Logos Global Bible Reader Program

If you have not heard about this program you have to get it, and I am not just saying that because I am a Logos fan-boy. First of all it is FREE! and works incredibly well with a clean look and feel. It is pre-loaded with the King James and ESV bible versions and a solid array of reading programs to choose from. I have it on my home computer and work computer to help me stay on track. Give it a try, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain, especially if you are one of those that according to Logos research falls off of your reading schedule in March.

GET IT HERE FOR FREE NOW!

What it is in their words:

Global Bible Reader helps you stay on track with your daily Bible readings by connecting you to a community of people all following the same reading schedule. Global Bible Reader presents you with today’s reading, keeps track of your progress, and lets you communicate with everyone else who’s reading with you.

Colporteurs: Bringing the Bible to Black Americans

The term "colporteur" is not familiar to most people. But those who acted as colporteurs for the American Bible Society formed an essential link between the Bible and African Americans. Dating back to 1796, it comes from a French word that came to refer to those who travel to sell or distribute Bibles and religious writings.

The Bible has always played a significant role in the African American religious experience and also has been a primary source for literacy skills for many. The American Bible Society has vigorously worked to share the Word of God with the African American community since its founding in 1816. At the beginning of the 20th century the Bible Society created a new form of Scripture distribution that significantly increased the role of African Americans in providing Scriptures to their communities.

In 1900, Bible Society leaders responded to the new situations created by the Supreme Court's "separate but equal" decision and the uneven Bible distribution in the southern states by launching the "Agency Among the Colored People of the South." The creation of this Agency was a direct response to the racism that African Americans were experiencing. The new Agency's sole purpose was to distribute the Bible among African Americans in the South. In developing the Agency, the Bible Society was making a statement that all people are children of God and no one should be marginalized because of their race.

With the launching of the Agency, the leaders of the Bible Society placed the distribution of God's Word in the hands of African American colporteurs - home missionaries in the South. The door-to-door standard method of distribution was successful in rural areas and when furnishing Scriptures to blacks living in urban areas, colporteurs received significant help from black churches.

The initial group of six colporteurs worked in six states: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and South Carolina. By 1920, 16 colporteurs were at work in 13 states. Most of the colporteurs were seminary-trained members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Their outreach extended to many other traditional African American denominations, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the former Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (now Christian Methodist Episcopal Church), and the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.

Most people received the colporteurs warmly, gathered their families together, and requested them to read selections aloud. A colporteur's arrival was a special event, which helped overcome feelings of separation and isolation for rural families. In the cities, colporteurs found established African American neighborhoods with thriving local institutions. The local African American church usually provided a focal point for introducing and carrying out the work of the Bible Society. Colporteurs also engaged in furnishing the Bible to those huddled on street corners, highways and in rail stations.

Over the years, the Agency expanded and provided spiritual refuge to families, servicemen and youth. Their work eventually led the Bible Society to reconsider its approach to sharing God's Word with African Americans who were, indeed "equal," but still segregated.

So it was in 1959 that the Bible Society visibly identified with intensified protests against segregation and moved to take part in the fight for civil rights by eliminating aspects of its operation that bore any semblance to segregation. This made the valuable, but segregated, work of the colporteurs an anachronism. An internal reorganization ended the Bible Society's special mission among African Americans in the United States.

To this day the American Bible Society has kept its commitment to building strong relationships with America's African American communities in carrying out the mission of sharing the Good News. Information about colporteurs, in addition to a wealth of information about the African American religious story, can be found in the American Bible Society's African American Jubilee Edition of the Bible. This edition contains nearly 300 pages of articles, papers and art that provide a lens through which to view the African American experience.

Founded in 1816 and headquartered in New York City, the mission of the American Bible Society is to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford, so that all people may experience its life-changing message. The American Bible Society Web site is http://www.bibles.com/.

Predestined to be Chosen by God

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, `How have you loved us?’ “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” the Lord says. “Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated. . . .”
MALACHI 1:2-3

The forty and more writers who produced the sixty-six books of Scripture over something like fifteen hundred years saw themselves and their readers as caught up in the outworking of God’s sovereign purpose for his world, the purpose that led him to create, that sin then disrupted, and that his work of redemption is currently restoring. That purpose in essence was, and is, the endless expression and enjoyment of love between God and his rational creatures—love shown in their worship, praise, thanks, honor, glory, and service given to him, and in the fellowship, privileges, joys, and gifts that he gives to them.

The writers look back at what has already been done to advance God’s redemptive plan for sin-damaged planet earth, and they look ahead to the day of its completion, when planet earth will be re-created in unimaginable glory (Isa. 65:17-25; 2 Pet. 3:10-13; Rev. 21:1–22:5). They proclaim God as the almighty Creator-Redeemer and dwell constantly on the multifaceted works of grace that God performs in history to secure for himself a people, a great company of individuals together, with whom his original purpose of giving and receiving love can be fulfilled. And the writers insist that as God has shown himself absolutely in control in bringing his plan to the point it has reached as they write, so he will continue in total control, working out everything according to his own will and so completing his redemptive project. It is within this frame of reference (Eph. 1:9-14; 2:4-10; 3:8-11; 4:11-16) that questions about predestination belong.

Predestination is a word often used to signify God’s foreordaining of all the events of world history, past, present, and future, and this usage is quite appropriate. In Scripture and mainstream theology, however, predestination means specifically God’s decision, made in eternity before the world and its inhabitants existed, regarding the final destiny of individual sinners. In fact, the New Testament uses the words predestination and election (the two are one), only of God’s choice of particular sinners for salvation and eternal life (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4-5, 11). Many have pointed out, however, that Scripture also ascribes to God an advance decision about those who finally are not saved (Rom. 9:6-29; 1 Pet. 2:8; Jude 4), and so it has become usual in Protestant theology to define God’s predestination as including both his decision to save some from sin (election) and his decision to condemn the rest for their sin (reprobation), side by side.

To the question, “On what basis did God choose individuals for salvation?” it is sometimes replied: on the basis of his foreknowledge that when faced with the gospel they would choose Christ as their Savior. In that reply, foreknowledge means passive foresight on God’s part of what individuals are going to do, without his predetermining their action. But

(a) Foreknow in Romans 8:29; 11:2 (cf. 1 Pet. 1:2 and 1:20, where the NIV renders the Greek foreknown as “chosen” ) means “fore-love” and “fore-appoint”: it does not express the idea of a spectator’s anticipation of what will spontaneously happen.

(b) Since all are naturally dead in sin (i.e., cut off from the life of God and unresponsive to him), no one who hears the gospel will ever come to repentance and faith without an inner quickening that only God can impart (Eph. 2:4-10). Jesus said: “No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him” (John 6:65, cf. 44; 10:25-28). Sinners choose Christ only because God chose them for this choice and moved them to it by renewing their hearts.

Though all human acts are free in the sense of being self-determined, none are free from God’s control according to his eternal purpose and foreordination.

Christians should therefore thank God for their conversion, look to him to keep them in the grace into which he has brought them, and confidently await his final triumph, according to his plan.

Is the Human Heart Evil Beyond Redemption?

So perverse is the human heart that even when a person grows up under the constant sound of the gospel and hears the Word preached regularly, and has surrounding him or her godly models of the Christian life, unless God acts in sovereign grace, there will be no saving faith in the heart. Well did John Calvin put it in his Treatise on Eternal Election (1562): ‘It is not within our power to convert ourselves from our evil life, unless God changes us and cleanses us by his Holy Spirit.’[1]

HT: Michael Haykin

Churches Battle NFL for Super Bowl Use

God vs. Gridiron
As Church Super Bowl Parties Are Busted By NFL, Some Pastors Try End Runs

One unlikely match-up Sunday pits two powerhouse opponents against each other: the National Football League and the Christian church.

