Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Resurrection Power to Change

There are those church goers who are against individuals giving their testimonies in church. Their reasoning is that people who did this were “airing their dirty laundry” and that stories of former sinful behavior were inappropriate, even disruptive to worship. Many churches don’t even have anyone give their testimony.
What then is the purpose of someone giving their testimony? It is evidence of the resurrection power in a person’s life. Jesus resurrection from the dead wasn’t just for Him, it was also for us. God changes people as a testimony of His glory and power. Testimonies indicate how we were once in the darkness, but are now in God's glorious light. Testimonies are hope for others that they can experience God's resurrection power in their lives.

Below is the same scripture from the previous post, where the Apostle Paul explains how God changes us:
Ephesians 1: 4-10:
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Below is a video from Sojourn Community Church in Louisville KY that contains stories of change that were caused by God’s resurrection power.


Monday, May 23, 2011

Is Bin Laden In Hell? Or, Are We All In Danger?

After reflecting on this for a couple weeks (because I’m slow) and in light of the parallel controversy with Rob Bell, the pastor from Michigan with the un-Biblical teaching that everyone eventually goes to heaven, the truth is that all of us are in danger of hell, not just a guy like bin Laden. Why? Because that fact is, we are all evil.

Thomas S Kidd, senior fellow at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, expounds well on this point in his USA Today article at the link below:


Most of us haven’t conspired to kill thousands of people. Maybe we aren’t serial axe murderers or haven’t sexually molested anyone. God however, says we are all sinners by nature, who are desperately wicked, who are incapable of saving ourselves. 

The Apostle Paul explains to Christians living in the city of Ephesus who he and they were:

Ephesians 1: 1-3:
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

After reading the scripture above, I get two impressions:

1.) We are evil and under God’s wrath, and…
2.) Yet, there is hope.

Paul continues with the hopeful part:

Ephesians 1: 4-10:
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

In spite of our evil condition, there is hope through faith in Christ.

Bible quotations from the New Living Translation (NLT)

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Can We Trust The Bible? Is it Sufficient?


The quote below is one I like & agree with regarding why I choose to believe the Bible:
"I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies, and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin." (Dr. Voddie Baucham)
Here are just a few reasons that support the Bible being the authoritative word of God:
• The Bible has 66 books and is a reliable collection of historical documents, written by over 40 authors from different walks of life on three different continents. It was written in 3 different languages over a period of over 1600 years. The Bible was written by eyewitnesses who were alive during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. The Bible has an internal consistency in revelation from beginning to end.
• Prophecies relating to the birth, death, & resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament were written several hundred years prior to his birth.
• There are over 6,000 complete or partial manuscripts of the New Testament, many written within 100 years of the original documents (over 24,000 including the Old Testament). The original New Testament manuscripts were written in Greek and translated into Syrian, Latin, & Coptic. The differences in the manuscripts amount to less than 5% of the entire New Testament text, and do not effect any essential doctrine. The closest non-biblical ancient text manuscript to the original is Caesar’s Commentaries, of which there are only 9 manuscripts, dated at least 900 years from the original.
• The writings of Early Church Fathers (Justin Martyr, Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, and others) contain all but 11 verses of the New Testament text. This text is consistent with the text of the New Testament manuscripts mentioned above.
• There are over 25,000 archeological discoveries connected to the Old Testament, none of which contradict or disprove the Bible.
Below is why I believe, as the Protestant Reformers did, in “Sola Scriptura” (scripture alone), or the belief that the Holy Scriptures are enough for all matters of belief, faith, and doctrine.
• 2 Timothy 3:14-17: The Apostle Paul tells the young disciple Timothy that believing in the Bible (scripture) is not irrational, that it is consistent with the testimony of the eyewitnesses of Christ, that it is God breathed, profitable for salvation, wisdom, contains spiritual power, and is sufficient to equip the believer for every circumstance.
• Hebrews 4:12: The Bible’s words have spiritual power to judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
• Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing the word of God.
• John 20: 31 states that the words he (the Apostle John) wrote are so that the reader would believe in Jesus Christ and have salvation in His name.
• In Luke 1:1-3, Luke the physician states that he wrote an orderly account of what he had researched so that his student Theophilus could know the certainty of the things he had been taught about Christ.
It is clear that if we neglect the reading of the Bible, we deprive ourselves of the Spiritual Power of God, power to get us through the most difficult times of life. It is also clear that the Bible alone is sufficient for our spiritual growth and transformation, according to the very words of the authors. When we read the Bible, spiritual reformation and transformation takes place. The combination of Martin Luther’s German translation of the Bible and the Gutenberg Printing Press allowed the Bible to be distributed and read by people as never before, a fact which fuelled the Reformation and the Protestant Church.
What about the objection that the Bible was written by man? The Bible tells us that it was written by God and by real men. This is similar to the doctrine and nature of Christ, who was fully God and fully man. Therefore, the concept is consistent with Biblical revelation.
Yes, I believe the Bible is God’s Word and alone is sufficient and all that is necessary for knowing God and obtaining salvation by faith through grace alone. I like what a modern day Christian martyr said about the Bible:
“One cannot simply read the Bible, like other books. One must be prepared really to enquire of it. Only thus will it reveal itself. Only if we expect from it the ultimate answer, shall we receive it.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Below are links to some helpful Websites that contain Bible text and tools to help you in your study:

