The Journeyman's Files

Offering Strange Kindle Fire

2012-01-30T18:16:00.000-06:00

What if they made this announcement at the start of every church service?

“Please silence your pagers and cell phones as we prepare to worship the living God. We welcome you to use your phones, readers, or other digital devices to follow along in God’s Word, but we warn you that this is the worst possible time to send texts, check email, or bomb angry birds. God demands and deserves our full attention, and he destroyed Nadab and Abihu for offering “strange fire” during worship. So use your kindle fire at your own risk.”

Somehow I don't think that would go over very well!
BTW, the Nadab and Abihu reference is from Leviticus 9 & 10.

From Mike Wittmer

The Future of Libraries

2012-01-30T11:10:00.000-06:00

I love my Kindle, but also love physical books and hope they never go away!

Hat Tip: Near Emmaus

100 Years of Schaeffer

2012-01-30T06:40:00.000-06:00

Today would have been the 100th birthday of one of my Christian heroes - the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer.Comments below are from The Chief End of Man.

Francis Schaeffer—100? Who can believe it?! Schaeffer (1912-1984) was born 100 years ago on January 30^th. On this special occasion, it’s worth taking a few minutes to remember his important legacy. Many of us were greatly blessed by his life.

Schaeffer was a Presbyterian pastor, then missionary, then apologist, prolific author, evangelist, film maker and activist . He was one of six evangelical leaders (along with Billy Graham, John Stott, J.I. Packer, Carl F. H. Henry, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones) who profoundly shaped the evangelical movement in the second half of the 20^th century....

And I liked this.

..Schaeffer also knew the power of truth. He understood that a new subjective view of truth was emerging. He insisted that God created us in his image and has spoken to us—hence we have a groundwork for knowing truth. As the idea of truth was being relativized, Schaeffer talked about “true truth” and truth spelled with a capital “T.” Yet Schaeffer wasn’t content to simply argue for truth, he went further saying that Biblical Christianity provides a unified answer for the whole of life. And that truth is ultimately found in Jesus Christ. Discovering Christ and his truth leads us back to freedom and dignity.

Much more at the link. Also, Trevin Wax has some great Schaeffer links.

Biographical
Know Your Evangelicals: Francis Schaeffer
Remembering Francis Schaeffer: On the Occasion of His 100th Birthday
Impact
Francis Schaeffer Cried for the Culture
The Dissatisfaction of Francis Schaeffer
Schaeffer in His Own Words
What Would Francis Schaeffer Say to the Gospel-Centered Movement?
A Christian Can Defeat Himself in Two Ways
On the Need for Divine Power
On the Early Christians’ Exclusive Claims

Growth Seed

2012-01-29T06:43:00.000-06:00

"Christian growth isn't found outside the gospel, and it is foolish to pursue any other method with such a goal. Christian growth is gospel growth. There's no other kind, and there's no other way."

- Michael Chase, The Gospel is for Christians, page 115

The Reminder That Grows Gratitude

2012-01-28T07:59:00.000-06:00

"The key to becoming more grateful people, then, is knowing more of the gospel that saves us. The gospel has the power to free us from entitlement. The gospel humbles us before our mighty yet merciful God. The gospel reminds us of the judgement that we deserved, the condemnation which God saved us from - and our response should be gratitude for undeserved grace. God's will is that Christians give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:18). If Christians are to grow in gratitude, they must grow in the gospel."

-Michael Chase, The Gospel is for Christians, page 114

A Personal Note

2012-01-27T15:06:00.004-06:00

I haven't been on the web as much as usual for the past few days due to a family medical crises. Yesterday, my 83 year old mother had cancer surgery. I am overjoyed to report that her prognosis looks good, the surgeon thinks that they got it all, and does not think that she will need chemotherapy. She was discharged from the hospital today and went home to recover in peace.

Thank you Lord Jesus, for all the grace and mercy we have received this week, for the prayer support of our family and friends, for the wisdom and skill given to a great doctor, and for your healing power at work in Mom's body. And thanks for the Christian testimony of my Mom and Dad and their example of a strong marriage.

To God be the glory!

Perseverence Pays Off

2012-01-25T11:49:00.000-06:00

From: 22 Words

Value Lies in the Object

2012-01-25T06:29:00.000-06:00

"To say ‘justification by faith’ is merely another way of saying ‘justification by Christ’. Faith has absolutely no value in itself; its value lies solely in its object. Faith is the eye that looks to Christ, the hand that lays hold of him, the mouth that drinks the water of life."

— John Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1986), page 187

Hat Tip: Of First Importance

A Small Crowd Came to DC Yesterday

2012-01-24T19:26:00.000-06:00

Yesterday a "small crowd" gathered in Washington DC to proclaim the sanctity of life and pray for an end to legalized abortion. The "mainstream" press never thinks this annual event is important enough to cover. I thought you might like to see pictures of the "few thousand" who came.

Wisdom on Unequal Yokes

2012-01-24T10:30:00.000-06:00

I would like to call the attention of all my single readers to an excellent article entitled Don’t Take It from Me: Reasons You Should Not Marry an Unbeliever by Kathy Keller, wife of Pastor Tim Keller and co-author of The Meaning of Marriage.

Over the course of our ministry, the most common pastoral issue that Tim and I have confronted is probably marriages---either actual or proposed---between Christians and non-Christians. I have often thought how much simpler it would be if I could remove myself from the conversation and invite those already married to unbelievers do the talking to singles who are desperately trying to find a loophole that would allow them to marry someone who does not share their faith.

That way, I could skip all the Bible passages that urge singles only to "marry in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:39) and not "be unequally yoked" (2 Corinthians 6:14) and the Old Testament proscriptions against marrying the foreigner, a worshiper of a god other than the God of Israel (see Numbers 12 where Moses marries a woman of another race but the same faith). You can find those passages in abundance, but when someone has already allowed his or her heart to become engaged with a person outside the faith, I find that the Bible has already been devalued as the non-negotiable rule of faith and practice...

She says it better than I could, and perhaps better than any man could. Read it at the link.

Well Dressed?

2012-01-23T18:13:00.000-06:00

From: The Sacred Sandwich

Determining Factor

2012-01-23T06:47:00.000-06:00

“The determining factor in our relationship with God is not our past or present, but Christ’s past and present.”

- Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

Hat tip: Peter Cockrell

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

2012-01-22T10:33:00.000-06:00

Psalms 139 - Sanctity of Life

Sermonspice.com

See Details Buy Now

For you formed my inward parts;you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139

Pro-Life Passion Shaped by the Gospel

2012-01-22T07:38:00.000-06:00

Some interesting ideas from Jared Wilson on A Gospel-Shaped Pro-Life Passion:

If you put overturning Roe v. Wade to a popular vote, I'm in line early ready to vote in favor of protecting the approximately one million unborn babies killed each year, and if you're a politician, the best way to lose my vote is to align with the pro-choice agenda.

Nevertheless, I don't believe laws -- or the protests and petitions and politicking that seek to achieve them -- are the primary way we are going to eradicate abortion. Overturning Roe v. Wade is a win -- and it's a win we should work for, hard -- but in my way of thinking, it is not the win.

The emancipation of the slaves and ensuing civil rights legislation was necessary. But none of it ended racism.

I am not proposing an either/or. What I'm proposing is that evangelicals take the harder route, adopt the harder cause, that we pray for and aim for Spiritual change of hearts more than we aim for legal stay of hands.

Here are some thoughts on how we may do this:....

Read it at the link. I agree with him.

Piper on Abortion - Free Download

2012-01-21T19:04:00.000-06:00

Desiring God is offering free download of a PDF version of John Piper's short book "Exposing the Dark Work of Abortion." Here’s a sample sentence:

God is calling passive, inactive Christians today to engage our minds and hearts and hands in exposing the barren works of darkness. To be the conscience of our culture. To be the light of the world. To live in the great reality of being loved by God and adopted by God and forgiven by Christ (yes—for all the abortions that dozens of you have had), and be made children of the light. I call you to walk as children of light....

The Next Bourne Movie

2012-01-21T11:24:00.000-06:00

To be followed by "The Bourne Eschatology"?

Hat Tip: Tall Skinny Kiwi

Tecnology & Magic

2012-01-21T07:55:00.002-06:00

Some thought provoking material for a Saturday morning. Who said we can't think on the weekends?

"There is something which unites magic and applied science while separating both from the “wisdom” of earlier ages. For the wise men of old the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue. For magic and applied science alike the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men: the solution is a technique."

-C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, page 77:

"In ancient times it was understood that there was a transcendent moral order outside the self, built in to the fabric of the universe. If you violated that metaphysical order there were consequences just as severe as if you violated physical reality by placing your hand in a fire. The path of wisdom was to learn to live in conformity with this unyielding reality. That wisdom rested largely in developing qualities of character, such as humility, compassion, courage, discretion, and loyalty.

Modernity reversed this. Ultimate reality was seen not so much as a supernatural order but as the natural world, and that was malleable. Instead of trying to shape our desires to fit reality, we now seek to control and shape reality to fit our desires. The ancients looked at an anxious person and prescribed spiritual character change. Modernity talks instead about stress-management techniques."

- Timothy Keller, The Reason For God, page 71

Hat Tip: Miscellanies

Faith Amid Persecution in Pakistan

2012-01-20T06:38:00.000-06:00

From My Take: Looking for faith amid persecution at CNN Belief Blog

Imagine living in a country where being born into your family's faith could thwart your chances of learning to read, narrow your employment opportunities to jobs like trash collector, street sweeper, or brick maker, and restrict you to drinking from separate water fountains in your village.

In 2009 in Pakistan, I discovered that these issues as well as life-threatening circumstances are daily challenges for Pakistani Christians who live in segregated “colonies” and make up about 2% of the majority Muslim population....

I'm still amazed ( and glad) that news like this makes it to the secular press. Read it at the link.

In Praise of Unoriginality

2012-01-19T13:24:00.000-06:00

"The soundest and safest Christian reflection consists in "what you have received, not what you have thought up; a matter not of ingenuity, but of doctrine; not of private acquisition, but of public Tradition; a matter brought to you, not put forth by you, in which you must not be the author but the guardian, not the founder but the sharer, not the leader, but the follower.""

-- Vincent of Lerins, quoted in Christopher Hall, Learning Theology with the Church Fathers (Intervarsity, 2002), 27.

Hat Tip: The Gospel-Driven Church

Religion and the Gospel

2012-01-19T06:30:00.000-06:00

After the discussion about the "Love Jesus/Hate Religion" video, I thought it appropriate to link to and quote from a post on The Resurgence, quoting the always astute Tim Keller, on the difference between religion and the gospel.

RELIGION: I obey, therefore I’m accepted.
THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted, therefore I obey.
RELIGION: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
THE GOSPEL: Motivation is based on grateful joy.
RELIGION: I obey God in order to get things from God.
THE GOSPEL: I obey God to get to God, to delight and resemble him.
RELIGION: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or myself, since I believe, like Job’s friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
THE GOSPEL: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while he may allow this for my training, he will exercise his fatherly love within my trial.
RELIGION: When I am criticized, I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a "good person." Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
THE GOSPEL: When I am criticized, I can take it. I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a "good person." My identity is not built on my record or my performance, but on God’s love for me in Christ.
RELIGION: My prayer life consists largely of petition and only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of my environment.
THE GOSPEL: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with God.
RELIGION: My self-view swings between two poles: If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel insecure, inadequate, and not confident. I feel like a failure.
THE GOSPEL: My self-view is not based on a view of myself as a moral achiever. In Christ I am “simul iustus et peccator”—simultaneously sinful and yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad he had to die for me and I am so loved he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time, neither swaggering nor sniveling.
RELIGION: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work or how moral I am, and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral. I disdain and feel superior to "the other."
THE GOSPEL: My identity and self-worth are centered on the one who died for his enemies and who was excluded from the city for me. I am saved by sheer grace, so I can’t look down on those who believe or practice something different from me. It is only by grace that I am what I am. I have no inner need to win arguments.
RELIGION: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, regardless of what I say I believe about God.
THE GOSPEL: I have many good things in my life: family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc. But none of these good things is an ultimate end for me. None of them is something I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency such things can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.

From Eternity to the Eschaton

2012-01-18T11:06:00.000-06:00

"From eternity to the eschaton, it is all about Christ."

"Scripture everywhere teaches about Christ. His life, death, and resurrection are the hinge on which the drama of Scripture turns."

