Christ Community Church Sunday Morning Distinctives

Distinctives of Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings

When we corporately gather together on Sunday mornings, it is our endeavor for the service to be marked by the following distinctives:

1. Rejoicing in the Salvation of God

It is abundantly clear from the Scriptures that one is to approach God in worship with joyous praise (Ps 33:1-2). To be sure, a genuine believer who has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit will want to gather with other like-minded believers to corporately worship God together (Heb 10:24-25). One of the main purposes of our gathering together is to rejoice together that God has saved us “by his own purpose and grace” (2 Tim 1:9). He has given salvation to us as a free gift (Rom 5:8, 6:23; Eph 2:8-9). This is to produce joy inexpressible (1 Pet 1:8) and sincere gratitude to God for the work He has wrought in our lives (Ps 95:2; Col 4:2). Therefore, we make it our ambition to rejoice and remember the free gift of salvation God has freely given to us sinners whereby we may approach His throne with boldness, confidence because of the shed blood of the Spotless Lamb of God in our stead (1 John 2:1-2; Heb 9:14, 26-28; 10:12-14).

2. Reading the Word of God

We take the divine command revealed in God’s Word to “read the Word” very seriously (1 Tim 4:13). This has been a practice all throughout the history of God’s people; Moses took the book of the Law and read it (Ex 24:7), Joshua read from the same book of the Law (Josh 8:34), Shaphan the scribe read the book of the Law before Josiah (2 Kings 22:8, 10, 16), Ezra read from the book of the Law (Neh 8:3, 8, 18), and even Jesus, God Himself, stood to read from the Law in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21). This is a practice which has been mandated of all church leaders in the local church (1 Tim 4:13; 1 Thess 5:27). Moreover, the illiteracy of many churchgoers today requires that the pastor and elders make it a regular practice to read from the Bible publically when all are gathered together (Neh 8:5-6).

3. Preaching the Word of God

This is the simple result of the reading of the Word of God. It is the climax of the worship service when God’s people sit under the faithful, fearless, and accurate preaching and teaching of God’s Word. Sadly, the preaching of God’s Word is a lost commodity in contemporary pulpits. However, God is not without a witness. We resolve to be faithful men who study the text (1 Tim 4:15-16), rightly divide the Word (2 Tim 2:15), faithfully apply the meaning (Neh 8:8), and exhort people to live Godly lives in response to the hearing of what God says in His Word (2 Tim 4:2). It is our conviction that the preaching of the Word of God is the highest form of worship humans can attain. Therefore, it is our mandate—that is, we can do no other—to make the primary aspect of our worship services the proclamation of what God has to say through the pages of Scripture (1 Tim 4:14-16; Heb 4:12).

4. Praying with Confidence in God

We unhesitatingly believe that prayer is effective (James 5:16) and that God hears our prayers (Neh 1:5-6; Ps 4:1). We also believe that we are to pray with confidence knowing that God will answer our prayers in a way that would bring Him the utmost glory (Matt 6:10; John 17:5). We are to pray for the body of Christ (Eph 1:15-16; Phil 1:7-9; Col 1:3-4), for the edification and spiritual growth of the saints (Col 1:9-12; Eph 1:17-18; Phil 1:9-11), for the gospel to spread and save souls (2 Thess 3:1-2; Col 4:3; Eph 6:19-20). It is our commitment to pray with acclamation of God’s Sovereignty (Eph 3:20-21), with thanksgiving for His grace (Ps 28:7; 56:12; Rom 1:8), with dependence upon His grace and strength to enable us to live upright and Godly lives (Heb 13:5-6; Eph 5:18; Col 3:16-17).

5. Evangelizing with Trust in God

We unswervingly believe that it is God alone who brings lost, dead, wretched sinners to Himself for only God is able to give life to the dead (Eph 2:1-3; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 Pet 1:3-5; Rom 5:8). Therefore, we reckon that our responsibility lies in the faithful proclamation of the gospel and the urging of people to repent for salvation (Acts 2:38; 2 Cor 7:10; 1 Cor 9:16). We know that God will judge us according to our work in proclaiming the gospel to lost sinners (1 Cor 3:7-9). However, we will faithfully evangelize the lost with an utter dependence upon God to take the foolishness of the message preached to save His own whom he has redeemed from before the foundation of the world (1 Cor 1:21; Rev 13:8; 17:8; Eph 1:4; John 17:24). Our commitment to God bringing in His elect does not minimize or halt our evangelistic determination; rather, it spurs us on and encourages us all the more in understanding that God uses us as His instruments to take His message to His people for the bringing them to salvation in Jesus Christ (2 Tim 2:21; Gal 1:1).

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Servants at Church

This week we had the privilege of having seven Master's College students come to our church and minister alongside us as we had many tasks to accomplish. Activities included canvasing local neighborhoods around the church for addresses so we could make a file and send out a church mailing, taking lunch to our high school youth on Friday, a beach soccer night, a game night, a movie night, visiting two nursing homes and singing and sharing the gospel with the elderly, and reroofing part of our gymnasium.

It was a busy week--but a profitable one! They also formed a sort-of "mini choir" for church this morning and we did some TMC chapel songs as we led our congregation in worship. It was a great time of fellowship.

Praise God for the Master's College and its commitment to biblical truth in every area of life. Our church was tremendously blessed to have had these college students serve us this week!

Ephesians 1:15-17 15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

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Biblical counseling in the 17th century

John Owen writes:

The business at hand for the sinner must be to consider his serious
condition. He needs to apply himself toward conversion. God stirs our conscience
and disquiets our heart that we might recognize our need of Him. Seeking
mortification of sin just to quiet the soul and find relief from the torment of
the conscience, all the while neglecting to deal with the root cause of sin, is
a result of self-love.

Source: John Owen, Mortification of Sin, 44.

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Laughing, Learning, and Listening in the Living Room of my Hero

This week I am in Mobile, Alabama for the Expositor's Conference here at Christ Fellowship Baptist Church. Last night, my dad and I had the privilege of going to Dr. Lawson's home and having dinner with him, talking with him, and asking him questions for about 3 hours. It was a delightful time.

Now it's game time. Over the next 48 hours or so, I will hear about 8 sermons on how to preach narrative from the Book of Acts--how appropriate because I'm currently preaching through Acts on Sunday mornings at my beloved church.

Praise God for this conference. I'll try to update when I can!

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Our Divine Perspective On Preaching

This is part 2 of our "Ministry Distinctives" series at Christ Community Church:

The Divine Perspective on Preaching

I endeavor to reveal four aspects of the preaching ministry Christ Community Church’s youth ministry.

