCzmmUyg1koA/s1600-h/celestial-lights.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFs4Loo5DzbDc-ZgGEQagVol-mRyLTH33eT7OoF7KRlq3yDCqEGGvpBf4R8KnmvriwcCAIcQ_7xexUIa0D4mtFj6rUP9taNHrwK_IQ7FKQkCqQBjgNUjfpWkR72mCzmmUyg1koA/s200/celestial-lights.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421809938150374994" border="0" /></a>A reflection on this New Year's Day, January 1, 2010 -<br /><br />"In the Christian pilgrimage it is well for the most part to be looking forward. Whether it be for hope, for joy, for consolation, or for the inspiring of our love, the future after all must be the grand object of the eye of faith. Looking into the future we see sin cast out, the body of sin and death destroyed, the soul made perfect and fit to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light.<br /><br />And looking further yet, the believer's soul can see Death's river passed, the gloomy steam forded; he can behold the hills of light on which standeth the celestial city; he seeth himself enter within the pearly gates, hailed as more than a conqueror - crowned by the hand of Christ, embraced in the arms of Jesus, glorified with him, made to sit together with him on his throne, even as he has overcome and has sat down with the Father upon his throne."<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(<a href="http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0240.htm">Sermon</a>, CH Spurgeon, Lords Day, Feb. 27, 1859, Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens, London)</span><br /><br />And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (I Peter 5:10 ESV)TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-87250164763354724532009-12-23T23:45:00.000-06:002009-12-23T23:47:06.839-06:00Christ Incarnate: Carol Theology<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlmLmIvkrHPtS1sikzF-2-34iXW-oCKSVMkM8DZVZUQknkPs3gi_Ws97LRk4JdqAAvIsiREvjN4soAV-Mf6i15J7ylPI8JvaP-sHlzziPTMydiaSstxaDNsTLmDgX67VEB_Q5dQ/s1600-h/nativity.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlmLmIvkrHPtS1sikzF-2-34iXW-oCKSVMkM8DZVZUQknkPs3gi_Ws97LRk4JdqAAvIsiREvjN4soAV-Mf6i15J7ylPI8JvaP-sHlzziPTMydiaSstxaDNsTLmDgX67VEB_Q5dQ/s200/nativity.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416658214813518594" border="0" /></a><br />As we celebrate the Godhead come to earth, taking on the flesh of men - the Incarnation - let us consider the rich theology found in Charles Wesley's great work, <span style="font-style: italic;">Hark, the Herald Angels Sing</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hark, the Herald Angels Sing</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Charles Wesley, 1739)</span><br /><br />1.<br />Hark! The herald angels sing, (Luke 2:10)<br />"Glory to the newborn King;<br />Peace on earth, and mercy mild, (Luke 2:14; 1:78)<br />God and sinners reconciled!" (2 Cor. 5:18-21; Col. 1:20-22)<br /><br />Joyful, all ye nations rise, (Rev. 21:24; Haggai 2:6-7)<br />Join the triumph of the skies;<br />With the angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem!" (Luke 2:10-11; Matt. 1:4-6; Micah 5:2)<br />Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!" (Matt. 2:2)<br /><br />2.<br />Christ, by highest Heaven adored; (Luke 2:9-14; Rev. 5:13; Heb.1:6)<br />Christ the everlasting Lord; (Rev. 22:12-13)<br />Late in time, behold Him come, (Gal. 4:4)<br />Offspring of a virgin’s womb. (Matt. 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-38)<br /><br />Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; (Heb. 10:20)<br />Hail the incarnate Deity,<br />Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, (John 1:14; Rom. 1:3, 8:3; Gal. 4:4; Phil. 2:7-8; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:3; Heb. 2:9-11; 1 John 4:2-3; 2 John 1:7; Rev. 22:16)<br />Jesus our Emmanuel. (Isaiah 7:14; Matt. 1:23)<br /><br />3.<br />Hail the heav'n born Prince of Peace! (Isaiah 9:6)<br />Hail the Sun of Righteousness! (Malachi 4:2)<br />Light and life to all He brings, (John 1:4, 10; John 8:12; 2 Tim. 1:10)<br />Ris’n with healing in His wings. (Malachi 4:2)<br /><br />Mild He lays His glory by, (Phil. 2:6-8; John 17:5, 24)<br />Born that man no more may die. (John 11:25-26)<br />Born to raise the sons of earth, (1 Cor. 15:35-57)<br />Born to give them second birth. (John 1:13; 3:3-6; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3, 23; Titus 3:5)<br /><br />4.<br />Come, Desire of nations, come, (Haggai 2:6-7)<br />Fix in us Thy humble home; (Eph. 3:17; Rom. 8:9)<br />Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed, (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 16:20)<br />Bruise in us the serpent’s head.<br /><br />Now display Thy saving power, (Heb. 7:25)<br />Ruined nature now restore; (Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:9-10; Rom. 12:2)<br />Now in mystic union join, (Eph. 5:31-32; 1 Cor. 6:17; Rom. 6:5)<br />Thine to ours, and ours to Thine. (Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 2:14-16)<br /><br />5.<br />Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface, (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:22)<br />Stamp Thine image in its place: (Gen. 1:26-27; Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:23-24)<br />Second Adam from above, (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:47)<br />Reinstate us in Thy love.<br /><br />Let us Thee, though lost, regain (Phil. 3:8-11; Luke 19:10)<br />Thee, the Life, the inner man: (John 14:6; 1 John 5:11-12; Eph. 3:16; 2 Cor. 4:16; 1 Pet. 3:4)<br />O, to all Thyself impart, (Jer. 31:34; Habakkuk 2:14; Phil. 3:8-11)<br />Formed in each believing heart. (Gal. 4:19; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 4:24; Col. 1:27; 3:10)<br /><br />(HT:<span style=""> </span><a href="http://www.joyfulheart.com/christmas/hark-herald-angels-sing.htm">Joyful Heart</a>)TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-89565192958813239292009-12-18T12:25:00.006-06:002009-12-18T13:25:34.178-06:00Having Taken, He Gave<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVK2aYCcHZg4mmrAl0aG5r4ZSjrFsRm5yMxdpg5Qu-ptoKXisvTH_Vpfshn7PAhnhyphenhyphenMQ1CgEC2GBHFfCWG710OpniMIpai0jmf-uyX4eicomcjDHL2JpF025oUQ442v3v-ib6sg/s1600-h/the-christmas-star.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVK2aYCcHZg4mmrAl0aG5r4ZSjrFsRm5yMxdpg5Qu-ptoKXisvTH_Vpfshn7PAhnhyphenhyphenMQ1CgEC2GBHFfCWG710OpniMIpai0jmf-uyX4eicomcjDHL2JpF025oUQ442v3v-ib6sg/s200/the-christmas-star.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416652666191036834" border="0" /></a>- Having become with us the Son of Man, he has made us with himself sons of God.<br />- By his own descent to the earth, he has prepared our ascent to heaven.<br />- Having received our mortality, he has bestowed on us his immortality.<br />- Having undertaken our weakness, he has made us strong in his strength.<br />- Having submitted to our poverty, he has transferred to us his riches.<br />- Having taken upon himself the burden of unrighteousness with which we were oppressed, he has clothed us with his righteousness.