"If we believe that the Spirit of God is the only fountain of truth, we shall neither reject nor despise the truth itself, wherever it shall appear, unless we wish to insult the Spirit of God…All truth is from God, and consequently if wicked men have said anything that is true and just, we ought not to reject it, for it has come from God." ~ John Calvin, The Institutes II, ii, 15 translated by John Allen. 2 Vols. Philadelphia Presbyterian Board of Publications, 1909 and Commentary on Titus, 1:12; as quoted by David Seamands, Healing Grace, 187)
HT:DG
Monday, March 31, 2008
the spirit in community
"Catholicism increasingly followed the path of the cults in making a rite the center of its activities, and Protestantism followed the path of the synagogue in placing a book at the center of its services - it would be true to say that in most respects it remains no less revolutionary today. Of course the Bible and communion are fundamental to what takes place in church, but church should not be reduced to "word and sacrament." There is more to the Spirit's presence and work than this." ~ Robert Banks, Paul's Idea of Community
Saturday, March 29, 2008
formality v. affections
“It is as much an error to dismiss affections entirely as unimportant to the reality of true religion as it is to focus on high affections without regard to their source or nature. Satan is happy with either error. He would as much have us fall into a lifeless formality as he would that we be stirred and energized by affections unrelated to truth.” ~ Sam Storms - Signs of the Spirit; an interpretation of Jonathan Edwards’ Religious Affections. p.56
HT:PC
HT:PC
Thursday, March 27, 2008
tolerable sins
"If your Calvinism or Arminianism or dispensationalism or views concerning the end times or your disdain for all doctrinal beliefs causes you to feel doctrinally superior to those who hold other views then you are probably guilty of the sin of doctrinal pride". ~ Jerry Bridges - "Respectable Sins - Confronting the Sins We Tolerate" - Navpress (2007) - (p92).
Good except he couldn't have meant the Calvinism piece ...
HT:DB
Good except he couldn't have meant the Calvinism piece ...
HT:DB
charismatics beware
My friend, Randy No-Blog, just tipped me off to this one.
Police Call Church Music 'Disorderly'
Now if No-Blog gets his way, this is just a first step toward eliminating Charismatic worship. He would support the aforementioned action based on the "local noise laws" but it would not be long until he and his ilk get their definition of disorderly as the one enforced by authorities.
Charismatics beware!
Police Call Church Music 'Disorderly'
According to CNSNews.com, a Michigan church filed a federal lawsuit after police officers, led by a local prosecutor, entered the sanctuary at least twice without a warrant alleging the church's music was too loud and, in one instance, threatened to arrest church musicians for disorderly conduct. Faith Baptist Church, with a congregation of about 10,000 members, is suing local officials in the Township of Waterford, Mich., in a First Amendment case a church attorney said could have national ramifications in establishing what local governments can do in regulating churches. The suit - alleging the township violated the church's freedom of religious expression, freedom of speech and freedom of association - was filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Detroit after the church had been subject to what it describes as raids by the Waterford Police Department, led by township prosecutor Walter Bedell. At least one of those raids occurred during a Sunday service, according to the suit. The church played contemporary Christian music that included guitars, drums, and other instruments. Township officials contend they were simply trying to enforce local noise laws and that the church is being a bad neighbor.
Now if No-Blog gets his way, this is just a first step toward eliminating Charismatic worship. He would support the aforementioned action based on the "local noise laws" but it would not be long until he and his ilk get their definition of disorderly as the one enforced by authorities.
Charismatics beware!
Technorati Tags: charismata, humor
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
who are you witnessing for?
No man can bear witness to Christ and to himself at the same time. No man can give the impression that he himself is clever and that Christ is mighty to save. ~ John Stott, Between Two Worlds, 325
HT:JP
HT:JP
miracles still happen
This just in from TBNN ... kinda makes you a believer doesn't it?