— Peter J. Leithart, Athanasius, (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Baker Academic, 2011), xvii

Hat Tip: Of First Importance

Silent No More

2012-01-18T06:43:00.000-06:00

My local paper had a great article Tuesday about the story of a local Christian mother and grandmother, Amy Martin, and her experience of the pain of post-abortion guilt and emotional damage, plus, of course, the healing that came to her in Christ..

It took 20 years after having an abortion for Amy Martin, 45, of Flowood to speak out.

Today, she is one of two state regional coordinators for Silent No More Awareness, an international Christian campaign to inform the public on the possible devastation abortion can cause women and men.

Through gatherings across the country, women share their testimonies of hope and healing after an abortion. Silent No More will hold a gathering at noon Monday at the state Capitol where Martin and other women will share their stories of recovering physically, emotionally and spiritually after an abortion.

I heard Amy speak at Pinelake Church last March. Her testimony is riveting. I recommend viewing and listening to her testimony as I posted it then, and reading the Clarion-Leger article. For info on her ministry see below.

To contact the Center for Pregnancy Choices with locations in Jackson and Pearl call (601) 713-3113 or visit www.mypregnancychoices.org. Silent No More Awareness - a campaign that seeks to expose and heal the secrecy and silence surrounding the emotional and physical pain of abortion - will hold a gathering at noon Monday at the state Capitol. The public is invited to hear women share their stories of healing after an abortion. For more information, call or email Amy Martin, a regional coordinator of Silent No More, at (601) 818-7273 or jackson@silentnomoreawareness.org or visit www.silentnomoreawareness.org.

Multilingual Jesus

2012-01-17T12:05:00.000-06:00

Did you know that we serve A Multilingual Jesus ? By this phrase, blogger Jim Wright means that Jesus speaks to both those of us who favor and lean toward an objective truth relationship with God (like me) and those who favor and lean toward a subjective experience based relationship with the Lord (like my wife).

God speaks to some subjectively, and to others objectively, and each often forgets that Jesus is multilingual. Regardless, His subjective love is rooted in objective truth, and He never limits Himself to either/or.

When we become so focused on one, to the exclusion of the other, we are not really relating to a complete Jesus. Rather, we often are seeking self affirmation – a Jesus who simply relates to us on our own terms and within the confines of our own comfort zones....

More from my old friend Jim Wright at the link. (By old I mean I've known you a long time, Jim. I know you are young at heart!)

Are You Up on Spiritual Gifts?

2012-01-17T06:44:00.000-06:00

Interesting blog series on Spiritual Gifts at the Confluence | Newfrontiers site.

Paul begins his most famous chapter on spiritual gifts saying: ‘About spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant (1 Cor 12:1).

This series will help us become educated about these exciting spiritual gifts. The three main lists of spiritual gifts in the Bible are found in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, 1 Peter 4 and Ephesians 4. There are also a few other gifts (e.g. hospitability) that seem to be genuine God-given gifts, but that are not specifically mentioned in these lists.

Whilst I try to define each gift clearly to help people recognise them, there is some overlap between the gifts, especially with gifts that are similar or complementary....

More at the link, with continuing updates coming. I recommend it.

Open the Book!

2012-01-16T11:56:00.000-06:00

Video from OpenUpthe Bible.com

"Wherever you find yourself and whenever you have have time....
Read, Study, and Meditate on the Bible."

Hat Tip: Cross Eyed

Persecution of Believers in East Africa

2012-01-16T06:38:00.000-06:00

I hope we always remember and pray for those Christian believers who suffer persecution for their faith. From Christian News Today:

Far from the world media’s gaze in remote islands off the eastern coast of Africa, church buildings are razed and Christians are ostracized and imprisoned for their faith – leaving one with a skin disease.

On Tanzania’s island of Zanzibar, in one week-long stretch last month Muslim extremists destroyed two church buildings, Christian leaders said. The extremists torched the building of the Pentecostal Evangelical Fellowship of Africa in Mtufani Mwera, about 12 kilometers (seven miles) from Zanzibar town, at 7 p.m. on Dec. 3, said Pastor Julius Makoho. Damages were estimated at 1.5 million Tanzania shillings (US$9,350).

“When I arrived at the scene of incident Sunday morning, I found that the church had been reduced to ashes, with bottles seen close by that could be petrol or paraffin that could have been used for the burning of the church building,” Pastor Makoho said.

As the assailants fled, said one church member who requested anonymity, “I heard them shouting, ‘We do not want a church in this area!’”

To date no arrests have being made.

Daniel Kwilembe, bishop of the 80-member church, said authorities on the predominantly Muslim archipelago tend to take no action in crimes against Christians. Bishop Fabian Obedi of the Pentecostal Evangelical Church of Zanzibar concurred.

“The Muslims are burning our church buildings quite frequently here in Zanzibar, but the government is not speaking against this kind of destruction of our church premises,” Bishop Obedi said.

The John 3:16 Commercial

2012-01-15T06:45:00.000-06:00

Loved this commercial that aired during the Broncos/Patriots playoff game on January 14th. Way to go Focus on the Family!

Re the Video: On the Other Hand....

2012-01-14T07:33:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I linked to some critiques of the "I Love Jesus but Hate Religion" video. To be even handed, here's an excerpt from a defense of the video by Stephen Altrogge.

...So let me offer a few of words in defense of the video, because I actually think it’s very good. I’m a songwriter who cares very much about creativity and sound doctrine. I love to see them blended and fused into something beautiful and doctrinally sound.

One of the first rules when it comes to interpreting a song, or any creative work for that matter, is that it must be judged on it’s own terms. In other words, the content must be interpreted based on the author’s intent. The first line of the piece is “Jesus came to abolish religion.” To that I say, “Oh really? Tell me exactly what you mean by the word ‘religion’.” Because the meaning of the entire piece depends on what Jefferson means by the word “religion”. If I’m going to critique it, I need to critique his meaning of religion, not my meaning of religion.

The critique of the video generally runs along the lines of this: Jesus was not against religion. That’s a false dichotomy that Jefferson is creating.

But I think that the wrong question is being asked. The question everyone seems to be asking is: was Jesus against religion? The answer to that question is: yes. And no. And maybe. It all depends on what you mean by the word “religion”.....

More at the link.

UPDATE: Keven DeYoung and Jefferson Bethke have been talking on the phone and exchanging e-mails regarding DeYoung's critique of Bethke's video. I wish all disagreements among believers could be handled with this level of humility and class. Good job, guys!