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">John Calvin, <a href="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.html" target="_blank">Institutes of Christian Religion</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)</span>TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-39304823673368245382009-11-24T22:02:00.003-06:002009-11-24T22:09:35.288-06:00Thanksgiving: Free, Sovereign Grace of God<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFC-dc8XBL72cGj57x0yB9tA6wZIkdnhNLd2iBmy-5cpOAjE5DK8dCj272g2fkBJULH9yvyu2_zMDDH24MmVFQx5WZTL8oZSNmcKfbWFQIGG5OFHF08ZK4X9o38-P-SJREL8q4IA/s1600/Octavius_Winslow_Pic.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 121px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFC-dc8XBL72cGj57x0yB9tA6wZIkdnhNLd2iBmy-5cpOAjE5DK8dCj272g2fkBJULH9yvyu2_zMDDH24MmVFQx5WZTL8oZSNmcKfbWFQIGG5OFHF08ZK4X9o38-P-SJREL8q4IA/s200/Octavius_Winslow_Pic.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407887569749765138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">“Christian! The only thing that makes you differ from the vilest being that pollutes the earth, or from the darkest fiend that gnaws his chains in hell, is the free grace of God!” </span> (Octavius Winslow, <a href="http://www.gracegems.org/WINSLOW/Jesus,%20Full%20of%20Grace.htm" target="_blank">Jesus, Full of Grace</a>)<br /><br />As we gather with friends and family for the Thanksgiving holiday, may each of us who have been called by His name, be ever so thankful for the richly undeserved, sovereign grace of God!<br /><br />Amen? Amen!TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-34883572663293680932009-11-13T14:06:00.003-06:002009-11-13T14:18:11.073-06:00Increasing In God's Favor: What's the Bible Say?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-jnkxKAg8P1H2qSUrlfxkNXHbwkIoL5_KjRYn1lyNLlEarkjKEv2WLNrqVyIEwkiv0_fUGVKFz2amgeJ5XiDDJZ7ugZNo6SBJgz6M9e6_dv1W11v75SQ4Xr17VLxB_cj86Zt-Q/s1600-h/Joel's+Cover.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-jnkxKAg8P1H2qSUrlfxkNXHbwkIoL5_KjRYn1lyNLlEarkjKEv2WLNrqVyIEwkiv0_fUGVKFz2amgeJ5XiDDJZ7ugZNo6SBJgz6M9e6_dv1W11v75SQ4Xr17VLxB_cj86Zt-Q/s200/Joel's+Cover.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403682256835356914" border="0" /></a>Well, it appears that good ol' Joel is out with yet another uplifting, encouraging book to scratch the itching ear (2 Timothy 4:3). Its title - <span style="font-style: italic;">It's Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Accomplish Your Dreams, and Increase in God's Favor</span>.<br /><br />Now, without even having to crack open the book, the front cover alone should bring a moment's (or two) pause.<br /><br />Here's my questions - focusing on the line, "and increase in God's favor," what is the scriptural answer, response to this assertion? What does the Bible say about God's favor and our ability to "increase" His favor toward us (Christians and/or non-Christians)?<br /><br />And if you've read the book, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on it (doctrinally/theologically grounded, preferably).TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-76235404431138093552009-10-23T16:31:00.003-05:002009-10-23T16:58:57.215-05:00Blessed Assurance: How to Know?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBE11S7iPsI359blm5GjLgit-ssirkMUApK2EeYzjYaxExw-T7nf7PS1uubtOtxTexIddCXasZLVgKE7RrydX_nmj8jq9keIaAdDTIrsD_BmDD1CHZoaieIXIo4n5DxGF7dfy0Q/s1600-h/Assurance.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBE11S7iPsI359blm5GjLgit-ssirkMUApK2EeYzjYaxExw-T7nf7PS1uubtOtxTexIddCXasZLVgKE7RrydX_nmj8jq9keIaAdDTIrsD_BmDD1CHZoaieIXIo4n5DxGF7dfy0Q/s200/Assurance.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395915231959697746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.</span> (I John 5:13 ESV)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end.</span> (Heb. 6:11 ESV)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you fail to meet the test!</span> (II Cor. 13:5 ESV)<br /><br />You're giving a talk to the youth of your church (6th - 12th grade) and their parents. Your topic - The Assurance of Salvation: Ya Got It?<br /><br />OK, so now what? What resources would you reference in your preparation? What references might you suggest and recommend to the parents to go through with their youth?<br /><br />And what would you say to these kids about assurance? Can you have it? Keep it? How to fight against the doubt of one's salvation? How can you be sure that you're even saved in the first place?<br /><br />Love to hear your thoughts.TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-88862212648888193722009-10-10T23:05:00.006-05:002009-10-23T16:47:57.482-05:00False Prophets: Who, What are They?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0cULUSE9R-Gt5Vn1lsG7pw6I0nWwr2rH-9nhAdL69XiKUkNPi8m4R1qAaXghAIBhvniZZzlmReN5DF8RLm8ys8brCuopYv392tOo5F106_iZ_CQB7AE1wesLC1BWqLKqvgaMOA/s1600-h/sheepscloth.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0cULUSE9R-Gt5Vn1lsG7pw6I0nWwr2rH-9nhAdL69XiKUkNPi8m4R1qAaXghAIBhvniZZzlmReN5DF8RLm8ys8brCuopYv392tOo5F106_iZ_CQB7AE1wesLC1BWqLKqvgaMOA/s200/sheepscloth.jpg"target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391191937161097554" border="0" /></a>I've heard it said that the Bible's only reference to "false prophets" is of those who know the truth, and know that what they're saying is not true, or is false; and that it's not correct to use that title for someone who is not knowingly teaching a falsehood - like someone who's just ignorant, immature, impulsive or unwise in their speech or teaching. Do you agree?<br /><br />So, who's a real "false prophet?" Benny Hinn? Tim LaHaye? Paula White? Robert Tilton? Any one of many on TBN?<br /><br />What's the Biblical definition of a false prophet? What your definition? Are they the same or different?TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-86204893092208682172009-10-02T11:01:00.000-05:002009-10-02T11:01:52.375-05:00God's Sovereignty: Over All (or Not at All)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsW05vB_nFpEH899jJTVt5nR_1lok5J5xGU0ynx28XQuHyTbSe6A7Re-HY7UNBvpQQdU1I4t7SfJxdm8yQKgoG0O2OmXZq9_uHdVX10x2rL1ihRK8SLD05W-NdS4u6NVHTw9daA/s1600-h/kneel.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsW05vB_nFpEH899jJTVt5nR_1lok5J5xGU0ynx28XQuHyTbSe6A7Re-HY7UNBvpQQdU1I4t7SfJxdm8yQKgoG0O2OmXZq9_uHdVX10x2rL1ihRK8SLD05W-NdS4u6NVHTw9daA/s200/kneel.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388032910093446658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">God has nothing to do with your sickness. That's the work of the devil, and you need to take authority over him, exercise your faith and claim your victory.<br /><br />Sickness and disease does not come from God. It never has come from God. It always has originated from Satan.</span><br /><br />Oh, really?<br /><br />Here's what R.C. Sproul, in his work <a href="http://www.monergismbooks.com/product.php?productid=16931&cat=0&page=1" target="_blank">The Invisible Hand</a>, has to say to such statements:<br /><br />"Such sentiments do violence, not only to our understanding of the providence of God, but to our understanding of the whole character of God. Christianity is not a religion of dualism by which God and Satan are equal and opposite opposing forces destined to fight an eternal struggle that must result in a tie. God is sovereign over His entire creation, including the subordinate domain of Satan. God is Lord of death as well as life. He rules over pain and disease as sovereignly as He rules over prosperity.