The preaching of the word of God is:

1. Powerful

It is our conviction that when the Word of God is preached it comes forth with power—divine power (1 Thess 2:13). In other words, when the Bible speaks, God speaks (Ex 17:14; Jer 30:2). For this reason it is powerful and never returns void (Isa 55:11). It is our position that the Word of God faithfully taught (2 Tim 2:15) is the only means by which a person can powerfully and irresistibly be convicted of sin (Acts 2:37) and brought to repentance in Jesus Christ. This power, of course, comes through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 1 Thess 1:5).

2. Persuasive

It is our conviction that when the Word of God is preached it must have an element of persuasiveness inherent in the delivery (Acts 17:4; 19:26). The preacher is to devote himself to his sermon preparation so that he speaks with persuasion (Acts 28:24). This results from the fact that the message with which the preacher has been entrusted with is an eternal life and eternal death issue (John 6:68). He must preach with persuasion and implement arguments as to why the listeners should act (Acts 2:38) and repent of known sins and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation (Acts 4:12).

3. Practical

It is our conviction that when the Word of God is preached it must be practical so that it takes the meaning of the text and specifically applies it to the life-situation of the hearer so as to produce change (Neh 8:8; Ezra 7:10). This is to enact obedience to James’s command when he says to be a “doer of the Word and not merely a hearer” of the Word (James 1:22). This means that he must give not only specific application but also specific implementation helps. Part of the preacher’s responsibility is to teach and explain the meaning of the text (2 Tim 2:15), apply the text to the current, modern-day situation, and to help the listener understand how this text applies to his/her life and what specific changes need to be made (Acts 2:37-41; Acts 16:31).

4. Passionate

It is our conviction that when the Word of God is preached it must be proclaimed with passion and pathos (Jonah 3:4). A boring sermon does not exist. Furthermore, a boring preacher is incomprehensible. An unpassionate preacher is surely not to be entrusted with the divine oracles of God. Rather, the preacher heralding the life-altering message that Jesus Christ is the Savior of sin and that an individual can stand before the Holy and Righteous Judge one day perfectly spotless because of the sacrificial and substitutionary death of Jesus Christ must flow through a man who passionately believes what he is preaching (1 Thess 1:5; Acts 7:51-55). If, the preacher is lacking in passion, then one has reason to wonder if he is void of this salvation (Phil 4:4). The preaching of the Word of God is to be captivating, passionate and full of pathos (1 Tim 4:11-12, 15-16).

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Order of Service when Spurgeon Pastored

I never knew this but here is a typical order of service at the Metropolitan Tabernacle:

• Silent Meditation
• Pastoral prayer
• Hymn
• Bible reading with comments
• Long (pastoral) prayer
• Hymn
• Sermon
• Benediction

Simpler than we find in many churches today! There is more prayer and Scripture reading in that service than many of our churches today. What a great example for us to emulate.

Source: Drummond, Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1992).

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We serve a great God!

Our Great God
Todd Agnew and Rebecca St. James

Eternal God, unchanging
Mysterious and unknown
Your boundless love, unfailing
In grace and mercy shown
Bright seraphim in ceaseless flight around Your glorious throne
They raise their voices day and night in praise to You alone
Hallelujah, Glory be to our great God

Lord, we are weak and frail
Helpless in the storm
Surround us with Your angels
Hold us in Your arms
Our cold and ruthless enemy, his pleasure is our harm
Rise up, O Lord, and he will flee before our sovereign God

Let every creature in the sea and every flying bird
Let every mountain, every field and valley of the earth
Let all the moons and all the stars in all the universe
Sing praises to the living God who rules them by His word

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The 5 pillars of our Youth Group

This is what I am presenting not only to our pastor, the elders, and the students themselves, but I'm going to mail this home to every parent of our youth so they know "what we're doing" when we gather together and what the goal of our meeting together is. I trust this will be helpful to those who check out this blog...

_________________________________

I want to make clear some of the foundational truths that we stand on here at Christ Community Church’s youth ministry:

Our youth group is built upon 5 pillars

1. Extolling God’s Character

It is our commitment to extol the absolute and utter sovereignty of God (Ps 93:1; Isa 46:10; Rev 19:6). The Bible clearly explains that God is holy (Lev 19:2), just (Deut 32:4), loving (1 John 4:8), merciful (Deut 4:31), gracious (Neh 9:17), angry with sin (Ps 7:11), and able to save (Eph 2:8-10; 2 Tim 1:9). We commit to extolling God’s character as we come together to worship corporately (Heb 10:25), and individually in the privacy of our own lives (1 Cor 10:31). Soli Deo Gloria.

2. Explaining God’s Word

It is our commitment to explain God’s Word as we faithfully interpret and accurately apply God’s Word to the hearts and lives of our students (Neh 8:8). First and foremost, this requires the teacher to make certain his heart is right before God as he studies and prepares his own heart in order to be a pure vessel fit for the Master’s service in explaining and teaching the Scriptures to others (1 Tim 4:13-16). We commit to make the teaching of God’s Word the primary focus of our youth meetings—whether we are working through a book of the Bible, going through a topical study, or simply observing a singular text—so that the students know what God has to say. For after all, God has given us everything we need pertaining to life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3-4).

3. Enthusiastically Worshiping God

It is our commitment to worship God in a way that is true, spirit-based, controlled, and yet enthusiastically joyful (Ps 100:1, 4). We desire to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). We believe that God has revealed that He is, indeed, the God of gods and must solely be worshipped (Ps 96:5). He is to be worshipped with awe and joy (Ps 2:11). However, it is altogether recognized that this enthusiasm in worshipping God only comes from the Holy Spirit (John 3:8) when one has been born-again by the Spirit of God (John 3:3) to walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4; Eph 4:1) growing in sanctification (1 Thess 4:3; Heb 12:14). Therefore, worshipping God is something that is never dull or boring but rather sincere and joyous (Ps 32:11)!

4. Encouraging One Another

It is our commitment to habitually encourage one another (1 Thess 5:11). This may take several forms. First, this may evidence itself in a loving rebuke (Prov 27:5). We are confident that a loving confrontation when another brother sins is the loving thing to do (Gal 6:1; Matt 18:15-18; 2 Tim 4:2). Second, this may be evidenced in verbally encouraging and giving glory to God for what another individual has done (1 Thess 5:14; Heb 3:13). Our goal in encouraging one another is to stimulate one another toward love and good deeds (Heb 10:24) and becoming more Christlike in our private walk with Jesus Christ (2 Pet 3:17).

