Been a While
I have had no time to post. However, I was reminded that I had a blog when someone mentioned I should start one. Here’s some food for thought:
How can we go into the world beckoning man out of their sin when we secretly love our own?
August 2012
1 post
May 2012
2 posts
Why Bible Study Doesn't Transform Us
JEN WILKIN|10:00 PM CT
When all your favorite preachers are gone, and all their books forgotten, you will have your Bible. Master it. Master it.” —- John Piper
I meet with women all the time who are curious about how they should study the Bible. They hunger for transformation, but it eludes them. Though many have spent years in church, even participating in organized studies, their grasp on the fundamentals of how to approach God’s Word is weak to non-existent. And it’s probably not their fault. Unless we are taught good study habits, few of us develop them naturally.
March 2012
3 posts
Gianna Jessen - Abortion Survivor - Speechless
February 2012
3 posts
David Platt on the Doctrine of Hell
by Jonathan Parnell | February 17, 2012
The doctrine of hell is important — and extremely unpopular.
In this episode of Theology Refresh, David Platt talks about the priority of God’s word as we approach this doctrine and faithfully serve the gospel in light of its reality.
Platt explains that hell is the manifestation that our sin against an infinitely holy God warrants infinitely eternal punishment. Moreover, when we minimize the reality of hell, we actually malign the mercy of God — because central to the fact of hell is that it is escapable. Jesus has endured the wrath of God on our behalf so that all who trust in him will be delivered from God’s wrath and brought into fellowship with him forever.
Stream or download the 13-minute audio.
Recommended resources on the doctrine of hell:
- Hell Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment, multiple authors.
- Hell on Trial: The Case for Eternal Punishment, Robert Peterson
- Whatever Happened to Hell?, John Blanchard
- What Is Hell?, Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson
- Erasing Hell: What God said about eternity, and the things we made up, Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle
“The mind of man can be infected by no more pernicious error than that which arises when his mind is disturbed from the peace and rest which it ought to have with God”
—John Calvin (Inst. III. xxiv. 4)
D.M.Kensrue: Confessions of an Idol Worshipper (Part 1) →
dmkensrue.tumblr.com
WORSHIP IS KILLING ME
I was 23 years old, and already a few years into a fog of doubt and confusion that was slowly suffocating me. I was not unaware of my situation, but my diagnosis was way off the mark. To be sure, I knew that I had “lost my faith,” but I didn’t understand why.
THE…
January 2012
26 posts
Sex, Marriage & Fairytales
Jefferson Bethke, the writer and creator of Why I hate religion but love Jesus has come out with another video - Sex, Marriage & Fairytales - which addresses some of the most pervasive problems in the church and it comes just in time for the release of Mark Driscoll’s new #1 New York Times Best Seller, Real Marriage.
“You say it is heresy to speak of the Holy Scriptures in English. You call me a heretic because I have translated the Bible into the common tongue of the people. Do you know whom you blaspheme? Did not the Holy Ghost give the Word of God at first in the mother-tongue of the nations to whom it was addressed? Why do you speak against the Holy Ghost? You say that the Church of God is in danger from this book. How can that be? Is it not from the Bible only that we learn that God has set up such a society as a Church on the earth? Is it not the Bible that gives all her authority to the Church? Is it not from the Bible that we learn who is the Builder and Sovereign of the Church, what are the laws by which she is to be governed, and the rights and privileges of her members? Without the Bible, what charter has the Church to show for all these? It is you who place the Church in jeopardy by hiding the Divine warrant, the missive royal of her King, for the authority she wields and the faith she enjoins”
— John Wycliffe (via jtmoody)
HE>I
Check these guys out. love their movement and have been watching it grow over the last two years. I also decided to do some fan art of my own.
Receiving Spiritual Enlightenment
By John MacArthur at GTY.org
“I pray that … you may know what is the hope of [God’s] calling” (Eph. 1:18).
In Ephesians 1:3-14 Paul proclaims the blessings of our salvation. In verse 18 he prays that we will comprehend those great truths, which he summarizes in the phrase “the hope of His calling.” “Calling” here refers to God’s effectual calling—the calling that redeems the soul. Scripture speaks of two kinds of calling: the gospel or general call and the effectual or specific call. The gospel call is given by men and is a universal call to repent and trust Christ for salvation (e.g., Matt. 28:19; Acts 17:30-31). It goes out to all sinners but not all who hear it respond in faith.