<br /><br />If God had nothing to do with sickness or death, Christians, of all people, would be the most to be pitied. It would mean living in a universe ruled by chaos where our Father's hand was tied by fate and bound by the fickleness of chance. His arm would not be mighty to save; it would be impotent. But, the preachers to the contrary, God has everything to do with sickness and death. God majors in suffering. The way of redemption is the <span style="font-style: italic;">Via Dolorosa</span>, the road to the cross. Our Lord was Himself a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. No, God is not removed from or aloof from human suffering; it is contained within the scope of His providence."<br /><br />So, where do you fall on this? What's your response to the italicized quotes above? To Sproul's responsive argument?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Other resources:<br />2005 Desiring God National Conference, <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByConference/1/" target="_blank">Suffering and the Sovereignty of God</a><br />Ligonier Ministries' Fall 2007 Conference, <a href="https://store.ligonier.org/product.asp?idDept=M&idCategory=TH&idProduct=FAL07MC" target="_blank">The Sovereignty of God</a><br /></span>TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-47101037578575417302009-09-25T22:23:00.000-05:002009-09-25T22:25:15.461-05:00Count It All Joy: But What Does That Mean?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOhuxw-qIyyD3c9thRN9yFQXy_kgMdWciG9j-X_nxw-quJ0CUnFLBhOMSsuqIeXtngKuMRgJbhzbLI_S6uj22x0ngNxtGCy5Rt4ammwVjx9_vHj7ueucFzhvlTee7xKKNCC5bgA/s1600-h/Joy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOhuxw-qIyyD3c9thRN9yFQXy_kgMdWciG9j-X_nxw-quJ0CUnFLBhOMSsuqIeXtngKuMRgJbhzbLI_S6uj22x0ngNxtGCy5Rt4ammwVjx9_vHj7ueucFzhvlTee7xKKNCC5bgA/s200/Joy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382672074983736434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. </span> (<a target="_blank" title="James 1:2-4 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=James%201:2-4">James 1:2-4</a> ESV)<br /><br />In a recent Care Group a few weeks ago we spent close to 2 hours fleshing out these versus and their application to our lives and continued work of sanctification. And believe me, we only barely scratched the surface with these verses.<br /><br />But the question was asked, "What is the Biblical definition of 'joy'?" What does it mean in this verse, and elsewhere in the Scripture? We know it's a fruit of the spirit, but what is it? What's it look like (or should look like) in our daily lives as we face a trial?TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-59514911900829006222009-09-20T17:55:00.000-05:002009-09-20T17:57:24.867-05:00Self Help: Without Christ It's All Ya Got<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wk1HScs3cuTwInh-TG3nFAi_SiQG9lpidSvVwclmDDnqQ_I9fjP_aIpeD_WQB07YyG7VOYPr96QSwbygXwCdxPqNo8yioJAMshCyJzRmfjE27lS24ZDdnksANztN6EePdJu2yQ/s1600-h/self-help.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wk1HScs3cuTwInh-TG3nFAi_SiQG9lpidSvVwclmDDnqQ_I9fjP_aIpeD_WQB07YyG7VOYPr96QSwbygXwCdxPqNo8yioJAMshCyJzRmfjE27lS24ZDdnksANztN6EePdJu2yQ/s200/self-help.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383619674672986338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.</span> (<a target="_blank" title="James 1:5-8 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=James%201:5-8">James 1:5-8</a> ESV)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”</span> (<a target="_blank" title="I Cor. 1:30-31 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=I%20Cor.%201:30-31">I Cor. 1:30-31</a> ESV)<br /><br />Without Christ all one has for help is him/herself. For them, it's self-help or nothing. How sad; how empty.<br /><br />But with God, in Christ, He, Jesus, is our help, our wisdom. He is Wisdom! Oh, what hope! What joy! What a Savior!<br /><br />Here's <a href="http://s244004366.onlinehome.us/audio/2009_09_20_Craig_Cabaniss_48kbps.mp3" target="_blank">a great sermon</a> from our pastor, Craig Cabaniss, on <a target="_blank" title="James 1:5-8 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=James%201:5-8">James 1:5-8</a>.TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-91643920048199841412009-09-13T19:14:00.000-05:002009-09-13T19:15:29.316-05:00What Turned You On?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRF95Mat89Ixy1FlhGZ1XtkmT8CG6BOp7Cw2X3PWuYz004SihToB-kSa0ISbcZKf0u8dVCJ8GjbjlPgOFckldIQBv35tRO2-_uUrW4eWl4kpVjJ9YVXoE8RU7kv5pQoqIznRQhBw/s1600-h/Aha.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRF95Mat89Ixy1FlhGZ1XtkmT8CG6BOp7Cw2X3PWuYz004SihToB-kSa0ISbcZKf0u8dVCJ8GjbjlPgOFckldIQBv35tRO2-_uUrW4eWl4kpVjJ9YVXoE8RU7kv5pQoqIznRQhBw/s200/Aha.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381108084483142418" border="0" /></a>I've often been asked what "turned me on" to the Doctrines of Grace, i.e. Reformed Theology or Calvinism?<br /><br />I was raised a typical Arminian. Not purposefully, mind you, but the theology under which I was raised was very strong "free will," with a heavy dose of what's commonly called, "the Faith Movement." And at any mention of "predestination" or "election" I would know to run away and consider the speaker almost akin to a heretic.<br /><br />But for me, it was our family's move to Arizona and the exposure to co-workers who were former OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) guys who talked all crazy-like with their "sovereignty," "providence," "reformed," and "election" talk. They asked questions I couldn't answer and challenged the very basics of my thoughts and beliefs about God - who He is and who I am to Him. And I got a hold of books that did the same!<br /><br />And that's my question to you. If you were like me, and like me were "converted" to the truths of sovereign grace and of Reformed Theology, what did it for you? In particular, if you had to name one or two (or more if you'd like) books that just "did you in" with regard to your prior theology, what were those books?<br /><br />For me, it was the initial combination of R.C. Sproul's <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/chosen-god-r-c-sproul/9780842313353/pd/13354/1000592119?item_code=WW&netp_id=144726&event=ESRCN&view=covers" target="_blank">Chosen by God</a>, and Wayne Grudem's <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/systematic-theology-introduction-biblical-doctrine/wayne-grudem/9780310286707/pd/28670?item_code=WW&netp_id=161543&event=ESRCN&view=covers" target="_blank">Systematic Theology</a>. Those two ruined me. They rocked my world and from there it's been so many more books and teachers (Piper, Mahaney, Boice, MacArthur, Bridges, Packer, Murray, Pink, etc.) that have brought me deeper into the fold.<br /><br />What about you? What books turned you on and rocked your world?TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-62909096905029615612009-09-04T00:51:00.004-05:002009-09-04T01:03:04.353-05:00One God. Many Paths. Relationship-Dependent.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pTr0HtS5XzmZHO9bNBwzVS6bLx3lBihvdX6ZxlCuOybW2eAtt_Wl9lDxlFv2djmgNLijn7Uzek-iOLs2J5VOeBsTZz0eCGiqCmoAFwuNpihpTXXn2Jc_8Z82bkhALV7JnRnzGA/s1600-h/erie+002.