5. Evangelizing Lost Sinners

It is our commitment to make evangelism a central mark of our ministry. It is clearly stated in the Bible that most people are unbelievers and headed for an eternity in torment in hell (Matt 7:13-14). Therefore, we take it as our responsibility to proclaim the gospel (2 Tim 4:1-2; 2 Cor 3:6) and let God change the heart and draw the sinner to Himself if He deems it best (1 Cor 3:7-8; John 6:44; 1 Pet 1:2-3). Therefore, we make it our ambition to clearly and faithfully proclaim the biblical gospel during each teaching session when we corporately gather together (Acts 17:1-3; 1 Tim 4:13) as well as to personally share the gospel with those we come in contact with day by day (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 8:34-36).

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Blessings.

Pastor Geoff

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The Practice of Preaching

Friday--Preaching
Saturday--Preaching
Sunday--Preaching
Tuesday--Preaching
= Busy week

1 Timothy 4:13-15 13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.

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The 2 most important things for the president of my seminary to say on TV

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I really appreciate James MacDonald

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You ready to meet the LORD?

I'm studying for a series of sermons I'm giving on the Second Coming. We have finally reached the climax in the book of Revelation as our youth group has traversed through the whole book with me!

I am struck with the normality of life which was going on at the time of the flood (Gen 6:5ff). Yet, God suddenly destroyed the world (all of it!) and those who lived on the world except for Noah, his family, and the animals aboard the ark with him.

Interestingly, the same is true today. Many people will live life as normal when Jesus Christ returns (the rapture and the Second Coming). But most Christians who would profess to believe in the soon-coming of our Savior are totally oblivious to the sudden and imminent return of Jesus Christ. Many believers live life without giving any thought to the possibility of meeting Christ at any moment--literally.

I was just pondering this truth. For instance, I'm sitting at my desk at church eating an oatmeal cookie. I had the thought that the Lord could rapture the saints before I take the next bite of my cookie. But to me, that next bite is so certain to happen (Amen!), but how naive we can be to think that Jesus Christ and His catching up of His own could "interrupt" my schedule! How wicked is that thought!

May we all sit back for a moment and ponder the all-too-near reality that Jesus Christ may come before the end of today. And whatever activity you were engaged in; whatever thought you were pondering; whatever place you were visiting, you may be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before that activity or thought is over or before you leave a place you're visiting. Let us remember afresh the fact that in a "twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor 15:52), we may be transported to the very presence of our Glorious Savior.

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Centrality of God in Jesus Christ in NT Theology

From Tom Schreiner's recent New Testament Theology:

“The purpose of life is to honor God, though again, John insists that God
cannot be honored if Jesus Christ is not honored (John 5:23). The purpose of
every life is to honor God in Christ, which fits, of course, with the major
thesis that I put forth in this book [“the centrality of God in Christ is the
foundational theme for the narrative unfolded in the NT”; p.119]. The Father is
glorified if people bear much fruit (John 15:8), and this fruit likely involves
both Christian character and the spread of the gospel so that others receive
eternal life (p.138).

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Biblical history questioned?

It's said when so many OT scholars today question the historicity of the biblical accounts. In fact, would it be an overstatement to say that "most" scholars question Iron Age Israel? Can the biblical account speak for itself and be authoritative enough to lay the foundation upon which everything else is built? Apparently not.

"The modern state of OT scholarship is in a state of crisis," says Dr. V. Philips Long ("Introduction," in Windows into Old Testament History: Evidence, Argument, and the Crisis of "Biblical Israel," Ed. by V. Philips Long, David W. Baker, and Gordon J. Wenham [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002], 1), and I concur with him.

I wish that the biblical accounts in Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles were sufficient enough--but apparently not.

I like what Jesus has to say referring to God and His Word (of which the OT is a part):

John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

I don't want to disagree with my Savior.

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Long for the return of Jesus

I was a privileged man today. I had the great opportunity of visiting a friend in the hospital. If there could be a man who talked too much about heaven--this would be the guy! Every time I see him (literally!) he reminds me that we will, one day (soon!), be with the King of kings and Lord of lords! He always speaks of being in Glory and seeing our Savior face to face and worshipping him without any sinful tendencies or motives.

While he was lying in bed, I asked him what I could read for him from God's Word to encourage him. He said he wanted to hear 1 Peter 5. So I read the chapter slowly and with a loud voice (for the doctors in and outside the room to hear and afterwards we had a great talk on that day "when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory" (1 Pet 5:4).

If there was one truth which convicted me today, it was the simple fact that I--as a seminary student and as a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--don't exemplify the exuberate and joyful and unquenchable longing for the soon return of our Savior as I should. If you were to ask me: "Geoff, do you long for the return of Christ?" I'd respond by quickly affirming, "Yes, I do." But, I want, I really want, that kind of constant, unquenchable, and joyful attitude knowing that I will, all because of God's unconditional grace and mercy, receive that crown of glory--soon! I went to the hospital to be a blessing to another. Yet, I was the one who was truly blessed! Praise God.

On a not too distant note, I like what Phil Johnson wrote today about God loving all men yet being angry with the sinner:

I believe Scripture plainly teaches that there is a true and significant
sense in which God loves even those whom He hates. Scripture says His mercies
are over all His works (Psalm 145:9). He cannot hate His own
creatures with a pure and undiluted hatred, because they are the works of His
hands. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45 that the way to be
like God is to love even our enemies.God's eternal love for his elect is unique,
and reserved for them alone. But we understand that there is more than one kind
of love, even in the realm of human relationships. My love for my wife is vastly
greater—and a different kind of love—from my love for my neighbor. But my love
for my neighbor is no less love, and not a mere pretense.In a similar way, God
loves the reprobate differently—a love of compassion; not a redemptive love. But
He does love them and His plea for them to be reconciled with Him (2 Corinthians 5:20)
is well-meant.

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Christian College Profs In Support of Obama?

Really? Can this be true?

According to a recent poll taken at Covenant College, it is true.

Specifically, a blog stating the matter says:

After the above, no one will be shocked to find out thirty-five percent of
Covenant's faculty members say they're likely to vote for Senator Obama. That's
one third of the faculty supporting the presidential candidacy of the most radically pro-baby slaughter politician in Washington
D.C.