Regarding the "I Hate Religion but Love Jesus" Video

2012-01-13T20:52:00.000-06:00

You've probably seen the latest viral video on Facebook or YouTube- the one by Jefferson Bethke titled “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” (watch it above). As of this writing the video has reached almost 7 million views.

A lot of my friends have posted it on Facebook. However, something about it has rubbed me wrong. I do have a natural streak of rebellion against fads and band wagons. However, my feeling was more than that. There is a lot of good content here, but perhaps something else also.

Then I found these comments by Kevin DeYoung, Jared Wilson:and Denny Burk. Wilson says:

It's important not to push back on Jefferson Bethke and his video simply to be contrarian or to avoid liking something because everybody else does. The heart displayed in the video is solid, and he says a lot of right things. But he says a few wrongs one too, and while they aren't wrong enough to overreact, they are wrong enough to note with some cautions.

DeYoung says:

...Bethke’s opening line [is}: “Jesus came to abolish religion.” That’s the whole point of the poem. The argument—and most poems are arguing for something—rests on the sharp distinction between religion on one side and Jesus on the other. Whether this argument is fair depends on your definition of religion. Bethke sees religion as a man made attempt to earn God’s favor. Religion equals self-righteousness, moral preening, and hypocrisy. Religion is all law and no gospel. If that’s religion, then Jesus is certainly against it.

But that’s not what religion is. We can say that’s what is has become for some people or what we understand it to be. But words still matter and we shouldn’t just define them however we want. “Jesus hates religion” communicates something that “Jesus hates self-righteousness” doesn’t. To say that Jesus hates pride and hypocrisy is old news. To say he hates religion—now, that has a kick to it. People hear “religion” and think of rules, rituals, dogma, pastors, priests, institutions. People love Oprah and the Shack and “spiritual, not religious” bumper stickers because the mood of our country is one that wants God without the strictures that come with traditional Christianity. We love the Jesus that hates religion.

The only problem is, he didn’t. Jesus was a Jew. He went to services at the synagogue. He observed Jewish holy days. He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matt. 5:17). He founded the church (Matt. 16:18). He established church discipline (Matt. 18:15-20). He instituted a ritual meal (Matt. 26:26-28). He told his disciples to baptize people and to teach others to obey everything he commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). He insisted that people believe in him and believe certain things about him (John 3:16-18; 8:24). If religion is characterized by doctrine, commands, rituals, and structure, then Jesus is not your go-to guy for hating religion.

DeYoung and the other two said it better than I ever could. If you have seen the video, perhaps you should follow the links for some moderating opinions. I'm glad I did.

Does God Care Whether Tim Tebow Wins?

2012-01-12T17:53:00.000-06:00

Check out this well-written and theologically astute article by Owen Strachan in The Atlantic on the question of the week: Does God Care Whether Tim Tebow Wins on Saturday?

Tim Tebow succeeds on the football field because of elves.

You can't see them on television. They're tiny. But when the game gets tight and the Denver Broncos need a fourth-quarter miracle, the elves come out and do his bidding. Forming a dense pack, they push 350-pound lineman aside, knock defensive backs off their stride, and give speed to Demayrius Thomas after he catches a pass.

That's why he wins.

What? You don't buy that? It's a lie, you're right. You know Tebow doesn't accomplish what he does because of elves. But when you hear about his faith, and the connection that some make between his devout Christianity and the success he enjoys on the football field, you might think it's about as likely that Tebow succeeds because of God's direct and benevolent intervention as it is that he wins games because of a roaming band of miniature wood elves.

Both sound ridiculous. God doesn't care about football games, right? If he exists at all, isn't he up there making sure that the planets spin in their proper orbits and, I don't know, that there's enough rainwater falling on Argentinean forests? Doesn't he have better things to do than to propel a certain football team to victories?

How often do you find an article in a secular publication that discusses everything from the Doctrine of Providence, the Theology of John Calvin and Martin Luther, Biblical teaching on suffering, and the interpretation of Ephesians 1:11 and Hebrews 11, all in the context of a sporting event? And, I might mention, with a quote from Tim Keller thrown in for good measure.

This is a very good article! Read it all at the link above.

Did You Know...

2012-01-12T10:16:00.000-06:00

... that 75% of those killed for faith are Christian?

From The Anchoress

The Secret of Maturity

2012-01-11T08:10:00.000-06:00

"The gospel's secret of maturity is this: we become more spiritually mature when we focus less on what we need to do for God and focus more on all that God has already done for us. That's the irony of the gospel, and we find it throughout the Bible. It's unavoidable, inescapable. we actually perform better in life as we grow in understanding that our relationship with God is based on Christ's performance for us, not on our performance for him. We mature more when we focus less on our performance for Jesus and more on Jesus' performance for us, as we sing: Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. It's Jesus plus nothing equals everything."

- Tullian Tchvidjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, page 185

Tebowing: The Early Years

2012-01-10T05:51:00.001-06:00

A Tale of Two Qarterbacks

2012-01-09T20:33:00.000-06:00

Everybody's excited about Tim Tebow's "miraculous" season and playoff win Sunday over the highly favored Pittsburgh Steelers. But did you know that the other quarterback in that game also has something to teach us about Christianity; namely the power of redemption.

Read God’s quarterbacks: What Tebow and Roethlisberger reveal about evangelical politics in The Washington Post.

There Are Only Two Religions

2012-01-09T18:50:00.000-06:00

How many religions are there in this world? 200? 2,000? Nope - Only two!:

Well, before we can get into the question of which one is true, we need to clarify something. There are not thousands of religions. There are not even hundreds of religions. There are only two: one which tells you that salvation comes as a reward for what you have done, and one which tells you that salvation comes by what somebody else does for you. That’s Christianity. All the rest fit under the other. And if you think you can get your salvation by your own efforts, then Christianity has nothing to say to you. But if you know you need to be saved, then you are a candidate.

- Dr. Henry Ironside, quoted by Ben Patterson in Muscular Faith.

Hat Tip: Take Your Vitamin Z:

The Bottom Line of Grace

2012-01-09T06:31:00.000-06:00

"The bottom line is this, Christian: because of Christ's work on your behalf, God doesn't dwell on your sin the way you do. So, relax, and rejoice, and you'll actually start to get better. The irony, of course, is that it's only when we stop obsessing over our own need to be holy and focus instead on the beauty of Christ's holiness that we actually become more holy! Not to mention that we also start to become a lot easier to live with."

