The Counter-Culture of a Church

Jason Robertson@ http://fide-o.blogspot.com discusses the topic of culture and counter-culture.

What is culture anyway?

"Culture" is a set of shared practices, attitudes, values, and beliefs which are rooted in common understandings of 'the big questions'—where life comes from, what life means, who we are, and what is important to spend our time doing in the years allotted to us. No one can live or do their work without some assumed answers to such questions, and every set of answers shapes culture.

What should we not strive to do?

• We are not forming a sub-culture in which we externally dress and talk differently and avoid certain gross behaviors, but internally we have the same values as the surrounding culture. (E.g. believers may not get drunk or commit adultery, yet in their core beings they may be as materialistic and individualistic, and status- or image-conscious as the society around.)

• We are not forming an anti-culture in which Christians feel highly polluted by the very presence of the unbelieving schools, entertainment, arts, and culture. (E.g. They feel they cannot really function in the society without getting the cultural power back through legislation and storming institutions directly or at least becoming very legalistic and judgmental.)
• We are not forming a para-culture expecting a miraculous, sweeping intervention by God which will convert many or most individuals and explosively transform the culture. (E.g. Many Christians are more concerned about getting people saved FROM hell but not saved TO heaven. Many churches are more concerned with building up their membership roles than building up the community in which they are located -- those churches are "takers" not "givers." Rather we should become deeply engaged with the society and communities around us, working with others as co-citizens of this world that our God created to deal with the troubles and problems that have been caused by our sin.)
• We do not despise the "city of man" in which we live so that we turn our church into a fortress.
• We do not become like the "city of man" around us as if we are just a mirror (like so many liberal churches and emergent churches are).
• We do not selfishly use the city as if the church is some space capsule.

In a simple way, what are we to do?

Rather we should love the city in which God has placed us and seek its "peace" as God told his people in Jeremiah 29:7. Our church is leaven, salt, a city set on a hill.

How is the church to react? Jason sees the messages of the prophets, apostles and those who faithfully followed as developing a counter culture. He summarizes the role of the church:

We are an outpost of the kingdom of God, the body of Christ. Jesus incarnated himself into humanity in order to reach humanity. Why? Because humanity was not the problem but the prize. God loves humanity -- we were created in His image for His glory. Jesus loves the world and came to release us from the bondage of sin.

How are we to relate to the culture around us?

Thus, we are too are to be externally quite like the surrounding culture (positive toward and conversant with it), without 'jargon' and other Christians trappings--yet in worldview, values, and lifestyle, they demonstrate chastity, simplicity, humility and self-sacrifice. (E.g. We are quite different in the way they understand money, relationships, human life, sex, and so on.) By the way, for another great case study compare Hananiah and Jeremiah in Jeremiah 28-29. Hananiah is an example of the 'para-culture' in Jer.28; Jeremiah is a proponent of the 'counter-culture' in Jer.29.

How does a Christian worldview impact what we do everyday?

Most fields of work today are dominated by a very different set of answers than those of Christianity. But when most Christians enter a vocational field, they either a) seal off their faith from their work and simply work like everyone else around them, or b) simply spout Bible verses at people to get their faith across. We should help the people of God to know how to persuade people by showing them the faith-based, world-view roots of everyone's work. We should help the people of God to know the implications of the gospel for marriage/family, art, business, government, journalism, entertainment, and scholarship.

Jason concludes by asking and answering the question:"How can we form a community that is rich and deep in love for one another and exhibits to the world the distinct life, individually and corporately, that we have in Christ?"

The answer is: we must demonstrate every day of the week how the gospel effects our leadership/structure/decision making, our infra-structure, our music and arts, and our ethical themes. In other words, everything we do (4-wheeling, quilting, eating, career, athletics, working out, worshipping, teaching, parenting, friendships) matters to God... and God matters to everything we do. We haven't just been saved from hell but we have been saved to glorify God in this world so that people may see our works and glorify our Father in heaven. So our Christian lifestyle is our culture and our culture exists here ....we hope the cities are transformed by our living here.

"Purity is always smart; impurity is always stupid"

Andy Naselli @ http://andynaselli.com summaries Randy Alcorn’s The Purity Principle: God’s Safeguards for Life’s Dangerous Trails (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2003) with the simple statement:

"Purity is always smart; impurity is always stupid"

His simple review:

I read through this little 94-page volume in one sitting this evening. It’s outstanding. Alcorn’s approach to the issue of purity is biblically informed, sobering, wise, refreshing, and motivating.

