Theistic Evolution, Flying Frogs—What Do They Have in Common?

What if someone asks you, "Could God have used evolution as an agent of creation?" How would you respond? The question deserves an answer, and the text of Genesis 1 and 2 provide it. Maybe you've never thought about that kind of question. John MacArthur has, and he gives his compelling answer in the following short video excerpt. Don't miss it!

Creation: A Second-Class Doctrine?

Consult the doctrinal statement of 100 churches. You'll probably find this phrase, "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity." What about the doctrine of creation? Is it essential or non-essential? According to John MacArthur, divine creation is one of the primary doctrines of the Bible.

When considering what church to attend, or college to send your children to, the doctrine of creation becomes vitally important because it's the foundation of a Christian worldview. Not everyone feels that way—in fact, as John explains, most people don't. Take a look!

First, watch the video excerpt, then visit the comment thread to discuss the following questions: How should Christians determine what doctrines are essential and non-essential—does Scripture give us any clues?

Biblical Economics

From John MacArthur Jr.:
"I want to talk to you a little bit, kind of like a family talk. This is not really a sermon, I wouldn't call it a sermon because I'm not even sure what I'm going to say myself. So I have a lot more things to say than I will have time to say and I don't want to drag it out, but I want to try to help you have a bit of a biblical perspective on the situation as we face it in our world and in our country today. I want to talk about biblical economics. Everybody is highly aware of the mega-shift in economics, mega-shift in finance. We're all very much aware of rising unemployment, people losing their jobs. Very much aware of the fact that taxes keep going up, that the government is passing more and more bills, more and more legislation that is essentially going to reallocate wealth from people who have it ostensibly to the people who don't have it, shifting economic situations are well, well known to all of us.

My intention is not to talk about the politics of any of that. My intention is simply to talk about how we respond biblically to what is going on. A few things to say at the very beginning. Whatever happens economically in the United States has no direct effect on the church...it has no direct effect on the church. The church exists as a completely independent organism. The Kingdom of Christ has no connection to the kingdoms of this world. It doesn't matter whether you're in a capitalistic culture or an absolutely communistic culture. It doesn't matter whether you're in a monarchy or whether you're in anarchy. What happens in the world, what happens politically, what happens economically in the world neither retards or expedites the development of the church. The Kingdom of God works by power that is transcendent to the world. It operates under the divine purpose and the divine hand and is not subject to the whimsies and the shifting changes in human cultures from nation to nation which exists, that form of government, that form of economics, that social structure has no direct impact on the church".

Sermon Outline: 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5. "God's Wisdom"

1) The Preeminence of God’s Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18)
• Acts 17:32

2) The Permanence of God’s Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:19–20)
• Isaiah 19:12-14

3) The Power of God’s Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:21-25)
• Matthew 12:38-40

4) The Paradox of God’s Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:26-28)
• Matthew 11:25

5) The Purpose of God’s Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:29-31)
• John 8:31-32

• Romans 4:5

• Ephesians 2:10

• 1 Peter 1:18-19

A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Pt 2 (#3 of 3) Luke 19:1-10

Is there anything in this life more exciting than when God rescues the soul? In an instant a sinners eyes are opened and his love for sin falls away, his priorities shift and his perspective changes for good. Its a divine transformation. The new creation is born and the old has passed away. And thats how the biblical account of Zacchaes says, but in reality, its just the beginning. It was for Zacchaes as it was for you. In todays concluding message from his three part series of Luke chapter 19, Pastor John MacArthur will show you first hand the characteristics of genuine transformation. It is one of the most stunning reversals in all of scripture And you will see what occurs up close, when Gods love grips the soul. Youll see the fruit of a new life brought to bare a mere moments after conversion. Its an invigorating glimpse into the miracle of salvation, as well as a strong reminder of where we once were in our sin, and where we need to be as partakers of divine grace. So open your bible as we take one final look at what happens when a sinner meets a seeking savior

A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Pt 2 (#2 of 3) Luke 19:1-10

Is there anything in this life more exciting than when God rescues the soul? In an instant a sinners eyes are opened and his love for sin falls away, his priorities shift and his perspective changes for good. Its a divine transformation. The new creation is born and the old has passed away. And thats how the biblical account of Zacchaes says, but in reality, its just the beginning. It was for Zacchaes as it was for you. In todays concluding message from his three part series of Luke chapter 19, Pastor John MacArthur will show you first hand the characteristics of genuine transformation. It is one of the most stunning reversals in all of scripture And you will see what occurs up close, when Gods love grips the soul. Youll see the fruit of a new life brought to bare a mere moments after conversion. Its an invigorating glimpse into the miracle of salvation, as well as a strong reminder of where we once were in our sin, and where we need to be as partakers of divine grace. So open your bible as we take one final look at what happens when a sinner meets a seeking savior.