Man Sees Image of Toast in Virgin Mary Picture
Chicago, Il - Hundreds of people are lined up outside of Terry Jenkins' apartment to see what some are calling "a miracle." The 45-year-old construction worker and life-long resident of Chicago is fast becoming a celebrity in his home city because of a startling discovery he made last week while praying. According to Jenkins he was praying while looking at a 5x5 picture of Mary in his apartment when something caught his eye.
"I had never noticed it before but there was something strange behind Mary's left hand in the picture," said Jenkins. "As I gazed at the picture and examined it closely it became clear that what I was seeing looked exactly like a piece of toast, just like the kind you would make for breakfast."
Jenkins immediately called several of his friends to come see what he had discovered. After several minutes of looking at the picture they all agreed also that it appeared that Mary was coving a piece of toast with her left hand. Word quickly began to get around the community. Soon people were showing up at Jenkins' door asking to see the picture.
As of Tuesday, over 900 people had come by to see the image. While some are skeptical, many are convinced that the appearance of the toast is indeed a miracle.
"It is a marvelous and wondrous thing that toast would appear to us in a picture of the Virgin," said Maria Sanchez, one of the spectators. "It is obviously white bread, only lightly toasted, perhaps with a little light spread of butter or margarine on top. I can only see the corner of the toast, so I don't know if there's any jam in the center or not."
Man Sees Image of Toast in Virgin Mary Picture
Chicago, Il - Hundreds of people are lined up outside of Terry Jenkins' apartment to see what some are calling "a miracle." The 45-year-old construction worker and life-long resident of Chicago is fast becoming a celebrity in his home city because of a startling discovery he made last week while praying. According to Jenkins he was praying while looking at a 5x5 picture of Mary in his apartment when something caught his eye.
"I had never noticed it before but there was something strange behind Mary's left hand in the picture," said Jenkins. "As I gazed at the picture and examined it closely it became clear that what I was seeing looked exactly like a piece of toast, just like the kind you would make for breakfast."
Jenkins immediately called several of his friends to come see what he had discovered. After several minutes of looking at the picture they all agreed also that it appeared that Mary was coving a piece of toast with her left hand. Word quickly began to get around the community. Soon people were showing up at Jenkins' door asking to see the picture.
As of Tuesday, over 900 people had come by to see the image. While some are skeptical, many are convinced that the appearance of the toast is indeed a miracle.
"It is a marvelous and wondrous thing that toast would appear to us in a picture of the Virgin," said Maria Sanchez, one of the spectators. "It is obviously white bread, only lightly toasted, perhaps with a little light spread of butter or margarine on top. I can only see the corner of the toast, so I don't know if there's any jam in the center or not."
Technorati Tags: humor
Sunday, March 23, 2008
surprised by hope
"The resurrection of Jesus offers itself, to the student of history or science no less than the Christian or theologian, not as an odd event within the world as it is but as the utterly characteristic, prototypical, and foundational event within the world as it has begun to be. It is not an absurd event within the old world but the symbol and starting point of the new world. The claim advanced by Christianity is of that magnitude: Jesus of Nazareth usher in not simply a new religious possibility, not simply a new ethic or a new way of salvation, but a new creation....
We could cope – the world could cope – with a Jesus who ultimately remains a wonderful idea inside his disciples; minds and heart. The world cannot cope with a Jesus who comes out of the tomb, who inaugurates God’s new creation right in the middle of the old one." ~ N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope
HT:DD
We could cope – the world could cope – with a Jesus who ultimately remains a wonderful idea inside his disciples; minds and heart. The world cannot cope with a Jesus who comes out of the tomb, who inaugurates God’s new creation right in the middle of the old one." ~ N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope
HT:DD
Saturday, March 22, 2008
faith v. knowledge
The Christian life begins and ends by faith (Gal 2-3; Ro 3-5). Robert Burns rightly states the following in regard to human effort and the Christian life.
At the same time, faith comes from hearing the Word of God which of course involves persuading and commending - both being human effort and that being one of conferring knowledge. And so Burns continues.