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pTr0HtS5XzmZHO9bNBwzVS6bLx3lBihvdX6ZxlCuOybW2eAtt_Wl9lDxlFv2djmgNLijn7Uzek-iOLs2J5VOeBsTZz0eCGiqCmoAFwuNpihpTXXn2Jc_8Z82bkhALV7JnRnzGA/s200/erie+002.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377487424782928514" border="0" /></a>Stay with me on this, and hold on the stone hurling `til the end.<br /><br />The following is from Dan Phillips on <a href="http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/09/all-religions-really-do-lead-to-god.html" target="_blank">Pyromaniacs</a> -<br /><br /><blockquote>Up to a few weeks ago, I would have emphatically answered "No." But now I've changed my mind.<br /><br />The light flicked on as I listened to a really fine sermon preached by theologian Robert Reymond, titled "<a href="http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=6408137568" target="_blank">God's Immeasurable Love</a>." Reymond made the shocking statement that all religions really do lead to God.<br /><br />In this sermon, Reymond revisited the verse that featured very conspicuously in how the Lord saved me: John 14:6.<br /><br />Reymond stressed Jesus' exact words: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."<br /><br />Other religions will bring you to God. Shintoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam — they'll all eventually bring you to God. Mormonism, Christian Science, paganism, animism, and Roman Catholicism will bring you to God. Every practitioner of every religion created by man and/or demon will, by that religion, be brought to God.<br /><br />But none of those religions will bring us to God as "Father"!<br /><br />They will bring us to God as Judge. They would bring you and me, clothed in the unspeakably filthy rags of our human works (Isaiah 64:6), without excuse, hopeless, guilty and doomed (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 12:36; Acts 17:31; Romans 1:20, 32; 2:16; Revelation 20:11-15), falling continually and infinitely short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).<br /><br />The only way to God as Father is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Born again by the sovereign grace of God (John 1:12-13), adopted as sons of God through Christ (Ephesians 1:7), blessed with the spirit of adoption whereby we can cry out "Abba! Father" (Romans 8:15), which is the Spirit of God's own Son sent into our hearts (Galatians 4:6).<br /><br />All religions lead to God — for damning judgment.<br /><br />Only through Jesus Christ can we approach God as Father.</blockquote><br />So. What path are you on?TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-80673430761509137622009-08-04T20:02:00.001-05:002009-08-04T20:19:15.128-05:00Holy Scripture: It's Not All About Jesus?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7cYjkqmAqbLHq1J2noVAXiv8_RTjRW4osYkYI3YphUXq_phLO5B-VR3K2pDUUEPeTV6h9YqHb7bx4Mk5kbC9BXIePrDntcKkEa1P2LJn4i8oAcWFUqekUJR4LEc56QiE1QtLMw/s1600-h/esv_studybible.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7cYjkqmAqbLHq1J2noVAXiv8_RTjRW4osYkYI3YphUXq_phLO5B-VR3K2pDUUEPeTV6h9YqHb7bx4Mk5kbC9BXIePrDntcKkEa1P2LJn4i8oAcWFUqekUJR4LEc56QiE1QtLMw/s200/esv_studybible.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366275115007230290" border="0" /></a>Pastor Gary E. Gilley, author of <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=45967&item_code=WW&netp_id=430133&event=ESRCN&view=covers" target="_blank">This Little Church Went to Market</a> and <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=46036&item_code=WW&netp_id=449362&event=ESRCN&view=covers" target="_blank">This Little Church Stayed Home</a>, and Senior Pastor of Southern View Chapel in Springfield, IL, recently reviewed Michael Horton's (<a href="http://www.whitehorseinn.org/" target="_blank">Whitehorse Inn</a>) book, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/christless-christianity-alternative-gospel-american-church/michael-horton/9780801013188/pd/013180?item_code=WW&netp_id=558147&event=ESRCN&view=covers" target="_blank">Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church</a>.<br /><br />Speaking of Michael Horton's study of sermons on the Prodigal Son in which he found them presenting a therapeutic message rather than a Christ-centered one, Pastor Gilley made this statement:<br /><br /><blockquote>This is a good point, but Horton himself is in danger of importing the gospel message of reconciliation through the cross into the Prodigal Son account, even though it is not there (Christless Christianity, p. 56). This is no doubt due to Horton’s view, commonly held, that the whole Bible is about Jesus (CC, p. 143). With this approach to Scripture the meaning of the biblical texts cannot stand on their own - they must somehow always directly point to Christ. This leads to allegorizing and excessive typology (CC, pp. 148-152). I am not disagreeing that in the big picture all of Scripture is framed by Christ and the gospel, but we must be careful not to press each detail so hard that we distort the authorial meaning of individual texts. <a href="http://www.svchapel.org/resources/book-reviews/5-church/612-christless-christianity-the-alternative-gospel-of-the-american-church-by-michael-horton" target="_blank">(review)</a></blockquote><br />This statement didn't (and still doesn't) sit well with me. How about you? Do you agree with Pastor Gilley's assertion that the whole of the Bible is not about Jesus? That's what he's saying, right?! What say you?<br /><br />For more on the Prodigal Son, read John MacArthur's book, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/sons-inside-story-father-shocking-murder/john-macarthur/9780785262688/pd/262680?item_code=WW&netp_id=504085&event=ESRCN&view=covers" target="_blank">A Tale of Two Sons</a>.TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-32569761592095843212009-07-14T20:32:00.003-05:002009-07-14T20:36:53.058-05:00Bible Commentaries: 5 Best, Per Book<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZMV08se_H_RxH5iskqjpzDRpeDLi_Dyp3u4Scu-NVQa4Fm2lIJAxIVUayo-AG9CMGDw58vIJ0ZAZy_YXO_V1q-YoRUQtyQpjOtj5v3O_wAw1lDMgI4Tb66phjXSk0YvqgnzjlA/s1600-h/commentaries.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZMV08se_H_RxH5iskqjpzDRpeDLi_Dyp3u4Scu-NVQa4Fm2lIJAxIVUayo-AG9CMGDw58vIJ0ZAZy_YXO_V1q-YoRUQtyQpjOtj5v3O_wAw1lDMgI4Tb66phjXSk0YvqgnzjlA/s200/commentaries.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358494488901711458" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.ligonier.org/publishing_studybible_contributors_keithmathison.php" target="_blank">Dr. Keith A. Mathison</a> with Ligonier Ministries has recently completed his survey of what he believes to be the top 5 commentaries for each book of the Bible - Old and New Testament.<br /><br />What an invaluable resource that deserves our attention and utilization!<br /><br />Link: <a href="http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2009/07/top-commentaries-on-every-book-of-the-bible.html" target="_blank">Top Commentaries on Every Book of the Bible</a>TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-26231682938092996692009-07-02T14:20:00.000-05:002009-07-02T14:20:23.908-05:00Called. Sent. What Do You Say?