God Glorifying Speech

Stephen Altrogge @ http://www.theblazingcenter.com gives some wise counsel for God-glorifying speech.

From C.J. Mahaney in his book Humility:

A lot of language is flowing out of our mouths every day and having an impact on those around us. But how much of that flow is fulfilling God’s intended purpose for our speech?

Ephesians 4:29 says: Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

God-glorifying speech does several things:

• It builds others up.
  

• It’s appropriate for the occasion.
  

• It gives grace.
  

As C.J. says:

Through each and every interaction, however casual, however brief, I want to impart grace through my words, for that’s God’s purpose in granting us this gift of speech.

Words of Life or Death

How Sin Affects Words

God Cares About our Words

Owning Our Words

The 20th century’s butcher’s bill

From the CIRCE conference & Gene Edward Veith @ http://www.geneveith.com, from a talk by think-tank veteran Barbara Elliott:

From 1901-1987, various governments took 207,500,000 lives.

The number of people killed by their own governments was approximately 169,000,000.

The Soviet Union killed 62,000,000. (Stalin alone: 42,000,000)

Communist China: 35,000,000.

Nazi Germany: 21,000,000

Sermon Outline: “God is Eternal” . Isaiah 40:27-31

1) The Wonder of the Eternal God Declared (Isaiah 40:27)

2) The Renown of the Eternal God Delineated (Isaiah 40:28)

Psalm 121:3-4

Romans 11:33

3) The Blessings of the Eternal God Displayed (Isaiah 40:29-31)

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Isaiah 8:17

Psalm 37:5

Exodus 19:4

Psalm 103:1-5

Being a Constant Worshiper

Joel Harris @ http://www.therebelution.com outlines important elements of worship for youth. He begins with a quote from John Piper:

“Worship - whether an inner act of the heart, or an outward act of the body, or of the congregation collectively - is a magnifying of God. That is, it is an act that shows how magnificent He is. It is an act that reveals or expresses how great and glorious He is. Worship is all about consciously reflecting the worth or value of God.” - John Piper, Desiring God Ministries

He then explains his approach:

From the beginning, worship has been an important aspect of the Rebelution. In the broadest sense, since everything we do as Christians is worship, all the hard things, both big and small, should be attempted for God’s glory. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

But in the more narrow sense, Rebelutionaries, including the Harris family, have always been passionate about singing God’s praise. We love worship as it’s defined by the Psalmist, “Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” (Psalm 96:2-3)

He cautions and explains the dangers of:

• Low Expectations in Worship

In the book Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin writes that:

“each of us has a battle raging within us over what we love most — God or something else.” He’s right. Worship is crucial, because every day there is a battle raging for our hearts. The enemy wants us to find our joy in the pleasures of sin and the distractions of this world. It’s vital that we fight back, for God makes it clear in His Word that if He doesn’t have our hearts, our outward service is wasted energy (Matthew 15:8-9).

Summary

We must fight for joy in God using the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. One way we do that is through songs which drive biblical truth deep into our hearts, so we can draw upon it in the midst of the fray. If the words are faithful and God-centered, they will provide fuel for our faith. And if the music is skillfully crafted, it will move our souls and ignite new passion for the cause.

He concludes by giving a few challenges::

1. Sing.

2. Expand your music-listening horizons.

Paul Tripp: What Makes Bad Language Bad?

WARNING: Specific language is used that is offensive to teach particular truths.

Desiring God 2008 National Conference Speaker Interview: Paul Tripp

What Did Calvary Look Like? An Interview with Leen Ritmeyer

Justin Taylor @ http://theologica.blogspot.com gives some background on the forthcoming ESV Study Bible

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday after Passover (probably in April of 33 A.D.) at “Golgotha” (Aramaic for “Place of a Skull”; the Latin Vulgate translated it as “Calvary”). After he died, his body was wrapped in linen clothes and placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s newly hewn tomb, located in a garden.

We brought together the best people we could find to help us reconstruct what Golgotha and the tomb would have looked like. So we employed the skills of archaeological architect Leen Ritmeyer, widely considered the world’s leading authority on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Dr. Ritmeyer was the chief architect of the Temple Mount Excavations which took place in Jerusalem after the Six-Day War. He served in a similar capacity in the Jewish Quarter Excavations and also in the City of David Excavations, producing important reconstruction drawings for all of them and for many other sites in Israel and Bible Lands.

Below is our reconstruction of Golgotha, which can be seen in the foreground, with the massive Temple Mount in the background. The viewpoint of the drawing is from the northwest. (Click the picture to enlarge it to full size.)