And this is why knowledge is central to the ongoing life of community. We must be increased with it, enriched by it, renewed through it, and filled with it. Paul tells us in Romans and Ephesians that our growth is linked to the renewing of our minds. It is this renewing that we should set our minds on. Burns argues that neglecting to do so in the context of community is a serious matter.
Bottom line, knowledge is the vehicle through which faith comes into being and through which it is increased. Where there is no knowledge, there can be no genuine faith - only superstition or speculation.
Exertion of one's own willpower through energetic attempts at moral or spiritual reform, scrupulous observance of personal or corporate religious rituals, or involvement in various pious or mystical exercises cannot achieve this. It begins only through faith, faith by itself being a manifestation of the grace of God, however much human activity is engaged. (Ro 10.1-10; Col 2.16-3.4; Ro 3.21-38; Eph 2.8-10)
At the same time, faith comes from hearing the Word of God which of course involves persuading and commending - both being human effort and that being one of conferring knowledge. And so Burns continues.
It is through faith alone that the process of becoming a Christian begins, and it is knowledge about Christ that alone makes this possible. The crucial role knowledge plays comes through in Paul's numerous descriptions of his apostolic work - essentially he imparts knowledge or declares truth wherever he goes. Yet this ministry is not simply a matter of speaking or informing, and convincing, even when we see in it the persuasive power of the Spirit rather than mere human reasoning. Paul and his companions share with the audiences not only the gospel of God but also our own selves. Their message is as much embodied in the actions as formulated in their words. Through both word and action their hearers learn the meaning of the message and on both model their response. The message is at its heart a message about suffering; it involves affliction for the preachers, just as it does for those who accept it. Affliction is a part of life for everyone who genuinely presents and receives the gospel.
And this is why knowledge is central to the ongoing life of community. We must be increased with it, enriched by it, renewed through it, and filled with it. Paul tells us in Romans and Ephesians that our growth is linked to the renewing of our minds. It is this renewing that we should set our minds on. Burns argues that neglecting to do so in the context of community is a serious matter.
When they have neglected to do so he [Paul] insists that they come to their right mind; on matter of indifference he advises everyone to be fully convinced in his own mind; on issues where there should be no dispute he encourages them to be united in the same mind and in the same judgement. Indeed, the members of the community are to judge all things and to weigh all things, especially in church. ... In all their thinking they are to bring every thought into captivity, to think upon whatever is of real worth, to fix their thoughts on things of real value, and to beware lest their thoughts be led astray from a sincere wholehearted commitment to Christ. As society in general they are to be naive towards that which is evil and wise towards that which is good, to behave in a wise manner towards those who are outside the Christian circle, and to have an acquaintance of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. In sum, they are to understand the significance of all that has been bestowed on them by God and to not be childish in their understanding but mature.
Bottom line, knowledge is the vehicle through which faith comes into being and through which it is increased. Where there is no knowledge, there can be no genuine faith - only superstition or speculation.
Technorati Tags: faith
Friday, March 21, 2008
top church websites
Here's a cool list of top church websites ... I guess that should really say here's a list of top websites operated by churches. I have no clue if the churches they represent are tops but I have to say that the few websites I checked out were pretty cool. I wonder if the disciples would have had a website or if they would have stuck with blogging. If the later I bet they would have been Wordpress guys ... me, I'm using blogger ... oh well.
he's an original, so are you
As Ed Young, Jr. says, "this is off the hook". Here is Young with his buddy Joel Osteen.
king david
Several in my small group struggle with how God could love King David. They wrestle with seeing beyond the sin in his life to the reality of his heart. I pulled together these few versus for them since he was a "man after God's own heart".
And when he [God] had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ - Acts 13.22
And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” - 1 Sam 13.13-14
David loved the Word of God as expressed beautifully in Psa 119 and particularly in verse 97, Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
David loved to commune with God through prayer as seen in Psa 116.1-2, I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
Praise for God was a constant in his life (Psa 119.164; 95.1-7; 104.33).