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsizRkv9RwycXYk8oWWbFvp9qMoZiZQkQyiG8hP5640phv3RVpXF8nrv_0rtN8xOVW25Vvg4sXHnMN0YK6mrUPto7DGcbKAJsGGYnR-p8pwk-6dwT_WI2JB0iZfSjuB7pYcZHsuw/s1600-h/cross_crescent.jpg" target="_blank"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353940331563318002" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 147px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsizRkv9RwycXYk8oWWbFvp9qMoZiZQkQyiG8hP5640phv3RVpXF8nrv_0rtN8xOVW25Vvg4sXHnMN0YK6mrUPto7DGcbKAJsGGYnR-p8pwk-6dwT_WI2JB0iZfSjuB7pYcZHsuw/s200/cross_crescent.jpg" border="0" target="_blank" /></a>The Islamic Society of North America will be holding its annual convention this 4th of July weekend, and they've asked Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church to address their gathering.<br /><br />While I have no idea what he's going to say, my question to you is this -<br /><br /><strong><em>What would you say to this group if you were given a chance to speak before them?</em></strong><br /><br />Ingrid Schlueter, on her blog <a href="http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/" target="_blank">Slice of Laodicea</a>, rhetorically asked whether Pastor Warren will "feel impelled as a follower of the one true God to let the Muslims know that true happiness is only found through the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son? Or [will he] talk about finding a 'higher purpose,' 'living for others,' and all the ways we can feel better by finding something 'bigger than ourselves” to live for?'"<br /><br /><div>That's a good question. </div><br /><div><strong><strong>So, what's your answer? <em>What would you, if you're a blood-bought follower of Jesus Christ, say to the ISNA?</strong></strong></em></div><br /><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;">But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Pet. 3:14-15 ESV)</span></em></div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></em></div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. (2 Tim. 1:8-12 ESV)</span></em></div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></em></div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Tim. 4:1-5 ESV)</span></em></div>TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-2761505217741225102009-06-16T19:55:00.005-05:002009-06-16T20:07:09.321-05:00Guilty World Kissed In Love<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1L17WsGAq1bTD8htsQEHB6FPfm5obiAUoLUlpoP7XcvpLxLZygZEWnJ_wTusq2Se1vwIJo3Xn-1VQvCii7iDUF0Y7SNJhGqSQJJgFBJY2awGO40y-yNRlI2YDms35SwkFXVlKg/s1600-h/hymnal.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1L17WsGAq1bTD8htsQEHB6FPfm5obiAUoLUlpoP7XcvpLxLZygZEWnJ_wTusq2Se1vwIJo3Xn-1VQvCii7iDUF0Y7SNJhGqSQJJgFBJY2awGO40y-yNRlI2YDms35SwkFXVlKg/s200/hymnal.jpg"target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348096002936058482" border="0" /></a>I love coming across new (or long forgotten) hymns with such rich theology. Here's a recent one:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here is Love</span><br />(William Rees, 1802-1883)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />[First two verses]</span><br /><br />Here is love, vast as the ocean,<br />Lovingkindness as the flood,<br />When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,<br />Shed for us His precious blood.<br />Who His love will not remember?<br />Who can cease to sing His praise?<br />He can never be forgotten,<br />Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.<br /><br />On the mount of crucifixion,<br />Fountains opened deep and wide;<br />Through the floodgates of God’s mercy<br />Flowed a vast and gracious tide.<br />Grace and love, like mighty rivers,<br />Poured incessant from above,<br />And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice<br />Kissed a guilty world in love.<br /><br />Amen!!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (<a target="_blank" title="Romans 5:6-11 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Romans%205:6-11">Romans 5:6-11</a> ESV)</span>TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-82392643804493356652009-05-29T23:03:00.005-05:002009-05-29T23:15:07.490-05:0021st Century "I'm OK, You're OK"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittfcirfUUe6JeCpPlR61PZfGt8aBoJ0UBPRqDsQXqzDjj2rQ_rcYXgiNRwaX4ZjABnTxmke-lXryzB534AGjS77ZoWuUsYPU8pntWHbEHGHfNo-wTclsimHHVbipW2NP0-twx8A/s1600-h/LoveSelf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittfcirfUUe6JeCpPlR61PZfGt8aBoJ0UBPRqDsQXqzDjj2rQ_rcYXgiNRwaX4ZjABnTxmke-lXryzB534AGjS77ZoWuUsYPU8pntWHbEHGHfNo-wTclsimHHVbipW2NP0-twx8A/s200/LoveSelf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341464651256090306" border="0" /></a>How many of us have heard the mantra of today? It goes something like this:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">“It’s a really, really cool thing … to be able to show people that you can be yourself, and you should be proud of yourself, and you should own who you are and what you’re about, and never make apologies for it.”</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> (Adam Lambert, People, May 27, 2009)</span><br /><br />But what does the Bible say about our natural state?<br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="John 6:44, 65 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=John%206:44,%2065">John 6:44, 65</a><br />No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”<br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="Romans 1:18 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Romans%201:18">Romans 1:18</a><br />For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="Romans 3:9 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Romans%203:9">Romans 3:9</a>b-18<br />For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”<br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="Romans 7:18 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Romans%207:18">Romans 7:18</a><br />For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="Romans 8:7-8 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Romans%208:7-8">Romans 8:7-8</a><br />For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="Ephesians 2:1-3 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ephesians%202:1-3">Ephesians 2:1-3</a><br />And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" title="Ephesians 4:18 (ESV Bible Online: ESV)" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ephesians%204:18">Ephesians 4:18</a><br />They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.<br /><br />- Not a "real cool thing."TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-44897816472273714272009-05-21T17:20:00.005-05:002009-05-21T17:41:22.722-05:00Context, Context, Context!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid1O1KrjcIsuOrwP2Bin9RemlM_ibZ5wudKUl5DPMwtqGByADuEBtt6LF-unUXkRHIlMkw_gyYK-rQLJPTGwxxITPxerBIiXOSSZEoHpyjK_ff7RiiPCQOlHEASdmwoWlgcWuHQ/s1600-h/scissors.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid1O1KrjcIsuOrwP2Bin9RemlM_ibZ5wudKUl5DPMwtqGByADuEBtt6LF-unUXkRHIlMkw_gyYK-rQLJPTGwxxITPxerBIiXOSSZEoHpyjK_ff7RiiPCQOlHEASdmwoWlgcWuHQ/s200/scissors.jpg" target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338410482723358210" border="0" /></a>Great reminder to seek the whole counsel of Scripture:<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5466" target="_blank">Never Read a Bible Verse</a> By Gregory Koukl, Stand to Reason<br /><br />If there was one bit of wisdom, one rule of thumb, one single skill I could impart, one useful tip I could leave that would serve you well the rest of your life, what would it be? What is the single most important practical skill I've ever learned as a Christian?