On one side are church-sponsored Super Bowl parties with big-screen TVs, soft drinks and some soul-saving talk at halftime. On the other are NFL lawyers threatening to crack down on unauthorized use of the game. The league, which owns both the Super Bowl name and the broadcast, has restrictions that limit TV screens to 55 inches at public viewings, except at venues like bars and restaurants that regularly broadcast sporting events. Airing the game at events that promote a message, including a religious message, is forbidden.

Churches have long used the Super Bowl to draw newcomers and build fellowship among congregants. But in the face of legal threats, many are scaling back. Last month, a congregation of deaf Christians in upstate New York scratched plans to broadcast the game with closed captioning after learning they might be sued. At the First Baptist Church in Summerfield, N.C., the Rev. Richard Odom canceled plans to host 500 people. "God didn't command us to watch the Super Bowl," he says.

Others have rebranded their events as "Big Game Fellowship" or "Superb Owl" parties to avoid the trademarked phrase Super Bowl, or moved their parties to restaurants or congregants' homes to dodge the league's screen-size restrictions for "mass out-of-home viewings."

Click here to read more.

True Knowledge of God Can Only Come Through Faith

“But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. JEREMIAH 9:24

In 1 Timothy 6:20-21 Paul warns Timothy against “what is falsely called knowledge (Greek gnosis), which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.” Paul is attacking theosophical and religious tendencies that developed into Gnosticism in the second century a.d. Teachers of these beliefs and practices told believers to see their Christian commitment as a somewhat confused first step along the road to “knowledge,” and urged them to take more steps along that road. But these teachers viewed the material order as worthless and the body as a prison for the soul, and they treated illumination as the complete answer to human spiritual need. They denied that sin was any part of the problem, and the “knowledge” they offered had to do only with spells, celestial passwords, and disciplines of mysticism and detachment. They reclassified Jesus as a supernatural teacher who had looked human, though he was not; the Incarnation and the Atonement they denied, and replaced Christ’s call to a life of holy love with either prescriptions for asceticism or permission for licentiousness. Paul’s letters to Timothy (1 Tim. 1:3-4; 4:1-7; 6:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:1-9); Jude 4, 8-19; 2 Peter 2; and John’s first two letters (1 John 1:5-10; 2:9-11, 18-29; 3:7-10; 4:1-6, 5:1-12; 2 John 7-11) are explicitly opposing beliefs and practices that would later emerge as Gnosticism.

By contrast, Scripture speaks of “knowing” God as the spiritual person’s ideal: namely, the fullness of a faith-relationship that brings salvation and eternal life and generates love, hope, obedience, and joy. (See, for example, Exod. 33:13; Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:8-12; Dan. 11:32; John 17:3; Gal. 4:8-9; Eph. 1:17-19; 3:19; Phil. 3:8-11; 2 Tim. 1:12.) The dimensions of this knowledge are intellectual (knowing the truth about God: Deut. 7:9; Ps. 100:3); volitional (trusting, obeying, and worshiping God in terms of that truth); and moral (practicing justice and love: Jer. 22:16; 1 John 4:7-8). Faith-knowledge focuses on God incarnate, the man Christ Jesus, the mediator between God and us sinners, through whom we come to know his Father as our Father (John 14:6). Faith seeks to know Christ and his power specifically (Phil. 3:8-14). Faith’s knowledge is the fruit of regeneration, the bestowal of a new heart (Jer. 24:7; 1 John 5:20), and of illumination by the Spirit (2 Cor. 4:6; Eph. 1:17). The knowledge-relationship is reciprocal, implying covenantal affection on both sides: we know God as ours because he knows us as his (John 10:14; Gal. 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:19).

All Scripture has been given to help us know God in this way. Let us labor to use it for its proper purpose.

No resurrection, No Christianity

James A. Scroggins, Jr., dean of Boyce College, was one of three professors to sign the Abstract of Principles during Spring Convocation Tuesday at Southern Seminary. The Abstract is Southern Seminary's confession of faith. Professors must agree to teach "in accordance with and not contrary to" the statement of faith and signing the document is public affirmation of their agreement.

Without the truthfulness of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, there is no Christianity and no salvation for sinners, R. Albert Mohler Jr. told students and faculty during the annual Spring Convocation Tuesday at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

To read more click here.

Belgic Confession: Article 13: The Doctrine of God's Providence

We believe that this good God, after he created all things, did not abandon them to chance or fortune but leads and governs them according to his holy will, in such a way that nothing happens in this world without his orderly arrangement.

Yet God is not the author of, nor can he be charged with, the sin that occurs. For his power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible that he arranges and does his work very well and justly even when the devils and wicked men act unjustly.

We do not wish to inquire with undue curiosity into what he does that surpasses human understanding and is beyond our ability to comprehend. But in all humility and reverence we adore the just judgments of God, which are hidden from us, being content to be Christ's disciples, so as to learn only what he shows us in his Word, without going beyond those limits.

This doctrine gives us unspeakable comfort since it teaches us that nothing can happen to us by chance but only by the arrangement of our gracious heavenly Father. He watches over us with fatherly care, keeping all creatures under his control, so that not one of the hairs on our heads (for they are all numbered) nor even a little bird can fall to the ground^20 without the will of our Father.

In this thought we rest, knowing that he holds in check the devils and all our enemies, who cannot hurt us without his permission and will.

For that reason we reject the damnable error of the Epicureans, who say that God involves himself in nothing and leaves everything to chance.

^20 Matt. 10:29-30

To read the Belgic Confession click here.

Signs of the Apocolypse: Jesus Wants Your Vote -- and He Needs a Running Mate

He walked on water, he turned water to wine, and now he wants to be your candidate for president. That's right, it's Jesus, ready to lead the free world after George W. Bush leaves the White House. There's only one hitch: He doesn't have a platform. Jesus' would-be political goals are up for a vote on a new Web site launched this month, www.jesusin2008.com. A sort of nominating convention, the site invites participants to academically infer his stances on modern politics and choose a contemporary running mate, using the results as a voting guide in November. “I'm probably not alone in feeling that somehow we are not getting the best possible candidates for president or the best possible process,” says Stephen Heffner, the site's creator.

To read more click here.

How Bad Do You Need Your Coffee?

I think this about sums it up for me.

HT: Shane Vander Hart

Christians Can Understand the Word of God

Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
PSALM 119:34

All Christians have a right and duty not only to learn from the church’s heritage of faith but also to interpret Scripture for themselves. The church of Rome doubts this, alleging that individuals easily misinterpret the Scriptures. This is true; but the following rules, faithfully observed, will help prevent that from happening.

Every book of Scripture is a human composition, and though it should always be revered as the inerrant Word of God, interpretation of it must start from its human character. Allegorizing, therefore, which disregards the human writer’s expressed meaning is never appropriate.

Each book was written not in code but in a way that could be understood by the readership to which it was addressed. This is true even of the books that primarily use symbolism: Daniel, Zechariah, and Revelation. The main thrust is always clear, even if details are clouded. So when we understand the words used, the historical background, and the cultural conventions of the writer and his readers, we are well on the way to grasping the thoughts that are being conveyed. Spiritual understanding—that is, the discernment of the reality of God, his ways with humankind, his present will, and one’s own relationship to him now and for the future—will not however reach us from the text until the veil is removed from our hearts and we are able to share the writer’s own passion to know and please and honor God (2 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 2:14). Prayer that God’s Spirit may generate this passion in us and show us God in the text is needed here. (See Ps. 119:18-19, 26-27, 33-34, 73, 125, 144, 169; Eph. 1:17-19; 3:16-19.)