He understood the value of unity (Psa 133.1) and demonstrated it through his relationship with Jonathan (1 Sam 18.1) while having personal experience with the destructive nature of disunity (2 Sam 13).
David hated falsehood (Psa 119.104; 101.3-4, 6-7).
I personally think the one that most revealed his real character is found in 2 Sam 12.13. After committing adultery and killing Bathsheba's husband and then being confronted by Nathan with his sin, David did not follow the path of many. Instead he was broken and confessed his sin. More than being wrong. He knew that his sin was against God almighty.
There's more but bottom line, did David sin grievously? Yes. Yet somehow, through the whole of his life, his heart was hard after God.
And when he [God] had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ - Acts 13.22
And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” - 1 Sam 13.13-14
David loved the Word of God as expressed beautifully in Psa 119 and particularly in verse 97, Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
David loved to commune with God through prayer as seen in Psa 116.1-2, I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
Praise for God was a constant in his life (Psa 119.164; 95.1-7; 104.33).
He understood the value of unity (Psa 133.1) and demonstrated it through his relationship with Jonathan (1 Sam 18.1) while having personal experience with the destructive nature of disunity (2 Sam 13).
David hated falsehood (Psa 119.104; 101.3-4, 6-7).
I personally think the one that most revealed his real character is found in 2 Sam 12.13. After committing adultery and killing Bathsheba's husband and then being confronted by Nathan with his sin, David did not follow the path of many. Instead he was broken and confessed his sin. More than being wrong. He knew that his sin was against God almighty.
There's more but bottom line, did David sin grievously? Yes. Yet somehow, through the whole of his life, his heart was hard after God.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
easter google
Here's something interesting from Justin Taylor on Google Earth to show the major event locations and descriptions surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection.
resurrection preaching
"So many people think preaching the Resurrection means doing a little bit of apologetics in the pulpit to prove it really is true. Others simply say, 'Jesus is raised, therefore there is a life after death.' This isn't the point! Those types of sermons may be necessary, but there's more to it than that. To preach the Resurrection is to announce the fact that the world is a different place, and that we have to live in that 'different-ness.' The Resurrection is not just God doing a wacky miracle at one time. We have to preach it in a way that says this was the turning point in world history.
To take preaching seriously, you need a high theology of the Word of God. When your preaching announces that Jesus is the crucified and risen Lord of the world, things happen. The principalities and powers are called into account. Human beings who once thought the message of someone rising from the dead is ridiculous, actually find that the message of resurrection can transform their lives.
Finally, there must be a relationship between what you say and who you are. Preaching is the personality, infused by the Spirit, communicating the Word of God to people. If there's a mismatch—if you're not being a resurrection person—you may say the right words, but something radical is missing." ~ NT Wright
HT:BH
To take preaching seriously, you need a high theology of the Word of God. When your preaching announces that Jesus is the crucified and risen Lord of the world, things happen. The principalities and powers are called into account. Human beings who once thought the message of someone rising from the dead is ridiculous, actually find that the message of resurrection can transform their lives.
Finally, there must be a relationship between what you say and who you are. Preaching is the personality, infused by the Spirit, communicating the Word of God to people. If there's a mismatch—if you're not being a resurrection person—you may say the right words, but something radical is missing." ~ NT Wright
HT:BH
Technorati Tags: preaching
cessationist confusion
Matt Waymeyer posted an interesting piece on the sufficiency of Scripture in Pulpit Magazine. The article is basically concerned with the integrationist denial of Scripture's sufficiency for counseling based on the idea that Scripture does not contain all truth, e.g., 2+2=4, E=MC2, how to build a car, etc.. Weymeyer quotes Jay Adams in response to this.
Then comes the John MacArthur summary.
Followed by Waymeyer's conclusion.