He asks:

Let’s start with the internal evidence for Golgotha; what do we know about the location from the biblical evidence alone? Here is a picture of the exposed top of Calvary:


When was the site of the Holy Sepulcher built, and when was it first identified with the location of Golgotha?


What can you see today of Golgotha within the church?

Most of the rock remains are hidden behind and under the different chapels in the church. However, below the altar in the Greek Orthodox chapel there is a hole through which one can touch the rock. The rest of the rock can also be seen below a glass cover, see picture below:

In 1883 General Charles Gordon argued that the real Golgotha was located to the north of the Old City of Jerusalem in the Garden Tomb. Why do most archaeologists today reject that location as the place where Jesus was crucified and buried?

In the ESVSB painting one can see the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. Where exactly is the so-called Wailing Wall where many Jews have prayed and worshiped over the last 700 years?




The red outline below is the approximate location of the “Wailing Wall” on the drawing:


How many years have you spent working on the Temple Mount reconstructions? What degree of confidence do you have that what we see today in these drawings is what it looked like then?


Despite decades of work on the Temple Mount, you had never before drawn it from the northwest, showing it in relation to Golgotha. Why not?


It’s probably the combination of lack of knowledge plus the result of seeing too many popular films on the life of Christ, but the mental image I always had was a hill far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. But according to the ESV Study Bible depiction, when Jesus was talking to the thief on his left, he would have seen the massive Herodian Temple in the background. As he looked out at his beloved friend John and his mother Mary he would have seen the Hasmonean Palace and Herod’s Palace in the distance behind them, where he had stood the night before in front of Herod and Pilate. From the cross he could perhaps have seen the tomb into which his dead body would soon be laid. It changes the entire setting, doesn’t it?


Any thoughts on the final result of the Golgotha painting rendered by Maltings?

the Tomb of Jesus. Our drawing is below (click image to enlarge to full size):

After it was confirmed that Jesus was dead, the Bible tells us that his body was taken to a garden and laid in Joseph of Arimathea’s newly hewn tomb (Matt. 27:60; Luke 23:53; John 19:41). Why is that important information for archaeologists?

Other reconstructions of Jesus’ tomb show burial niches carved into the wall. Why are these lacking in the ESV Study Bible illustration?

Within the tomb where did they probably place Jesus' body?

How big would such a rock have been?

How big would have been the entrance to the tomb?

Thanks, Dr. Ritmeyer, for taking the time to do this interview, and for the countless hours you invested in this project. Any final thoughts?

Myths Christians Believe About Wealth and Poverty

Justin Taylor @ http://theologica.blogspot.com profiles Jay W. Richards (Ph.D. in philosophy and theology from Princeton) on his forthcoming HarperOne book in 2009: Money, Guilt and God: A Christian Case for Capitalism.

At the recent Acton University 2008 Dr. Richards gave a lectured entitled, Don’t Just Care – Think: Myths Christians Believe About Wealth and Poverty, based on his forthcoming book. Dr. Richards granted permission for me to reprint here his outline/handout:

For Christians, compassion for the poor is a non-negotiable. Compassion alone, however, doesn’t help the poor. In fact, many ideas that Christian leaders advocate really exacerbate the very problems they were intended to solve. So how do we insure that we not only mean well, but also do good? We have to learn to think economically about wealth and poverty.

Don’t worry. At its base, economics isn’t supply/demand charts and complicated math. Rather, the “art of economics,” as Henry Hazlitt puts it, “consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.”

One way to do this is to learn to recognize eight simple myths that many well meaning Christians believe when they think about wealth and poverty.

1. The nirvana myth (contrasting capitalism with an unrealizable ideal rather than with its live alternatives)
2. The zero-sum game myth (believing that wealth gained in one place always means that wealth was lost someplace else)
3. The materialist myth (believing that intellect cannot create new wealth)
4. The greed myth (believing that the essence of capitalism is greed)
5. The usury myth (believing that charging interest on money is always exploitive)
6. The piety myth (focusing on our good intentions rather than the unintended consequences of our actions)
7. The artsy myth (confusing aesthetic judgments with economic arguments)
8. The freeze frame myth (believing that things always stay the same—for example, assuming population trends will continue indefinitely or treating “rich” and “poor” as static
categories)

Each of these mistakes is easy to expose in the abstract, but easy to forget in practice. Remember them, however, and you’ll be immunized against a lot of economic falderal, even if you never take a course on economics, and you’ll begin to appreciate the value of a free market economy for creating wealth. Finally, and most importantly, you’ll be much more likely to advocate policies that not only have good purposes, but also good results.