- Tullian Tchvidjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, page 184

(Have I mentioned lately that this is a really GREAT book!)

Give Yourself a Good Talking Too

2012-01-08T06:49:00.000-06:00

From another good book I've been reading - Joe Thorn's Note to Self:

Preaching to ourselves is the personal act of applying the law and the gospel to our own lives with the aim of experiencing the transforming grace of God leading to ongoing faith, repentance, and greater godliness.

Christians (me included) need to learn from David and the other psalmists how to talk to ourselves!.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation.
(Psalm 42:5 ESV- see also 42:11 and 43:5)

Why indeed?

Hat Tip: Rick Ianniello

Real Change

2012-01-07T20:01:00.000-06:00

"..real change happens only as we continuously rediscover the gospel. The progress of the Christian life is not 'not our movement toward the goal; it's the movement of the goal on us.' Sanctification involves God's daily attack on our unbelief - our self-centered refusal to believe that God's approval of us in Christ is full and final."

-Tullian Tchvidjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, page 173

The Next Billy Graham Might Be Drunk Right Now

2012-01-07T08:15:00.000-06:00

The Next Billy Graham Might Be Drunk Right Now - Interesting thought from Russell Moore:

The next Jonathan Edwards might be the man driving in front of you with the Darwin Fish bumper decal. The next Charles Wesley might be a misogynist, profanity-spewing hip-hop artist right now. The next Billy Graham might be passed out drunk in a fraternity house right now. The next Charles Spurgeon might be making posters for a Gay Pride March right now. The next Mother Teresa might be managing an abortion clinic right now.

But the Spirit of God can turn all that around. And seems to delight to do so. The new birth doesn’t just transform lives, creating repentance and faith; it also provides new leadership to the church, and fulfills Jesus’ promise to gift his church with everything needed for her onward march through space and time (Eph. 4:8-16).

After all, while Phillip was leading the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ, Saul of Tarsus was still a murderer.

Much more from Moore (pun intended) at the link above.

The Gospel is Not Self-Improvement

2012-01-06T10:30:00.000-06:00

"The Bible never starts with what we need to do; it always begins with what God has already done. To get it the other way around makes Christianity just another self-help program, just another curriculum of self-improvement. Self-improvement for the value of self-improvement is not the gospell it's not biblical Christianity. And yet so many people, both inside and outside the church, think that's what Christianity is all about."

-Tullian Tchvidjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, page 153

Gazing Outward

2012-01-06T06:33:00.000-06:00

"Perhaps the biggest difference between the practical effect of sin and the practical effect of the gospel is that sin turns us inward and the gospel turns us outward. The gospel causes us to look up and out, away from ourselves. It turns our gaze upward to God and outward to others, both to those inside the church and to those outside it. The gospel causes us to love God and to love others, which of course is how Jesus summed up the entirety of the law."

- Tullian Tchvidjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, page 122

Just A Reminder....

2012-01-05T17:52:00.001-06:00

...like me and you!

Emboldend by Grace

2012-01-05T06:14:00.000-06:00

"Because Jesus has already earned God's full approval and affection and acceptance for us, we no longer require any of that from anyone else. The gospel alone empowers and emboldens us to press on and strain forward with no anxiety over gaining other people's sanction or good opinion - even God's! All the care and love and value we most crave - full and final approval - we already have in Jesus.

The same is true for the meaning and purpose and validation and direction and freedom and security that all of us long for. His sacrifice for us has earned all this for us directly from God. With these idols no longer burdening our lives, we're suddenly freed and empowered to live a life of outrageous generosity, unrestrained sacrifice, uncommon boldness, and unbounded nerve."

-Tullian Tchvidjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, page 91

Marital Hermeneutics

2012-01-04T11:55:00.000-06:00

Interesting question (and answer) -

What Interpreting the Bible & Communicating with Your Wife Have in Common

Free From the Encumbrance of Entitlement

2012-01-04T06:26:00.000-06:00

""...the freedom Jesus secured for me is not freedom from pain and suffering here and now. Rather, it's freedom from bitterness, anger, fear, resentment, self-pity, offense and hopelessness in the crucible of present pain and suffering; it is freedom from my burdensome sense of 'I deserve better,' the encumbrance of entitlement. I was realizing that only the gospel can free us from the enslaving pressure to defend ourselves. That's real freedom - God-sized freedom!"

- Tullian Tchvidjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, page 75

A Classic For Free Download

2012-01-03T11:44:00.000-06:00

This month's free audio-book at christianaudio.com is Knowing God, by J.I. Packer. This book is an absolute classic life changer, and one of the most significant books I have ever read.

A lifelong pursuit of knowing God should embody the Christian's existence. According to eminent theologian J.I. Packer, however, Christians have become enchanted by modern skepticism and have joined the "gigantic conspiracy of misdirection" by failing to put first things first. Knowing God aims to redirect our attention to the simple, deep truth that to know God is to love His Word.

What began as a number of consecutive articles angled for "honest, no-nonsense readers who were fed up with facile Christian verbiage" in 1973, Knowing God has become a contemporary classic by creating "small studies out of great subjects." Each chapter is so specific in focus (covering topics such as the trinity, election, God's wrath, and God's sovereignty), that each succeeding chapter's theology seems to rival the next, until one's mind is so expanded that one's entire view of God has changed.

Did I mention that it is FREE!

Hearts Melted By Grace

2012-01-03T06:52:00.000-06:00

"The biggest lie about grace that Satan wants the church to buy is the idea that it's dangerous and therefore needs to be kept in check. By believing that lie, we not only prove we don't understand grace, but we violate gospel advancement in our lives and in the church by perpetuating our own slavery. The truth is, disobedience happens not when we think too much of grace but when we think to little of it....

...the only way licentious people start to obey is when they get a taste of God's radical, unconditional acceptance of sinners. Grace alone melts hearts and changes us from the inside out. Progress in obedience happens when our hearts realize that God's love for us does not depend of our progress in obedience."

- Tullian Tchvidjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, page 51

For All Us Losers

2012-01-02T06:40:00.000-06:00

"The gospel is good news for losers, not winners. It's for those who long to be freed from the slavery of believing that all of their significance, meaning, purpose and security depend on their ability to 'become a better you.'"