<br /><br />Here it is: Never read a Bible verse. That's right, never read a Bible verse. Instead, always read a paragraph at least.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">My Radio Trick</span><br /><br />When I'm on the radio, I use this simple rule to help me answer the majority of Bible questions I'm asked, even when I'm totally unfamiliar with the verse. It's an amazingly effective technique you can use, too.<br /><br />I read the paragraph, not just the verse. I take stock of the relevant material above and below. Since the context frames the verse and gives it specific meaning, I let it tell me what's going on.<br /><br />This works because of a basic rule of all communication: Meaning always flows from the top down, from the larger units to the smaller units, not the other way around. The key to the meaning of any verse comes from the paragraph, not just from the individual words.<br /><br />The numbers in front of the sentences give the illusion the verses stand alone in their meaning. They were not in the originals, though. Numbers were added hundreds of years later. Chapter and verse breaks sometimes pop up in unfortunate places, separating relevant material that should be grouped together.<br /><br />First, ignore the verse numbers and try to get the big picture. Then begin to narrow your focus. It's not very hard or time consuming. It takes only a few moments and a little observation of the text.<br /><br />Begin with the broad context of the book. What type of literature is it history, poetry, proverb? What is the passage about in general? What idea is being developed?<br /><br />Stand back from the verse and look for breaks in the narrative that identify major units of thought. Ask, "What in this paragraph or group of paragraphs gives any clue to the meaning of the verse?"<br /><br />There's a reason this little exercise is so important. Words have different meanings in different contexts (that's what makes puns work). When we consider a verse in isolation, one meaning may occur to us. But how do we know it's the right one? Help won't come from the dictionary. Dictionaries only complicate the issue, giving us more choices, not fewer. Help must come from somewhere else close by: the surrounding paragraph.<br /><br />With the larger context now in view, you can narrow your focus and speculate on the meaning of the verse itself. Sum it up in your own words.<br /><br />Finally and this is critical see if your paraphrase makes sense when inserted in the passage. Does it dovetail naturally with the bigger picture?<br /><br />Here is an excellent example of how effective this paraphrase technique can be.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Jesus, the Uncreated Creator</span><br /><br />In John 1:1 the writer states plainly that "the Word was God." In verse three he provides backup support for this claim. John writes, "All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."<br /><br />John says the same thing in two different ways for emphasis and clarity: Everything that ever came into being owes its existence to the Word, Who caused it all to happen. If the Word caused all created things to come into existence, then He must have existed before all created things came into existence. Therefore, the Word could not have been created. Jesus is the uncreated Creator, God.<br /><br />Those who deny the deity of Christ offer this rebuttal, though. "Wait a minute, Greg. You didn't read the verse carefully. You missed something in the text. Notice the phrase ‘apart from Him.' The apostle excludes Jesus from the count. If you said, ‘Apart from Billy, the whole family is going to Disneyland' you wouldn't mean that Billy wasn't part of the family, just that he wasn't included in the count. Every member of the family is going to Disneyland with the exception of Billy. In the same way, every created thing was created by Jesus with the exception of Jesus Himself. Jehovah created Jesus first, then Jesus created everything else. Jesus is not God."<br /><br />Note that this rebuttal turns on the ability to replace "apart from Him" with the phrase "with the exception of Jesus." Allegedly they're synonymous. Okay, let's try the replacement and see what happens. The verse then looks like this: "With the exception of Jesus, nothing came into being that has come into being."<br /><br />If your brow is furrowed trying to figure this out, I'm not surprised. The reconstructed phrase is nearly nonsense. Strictly speaking, it means that Jesus is the only created thing that exists. Read it again and see for yourself. Obviously, the phrase "apart from Jesus" can't mean "with the exception of Jesus." These phrases are not synonymous.<br /><br />"Apart from Him" means something entirely different. It means "apart from His agency." It's the same as saying, "Apart from me you'll never get to Disneyland. I've got the car." Apart from Jesus' agency nothing came into being that has come into being. Why? Because Jesus is the Creator. He is God. That makes perfect sense in the context.<br /><br />Let me give you some other examples.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Having a "Peace" about It</span><br /><br />Colossians 3:15 is a text that is constantly misunderstood by well-meaning Christians. Paul writes, "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts." Some have accurately pointed out that the Greek word for "rule" means to act as arbiter or judge. They see this verse as a tool for knowing God's will for our lives.<br /><br />The conventional thinking goes something like this. When confronted with a decision, pray. If you feel a "peace" in your heart, go ahead. If you don't feel peace, don't proceed. This internal sense of peace acts like a judge helping you make decisions according to the will of God. A paraphrase might be: "And let feelings of peacefulness in your heart be the judge about God's individual will for your life." Is this what Paul means?<br /><br />This is a classic example of how knowledge of the Greek can be dangerous if context is not taken into consideration. The word "peace" actually has two different meanings. It could mean a sense of inner harmony and emotional equanimity. Paul seems to have this definition in mind in Philippians 4:7: "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." This is the subjective sense of peace.<br /><br />The word also has an objective sense. It sometimes means lack of conflict between two parties formerly at war with each other. This definition of peace is what Paul intends in Romans 5:1: "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Note the distinction between the peace of God and peace with God in these two verses.)<br /><br />What sense of peace did Paul have in mind when writing to the Colossians? The Greek gives us no indication because the same word is used in all three cases. Once again, context is king. The specific meaning can only be known from the surrounding material.