180
This was generally very good and thought-provoking.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
What If Making Disciples Looked More Like This?
(HT: Doug Wolter) Please check out my twin brother Doug's encouraging and helpful blog. It was recently rated number 6 out of the 100 best children's ministry blogs! Congratulations, Doug!
This is Discipling from The Foursquare Church on Vimeo.
(HT: Doug Wolter) Please check out my twin brother Doug's encouraging and helpful blog. It was recently rated number 6 out of the 100 best children's ministry blogs! Congratulations, Doug!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Finish The Mission - DGM National Conference Livestream
All times for the livestream will be EDT:
Friday, September 23
8:30 PM Louie Giglio
10:05 PM John Piper Interviews David Sitton and Greg Livingstone
8:30 PM Louie Giglio
10:05 PM John Piper Interviews David Sitton and Greg Livingstone
Saturday, September 24
10:05 AM David Platt
11:30 AM Michael Ramsden
2:45 PM Michael Oh
4:15 PM Speaker Panel with Platt, Ramsden, Oh, Stetzer, Piper
8:30 PM Ed Stetzer
10:05 AM David Platt
11:30 AM Michael Ramsden
2:45 PM Michael Oh
4:15 PM Speaker Panel with Platt, Ramsden, Oh, Stetzer, Piper
8:30 PM Ed Stetzer
Sunday, September 25
11:00 AM John Piper
11:00 AM John Piper
(HT: JT & Z)
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The Fight of Faith
Martin Luther:
I remember how Doctor Staupitz used to say to me: "I have promised God a thousand times that I would become a better man, but I never kept my promise. From now on I am not going to make more vows. Experience has taught me that I cannot keep them. Unless God is merciful to me for Christ's sake and grants unto me blessed departure, I shall not be able to stand before Him." His was a God-pleasing despair. No true believer trusts in his own righteousness, but says with David, "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no man living will be justified." (Ps. 143.2) Again, "If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who would stand?" (Ps. 130:3)
No man is to despair of salvation just because he is aware of the lust of the flesh. Let him be aware of it so long as he does not yield to it. The passion of lust, wrath, and other vices may shake him, but they are not to get him down. Sin may assail him, but he is not to welcome it. Yes, the better Christian a man is, the more he will experience the heat of conflict.
(Luther: Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians)
Martin Luther:
I remember how Doctor Staupitz used to say to me: "I have promised God a thousand times that I would become a better man, but I never kept my promise. From now on I am not going to make more vows. Experience has taught me that I cannot keep them. Unless God is merciful to me for Christ's sake and grants unto me blessed departure, I shall not be able to stand before Him." His was a God-pleasing despair. No true believer trusts in his own righteousness, but says with David, "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no man living will be justified." (Ps. 143.2) Again, "If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who would stand?" (Ps. 130:3)
No man is to despair of salvation just because he is aware of the lust of the flesh. Let him be aware of it so long as he does not yield to it. The passion of lust, wrath, and other vices may shake him, but they are not to get him down. Sin may assail him, but he is not to welcome it. Yes, the better Christian a man is, the more he will experience the heat of conflict.
(Luther: Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The Best New Book is an Old Book
C.S. Lewis:
"There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books... This mistaken preference for the modern books and this shyness of the old ones is nowhere more rampant than in theology... Now this seems to me topsy-turvy. Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or the only the old, I would advise him to read the old."
With my new Kindle (that I purchased a few months ago) I am happy to say that I have already been able to read several wonderful old books for free. Without this invention, I would likely have never ventured so far into the past. I am happy to continue this course (Lewis' course) for the time being. In the meanwhile I am saving some trees and a lot of shelf space as well!
C.S. Lewis:
"There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books... This mistaken preference for the modern books and this shyness of the old ones is nowhere more rampant than in theology... Now this seems to me topsy-turvy. Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or the only the old, I would advise him to read the old."
With my new Kindle (that I purchased a few months ago) I am happy to say that I have already been able to read several wonderful old books for free. Without this invention, I would likely have never ventured so far into the past. I am happy to continue this course (Lewis' course) for the time being. In the meanwhile I am saving some trees and a lot of shelf space as well!
Monday, September 12, 2011
When an Unreached People Group Hears the Storyline of the Gospel for the First Time
Justin Taylor: If you’ve never seen this old-school video about the moving EE-TAOW story, it is very much worth 25 minutes of your time to fan the flames for frontier missions where Christ is not yet named. Make sure to watch to the end.I've included part 2, which is just as moving, for those who are interested.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
A Scientist & Scientism
J.P. Moreland, in his book, Love God with all of your Mind writes about a time he met a believer in scientism:
When I extended my hand to Mr. Smith he started attacking Christianity without a moment's hesitation.
"I used to think that religion and philosophy were important, but now I recognize that they are just superstition," he asserted. "Science is the only area where we have knowledge. If you can quantify something or test it in the lab, then we can know it. Otherwise, it's just one person's opinion against another's. To me, the sole value of religion is that believing it helps some people who need that sort of thing, but religious beliefs are neither true nor rational because they are not scientifically testable."