The effectual call is given by God only to the elect. By it He speaks to the soul, grants saving faith, and ushers elect sinners into salvation (John 6:37-44, 65;Acts 2:39). All who receive it respond in faith.
The hope that your effectual calling instills is grounded in God’s promises and Christ’s accomplishments (1 Pet. 1:3), and is characterized by confidently expecting yet patiently waiting for those promises to be fulfilled. It is your hope of final glorification and of sharing God’s glory when Christ returns (Col. 3:4). It is a source of strength and stability amid the trials of life (1 Pet. 3:14-15). Consequently it should fill you with joy (Rom. 5:2) and motivate you to godly living (1 John 3:3).
As you face this new day, do so with the confidence that you are one of God’s elect. He called you to Himself and will hold you there no matter what circumstances you face. Nothing can separate you from His love (Rom. 8:38- 39)!
Suggestions for Prayer:
- Thank God for the security of your salvation.
- Ask Him to impress on your heart the blessings and responsibilities of your calling.
- Live today in anticipation of Christ’s imminent return.
For Further Study:
Joshua’s call to lead Israel was not a call to salvation,but it illustrates some important principles for spiritual leadership. You might not see yourself as a spiritual leader, but you are important to those who look to you as an example of Christian character. Read Joshua 1:1-9 then answer these questions: 1. What were the circumstances of Joshua’s call (vv. 1-2)? 2. What promises did God make to him (vv. 3-6)? 3. What did God require of him (vv. 7-9)?
From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187,www.crossway.com.
Broken Lungs by Thrice (Remix)
If you haven’t heard of Thrice…you need to. They are one of my favorite bands and not just because I’ve been a fan of theirs for a few years running but because their music is absolutely phenomenal. I was searching SoundCloud and found a mellow remix version of Broken Lungs off their album The Alchemy Index. Awesome rendition of the song.
The Day John Piper Was Arrested - Desiring God →
desiringgod.org
Remembering life.
Not Forsaken
Great reminder for all Christians who terry in prayer.
“The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”
Psalm 9:9-10
(via masontrueblood)
It’s a Girl
The three deadliest words in the world, according to some. Absolutely astonishing video. This is what societies turn to when you have a low view of life. It’s only a matter of time before America’s abortion houses start to abort babies because of preferred genders.
How Do You Obey The Command To Be Born?
By John Piper at Desiring God (via Marshill.com)
Ask another question first: When Jesus commanded Lazarus to rise from the dead, how did he obey that command? In John 11:43 it says, “Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’” That was a command to a dead man. The next verse says, “He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings.”
How did Lazarus do that? How does a dead man obey a command to live again? The answer seems to be that the command carries the power to create new life. Obedience to the command means doing what living people do. This is extremely important. The command of God, “Rise from the dead!” carries in it the power we need to obey it. We do not obey it by creating that life. We obey it by doing what living people do—Lazarus came forth. He rose. He walked out to Jesus. The call of God creates life. We respond in the power of what the call created.
In Ephesians 5:14 Paul says, “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” How do you obey a command to wake up from sleep? If your house has carbon monoxide in it and someone cries out, “Wake up! Save yourself! Get out!” you don’t obey by waking yourself up. The loud powerful command itself wakes you up. You obey by doing what wakeful people do in the face of danger. You get up and leave the house. The call creates the waking. You respond in the power of what the call created.
I believe this is the explanation for why the Bible says paradoxical things about new birth, namely, that we must get ourselves new hearts, but that it is God who creates the new heart.
For example:
Deuteronomy 10:16, “Circumcise your heart!”
Deuteronomy 30:6, “The Lord will circumcise your heart.”
Ezekiel 18:31, “Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!”
Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.”
John 3:6, “You must be born again.”
1 Peter 3:3, “[God] caused us to be born again.”
The way to obey the command to be born is to first experience the divine gift of life and breath, and then to do what living, breathing people do—cry out to God in faith and gratitude and love. When the command of God comes with the creating, converting power of the Holy Spirit, it gives life. The evidence that it has come in this life-creating way is that we respond in life and faith and hope and joy. If that response is in us, we are born of God, and we have obeyed the command.
Dr. John Piper is the pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. © Desiring God