Each book had its place in the progress of God’s revelation of grace, which began in Eden and reached its climax in Jesus Christ, Pentecost, and the apostolic New Testament. That place must be borne in mind when studying the text. The Psalms, for instance, model the godly heart in every age, but express its prayers and praises in terms of the typical realities (earthly kings, kingdoms, health, wealth, war, long life) that circumscribed the life of grace in the pre-Christian era.

Each book proceeded from the same divine mind, so the teaching of the Bible’s sixty-six books will be complementary and self-consistent. If we cannot yet see this, the fault is in us, not in Scripture. It is certain that Scripture nowhere contradicts Scripture; rather, one passage explains another. This sound principle of interpreting Scripture by Scripture is sometimes called the analogy of Scripture or the analogy of faith.

Each book exhibits unchanging truth about God, humanity, godliness, and ungodliness, applied to and illustrated by particular situations in which individuals and groups found themselves. The final stage in biblical interpretation is to reapply these truths to our own life-situations; this is the way to discern what God in Scripture is saying to us at this moment. Examples of such reapplication are Josiah’s realization of God’s wrath at Judah’s failure to observe his law (2 Kings 22:8-13), Jesus’ reasoning from Genesis 2:24 (Matt. 19:4-6), and Paul’s use of Genesis 15:6 and Psalm 32:1-2 to show the reality of present righteousness by faith (Rom. 4:1-8).

No meaning may be read into or imposed on Scripture that cannot with certainty be read out of Scripture—shown, that is, to be unambiguously expressed by one or more of the human writers.

Careful and prayerful observance of these rules is a mark of every Christian who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

Baptists Come Together by Splitting Apart??

They say they are trying to bring Baptists together - which is kind of interesting since it seems that they are really dividing. I also have to admit that moderate in today's language sounds the same as luke-warm in biblical language. If I were to go down this path more than likely I think it would end in a compromise of the theological and doctrinal positions that I believe are essential. I appreciate the statements in the article by Richard Land and believe he is dead-on.

Article:

For more than 150 years, Baptists in the United States have splintered along political, theological and racial lines. But this week, some of the country’s largest Baptist groups — representing about 20 million believers — will meet to try to mend the old fractures and, some leaders say, present a more diverse and moderate image of their faith than the one offered by the conservative Southern Baptist Convention.

The three-day meeting of more than 30 groups — known as the New Baptist Covenant Celebration, which begins on Wednesday in Atlanta — is a result of efforts by former President Jimmy Carter to draw together long-divided Baptists.

To read more click here.

Has God Really Always Been?

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
PSALM 90:2

Children sometimes ask, “Who made God?” The clearest answer is that God never needed to be made, because he was always there. He exists in a different way from us: we, his creatures, exist in a dependent, derived, finite, fragile way, but our Maker exists in an eternal, self-sustaining, necessary way—necessary, that is, in the sense that God does not have it in him to go out of existence, just as we do not have it in us to live forever. We necessarily age and die, because it is our present nature to do that; God necessarily continues forever unchanged, because it is his eternal nature to do that. This is one of many contrasts between creature and Creator.

God’s self-existence is a basic truth. At the outset of his presentation of the unknown God to the Athenian idolaters, Paul explained that this God, the world’s Creator, “is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:23-25). Sacrifices offered to idols, in today’s tribal religions as in ancient Athens, are thought of as somehow keeping the god going, but the Creator needs no such support system. The word aseity, meaning that he has life in himself and draws his unending energy from himself (a se in Latin means “from himself”), was coined by theologians to express this truth, which the Bible makes clear (Pss. 90:1-4; 102:25-27; Isa. 40:28-31; John 5:26; Rev. 4:10).

In theology, endless mistakes result from supposing that the conditions, bounds, and limits of our own finite existence apply to God. The doctrine of his aseity stands as a bulwark against such mistakes. In our life of faith, we easily impoverish ourselves by embracing an idea of God that is too limited and small, and again the doctrine of God’s aseity stands as a bulwark to stop this happening. It is vital for spiritual health to believe that God is great (cf. Ps. 95:1-7), and grasping the truth of his aseity is the first step on the road to doing this.

Outward Christianity - is That All That Matters?

"I grant freely that it costs little to be a mere outward Christian. A man has only got to attend a place of worship twice on sunday, and to be tolerably moral during the week, and he has gone as far as thousands around him ever go in religion. All this is cheap and easy work: it entails no self-denial or self-sacrifice. If this is saving Christianity, and will take us to heaven when we die, we must alter the description of the way of life, and write, “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to heaven!"-J. C. Ryle 1816-1900

Cancel The Party NFL Says Churches can't Broadcast Super Bowl

Football fans who also happen to be churchgoers might be in trouble again this year if they choose to attend a Super Bowl party at their usual place of worship. According to Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the National Football League, the law that prohibits congregations from viewing the biggest game of the year on large TV screens still stands. “It's not a church issue, it's a copyright issue,” McCarthy said. Large Super Bowl gatherings, whether they happen at churches or theaters, erode TV ratings and could negatively impact advertising revenues, McCarthy said. But John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, says he is disappointed that churches aren't willing to sue for the right to host large screenings. “They ought to stand up and fight back,” he says.

Does Our Evangelism Introduce People to the Wrong Jesus?

Nearly half the population of the United States claims to be "born-again." Self-identified "evangelicals" are a voting bloc courted by our major political parties, and a large percentage of citizens attend church services at least once a week. Yet, as we look at the culture around us, God is regularly blasphemed. Professing believers often live no differently from non-Christians, and many churches are captive to the trends of this present age.

Two factors explain this set of contradictory realities. First, the church has failed to preach the biblical Gospel. Secondly, because the church has failed to preach the biblical Gospel, our evangelism has too often introduced people to the wrong Jesus.

By the providence of God, there is a conference that is going to address all these issues.

I would like to hertily encourage you to make plans now to join R.C. Sproul, Sinclair Ferguson, Steven J. Lawson, John MacArthur, C.J. Mahaney, R.C. Sproul Jr., and Joni Eareckson Tada March 13–15, 2008 in Orlando, Florida for Ligonier Ministries' 21st annual national conference, "Evangelism According to Jesus." During three days of worship, fellowship, encouragement, study, and prayer, we will proclaim the different aspects of the Gospel and explain how they must impact our evangelism.

Click here to learn more about this very important conference.

Latest Study Tells All About Unchurched Americans And What They Think

A majority of unchurched Americans are turned off by the institutional church and don’t have a biblical understanding about God and Jesus, yet they believe Jesus makes a positive difference in a person’s life and would enjoy an honest discussion with a friend about spiritual matters.

Those are just a few of the findings from a new study of unchurched Americans conducted by LifeWay Research in partnership with the North American Mission Board’s Center for Missional Research. LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources, and the North American Mission Board are both entities of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The results of the study, which polled 1,402 adults who had not attended a religious service at a church, synagogue or mosque in the previous six months, are available at LifeWayResearch.com.

The findings have important implications for Christian churches and individuals who want to effectively reach unchurched people with the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ, said LifeWay Research director Ed Stetzer.

