Coram Deo

This Blog Has Moved

2008-05-09T14:12:00.001-07:00

to Wordpress.

You can find it here: www.coramdeo2.wordpress.com

Thank you!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Larry

Tolle Lege!

2008-05-06T04:33:00.000-07:00

Tolle Lege means "take up and read!" A book you should take up and read is Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris.

I've only read several chapters, but I heartily recommend it. While the book is intended for teenagers, people of all ages can benefit from it. The information they present applies to all of us, especially those of us who used to be teenagers - like me!

It's subtitle is "A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations" and it's worth the price and a read.

Alex and Brett have a great website, too. Chrck it out here.

A Thought on Blogging

2008-05-06T02:18:00.000-07:00

Blog entries are a rough draft, a first version of someone's thoughts - in this case, mine.

They aren't meant to be formal papers or essays, necessarily. I wouldn't turn any of my posts in to a theological journey for review or publication. They aren't usually formal declarations. They'll probably contain errors in language and logic.

What these blog posts are is a first-draft record of some of my thoughts (praise God not all of my thoughts - I don't want everything going out into cyberspace). Take them for what they are, which goes for every other blog out there, too. In other words, don't be too harsh (which can happen to me when I forget that no specific blog post contains all of someone's thinking on an issue, just part of it).

Something to think about.

Turning the Tables

2008-05-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

Atheists usually ask the question, "How can God exist when there is so much evil in the world?" There are variations, but that's the basic question.

We should do our best to answer that question, but so should the atheist. They should be asked, "How do you explain so much evil in the world?"

We have an answer. Atheists don't. In naturalistic Darwinism, which most atheists are committed to, there is no purpose for evil. The atheist also doesn't have any moral basis for calling anything evil or good because naturalistic Darwinism cannot explain morality.

It's time to turn the table on atheists. Sure, we'll try to answer the question, but so should they.

Quick Take on "I'm spiritual, not religious."

2008-05-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

I heard that statement again last night. After someone asked me if I was a Christian, they made it plain they were not, however they were "spiritual."

That statement has bothered me as long as I've heard it. What does it mean? It's too vague and ambiguous to have much of any meaning at all.

Botton line, the people who say it:

1. Want the benefits of religion without any of the responsibilities.

2. Want to be able to pick and choose what they like and leave the rest behind - like a giant religious buffet.

That's my take, anyway.

"In Christ Alone"

2008-05-02T02:12:00.000-07:00

In 2001, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend wrote and published a song called "In Christ Alone." They probably didn't know that it would become a classic hymn of the church. It's in my "top five hymns of all time" list. We sang it in church last Sunday and I was reminded of just how good it is. Here it is:

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all -
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid -
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death -
This is the pow'r of Chirst in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home -
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

This hymn never fails to bring tears to my eyes - the realization, that is, that it is only because of Jesus Christ and His finished work on my behalf that I can stand in His presence. Deep theology wrapped in excellent music. What more could we ask for?

Just Wondering

2008-04-30T04:54:00.000-07:00

Did Jesus ever ask, "What Would I Do?"

See Ben Stein's Documentary

2008-04-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

A group of us from school went to see Ben Stein's documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed on Monday. It's an excellent movie and I highly recommend you see it (and take some people with you).

The movie is a documentary-style investigation into the systematic persecution and banishing of anyone who dares to support or even say a kind word about Intelligent Design (a strong challenge to the accepted and politically correct view in the scientific community - naturalistic Darwinism) by those in the media, academy, and even the government.

Expelled is fair in it's presentation, unlike Michael Moore's practice of ambushing the subjects of his interviews. It raises awareness about a problem Stein sees as serious (I agree) and issues a call to action at the end. The call to action featured a nice touch (and a nostalgic one) when Ben asked, "Anyone? Anyone?" That, of course, is a flashback to his role as an Economics teacher in the move Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Richard Dawkins, one of the atheists interviewed, got under my skin. I found myself wanting to yell at the screen that I thought his line of argumentation was a complete pile of garbage. At least he was honest - I'll give him that. It was fascinating, though, when Stein asked several questions of Dawkins that moved him from total certainty that God does not exist to possibly about half certain. Dawkins also admitted that he thought life on earth began because a more advanced and intelligent (!) alien civilization "seeded" it upon earth. It takes a lot more faith to believe that than it does to believe Genesis 1:1. Dawkins is a fool (see Psalm 14:1 and 53:1).

It seems clear that the science establishment has changed the definition and practice of science. Naturalistic Darwinism is the only answer one may come to - nothing else is allowed. That's not science, it's propaganda and indoctrination. It's as if you can come up with any answer you want regarding the origin of man and the universe, except one (that God had anything to do with it). That's like a police department investigating a murder and being told by the District Attorney, "Arrest the person the evidence points to, except not if it's the Sheriff's son." Ridiculous!

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed probably won't win any awards, is not a romantic love story, doesn't have a car chase, and doesn't have special effects that will knock your socks off, but you still ought to see it. As one interviewee says, this is a worldview issue and the stakes are high.

Right Square in the Forehead

2008-04-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

Luke 16:10 just hit me right square in the forehead. After I had answered a phone call from a guest about the time of our continental breakfast, I was hit with the realization that I need to answer every call the way I just had - with politely and pleasantly.

I remembered what Jesus said, "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."

I've referred to that verse several times in my Bible classes this year, but it didn't strike me the way it did last night.

To be honest, I see my job at the hotel as "a very little thing" - something not all that significant, a means to the end of a paycheck. But if God is to entrust me with more, I need to be faithful in the "very little thing."

I understood that concept before last night, but the Lord brought it to my mind suddenly and made its application very clear.

May I be faithful in the "very little thing" and trust God for the "much."

A very bad, terrible, horrible day

2008-04-26T02:13:00.000-07:00

That's what yesterday was. I dealt with a loud, hostile, and verbally abusive man for nearly 45 minutes at the hotel. He was not a guest and I had to call the police to have him removed. To top the night off, my truck was broken into sometime during the night. I spent the whole day getting it taken care of and missing a day of school in the process.

The past 15 months have been hard - very hard. Right now, God's providence is mainly dark, but there are several bright rays of light - school, a marriage that's still intact and good, friends, and a good church.

Life is hard and God is good. They're both true, but the second one seems hard to see sometimes (in all honesty). Although I don't believe it's true, I understand how some may think that difficult times are a punishment from God.

Faithfulness to God is required of us, but it's never easy. Pray for us.

Ammunition

2008-04-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

My pastor recently preached a sermon in which he brought up a good application in an unusual way. He asked, "Are there any bullets in your gun?"

Here's what he was talking about: All of us face various temptations every day (usually lots of them!). How we handle them is very important. We shouldn't be like Mae West who made the famous, or infamous remark, "Whenever I'm tempted, I give in." We should, on the other hand, have ammunition. We should have bullets in our gun.

Psalm 119:11 says, "Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You."

Jesus exemplified that verse and having bullets in your gun when He resisted Satan's temptations after He had fasted for forty days in the wilderness. He answered all of the evil one's attempts with Scripture - the Word of God. He treasured His word in His heart so that He did not sin, and treasured it so much that He could quote it even while under pressure.

We should do the same. When we're tempted to sin against God in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, quoting memorized Scripture is a whole lot better than throwing a Bible across the room and saying, "I know it's in there somewhere!"

Here are some practical examples:

If you are tempted to sin by the things you look at, Psalm 119:37 is your bullet - "Turn away my eyes from every worthless thing, and revive me in your ways."

If too much chocolate cake (or anything else in which you might overindulge) is tempting, Galatians 5:23 is your bullet - "But the fruit of the Spirit is...self-control."

Wives may need this piece of ammunition - "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord" (Colossians 3:18).

Husbands may need this one - "Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them" - when they're tempted to get bitter with them (Colossians 3:19).

When a bad attitude begins to creep in, Philippians 2:14 may be the needed piece of ammunition - "Do all things without grumbling or disputing (or complaining)."

The biggest bullet, or most effective one in my opinion, may be Romans 8:28. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" is useful when we're tempted to think God isn't at work, or if He is that He doesn't know what He's doing.

These are just some of the ammunition we have at our disposal as God's children. Don't be like Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show - who had a gun, but the bullet was in his pocket, and then only one. Have a full arsenal of ammunition and some bullets in your gun!

Read it Again For the First Time

2008-04-23T03:35:00.000-07:00

The other day I read a verse again for the first time. I've come across it before, but this time it jumped out at me.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 says, "In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: surely God has appointed (ordained, created, or made) the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him."

Solomon explains (Proverbs-style) in chapter 7 what he has learned from adversity. It's proverbial in that he provides general truths about life in concise, memorable statements. And it's based more on life in the "minor key" - death, suffering, and pain rather than success and prosperity.

It seems that Solomon has summarized our response to all of life (or, at least what it should be). When things are good, we can be joyful and thank God for the blessings. When things are bad, we should consider.

Consider what?

We consider, or reflect upon, the sovereignty of God ("surely God has appointed the one as well as the other"). God rules and reigns in His universe. He ordains the good and the bad. "But out God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases" (Psa. 115:3).

We consider the goodness of God. "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His mercy endures forever" (Psa. 136:1). Everything God is and does is good. We can trust Him in both the good and the bad times.

We consider the love of God because He loves His children and delights in us far more than we could ever imagine. Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:17b-19a is "that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge."

No matter what the circumstances - good or bad - a sovereign, good, and loving God has ordained them for my good and His glory.

God used that verse to encourage me recently - praise Him! Maybe I'll use it in a future sermon.

The Gospel in Six Minutes

2008-04-23T03:15:00.000-07:00

The reformation21 blog has posted a great video called "The Gospel in Six Minutes" featuring Pastor John Piper. You can check it out here.

Lingering

2008-04-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

How can we build deep relationships with one another if we're fixated on a "microwave" lifestyle? It's extremely hard if not impossible. But we can take steps in that direction, writes Shawn Young. Her article "The Lost Art of Lingering" is well worth a few minutes to read and get us thinking. You can read it here.

Bad Field Trip?

2008-04-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Public Schools is arranging to take students, by bus, to hear the Dalai Lama speak this Monday at Key Arena at a "Seeds of Compassion" event.