I let him go on for what seemed like the longest ten minutes of my life. In the most gracious way I could muster, I finally got the chance to respond. "I have a few questions for you, Mr. Smith. I am puzzled as to how I should understand what you have asserted for the last ten minutes. You have not said one single sentence from science and nothing you have asserted is the least bit scientifically testable or quantifiable. In fact, you have spent all of your time making philosophical assertions about science and religion. Now, I get the distinct impression that you want me to take your ten-minute monologue as something that is both true and rational. But how can this be, given your scientism, because you do not believe that philosophical assertions are true or rational? On the other hand, if you don't think your own assertions are either true or rational, why have you been boring us with emotive expressions of autobiography for the last ten minutes? After all, some of the finger foods are getting cold."
My response must have shocked Mr. Smith because he literally muttered a few things under his breath and changed the subject. I wouldn't let him off the hook. "I have another question, Mr. Smith. As you know, there have been different definitions of truth offered by various thinkers. Can you give me one single scientific test that offers a definition of truth itself or that shows me that there is such a thing? I take truth to be a correspondence between a statement and the external world. If I say grass is green and, in fact, grass is green, my assertion is true. But what kind of scientific test will enable me to know what truth itself is or that we have it? What about the other assumptions of science? Can you give me a scientific proof that these assumptions are correct and reasonable to believe?
Before my very eyes, Mr. Smith's entire demeanor changed. He was accustomed to bullying Christians and it wasn't working now. The rest of the evening we were able to discuss the gospel and a number of related issues. I stayed in touch with Tom for the next year and not once during that time did Mr. Smith ever again attack Christianity at work.
J.P. Moreland, in his book, Love God with all of your Mind writes about a time he met a believer in scientism:
When I extended my hand to Mr. Smith he started attacking Christianity without a moment's hesitation.
"I used to think that religion and philosophy were important, but now I recognize that they are just superstition," he asserted. "Science is the only area where we have knowledge. If you can quantify something or test it in the lab, then we can know it. Otherwise, it's just one person's opinion against another's. To me, the sole value of religion is that believing it helps some people who need that sort of thing, but religious beliefs are neither true nor rational because they are not scientifically testable."
I let him go on for what seemed like the longest ten minutes of my life. In the most gracious way I could muster, I finally got the chance to respond. "I have a few questions for you, Mr. Smith. I am puzzled as to how I should understand what you have asserted for the last ten minutes. You have not said one single sentence from science and nothing you have asserted is the least bit scientifically testable or quantifiable. In fact, you have spent all of your time making philosophical assertions about science and religion. Now, I get the distinct impression that you want me to take your ten-minute monologue as something that is both true and rational. But how can this be, given your scientism, because you do not believe that philosophical assertions are true or rational? On the other hand, if you don't think your own assertions are either true or rational, why have you been boring us with emotive expressions of autobiography for the last ten minutes? After all, some of the finger foods are getting cold."
My response must have shocked Mr. Smith because he literally muttered a few things under his breath and changed the subject. I wouldn't let him off the hook. "I have another question, Mr. Smith. As you know, there have been different definitions of truth offered by various thinkers. Can you give me one single scientific test that offers a definition of truth itself or that shows me that there is such a thing? I take truth to be a correspondence between a statement and the external world. If I say grass is green and, in fact, grass is green, my assertion is true. But what kind of scientific test will enable me to know what truth itself is or that we have it? What about the other assumptions of science? Can you give me a scientific proof that these assumptions are correct and reasonable to believe?
Before my very eyes, Mr. Smith's entire demeanor changed. He was accustomed to bullying Christians and it wasn't working now. The rest of the evening we were able to discuss the gospel and a number of related issues. I stayed in touch with Tom for the next year and not once during that time did Mr. Smith ever again attack Christianity at work.
Monday, September 05, 2011
9/11 & Tragedy
R.C. Sproul comments on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 just around the corner:
My fear is that we haven't learned very much from 9/11. On 9/11, ten years ago, more babies were destroyed in the wombs of their mothers than people were killed in the terrorist attack in New York. That destruction continues to this day. The greatest attack on the sanctity of life come not from al-Qaeda but from those who destroy their young... What is most tragic is that when we were given a wake-up call ten years ago on 9/11, we pushed the snooze button and went back to sleep.
(Quoted from TableTalk magazine, Sept. '11)
I think a wise application this 9/11 would be to open our eyes and seek God as we recall our own sin and vulnerability in life. (Luke 13:4)
R.C. Sproul comments on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 just around the corner:
My fear is that we haven't learned very much from 9/11. On 9/11, ten years ago, more babies were destroyed in the wombs of their mothers than people were killed in the terrorist attack in New York. That destruction continues to this day. The greatest attack on the sanctity of life come not from al-Qaeda but from those who destroy their young... What is most tragic is that when we were given a wake-up call ten years ago on 9/11, we pushed the snooze button and went back to sleep.
(Quoted from TableTalk magazine, Sept. '11)
I think a wise application this 9/11 would be to open our eyes and seek God as we recall our own sin and vulnerability in life. (Luke 13:4)
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