"A full 72 percent of the people interviewed said they think the church ‘is full of hypocrites,’" Stetzer said. "At the same time, however, 71 percent of the respondents said they believe Jesus ‘makes a positive difference in a person’s life’ and 78 percent said they would ‘be willing to listen’ to someone who wanted to share what they believed about Christianity."

To read a summary of the study click here.

To see a PowerPoint of the study click here.

Video: John Piper Responds To "The Common Word" Document

As a Pastor that has tremendous concerns over these documents and those that have signed them, I am very thankful that Piper has responded this way and is willing to take a stand. I believe we must contend with love and humilty for the faith and my prayers are with those that witness to muslims.

Vote Now: Giants or Patriots - Who Will Win?

HT:Fide-O

Quote: Will Going to Church Religiously Save You?

This quote really shows you that not much has changed in the church since the days of Mr. Ryle. Unfortunately if any change is to be noticed it would be that it has only gotten worse.

If you think the mere carrying of your body to a certain building, at certain times, on a certain day in the week, will make you a Christian and prepare you to meet God, I tell you flatly you are miserably deceived.
-J.C. Ryle
1816 - 1900

Signs of the Apocolypse: Transgender Southern Seminary Student has Diploma Issues

A Southern Baptist seminary has declined to change the full name on the diploma of a 1998 graduate who has since undergone surgery to change from a man to a woman. The Rev. Ronnie Elise Elrod, who goes by her new middle name, had requested that Southern Baptist Theological Seminary change its records to reflect her new legal name. “If you're married, if you change your name, if you move to another planet -- it doesn't matter,” said seminary president R. Albert Mohler. “We're not going to change the name on a diploma. ... That long predated anyone asking for it for this reason.”

To read more click here.

Rethink the Rethink Conference: Danger?

Rethink Conference: Crystal Cathedral, California
January 17, 2008

Robert Schuller once said: "Standing before a crowd of devout Muslims with the Grand Mufti, I know that we're all doing God's work together. Standing on the edge of a new millennium, we're laboring hand in hand to repair the breach." He made that statement in his 2001 biography, My Journey (p. 501), and today he has taken a giant step forward in seeing his dream of an all all-inclusive spiritual body come true. What's more, Christian leaders and organizations are helping to bring it to pass.

Today, the Rethink Conference at Schuller's Crystal Cathedral began. This three day event is hosted by Schuller and popular emerging futurist Erwin McManus.

In addition to McManus, the Rethink Conference has several other Christian leaders speaking: Gary Smalley, Henry Cloud, Chuck Colson, and Kay Warren, to name a few. While the speaker list includes several names outside the Christian camp (Larry King, George Bush Sr., Rupert Murdoch, etc.), a majority of the speakers, both Christian and non-Christian, are proponents mystical spirituality. The reason this is important to know is because Schuller's vision of an all-inclusive global religious body cannot happen without mysticism. It is in fact the vehicle through which Schuller's dream will occur. He discloses a little more of this vision in his book:

"I met once more with the Grand Mufti (a Muslim), truly one of the great Christ-honoring leaders of faith. ... I'm dreaming a bold impossible dream: that positive-thinking believers in God will rise above the illusions that our sectarian religions have imposed on the world, and that leaders of the major faiths will rise above doctrinal idiosyncrasies, choosing not to focus on disagreements, but rather to transcend divisive dogmas to work together to bring peace and prosperity and hope to the world. (p. 502)."

In order for this "bold impossible dream" to occur, change agents such as Schuller and McManus realize that Christianity needs to be redefined. Thus, the term rethink. McManus has believed this for some time. In an interview, he stated:

"My goal is to destroy Christianity as a world religion and be a recatalyst for the movement of Jesus Christ.... Some people are upset with me because it sounds like I'm anti-Christian. I think they might be right!"

Wall Street Journal Takes On Church Discipline

BANNED FROM CHURCH

On a quiet Sunday morning in June, as worshippers settled into the pews at Allen Baptist Church in southwestern Michigan, Pastor Jason Burrick grabbed his cellphone and dialed 911. When a dispatcher answered, the preacher said a former congregant was in the sanctuary. "And we need to, um, have her out A.S.A.P."

Half an hour later, 71-year-old Karolyn Caskey, a church member for nearly 50 years who had taught Sunday school and regularly donated 10% of her pension, was led out by a state trooper and a county sheriff's officer. One held her purse and Bible. The other put her in handcuffs. (Listen to the 911 call)

The charge was trespassing, but Mrs. Caskey's real offense, in her pastor's view, was spiritual. Several months earlier, when she had questioned his authority, he'd charged her with spreading "a spirit of cancer and discord" and expelled her from the congregation. "I've been shunned," she says.

Her story reflects a growing movement among some conservative Protestant pastors to bring back church discipline, an ancient practice in which suspected sinners are privately confronted and then publicly castigated and excommunicated if they refuse to repent.

While many Christians find such practices outdated, pastors in large and small churches across the country are expelling members for offenses ranging from adultery and theft to gossiping, skipping service and criticizing church leaders.

Click here to read more.

Click here to read a great analysis of this very one sided article by one of the Pastor's who was interviewed.

Here is a link to an upcoming conference on church discipline.

Bible Reading Plan Anyone?

If you are still following your bible reading plan congrats. If after 14 days into the new year you are already off track - don't worry. I have found the best bible reading plan in the world. That is actually what it is called and it is a much better plan than I have ever seen, so I do have to agree with it's name. I would encourage you to look at it and think through what your current reading plan is and comparitively read through this one. Then think which one you would get the longest lasting value from. Then add water or coffee and start doing it!

World's Best Bible Reading Plan

Chargers Ride Colts to Victory!!!! 28-24

All I can say is - WOOOOOOHOOOOOO. And we did it ugly and injured. It's time to put the Pats on their back.

Signs of the Apocolypse: Major League Baseball Caskets and Urns

I am just at a loss for words. The following is real and true.

Every Major League Baseball™ urn is hand-designed using die-cast aluminum with proprietary clear coat finish. Each urn sits atop a “home plate” base outlined in black. Each also features a baseball display dome at the top in which a favorite collectible baseball can be displayed. (Please note: the urn comes with a baseball, which the purchaser or family can replace with a special ball from their own collection.)

Currently 13 team urns are available, including the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals. The balance of teams will be added in 2008. Patent pending.

If you must order one click here.

Winners 17-6: Chargers go Mythical on the Titans

The Chargers scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to beat Tennessee Titans 17-6 in the AFC Wild Card round Sunday before 65,640 fans at Qualcomm Stadium.

The No. 3-seeded Bolts (12-5) claimed their first playoff victory since their 1994 Super Bowl season to earn a trip to the AFC Division Round next Sunday at the No. 2-seeded Indianapolis Colts (14-2).

Signs of the Apocolypse: I-35 is Road to Salvation, say some Christians

I was literally shocked to see this story today on the front page of my newspaper. Although the Des Moines Register is a terrible newspaper, and now that the politico's have left apparently there is truly nothing important going on. Just more people seeking meaning in the meaningless.

Believers say the highway is straight out of scripture; others call the interpretation skewed, even absurd.

For many drivers it's an efficient route to the cabin up north or the Iowa homestead down south, but for a number of Christians across denominations, Interstate 35 is a holy stretch of asphalt leading not to the site of Buddy Holly's last gig, but to divine salvation.

Some believe I-35 might be shorthand that links the interstate to Isaiah 35:8 of the Bible: "And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not pass over it, and fools shall not err therein."

To read more click here.