The Dalai Lama, by the way, is the leader of a religion - Tibetan Buddhism - that has adherents all over the world. He's also considered the leader of the nation of Tibet.

Using taxpayer money to transport students to an event that will obviously have religious overtones isn't a good idea. At least it shouldn't be if they (the Seattle Public Schools) want to be consistent. Would they ever consider taking the kids to see Pope Benedict XVI? We know what the answer would be - it's rhetorical.
We know they wouldn't.

"The Gospel and Personal Evangelism" - Chapter 5

2008-04-11T01:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, but I'm getting back to blogging "The Gospel and Personal Evangelism" by Mark Dever. If you've read the other posts, you know I think it's a great little book.

Chapter 5 is entitled, "What Isn't Evangelism" (emphasis is the author's, not mine). Dever states that many of us have mistaken ideas about what constitutes evangelism. I think we tend to put all sorts of things into a category called "evangelism," and it's not always a good thing - especially when the Bible calls it something else.

According to Dever, evangelism is not imposition. When we evangelize, we're not imposing, or forcing, our beliefs upon anyone (although it may seem that way at times). Dever says, "In biblical evangelism, we don't impose anything. In fact, we really can't. According to the Bible, evangelism is simply telling the good news. It's not making sure that the other person responds to it correctly" (p. 70). I've heard it put by someone else that we, as Christians, don't impose, we propose. That's a good distinction.

Evangelism is not personal testimony, according to Dever. What God has done in our lives contributes to evangelism and certainly adds a personal element, but it is not the Gospel. The core of the Gospel is the perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ on our behalf - in our place. Testimonies can be very powerful, but in the process of telling them, we may not accurately or adequately explain who Jesus is or what He's done in time and history. I don't know how many people I've heard say something like, "Just give them (the unbeliever) your testimony - they can't argue with that. Keep doctrine out of it." People need to now what God has done in our life, but when we tell them we can't confuse it with proclaiming the Gospel. The Gospel "is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16); my testimony is not.

According to Dever, evangelism is not social action and public involvement. Social action and public involvement commend the Gospel but they do not communicate the Gospel. We should be involved publicly and politically as Christians, an issue which I think is a settled one. There are obviously many, many problems in our fallen and sinful world and they all deserve our attention. However, we can never confuse anti-abortion activism, for example, with a clear proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ. "Preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15) does not mean, "Clean up the environment," or "stop drinking and smoking," or even "stop human sex trafficking." By themselves, these causes are not equivalent to the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.

Apologetics is not evangelism. We're commanded to "be ready to give an answer for everyone who asks about the hope" we have (1 Pet. 3:15). We should be able to define and defend what we believe and why we believe it. Defending the faith is crucial to the church. Having said that, though, apologetics is not the same thing as evangelism because it may or may not include a clear presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, we can explain to someone the many reasons to believe that Jesus was actually and literally raised from the dead, but never mention why He did, why it's important, or what the best response to it is. Apologetics is very useful and helpful - it commends the gospel - but it isn't evangelism.

Evangelism is not the results of evangelism. The best result of evangelism is the conversion of someone from death to life, from darkness to light, from self and Satan to the Lord Jesus Christ. Evangelism is not simply "seeing others converted." Dever adds to this misunderstanding by saying that it leads to another misunderstanding of evangelism - namely, that it is within our power to convert someone. That leads to a mistaken focus on results by many churches and ministries, which can easily lead to manipulation and pressure. Evangelism is proclaiming the goood news of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, trusting God for the results.

So, says Dever, once we understand what evangelism actually is - and we've done it - what do we do next? That's in chapter 6.

"Eric Clapton: In the Presence of the Lord"

2008-04-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

Christianity Today's website has an good article on one of my favorite musicians, Eric Clapton. It's called "Eric Clapton: In the Presence of the Lord." You can read it here.

An Attempt at Humor

2008-04-08T00:54:00.000-07:00

You might be thinking about theology too much if you think the TV show "Will and Grace" is about Arminians and Calvinists. (Tip of the hat to the folks at Way of the Master.)

"Soon"

2008-04-04T04:21:00.000-07:00

My reading of C.S. Lewis' classic fiction series "The Chronicles of Narnia" has brought me near the end of The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader."

Aslan says to Lucy, "Do not look so sad. We shall soon meet again." Lucy responds by asking, "Please, Aslan, what do you call soon?" "I call all times soon," said Aslan.

It's the same with the Lord Jesus Christ and those of us who follow Him. We know we will meet and see Him again. We know that we shall soon meet again. Revelation 22:7a, 12a, and 20 record Jesus as saying, "I am coming soon!"

But what does He mean by "soon"? He calls all times "soon."

So what do we do in the meantime? We occupy until He comes. "You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him" (Luke 12:40). One of the primary ways we can be ready is to be faithful to Him, consistently obeying and trusting Him as we look to His return.

His coming will be soon, just not in the way we understand soon. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

I Begg You, Listen!

2008-04-04T04:04:00.000-07:00

Truth for Life is currently playing a series of sermons by Alistair Begg called "The Sabbath," which has been fantastic so far. It's causing me to think about what I'm doing on Sundays and make some changes. If you'd like to listen, go to the website and check it out.

More Thoughts on Prayer

2008-04-02T02:07:00.000-07:00

Tony Woodlief writes part 2 of his thinking on George Mueller's "rules" of prayer. You can read it here. It's excellent food for thought.

Thoughts on Prayer

2008-03-29T02:14:00.000-07:00

How should we then pray?

Tony Woodlief has a must-read post at the World website answering the question. He uses some of George Mueller's principles to form his answer. I've thought a lot about this topic in the last year and Woodlief's thoughts are helpful.

Follow-up

2008-03-28T01:32:00.000-07:00

Well, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels beat the Washington State Cougars like a drum last night. Don't ask me to fill out your bracket next year. All told, the Cougars had a great season - nothing to be ashamed of, certainly. Hopefully, they accept the loss, and the end of their season, "in such a way" that God is glorified and honored. May we all do likewise.

The Cougars and God - faith in basketball

2008-03-27T04:33:00.000-07:00

The Spokesman-Review (Spokane's newspaper) has published an article by Nick Eaton on the Washington State Cougars basketball team and, specifically, the Christian faith of their coach and several players. The Cougars are still in the NCAA basketball tournament (Sweet 16) - the only Northwest team left.

I'm always interested in how the intersection of belief in Jesus Christ and involvement in sports is covered by the media. It's a mixed bag. This article is pretty good, on the whole.

What was most interesting, though, is a question I like to ask, not just of athletes, but of anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ - "What difference does it make in how you play/work/live/relate/teach/govern/parent, etc.?"

Some of the Cougars have the letters "ISAW" on their shirts. It's a reference to 1 Corinthians 9:24 which says, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." "ISAW" - In Such A Way - is the Cougars motto this year. Coach Tony Bennet, a Christian, wants his team to do everything "in such a way" that they might achieve their purpose of winning.

Taylor Rochestie, junior guard, says that "in such a way" means "kind of not playing for yourself, that's what it really does mean to me. You gotta train in such a way to get the team better. Play in such a way - you know, go for the loose balls, do the little things. It's kind of the same way as saying, 'Do the intangibles.'"

Senior center Robbie Cowgill says, "Because of (faith), I don't have to worry about how people view me or if I miss a bunch of shots, what my identity really is. Because I already know I'm secure in who God says I am, and that's who I am...I think in basketball that helps me a lot, calms me down a lot."

Daven Harmeling, junior guard, says, "You know, tangibly, I think my faith helps me play with passion. For me, a way to honor (God) is to play as hard as I can. And, you know, that doesn't mean He's going to guide the ball (into the basket) every time; I don't think He does any of that. But it does mean that I can play in a way that I can honor Him with what He's given me."

Well done, guys. Beat North Carolina!

Encouraged by God's Good Providence

2008-03-22T04:04:00.001-07:00

In His good providence this last week, God encouraged me not to give up, lose heart, and be discouraged.

I've been out of the pastorate for 14 months and counting. So far, the search for my next pastoral ministry hasn't turned up much. In fact, it's been slow, very slow. It's also been discouraging. I love teaching and don't want to give it up, but I would also love to return to pastoral ministry in a church. If possible, I'd like to do both.

But the wait and the relative lack of opportunities (four interviews so far - two face-to-face and two by phone) have almost caused me to lose heart and give up on more than one occasion. The Lord knew that, of course, and used two different passages on different days to strengthen me.

At our Men's Bible Study, I read 1 Samuel 27:1 which says, Then David said in his heart, "Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. there is nothing better for me that I shoule escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand." David was weary of being chased by Saul, sick and tired of always having to look over his shoulder. In short, he was discouraged. The rest of 1 Samuel 27 is a cautionary tale of what happens when someone loses heart.

Then, at a gathering of the Spurgeon Fellowship at Western Seminary, Pastor Mike Jones of Independent Bible Church in Port Angeles, spoke on the subject of discouragment in ministry. (I'm seeing a pattern here!) One of the verses he read was 2 Corinthians 4:1 - Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart." Paul had every reason imaginable to lose heart and be discouraged (read 4:8-12), but he didn't give in to it. Why? Because he had an eternal perspective (read 4:16-18).

God brought theses verses and their emphasis - don't be discouraged - to me because He knew I needed them. It's possible that I was closer to the edge of despair than I thought and was in danger of falling off. It's also possible that I'm not all that close to the edge, but needed to be reminded (and even warned) not to get any closer.

Is the Lord giving me encouragement for the long haul, which is going to be a lot longer than I hope? Is something going to happen soon? Is the Lord saying, "Don't give up! It won't be much longer"? I don't know. I do know this, though, I'm encouraged and I praise God for it.

Good Friday

2008-03-22T01:16:00.000-07:00

The verse of the moment for Good Friday -

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).

Jesus, who died a vicious, cruel, horrible, and bloody death - crucified on a cross - did it for the salvation of His people. He died a sacrificial death for our sins as our substitute. He offers us His perfect righteousness in exchange for our sins - the great exchange! That's what Good Friday is all about.