Related: Alcorn lists the following resources on his website:

1. The Purity Principle Study Guide
2. articles on sexual purity: page 1 | page 2
3. Alcorn’s MP3s, PDFs, and PowerPoint presentation on sexual purity
4. Guidelines for sexual purity (Alcorn originally prepared this for his daughters.)
5. Links to resources for sexual purity
6. Selected Scriptures related to sexual purity

How to Share the Gospel with Children

Brian G. Hedges @ http://meretheology.blogspot.com has an interesting article on How to Share the Gospel with Children

He mentions three concerns about how we share the gospel with children:

1. That we not replace the true gospel with false or distorted versions
2. That we not confuse the gospel with a child's response
3. That we not equate a true, inward, spiritual response with an outward physical or emotional response

How serious is this:

In Galatians 1, Paul sternly warned of those who distorted Christ's gospel, saying: "If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:9). We cannot and must not modify, amend, or distort the saving message of the cross. But there are many false or distorted versions that masquerade as the truth.

What the Gospel is NOT:

Neither should we think we've shared the gospel when we have said, "If you ask Jesus into your heart [accept or receive Jesus], you will go to heaven when you die." While it's true that those who receive and believe are God's children (John 1:12), it is false that "asking Jesus into your heart" brings salvation. For one thing, that statement includes nothing about:

• Christ's death, burial, and resurrection
• Jesus' identity as Messiah, Lord, and God manifested in the flesh
• Sin, the nature of salvation, and the need for repentance

What's wrong with "asking Jesus into your heart":

So the problem with equating "asking Jesus into your heart" with the gospel is that it shifts the focus away from Jesus Christ's atoning work onto the child's subjective work or experience.

What is the gospel, then?

Paul defines it in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures." Very simply, the gospel is that Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) through His death, burial, and resurrection.

He concludes with two other concerns in regards to responding to the Gospel:

A true response involves both repentance and faith (Acts 20:21). Repentance is turning from sin, self-righteousness (Phil. 3:1-10), and idolatry (1 Thess. 1:10) to serve the true and living God. Faith is trusting in the crucified and risen Christ to save us.

But don't confuse repentance and faith with a response to an invitation, such as:

• Raise your hand if you want to go to heaven.
• Pray the sinner's prayer.
• You need to be baptized.
• Make a decision about Jesus today!

How then can we present the gospel:

• Talk a lot about who Jesus is (God-Man, Savior, Lord, King) and what He has done (died for our sins on the cross, rose from the dead).
• Make it clear that all people need their sins forgiven and will be judged for their sins if they are not saved.
• Urge children to turn from their sins and trust in what Jesus has done.
• Invite children to talk to you further about their relationship with God.
• Motivate parents to pursue further discussions with their children.
• Think long-term about how you can continually disciple children, vs. how many "decisions" you can record.
• Pray for the children, and expect God in His grace to use the gospel to bring them to true, saving faith in Christ.

Humour:"Biblical Curse Generator"

Lost for a smart remark to see off your enemies? Unable to deliver that killer insult? Put an end to unscriptural restraint with the amazing Biblical Curse Generator, which is pre-loaded with blistering smackdowns as delivered by Elijah, Jeremiah and other monumentally angry saints. Simply click the button below, and smite your foes with a custom-made curse straight out of the Old Testament! Top | SOF home

Is God's Love Unconditional

People often misunderstand the nature of God's Love. John Piper answers that question today on the DG blog.

David Powlison addresses this in his essay-turned-booklet, "God's Love: Better Than Unconditional."

Powlison suggests that people who use the term often have good intentions, wanting to affirm four interrelated truths:

1. “Conditional love” is bad—unconditional is shorthand for the opposite of manipulation, demand, judgmentalism.
2. God’s love is patient—unconditional is shorthand for hanging on for the long haul, rather than bailing out when the going gets rough.
3. True love is God’s gift—unconditional is shorthand for unearned blessings, rather than legalism
4. God receives you just as you are: sinful, suffering, confused—unconditional is shorthand for God’s invitation to rough, dirty, broken people

Justin Taylor @ http://theologica.blogspot.com summarizes and paraphrases Powlinson's arguments:

• First, Powlison suggests that “there are more biblical and vivid ways to capture each of the four truths just stated.” “People currently employ a somewhat vague, abstract word — unconditional — when the Bible gives us more vivid and specific words, metaphors, and stories.”
• Second, it’s not true that unmerited grace is strictly unconditional. Jesus Christ opened a way for us to experience the biblical love of God by fulfilling two conditions: a life of perfect obedience to the moral will of God, and a perfect substitutionary death on our behalf. Powlison writes: “Unconditional love? No, something much better. People who now use the word unconditional often communicate an acceptance neutered of this detailed, Christ-specific truth.”
• Third, God’s love is more than conditional, for it is intended to change those who receive it. “Unconditional” often connotes “you’re okay.” But there is something wrong with you. The word “unconditional” may well express the welcome of God, but it does not well express the point of his welcome.
• Fourth, “unconditional love” carries a load of cultural baggage, wedded to words like “tolerance, acceptance, affirmation, benign, okay,” and a philosophy that says love should not impose values, expectations, or beliefs on another. In fact, humanist psychology even has a term for it: “unconditional positive regard” (Carl Rogers).