Pat Robertson is Predicitng the Future: Believe it or Not - Actually Believe It and Wish it Wasn't True

Am I the only one that finds Pat Robertson to be a complete evangelical embarrassment? Somebody needs to explain to him the meaning of silence is golden. The real problem is most people create an identity for Christians based on what they see on TV - and unfortunately Pat gets a lot of air play. My prediction for 2008 is there will be a lot of Christian's explaing away Pat Robertson.

Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson, who has made predicting the future an annual tradition, predicts a recession and a major stock market upheaval are on their way for the United States.

Aside from a recession this year, Robertson suggested Wednesday that Americans will be paying much more for gas at the pump as the price of a barrel of oil rises by 50 percent in the coming months.

Specifically, he said oil would reach $150 a barrel - the price hit $100 on Wednesday - with the dollar continuing to lose value in 2008.

"I also believe the Lord was saying by 2009, maybe 2010, there's going to be a major stock market crash," said Robertson, who is a millionaire businessman as well as an evangelical leader.

But don't unload your portfolio just yet. Robertson acknowledged Wednesday that his prophecy of a nuclear terror attack in 2007 failed to unfold.

He also cited information from God when he predicted on a year go that major U.S. cities would be hit by "very serious terrorist attacks" causing "possibly millions" of deaths.

No such catastrophe occurred.

Robertson also implied that God informed him whom voters will elect president in November.

To read more click here.

Huckabee: 'A new day in American politics'

After having an unintentional lunch yesterday with Obama and his wife I am very happy that Mike Huckabee came out on top. I am even more elated that the Republican voter turnout trounced the Democrat. I truly do not understand how a Christian can vote for a Democrat, I believe their platform is at extreme odds with the bible.

DES MOINES — Long-shot Republican candidate Mike Huckabee declared "a new day in American politics" Thursday after riding strong support from evangelical Christians into a decisive victory in the Iowa caucuses.

Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister and, like Bill Clinton, a native of Hope, Ark., managed to win despite trailing badly in national polls for most of the year. He out-hustled runner-up Mitt Romney and better-known candidates John McCain, Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani with a coalition of pastors, home schooling adherents, gun rights advocates and supporters of a new national tax system.

"This election is not about me. It's about we," the former Arkansas governor told supporters here. He said the victory would ignite "a prairie fire of new hope and zeal."

Click here to read more.

How Can I Know I'm a Christian if I Can't Remember When I First Responded to the Gospel?

My favorite question to ask Christians is how they came to trust in Christ. The answers I've heard testify to the diverse experiences God uses to bring people into a relationship with himself. Most commonly, people say they trusted him as a child at camp or at Sunday school or while praying with a parent. They often follow with something like, "But my faith really became my own when I was a junior in high school."

How are we to understand this variety of experiences and the apparent two-stage process many seem to undergo in arriving at saving faith?

The term saved is popularly used to refer to regeneration and justification. But when the Bible uses the word salvation in a spiritual sense, it describes the broad range of God's activity in rescuing people from sin and restoring them to a right relationship with himself. Salvation in the Bible thus has past, present, and future tenses. A believer has been saved from the guilt of sin (justification, see Eph. 2:8), is being saved from the power of sin (sanctification, see 1 Cor. 1:18), and will be saved from the judgment and presence of sin (glorification, see Acts 15:11).

Click here to read more.

Heretic: Joel Osteen Says Mormon's are Christian

These are Joel Osteen's words from an interview he did at FoxNews.

WALLACE: And what about Mitt Romney? And I've got to ask you the question, because it is a question whether it should be or not in this campaign, is a Mormon a true Christian?

OSTEEN: Well, in my mind they are. Mitt Romney has said that he believes in Christ as his savior, and that's what I believe, so, you know, I'm not the one to judge the little details of it. So I believe they are.

And so, you know, Mitt Romney seems like a man of character and integrity to me, and I don't think he would — anything would stop me from voting for him if that's what I felt like.

WALLACE: So, for instance, when people start talking about Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, and the golden tablets in upstate New York, and God assumes the shape of a man, do you not get hung up in those theological issues?

OSTEEN: I probably don't get hung up in them because I haven't really studied them or thought about them. And you know, I just try to let God be the judge of that. I mean, I don't know.

I certainly can't say that I agree with everything that I've heard about it, but from what I've heard from Mitt, when he says that Christ is his savior, to me that's a common bond.

For full transcript click here.

Click here for details on the Mormon religion.

Click here to see a comparison of Christianity and Mormonisim.

San Diego Super Chargers Put a Beat Down on Raider Fan

The Chargers wrapped up a return to the AFC playoffs with the No. 3 seed on an afternoon LaDainian Tomlinson claimed back-to-back NFL rushing titles and the Bolts beat the Oakland Raiders for the ninth straight time.

Yes, the Chargers' 30-17 win Sunday at Oakland in the regular-season finale was a day for adding to their streaks and milestones, but the talk in the locker room quickly shifted gears to focusing on the AFC playoffs.

Video: Tom Brady 60 Minutes and the Search for Meaning

Click the picture to watch the video.

Tom Brady, the 3-time Super Bowl champion quarterback of the New England Patriots was featured the week in a 60 Minutes interview with Steve Kroft on CBS. Brady is already a sports legend in one of the citadels of professional sports in America, Boston. His current team is 15-0 and is poised to finish the season undefeated, something that hasn't been done in the NFL in 35 years. He has won the Super Bowl MVP twice and been named to the Pro Bowl 4 times. He also was recently named the Associated Press' "Male Athlete of the Year."

He has dated actresses and supermodels and makes millions of dollars a year. He has been called America's most eligible bachelor. By most popular standards, he has it all. That is why I was struck by hearing him make the following statement during the interview:

"Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, 'Hey man, this is what is.' I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think, 'God, it's got to be more than this.' I mean this isn't, this can't be what it's all cracked up to be."

Click here to read Tom Ascol's take on this it is a very good read.

Funny Video: Baby Got Book

This just never gets old. It is to funny.

Al Mohler: Mormonism is a False Religion

Is Mormonism now a part of the American mainstream? That question raises a host of issues -- including the question of what constitutes the "mainstream" now anyway?

There are two questions here. One has to do with the status of Mormonism, the second with the definition of the mainstream.

I must answer the Mormon question first, and from two perspectives. As an evangelical Christian theologian, I must clarify that Mormonism is in no way consistent with orthodox Christianity. It borrows Christian themes and texts, but its most basic beliefs directly contradict the central teachings of Christianity.

Mormonism holds that God is an exalted man, with a physical body. Christianity teaches that God is Spirit. Mormonism denies the historic Christian understandings of the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, and the doctrine of salvation. Christianity promises salvation through Christ's atonement and the sinner's justification by faith. Mormonism promises deification. Christianity calls for personal faith in Jesus Christ. Mormonism calls for obedience to its own teachings as the path to exaltation. Mormonism replaces belief in the sole authority of the Bible with other writings, including the Book of Mormon. This list is only a brief summary of the vast chasm that separates Christianity from Mormonism. Put simply, Mormonism is not just another form of Christianity. It is a rejection of historic Christianity.

That is a theological summary, but there is a sociological dimension as well. From that perspective, Mormonism can certainly claim to have achieved a comfort level in contemporary American culture -- especially in what might be called "Middle America." Most Americans would feel quite comfortable with Mormon neighbors. The Mormon effort to identify with American culture has been stunningly successful, and the movement's idealization and inculcation of family values has won it the admiration of millions of Americans -- including many evangelical Christians. The convergence of Mormon and evangelical Christian concerns on a host of cultural, moral, and political issues is no accident. The preservation and conservation of the family is a prime concern of both groups.