Quick Takes

2008-03-12T01:29:00.000-07:00

"I don't need all that theology stuff. I just want to love Jesus. Isn't that enough?"

Honestly, I don't know how many times I've heard someone say that. It always seems to produce the same reaction in me - a mixture of anger and sadness. Anger because although it's good to love Jesus, there is so much more to be learned and lived as a Christian. God has revealed far more to us than simply, "Here's Jesus. Love Him!" Sadness because people who think this way don't know what they're missing. Theology is multi-layered and multi-faceted - it takes us "further up and further in" to quote C.S. Lewis.

The way to point out the flaw in this line of thinking is to ask the next logical question - "Who is Jesus?" The millisecond they begin to answer the question ("Well, He's the Son of God, our Lord and Savior...") they're dealing with theology. Simply defined, theology is "the study of God." When we study theology, we're seeking to learn more about the God who has revealed Himself to us - His person and His work. If we're to know anything about God, salvation, the nature of man, the church, last things, or what God demands from us, we have to know theology. In fact, when we make any statement on any of these subjects, we're proclaiming our theology whatever it may be (whether it's good or bad).

We can't know or love Jesus without knowing some theology. As we learn more theology, we'll know Him even better. Someone who wants to just love Jesus and forget about theology is saying, in effect, "I want to love Jesus, but I don't want to know anything about Him." We wouldn't say that about a husband, wife, or a friend, so why would we ever say it about our Lord and Saviour?

"I just want to love Jesus. Isn't that enough?" With anger and sadness, the answer is "No, it isn't."

Ligonier Joins Blogging World

2008-03-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

Ligonier Ministries has joined the wide, wide world of blogging. Keith Mathison, Tim Challies, R.C. Sproul and others will post thoughts. Currently, they've posted an interview with Sinclair Ferguson. Check it out here.

Turkish Delight

2008-03-04T04:28:00.000-08:00

In the course of explaining a proverb to both of my Bible classes today, I used an example taken from C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The dialogue I quoted - between Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and the four children - regarding Aslan is an excellent description and portrait of what the Bible calls "the fear of God."

I have a confession to make, though. I've never read the book. I've never read any of the books in the series - The Chronicles of Narnia, either. I did see the movie, which was fantastic.

While my students were taking their quizzes, I read the first several pages of Lewis' classic. After I got home I read the first several chapters. I'm now in the process of reading, for the first time, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

In chapter 4, Edmund meets the White Witch, who asks him, "What best do you like to eat?" "Turkish Delight, please, Your Majesty," said Edmund. As he ate the entire contents of the large box, "Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious." The more he ate the more he wanted to eat. "At last, the Turkish Delight was all finished and Edmund was looking very hard at the empty box and wishing that she would ask him whether he would like some more. Probably the Queen knew quite well what he was thinking; for she knew, though Edmund did not, that this was enchanted Turkish Delight and that anyone who had once tasted it would want more and more of it, and would even, if they were allowed to, going on eating it till they killed themselves." After Edmund meets up with Lucy, who was the first to discover Narnia, "he still wanted to taste that Turkish Delight again more than he wanted anything else."

Lewis has done a masterful job of describing the nature and power of sin. It's interesting that, like Adam and Eve, Edmund was tempted with food. The food, in this case Turkish Delight, was "pleasant to the eye" - it looked good. Sin is deceptive because it looks good, not because it looks bad. Sin is a disposition, meaning that it's part of our fallen nature. The only way Edmund, or any one of us, could be tempted is because we already have a bent to sin. All of us are Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve this side of the Fall - we sinful by nature, habit, and choice. Sin is a desire to go our own way, to disobey God and, in fact, to be our own god. When we sin, it is because that is our strongest desire at the time. Finally, sin leads to death. That is the ultimate price to pay for our moral crimes against God. Sin's price tag doesn't say "$11.99," it says "your very life."

Wow! All of that from a one meeting of two fictional characters. Thank you, Professor Lewis! I look forward to more.

R.I.P. WFB

2008-03-02T21:41:00.000-08:00

William F. Buckley, Jr. died last week - man knows not his time.

Not only was he the founder of a great magazine - National Review - he was a towering intellect who had a winsome way of dealing with everyone, especially those with whom he disagreed. He made being a conservative cool. In my opinion, Buckley is just as reponsible for today's conservative movement as Ronald Reagan.

If you want to read a number of tributes to WFB, go here - the National Review website.

A Matter of Prayer

2008-02-29T02:59:00.000-08:00

A sad, sad story was posted today on the Christianity Today website. You can read it here. It involves a nasty lawsuit over who are the "real" Imperials. It even has a father and son at the center. Pray for The Imperials - all of them.

Fantastic Book Review

2008-02-27T01:58:00.001-08:00

If you've read, or even heard of, Frank Schaeffer's book Crazy for God, you're aware that the son of Francis and Edith Schaeffer's son (Frank, that is) has written a quite unflattering portrait of his parents and their ministry. Francis and Edith are fallen human beings like the rest of us, and certainly growing up with them would provide plenty of illustrations of sinful behavior just like it would with the rest of us.

Os Guinness spent a lot of time with the Schaeffers, including Frank, at L'Abri. He's written a review of Crazy for God that can only be described as fantastic. You can read it here. Guinness is convinced that Frank has been unfair, unkind, and self-serving in his book and wanted to provide a response. If that was his goal, he achieved it spectacularly well. There's nothing wrong with telling stories about people "warts and all" (the Bible does it), but there comes a point where going any further is simply cruel. Frank didn't just step over that line, he broadjumped it according to Guinness.

Please read this, especially if you were shaped by the ministry of Francis Schaeffer. I was, and I don't regret the fifteen minutes or so it took to read the review.

Reflections on Luke 4

2008-02-26T04:49:00.000-08:00

My reading in Luke's Gospel has brought me to chapter 4. Obviously I could be reading it a lot quicker, but I'm listening to a sermon series on it as a supplement, too (and I don't necessarily want to listen to as many sermons as it takes to cover three or four chapters every day!).

Luke 4 shows, among other things, what Jesus came to do - obey His Father, proclaim His Father's Word, and heal some of the sick (not all). Several things jumped out at me from this chapter.

First, Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed His Father.
In verses 1-13, we have the account of Satan's temptation of Jesus. The Lord Jesus, unlike Adam, resisted temptation and obeyed His Father. By doing so, Jesus is known as the "Second Adam" or the "Last Adam." Adam was the federal head (or representative) of all mankind - he represented each and every one of us in the garden of Eden. Christ is the federal head (or representative) of His people - He represents each and every person who will ever repent of their sins and trust Him alone for their salvation.

Just as Satan tempted Adam, he also tempted Christ. (By the way, I'm not forgetting about Eve. She was tempted, too, but Adam was the responsible party in God's economy.) The most important difference is the result - Adam disobeyed, failed the test, and was banished from the garden. Jesus, on the other hand, obeyed, passed the test, and restored paradise lost.

This episode points to the fact that Jesus perfectly obeyed His Father for every moment of His life. Perfection is what God demands from us because He is righteous, and none of us - "no not one" - can give it to Him. We fall dreadfully short of God's standard. But here's the good news - the Lord Jesus Christ has obeyed in our place! He has satisfied the Father's demand for perfection and lived the life we can't live - all because of His grace, mercy, and love. Then, when we believe in Christ, that perfect righteousness of His is imputed to us.

Second, Jesus Christ was faithful in attendance at worship.
"And He (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day" (verse 16). Did you catch it? The little phrase "as was His custom" jumped out at me several years ago. The point being made is that Jesus was a regular synagogue attender. He attended worship services on a consistent basis because he was a faithful Jew. He didn't "forsake assembling together" with the people of God. When the Sabbath came, He was there.

Think about that! The synagogues of Jesus' time weren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. They were full of sinful people, many of whom had the same attitudes and actions that the Lord condemned in the Gospels. I'm certain that none of the synagogues did things exactly the way Jesus knew they should. Their doctrine wasn't perfect. They had misunderstandings about the personality and the role of the Messiah in Israel's history. Not only that, but the synagogue system wasn't commanded in the Old Testament - it developed during the periods when the Jews were exiled away from Israel.

So why did He go every week? Because that's what people who are faithful to God do. They regularly gather together with other believers in order to sing, pray, give, read and obey Scripture, and minister to one another. He went every week because He perfectly obeyed His Father (see verses 1-13).

There's a great lesson in that little phrase "as was His custom." Everything said about the synagogue of Jesus' day applies to the church of today. Why should we go every week? Because God commands it and it's what people faithful to God do. If "as was His custom" was good enough for Christ, it should be good enough for us, too.

Coram Deo Approved

2008-02-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

Here are two recommended articles for your perusal.

The first is an interview with Keith and Kristyn Getty called "Singable Doctrine." They wrote "In Christ Alone" with Stuart Townsend, which is one of my favorites. You can read it here.

The second is a post by Mark Dever on Together For the Gospel's site called "The Bondage of 'Guidance.'" You can read it here.

"The Gospel & Personal Evangelism" - Chapter 4

2008-02-19T01:26:00.000-08:00

"How Should We Evangelize?"

In this chapter, Mark Dever examines the question of how we should proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. He says we need to have a balanced approach.

Honesty is the first aspect of a balanced approach. "First, we tell people with honesty that if they repent and believe, they will be saved. But they will need to repent, and it will be costly. We must be accurate in what we say, not holding any important parts back that seem to us awkward or off-putting" (p. 55). Making people aware of their sinful and lost condition might turn some people off, but if we're faithful witnesses we have to do it. Turning from our sins (repentance) won't be easy, but we can't pretend it doesn't exist. If we do, we're manipulating people who desperately need to hear the gospel.

Urgency is the second aspect of a balanced approach. Dever writes that, "we must emphasize the urgency with which people ought to repent and believe if they are to be saved. They must decide now" (p. 57). We don't have "all the time in the world" to ponder the offer of forgiveness and everlasting life. It's not a scare tactic to bring up the fact that we aren't promised another day, or minute for that matter.