- Tullian Tchvidjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, page 49

Tullian on Kindle

2012-01-02T06:31:00.000-06:00

My kids got me a Kindle e-reader for Christmas. What a great gift! I am enjoying it both as a tool and a new toy.

The first new Christian book I am reading on it is one I have been greatly looking forward to - Tullian Tchvidjian's Jesus + Nothing = Everything. The quote below is from Amazon's description:

Tullian Tchividjian argues that what we are missing is the gospel—a fuller, more powerful understanding of Jesus and what his finished work means for everyday life.

During a year of great turmoil, Pastor Tchividjian discovered the power of the gospel in his own life. Sharing his story of how Jesus became more real to him, Tchividjian delves deeply into the fundamentals of the faith, explaining the implications of Christ’s sufficiency—a revelation that sets us free and keeps us anchored through life’s storms.

Ultimately, Tchividjian reminds us that Jesus is the whole of the equation as he boldly proclaims that Jesus plus nothing really is everything.

I'll have a lot of quotes form the book on the blog this week. I highly recommend it!

Old is New

2012-01-01T18:25:00.000-06:00

"The old, old gospel is the newest thing in the world; in its very essence it is for ever good news. In the things of God the old is ever new, and if any man brings forward that which seems to be new doctrine and new truth, it is soon perceived that the new dogma is only worn-out heresy dexterously repaired, and the discovery in theology is the digging up of a carcase of error which had better have been left to rot in oblivion."

- C.H. Spurgeon

Hat Tip: Kingdom People

Every Day is New Years Day

2012-01-01T07:22:00.000-06:00

(This is my traditional annual January 1 re-post)

I used to find people who spouted what I considered to be trite phrases like "Today is the first day of the rest of your life" to be very irritating - on the same level with those who plastered smiley faces on everything they owned. However, I have since had to repent of that opinion and attitude, because: (a) I realized I was sinfully proud, and (b) I realized that they were right.

For Christians, every day is New Years Day.

How else can you explain the Scripture in Lamentations 3:22-23: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;great is your faithfulness." If God's mercies to us are new each morning, then every day is the first day of the rest of my life; every day is new years day. Christ is the God of new creations, new births and new beginnings.

Here's how songwriter Carolyn Arends once put it.

New Year's Day
by Carolyn Arends

I buy a lot of diaries
Fill them full of good intentions
Each and every New Year's Eve
I make myself a list
All the things I'm gonna change
Until January 2nd
So this time I'm making one promise

Chorus:
This will be my resolution
Every day is New Year's Day
This will be my resolution
Every day is New Year's Day
I believe it's possible
I believe in new beginnings'
Cause I believe in Christmas Day
And Easter morning too
And I'm convinced it's doable'
Cause I believe in second chances
Just the way that I believe in you

Last week I wrote that for Christians it is always Christmas. Now I am writing that it is always New Years Day. I'm sorry if this seems trite - but sometimes trite sayings really are true.Happy New Year to you all- and may each day in it be filled with new beginnings, new possibilities, new joys and new mercies.

We Made It!

2011-12-31T18:52:00.000-06:00

Despite Harold Camping we made it to the end of 2011. Despite the Mayan calendar, we'll probably make it through 2012 also. But whatever happens in the new year, I know that Jesus Christ will be large and in charge!

May all my readers have a blessed and prosperous new year.

Infinite Passion

2011-12-31T07:07:00.000-06:00

"Christ demands a response of infinite passion, either of hatred or of love."

- Soren Kierkegaard

4 Christian Principles For Making Resolutions

2011-12-30T09:56:00.000-06:00

Ligonier's blog has an article by Nathan Bingham called 4 Christian Principles For Making New Year's Resolutions

His 4 principles are:

1. Resolve Sensibly.
2. Resolve Dependently.
3. Resolve Humbly.
4. Resolve for Christ's Sake.

Sound sensible and biblical to me. Full explanations at the link.

Pray for Nigeria

2011-12-29T11:53:00.000-06:00

Let us all pray for our Christian brethren in Nigeria. From a report at CT Magazine:

Christmas Day was marred for Nigerian Christians after a series of church bombings killed at least 35 and wounded dozens more. In a suburb of Nigeria's capital, Abuja, more than 30 worshipers died at St. Theresa Catholic Church as they left Christmas mass.

Analysts largely agree that the bombings were an attempt by Boko Haram, a radical Islamist group in northern Nigeria, to stoke simmering tensions between Muslims and Christians, which evenly divide Africa's most populous nation of 160 million. Last year, dozens died in Christmas Eve bombings around Jos.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) warned that such attacks might provoke a "religious war."

"Enough is enough," said CAN secretary general Saidu Dogo. "We shall henceforth in the midst of these provocations and wanton destruction of innocent lives and property be compelled to make our own efforts and arrangements to protect the lives of innocent Christians and peace-loving citizens of this country."

CT reported on more Nigerian Christians abandoning the practice of "turning the other cheek" earlier this December, and has extensively covered Nigeria's long-standing religious conflict.

Idolatry: Worship Distorted

2011-12-29T06:38:00.000-06:00

Is your Worship Distorted ? Per Bill Clem at it's a question worth asking. And the solution is to confront your idols with the gospel.

I was asked to teach an intensive course at a seminary, three eight-hour days of presentation. During the first hour my agenda was to introduce the idea that we are all idolaters. I began by saying, “One hundred percent of your pastoral counseling will involve identifying and confronting idols.” Immediately the push back began: “Idolatry is a primitive idea”; “People don’t have idols; they have issues.” As long as we ignore what the Bible says about the human heart and what God desires from his people, we will raise these same objections. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9)

He goes on to say that the root of idolatry is pride:

Pride is seen as detestable to God precisely because it steals from God’s glory and his preeminence. Pride is rebellion, but it is much more than rebellion against God’s authority. Pride is self-centeredness rather than God-centeredness. A proud heart sees itself as central and God as the one who must find his place of orbit in the proud heart’s universe. While few people who call themselves Christians would admit to such a self-centered worldview, I find my weeks filled with people with questions and comments such as these:

How can God be loving and let this bad thing happen to me?
I can’t believe in a God who let’s bad things happen.
I don’t care what the Bible says; this is what I want.
I have been praying for a Christian husband, and if God wanted me to marry one, then he would have provided one.
If God is against homosexuality, why did he create me this way?
If God wanted me to stay married, he should have told that to my cheating spouse.