Powlison's conclusion:

We can do better. Saying “God’s love is unconditional love” is a bit like saying “The sun’s light at high noon is a flashlight in a blackout.” Come again? A dim bulb sustains certain analogies to the sun. Unconditional love does sustain certain analogies to God’s love. But why not start with the blazing sun rather than the flashlight? When you look closely, God’s love is very different from “unconditional positive regard,” the seedbed of contemporary notions of unconditional love. God does not accept me just as I am; He loves me despite how I am; He loves me just as Jesus is; He loves me enough to devote my life to renewing me in the image of Jesus. This love is much, much, much better than unconditional! Perhaps we could call it “contraconditional” love. Contrary to the conditions for knowing God’s blessing, He has blessed me because His Son fulfilled the conditions. Contrary to my due, He loves me. And now I can begin to change, not to earn love but because of love.

Justin Taylor recaps:

. . . You need something better than unconditional love. You need the crown of thorns. You need the touch of life to the dead son of the widow of Nain. You need the promise to the repentant thief. You need to know, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” You need forgiveness. You need a Vinedresser, a Shepherd, a Father, a Savior. You need to become like the one who loves you. You need the better love of Jesus.

1 Tim. 3:2 An Overseer above reproach?

Check out the Cyber Hymnal

The Cyber Hymnal. Thou­sands of Christ­ian hymns & Gos­pel songs from ma­ny de­nom­in­a­tions—lyr­ics, MI­DI files, scores, pic­tures, his­to­ry & more. Search­a­ble, ad­vanced Au­to­play fea­ture, free down­loads. New en­tries ev­ery week. Us­er friend­ly. Big­gest site of its kind on the In­ternet. Two thumbs up!

Pastor tests congregations compassion

From:

Longview, TX (KLTV) A Longview minister wanted to find out whether people at his church practiced what

they believed, so he came up with a unique exercise in human character. How would you react to a person in need on the street? That was what Tommy Jackson used to test his congregation.

Sunday morning at Rose Heights church and a stranger, smelling of alcohol was walking through the parking area, accosting church members.

"There was concern for the individual, we could tell that something not quite right," said church member, Gary Treat. But it was no stranger, it was Rose Heights pastor Tommy Jackson in disguise.

"This month we have a series, well the whole series is called Kingdom People, the one distinguishing factor of a Christian should be our love," Jackson says.

Jackson wanted to test his congregation on their compassion for those in need. Playing the part to the fullest, he even had the police called on him. Some church members were leary, but others offered food and shelter, not knowing who the mystery man was. Jackson revealed himself at the end of the Sunday service.

"What are we doing to help those less fortunate, what are we doing to share God with others," says church member Chris Johnson.

Its a sure bet, they'll never look at Jackson quite the same way.

Video: Pastor Tests Congregations Compassion

2: 01

20 Qualities of Good Listeners

Gavin Ortlund @ http://gro1983.blogspot.com offers some observations on what makes a good listener. Here are some of his points. See the full article for the explanations:

1) Good listeners consider a person's statements in relation to their presuppositions (as much as possible).

2) Good listeners are not hasty in making judgments.

3) Good listeners pay careful attention to words.

4) Good listeners ask questions.

5) Good listeners are not lazy.

6) Good listeners don't feel threatened by not controlling the conversation.

7) Good listeners understand that everyone has different communication styles, and adjust their listening to correspond to the speaker's communication style.

8) Good listeners interrupt intentionally and gently, rather than habitually and rashly.

9) Good listeners recall their own subjectivity and finitude as a listener.

10) Good listeners are willing to listen to something even if its hard to hear.

11) Good listeners do not unreasonably question the motives of the speaker.

12) Good listeners don't equate listening with agreeing.

13) Good listeners are not simply waiting to talk again when someone else is speaking.

14) Good listeners remember that you can learn from anyone.

15) Good listeners love people.

16) Good listeners pay attention to nonverbal communication without discounting verbal communication.

17) Good listeners are willing to speak.

18) Good listeners understand that every act of communication takes place in a context or setting.

19) Good listeners are willing to stop listening to something that is perverse, wicked, or dangerously foolish.