Joy is the third aspect of a balanced approach. "The truth of this news of a restored relationship with God brings us great joy. so we should joyfully tell people that if they repent and believe they will be saved. It is all worth it, despite the cost" (p. 59). A sour and dour witness is not attractive. Being "baptized in pickle juice" tends to drive the non-saved away from the gospel and those who proclaim it.

Each of these aspects are important. We need to be honest and not candy-coat the gospel because we think non-believers will respond to it better. Urgency is critical, and, sadly, I've paid it very little attention. We also need to be joyful. This is so important, in fact, that we might need to have classes in church on how to do this (or at least to be reminded).

Dever then gives a number of practical tips on how to evangelize.
1. Pray. Ask God to give you opportunities and for lost people to be saved.
2. Use the Bible. God's Word is a great tool for evangelism. Do a simple study of the Gospel of Mark with a non-believing friend. God uses His Word in incredible ways.
3. Be clear. Use language that anyone can understand. It's easy for us to speak a language - a jargon - that only other Christians understand. But in evangelism, we need to try to do whatever we can to aviod that. If we use the word "justification" for example, we need to define it. Dever points out that being clear will mean that we may offend people - that comes with the territory.
4. Provoke self-reflection. "Defensiveness is natural to the fallen heart, so we want to do our best to help people hear the good news. We want to live and talk in such a way that we provoke people to reflect on themselves, on their own desires and actions" (p. 65). Ask people good questions. Listen to their answers. Put a rock in their shoe.
5. Use the church. Invite people to whom you've been witnessing to a church that clearly proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ. More than that, however, is to bring your non-Christian friends into the company of Christians. Let them both see and hear the truth of the gospel.

Overall, this is an excellent chapter because of the helpful suggestions and reminders.

Get Some Sleep!

2008-02-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

Over at Big Orange Truck, a plea goes out to all of us (pastors, too) to get a full night's sleep - every night. He thinks it'll do us a world of good physically, mentally, and spiritually. I couldn't agree with him more. Read it here.

Reflections from Luke 3

2008-02-18T01:16:00.000-08:00

Luke 3 deals primarily with the identity of Jesus Christ. He is preceded by John the Baptist (3:2-20). He was baptized and given the Father's verbal blessing (3:21-22). His genealogy proves He is the Son of God and God the Son (3:23-38).

John said that Jesus is "the Lord" (verse 4) and the One who will bring "the salvation of God" (verse 6). He procalimed that Jesus was "mightier" than he was (verse 16) and the One who will "baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (verse 16). In short, Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior.

Jesus was declared to be the Son of God by God the Father in verse 22 - And the Holy Spirit descended on him (Jesus) in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

Finally, Jesus is proven to be the Son of God and God the Son by His ancestry - His genealogy. This is Joseph's line, not Mary's (which is recorded in Matthew's Gospel), which explains an objection some have raised (specifically, that it seems that Jesus has two different genealogies).

John's statement and attitude of submission in verse 16 jumped out at me. John said, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." John was an extremely important part of God's plan to prepare the way for the Messiah - he played a key role. In fact, Jesus said that there was no one greater than John in His kingdom (Matthew 11:11). With all of that being said, John did not see himself as anything or anyone important. He said he wasn't even worthy to do the most menial task for Jesus - untying His sandals. John realized that he was the messenger and that Christ is the Message. That's a tremendous example of submission and servanthood. John says it another way in John 3:30 - "He must increase, but I must decrease." I need that attitude today and, I suppose, some of you do, too.

Lord, may the Lord Jesus Christ increase and may I decrease. He's mightier than I, and I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandals - the One in whom You are well pleased.

More Tacit Theologies

2008-02-18T01:04:00.000-08:00

Tony Woodlief has posted another in his outstanding series "Tacit Theologies" at the WORLD blogsite. You can read it here.

Practical Information

2008-02-15T02:57:00.000-08:00

Want a funny read? Who doesn't, especially with all of the steroids, human growth hormone, school shootings, and Presidential primaries in the news? For a fun break, go to Evangelical Outpost and take a gander at Joe Carter's post "How to Get Rid of a Stoner Son." Hilarious!

Good Reading

2008-02-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

God is the God of the second chance, right? Not so fast, according to Dan Phillips. You can read his thought-provoking article here. It's called "The God of the Second Chance - Sometimes".

Of Priests and Ankle Ropes

2008-02-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

Although it may seem hard to believe (sarcasm meter of "full" here), we Christians sometimes believe things that aren't true. Then we proceed to teach them to others, whether it's from the pulpit, in front of a class, or in a Bible study. I know I have.

Case in point: Priests who were to serve in the Holy of Holies (once a year) in the Jewish Temple tied a rope around their ankle. Why would they do that? Because if they died while they were in the presence of God serving Him, they could be dragged out by the other priests (who were forbidden to enter the Holy of Holies). This was done in order to guard and recognize the awesome holiness of God. Nice story. Interesting tidbit. Goosebump-inducing. Makes you look like you know a lot about Jewish culture and customs when you mention it in a Bible study.

One small problem - it's not true. There's little, if any, evidence for it. In fact, no one quite knows where this idea came from or how it got started. I discovered this by accident when I was researching archaeological evidence for the New Testament. This website had this article which gives the details. It's the biblical form of an urban legend (a story that gets passed off as true, but isn't).

We all need to be more careful when pass things like this on to other people. We don't need made-up stories and "facts" to convince ourselves or others of the truth of Christianity. We look foolish when we use false stories or interesting "facts" to make a point (even if it's a good one).

God is a God of truth (Jer. 10:10-11). As His people, we love the truth and speak the truth (Deut. 5:20; Eph. 4:25). By doing so, we imitate Him, make Him visible, and put Him on display. In other words, we glorify Him (1 Cor. 10:31; 1 Pet. 4:10).

So, "be careful out there," as they used to say on "Hill Street Blues."

Tacit Theologies

2008-02-12T00:55:00.000-08:00

Tony Woodlief of WORLD magazine has two excellent and thought-provoking posts on theologies we have (and operate on the basis of) that are unspoken. You can read them here and here.

What are some of your tacit theologies?

"The Gospel & Personal Evangelism" - Chapter 3

2008-02-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

"Who Should Evangelize?"

In chapter three of The Gospel & Personal Evangelism," Mark Dever examines the question of who should evangelize?

At first glance, the answer to that question should be, "Well, every Christian, of course!" That's the right answer, but it is surprising how many people don't think it isn't. Dever says some think that "clergy people" should do all of the evangelizing, after all, they've been trained and that's "their job," so to speak. Others believe that evangelism is beft left to those who have the spiritual gift of evangelism. For still others, evangelism is reserved for raging extroverts, while the introverts are left to watch the "show," so to speak.

Dever points out that even though certain things were true of the apostles (see Romans 1:14-15), they are also true of every believer in Jesus Christ. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) was given to every disciple of Jesus, not just the twelve apostles.

He quotes John Stott as saying, "[This] commission...is binding upon every member of the whole church...Every Christian is called to be a witness to Christ in the particular environment in which God has placed him. Further, although the public ministry of the Word is a high office, private witness or personal evangelism has a value which in some respects surpasses even that of preaching, since the message can then be adapted morte personally." (Personal Evangelism, pp. 3-4).

The early members of the New Testament church evangelized constantly (Acts 5:42; 8:25: 13:32; 14:7, 15, 21; 15:35; 16:10; 17:18). It wasn't just the apostles, either. After the persecution in Jerusalem, "Those who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went" (Acts 8:4). In 1 Peter 3:15-16, all Christians are told to "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in christ may be ashamed of their slander."

We're commanded to "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31). According to Dever, the most loving thing we can do for one of our neighbors - whether they are a family member, friend, co-worker, or acquaintance - is to share with them the good news of Jesus Christ.

It is God's plan, writes Dever, to make Himself known through His people - Israel in the Old Testament and the Church in the New. It is our responsibility to make visible the invisible God. Therefore, the lives of individual Christians and the church as a whole should make God (and His gospel) visible to the world. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, "Evangelism is pre-eminently dependent upon the quality of the Christian life which is known and enjoyed within the church."

Dever sums up this excellent chapter by saying, "God calls all Christians to share the good news."

Don't think this isn't an issue in the church today - it is. There has been a strain of "let the professionals do it" in many congregations for years, which hampers successful evangelism. But also, as the consumer mentality spreads in the culture of the church, the "let the professionals do it" mentality becomes even stronger. We hire people to do all kinds of different things today, why not hire people who know the Bible and theology, play music, visit, and evangelize, too? Dever has supplied a strong argument against this kind of faulty thinking.

The Wounds of a Friend, Part 2

2008-02-09T22:07:00.000-08:00

Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Ministries responds to Greg Gilbert's post on worship music. You can read it here. Excellent thoughts from Bob.

The Wounds of a Friend

2008-02-08T02:40:00.000-08:00

This is a hard word from Greg Gilbert, but it's a needed one. His post is called "Against Music*" and it's excellent.

"I think the entire evangelical world ought to put a moratorium on any kind of instrumental music, and just chant psalms in their worship services - for the next ten years."

That's his opening salvo, or should I say, paragraph. Some of us are far too dependant upon certain music or a certain type of music in order to "really worship God." It's crucial that we keep central in our minds the fact that we use music as a tool to better worship God, we don't worship music.

Union Update

2008-02-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

Union University, a Southern Baptist university in Tennessee, was hit hard by a tornado yesterday. You can read the story here.

Please keep them in your prayers.

"Can I Get a Witness?" from Luke 2

2008-02-07T06:11:00.000-08:00

Luke 2 contains some of the most memorable sections in all of the Bible. The birth narrative of Jesus is familiar even to those who know very little of the content of the Bible. In my reading of this chapter, two themes jumped out at me.

First, a number of different people (or creatures) gave testimony to confirm the identity of Jesus Christ.

1. Angels (verses 10-11). They said to the shepherds, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

2. Shepherds (verses 17-18,20). After the shepherd saw Jesus, they "spread the word concerning" what they had seen and whom they had met.

3. Mary - "But Mary treasured up all these things in her heart" (verse 19).

4. Simeon (verses 28-32). The Holy Spirit had promised him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. When he saw Jesus at the temple with His parents, he saw the Messiah.