And again--and even more shockingly:

Interestingly, only half the faculty members considered "abortion" to be
"Very important" in their selection in their anticipated vote for a presidential
candidate. This means half of the faculty members made a conscious decision to
respond that abortion was not "Very important." What got a higher rating than
abortion?
"Social justice." Abortion had a rating average of 3.23 whereas
"Social justice" won with 3.40. (Ten faculty members responded that abortion was
either "Not important" (2) or only "Somewhat important" (8), but only one
faculty member responded that social justice was "Not important" and just two
that it was only "Somewhat important."
For the top rating, "Very important,"
three issues tied in the faculty's vote: "Abortion," "Health care," and "Social
justice," with "Social justice" taking the honors.
Covenant's president, Niel
Nielson, might suggest the school's chaplain invite Submergent (they
themselves call it Emergent) Church leader, Donald Miller, to visit the campus
and preach in chapel along the theme of his mini-sermon given as a bendiction to
the Democratic National Convention in Denver last month.

Let us pray that our Christian faculty in some of the leading schools--which are very scant these days--would repent of this wishy-washy theology and take a stand for biblical truth.

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Jesus is the Sovereign King

Here's a quote with which I'm concluding my sermon on Revelation 19:1-10 by the old 19th century preacher, George Livingstone Robinson:

Let us picture to ourselves that celestial coronation scene. Jesus our King
seated on the throne of heaven, surrounded with glory, His kingdom universal,
His enemies under His feet, Satan vanquished, earthly magistrates and
potentates, sages and kings, armies and emperors, bowing submissively before Him
as King of Kings and Lord of Lords; hymns of praise chanted by the heavenly
choir; tributes of adoration by the saints clothed in white; His elect singing
hallelujahs to Him that sitteth upon the throne of God most high, and worshiping
multitudes raising their voices in songs of triumph, as God the Father
places upon His brow the crown of victory! Oh, Jesus, thou art the monarch of
the skies, thou art king of heaven and of earth!

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Spurgeon on the preaching of the Word of God

Ah, my dear friends, we want nothing in these times for revival in the
world but the simple preaching of the gospel. This is the great battering
ram that shall dash down the bulwarks of iniquity. This is the great light
that shall scatter the darkness. We need not that men should be adopting
new schemes and new plans. We are glad of the agencies and assistance
which are continually arising; but after all, the true Jerusalem blade, the
sword that can cut to the piercing asunder of the joints and marrow, is the
preaching of the Word of God. We must never neglect it, never despise
it. The age in which the pulpit is despised, will be an age in which
gospel truth will cease to be honored….God forbid that we should begin to
depreciate preaching. Let us still honor it; let us look to it as God’s
ordained instrumentality, and we shall yet see in the world a repetition of
great wonders wrought by preaching in the name of Jesus Christ.

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The kingdom of God

Here's my quote for the day:

There is a clear progression [in human history] toward a goal. The goal is
the consummation of the kingdom of God, in which human beings glorify God by
exercising rule over this planet in his name and by serving and enjoying him
forever. The glory of God is the highest of all ends and purposes (Larry R.
Helyer, Yesterday, Today, and Forever [Salem, WI: Sheffield, 1996],
255).

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Union with Christ

I love Galatians 2:20:

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

"Indeed, the Christian believer possesses an ideal completeness in Christ. Since the fullness of the Godhead indwelt Christ, and since believers are in the exalted Lord, Paul could affirm, "you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the Head over every power and authority" (Col 2:10; John 1:16).

Hear Martin Luther speak to this:

Through faith you are so closely united with Christ ... that you can say with
confidence ... Christ's righteousness, victory, life, etc., are mine; and
Christ, in turn, says: I am this sinner, that is, his sins, death, etc., are
Mine because he clings to Me and I to him; for through faith we have been joined
together into one flesh and bone!

Praise God!

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Preachers need to learn from meteorologists

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Do you the youth have it in 'em?

Well, I'm off to six flags tonight to see if my youth group can hang upside-down with their youth pastor. Yes, you are reading my intended meaning; I intend to go on the roller-coasters that go upside-down over and over and over again! Can they handle it?

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A reminder of the gospel

The Gospel

I want to be quick to follow yesterday's post with the gospel truth that you can be saved from hell. Here is a simple reminder from Ephesians 2:1-10 that the Gospel is the greatest news one could ever hear!

1. We are dead in sin (1-3)

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in
which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to
the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the
sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts
of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

2. We are helpless apart from God’s intervention (4-6)

Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love
with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and
raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus,

3. We are made to demonstrate God’s glory (7)

Ephesians 2:7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing
riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

4. We are saved by grace through faith (8-9)

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so
that no one may boast.

5. We are saved resulting in a life of good works (10)

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Finally, recognize the urgency to heed these biblical truths and do not linger!

2 Corinthians 6:2 Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION "—

Hebrews 4:7 He again fixes a certain day, "Today," saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS."

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A reminder regarding eternity

Let us not forget that we stand at the edge of eternity. Whenever God sovereignly chooses to end one's life, we must bear in mind that heaven (for some) and hell (for most) are closer than we may think.

I heard read this quote today and it gripped me. If you read it and it doesn't make you stop and think: read it over again--and again.

"Religion inflames the imaginations of men with a good opinion of their own
state, so that nothing can disturb them."

Let us not forget that many people who are religious will close their eyes in death and awake in the shrieks and torments of eternal hell. We must not minimize the reality of eternity--an eternity under the wrath of an infinite Being. Hear Jonathan Edwards speak regarding this subject:

"If it seemed real unto men that there is a hell of everlasting burnings,
that all that die impenitent and unconverted must immediately be cast
into as soon as they die, and never be delivered from, it would be impossible in nature and a self-contradiction that they should be easy
and merry, and that they should go cheerfully about their worldly business and
recreations while they are in an impenitent and unconverted condition--as
impossible as it is for a man to love pain and delight in being miserable"

Edwards is dead on. If the world recognized that they walk along an old, ragged, moth-eaten cloth over the pit of hell, and yet it is the sheer mercy of God that, at any one moment, doesn't drop them through that garment into the eternal misery of hell, there is no way that people could rejoice in life because of the eternity that awaits them.

There is a problem, however. And that problem is that people don't believe this truth. Either they don't know it or, most probably, they refuse to believe this truth. For a believer who truly understands the glorious truth that he has been saved from sin, saved from God's wrath, and justified because of Jesus Christ's substitutionary death, then that concept will instill the fear of God him.

Yet, as it has been said, "If you are not afraid of hell, you are almost certainly going there" (Gerstner, Repent or Perish, 13). We as preachers must not shy away from preaching on the horrors and agonizing torments of this eternal place--even if it scares people. As Spurgeon said: "I'll scare people into the Kingdom if I have to."