20) Good listeners understand how important listening is to a relationship.

Anger: The Image of Satan

Jonathan Dodson @ http://www.boundless.org reviews the topic of anger. He covers:

Garden Variety Anger Satanic Anger Proverbs 16:32 tells us: Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. David Powlison describes our anger in Satanic, warlike features: Warmaking is a prime trait of sinners. It's the image of Satan: liar, murder, divider, aggressor.1 Speaking of the judgmental and contentious person he writes: He becomes, in fact, Satanic. He acts in the image of the accuser of the brethren, an adversary of the well-being of others, an unlawful bringer of destruction, a tyrant and vigilante.2 Idols Beneath the Anger Anger and Unbelief The Anger of God and the Cross of Christ God is also love, and God's love demands His wrath. As David Powlison has noted: You can't understand God's love if you don't understand his anger.3 NOTES David Powlison, "Anger: Part 3" JBC Vol 16, 1 Fall 1997, 32. Ibid., 37 David Powlison, JBC Vol. 14, 1 (Fall 1995), 41.

Do you hate athiests? Look at your actions

A guest to the live Penn & Teller show gives a surprisingly wonderful gift to Penn.

John MacArthur - The Apathy Of The Modern Church

"tell-it-like-it-is" indictment of the attitudes, methods and approaches of much of the modern church.

"Stimulus"?

How Great Thou Art

Here is a video of How Great Thou Art from tenor Phillip Webb, recorded at Dr. John MacArthur’s church.

John Piper - Are You a Church or a Club?

Sermon Outline: Galatians 5:16-18. Spiritual Warfare: The Flesh vs. The Spirit

1) The Warfare Command (Galatians 5:16)

• Romans 13:13-14

2) The Warfare Parties: (Galatians 5:17)

• · Romans 7:18-19 , 21-24
  

• · 2 Timothy 2:3-4

• · 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
  

• · Hebrews 12:1-3

3) The Warfare Warning (Galatians 5:18)

• · Romans 7:8-11

• Romans 8:2-4, 12-14, 26
• Philippians 2:12-13

24 Things About to Disappear

Rod Dreher has a list of 24 things that are about to disappear. Don’t miss reading the entire article. Here are the 24 items in his list:

24. Yellow Pages
23. Classified Ads
22. Movie Rental Stores
21. Dial-up Internet Access
20. Phone Landlines
19. Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs
18. VCRs
17. Ash Trees
16. Ham Radio
15. The Swimming Hole
14. Answering Machines
13. Cameras That Use Film
12. Incandescent Bulbs
11. Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys
10. The Milkman
9. Hand-Written Letters
8. Wild Horses
7. Personal Checks
6. Drive-in Theaters
5. Mumps & Measles
4. Honey Bees
3. News Magazines and TV News
2. Analog TV
1. The Family Farm

The evolving definition of evolution in Wikipedia

Dialogue with Darwinists

Marvin Olasky @ http://www.worldmag.com provides some key themes to remember on the 150th birthday of 'On the Origin of Species'by Charles Darwin.

Highlights:

(1) Darwinists who argue for macroevolution often give microevolution examples to "prove" changes. The famous "proof" of moths changing colors as pollution darkened trees was actually a fake, but it could have happened—and that would prove nothing about Darwinism.

(2) Bottom line: The makeup of the DNA molecule provides strong grounds for inferring that intelligence played a role in the origin of DNA.

(3) If "irreducible complexity" is proven, Darwinian materialism is dead. If it's not proven, materialists still have to find some way to account for the existence of human life and a universe congenial to it. They mutter about the role of chance mutations, but mutations are rarely advantageous, and it takes far greater faith to believe that you or I could arise by chance via millions of mutations than it does to believe in the Bible.

(4) Let's admit that the Darwinists are right about one thing: We're in a predicament. We don't ask to be born, but here we are. We normally don't want to die, but we do. Not knowing why we're here, we look for hope. Christians hope in God saving sinners, but evolutionists must have faith in other things unseen to be saved from a sense of meaninglessness.

From his conclusion:

Let's have compassion for Darwinists as they develop desperate theories positing the existence of an infinite number of universes. Many cloak themselves as objectively scientific, but that can't dodge even what secularists like novelist Kurt Vonnegut acknowledge: "My body and your body are miracles of design. Scientists are pretending they have the answer as to how we got this way when natural selection couldn't possibly have produced such machines."

It's a Dead Man's Party: Charles Darwin at 200

Stand to Reason recently published an article on evolution for junior high and high school students, which appeared in Clear Horizon magazine. It was entitled "It's a Dead Man's Party," in reference to the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth this Thursday.