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Religion Versus the Gospel

Many people think that if they are religious, then they are right with God.  Characteristics of religion include being obedient to a set of rules, being “good,” blessed with health and wealth, avoiding hard times and “bad” or sinful people, having everything together, and trusting in your own righteousness. This is essentially what all religions teach and what some say Christianity is. Often, unbelievers and Christians confuse Christianity with Religion.

Jesus however, warns us in the gospels that nothing can be further from the truth; that salvation is for the humble. Jesus said that the sinful tax collector, who had nothing to offer and was sorrowful for his sin, who cried out to God saying “God have mercy on me, a sinner” was the one that had redemption, not the pridefull, confident, self-righteous Pharisee. Jesus repeatedly condemns the self-righteous Pharisees, who were the religions professionals of their time. However, true Christianity, the Gospel, is dramatically different from Religion. The Gospel is about what God has already done for us because we cannot save ourselves.

Pastor Mark Driscoll from Seattle WA says there are nine distinctions between having “Religion” and having the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Below is a summary of these distinctions:

1. Religion says: If you obey God, then God will love you. Or in other words-if you don’t obey, God will withdraw his love from you. The Gospel says: Because God loves you unconditionally; you will want to obey him.

2. Religion is prone to see “good” people and “bad” people. The “good” and “bad” depends on what religion you subscribe to. The Gospel says that all people are bad and in need of repentance and salvation. There is only one righteous person, Jesus.

3. Religion is about “receiving” from God. Whether it’s health, wealth, etc., the aim of religion is to receive. If you don’t receive, then you are not right with God. The Gospel is about getting & receiving God himself and having a relationship with him, not anything else. The Gospel is being content with what we have, and in whatever state we are in because we have God.

4. Religion sees all hardship as punishment. The Gospel sees hardship as correction by a loving Father.

5. Religion is being very pridefully aware of other people’s sins, not ours. The Gospel is being very aware of our own sins in humility.

6. Religion is focused on the external and visible, and judges by appearances. The Gospel is focused on the heart of a person.

7. With Religion, you are not certain about your salvation or whether God really loves you. You can never be sure that you have done everything to qualify for salvation or that you might have done something that disqualifies you. With the Gospel, you can be certain about your salvation and that God really loves you.

8. Religion is about self righteousness, and what you have done to merit salvation. The Gospel is about the gift (imputation) of righteousness through faith that we receive from God that we cannot earn.

9. Religion results in either pride of our accomplishments or despair due to our lack of accomplishment. The Gospel results in holy happiness, joy, and assurance because of what Jesus has done for us.

The video below is Pastor Driscoll addressing the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he plainly & clearly explains the nine distinctions between Religion and the Gospel. The video is 41 minutes, but is worth watching as Driscoll does a wonderful job of explaining the differences between what Religion and the Gospel really are.


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Is Calling Your Pet a "Pet" Insulting?

According to "The Journal of Animal Ethics," calling your pet a "pet" is an insulting term, and can supposedly effect the way they are treated. For more on this story, see the following link:
http://www.herald.ie/world-news/calling-animals-pets-is-insulting-academics-claim-2635516.html

Above is a picture of our cat, Miss Kitty. I asked Miss Kitty if she would be insulted if we called her "our pet." She said no; that settles this issue for me. (Actually, I suspect that Miss Kitty thinks we are her pets)