False Teachers:
1) Hinder the Truth: Galatians 5:7
2) are Not of God: Galatians 5:8
· 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
3) They Contaminate the Church: Galatians 5:9
· 1 Corinthians 3:17
4) They Will Be Judged: Galatians 5:10
· Philippians 1:6-7
· John 10:28-29
· Matthew 18:5-6
· 2 Peter 2:1-19
5) They Persecute True Teachers: Galatians 5:11
6) They Should Be Cut Off: Galatians 5:12
· 1 Peter 3:15
Matt Waymeyer from Community Bible Church in Vista, California, has a series of posts on prayer. He notes:Isaiah 46:9-11:
Why Pray?Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, “My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure”; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.
1. God has commanded us to pray.
2. Jesus modeled a life of prayer.
3. God is able to respond to our prayers.
4. God actually does respond to prayer.In the words of Richard Pratt, then, “Prayer is a powerful human effort that can significantly affect not only the lives of individuals but the very course of world history” (Pray with Your Eyes Open, 112). This truth, no doubt, should be a powerful motive for the children of God to pray. As Grudem writes,
If we were really convinced that prayer changes the way God acts, and that God does bring about remarkable changes in the world in response to prayer,…then we would pray much more than we do. If we pray little, it is probably because we do not really believe that prayer accomplishes much at all (Systematic Theology, 377).
5. God has ordained prayer as a means by which He accomplishes His eternal purposes.
At this point, some may wonder how it is that Scripture can teach both that God providentially brings all things to pass in conformity with His eternal purpose and that the prayers of men can have a significant affect in the unfolding of world history. The seeming contradiction between these two truths vanishes, however, when one realizes that “the same God who has decreed the end has also decreed that His end shall be reached through His appointed means, and one of these is prayer” (The Sovereignty of God, 167). In other words, God in His infinite wisdom was pleased to ordain prayer to be a means through which He accomplishes His good pleasure in and through His creation.
 Ian @ http://ruminationsbythelake.blogspot.com reviews the interesting life of Anthony Flew. He notes:
|
I Am Too Busy
I Feel Too Dry Spiritually To PrayI Feel No Need To Pray
I Am Too Bitter To Pray
I Am Too Ashamed To Pray
I Am Content With Mediocrity
-----------------------------------
Excerpt from A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers by D.A. Carson
God doesn't demand hectic church programs and frenetic schedules; he only wants his people to know him more intimately, says D. A. Carson. The apostle Paul found that spiritual closeness in his own fellowship with the Father. A Call to Spiritual Reformation investigates the Epistles to see what lessons Paul taught in his "school of prayer." Christians today can still achieve the confidence Paul enjoyed by following his life-shaping principles and searching for a deeper devotional experience.
Author Information: D. A. Carson is Research Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois. He is the author of How Long, O Lord? Teach Us to Pray and Right with God.
When I started in counseling, I thought I was a spiritual disaster and a complete idiot for what I'd done. And the counselor started out by saying "You're spiritually OK." He asked, "Have you repented?" Yes. "Have you memorized scripture?" Yes. "Have you been through inner healing?" Yes. He said, "According to the Bible, you are in fine relationship with the Lord Jesus." And I said I think I am. I love Him. I've never rebelled against him willingly. This has been a wrestling in my life, never an acceptance thing.And then he said, "You are rationale—have you read books on the subject?" Yes. And he said "Ted, if you could pray about this and be OK, you would have done it. If you could think about this and rationalize your own life, you would have done it. This is not spiritual nor reasonable. It is physiological." And he started to teach me how the brain works. And in that process, over two years, I've grown in eliminating the incongruities in my life. I've learned physiologically how the brain works and how that related to sexuality.
Phil Johnson @ http://www.sfpulpit.com finished a series on calvinism)
Part VIII: To sum up. . .
* The perverseness of our fallen state—that’s the doctrine of Total Depravity.
* The priority of God’s electing choice—that is the doctrine of Unconditional Election
* The particularity of His saving work—that, as we saw, entails the doctrine that is often called Limited Atonement.