Below is the article that can be used as a resource for your young people. Take it and teach it. Or have your students read it. I think you'll find it very accessible for young minds.

Download It's a Dead Man's Party

2009 World Watch Persecution Overview

How can watching a documentary about insects be worship?

John Piper talks about displays of God's beauty and intelligence in creation that ought to inspire worship.

Darwin And Eugenics. The Racist Fairy Tale that Produced Hitler

Evolution: Observed?

From Creation Ministries International @ http://www.boundless.org


Molecules-to-man evolution is the theory that everything made itself, and that no creator was necessary. But this requires that non-intelligent processes could produce vast quantities of functional complex information. Even the simplest free-living organism carries the equivalent information of a 500-page book; humans have as much information as a thousand 500-page volumes.

A big obstacle for evolutionary belief is this: What mechanism could possibly have added all the extra information required to transform a one-celled creature progressively into pelicans, palm trees and people? Natural selection alone can't do it — selection involves getting rid of information. A group of creatures might become more adapted to the cold, for example, by the elimination of those which don't carry the genetic information to make thick fur. But that doesn't explain the origin of the information to make thick fur.

Also, natural selection by definition is the survival of the fittest, meaning those who leave the most surviving offspring. Therefore it requires self-reproducing entities to start with. So it is powerless to explain the origin of the vast quantities of information of the first self-reproducing cell.

For evolutionists there is only "one game in town" to explain the new information which their theory requires — mutations. These are accidental mistakes as the genetic (DNA) information (the coded set of instructions which is the "recipe" or "blueprint" specifying the construction and operation of any creature) is copied from one generation to the next.

Naturally, such scrambling of information will often be harmful — thousands of hereditary diseases in people, for instance, are caused by just such inherited mutational defects. At best they may be neutral — having no effect on the outcome, or the expressed meaning of the code. Using English as an (admittedly limited) analogy, assume a message were transmitted saying "the enemy is now attacking," which accidentally suffers a one-letter substitution changing it to "the enemy is not attacking." The result is potentially disastrous, like a harmful mutation. Whereas a change to "tha enemy is now attacking" would be neutral; a change, but not affecting the end result.

This is not surprising — an analogy: New computer programs do not arise from old computer programs by copying errors. Instead, the resulting program usually jams.

However, evolutionists believe that occasionally, a "good" mutation will occur which will be favored by selection and will allow that creature to progress along its evolutionary pathway to something completely different.

Summary

1. Evolutionary theory requires some mutations to go "uphill" — to add new information.
2. The mutations which we observe are generally neutral (they don't effectively change the information, or the "meaning" in the code) or else they are informationally downhill — defects which lose/corrupt information.
3. The rare "beneficial" mutations to which evolutionists cling all appear to be like wingless animals, blind cave animals, and many examples of antibiotic resistance. They are downhill changes, losses of information which, though they may give a survival advantage, are headed in precisely the wrong direction for evolution.
4. The examples commonly cited as "evolution happening today" usually involving adaptation by natural selection, are without exception instances in which the net result is a loss of information in the population — either by mutation or by way of reduced genetic variety.

Humour: Because Monday's are hard for some people:

Spiritual Disciplines:

Mark Driscoll has begun a series on work@http://theresurgence.com

Sabbath & Work, Part 1

Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. (Exodus 31:15)

He covers:

Sabbath

To Sabbath is to rest from one’s labor. The first Sabbath day was a Saturday: “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done” (Genesis 2:2). The first recorded command for humans to Sabbath is in Exodus 16:23, and the Sabbath is listed as the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:8–11.

Saturday or Sunday?

In regards to the day of the Sabbath, some have maintained that it should be celebrated on Saturday like the Hebrews did, the final day of their week. However, the early church abruptly changed the day of worship to Sunday to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus from death (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1–2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1) on that first day of the new week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). Sunday remained a work day in the early church until Emperor Constantine instituted it as an official day of rest in AD 321. In America, there was a debate as to whether the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday or the Christian Sabbath of Sunday should be recognized and the compromise was to keep both, which is why we have two-day weekends.

The True Sabbath

Legalistic attempts have been made to rob the Sabbath of its worship and joy by carefully mandating what can and cannot be done. However, Jesus seemed to have intentionally lived in public view to serve as a contrary model of the Sabbath than that given by other legalistic teachers. For example, Jesus healed on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1–14, John 9:1–17), taught on the Sabbath (Mark 6:1–2), and promoted evangelism on the Sabbath (John 7:21–24). Jesus demonstrated that the Sabbath is not to be enforced legalistically, but that it exists for worshipful fun and rest. Furthermore, our true Sabbath is not in a day but ultimately in a saving relationship with Jesus where we can rest from trying to earn our salvation and rest in His finished work (Matthew 11:28–30; Romans 4:5; Colossians 2:16–17). Therefore, the Sabbath is not a law for believers to obey, but instead a grace to enjoy.