Is it appropriate for a preacher to herald the horrors of hell? Some think so. Here is a proposed proposal that preachers should wrestle with:

1. The sinner is threatened with the horrible hell he so justly deserves
unless he accepts Christ's undeserved salvation.
2. But he hates the Christ who alone can save him.
3. That hatred can only be removed, and a believing heart bestowed in its
place, by sovereign divine mercy and the irresistible call of God the Holy
Spirit.
4. So the sinner must seek God's mercy, which will come, if God pleases,
only by divine regeneration.

Therefore, the effect of biblical scare preaching is, therefore, to set a sinner to seeking salvation. In a word, scare preaching is to produce: not salvation, but the seeking of salvation.

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Abortion is a God-issue

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Coffee and Creation This Morning

This morning I woke up and had a great time in the Word on our front porch with my coffee and a beautiful scene of God's handiwork:

Psalm 19:1-6 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And
their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth
speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are
there words; Their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the
earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a
tent for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It
rejoices as a strong man to run his course. 6 Its rising is from one end of the
heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden
from its heat.

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Apologetics 101

I'm convinced that Apologetics--though it is many-faceted--is pretty simple and straightforward. Here are six principles I'm giving in an upcoming Bible study that must be included when you want to share your faith with someone:

1. You must know Christ Yourself (2 Cor 13:5)

Hear Richard Baxter (16th century puritan) speak to this issue [to pastors, but indirectly, this applies to all Christians]: “See that the work of saving grace be thoroughly wrought in your own souls. Take heed to yourselves, lest you be void of that saving grace of God which you offer to others, and be strangers to the effectual working of that Gospel which you preach; and lest, while you proclaim to the world the necessity of a Savior, your own hearts should neglect him, and you should miss of an interest in him and his saving benefits” (Reformed Pastor, 53).

2. You must believe in the Sovereignty of God (Isa 46:8-10)

You cannot save anyone.

Your words cannot save anyone.

Your skillful presentation cannot save anyone.

Only God can save someone.

It is as Greg Bahnsen states: "A successful apologetic, being given according to Christ’s Word and Spirit, is a function of the grace of God, not human cleverness and wisdom" (Bahnsen, Always Ready, 85).

3. You must live a life Distinctly Different than the World (James 4:4)

4. You must actively seek to Initiate the Conversation (Luke 10:1-5; 2 Tim 4:2; Matt 28:18-20).

Ezekiel had to do this. He was called to proclaim God's message to a hard-hearted and stubborn people:

Ezekiel 2:4-5 4 "And I am sending you to them who are stubborn and
obstinate children; and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' 5
"As for them, whether they listen or not-- for they are a rebellious house--
they will know that a prophet has been among them.

5. You must believe that--in their heart--they Already Believe and Know that God Exists (Rom 1:20; 2:14-15).

Bahnsen notes:

It is God’s word which must be our ultimate and indisputable presupposition
in thought and argumentation, rather than independently supported “brute facts”
(ibid., 73).

And again:

The unbeliever should not be left with false pretensions: such as, that his
problem is merely a lack of information, or that he simply needs to correct some
of his syllogisms … The Christian apologist simply recognizes that the ultimate
truth—that which is more pervasive, fundamental, and necessary—is such that it
cannot be argued independently of the preconditions inherent in it. One must
presuppose the truth of God’s revelation in order to reason at all. (ibid.,
75).

6. You must Know and Proclaim the Biblical Gospel (Gal 1:6-9)

a. God

He is Holy Judge
He is Loving Savior
b. Man
We are totally dead in sin
We are unable to save ourselves
c. Jesus
The perfect God-Man
Died for His own

Salvation comes to a sinner by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
d. Commitment
Being a Christian involves Sacrifice
Being a Christian involves Service
Being a Christian mandates Sanctification
Being a Christian requires Self-denial
Being a Christian requires Submission to God’s Word
e. Heaven/Hell
Eternal life in heaven is the narrow path for those who are saved
Eternal torment in hell is the broad path/way of life for most people in the world.

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A marvelous manifestation of mutual encouragement and manly meat

Today was a great day--plain and simple. I arrived at school at 6:45 this morning and was able to read through 1 Peter 1-2 which was a tremendous way to begin the school semester of classes. Then I had my two classes for the semester--Advanced Hebrew Grammar and Seminar in History of Israel: Methodological Issues. They will be fabulous classes with awesome professors.

Then at noon, I raced over to Pasadena to have lunch with an 'ol college buddy of mine. We actually went to Israel together and were roommates there! We went to this awesome Bar and Grill and got huge burgers (which now clues you in to my title of this blog). Over these juicy burgers, we talked authentic church ministry. I haven't had a conversation like this in a long time--heart to heart, man to man, brother to brother, honest heart before a honest heart--attempting to delve deep into the wonders of "practical ecclesiology." It was a fabulous time of manly encouragement and manly meat!

Then, I was going to go to Fuller seminary to get some library books that Master's doesn't have. Unfortunately, this just "happened" (in the already-planned-before-the-foundation-of-the-world Sovereign decree of God) to be the week that they're closed for remodeling! So, I then went to my third home (first is my house; second is the Master's library)--Starbucks! I was there for four hours working on my thesis--with a little success.

Then, I had a very important dinner appointment today with John Goldingay--an Old Testament and Hebrew professor at Fuller seminary in Pasadena. We met at a Pub and had a delightful time over a burger and talked about Psalm 93, Canaanite literature, Ugaritic, Mowinckel's (totally "speculative and purely conjectural") theory of the "Enthronement Festival of Yahweh" in the Royal Psalms, and shared testimonies. Not only all that, we talked about Israel quite a bit because--having lived in England most of his life and "closer" to Israel--he had been there numerous times! Again, I got a nice juicy (big!) burger with some excellent fries!

After a day of classes, Bible study, fellowship, burgers, fries, ecclesiological talks, and learning from a scholar much smarter than this puny 'ol self about Canaanite literature and its relationship to Psalm 93, I have come to the conclusion that it was a "marvelous manifestation of mutual encouragement and manly meat!"