Now to the question of the "mainstream." When sociologist Will Herberg wrote his famous work, Protestant-Catholic-Jew in 1955, he was describing what then appeared to be the mainstream of American religious life. The Protestants he described were members of the "mainstream" or "mainline" denominations that, for the most part, became associated with groups such as the National Council of Churches. Evangelicals were largely, if not entirely, left out of that picture.

Fast forward to the present and those "mainstream" denominations have been losing members by the millions while evangelicals have been in a period of rapid growth. The new American mainstream certainly now includes the evangelicals. From a sociological or political perspective, no one can ignore the evangelicals. By the same token, in vast areas of America -- especially in the West -- Mormonism is certainly a part of the cultural mainstream as well.

Both evangelical Christians and Mormons have, to some extent, worked hard to enter that mainstream. To a considerable extent, both certainly hope to remain there. Yet, I wonder about the prospects for that. As "mainstream" America moves in any number of directions, and as our current cultural shifts take shape, both evangelical Christians and Mormons may find themselves outside the mainstream once again. Issues including family life, sexuality, the definition of marriage, and any number of social, cultural, and moral controversies may drive both groups out of their cultural comfort zones -- and fast.

The challenges of modernity confront both groups. How long will this "mainstream" remain the mainstream? Time will tell.

Al Mohler

Video: 13 Year Old Boy Calls Christian Radio Station Distraught - Find Out Why!

Logan is a 13 year-old boy who lives on a ranch in a very small town in Nebraska. Logan listens to Christian Radio station 89.3FM KSBJ which broadcasts from Houston, TX. Logan called the radio station distraught because he had to take down a calf . His words have wisdom beyond his years.

Since airing the audio of the phone call and now the making of the video clip, it has taken on a life of its own. People are forwarding it all over the world. We encourage you to share the love of Christ with anyone you can.

If you are wondering if this is real or a hoax - it has been verified.

What is Real Worship? What Should a Worship Service Really be Like?

This is from the White Horse Inn and is one of the best discussions I have heard on the subject. It is only about 45 minutes long and is worth your time.


What is worship? We've seen in these programs on this theme of "to God alone be glory" that we were created to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Of course, the Fall threw this design out of whack and ever since we seek to glorify and enjoy ourselves. The ultimate goal of our redemption in Jesus Christ is to restore in the midst of creation a choir that sings God's praises, answering back "Amen" to all that he is and has done. If we had plenty to sing about before the Fall, we have even more reason for praise and thanksgiving after we have been redeemed from its curse. What a wonderful and very important subject for us to talk about "what is true worship?" Beyond the worship-wars and all the superficial issues and questions about organs and guitars we want to go to the theology of worship. What does it mean to worship the true God in the way that he's prescribed?

Click here to listen to the roundtable discussion.

Funny: Top 20 Theological Pick-up Lines NOT To Use

This is a hilarious list that had me and my wife in tears. It was put together by C Michael Patton over at the Parchment and Pen blog.


20. ”I am not overweight. The word ‘glory’ in Hebrew is kabod which according to HALOT literally means ‘heaviness.’ The Bible also says that we are to reflect God’s glory. Therefore, I am just doing what the Bible says.”

19. “Looking at you makes me reconsider preterism, because you are heaven on earth.”

18. “Paul said that it was better to marry than to burn. Therefore, I am under God’s mandate to marry you.”

17. “Here, let me take care of those tithes.”

16. “You may not have chosen me, but I have chosen you.”

15. “I could not help but notice you were exegeting me instead of the text during the sermon.”

14. ”Your name must be grace, because you are irresistible.”

13. ”There are six things that motivate me to talk to you, yea seven that turned my head.”

12. “Until this moment, I thought I had the gift of singleness.”

11. During communion say, “Can I get you another drink.”

10. “The Bible says that God is not concerned with outer appearance . . . neither should you.”

9. “The Good Book said that I might be visited by angels unaware, but something must be wrong with my interpretation, because I am perfectly aware of you.”

8. “I noticed you crying during alter call, can I help?”

7. While giving her a TULIP say, ”This Totally depraved person has been Unconditionally drawn to you, Limiting himself to your Irresistible beauty that is Persevering beyond all others.”

6. “God may be the bread of life, but you are the butter.”

5. “The site of you leaves me apophatic.”

4. “Well, gouge out my eyes and cut off my hands. If I hang around you much longer, I won’t have any limbs left.”

3. “You must have missed The Fall line, because you are lookin’ righteous.”

2. Sing this to the tune of George Strait’s “Chair”: “Excuse me, but I think you’ve got my rib.”

1. “Are you homo or homoi?”

Straight Answers to Fox’s 21 Questions about the Mormon Church

FOXNews.com today published 21 questions that it says represent “some widely held beliefs and misconceptions about Mormonism” and answers provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since some (not all) of the Church’s answers were less than forthright, I will offer straight answers to the same questions. Fox’s questions appear first in bold type, followed by the Church’s responses in italics, and then followed by my answers.

Q: Why do some call the Church a cult?
A: For the most part, this seems to stem from a lack of understanding about the Church and its core doctrines and beliefs. Under those circumstances it is too easy to label a religion or other organization that is not well-known with an inflammatory term like ‘cult.’ Famed scholar of religion Martin Marty has said a cult means a church you don’t personally happen to like. We don’t believe any organization should be subjected to a label that has come to be as pejorative as that one.
The above answer makes no attempt to understand why some people call the LDS Church a cult. The term is characteristically used by evangelical critics of Mormonism to denote a religious group that professes to be Christian but that deviates from essential Christian doctrine in one or more areas. By “essential Christian doctrine” evangelicals mean those teachings that historically Christians of all of the major denominations have taught: monotheism; God as Creator of all things other than himself; the Trinity; the Incarnation; salvation by grace alone; and the virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, and second coming of Jesus Christ. Since Mormonism departs from historic Christianity on some of these doctrinal issues, we have no choice but to conclude that it is a “cult” as defined above. If you don’t like the word cult, feel free to substitute in your mind an equivalent expression, such as “heretical sect” or “unorthodox church.”

Click here to read Rob Bowman's response to the rest of the questions.

Are You Looking To Jesus?

I love these words and line of thinking from J.C. Ryle. He is dealing with the words from Hebrews 12:2 and I love this paragraph from that message.

"Looking unto Jesus" is a very simple expression: it is soon spoken and soon written; it contains no words hard to be understood. But it is an expression rich in contents, and filled to the brim with food for thought. Here is a brief account of the Christian's character: he is one who "looks to Jesus." Here is the secret of running successfully the race that leads toward heaven: we must be ever "looking to Jesus." This is the way to begin well; this is the way to go on prosperously; this is the way to end in peace. Here is the photograph of patriarchs and prophets, of apostles and martyrs, of holy fathers and holy reformers, of holy saints, in every land and age: they were all men who "looked to Jesus." Here is the marrow of all creeds, and articles, and confessions of guilt: to "look to Jesus." Reader, if you and I wish to be saved, let us begin by asking ourselves the simple question, Am I looking to Jesus?

To read more click here.

Do Americans Believe in the Virgin Birth? Daniel in the Lions Den? Samson?

There were a number of consistent response patterns revealed in the research. Those patterns included the following:

Born again Christians were far more likely than non-born again adults to accept each of the six narratives as fully accurate. On average the difference between the two groups was forty percentage points! In relation to four of the six stories tested, the born again group was twice as likely as their counterparts to view the story in question as literal truth.