His conclusion of part one:

In conclusion, by setting aside a day, we are showing that we are a people who are set aside (holy) and who rest in Jesus. Worshiping is our primary objective and our weeks are purposefully ordered around worship. Then, our worshipful work can be rightly undertaken.

Part Two:

Work

Work is laboring well as an act of worship that glorifies God. Subsequently, the father who goes to work, the mother who stays home to care for her young children like the woman in Proverbs 31, and the student who heads off to school are each called by God to labor in their work. Each has sacred tasks that God has appointed for them to capture as opportunities to worship Him.

Both the Old and New Testaments have much to say about work. For example:

• The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work… (Genesis 2:15)
• Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. (Exodus 31:15)
• In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. (Proverbs 14:23)
• Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys. (Proverbs 18:9)
• The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. (Proverbs 21:25)
• So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work… (Ecclesiastes 3:22)
• Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23–24)
• If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)
• But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

The Scriptures are clear that God made us to work and that despite the curse which makes our work all the more difficult, it is good and honorable for us to labor as unto the Lord Jesus. Then, as we have examined, we can enjoy a restful Sabbath as God intends. Sadly, however, this sort of balanced lifestyle is sorely lacking in our culture.

Overwork

Sermon Outline: Galatians 5:13-15. “Called to Freedom”

1) To Oppose the Flesh (Galatians 5:13b)

· 1 Peter 2:16

· John 8:31-36

· Romans 13:14

2) To Serve Others (Galatians 5:13c)

· Luke 22:24-27

· Romans 6:22

· Philippians 2:5-7

3) To Fulfill God’s Moral Law (Galatians 5:14)

· Matthew 22:36-40

· Romans 13:8-10

4) To Avoid Harming Others (Galatians 5:15)

· Romans 14:1-3, 14-15

Don't Waste Your Church Attendance--Josh Harris

NT Use of the OT -- Test Your View!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

The Church: A Gospel-Centered Community

Jonathan Dodson @ http://theresurgence.com has begun a series on the church. He explains its importance and his objective for the series:

It’s a buzzword. It’s often misunderstood. It’s central to the Christian faith and yet absent from many churches: Community. I will address two main issues with our attempts to find community. First, defective Christian views of community are based on unbiblical notions of the Church. Second, true community is based not on what you do but who you are.

Church: A Community?

The Household of God

God: A Community of Persons

The Imago Dei

The Redemption of Community

Vintage Church:

In this book, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears discuss the essentials of what it means to be a biblical church. Find out more.

• Jonathan Dodson's blog
• Read more

Mark Dever's Three Talks at the DG Pastors' Conference

Part 1: Three Reasons to Share the Gospel

• Audio
• Video
• Notes
  

Part 2: Five Things That Aren't Evangelism

• Audio
• Video
• Notes
  

Part 3: The Church and Evangelism

• Audio
• Video
• Notes
  

A Christian Perspective on Grief

download file

Audio Link:

http://media.libsyn.com/media/ccef/hh005.mp3

David Powlison discusses a Christian perspective on Elisabeth Kubler-Ross' five stages of grief.

AS LONG AS YOU ARE GLORIFIED

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2.7-10)

Mark Altrogge @ http://www.theblazingcenter.com has created a new song. He notes the rationale:

It’s easy to praise God in prosperity. But what do we do when we’re suffering? Job shows us that we should trust God at all times, not just in good times. I recently tried to capture this in a song:

AS LONG AS YOU ARE GLORIFIED

SHALL I TAKE FROM YOUR HAND YOUR BLESSINGS
YET NOT WELCOME ANY PAIN?
SHALL I THANK YOU FOR DAYS OF SUNSHINE
YET GRUMBLE IN DAYS OF RAIN?
SHALL I LOVE YOU IN TIMES OF PLENTY
THEN LEAVE YOU IN DAYS OF DROUGHT?
SHALL I TRUST WHEN I REAP A HARVEST
BUT WHEN WINTER WINDS BLOW, THEN DOUBT?