A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Pt 2 (#1 of 3) Luke 19:1-10

Is there anything in this life more exciting than when God rescues the soul? In an instant a sinners eyes are opened and his love for sin falls away, his priorities shift and his perspective changes for good. Its a divine transformation. The new creation is born and the old has passed away. And thats how the biblical account of Zacchaes says, but in reality, its just the beginning. It was for Zacchaes as it was for you. In todays concluding message from his three part series of Luke chapter 19, Pastor John MacArthur will show you first hand the characteristics of genuine transformation. It is one of the most stunning reversals in all of scripture And you will see what occurs up close, when Gods love grips the soul. Youll see the fruit of a new life brought to bare a mere moments after conversion. Its an invigorating glimpse into the miracle of salvation, as well as a strong reminder of where we once were in our sin, and where we need to be as partakers of divine grace. So open your bible as we take one final look at what happens when a sinner meets a seeking savior

A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Pt. 1a (#3 of 3) Luke 19:1-10

Why did Jesus come into the world?

Well despite what many believe he didn't come to be a moral leader, he didn't come to show us how to live a good life, he didnt even come to be a great religious teacher, Jesus came for one reason only: To seek and to save the lost. Perhaps nowhere in scripture is that glorious truth more evident than it is in Luke chapter 19 where we find the lone biblical account of a man named Zacchaeus. Now if you've been a believer long you have probably heard of Zacchaeus; a vile tax collector who climbed a tree and found himself in the midst of a divine appointment no one could have ever imagined. This is a story of a lost sheep found, and a tragic life transformed. And more than that, it tells us of a Sheppard who was a savior who pursues. And that too is a story I pray you know well. Open your bibles now as we join Pastor John MacArthur for a front row seat to one of scriptures most exhilarating encounters. The story of our saviors love for Zacchaeus, his love for the lost and his love for us.

A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Pt. 1a (#2 of 3) Luke 19:1-10

Why did Jesus come into the world?

Well despite what many believe he didn't come to be a moral leader, he didn't come to show us how to live a good life, he didnt even come to be a great religious teacher, Jesus came for one reason only: To seek and to save the lost. Perhaps nowhere in scripture is that glorious truth more evident than it is in Luke chapter 19 where we find the lone biblical account of a man named Zacchaeus. Now if youve been a believer long you have probably heard of Zacchaeus; a vile tax collector who climbed a tree and found himself in the midst of a divine appointment no one could have ever imagined. This is a story of a lost sheep found, and a tragic life transformed. And more than that, it tells us of a Sheppard who was a savior who pursues. And that too is a story I pray you know well. Open your bibles now as we join Pastor John MacArthur for a front row seat to one of scriptures most exhilarating encounters. The story of our saviors love for Zacchaeus, his love for the lost and his love for us.

A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Pt. 1a (#1 of 3) Luke 19:1-10

Well despite what many believe he didn't come to be a moral leader, he didn't come to show us how to live a good life, he didnt even come to be a great religious teacher, Jesus came for one reason only: To seek and to save the lost. Perhaps nowhere in scripture is that glorious truth more evident than it is in Luke chapter 19 where we find the lone biblical account of a man named Zacchaeus. Now if you've been a believer long you have probably heard of Zacchaeus; a vile tax collector who climbed a tree and found himself in the midst of a divine appointment no one could have ever imagined. This is a story of a lost sheep found, and a tragic life transformed. And more than that, it tells us of a Sheppard who was a savior who pursues. And that too is a story I pray you know well. Open your bibles now as we join Pastor John MacArthur for a front row seat to one of scriptures most exhilarating encounters. The story of our saviors love for Zacchaeus, his love for the lost and his love for us.

Sermon Outline: Deuteronomy 6:1-9. "Fathering God's Way"

1) A Godly Father knows God (Deuteronomy 6:1-3)

• Hebrews 12:9-11

• Psalm 34:11

• Exodus 3:7-8, 3:17

2) A Godly Father loves God (Deuteronomy 6:4-6)

• Matthew 22:34-38

• Galatians 3:24

3) A Godly Father shows his love for God (Deuteronomy 6:7-9)

• Ephesians 6:4

"The Marks of a Cult" | War of the Worldviews with Eric Holmberg (Episode 3)

War of the Worldviews is the new TV show put out by Eric Holmberg of the Apologetics Group. It airs Monday evenings on the NRB Network. Please check this website for further information: http://www.worldviewwars.com/