Protestants were more likely than Catholics to accept each of the six stories as literally true. Catholics especially struggled to put their faith in the Old Testament stories. Examining a dozen Bible evaluated in this manner by The Barna Group in surveys in October and December, about half of all Catholics trusted the Old Testament stories evaluated, compared to about three-quarters believing the New Testament stories. Meanwhile, among Protestants, in relation to all six of the scriptural narratives, those who attend mainline churches were significantly less likely than those attending other Protestant congregations to say that they trusted the stories as told.

People who live in the South were more likely than residents of all other regions to embrace the truth of all six stories.

Downscale individuals were substantially more likely than upscale people to characterize each of the six stories as factually reliable.

Those who portrayed themselves as mostly conservative on political matters were substantially more likely than those who called themselves mostly liberal to consider each of the six stories to be literally true. The average difference between the two segments was 26 percentage points.

For full results of study click here.

37 Proofs Of the Deity Of Christ

1. He was omnipotent over disease. Matt. 8:1-4; Luke 4:39
2. He was omnipotent over demons. Matt. 8:16-17, 28-32; Luke 4:35
3. He was omnipotent over men. Matt. 9:9; John 17:2
4. He was omnipotent over nature. Matt. 8:26
5. He was omnipotent over sin. Matt. 9:1-8
6. He was omnipotent over traditions. Matt. 9:10-17
7. He was omnipotent over death. Luke 7:14-15; 8:54-56; John 11:4
8. He was omniscient, knowing the whereabouts of Nathanael. John 1:48
9. He was omniscient, knowing the plot of Judas. John 6:70
10. He was omniscient, knowing the hearts of the Pharisees. Matt. 12:25; Luke 5:22; :8;7:39-40
11. He knew the thoughts of the scribes. Matt. 9:3-4
12. He knew the sincerity of one scribe. Mark 12:34
13. He knew the history of the Samaritan woman. John 4:24
14. He knew the problems of his disciples. Luke 9:46-47
15. He was omnipresent. Matt. 18:20; 28:20; John 3:13; 14:20
16. He was worshiped as God by the angels. Heb. 1:6
17. He was worshiped as God by the shepherds. Luke 2:15
18. He was worshiped as God by the wise men. Matt. 2:2, 11
19. He was worshiped as God by a leper. Matt. 8:2
20. He was worshiped as God by a ruler. Matt. 9:18
21. He was worshiped as God by a Canaanite woman. Matt. 15:25
22. He was worshiped as God by a mother. Matt. 20:20
23. He was worshiped as God by a maniac. Mark 5:6
24. He was worshiped as God by a man born blind. John 9:38
25. He was worshiped as God by Thomas. John 20:28
26. He was worshiped as God by some Greeks. John 12:20-21
27. He was worshiped as God by his apostles. Matt. 14:33; 28:9
28. He forgave sins. Mark 2:5, 10-11
29. He judges. John 5:22
30. He saves. Matt 18:11; John 10:28
31. Stephen called him God. Acts 7:59
32. The eunuch called him God. Acts 8:37
33. Paul called him God. Gal. 2:20; Col. 1:15-17; 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16; Titus 2:13
34. Peter called him God. 1 Pet. 3:22; 2 Pet. 1:17
35. Jude called him God. Jude 25
36. James called him God. James 2:1
37. John called him God. 1 John 5:20; Rev. 1:18; 19:16

25 Proofs of the Humanity of Christ

1. He had a human parentage. Luke 1:31; Gal. 4:4
2. He had a human body. Matt. 26:12
3. He looked like a man. John 4:9
4. He possessed flesh and blood. Heb. 2:14
5. He grew. Luke 2:40
6. He asked questions. Luke 2:46
7. He increased in wisdom. Luke 2:52
8. He prayed. Mark 1:35; Luke 11:1
9. He was tempted. Matt. 4:1; Heb. 2:18; 4:15
10. He learned obedience. Heb. 5:8
11. He hungered. Matt. 4:2; 21:18
12. He thirsted. John 4:7; 19:28
13. He was weary. John 4:6
14. He slept. Matt. 8:24
15. He loved. Mark 10:21
16. He had compassion. Matt. 9:36
17. He was angered and grieved. Mark 3:5
18. He wept. John 11:35; Luke 19:41
19. He experienced joy. Heb. 12:2; Luke 10:21
20. He was troubled. Mark 14:33-34; John 11:33; 12:27; 13:21
21. He sweat drops as of blood. Luke 22:44
22. He suffered. 1 Pet. 4:1
23. He bled. John 19:34
24. He died. Matt. 27:50; 1 Cor. 15:3
25. He was buried. Matt. 27:59-60

Video: Young Evangelicals - Al Mohler - Tom Brokaw

All Things New

As believers we live in a world that is flawed and sinful. What hope is there? Trust fully in Christ my friend! With Christimas and a new year fast approaching trust in Christ alone. He really came as God in a manger later to die on a blood-stained cross for the sins of all who will believe and put their trust in Him. Put yourself, your flesh behind today and serve Him only.

The devotion this morning from C. H. Spurgeon gives me great hope and joy inspite of this evil, sinful world that we are living in today. Truly Christ makes all things new. Be encouraged, stand strong, place your full trust in the newness that only Christ has to offer. Spurgeon writes:

Nothing Old

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. (Revelation 21:5)
Glory be to His name! All things need making new, for they are sadly battered and worn by sin. It is time that the old vesture was rolled up and laid aside, and that creation put on her Sunday suit. But no one else can make all things new except the Lord who made them at the first; for it needs as much power to make out of evil as to make out of nothing. Our Lord Jesus has undertaken the task, and He is fully competent for the performance of it. Already he has commenced His labor, and for centuries He has persevered in making new the hearts of men and the order of society. By and by He will make new the whole constitution of human government, and human nature shall be changed by His grace; and there shall come a day when the body shall be made new and raised like unto His glorious body.
What a joy to belong to a kingdom in which everything is being made new by the power of its King! We are not dying out: we are hastening on to a more glorious life. Despite the opposition of the powers of evil, our glorious Lord Jesus is accomplishing His purpose and making us, and all things about us, "new" and as full of beauty as when they first came from the hand of the Lord.

John Calvin's Christmas Observance

Many people who profess to be Calvinists are surprised to learn that while John Calvin was opposed to the bad things that have sometimes come to be associated with Christmas, he wasn’t against keeping the holiday as a celebration of the birth of Christ and saw it as a matter of liberty for the churches and the individual.

We can gain insight into Calvin’s views by reading two letters, one written on January 2, 1551; the other in March of 1555. The relevant portions are below, followed by the full contents of both letters. One may observe that Calvin’s understanding of the Regulative Principle of Worship is not so much focused on the kind of uniform, narrowly limited kind of worship that came to be the legacy of Puritanism, but on protecting the liberty of local congregations and individuals. One must never forget that liberty of conscience, under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ speaking in the Scripture, is a fundamental of fundamentals for John Calvin.

Click here to read more.

Chargers beat Titans in overtime 23-17

Super Bowl Bound?!? Hmmmm

Funny: What's on Your Christmas List

This is a funny spoof video from two Pastor's at my church.

62% of Pentecostals Have Witnessed or Experienced a Miracle

A sizeable majority of American pentecostals (62%) say they have witnessed or experienced a divine healing of an illness or injury; overall nearly one-in-three Americans (29%), including 46% of U.S. charismatics, say they have experienced or witnessed divine healing, according to a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

Click here to read more.