O, LET YOUR WILL BE DONE IN ME
IN YOUR LOVE I WILL ABIDE
O, I LONG FOR NOTHING ELSE AS LONG
AS YOU ARE GLORIFIED

ARE YOU GOOD ONLY WHEN I PROSPER?
AND TRUE ONLY WHEN I’M FILLED?
ARE YOU KING ONLY WHEN I’M CAREFREE?
AND GOD ONLY WHEN I’M WELL?
YOU ARE GOOD WHEN I’M POOR AND NEEDY
YOU’RE TRUE WHEN I’M PARCHED AND DRY
YOU STILL REIGN IN THE DEEPEST VALLEY
YOU’RE STILL GOD IN THE DARKEST NIGHT

O, LET YOUR WILL BE DONE IN ME
IN YOUR LOVE I WILL ABIDE
O, I LONG FOR NOTHING ELSE AS LONG
AS YOU ARE GLORIFIED

SO QUIET MY RESTLESS HEART, QUIET MY RESTLESS HEART
QUIET MY RESTLESS HEART, IN YOU.

From his conclusion:

Isn’t it amazing how the gospel so changes us that what matters most is the glory of Jesus, and not our own comfort? Let us be a people who overflow with praise and thanks, not only when we receive blessing from his hand, but when we receive hardship from his hand, trusting that even then he is working for our good and his glory.

NOTE: Sovereign Grace Music has graciously agreed to give away this song for free. DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

(Lyrics from the CD “Come Weary Saints”, copyright Sovereign Grace Music)

Fireproof

Fireproof, which came out on DVD this week. It is a wholesome movie with a $500,000 budget that has already grossed about $33.5 million!

One of the best lines illustrates how counter-cultural this film is: “Don’t just follow your heart. You gotta lead your heart.” So many other films (starting with Disney “classics”!) promote exactly the wrong message (i.e., a self-serving, follow-your-heart, do-whatever-you-think-will-gratify-you approach).

About

1. official site (includes more videos, pics, resources)
2. Wikipedia
3. Kirk Cameron: “I’ll only kiss my wife”
4. trailer:

Reviews

1. Phil Johnson (read this one first)
2. Baptist Press
3. Tim Challies
4. Alex Chediak
5. Christian Spotlight
6. Christianity Today
7. Joy McCarnan
8. Plugged In
9. James White
   

Differences in the Five Leading Bible Translations

The fine folks @ Crossway have posted a helpful chart on Bible Translations:

People often ask how the ESV Bible differs from other Bible translations. We thought this little chart might be helpful in providing a quick comparison of a few of the main differences between the five leading Bible translations.

Glenn Brooke put together a video tour of the online version of the ESV Study Bible.

You can tour the Online Study Bible yourself here.

Free Audiobook of the Month -

Each month christianaudio gives away a premium audiobook download for free. The way it works? We give away one audiobook download each month totally free, available only during that month, only once - ever. Use the coupon code FEB2009 to redeem this month's free download. Not for Sale (Unabridged) by David Batstone Award-winning journalist David Batstone reveals the story of a new generation of 21st century abolitionists and their heroic campaign to put an end to human bondage. In his accessible and inspiring book, Batstone carefully weaves the narratives of activists and those in bondage in a way that not only raises awareness of the modern-day slave trade, but also serves as a call to action. Download $24.98 CD $26.98 Add to My Wish List

The Good Recession

Dealing with the anxiousness caused by what some are calling “The Great Recession,” Joshua Harris recently preached a pair of messages at Covenant Life Church (Gaithersburg, MD). Entitled “The Good Recession,” from Luke 12:13-34. Both messages addressed the proper Christian response to this season of economic uncertainty and targeted the themes of greed and covetousness (week 1) and worry (part 2).

In the opening message, Harris said:

“God is doing something. He is shaking the financial security of the entire world. That’s not easy, that’s not something we want. But could we be a people who believe that God can use even something that looks very bad, for our good? Could we be trained by this, and on the other side of it, know the ‘peaceful fruit of righteousness’ (Heb. 12:11, ESV)? That is my prayer for myself, my family, and for this spiritual family. We could mope our way, complain our way, worry our way, grow bitter, through all of this. Or we can humbly ask God to use an economic downturn for our spiritual renewal, for our spiritual upturn.”

Tony Reinke@http://spurgeon.wordpress.com provided an outline of the two messages, a handful of transcribed excerpts, and links to the audio recordings. The messages are worth your time.

OUTLINES (with audio linkage):

Part 1: The Folly of Greed (Luke 12:13-21)

1. This recession can be good if we allow it to open our eyes to folly of greed and covetousness.

Part 2: Don’t Worry…Seek the Kingdom (Luke 12:22-34)

1. This recession can be good if it helps reset our definition of ‘need.’
2. This recession can be good if it makes us more aware of our helplessness and God’s faithful provision.
3. This recession can be good if it helps us see that only King Jesus and His kingdom are worth living for.
4. This recession can be good if it encourages us to lay up treasure in heaven.