<br /><br />In verse 11, Paul says that in the Body of Christ there are no divisions between Greek and Jew, slave and free, etc. He appeals for unity in the body characterized by forgiveness, humility, and gentleness. He then adds that harmony ("peace") should be the rule that guides our relationships.<br /><br />Paul has the objective sense of peace in mind here lack of conflict between Christians not a subjective feeling of peace in an individual Christian's heart.<br /><br />This becomes obvious when we join the suggested paraphrases with the context:<br /><blockquote>Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let feelings of peacefulness in your heart be the judge about God's individual will for your life, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.<br /><br />vs.<br /><br />Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let harmony, not conflict, be the rule that guides you, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.<br /></blockquote>The first is completely foreign to the context; the second fits right in with everything that comes before and after. In the context of Colossians 3, there is no hint of using internal feelings as a divine stamp of approval on our decisions. Personal decision-making is not the point of the paragraph. Harmony and unity in the Body is.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"If I Be Lifted Up"</span><br /><br />John 12:32 is another case where a phrase can have two widely divergent meanings. It's not uncommon for worship leaders to quote this statement of Jesus: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."<br /><br />We "lift up" the Lord when we exalt Him and declare His glory. If we focus on Jesus and ascribe glory to Him, the power of Christ is released to transform the hearts of those listening and they are drawn to Him. This is the meaning the worship leader has in mind, but it isn't what Jesus is talking about.<br /><br />When we apply our paraphrase test by adding the very next verse, the results look like this: "‘And I, if I be exalted before the people, will draw all men to Myself.' But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die" (John 12:32-33).<br /><br />Oops. Praising Jesus will kill Him? I don't think so. No ambiguity now. In this instance, being "lifted up" clearly means to be crucified.<br /><br />Understanding this phrase in context sheds light on another familiar passage, John 3:14-15: "And as Moses lifted up [raised in the air] the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up [raised in the air] that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life."<br /><br />Our paraphrase looks like this: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be crucified that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life."<br /><br />This makes perfect sense. Jesus had to be crucified before salvation could be offered, an appropriate lead-in to the verse that comes next, the most famous salvation verse in the world: John 3:16.<br /><br />Let's try another.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"My Sheep Hear My Voice"</span><br /><br />Many have taken this statement by Jesus in John 10 to refer to the Christian's acquired ability to "hear" God's personal instructions to him. "Hearing God's voice" is advocated as a very useful skill that aids optimal Christian living. Allegedly, this is a learned ability one gains as he matures in Christ. It enables him to sense Jesus' will in any given situation as he "hears" Jesus' voice.<br /><br />Jesus has nothing like this in mind, though. I know because of the context surrounding the verse and a key clarification John himself gives early in the chapter. In verse six, John explicitly states that when Jesus speaks of His sheep "hearing His voice" He is using a figure of speech.<br /><br />The word "voice," then, can't actually mean some kind of inner voice because a thing is never a metaphor of itself. It's a picture of something else. Jesus must be referring, in a figure, to something else that the phrase "hear my voice" represents. What is it?<br /><br />The context tells the story. Jesus says, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me," and then adds, "and I give eternal life to them" (27-28). Note the sequence: His sheep hear His voice. They follow Him in response. He then gives them eternal life. Hearing Jesus' voice is a figure of speech for the inner working of the Holy Spirit that leads to our salvation. It results in salvation; it's not the result of salvation. It's applied here to non-believers destined for the Kingdom, not believers already in the Kingdom.<br /><br />This makes perfect sense in the broader context of the chapter. The Jews have no trouble hearing Jesus' words. They know what Jesus is saying. Their problem is that they don't respond with belief. Why don't the Jews "hear" Jesus by responding with belief? Jesus tells us plainly. They don't "hear" because God is not "speaking" to them. They are not among the sheep the Father has given to the Son (26).<br /><br />The voice being referred to here is not the still, small voice of private direction given by God to Christians, but the effective call of the Holy Spirit bringing non-Christians to salvation.<br /><br />Our paraphrase test comes to our aid once again:<br /><blockquote>You do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. Mature Christians have the ability to sense My personal direction for their lives and obey it, and as a result I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all….<br /><br />vs.<br /><br />You do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. The ones that the Father gives me my sheep are the ones that respond to my message and believe in me, and as a result I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all….</blockquote>The first view actually makes salvation dependent on the ability to get personalized communications from God. The second makes salvation dependent on the Father, which is Jesus' point in the passage.<br /><br />To Jesus, "hearing" God is not an advanced skill one must develop to open lines of communication to the Father. It's a figure of speech. Hearing Jesus' voice is not getting individual, personalized direction. It's getting saved. It's the result of the Father drawing the non-believer into Jesus' arms.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Daily Bread?</span><br /><br />This raises legitimate questions about daily devotionals that build a short message from a single verse. In my view, such quiet-time helps can be inspirational, but they come with an obvious drawback.<br /><br />Fortunately, the liability can be overcome by remembering our basic rule: Never read a Bible verse. Instead, read a paragraph, at least. Always check the context. Observe the flow of thought. Then focus on the verse.<br /><br />Remember, meaning always flows from the top down, from the larger units to the smaller units. A reflection on a Bible passage from a sermon or a devotional may be edifying, encouraging, and uplifting. If it is not the message of the text, though, it lacks biblical authority even when the quote comes right out of the Word of God.