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My Bias of Biblical Accuracy

My Bias of Biblical Accuracy

I am reading for one of my courses this Fall about the history of Israel. I must confess, I have a bias for biblical accuracy. It is so clear to me that 1 Kings 6:1 says:

Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

So, if we believe that Solomon came to be king in 970 B.C. (which isn’t disputed among conservative scholars). Therefore, the 4th year of Solomon’s reign would be 966 B.C. If you had 480 to 966 B.C. you come to a date of 1446 B.C. It is a very clear, simple, straight-forward verse which wasn’t intended to be speculative and certainly the author of Kings wasn’t “wrong” in his clear statement here. It is as Rasmussen says ("Conquest, Infiltration, Revolt, or Resettlement," in Giving the Sense, ed. by David M. Howard, Jr., and Michael A. Grisanti [Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2003], 152):

"Within the biblical text, the basis of the Early-Date Exodus/Conquest Model is 1 Kings 6:1, which implies a date of about 1446 B.C. for the Exodus and a date of 1406 B.C. for the beginning of the Conquest of Canaan under Joshua. This means that the period of the Judges stretched from roughly 1375 B.C. to about 1050 B.C.—the beginning of Saul’s rule.”

It really is straight-forward. But, I unashamedly confess my bias of biblical accuracy in this regard of Israel’s history.

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A way to live and surely end up in hell

A way to live and end up in hell

“We must warn sinners to avoid those ways that lead to hell. If you would not come to those extreme torments, you must not walk in those paths that lead to them (cf. Ps 1). There is but one path that leads to haven (Matt 7:13–14), but there are many that lead down to the bottomless pit. Beware, therefore, of those paths. Multitudes are going on in paths that lead directly to the chambers of death. I shall particularly mention some of them.

First, a way of drunkenness most certainly leads to hell. There are many that are in this way, and they are in the way to those great eternal torments that we have heard of. The Apostle tell us, 1 Cor 6:9–10, that drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God (cf. Gal 5:19, 21). A man that continues in this way, and ben’t [sic] changed from this court till he dies, he assuredly goes to hell … therefore beware of this as a way that leads to eternal torments.

Second, another way that leads directly to hell torments is a way of lasciviousness. A way of lascivious acting in various kinds and degrees, and of lascivious speaking, yea, and a way of indulging lascivious thinking. That is, those that live in an unclean way, whether in company or alone, they are going to those torments that we have heard of … 1 Cor 3:17, “IF any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.”

Another way that leads to hell is a way of keeping bad company. That is, associating with the lewd, immoral, profane persons and being with them that are disorderly and vain in their conversation. I prove that this is a way to hell by the 13th of Proverbs at the 20th verse: “A companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Therefore, if you have addicted yourself to such company, you had best to forsake them, if you would not go to those terrible torments that have been proved shall come upon all wicked men. That is all the motive that I shall propose to you to forsake them: that you shall be damned if you don’t.

Finally, a way of Sabbath-breaking and of profaning God’s worship is a sure way to hell. Is not this a common thing amongst us? Are there not many amongst us—especially young people—that have no regard to holy time, but in their talk and actions trample God’s Sabbath under foot, and make no difference between holy time and other time? In Ex 31:14 we are told that he that defiled the Sabbath shall surely be put to death. That soul shall be cut off from the congregation. They were to be stoned with stones, which sort of death seems to be appointed more especially to represent God’s wrath poured upon the head of the sinner. And how many are there that not only profane the Sabbath, but profane God’s public worship on the Sabbath by an irreverent, indecent, rude behavior. All such as make this a practice are going to hell.

Adapted from my reading this morning: Jonathan Edwards, The Torments of Hell: Jonathan Edwards on Eternal Damnation. Ed. by William C. Nichols (Ames, IA: International Outreach, 2006), 173–75.

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Hell is Real and God is Not Silent About It

Mohler has a blog today on the declining American belief in the existence of hell and the Bible's clear description and portrayal of it.

The fact that I'm teaching through Revelation and we're studying the bowl judgments tomorrow night causes me to appreciate all the more these stalwarts in the faith who unswervingly uphold the doctrine of eternal damnation of the unsaved - like Mohler.

Read his post here.

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Suffer for Christ

From one of my heroes:

Today I'm requesting prayer for the couple pictured below.

This past week they were arrested and put into prison for being followers of Jesus. This was the same couple whose 8-year old daughter was brutally murdered several years ago because she came from a family that loves Jesus. (Her headless body was discovered in a well.)
Acts 4:1 says, "While they were speaking to the people...." That's all the apostles had to do to get into trouble. That's all they had to do to get arrested and imprisoned by the civil authorities. Just share the love of Jesus with others. But God sent an angel and released them! And why did God do this? So that they could go back again and "tell the people the message of the new life" (Acts 5:20)!

Here's what I'm saying, friends. Please listen carefully. God is looking for disciples who will live for Him sacrificially. People who love their enemies. People who do good to those who persecute them. People who love those who hate them. And here's the most amazing thing about it all: As much as God loves this wonderful couple, He loves their persecutors -- He loves their daughter's murderer! -- to the very same degree. I'll put it plainly: If you do not love the enemies of Christianity, you are not my brother. That's because you are not a Jesus-follower. If you are not willing to be martyred to share Jesus' love with the persecutors of Jesus, you are not a Christian. Don't tell me about your church membership. Don't tell me about your tithing. Don't tell me about your perfect Sunday School attendance. Do you love Muslims? (This is not a rhetorical question. Please answer yes or no.) Do you love Iraqis? Do you love Iranians? Do you love Hispanics? Do you show it? Do you prove it by your deeds? I write in my forthcoming book The Downward Path of Jesus:

Radical disciples of Jesus embrace those on the other side of the dividing walls of hostility in our world, even including our "enemies." Christianity transcends all boundaries – cultural, racial, political, geographical, natural, even national.

Do you really believe that? If so, while you are praying for this precious couple in Jesus as well as for their persecutors, it might also be a good time for you to remove those idolatrous American flags from your sanctuaries and get real about the Body of Christ. Friends, Jesus is not an American. He's not a Democrat or a Republican. He's a foot washer. Are you? Am I?

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Preaching Mediates God Himself

From Don Carson:

“Granted that ‘preaching’ or ‘proclaiming’ in the Scriptures is not
restricted to something done behind a wooden pulpit between 11:00 and 12:00 on
Sunday mornings, it is nevertheless hard to avoid the strength of this emphasis
on proclamation in the New Testament. The reason for the emphasis lies in the
message itself. God has taken action, and the good news is announced, it is
proclaimed. God is not negotiating; he is both announcing and
confronting.
Done properly, preaching is simply the re-presentation of God’s
gospel, God’s good news, by which men and women come to know him. Thus preaching
mediates God himself. Many preachers, afraid of being thought arrogant, avoid
talking about preaching. They prefer to think of what they do as ’sharing.’ In
some limited contexts, doubtless there is nothing wrong with ’sharing.’ But
something important is lost if we never speak or think of preaching and
proclamation. That is our job, our calling.
It is not arrogant to re-present
as forcefully as we can God’s gospel; it is simply faithful stewardship.
Further, if we focus on the powerful proclamation of the gospel, we shall be
less likely to be seduced by siren calls to soften the sheer non-negotiability
inherent in preaching.”