We all need Biblical Literacy

Woodrow Kroll on Biblical Illiteracy

Kelly Randolph @ http://www.ecclesiophilist.com reviews a conference featuring Dr. Woodrow Kroll. He notes that:

Kroll preached a challenging message on the issue of biblical illiteracy. He stated some statistical research from Barna, Gallup, and the research arm of Back to the Bible which reveals that people are ignorant of the Bible. This problem is not confined to the general culture. Rather, the evidence suggests that it is a problem among evangelical church-goers as well. This problem has resulted in a lack of discernment which Dr. Kroll from Back to the Bible. Dr. described as a failure to find "true north" on spiritual matters.

Dr. Kroll stated seven problems resulting from biblical illiteracy:

1) It has caused moral apathy among Christians.
2) It has robbed us of answers to the key questions of life.
3) It has hastened the dumbing down of the church.
4) It creates a lack of intimacy with God.
5) It decreases the value of Christianity among other religions.
6) It diminishes the urgency for evangelism.
7) It hampers our ability to find true north spiritually.

Dr. Kroll went on to suggest seven things each person can do to recover spiritual "true north."

1) Read the Bible to be transformed not just informed.
2) Read the Bible to metabolize it.
3) Read the Bible by tithing your time to God.
4) Read the Bible for God's purpose not yours.
5) Read your Bible and chart your spiritual growth.
6) Read your Bible and make it personal.
7) Read your Bible and make a covenant with God to do it.

Research done by Back to the Bible showed that a person who engages with Scripture at least four times per week shows a marked difference in their lifestyle. His message was a good reminder that the church will always be spiritually anemic and even inept without regular engagement with God's Word.

A Work of the Spirit

From John MacArthur @ http://www.sfpulpit.com

How can a true work of the Holy Spirit be distinguished from a false one?

From a careful study of 1 John 4, the great theologian and pastor Jonathan Edwards was able to identify five distinguishing characteristics of the Holy Spirit’s work. In short, a true work of the Holy Spirit: (1) Exalts the true Christ, (2) Opposes Satan’s interests, (3) Points people to the Scriptures, (4) Elevates truth, and (5) Results in love for God and others.

The following material is condensed, adapted and excerpted from Jonathan Edwards’s The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God.

1) It Exalts the True Christ.

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” (John 4:2-3)

2) It Opposes Satan’s Interests

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.” (1 John 4:4-5)

3) It Points People to the Scriptures

“We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:6)

4) It Elevates Truth

“We know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (v. 6).

5) It Results in Love for God and Others

“The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” [v. 8].

Conclusion

These marks that the apostle has given us are sufficient to stand alone and support themselves. They plainly show the finger of God and are sufficient to outweigh a thousand such little objections as many make from oddities, irregularities, errors in conduct, and the delusions and scandals of some professors. But here some may object. After all, the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:13-14, “Such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

To which I answer that this can be no objection against the sufficiency of these marks to distinguish the true from the false spirit in those false apostles and prophets — even when the devil is transformed into an angel of light. After all, the very reason the apostle John gave these marks was so that we could test the spirits. Therefore try the spirits by these rules and you will be able to distinguish the true spirit from the false — even under such a crafty disguise.

The "Seeker"-Sensitive "Gospel" Leads Men Straight to Hell

"Ah, we're just reaching the culture... Don't be so legalistic!" - It's the cry from those who believe that being conformed to the world instead of being transformed by the renewing of our mind actually helps God.

Many of the proponents of "seeker" friendly mentality hold this issue to be a little matter of dispute between those who hold to sound doctrine and those who would rather tickle ears for a season than have men's souls saved for eternity. The apostle Paul, himself, disagreed with these people, though. He said if anyone including angels from Heaven presents any other Gospel than the one you've initially received from the apostles of God and Jesus Christ, let him be anathema (the strongest curse one could give)! Mark Kielar explains why the message will never be able to cater to unbelief because the very message of the Gospel is "Repent AND Believe."

http://www.crosstv.com
(Part of the series "How God Converts the Human Soul")

What Is Baptism, and How Important Is It?

Colossians 2:8-15

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

John Piper@ http://www.desiringgod.org is on part 2 of a 3-part series on baptism and church membership and this Week he deals with "What Is Baptism, and How Important Is It?"