Here's the DVD, The Marks of a Cult, that much of this video was taken from. http://bit.ly/aDbKVQ

Our Compassionate Provider (Mark 8:1-10)

Now in the passage before us, we are really looking at the last recorded event in that several month period in which Jesus takes His Twelve into the Gentile nations that surround Galilee. He first made that move in chapter 7 verse 24 when Jesus gathered the Twelve and went to the region of Tyre. That would be a city on the Mediterranean coast north and west of Galilee, Israel, in the area called Syrophoenicia, ancient Phoenicia had been annexed to Syria to the east and it was now one great Syrophoenician Empire. It actually extended all the way east and all the way down south, a southern eastern portion of the Galilee region was also under the control of Syria. So this is Gentile area. Our Lord takes the disciples into a several month foray into that area. There's really only just a couple of incidents that are recorded, verses 24 to 30 of chapter 7 tell about a woman who had a daughter with a demon and she lived in Tyre and the Lord delivered that daughter from the demon and the woman exercised saving faith which in Matthew's account of that Jesus called mega-faith, great faith...

Food from the Master's Table (Mark 7:24-30)

Sermon Outline: Proverbs 1:20-33 "Wisdom's Warning"

1) Wisdom's Cry (Proverbs 1:20–23)
• Deuteronomy 30:19-20
2) Wisdom's Warning (Proverbs 1:24-31)
• Ezekiel 33:7-8
• Psalm 37:1-13
3) Wisdom's Punishments & Rewards (Proverbs 1:32-33)
• Deuteronomy 13:9-10
• Isaiah 32:18

Never Knew: The Danger of False Assurance: Paul Washer

Why Do Children Suffer?

Ray Comfort encounters a woman in Huntington Beach, California challenging him to answer the question "why do children suffer?"

Ray answers the Woman quickly and clearly. The woman was presented with what Scripture says on the matter on more than one occasion; the answer was landing on deaf ears.

Nevertheless, Ray shares the Gospel with the woman before it is all over.

Changing the Rules: Genesis 1-3

The straightforward, literal reading of Genesis 1-3 has proven to be a stubborn obstacle for those who embrace the "millions and billions of years ago" myth. To get around it, some evangelicals try to change the rules of interpretation in the first chapters of Genesis. After all, if the biblical creation account wasn't meant to be taken literally, then those who insist upon a literal, six-day creation aren't just wrong, they are doing violence to authorial intent.

Here's their simple (yet clever) tactic: they start by saying Genesis 1-11, especially the first three chapters, is Hebrew poetry. Some go further, saying it's allegory--the words aren't important; they're just a literary device God used to teach deeper, hidden truths. Liberals deny the supernatural elements altogether, claiming the biblical creation account is nothing but an elaborate myth. The point is, by changing authorial intent, they believe they can change the rules of interpretation too. In plain language, anything goes. Scripture becomes soft clay in the hands of the interpreter, to be molded according to his personal bias.

Is Genesis 1-3 poetry? Is it allegory? How would a poetic or allegorical view of the early chapters of Genesis harmonize with how the rest of Scripture treats the creation account, especially in the New Testament?

Listen to John's sermon excerpt, then reflect on the following scenario for the comment thread: Consider two different interpreters of the creation account—the first believes Genesis to be purely a historical account, but does not believe it. The second believes Genesis 1 and 2 are completely true, but were written as poetry or allegory. Which approach has more integrity, and why?

Creation: Believe It or Not

Throughout this series, John has demonstrated the inability of science to answer the key questions of origins. Scientists tacitly admit that reality when they change or adapt their evolutionary theories to fit new evidence. They call it being honest with the facts; for answering metaphysical questions, we call it a foundation of quicksand.

Can You Study a Miracle?

Maybe it's the legacy of 150 years of evolutionary theory; or maybe it's the basic human need to find an authority source in the vacuum of secular society. Whatever the reason, science is way out of its depth when it comes to questions of origins.

Evolution Is False Religion

There is a kind of science out there—evolutionary science—masquerading as a reliable, objective guide to the truth. But strip away the white lab coat, turn the microscope around, and make the subject the object of your study. Guess what youll find? Its just another false prophet proclaiming his false religion, evolution.

Heres the question for discussion: If a Christian wouldnt try to integrate the Bible with a Mormon, Hindu, or Satanist worldview, what justifies that approach when it comes to evolutionary theories about origins?

How do I help a friend through Postpartum depression?

Dr. Mike Emlet considers a letter from someone trying to help a friend who is struggling after having a baby.