5. Anna the prophetess (verses 36-38).

6. Jesus Himself (verse 49). When Joseph and Mary found Him in the temple, He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know I had to be in My Father's house?"

Second, what, or who, did all these witnesses reveal Jesus Christ to be?

First, He is revealed to be the Savior.
The angels proclaimed it best when they said, "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you" (verse 11). He is God's "salvation" according to Simeon in verses 30 and 31. Anna says He is "the redemption of Jerusalem" in verse 38.

Next, He is revealed to be the Lord.
Once again, the angels announce to the shepherds that the newborn Jesus is "the Lord" in verse 11.

Finally, He is revealed to be the Son.
Jesus said that He "had to be in my Father's house" (verse 49). Of course, the Father He's speaking of is God the Father, whose "house" was the temple in Jerusalem.

The Gospel of Luke (and all of the Bible for that matter) points us to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's especially true in the Gospels. Whatever else we may find there, and however interesting it may be, it's all about Him ultimately.

Jesus is Savior, Lord, and Son of the Father. He was then and He is now! Praise God!

Super Bowl Thoughts

2008-02-05T11:54:00.001-08:00

The Super Bowl was great!

We watched it with about 14 other people - not at our house, which isn't big enough - and enjoyed it tremendously.

Here are some random thoughts:

It was a great game.
Super Bowl's aren't usually that "super", meaning that the games are most often duds. This one wasn't. In fact, Super Bowl XLII was one of the best football games I've ever seen. The best game I've ever seen was a high school playoff game between two teams from eastern Washington state playing 8-man football - Odessa and St. John-Endicott. The final score was 92-68! Honestly. Believe it or not, the score was 8-8 at halftime.

The commercials were average.
Some of them I loved, some were interesting, one was hideously awful, and most were somewhere in the middle. The Doritos ad was excellent (a man sets a mousetrap and a giant, human-sized, mouse comes through the wall and attacks him) as were several others.

The pregame recitation of the Declaration of Independence was moving.
Fox Sports put together a montage of past and present NFL players who, when they were all pu together, recited the Declaration. Awesome!

It was satifying to see the Patriots lose.
The Patriots were fined by the league at the beginning of the season for spying on another team using a video camera. They, and all other teams, were specifically warned not to do this (they had received evidence of it being done the previous year. In short, they cheated. The Patriots paid $750,000 in fines from the NFL and lost a draft pick. This will hurt their legacy and will them as a team.

Sports teaches life lessons.
Sports reveal character as much as they build it. Eli Manning may have developed character, confidence, and skill he didn't have before the fourth quarter of Sunday's game. Bill Belichick revealed his lack of character when he left the field before the game was over, thereby showing disrespect for his opponents and a lack of class in general.

Experts don't know as much as they think or as much as we think. How many of them picked the Giants? Very, very few. It's that way in the rest of life, too.

The saying is true - "It's not over until it's over." The game isn't over until the clock gets to 0:00. Don't count yourself or anybody else out. We don't know what may happen.

Another saying is true, too - "They don't play the game on paper." That means that "on paper" (when you look at all of the statistics), the Patriots hsould have won in a rout. But they didn't and that's why we play the game. Remember David and Goliath? A perfect example of the point.

Being together with people is important and meaningful.
We were the only Christians at our "party," so it wasn't Christian fellowship we were enjoying. Nonetheless, it was good to be together with others and share a meaningful time and experience. Usually I don't like watching games with a group of people, but the Super Bowl is an exception.

Just some thoughts about the Super Bowl.

"The Gospel & Personal Evangelism" - Chapter 2

2008-02-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

This chapter in Mark Dever's book is called "What is the Gospel?"

The gospel, according to Dever, is "good news." That's the basic meaning of the word euangelian in Greek. We, as Christians, have good news to proclaim to the world.

After the opening section of the chapter, Dever focuses his attention on what the gospel is not.

1. The good news is not simply that we are okay.
"Some people seem to think that Christianity is fundamentally a religious therapy session, where we sit around trying to help each other feel good about ourselves," writes Dever. He comments that Christianity actually deals realistically with human nature (which is fallen, sinful, and totally depraved). No, we are not OK! We are sinful and are in need of a Savior.

2. The good news is not simply that God is love.
Yes, "God is love," as the Bible says in 1 John 4:8. However, we cannot emphasize God's love at the expense of all of His other attributes. Dever makes the point that we immediately have a problem when we say this or think about it - we don't understand love very well at all.

3. The good news is not simply that Jesus wants to be our friend.
It may also be stated that "Jesus wants to be our example," writes Dever. According to Dever, "The Christian gospel is not a matter of mere self-help or even of a great example or a relationship to be cultivated." Jesus came to live a life of perfect obedience in our place, to die for our sins as our substitute, and to rise again from the dead on the third day. The Lord Jesus is the "friend who is closer than a brother," but He's much more than that and that isn't the gospel, anyway.

4. The good news is not that we should live rightly.
Of course, we should live rightly - there are way too many verses and passages in the Bible for it to even be questioned. But exhortations to obey God are not good news to non-believers or believers. We live rightly, and in a manner pleasing to the Lord, because we have already believed the good news, not as a substitute.

According to Dever, the right response to the gospel - the authentic gospel - is repentance and belief. In Acts 20:21, Paul says, "I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus."

Dever ends the chapter by proclaiming the gospel in a minute or less: "The good news is that the one and only God, who is holy, made us in his image to know him. But we sinned and cut ourselves off from him. In his great love, God became man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust in him. He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ's sacrifice and that God's wrath against us had been exhausted. He now calls us to repent of our sins and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness. If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God."

Overall, this was a good chapter, but I would have added several more ideas that are not the gospel.
~ The good news is not believing in Christ. Putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ is our response to the gospel, but it isn't the gospel.
~ The good news is not a call to follow Jesus. Following Jesus and being His disciple is our response to the gospel, not the gospel itself.
~ The good news is not "come to Jesus and He'll fix your problems." Yours and my problems might get fixed, but that can't be confused with the gospel. This man-centered "gospel" presents Jesus as "the cure for whatever ails you." Are you lonely? Believe in Christ and He'll be your friend. Do you lack purpose and meaning in your life? Come to Jesus and He'll give you purpose and meaning. Do you want success in life? Put your faith in Christ and He'll bless you with success. The fact is that the Lord Jesus doesn't always "fix" our problems. Sometimes He gives us more of them (in order to sanctify us), sometimes He fixes them (but in His own way), and He always gives us Himself.

The core of the good news - the gospel - is the perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is an announcement of what actually happened in time, space, and history. It's not anything else.

We Have Some Work To Do

2008-02-01T02:14:00.000-08:00

A huge portion of the American public:

1. Has read two books in the last year - Harry Potter and The DaVinci Code.
2. Uses only two websites - Google and Facebook.
3. Visits only a few blog posts a day.
4. Watches only two or three TV shows, including the Super Bowl.
5. Eats only at McDonalds.
6.Watches only incredibly snarky or juvenile videos on YouTube.

Seth Godin reported this on his blog. I don't know where the information comes from, but it's interesting. If it's true, then we have a lot of work to do as followers of Jesus Christ.

A Contrast from Luke 1

2008-01-31T06:01:00.000-08:00

In my reading of Luke 1 this morning, something jumped out at me - the contrasts between Mary and Zechariah. One young, the other old. One female, the other male. One a commoner, the other a priest. One betrothed, the other married. Perhaps the biggest contrast between the two of them, though, is Mary's faith and Zechariah's lack of faith.

After the angel Gabriel told Zechariah that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son (a child they had been praying for fervently), the priest said, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years" (Luke 1:18). Not exactly a faith-filled statement. Gabriel tells him, "you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time" (Luke 1:20).

Mary, on the other hand, had no such unbelief. Yes, she did ask Gabriel "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34) But she obviously trusted God to do what He had promised through Gabriel, because of her reply - "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). The mother of Jesus trusted God and submitted to Him, even though she couldn't have fully understood what the rest of her life would entail.

A postscript: Zechariah didn't continue in his unbelief - read Luke 1:57-79.

Good and Pure Words

2008-01-31T05:57:00.000-08:00

Good, and thought-provoking, words from Purechurch:

"Three things confuse a Christian; Yeah, four confound any man.

Unbelief masquerading as wisdom,
Enthusiasm presenting itself as faith,
Fear pretending to be patience, and
Permissiveness claiming to be love."

Amen and amen!

Scientology 101

2008-01-30T02:53:00.000-08:00

A very interesting - and long - article on Scientology can be read here.

If you want a crash course in what this group believes and how they operate, read it. It's being talked about in the culture (and by our neighbors), therefore it wouldn't hurt for us to have some knowledge about it. It's also a good opportunity for us to present the real Jesus as opposed to the house of sand built by L. Ron Hubbard.

"The Gospel & Personal Evangelism" - Chapter 1

2008-01-29T01:13:00.000-08:00

"Why Don't We Evangelize?"

Dever starts out by making the remark that most of us would flunk Jesus' call to evangelize. Honestly, I agree with him. I don't like to, but I have to say I think he's right. The point of this chapter, writes Dever, is to consider some of the most common excuses we use to justify our lack of evangelism.

1. I don't know their language.
We may not know someone's language, but there are things we can do to overcome that obstacle. We could learn their language. We could also get evangelistic material they can understand in their own language - the point is to hear and understand the gospel.

2. Evangelism is illegal.
Yes, proclaiming the gospel is illegal in some countries, but it isn't in the United States. Very few of us face this obstacle.

3. Evangelism could cause problems at work.
Evangelism might cause problems at work if it isn't done in a proper and appropriate way. But it doesn't follow then that evangelism shouldn't happen. All of us need to work within the guidelines we have at work (which may mean not proclaiming the gospel during work time except on rare occasions). "We don't want our evangelism to stand in the way of the evangel - the good news" (emphasis in the original).

4. Other things seem more urgent.
If we're too busy to evangelize, we're too busy. While there are a multitude of things we can, and should, do during any given day, many of them are not as urgent as the gospel.