Look beyond the content of those objections to the underlying conviction of those who are making them. The objectors believe they have rights and God has the responsibility to work within those rights. To their way of thinking, God can’t love and also do something the objector can’t understand, nor can God call for behavior that is inconvenient or politically incorrect. They believe that God has no right to ask them to opt for grace and forgive another when they have a “biblical” right to hurt someone who has hurt them.

The whole thing is well worth the time to read. Over the past two years I have really come to see the nature and power of idolatry in my life and in people in general. We need more emphasis on confronting idols with the power of the gospel.

And BTW, Clem's book Disciple: Getting Your Identity From Jesus is a good read.

Bible Reading Plans for 2012

2011-12-28T11:50:00.000-06:00

Are you making a resolution to read the Bible through in 2012? Ligonier Ministries has published a list of Bible reading plans with links to printable PDF files for our use.

Many Christians take the beginning of a new year to evaluate their Bible reading habits, and then change or begin a Bible reading plan.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. — Psalm 119:105
For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of Bible reading plans for you to choose from. Maybe this year you will read more of the Bible each day. Perhaps you’ll slow down your reading and instead spend more time considering what you read. Whatever it is you’re looking for in a reading plan, you should find it below.

Go to the link for the Ligonier lists. Also, Justin Taylor has another list of Bible reading plans here.

I completed reading the Bible in 2011 using my church's reading plan. and I intend to do it again in 2012. How about you?

Resolution Dangers

2011-12-28T06:35:00.000-06:00

Making any 2012 resolutions? As you do, it's good to remember The Tyranny of Advice Christianity:

I saw a commercial once (at 2 a.m.) that said I have to do whatever it takes to “actualize my best me.” Jargon aside, it makes sense, really. Doing results in being. Cause and effect. Want six-pack abs? Just buy the right product and give your new, healthy lifestyle 110% for 10 weeks and maybe you’ll see results. (Phew, I guess it’s time to get to work on those resolutions …) It makes sense to assume that doing something will produce some change. But a personal makeover obsession won’t do one bit of good when it comes to fixing the human condition.

When you feel defeated by sin, burnt out by expectations, and discouraged by your inability to get it together, the last thing you need is “good advice.” So I don’t have any new advice for you. But I do have a bit of helpful hyperbole: Advice is tyranny. Okay, that’s a little over the top. But there’s a reason for the overstatement.

Much more at the link.

It's Always Christmas

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

In Narnia it was said that the White Witch made it always winter and never Christmas.

For all who are in Christ it is always Christmas, no matter the season. May the spirit of the season stay with us all year.

Merry Christmas to all!

To All of You On the Good Earth

2011-12-24T16:02:00.000-06:00

Forty three years ago tonight, Christmas Eve 1968, I was a 12 year old boy with a Christmas television dilemma. On one channel the annual Red Skelton Christmas special was on. Our family really loved Red Skelton, and we all wanted to watch it. But on another channel was one of the most exciting events in human history - a live television broadcast from the Moon!

I was a space fanatic who wanted to grow up to be an astronaut. I knew all the astronauts by name. I cried in January 1967 when three men died in the Apollo 1 fire. They were my heroes. I had models of the various spacecraft and wanted to explain to anyone who would listen what was happening out at the moon.

Therefore, I chose both. Sitting inches from our black and white TV, I manually switched channels back and forth to see both the Skelton show and the moon broadcast.

Thus I was able to hear these words: "And for all the people back on earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send to you. 'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth..'" The You Tube clip above is a recording of what I saw and heard that night.

The Apollo 8 astronaut crew of Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders took turns reading Genesis 1 from the King James Version of the Bible. As they read the ancient words, the on board TV camera showed the lunar landscape passing underneath the small and lonely spacecraft. The memory of hearing and watching that broadcast, and experiencing it live, is still awe inspiring even after 40 years.

Commander Frank Borman closed the broadcast with "And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, and a Merry Christmas to all of you, all of you on the good Earth." Here's wishing a Merry Christmas this night, forty three years later, to all of you on the good earth.

Among the Animals in the Stable

2011-12-24T10:52:00.001-06:00

The Nativity
by C.S. Lewis

Among the oxen (like an ox I’m slow)
I see a glory in the stable grow
Which, with the ox’s dullness might at length
Give me an ox’s strength.

Among the asses (stubborn I as they)
I see my Saviour where I looked for hay;
So may my beastlike folly learn at least
The patience of a beast.

Among the sheep (I like a sheep have strayed),
I watch the manger where my Lord is laid;
Oh that my baa-ing nature would win thence
Some woolly innocence!

Hat Tip: Gospel Driven Church

Let All Christians Rejoice

2011-12-23T10:39:00.000-06:00

Let the just rejoice,

for their Justifier is born.

Let the sick and infirm rejoice,

for their Savior is born.

Let the captives rejoice,

for their Redeemer is born.

Let slaves rejoice,

for their Master is born.

Let free people rejoice,

for their Liberator is born.

Let all Christians rejoice,

for Jesus Christ is born.

- Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-440)

Hat Tip: Jason Clark

Invited Into His Life

2011-12-23T05:08:00.000-06:00

Insightful comments from "Chaplain Mike" at Internet Monk on the theological contant of Mary's song (The Magnificant) in Luke 1:46-51.

Another way to put this is that the Gospel calls me to take my part in God’s Story, not merely to say that God has come to be an actor in my own personal narrative. He has not only “done great things for me,” but “his mercy extends to those who fear him from generation to generation.” The Divine Author has written me into his grand narrative! I am now a member of that great communion of saints that is living out “His-Story” in the world. The Bible and church history is the record of my family heritage. I share in its successes and shortcomings, its accounts of God’s faithfulness and human failure. Now God calls me to link my life, my sense of meaning, purpose, and significance, and the living out of my vocations to that Story. Because Jesus is the Ultimate Actor and his work the climactic, decisive movement of the Story, he calls me to center my life in Christ. He comes to me as my “Savior,” putting to death the old, sinful, self-centered me and resurrecting me to walk in newness of life in Christ. I do not invite him to come into my life, he invites me into his. He transfers me from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son. In Christ, I enter and become part of his New Creation!

Much more good stuff at the link. It's life changing to realize that even more than we invite Jesus into our lives, He invites us into His!