* The power of His loving deliverance—that, once more, is the doctrine of Irresistible Grace.
* The perfection of His redemptive plan—that is nothing other than the doctrine of Perseverance.
From His conclusion:
You might be one of those people who doesn’t want to be referred to as a Calvinist or an Arminian. But the fact is, if you are a Christian at all, you do already affirm the fundamental principle in every one of those truths. You already know in your heart of hearts that you weren’t born again because you were morally superior to your unbelieving neighbors. You were worthy of God’s wrath just like them (Eph. 2:1 3). According to Ephesians 2:4-6, it was God who quickened you and showed you a special mercy—and that is why you are a believer. You already know that in your heart. You don’t really believe you summoned faith and came to Christ in your own power and by your own unaided free will. You don’t actually believe you are morally superior to people who don’t believe. You therefore must see, somewhere in your soul, that God has given you special grace that He has not necessarily shown everyone.
You also believe God is absolutely sovereign over all things. I know you do, because you lean on the promise of Romans 8:28. And that promise would mean nothing if God were not in control of every detail of everything that happens. If He is not in control of all things, how could He work all things together for good?
Furthermore, you pray for the lost, which means in your heart, you believe God is sovereign over their salvation. If you didn’t really believe He was sovereign in saving sinners, you’d quit praying for the lost and start doing everything you could to buttonhole people into the kingdom by hook or by crook, instead. But you know that would be folly. And you pray about other things, too, don’t you? You pray that God will change this person’s heart, or alter the circumstances of that problem. That’s pure Calvinism. When we go to God in prayer, we’re expressing faith in His sovereignty over the circumstances of our lives.
You even believe God operates sovereignly in the administration of all His providence. You say things like, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:15)—because in your heart you believe that God works all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11), and nothing happens apart from His will.
Nothing is more biblical than these doctrines that are commonly labeled Calvinism. In a way, it is a shame they have been given an extrabiblical name, because these truths are the very essence of what Scripture teaches. The very gist of Calvinism is nowhere more clearly stated than in the simple words of our verse: “We love Him, because He first loved us.”
pagan practices break the very first command that God gave to humankind, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). On the other hand, I have heard Christians slam alternative medicine practices without having any idea why they should reject it.
Tim Chester@ http://timchester.wordpress.com has put some interesting comments together on fasting. He covers:What is fasting?
Should Christians fast?
What is the purpose of fasting?
1. To seek guidance from God: Acts 13:1-3
2. To seek satisfaction in God: Matthew 6
Using a hunger for food to cultivate a hunger for GodRediscovering the goodness of food
Using a hunger for food to combat sexual temptation
How should we fast?
1 Timothy 4:1-5
Danger:
The second danger is to think we can earn merit with God through abstinence. Fasting does not earn God’s approval or blessing. It is not the Pharisee who fasts who goes home justified in the parable Jesus tells in Luke 18:12-14, but the sinner who cries out for mercy. ‘It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t miss out on anything if we don’t eat, and we don’t gain anything if we do.’ (1 Corinthians 8:8). Fasting, like other ascetic practices, cannot of itself restrain indulgence (Colossians 2:20-23). And fasting done for selfish gain which disregards other people is an abomination in God’s sight (Jeremiah 14:12; Zechariah 2:5; Isaiah 58:3).
You could consider one of the following:
– a regular 24 hours fast - eat an evening meal one night and then break your fast with a light supper the following evening
– a regular day fast - eat an evening meal and break your fast with breakfast the day after next
– a fast for guidance - fast for a period leading up to a significant meeting or throughout a significant time together
See: John Piper’s book, A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer
In the first weekend of December 2008, D. A. Carson preached five sermons in Seattle:
1) The Historical Background:
Galatians 4:21-23
· John 8:33-44
· Genesis 21:1-10
· Romans 9:6-18
2) The Divine Interpretation:
Galatians 4:24-27
· Hebrews 12:18-23
3) The Personal Application:
Galatians 4:28-31
· Romans 2:28-29
· Matthew 7:22-23
"Palestine" (a term imposed by the 1st century Romans) is, and has been for millennia, a "region"; it's never been an independent state.