EXCERPTS:

Sovereign God and Baffled Economists

“There is a broad spectrum of experience represented in our church. Some of you have been relatively untouched by this downturn. Others of you are really struggling to stay afloat, and maybe you have been struggling for a longer time than this story has dominated the headlines. I think it’s safe to say that we have all been touched by the unease that hangs over the economy right now. If we are not struggling financially personally, we know someone who is. If we have not lost our job, we know someone who has lost a job. If our company isn’t struggling to stay afloat, we know another company that is in that situation. And I think what compounds the temptation to worry is the uncertainty. Nobody really knows what is going to happen in the days to come. Even the brightest economists and people who would be considered experts are really just guessing when it comes to what will take place and the fix. The question I want us to consider is how should Christians who believe in a sovereign God think and live during a time like this? How should people who call Jesus Lord and Savior view an economic downturn that some have dubbed ‘The Great Recession’?”

PG

“I want to speak in particular to parents: Dads and moms who are here, I know you love your kids. I know you care about their future, and want the best for them. But is it possible for us to think something is the best for our kids, and we are just discipling them in covetousness? Could God use this season of recession to teach our children things that will guard their souls for the rest of their lives? I pray so. … When it comes to our own hearts, I think we should pray: Lord use this recession to teach me that you are my only hope. Lord, use this recession to open my eyes to the dangers of covetousness and greed. Lord, use this recession to teach me that my life does not consist in the abundance of my possessions.”

Sober Hearts or Bigger Barns?

“This recession will not necessarily make you a more spiritual and godly person. God can use this recession for our spiritual good if we let it awaken us to the folly of greed and covetousness. There is a very big IF in this statement and I want you to be aware of this. This recession will not necessarily do you or me any spiritual good. In fact if we don’t guard our hearts it might be an opportunity for us to grow more greedy and more obsessed with money and financial security if we are constantly checking the markets and make the lesson of this downturn that we need bigger barns. That is not the lesson God wants to teach us in this. If we begin to hoard our possessions and harden our hearts and our first thought when it comes to seeing someone in need, and giving, is that we cannot give, we are not going to grow in the ways I believe God would have us grow.”

Covetousness Anonymous

“When you think about the last year of your life, when you think about the areas you are trying to grow in and sins you are working on, is greed at the top of this list. I’ll speak for the pastors, we don’t get a lot of phone calls of people saying ‘I’m greedy! Please, I need counseling.’ It just doesn’t happen that much. I’ll be honest with you: Our schedule is not booked up with people who are awake at night aware of how greedy and covetous they are. Now, if you’ve ever been in that place—God bless you—that is a good thing. But doesn’t that make you a little suspicious of us, that we live in the richest country in the world and have more stuff in our families than a lot of people in history had in their entire lives? We spend a lot of our time at the malls, like they are temples, we are always aware of the new stuff that we ‘need’—and we are not greedy at all? Isn’t that a little suspicious. Doesn’t that make you say, ‘Hmm. Wait a second here. Is this right?’ Or could it be that we are just blind? Could it be that we have been lulled to sleep by a culture that is built on the lie that your life consists in the abundance of your possessions?”

Sumo-Sized Wants and Salad-Sized Needs

“I read about Japanese sumo wrestlers, touching base with my heritage a little bit. If you are familiar with sumo wrestlers, they gain hundreds of pounds. These men are huge. And they do this by eating tons of food and literally train their bodies not to feel full. They literally stretch their stomachs, massaging their intestines to make room for food. Isn’t that gross? And they do this to reset their definition of a normal meal so they can gain hundreds of pounds. In a similar way, our definition of need, when it comes to possessions, is completely out of proportion. We’re like those sumo wresters that have redefined their needs so that we can take in more and more. Our definition of need has been super-sized by our culture of consumption. So we think that we need not only to eat, but to eat food that we love, and preferably to eat out. We think that we not only need to be clothed, but to wear the latest fashion and have five of everything. We think we need more than just a roof over our heads. We want a bigger house, with a big yard. And the list could go on and on. We think we need multiple cars, four-wheel drive vehicles to drive on paved roads. We need all these things. Right?! …And I’ll be honest with you, when I read Jesus’ promise to provide for my needs by feeding me like a raven and clothing me like a flower, my heart doesn’t leap for joy…I feel like a sumo wrestler who has been given a salad for dinner…You see my heart and my values need to be adjusted by God’s Word. My definition of need needs to come into line with Jesus’s definition…One of the spiritual benefits, potentially, if we seize it, we can gain during an economic recession is that as we tighten our budgets as we change our lifestyle, we can actually begin getting a clearer picture of what we actually need…Seize this as an opportunity to have your need-o-meter reset.”