HT: Unashamed Workman

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Theological quote for today

I found this quote today and I like it:

"From Eden to the final explosion of His eschatological wrath, a strange
paradox exists: God is busily working to save sinners from His own wrath."

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The “Small Sins” Displease God, Too

The “Small Sins” Displease God, Too

Today I went to Carls Jr. (it is the West Coast’s version of Hardees) for lunch and after I ordered my food I waited patiently until they called my number so I could return to church for a meeting. As I was waiting for my number to be called, a homeless person walked in. It was very evident he was homeless. He was pushing a wheelchair with his goods contained in a basket underneath the chair. I saw him approach the self-serve soda machine and he pulled out a large McDonald’s soda cup (it had obviously been used before) and refilled his soda cup with their soda. Then he put that in a bag and put it under the wheelchair seat in his basket. Then, he proceeded to pull out a large plastic bag and fill it up with ice from the soda machine. Finally, he pulled out a water bottle and filled that up with water. After he finished filling his containers, he then pushed his wheelchair out the front door and went on his way.

I stood there stunned for a moment. Then I went up to the cashier and told her that that person just came in and filled up three different containers with their goods without paying even one penny!

She responded to say, “Oh, I know.” After standing stunned for a brief moment at her blowing off the issue, I repeated myself, “He just came in here and took your goods without paying for them and walked out.” Again she repeated herself, “I know, it’s OK.”

I thought to myself – disgusted inside – that homeless person walked in and, without even hesitating for a second, stole from Carls Jr. On top of that, the worker at Carls Jr. could have cared less that someone came in and stole from their store. Immediately I thought of David when he wrote:

Psalm 101:3–4 3 I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. 4 Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.

How God must hate our attitudes when we think of “small sins” as insignificant. O how God must despise it when we commit acts of disobedience and blow it off as if it “simply just happens.” I was angry inside because that man came in and stole from Carls Jr. But then I began to think of my own heart and life and how I often offend God – even without even knowing it at times – and think so lightly of my sin against a holy God.

Was it only a soda that the homeless man stole today? Yes. But, a “small sin” is still a “sin” against an infinitely holy God who absolutely hates sin (and, consequently, sinners). It is my prayer that Psalm 101:3–4 would be true of us – that we would hate sin, hate lawlessness, and earnestly desire to not even let the “small sins” creep into our lives.

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Is hell really "separation from God"?

Forgive me if I seem to have this topic of eternity on my mind, but I have noticed that since I have been preaching through Revelation and, consequently, doing much reading on heaven and hell, my life has changed -- for the better.

Currently, I'm reading through Jonathan Edwards on the Torments of Hell by William C. Nichols. It's (can I say) a good book. It is scary, humbling, terrifying, and provoking my evangelism desires all the more. At any rate, Nichols gives a great page on modern-day preaching and how preachers are so apt to refrain from saying hell but are quick to speak of it as "separation from God" or "that other place." Hear Nichols speak to this issue:

[Pastors] make the misery of hell to consist principally in the punishment of loss. They shall be cast out of God's sight and shall not have God's favor as others shall. One of the most common phrases which can be heard when the subject of hell is addressed in today's church is the description of hell as "separation from God." This is somehow supposed to communicate the horrors of hell in a more gentle, politically correct way, so that people get the message that hell is really bad, but are not offended at the minister or his description of hell. Perhaps the object of such preaching is to retain the minister in the good graces of the parishioners, so that they will continue to give their money to the church, and not leave and go elsewhere.

Such "doctrine" might be called "hell-lite." It is part of the "don't offend anyone" mentality of our culture, and, as a result, people begin to think in their own minds that hell is really not all that bad.

Many modern evangelical leaders have jumped on this bandwagon with the result that it is difficult to hear today's preachers speak of hell as anything other than "separation from God." ... If such preaching is meant to strike terror into the hearts of the ungodly or perhaps stir up within them a desire for God, it won't.

The vile and wicked men of this world and even the religious church attendee want nothing more in this life than to be separated from God. They would love it if God would leave them alone and separate Himself from them forever. The unconverted have no burning "thirst for God that cannot be quenched." They hate God and wish He did not exist at all. To be separated from Him for all eternity would be their greatest joy and happiness, especially if no physical punishment were doled out to them for their endless acts of sin, and rebellion, and willful rejection of His laws and authority during their life on earth. Separation from God is exactly what the wicked of this world long for.

One may also question the theological accuracy of such a statement as "separation from God": for how can anyone ever be separated from an omnipresent God? Edwards believed that both saint and sinner would spent eternity "in the immediate presence and sight of God." This is confirmed in Revelation 14:10-11, which tells us: "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever (p.134-35).

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Acts 6 - Godly Leadership

I'm studying now for Sunday's sermon on Acts 6. I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey of study through the book of Acts thus far.

Here is where my preliminary study consists...

Blessings.

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Biblical perspective on budgeting and handling your money - part 2

Continuing from yesterday's post, I conclude with part 2 of my Bible study on How to handle your money:

VI. PROTECT YOUR FAMILY WITH LIFE INSURANCE
a. Principle: Proverbs 27:12 12 A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty.
b. Guys: 1 Timothy 5:8 8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
c. Women: Titus 2:4-5 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. (cf. 1 Tim 5:10.)

VII. HAVE RETIREMENT PLAN IN PROGRESS WHEN YOU’RE 40 YEARS OLD
a. Yes we know that: Proverbs 16:9 9 The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
i. But at the same time, we must be wise and plan accordingly.
b. Proverbs 21:5-6 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. 6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
c. Proverbs 13:16 16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly.

VIII. OWN YOUR HOME DEBT-FREE BY AGE 65 OR RETIREMENT
a. Note first about retirement: The only reference in the Bible to retirement is found in Numbers 8:25, which concerns the retirement of the temple priests or Levites. That is not much biblical justification for the multibillion dollar retirement system America has built (http://www.crown.org/LIBRARY/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=544).
b. Proverbs 13:16 16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly.
c. Prov 6:6-8: So, according to Proverbs 6:6-8, workers need to lay aside some surplus in higher-income-earning years so that the latter years can be spent in peace.