5. I don't know non-Christians.
Dever calls this "the excuse of choice for mature Christians" and the most common excuse for not evangelizing. This justification may have quite a bit of truth to it. As the years go by, many of us who believe in Jesus and follow Him have fewer and fewer non-Christian friends. As a pastor, that's especially true. Dever thinks one of the answers is for us to determine how we can fulfill our roles in our families, churches, and to those who need to know Christ.

Next, Dever deals with objections we (Christians) think non-Christians will have when we try to evangelize them. "People don't want to hear." "They won't be interested." "They probably already know the gospel." "It probably won't work. I doubt they'll believe."

The solution, according to Dever, is to plan to stop not evangelizing. He then offers a twelve-step plan.
1. Pray. We often forget to pray and leave God out of the picture.
2. Plan. We plan for other things, why not evangelism?
3. Accept that evangelism is our job, not someone elses.
4. Understand the fact that evangelism may not be your gift, but it is your duty.
5. Be faithful to God in this area.
6. Risk. Evangelism involves takiing a chance - be willing to do it.
7. Prepare. We need to be ready and equipped for the opportunities God gives us.
8. Look for the opportunities God gives you.
9. Love others in general and specifically those with whom you share the gospel.
10. Fear God, not people.
11. Stop blaming God. We need to stop excusing ourselves from evangelism because God is sovereign. God sovereignly choosed to use us as the means to His ultimate end.
12. Consider what God has done for us in Christ

All in all, this is an excellent chapter. It was convicting in that I've probably used most of these excuses myself (and know how wrong they are). The chapter was also encouraging in that Dever provided positive steps to move beyond these excuses to actual evangelism.

Sense about Fashion Nonsense

2008-01-25T02:27:00.000-08:00

Marcia Segelstein has had enough. She writes, "Enough is enough again. My boiling point has been reached. Peddling soft-core pornography to kids in order to peddle clothes is beyond the pale." She lays out her complaint and case in an article posted on the Breakpoint website. Anyone of us who have seen things like this should definitely agree with her, in my opinion. You can read her article here.

"The Gospel & Personal Evangelism" - Introduction

2008-01-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

Mark Dever's introduction is the tale of two evangelists.

The first evangelist is John Harper, born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1872. In 1886, God saved him by His grace, and as a result he began to tell others the good news of Jesus Christ. After serving in the Baptist Pioneer Mission in London, Harper started a church which had five hundred members by the time he left thirteen years later.

Harper was asked to preach at Moody Church in Chicago (for a second time), so he booked passage from Southampton, England to New York on a new passenger ship called Titanic. You know the story after that. Harper's daughter, Nana, and a cousin who was traveling with them were put in lifeboats and ultimately rescued. Harper went down with the ship, but not before preaching the gospel to anyone who would listen - one man in particular who was Harper's last convert. As Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know the rest of the story."

The second evangelist is Dever himself. He readily admits that he is no John Harper. He writes, "If there is a time in the future when God reviews all of our missed evangelistic opportunities, I fear that I could cause more than a minor delay in eternity." I like that kind of honesty. It will probably get him in trouble with some (he is a pastor after all, and pastors shouldn't have a problem with that according to some), even though it shouldn't.

Dever asks why we are so slow to tell others the best news in the world? He asks a question many others ask, "Should I evangelize if I don't feel like it?" These are a few of the questions he attempts to answer in his book.

Pastor Dever says it is his prayer that a "culture of evangelism" would be developed in the church andthat evangelism would be normal - in our own lives and in the life of the church. That's a very noble cause which I pray is achieved, too.

Here's What It Looks Like

2008-01-23T01:47:00.000-08:00

Approximately 46 million unborn children have been killed in the United States alone since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Here's what it looks like in visual form. Amazing and amazingly sad.

Sad Anniversary

2008-01-23T01:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision that overturned the abortion laws in all fifty states, making the killing of unborn human beings legal any time during pregnancy for any reason whatsoever. A day that will truly live in infamy.

Here is part of what I prayed as I led our congregation in prayer at both services this last Sunday:

"Heavenly Father, we come to You this morning through Jesus Christ, who is our Lord, our Savior, and our Mediator. We praise You because You're the Creator of all things - including each one of us.

In Psalm 139, You inspired David to write, "For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. my frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them."

Lord, You've created each of us in a fearful and wonderful way. You've made us in Your image and likeness, and because of that every human being - from the moment of conception to their very last breath - has dignity and value and worth. When that life is destroyed, Father, it's an insult to You - a slap in Your face. We're saying that someone You have fearfully and wonderfully made is worthless in our eyes. Life is precious because You've given it to us as a gift. May we always treat it that way.

Lord, I pray that we would repent of abortion, abuse, euthanasia, callous hearts and apathy. may we repent individually, as a church, and as a nation. "Search us, O God, and know our hearts. See if there be any wicked way in us and lead us in the way everlasting."

Father, we know that there are some of our brothers and sisters who've been involved in these things. Forgive them, restore them, and comfort them. And we ask that You would forgive those of us who haven't always been gracious and haven't always stood for the truth. Show us, Lord, how we can be loving and compassionate and gentle and kind, while at the same time be holy and just and righteous. I pray that we would balance grace and truth. Lord, may we glorify You in all things, including the sanctity of life.

In the Name of the One who is life, Jesus Chirst, Amen."

The Gospel and Personal Evangelism - Preface

2008-01-22T06:03:00.000-08:00

I've just started reading The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever (Crossway, 2007), and I'll be "blogging" it. I'll give some thoughts on each chapter and make some comments. I haven't done this before, so it should be interesting.

Dever is pastor of Capitol Hills Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. and founder of 9Marks Ministries. My wife and I have read two of his other books - The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church and The Deliberate Church - and have been both impresses and blessed by them.

The Gospel and Personal Evangelism is a short book (about 120 pages), which makes it easily accesible to a lot of people. (I'm beginning to agree with the idea that a book should be less than 200 pages if anyone is going to read it in this day and age.) Let's face it, 800-page books that weigh six pounds are difficult for anyone to digest.

The preface for Dever's book was written by fellow-Together for the Gospel member C.J. Mahaney (of Sovereign Grace Ministries). What stood out to me the most in this two-page piece was the fact that Dever eats lunch at the same place - a particular Subway (I don't know if it's every day) - and frequents the same businesses around Capitol Hill Baptist. He probably does it where he lives, too. Dever does this in order to build relationships and look for evangelistic opportunities. He knows the people he sees - and they know him, too. Dever has a plan - he's intentional. That's the point - he's doing it on purpose.

Mahaney's preface is good because of that interesting piece of information, along with the fact the Dever walks as he talks, which is fast. Tidbits like that make reading more enjoyable. You feel like you know the author.

So far, so good (with the book and the "blogging" of it!). As I read more, I'll write more.

If anyone has read the book, please give your own review.

Reasons to Read

2008-01-18T02:38:00.000-08:00

Colin Adams gives 20 reasons to read good Christian books. Very good! You can read them here.

A tip of the cyberhat to Justin Taylor.

The Meaning of Sports

2008-01-17T01:50:00.000-08:00

Brad Locke has some excellent thoughts on sports in "The Meaning of Sports" posted several days ago at One News Now. You can read it here.

Locke makes the point that sports do have value and meaning to us as Chirstians - they're not a waste of time and they don't have to be a distraction (see my previous blog post). He writes:

~ "Athleticism is a God-given gift."
~ "Athletic endeavors are not merely for our own amusement."
~ "There are unmistakable parallels between sports and everyday life."
~ "Sports can help us bond to our fellow man and provide an avenue for truth-sharing."

All very good thoughts.

Good Words from Begg

2008-01-16T01:16:00.000-08:00

Alistair Begg on Hebrews 12:1 ("Therefore we also, since we surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.")

Begg comments that as we run the race of our Christian life we have to remove whatever slows us down ("let us lay aside every weight"). The following is a paraphrase of his comments:

The things that slow us down may be completely allowable - good things in and of themselves - but they weigh us down and keep us from our objective. Most of us are not deterred by prolonged sinfulness, but by the toleration of the allowable, innocent, and praiseworthy things which we have unwittingly allowed to divert us from the objective of being there at the end (and being found a good and faithful servant).

Some examples of these weights are family life (churches should be God-centered and not family-centered), diligence in business, an interest in theology, reading good literature, and gardening.

Good words from Pastor Begg! The list of good things that can keep us from the better thing could go on and on. You and I could add dozens of things to the list, I'm sure. What's on your list? It's definitely something to think about.

If you want to listen to the sermon, it's here.

Reasons to Read

2008-01-15T01:51:00.001-08:00

Colin Adams gives us 20 reasons to read good Christian books. Very insightful! I don't need any more good reasons to read, but other people might, so here they are.

Tip of the cyberhat to Justin Taylor.

When You Say You'll Pray, Do It!

2008-01-15T01:51:00.000-08:00

When someone asks us to pray for them, I'm sure our motives are sincere. We genuinely plan on praying for them - we really do. But we don't always do it, do we? Of course not. We mean well, but sometimes the busyness of our life gets in the way, or we just plain forget, and we realize later that we didn't pray for the person who asked us.

I was reminded of this when I checked out online one of my favorite comics - Funky Winkerbean. The Columbian, our local newspaper, doesn't carry the strip anymore, so I have to go into cyberspace to find it. One of the characters made the statemant that there are three things people say they're going to do that never happen: "The check is in the mail. I'll pray for you. I'll send you a CD."

I immediately blanched when I read the middle statement - the one about prayer. Starting to get defensive, I remembered that I should look for the "kernel of truth" in all criticism. Obviously, Tom Batiuk, the creator of the comic strip, has had the experience of asking for prayer and not receiving it or being asked to pray and subsequntly not doing it himself (or he could simply be cynical to the core). Whatever the case, there is some truth in what he says.

We don't always pray for people who ask us. We should, but sometimes we don't.

One way to solve the problem is to recognize that our usual routine may not serve us well. When someone asks us to pray for them, we'll normally do one of two things: mentally or physically add it to our prayer list. Then, sometime later, we'll actually pray (hopefully!). Adding something to our prayer list mentally may not be the best course of action because the chances are good we'll forget it (especially as we get older). Adding something to our prayer list physically (writing it down) may not be the best course of action because that list, which was long to begin with, just got longer. It's the intimidation factor.