How America Views Mormon's, Religion, and Presidential Candidates - Republican and Democrat

The King of Kings

The gospel of Luke ends with a supremely jarring statement: “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God” (24:50-53).

What is jarring about this passage is, as Luke reports the departure of Jesus from this world, the response of His disciples was to return to Jerusalem with “great joy.” What about Jesus’ departure would instill in His disciples an emotion of sheer elation? This question is made all the more puzzling when we consider the emotions the disciples displayed when Jesus earlier had told them that His departure would come soon. At that time, the idea that their Lord would leave their earthly presence provoked in them a spirit of profound remorse. It would seem that nothing could be more depressing than to anticipate separation from the presence of Jesus. Yet, in a very short period of time, that depression changed to unspeakable joy.

We have to ask what is it that provoked such a radical change of emotion within the hearts of Jesus’ disciples. The answer to that question is plain in the New Testament. Between the time of Jesus’ announcement to them that He would soon be going away and the time of His actual departure, the disciples came to realize two things. First, they realized why it was that Jesus was leaving. Secondly, they understood the place to which He was going. Jesus was leaving not in order that they might be left alone and comfortless, but that He might ascend into heaven. The New Testament idea of ascension means something far more weighty than merely going up into the sky or even to the abode of the heavenlies. In His ascension, Jesus was going to a specific place for a specific reason. He was ascending into heaven for the purpose of His investiture and coronation as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is King in the highest possible sense of kingship.

In biblical terms, it is unthinkable to have a king without a kingdom. Since Jesus ascends to His coronation as king, with that coronation comes the designation by the Father of a realm over which He rules. That realm is all creation.

The King is already in place. He has already received all authority on heaven and on earth. That means that at this very moment the supreme authority over the kingdoms of this world and over the entire cosmos is in the hands of King Jesus. There is no inch of real estate, no symbol of power in this world that is not under His ownership and His rule at this very moment. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, in chapter 2, in the so-called kenotic hymn, it is said that Jesus is given the name that is above all names. The name that He is given that rises above all other titles that anyone can receive, is a name that is reserved for God. It is God’s title Adonai, which means the “One who is absolutely sovereign.” Again, this title is one of supreme governorship for the One who is the King of all of the earth.

The New Testament translation of the Old Testament title adonai is the name lord. When Paul says that at the name of Jesus every knee must bow and every tongue confess, the reason for the bowing in obeisance and for confessing is that they are to declare with their lips that Jesus is Lord – that is, He is the sovereign ruler. That was the first confession of faith of the early church.

The lordship of Jesus is not simply a hope of Christians that someday might be realized; it is a truth that has already taken place. It is the task of the church to bear witness to that invisible kingdom, or as Calvin put it, it is the task of the church to make the invisible kingdom of Christ visible. Though invisible, it is nevertheless real.

R.C. Sproul

More People Believe in the Devil, Hell, and Angels Than Believe in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

These are some of the findings of a Harris Poll of 2,455 U.S. adults conducted online by Harris Interactive® between November 7 and 13, 2007.

Interesting findings in this new Harris Poll include:

• 82 percent of adult Americans believe in God – unchanged since the question was last asked in 2005;


• Large majorities of the public believe in miracles (79%), heaven (75%), angels (74%), that Jesus is God or the son of God (72%), the resurrection of Jesus (70%), the survival of the soul after death (69%), hell (62%), the devil (62%), and the virgin birth (Jesus born of Mary) (60%);


• Roughly equal numbers – both minorities - believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution (42%) and creationism (39%);


• Sizeable minorities believe in ghosts (41%), UFOs (35%), witches (31%), astrology (29%) and reincarnation (21%);


• While many of these numbers for people who hold these beliefs are the same or little changed from 2005, the overall trend is upwards with slightly more people believing in miracles, angels and witches than did so two years ago.

To see complete results click here.

Book: A Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger Than You

Hear Paul David Tripp Talk About His New Book.

Paul David Tripp expertly traverses the deepest recesses of the human heart and compassionately invites fellow Christian travelers to journey with him into God's bigger kingdom. The author promises readers that they will be encouraged, excited, and motivated by hope as they learn how to set aside their "little kingdom" attachments which can expertly masquerade within the church as Christian activism, legalism, emotionalism, formalism, creedalism, and externalism; in favor of God's expansive and soul-freeing eternal quest.

Tripp demonstrates though sound biblical principles how humanity is made by God to transcend far beyond the mere physical realm and is likewise created to be "glory junkies;" those whose visionary lives are governed by God's grand purposes rather than existing only within their narrow self-interested confines. Writes the author, "It is a fundamental denial of your humanity to narrow the size of your life to the size of your own existence, because you were created to be an "above and more" being. You were made to be transcendent." Tripp then shows Christians how to "transcend" through daily, moment-by-moment, practical methodology that transforms individuals into the image of Christ.

It is within this purpose-driven framework, this Quest for More, that Paul Tripp compels believers to see beyond the worldly deception of personal achievement, success, materialism, in order to break free from this ungodly fulfillment that is too easily satisfied with a mediocre walk with Christ. Instead the author invites committed sojourners to a life characterized by an unyielding passion that pursues God simply for the pleasure of His glorious company and in the process, affect eternal change in a hurting, hopeless world.

Book: Running Scared: Fear, Worry & the God of Rest

Hear Edward T. Welch Talk About His Book Running Scared.

In Running Scared, Edward T. Welch reveals God's plan for encouraging those in the grips of fear. One of the haunting dilemmas of the human condition is that fear is "an inescapable feature of earthly life." Every person who has lived on this earth has encountered fear.

Tragically, for this reason our race for the good life finds us all too often 'running scared.'

In his new release, Running Scared, Edward T. Welch investigates the roots of fear in the human soul and the ramifications of living in the grips of anxiety, worry, and dread.

Welch encourages readers to discover for themselves that the Bible is full of beautiful words of comfort for fearful people (and that every single person is afraid of something). Within the framework of thirty topical meditations, Welch offers sound biblical theology and moment-by-moment, thoughtful encouragement for life-saving rescue in the midst of the heart and mind battlefield of rampant panic-stricken responses.

This comprehensive primer on the topic of fear, worry, and the rest of God will have readers retreating to scripture for invariable constancy, stalwart care, and robust comfort, instead of as Welch terms it, "hitting the default switch" by responding with characteristic human independence, control, and self-protectiveness. Running Scared affirms that, through Scripture, God speaks directly to our fears:

• On money and possessions
  On people and their judgments
  On death, pain, and punishment

Welch's lively text provides convincing evidences that humanity's struggle against active and dormant fears are countless. The good news is that God provides both the remedy and the cure for this malady in the person of Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and through powerful, life-altering promises in Scripture. Far more than merely another psychology "self-help" guide, serves as a biblical roadmap to a life of serenity and security.

Signs of the Apocolypse: SBC Gay Church Pictorial Directory Issue

Fort Worth's Broadway Baptist wrestling with listing gay members in directory

A Fort Worth church continues to struggle with how to handle photographs of gay members in a pictorial directory that's to be part of its 125th anniversary celebrations.

Broadway Baptist Church has debated whether the directory should include gay couples, or gay people individually but not as couples, or whether to omit all individual and family photos.

Members were to vote Sunday after morning worship. But in a clear indication that they are divided over how accepting to be of homosexuality, they met for an hour and then postponed any decision until deacons make a recommendation on Feb. 24.

For full article click here.

Let's Talk Post-Modernism and the Emergent Church...

Here R.C. Sproul, Al Mohler, and Ravi Zacharias discuss post-modernism, modernism, liberalism, and the emergent church.