Here's the tension I have with their position. I believe Scripture is sufficient but it is the meaning of the word sufficient that is at odds here. In this specific article, these guys have limited sufficiency to matters pertaining to the soul. What are the boundaries for matters pertaining to the soul? Can God speak to me in a counseling situation to let me know if the person I am dealing with has an organic or a spiritual defect? I think yes. Isn't this a matter of the soul? Isn't the revelation beyond some specific instruction I might find in Scripture? What of the example of simply choosing the appropriate Scripture to use when addressing the counselee? Does this person need encouragement or confrontation? Based on Scripture, I see that God speaks today even on the proper use of Scripture. Waymeyer's and MacArthur's seem to preclude that.
As I've written before, we must be careful to never over-ride Scripture, it is the plumb-line but to carry that to some un-Biblical position such that God is silent is wrong.
True, the Scriptures do not contain everything. They are not a textbook for electrical engineering, shipbuilding (unless you are building an ark), aeronautics, or a hundred and one other disciplines. But they are entirely adequate as the textbook for living, and for changing our living to conform to God’s requirements.
Then comes the John MacArthur summary.
Certainly, Scripture does not claim to be a thorough textbook on medicine, or physics, or any of the sciences. But psychology differs from these in two important regards. First, psychology is not a true science…. Second, and most significant, psychology, unlike medicine and physics, deals with matters that are fundamentally spiritual. In fact, the word psychology literally means, “study of the soul.” What are the deep psychological needs if they are not the spiritual issues the gospel is concerned with? And Scripture certainly does claim absolute sufficiency in addressing those needs: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17, emphasis added). “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul” (Ps. 19:7). Scripture itself promises believers the most comprehensive spiritual resources: “everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3).
Followed by Waymeyer's conclusion.
[T]he Bible was never intended to be a textbook for disciplines such as math or physics, it does claim to be an all-sufficient guide for godly living. Therefore, if the goal of Christian counseling is godliness in the life of the counselee, the counselor need not look beyond the wisdom found in the pages of Scripture to be equipped for his task. For if the counselee’s problem is spiritual in nature, Scripture is sufficient to meet the demand. On the other hand, if the problem is the inability to bake tasty muffins, a cookbook might be a better place to look.
Here's the tension I have with their position. I believe Scripture is sufficient but it is the meaning of the word sufficient that is at odds here. In this specific article, these guys have limited sufficiency to matters pertaining to the soul. What are the boundaries for matters pertaining to the soul? Can God speak to me in a counseling situation to let me know if the person I am dealing with has an organic or a spiritual defect? I think yes. Isn't this a matter of the soul? Isn't the revelation beyond some specific instruction I might find in Scripture? What of the example of simply choosing the appropriate Scripture to use when addressing the counselee? Does this person need encouragement or confrontation? Based on Scripture, I see that God speaks today even on the proper use of Scripture. Waymeyer's and MacArthur's seem to preclude that.
As I've written before, we must be careful to never over-ride Scripture, it is the plumb-line but to carry that to some un-Biblical position such that God is silent is wrong.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
our spiritual sacrifice
The following is courtesy of Darryl Dash ... excellent.
C.S. Lewis on why it's not feasible or wise "to become exclusively and explicitly religious":
Edward Curtis and John Brugaletta comment, "Becoming a believer then does not wall off the secular from the sacred; it does however require that all worldly activities be performed with God in mind and then offered up to God - done for His glory." (Discovering the Way of Wisdom)
C.S. Lewis on why it's not feasible or wise "to become exclusively and explicitly religious":
Before I become a Christian I do not think I fully realized that one's life, after conversion, would inevitably consist in doing most of the same things one had been doing before, one hopes in a new spirit, but still the same things...Conversion [does not] obliterate our human life...
All our merely natural activities will be accepted, if they are offered to God, even the humblest, and all of them, even the noblest, will be sinful if they are not. Christianity does not simply replace our natural life and substitute a new one; it is rather a new organization which exploits, to its own supernatural ends, these natural materials. (The Weight of Glory)
Edward Curtis and John Brugaletta comment, "Becoming a believer then does not wall off the secular from the sacred; it does however require that all worldly activities be performed with God in mind and then offered up to God - done for His glory." (Discovering the Way of Wisdom)
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