You'll find "Palestinians" who are Christian and Muslim ... and Jewish. "Palestinians" should not be conflated with "Muslims" or "Arabs"; the "Palestinians" that we hear so much about are merely Arabs who have come to live in the region of Palestine.
And how did Gaza come to be inhabited by so many Arab Palestinians? Did Israel sequester them there? No, they chose to gather there in 1948 at the request of the Prime Minister of Iraq, who warned them to flee the rest of Israel because Iraq, along with other neighboring Arab countries, was going to "smash the country with our guns and obliterate every place the Jews seek shelter. The Arabs should conduct their wives and children to safe areas until the fighting has died down." Yes, these Palestinian refugees are victims -- they are fundamentally victims of Arab aggression against Israel.
Jews have consequently lived in the region for over 3,000 years. They are not "occupying" the country; they are living in their homeland.
If you're interested, and want to learn more, check out this site. Here is another great primer on the region.
According to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there exist roughly 39,000 Christian denominations worldwide in 2008. That is up from 500 Christian denominations in 1800, and the number is expected to grow to 55,000 by 2025.
Currently, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimates that a new Christian denomination is formed every 12 hours.
Wikipedia does a great job listing the largest denominations. Religion Facts compares the major denominations. And the Hartford Institute for Religion Research has links to hundreds of official denominational websites.
Here is a mashup of some their data. Since Church Relevance focuses primarily on Protestantism, I will elaborate on that data.
Catholicism - (1,200,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
Protestantism - (699,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
Eastern Orthodoxy - (260,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
Oriental Orthodox Church - (81,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
Anglicanism - (77,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
Nontrinitarianism - (36,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
Nestorianism - (1,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed
in thy presence,
in thy service,
to thy glory.
Give me a grace that
precedes,
follows,
guides,
sustains,
sanctifies,
aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from thee,
but may rely on thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth thy praise,
testify thy love,
advance thy kingdom.
I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with thee, O Father, as my harbour,
thee, O Son, at my helm,
thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.
Give me thy grace to sanctify me,
thy comforts to cheer,
thy wisdom to teach,
thy right hand to guide,
thy counsel to instruct,
thy law to judge,
thy presence to stabilize.
May thy fear be my awe,
thy triumphs my joy.
-Valley of Vision (Banner of Truth) p. 112.
The daily reading plan found in the back of the ESV Study Bible is now available for download.
As Justin Taylor recently cataloged, there are several ways to access the ESV Reading Plans:
There are currently 10 plans available in each of the options above.
The ESV: Every Day in the Word and ESV: Chronological Reading Guide are also available as audio podcasts in iTunes.
The January edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is "Resolved to Press on Toward the Goal." The issue looks at the importance of resolving in this new year to honor God in all we do and say. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Burk Parsons, C. FitzSimons Allison, Sinclair Ferguson, Simon Kistemaker and Stephen Nichols.
Coram Deo (Living Before the Face of God):
"Resolved to Live and Die" by Burk Parsons
Right Now Counts Forever:
"Principle vs. Pragmatism" by R.C. SproulPastor's Perspective:
"Speed with God" by Sinclair FergusonPro Ecclesia (For the Church):
"The Prevailing Church (pt. 2)" by Simon KistemakerGeneration to Generation
"The Lie We Believe" by C. FitzSimons AllisonTolle Lege (Take Up and Read):
"Christ and Culture" by Keith A. MathisonSeek Ye First:
"The Best-Laid Plans" by R.C. Sproul Jr.Truth and Consequences:
"The Resolution Solution" by Gene Edward Veith
Read it online or download it as a bulletin insert (.doc, .pdf, A4.)
Here’s a list of questions designed for self-reflection at the start of the new year, or on your birthday. They are also useful for family conversations, accountability partners, and small groups.
1) The Godly Example. Galatians 4:12a.
2) The Godly Focus. Galatians 4:12-16
3) The Deadly Distraction. Galatians 4:17-18
4) The Godly Objective: Galatians 4:19-20