<br /><br />If you will do this one thing if you will read carefully in the context applying the paraphrase principle you will begin to understand the Bible as God intended. Without the bigger picture you'll be lost.<br /><br />Only when you are properly informed by God's Word the way it is written in its context can you be transformed by it. Every piece becomes powerful when it's working together with the whole.<br /><br />It's the most important practical lesson I've ever learned…and thing single most important thing I could ever teach you.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For Further Reading:</span><br /><br />Russell, Walt Playing with Fire How the Bible Ignites Change in Your Soul. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2000.<br /><br />Koukl, Gregory "The Perils of Prooftexting" Solid Ground, Sept-Oct 1999<br /><br />Sire, James Scripture Twisting. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1980.<br /><br />Carson, D.A. Exegetical Fallacies. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984.<br /><br />Fee, Gordon, & Stuart, Douglas How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982.<br /><br />(HT: <a href="http://www.str.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage" target="_blank">Stand to Reason</a>)<br /><br /><br />For a copy of this article in <a href="http://www.str.org/site/DocServer/NRBV_booklet_1.pdf" target="_blank">pdf</a>.<br /><br />I'd also add as an additional resource R.C. Sproul's book, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=7339" target="_blank">Knowing Scripture</a> (InterVarsity Press, 1977; ISBN: 0877847339)<br /><br />And it would also be a good reminder that the <a href="http://doctrinematters.blogspot.com/2006/05/bible-not-written-to-us-what.html" target="_blank">Bible Wasn't Written to You</a>!TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-80894488888957897802009-05-05T19:37:00.005-05:002009-05-05T19:49:18.242-05:00The Gospel: Defined in 20 Seconds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1M_4elG71f443HgvegtqoDgSV_wvqnKR7P_HEEXVEpXPV1jOPzqpvLJtVbjR7O6eMfaN21p3O6y60ZzpzWRmqq_FFZYjpWwvSJtrNPe_EokmbeumysqJ5vB1REk1A5w9DFitZg/s1600-h/stop-watch.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1M_4elG71f443HgvegtqoDgSV_wvqnKR7P_HEEXVEpXPV1jOPzqpvLJtVbjR7O6eMfaN21p3O6y60ZzpzWRmqq_FFZYjpWwvSJtrNPe_EokmbeumysqJ5vB1REk1A5w9DFitZg/s200/stop-watch.jpg"target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332505650613352578" border="0" /></a><a href="http://doctrinematters.blogspot.com/2009/04/pick-one-that-sums-it-all.html"target="_blank">Previously</a>, I posed the question: If you had to choose one verse from Scripture to sum up the whole of the Bible, what would it be?<br /><br />I'd still love to hear from more of you what that verse would be.<br /><br />But here's another question/challenge for you -<br /><br />You're in an elevator with a friend and you have only 20 seconds in which to answer their question, "What is the Gospel?"<br /><br />Ready . . . GO!TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-65824108243138505652009-04-29T18:05:00.002-05:002009-04-29T18:12:11.598-05:00Abundant Mercy: Wash and Cleanse Me<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbqmwevHd0TQd_GRBPl99gQzeeQ6w_lE8nZm5y3YOkS_QPvw69E6ksfgCu9z0vi10xz46fwOZ7Lf89FhGJo05aS0SEOk1dz-3uzWFMWCVGd6bVgpZfE23-SgHjqeoTaJkoROTXA/s1600-h/Psalm51.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbqmwevHd0TQd_GRBPl99gQzeeQ6w_lE8nZm5y3YOkS_QPvw69E6ksfgCu9z0vi10xz46fwOZ7Lf89FhGJo05aS0SEOk1dz-3uzWFMWCVGd6bVgpZfE23-SgHjqeoTaJkoROTXA/s200/Psalm51.jpg"target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330253236711647954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and a cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions,and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight (Psalm 51:1-4)</span><br /><br />Paul David Tripp describes his new book, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=502309&netp_id=527627&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=covers"target="_blank">Whiter Than Snow</a>, a collection of meditations on Psalm 51.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/Dra6p7Xl0LA&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/Dra6p7Xl0LA&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:10-12)</span><br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="divplaylist" width="335" height="28"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=7038112-4eb"><embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=7038112-4eb" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="335" height="28"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Create in Me a Clean Heart by Keith Green on his <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=CD67323&netp_id=522836&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=covers"target="_blank">Greatest Hits</a> album)</span><br /><br /><br />More valuable resources on understanding and gleaning the gems of God's abundant grace and mercy found in Psalm 51:<br /><br />Charles H. Spurgeon's <a href="http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps051.htm"target="_blank">The Treasury of David</a>. And in <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=06259&netp_id=130344&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW"target="_blank">printed</a> form.<br /><br />Arthur W. Pink's <a href="http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/David/david.htm"target="_blank">The Life of David</a> (Vol. 2, Chs. 51-57). And in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Life-David-Two-Volumes-One/dp/0801070619/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239074122&sr=8-1"target="_blank">printed</a> form.TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363041.post-36055055009618470502009-04-22T18:50:00.002-05:002009-04-22T18:52:34.985-05:00Real Gospel Tract: Wonderful Plan & Best Life Now?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2nekcdy8ylTevxFH0OetVrOHFAIzBzI4HQiNJmNUZroickjvPJG_G5BqM-7pZxcj5V1V6DzvVYAbeNRAtHMMSnQSL10E3q07_fo8ylK8O-up8EPhYKWgReF0QC8rV72mDHXF7g/s1600-h/GospelTract.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2nekcdy8ylTevxFH0OetVrOHFAIzBzI4HQiNJmNUZroickjvPJG_G5BqM-7pZxcj5V1V6DzvVYAbeNRAtHMMSnQSL10E3q07_fo8ylK8O-up8EPhYKWgReF0QC8rV72mDHXF7g/s400/GospelTract.jpg"target="_blank" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326490075993726898" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?</span> (Mark 8:34-36)<br /><br />Instead of preaching the good news that sinners can be made righteous in Christ and escape the wrath to come, the gospel has degenerated into the pretext that we can be happy in Christ and escape the hassles of life.<span style="font-size:85%;">(Ray Comfort, God Has a Wonderful File For You [Living Waters 2000, ISBN 1878859250])</span><br /><br />(HT: <a href="http://contemporarycalvinist.blogspot.com/2009/03/failed-gospel-tract.html"target="_blank">The Contemporary Calvinist: Failed Gospel Tract</a>; <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1736_corrective_tract_for_the_prosperity_gospel/"target="_blank">Desiring God Ministries</a>)TSHuskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11126701791329445939noreply@blogger.com0