Here are a few suggestions to help us actually pray when we're asked to. If it's possible and appropriate, pray for and with the person who asks when they ask you. If you do that, you certainly won't forget! If you can't pray with them, then pray for them silently very soon after they've asked. If you're asked to pray via an e-mail, do so right after you've read the request. If you see or hear someone you know needs prayer, do it right then - don't wait until your regularly scheduled prayer time. These prayers don't have to be long or involved, but can instead conatin only several sentences. Don't neglect putting these people and requests on your prayer list, but do more than that! When we do that, I think we come closer to the ideal of "pray without ceasing."

Someday, I'd like to see the second thing on Batiuk's list removed. When someone asks us to pray, let's be faithful to do it and not give cartoonists any more fodder.

Verse of the Moment

2008-01-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

"If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

This is one of the most precious verses and truths in all of God's Word. When I sin (not if I sin), the Lord will forgive my sin and wash the unrighteousness away if I confess it to Him - if I say that same thing about it He does. Praise Him for His wonderful grace and mercy! I don't deserve to have my sins forgiven and my unrighteousness cleansed, but He does it for His glory and my good.

It's not possible to wear out the promises of God - certainly not this one!

All Sin is Not the Same

2008-01-12T01:57:00.000-08:00

"All sin is the same in God's eyes."

If you've been around the church and other Christians for any period of time, you've heard that statement before. Maybe you've been in a Bible study where someone said it when the subject of sin came up. More than likely, it's been said when we're being exhorted not to judge other people.

I don't think the statement is true and I've always had a problem with it. You mean to tell me that coveting (a violation of the tenth commandment) is on the same level as premeditated murder (an obvious violation of the sixth commandment)? Of course it isn't. Our legal system has different levels of punishment for different levels of criminal activity, which, in my opinon, is based on the character and law of God.

Melinda Penner, at Stand to Reason, has a post called "Equal Depravity, Unequal Sin" which makes the point well. You can read it here.

Joe Gibbs and Priorities

2008-01-11T00:55:00.000-08:00

I admit it, I'm a sports fan. For as long as I can remember I've loved sports - watching, commenting, occasionally participating (as I get older, it gets tougher).

Joe Gibbs resigned as head coach of the Washington Redskins of the NFL. The main reason he cited was that his priorities were out of balance. He realized that the Lord was no longer first in his life - football was. Gibbs realized that was wrong and acted to change it.

Terry Mattingly at getreligion.org has an excellent article on how this story was covered by the media called "Faith, family and football - again." It's the fifth post down. An interesting note is what Peter King of Sports Illustrated wrote (I knew I liked that guy - now I have a reason).

Change

2008-01-10T02:49:00.000-08:00

This political season (as every other) has brought the idea of "change" to the forefront. Barack Obama mentioned it no less than 12 times in a statment that lasted approximately one minute. Mike Huckabee had a similar count in one of his statements. "Change. Change. Change. Change." That seemed to be the theme.

But here's where my teacher instinct kicks in: Define change. Give three examples.

What do we mean by change? What does it look like? From what are we changing? To what are we changing? Is all change good? Change is an easy word to use, but hard to define and describe - that's the problem. We have an emotional and visceral response to it (usually positive), while remaining seriously short on details and specifics.

"Change" isn't confined to politics, however, it's also found in the church (or, better said, in the thinking of some in the church).

"We need change!" We've all heard that before. But using the same logic, please define change and give three examples. What do we mean by change? Removing all of the pews would certainly be a change, but would it be a good one? Maybe. It would depend upon why and how it was done. Removing a pastor is a change, but may or may not be a good one. The list goes on and on.

Change can be a cliche, whether it's used by a politician or someone in a church. It can become an empty slogan if we're not careful. When we talk about change, we need to be careful to define and describe it. But, thinking about it, that would mean change, wouldn't it?

Unity - At What Price?

2008-01-08T02:19:00.000-08:00

Dennis Prager has written a column posted at Townhall that touches on the subject of church unity and the regular calls we hear for us to be unified ("Can't we all just get along?").

The point of Prager's column is that Senator Barack Obama's repeated calls for unity aren't all they're cracked up to be. Unity sounds good, but what will it take to get it? In other words, someone is going to have to give something up in order for all of us to "just get along."

For example, Obama supports pulling our troops out of Iraq immediately. Republicans, with the exception of Ron Paul, do not support removing our troops immediately from Iraq. How can we all have unity on this issue? One side will have to move, give in, or compromise their position. There's no other way it can happen. Prager says that what Obama means by calling for unity is that everyone should agree with his (Obama's) opinion. In other words, "Let's have unity! Everybody should think like I do!"

Calls for unity in the church are not what they seem, either. In the church at large, we have disagreements around the forms of church government, the modes of baptism, the nature and existence of spiritual gifts, the role of women in ministry, theological systems, and end times scenarios. When we get down to brass tacks, "unity" in the church would involve one or more groups giving up their distinctives and joining (or agreeing with) another group. "Let's have unity! Everybody should think like I do!" Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Unity is a laudable goal, but the calls for it are not always what they appear.

Tradition vs. Traditionalism

2008-01-05T02:27:00.000-08:00

Tony Woodlief writes about the difference between "the living faith of the dead" versus "the dead faith of the living" on WORLD's website. Read it here - it's worth thinking about.

For me, Tony is an writer and thinker who has "come out of nowhere," so to speak. I'm looking forward to more.

New Link

2008-01-04T02:25:00.000-08:00

Over on the right side of the blog, I've added a link to Justin Taylor's blog called Between Two Worlds. I heartily recommend it. Enjoy!

No pass for Osteen

2008-01-04T00:52:00.000-08:00

Joel Osteen gets no pass from this writer at Slate. Joel shouldn't get one from any of us, especially those of us who take the Bible and preaching God's Word seriously. The author of this article isn't an evangelical (and I can't endorse all of the article), but I'll take honest criticism of Osteen wherever I can get it.

Call and Response

2008-01-04T00:18:00.000-08:00

Pop singer Christina Aguilera said, "I'm not really religious but very spiritual. I give money to this company that manufactures hearing aids on a regular basis. More people should really hear me sing. I have a gift from God." (Quoted on www.beliefnet.com - 3 January 2008)

Where to begin? Hmmm. Christina, you do have a good voice, but I honestly don't think anyone who needs a hearing aid is in any rush to go out and buy one of your CD's. Just a guess on my part.

In other "news", the Reverend I.M. Vain recently convinced his church's leadership to buy hearing devices for everyone who attends worship services. Why? So nobody will miss a moment of his spectacular, John Chrysostom-like preaching. (There are times I wouldn't be surprised to read or hear something like that.)

Peterson on the church

2008-01-03T04:45:00.000-08:00

"What other church is there besides institutional? There's nobody who doesn't have problems with the church, because there's sin in the church. But there's no other place to be a Christian except the church. There's sin in the local bank. There's sin in the grocery stores. I really don't understand this naive criticism of the institution. I really don't get it. Frederick von Hugel said the institution of the church is like the bark on the tree. There's no life in the bark. It's dead wood. But it protects the life of the tree within. And the tree grows and grows. If you take the bark off, it's prone to disease, dehydration, death. So, yes, the church is dead but it protects something alive. And when you try to have a church without bark, it doesn't last long. It disappears, gets sick, and it's prone to all kinds of disease, heresy, and narcissism."

Eugene Peterson

Matters of the Heart

2008-01-03T00:45:00.000-08:00

1 Samuel 16:7 says, "For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

I have to admit I've always been bothered when someone says, "The Lord knows my heart." Not because I have any problems with God's omniscience (He does know everything!), but because I know what's in my own heart, and that knowledge doesn't give me much confidence. Yes, the Lord knows my heart and He knows how dark it is, even though I'm redeemed.

Nathan Zacharias has a good article called "Following My Heart" that illustrates what I've just said. You can read it here.

Tradition vs. Traditionalism

2008-01-01T02:25:00.000-08:00

Tony Woodlief has posted some good thoughts on "the living faith of the dead" versus "the dead faith of the living" on the WORLD website. It's worth a read and some thought.

For me, Woodlief has "come out of nowhere" to be a really insightful writer. I've seen his work in WORLD and also in the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal website.

One Bad Act

2008-01-01T00:45:00.001-08:00

For the past number of months, I've been working as a night auditor at a local hotel that's part of a national chain. Being a night auditor means that I work the graveyard shift, by the way. I don't like the hours, but it's gainful, respectable employment. (This is in addition to my teaching duties, too.)

New Year's Eve night, something happened at the hotel which reminded me of the power and influence of evil.

When I came on duty at 11:00 p.m., there were no reported problems and things went smoothly for the next several hours. Almost all of the guests I had contact with were pleasant and somewhat quiet, actually.

The occupants of one particular room, however, ruined or seriously marred the night for all of us by their actions. They were loud and disruptive to other guests, even after repeated warnings. Between 4 and 5 o'clock (in the morning, remember), one of them pulled a fire alarm on their floor. You can imagine how "excited" people were to have to leave the building (in 35 degree weather) at that time in the morning.

One stupid, and definitely sinful, act spoiled an otherwise nice evening for everyone. In the same way, one drunk driver can ruin the lives of an entire family who did absolutely nothing wrong. One person who has too much to drink at a party can ruin the experience for everyone. One or two obnoxious people can destroy the experience of going to a movie.

Why is that? Everyone else at the hotel last night was behaving themselves; the family was simply driving home from a ball game; the other party-goers have not consumed too much alcohol, if any; and the rest of the people in the theater just want to see a good movie - they even turned off their cellphones! Why? Because evil is powerful and its effects are more readily seen than the effects of good. It can take a lifetime to build a reputation and ten minutes to destroy it. Evil has an easier job in this fallen world than good.

When we realize this, it may cause some to despair. "What hope is there, then," they may say. We can have hope, though. Even though evil is powerful and pervasive, there is coming a day when all stupidity, sin, and evil will be judged fully and finally by the One who is far more powerful, far more pervasive, and far more influential than evil. Of course, that One is the true and living God - the Triune God of the Bible - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Evil may seem to have the upper hand now, but looks can be deceiving. May I remember that the next time the fire alarm goes off.