Baptism is:

1. a command of Jesus,
2. that expresses union with him,
3. by immersion in water,
4. in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit,
5. for believers only.
   

He notes:

A sense of the continuity of the old and new covenants leads some people to baptize infants. But the argument for infant baptism doesn't work textually or covenantally.

Textually, the apostle Paul makes plain that baptism is for those who have been raised with Jesus through faith (Col. 2:12) and are sons of God through faith (Gal. 3:26–27). Baptism is not for those who don't have faith in Jesus—whether adult unbelievers or infants.

Covenantally, while the old-covenant sign of circumcision was administered to males after their physical birth into the national people of God, the new-covenant sign of baptism is to be administered to both males and females after their spiritual birth into the international people of God. New birth by the gospel now provides entrance into the people of God, not physical birth, and is marked by believer baptism, not circumcision.

for the full version see http://www.desiringgod.org

Baptism & Obedience

Excerpts of J. L. Reynolds book The Kingdom of Christ which has been reprinted in Mark Dever's outstanding book Polity: A Collection of Historic Baptist Documents.

Baptism is an Initiatory Act of Obedience

Baptism has been placed, by Christ, at the beginning of all the outward duties which he requires of his followers. It is, therefore, an initiatory service. But all agree that, as in the case of the Ethiopian Eunuch, baptism does not introduce to membership in a particular church; and it is clear that an individual must be a member of Christ’s spiritual body, before baptism, or any other duty, can be acceptably performed. "Without me ye can do nothing." [from Chapter III . The Church of Christ, emphasis mine]

Baptism is not, like the Lord’s supper, a social rite. It signifies the fellowship of the individual believer with Christ, not the fellowship of believers with one another. The obligation to be baptized is independent of the obligation to form social relations with other disciples, and is prior. Baptism, is, therefore, a qualification for admission into a Church of external organization; but it does not confer membership. [from Chapter III . The Church of Christ, emphasis mine]

Thus the Church Must Be Only Baptized Believers

The New Testament contains traces of only two Christian ordinances. These are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Of the two, the latter alone is strictly a Church ordinance. A Church is composed of baptized believers. Baptism is indispensable to their admission into it, but it does not make them Church members. [from Chapter XIV. Baptism, emphasis mine]

Thus Baptism is a Prerequisite for Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper is a social ordinance, and is celebrated by a church in its distinctive character, as a body of baptized believers. Whatever, therefore, determines the conditions of membership, defines also the terms of communion. That baptism is prior to the supper, in the order of their observance, and, therefore, that only the baptized have a right to commune, is so unquestionably the teaching of the Word of God, and was so manifestly the practice of the primitive churches, that we are not surprised at the almost universal agreement of Christians on this point. The splendor of a great name may, for a time, give prominence to the opposite error, which inverts the order of the rites; and a spurious charity may plead for its adoption; but the subject is too plain to admit of much diversity of sentiment or practice. It has, indeed, scarcely ever been deemed worthy of a labored discussion. All the professed followers of the Redeemer, in all ages, with the exception of a very small minority, have concurred in the opinion that the Scriptures make Baptism an indispensable prerequisite to the Lord’s Supper. [1 Cor 12: 13; Eph 4: 5; 6: 18; Jno. 17: 20–26; Rom 16: 1, 2 ; 3 Jno. 8–10 ; Acts 15.] [from Chapter XV. The Lord’s Supper, emphasis mine]

[Baptist] hold that nothing but the immersion of a believer is baptism; but as they maintain, in common with other denominations, that baptism must precede communion, they cannot receive any one who has not been immersed. It is perfectly clear, therefore, that the only question at issue between them, and the others, is as to what constitutes baptism... To receive unimmersed persons to their communion, would amount not only to a virtual renunciation of their own views of baptism, but an abandonment of the fundamental law of communion, in the churches of Christ in general. [Acts 11 : 22–27; 15 : 22–27; 18: 27; Eph 6 : 21; 1 Cor 16 : 15–18.] [from Chapter XV. The Lord’s Supper]

Skills and Bills: Working with Churches & Contractors

Brad Abare @ http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com discusses a recent comment about churches paying their bills. He laments:

I've been ripped off and taken advantage of more than I care to even remember when it comes to "working for the Lord." Although it's easy to slip into bitterness-mode, I've always found more harm than help doing that.

He list a few suggestions that can help you--whether you're paying or being paid.

• Do your homework.
  
• Write it down.
  
• Communicate changes.
  