IX. HAVE A WORKABLE BUDGET
a. Proverbs 16:3 3 Commit your works to the LORD, And your plans will be established.
b. Proverbs 24:3-4 By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4 And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.
c. Proverbs 21:5 5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.
d. Proverbs 27:12 12 A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty.
i. Cf. Luke 14:28-30 – calculate before you start building.

Conclusion:
Some Biblical Convictions
1- Learn to be content: 1 Timothy 6:6 6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.
2- Give God a chance first: Psalm 37:7 7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
3- Avoid hasty speculation: Proverbs 28:22 22 A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth, And does not know that want will come upon him.
4- Evaluate every purchase: 1 Corinthians 10:31 31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
5- Don’t be deceitful: Proverbs 19:1 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.
Proverbs 20:7 7 A righteous man who walks in his integrity-- How blessed are his sons after him.
Proverbs 20:17 17 Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
6- Seek good Christian counsel: Proverbs 13:20 20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm. (cf. Ecc 9:14-16.)
Luke 16:10-11 10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?

Source:
Source:
This outline for my Bible study was adapted from Jim Rickard's Stewardship Services ministry. Check it out here.
Also see Crown Ministries for a host of articles that may serve you in great ways!

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Biblical perspective on budgeting and handling your money - part 1

More than a few people have asked me to publish a recent Bible study I gave on "Biblical Budgeting: How to handle your money." I trust this will be profitable for many who check this blog. Since I cannot assume that people know how to handle their money (even if you're a college student with not a lot of money!), I thought it wise to give some biblical principles to guide people in need of this important teaching:

Introduction
The importance of biblical stewardship
Materialism is not having nice things.
It is not driving a nice car, etc.
Materialism IS your attitude towards it all
It is not a possession issue, but an attitude issue.
The desire to want more.

Note these Credit Card Statistics (Source: Reader’s Digest, August, 2007)
Over 200 million credit cards used every day (691 million dollars total)
In 2001, over $670 billion charged on credit cards
In 2007, 1.8 trillion charged on credit cards
Presently, there is over $800 billion owed on credit cards.
There is an average 17% interest rate
There is an average of 5 credit cards per household
60% of people carry unpaid balances from month to month

“We will never handle anything less significant than money, nor more outwardly indicative of our inward spiritual condition” (Jim Rickard).

Matthew 6:21 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.

Note: In 85% of divorces, the reason has something to do with money.
Whenever you value something too much, whatever happens to it happens to you. For example, if your car breaks down; then you break down.

Here are 2 worldly (sinful) attitudes regarding money:
1. Keep God out of it – it is mine anyway!
2. My ego is supreme and should rule!

Outline

I. LEARN TO BE A GIVER
a. 1 Corinthians 16:2 2 On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come.
b. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.
i. God set the example for us!: 2 Corinthians 8:9 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
c. Psalm 37:21 21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives.
d. Proverbs 3:9 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce;

II. LEARN TO BE A SAVER
a. Proverbs 13:11 (ESV) 11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
b. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. 7 Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
c. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 2 On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come.

III. LEARN TO SPEND LESS THAN YOU EARN
a. Proverbs 21:20 20 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.
b. Don’t get into debt:
i. Conclusion to the article: “Ten Ways to Save Money” on the crown.org website: Debt-free living is still God's plan for His people today. The blessings of becoming debt free go far beyond the financial area. They extend to the spiritual and marital realms as well. No one who is financially bound can be spiritually free. The effects of financial bondage on a marriage relationship are measurable in the statistics of failed marriages. Therefore, God's people need to make saving money and debt freedom top priorities in their families.

IV. HAVE MONEY SAVED AWAY IN AN EMERGENCY FUND
a. 1 Timothy 5:8 8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.
b. Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, 7 Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, 8 Prepares her food in the summer, And gathers her provision in the harvest.
c. Proverbs 21:20 20 There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man swallows it up à this is the principle of learning to save for the unexpected (cf. Prov 6:6-8).
i. Cf. Prov 27:23

V. DON’T FINANCE PLEASURE ITEMS
a. Proverbs 22:3 3 The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.
b. Don’t take out debt for pleasure items à stereo, video games, clothes, etc.
i. 1 John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.a. Proverbs 22:3 3 The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.
b. Don’t take out debt for pleasure items à stereo, video games, clothes, etc.
i. 1 John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

i. If you are in debt: read the article: “Getting Out of Debt” on the crown.org website.

Part 2 will follow tomorrow.

Source:

This outline for my Bible study was adapted from Jim Rickard's Stewardship Services ministry. Check it out here.

Also see Crown Ministries for a host of articles that may serve you in great ways!

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Acts 5:17-42 - God is actively involved in your life

Here is my sermon outline for today. I trust it'll be an encouraging (and convicting!) time for us all...

Introduction

Job 42:1-6 Then Job replied to the LORD: 2 "I know that you can do all
things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, 'Who is this that
obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not
understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 "You said, 'Listen now,
and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' 5 My ears
had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise
myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Here are three encouraging truths to realize so that your joy in the Lord and your fervency to serve will increase all the more.

I. God’s Power Cannot be Rivaled (17-21a)


II. God’s Salvation Cannot be Hidden (21b-32)

What was their message?
1. Obeying God is priority (29)

2. Jesus is alive! (30a)

3. He died on a cross (30b)

4. He is at the right hand of God the Father (31a)

5. He gives repentance and forgiveness (31b)

6. The Holy Spirit lives within believers (32)


III. God’s Will Cannot be Overcome (33-42)


Concluding Application:
Ø How can you specifically give these “Words of Life” to someone this week?
Ø Think of one area where you can change to be more obedient to God just as the Apostles were.

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Jonathan Edwards on the sin of selfishness

Man naturally has no other principle to direct and govern him in his actions, but only self-love … this being the only principle he has to govern him, all that aman is prompted to pursue is his own private and separate interest. Then he will have no sincere regard at all to the glory of God or the good of others.

All sinfulness can be traced to selfishness as its source. Men never act from any worse than selfish motives.

Thomas Boston wrote: “Man was created, directly looking to God, and turned into himself; and, like a traitor usurping the throne, he gathers in the rents of the crown to himself … they seek not God, but themselves … the unregenerate, though most insensible of it, are under the power thereof, and whithersoever they turn themselves, they cannot move beyond the circle of self.

The devil loves himself above all other beings in the universe, and seeks for men to imitate him and follow him by exalting themselves in the place of God, and living to please themselves (The Torments of Hell: Jonathan Edwards on Eternal Damnation, Ed. by William C. Nichols [Ames, IA: International Outreach, Inc.] 2-3).

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