That's Not Evangelism!

2008-01-01T00:45:00.000-08:00

Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. has a good piece on what evangelism is not. Read it here.

I Think I Mean It This Time

2007-12-29T06:06:00.000-08:00

The record - made permanent by my last posting - proclaims and touts the resumption of blogging on my part. Well, nothing happened after that. My apologies. School, work, moving, and life got in the way (as they should, by the way). I won't make it a New Year's Resolution, but I do hope to do better in 2008.

I hope you all had a very good Christmas - we did! I had the honor of preaching twice on Christmas Eve at our home church. It went well, other than breaking the pulpit during the first service (but that's another story!).

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)

A continued Merry Christmas to you all!

Resumption of Blogging

2007-10-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

Let the resumption begin!

It's been a very long time between blog posts for me, but the last several months have been full of change and busy for us. Bounced paychecks (employer's company went out of business abruptly), unemployment (for both of us), moving, employment (praise God!), and getting used to new jobs and new routines. That's the very short version! During all of this, blogging simply wasn't high on my list of priorities.

I'm currently working as a front desk agent at a local hotel (which is part of an international chain of hotels). I'm also teaching Bible to the Junior High and Senior High students of a local Christian school three days a week. I absolutely love it! My passion for adult Christian education has also grown during this time, too. My wife is currently a long-term substitute teacher in a local school district. We continue to be amazed at God's provision and goodness.

We're involved in our home church - the one we were members of before moving to Odessa. We team-teach a 2nd and 3rd grade Sunday School class. We're in the process of being reinstated as members. I even got to preach about a month ago (that was a tremendous honor and felt fantastic to do it again).

We've been learning the lesson of dependence during the last several months. We were brought to a place where we had to trust God for nearly everything and depend upon Him for guidance and wisdom. We know that God's course on trusting Him will last the rest of our lives, but that's not a bad thing!

A little update for anyone who's wondering.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Amen!

2007-06-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Cicero wrote, "A room without books is like a body without a soul."

Amen! Preach it!

Search Me, O God

2007-06-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

If you've heard any number of sermons or been to any number of Bible studies in your Christian life, you've undoubtedly heard the pastor, speaker, or leader say something like, "Ask God to search your heart and reveal to you one area that needs to change."

Psalm 139:23-24 provides the basis for this exercise. David wrote, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way."

This is good, so far as it goes. But, the problem comes when we "hear the answer." Usually the same thing (or the same several things) comes to our minds. There will almost always be some area we know we isn't pleasing to God which we know we have to work on. It probably won't be anything new.

How about another approach. It's OK to ask God the Holy Spirit to show us our "hurtful ways" and lead us "in the everlasting way," but wouldn't it be better to allow the Bible - the book that the Holy Spirit inspired - to search us? I think it would.

Here's an example of what I mean. Paul wrote this passage to Timothy regarding the people to whom Timothy would minister: "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these" (2 Tim. 3:1-5). Paul was describing believers in the Lord Jesus Christ here, in my opinion (and not "those wicked and hell-bound pagans out there"). The idea is to walk through that list and reflect on our own lives. Are we commiting any of these sins? There are several other lists, too (Rom. 1; Gal. 5) for our edification.

It's doubtful that any of the sins Paul lists will come up in our minds if we use the "ask God to show you" method. Now, they might because God can bring them to your mind, but in my personal experience, they usually don't. When I did this exercise, though, two of the sins Paul listed came immediately to my mind (which I will keep to myself).

Search me, O God, according to Your Word. It hurts, but needs to be done.

Touching God's Anointed

2007-06-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

Hank Hanegraaff, also known as "The Bible Answer Man," has an article posted at Crosswalk dealing with the subject of "not touching God's anointed." If you're familiar with health and wealth faith teachers on television (Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, and even Paul Crouch himself), you've heard that biblical reference come up any time somebody challenges them. Very convenient, isn't it? Hank has a very good, well-reasoned answer.

Religion vs. the Gospel

2007-06-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

Mark Driscoll has posted an excellent summary of the differences between religion and the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can read it here.

New Link

2007-06-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

I've added Evangelical Outpost to my list of links. It's a veritable cornucopia of interesting information. Check it out - it'll take you awhile!

Remember!

2007-05-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

Take some time today and remember those men and women who have given their lives for our nation. Their sacrifices allow us to live in freedom, to speak and write freely, and to worship and serve God. Don't forget to thank the Lord for them, too.

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

2007-05-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

I heartily recommend the online debate between Douglas Wilson and Christopher Hitchens over on Christianity Today's website. As of today, there are at least five installments. Hitchens has recently wrote an atheistic broadside against Christianity (another in recent spate) called God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Wilson, pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, is the author of Letter from a Christian Citizen which is a repsonse to another atheist tract by Sam Harris. The exchange is interesting and thought-provoking.

Luther's List

2007-05-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

Here are Martin Luther's necessary qualities of good preachers:

1. They should be able to teach in a right in orderly way.
2. They should have a good head.
3. They should be able to speak well.
4. They should have a good voice.
5. They should have a good memory.
6. They should know when to stop.
7. They should be sure of their material and be diligent.
8. They should stake body and life, goods and honor on it.
9. They should suffer themselves to be vexed and played by everyone.

Man Knows Not His Time

2007-05-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

Jerry Falwell (1933-2007)

Reverend Falwell founded Thomas Road Baptist Church, Liberty University, and the Moral Majority. He was a leader of fundamentalists and evangelicals in the last several decades. He boldly stood for the Lord Jesus Christ, taking unpopular stands (as far as the world is concerned), taking the point, and taking the heat for it. But I'm absolutely certain that what he valued in life was the fact that he was a husband, father, and pastor. What he valued most, however, was His Lord ands Savior Jesus Christ.

He influenced many of us (myself included), even if some don't want to admit it. May he hear "Well done, good and faithful servant," from our good and faithful Lord.

For your listening (or watching) enjoyment

2007-05-13T22:25:00.000-07:00

Basics 2007 - a pastor's conference sponsored by Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio (whose pastor is Alistair Begg) - happened last week. Audio and vidoe are availble here.

It's a conference for pastors and most of the sessions are designed that way, but anyone could benefit from what's preached and taught (I know I certainly did, especially the challenge to be faithful in preaching God's Word). If you're not a pastor and have always wondered what actually goes on at such conferences, here's your chance to find out.

Alistair gives an update on his health in the introduction - please don't skip it!

I'm a Abrianist, too

2007-05-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

I need to get this off my chest: I don't believe in Brian Sapient (founder of The Blasphemy Project). Why? Let me count the ways.

1. There is no scientific evidence that he exists.

2. I've never met him.

3. He's never done anything for me.

4. The existence of evil disproves his existence.

5. There's so much suffering in the world. How could he exist?

6. Some of Brian's followers are jerks and have done bad things.

7. People who say Brian exists are hypocrites.

8. People think Brian exists because they need a crutch to get them through life.

9. Brian hasn't revealed himself to me even though I've asked him to do so.

Well, there it is.

All Things Examined

2007-05-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

Regis Nicoll has written an excellent article on the relationship between orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right behavior). His point is spot on: orthopraxy begins with orthodoxy.

I am an Adawkinsist

2007-05-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

Richard Dawkins, one of the more outspoken contemporary atheists, wrote The God Delusion within the last year or so. It's received tremendous coverage from a generally sympathetic media.

Well, I'm announcing today that I don't believe in Dawkins. I don't think he exists. I think he's a figment of people's imaginations - something that helps them get through the day and gives them some kind of meaning in life. I've never seen him. I asked him for something and he didn't give it to me. There's so much evil in the world - if Dawkins existed, certainly he'd do something about it. He doesn't, so he must not exist. Not only that, I demanded that he appear in front of me in order to prove his existence - you guessed it, he didn't. The book - supposedly written by Dawkins - should be called The Dawkins Delusion.

Just thought you'd like to know.

More Gore vs. Gideons

2007-05-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

If you really want "an inconvenient truth," don't watch Al Gore's movie, just pick up the Bible and read it.

Gideon Bible or Gore Movie?

2007-05-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

The Gaia Napa Valley Hotel & Spa have replaced the Gideon Bibles in every one of their rooms with a copy of Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth." Proof positive that extreme environmentalism is a religion (in case we needed any!).

Be Involved!

2007-05-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

Greg Koukl writes on why it's important for Christians to be involved in politics. Great article!

What a Find!

2007-04-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Desiring God Ministries has made audio of all twenty years of Desiring God Conferences available at their website. For me, this is like being a kid in a candy store (or, in many of our cases, an adult in a candy store, too). Please check out the speakers and the topics - you'll be glad you did!

Pray for Virginia Tech

2007-04-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

In light of everything that has happened in Blacksburg, Virginia, it would be very wise of us to spend some time in prayer for all of those whose lives have been turned inside out and upside down.

How should we think of what has happened? Theologically, of course! The murderous rampage should remind us of three things:

1. Life is brief. None of us know how long we have here. Compared to eternity, our lives are incredibly short. We really don't know what's around the corner.

2. Evil is real. Contrary to Christian Science, evil is not an illusion - it's real and alive and active in the world and inour hearts. At specific times - like Monday - it surfaces in all of its naked deformity.

3. The need to make sense of it all. We naturally look for a way to understand and process what takes place in our lives, no matter how horrific it is. Christianity helps us understand events like these better than any other philosophy, religion or worldview. Human beings, though created in the image and likeness of God, are fallen and sinful. All of our being - mind, will, emotions, body, etc. - is polluted by sin. That sin, which is pervasive, brings about all kinds of evil and harmful actions ands words. The only hope for any of us is the forgiveness that God offers us through His Son Jesus Christ (who lived a perfect life in our place, died for our sins as our substitute, and rose again from the dead on the third day). Why did God allow this? I don't know. We so know, however, that God is sovereign and He's good. We can trust Him no matter what, even in the midst of terrible evil.

Just some things to think about.

Testimony Time

2007-04-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

I enjoy hearing how God brings people to Himself. John Shore tells us his story here.

Believing Without Belonging

2007-04-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

Al Mohler talks about the trend of believing in Christ without belonging to a church. Good thoughts!