• Agree to a deposit.
  
• Pay your bills on time or earlier.
  
• Part purposefully.
  

Layman's guide to the key drivers of the 21st century church

Seven Solas of the Modern Church

Scott Brown @ http://www.scottbrownonline.com lists the Seven Solas of the Modern Church.

1. Sola Cultura - let culture define church life
2. Sola Successa - let numerical success legitimize activities
3. Sola Entertaina - let entertainment be the guiding principle
4. Sola Edificia - let the edifice be the center of church life
5. Sola Programma - let programs dominate the peoples time
6. Sola Thralldoma – let the people be enslaved by whatever thrills them
7. Sola Processa – let the church be managed by business philosophies and processes

Contrast these with The Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation.

Sermon Outline: Psalm 139:13-18 “God is Omnipotent”

Revelation 19:6

Jeremiah 32:17

Psalm 115:3

1) God Creates and arranges our bodies within the womb (139:13–15)

Job 10:8-12

Romans 9:20

Psalm 111:2

Colossians 1:16-17

Hebrews 1:3a

2) God schedules each day of our lives before we are born (139:16).
Ephesians 2:10

Jeremiah 1:5

Galatians 1:15

3) God thinks wonderful and innumerable thoughts about us constantly
(Psalm 139:17–18).

Psalm 40:5

Psalm 139:19-24

CHARISMATIC CHAOS

CHARISMATIC CHAOS Part 1


Dr. John MacArthur jr. from Grace to You on the Charismatic Movement.

CHARISMATIC CHAOS Part 2


CHARISMATIC CHAOS Part 3

The Emerging Church: The New Worldly Church

Doug Brown @ http://sharperiron.org has reprinted an article from The Faith Pulpit (May-June 2008), a publication of Faith Baptist Theological Seminary (Ankeny, IA).

He begins:

The emerging church (or emergent church) is an elusive movement.¹ Attempting to understand and explain the emerging church is admittedly difficult. However, the movement is impacting the church today and needs our attention. This article will give an overview of the emerging church and offer some basic critiques.

His article defines:

What Is the Emerging Church?

Eddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger offer this nuanced definition:

Emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures. This definition encompasses nine practices. Emerging churches (1) identify with the life of Jesus, (2) transform the secular realm, and (3) live highly communal lives. Because of these three activities, they (4) welcome the stranger, (5) serve with generosity, (6) participate as producers, (7) create as created beings, (8) lead as a body, and (9) take part in spiritual activities.³

Emergent leaders intend to minister “as” postmoderns. Individuals such as Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Marcus Borg, and Rob Bell fit here.

How Did the Emerging Church Emerge?

What Are Emerging Churches Like?

How Should We Evaluate the Emerging Church?

Without claiming mastery of the emerging church, he offers two critiques:

• Relevancy to culture

"many in emerging circles seem to have “thrown the baby out with the bath water” when it comes to the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 9:19–27 Paul explained the need for relevancy and contextualization to those whom he ministered. Yet he knew that the preaching of the cross was a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:18–25). Paul never changed his message to somehow “click” with the current crowd. He realized that the message of the cross brought the aroma of life to some and the aroma of death to others (2 Cor. 2:14–16). In addition, Paul explicitly warned about altering the preaching of God’s Word to accommodate the world’s itching ears (2 Tim. 4:1–5). The emerging church is ultimately worldly because of its uncritical embrace of postmodern culture".

• Hermeneutics

Where Do We Go from Here?

"My biggest concern is with the next generation in our churches. Are we preparing our young people with the Biblical worldview and epistemological grounding to handle the postmodern abyss? Parents and pastors need to disciple and equip their youth so that they can face this new threat. Postmodernity will continue to present new sets of questions and problems for our young people to navigate. The question is whether we are meeting this challenge".

Leaving a Legacy for the Next Generation

Doug Smith @ http://sharperiron.org has an interesting post on the Foundations of Spiritual Parenting. He starts with the Shemah:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
—Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NKJV)

From this he covers:

The Priority: Relationship: v.5-6

The Process: Repetition: v. 7

He concludes with:

When all that generation [the one that had heard God’s Word through Moses] had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel . . . and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods . . . and they provoked the LORD to anger.” (Judg. 2:10, 12 NKJV)

Get Service

This video was shown at the Lutheran Church Canada convention. Recall that the purpose of every vocation is to love and serve not so much God in isolation but, as He commands, your neighbor. (Luther: “God doesn’t need your good works; but your neighbor does.”)