Don't Miss the Words This Christmas #6

2011-12-22T15:15:00.000-06:00

Then let us all with one accord
sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
that hath made heaven and earth of nought,
and with his blood mankind has bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
born is the King of Israel.

Many of our most beloved Christmas carols and songs are full of good Biblical and theological content. However, it is easy to miss the truth we are hearing or singing due to long familiarity. I encourage you to take some time to really listen this Christmas season. Don't let the music just wash over you without hearing the words!

Bible Study Diagram

2011-12-22T06:40:00.000-06:00

How to study the Bible in a nutshell. the diagram is explained at the link.

What You Are

2011-12-21T09:55:00.000-06:00

"What a man is on his knees before God, that he is—and nothing more."

—Robert Murray M’Cheyne

King Size Bed

2011-12-21T06:40:00.000-06:00

Gospel Wakefulness: Author Interview

2011-12-20T19:02:00.000-06:00

Video: Jared Wilson on Gospel Wakefulness | Crossway:

The above video is an interview with Jared Wilson bout his new book Gospel Wakefulness, which I am reading now. It's a great book, and I commend the interview for your edification.

Beware Dead Orthodoxy

2011-12-20T09:16:00.000-06:00

"Put no confidence in the mere fact that you hold to an orthodox faith, for a dead orthodoxy soon corrupts."

—C.H. Spurgeon

Dangerous Places

2011-12-20T06:50:00.000-06:00

"There is no more dangerous place to be than where the direct, straightforward teaching of the Word of God confronts dead religion. As long as dead religion is allowed to sleep the sleep of death, all continues placidly and peaceably. But when the truth of Scripture challenges empty religion, a cataclysmic collision is sure to result. This is because whenever the Word is taught in houses of worship that are devoid of gospel truth, hell is aggravated. As soon as the light of holiness and truth shines into the kingdom of darkness, sin is exposed, unclean spirits are angered, and Satan is provoked. Satan has no greater strongholds than houses of worship where the truth is suppressed. Nowhere is he more deeply entrenched in the lives of people than among those who are religious but who have no supernatural light of holiness and truth. But there is no greater threat to Satan's kingdom than the penetrating light of holiness and truth as it invades these fortresses of demons."

From Steven Lawson at Ligonier

Pray for North Korea

2011-12-19T16:13:00.000-06:00

The horrible dictator of North Korea is dead. Let us all now pray for the people of North Korea, that their nation will open up to the gospel, that churches will be allowed to operate and that God will be worshiped and glorified in that very dark land.

Don't Miss Jesus Because of Jesus

2011-12-19T11:55:00.000-06:00

A wise Christmas season warning from Jared Wilson :

There is a great danger this Christmas season of missing the point. And I’m not referring simply to idolatrous consumption and materialism. I’m talking about Christmas religiosity. It is very easy around this time to set up our Nativity scenes, host our Christmas pageants and cantatas, read the Christmas story with our families, attend church every time the door is open, and insist to ourselves and others that Jesus is the reason for the season, and yet not see Jesus. With the eyes of our heart, I mean.

I suppose there is something about indulging in the religious Christmas routine that lulls us into thinking we are dwelling in Christ when we are really just set to seasonal autopilot, going through the festive and sentimental motions. Meanwhile the real person Jesus the Christ goes neglected in favor of his plastic, paper, and video representations. Don’t get distracted from Jesus by “Jesus.” This year, plead with the Spirit to interrupt your nice Christmas with the power of Jesus’ gospel.

Hat Tip: Already Not Yet

The Real War on Christmas

2011-12-19T06:44:00.000-06:00

Despite all the talk about a "War on Christmas" in America, we are all still free to celebrate the birth of Jesus in our homes and churches. However, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world do not have that freedom. From Charismatica comes this remeinder:

This is a good time to remember our Iranian brothers and sisters in Christ. Iranian authorities are threatening to arrest any Christians that outwardly celebrate Christmas this year. We have posted in the past about the continuing revival going on in Iran. Like China, it is a house church movement that is increasing through dreams, visions, and healings.

We should also remember Christians in Egypt. The recent election indicates that radical Islamists will soon be running the country. Over 60% of the vote went to Muslim Brotherhood and the more radical Nour Party. Last year during the Coptic Christmas (Celebrated in January) celebration there were several attacks on the Christian community. This year more attacks are expected since the central government no longer even tries to protect the Christians.

Again this year, we should remember Christians in Iraq. The last several years there have been incidences of Churches, Christian businesses, and homes being attacked by radical Muslims during the Christmas season.

Also, the violence continues to rage against Christian communities in northern Nigeria. There seems to be no end in sight as Muslim mullahs continually incite Muslim ‘worshippers’ to attack Christians following Friday services. Literally there is at least one violent incident a week in that country.

Lord, we pray for the day when there truly will be "peace on earth" when Christ is King of all!

A Million Gleaming Facets

2011-12-17T18:59:00.000-06:00

“Why do angels long to look into the good news (1 Pet. 1:12)? Because it is fascinating! It is eternally interesting. It is thrilling. It is simple, yet complex. It is a diamond: one brilliant treasure with a million gleaming facets, each offering a million vantage points alight and gleaming with the majesty of its architect.”

— Jared C. Wilson, Gospel Wakefulness (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2011), 203

Hat Tip: Of First Importance

I've just started this book, and so far it's a good one!

Don't Miss the Words This Christmas #5

2011-12-17T11:25:00.000-06:00

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Original GPS

2011-12-16T11:47:00.000-06:00

Bringing Religion into Everything

2011-12-16T06:35:00.000-06:00

"Just a hurried line...to tell a story which puts the contrast between our feast of the Nativity and all this ghastly "Xmas" racket at its lowest. My brother heard a woman on a bus say, as the bus passed a church with a Crib outside it, "Oh Lor'! They bring religion into everything. Look - they're dragging it even into Christmas now!""

~ C.S. Lewis, Letters to an American Lady, Dec. 29, 1958, p80

Opening Doors of Hope

2011-12-15T06:47:00.000-06:00

"Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope.…

It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope."

-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) , Seek That Which Is Above,1986

One Verse for Christmas

2011-12-14T11:42:00.000-06:00

Can the The Entire Christmas Story Be Told in One Verse? Ray Pennover says Galatians 4:4-5 will do the job.. Yeah, that's actually two verses, but who wants to be legalistic, especially when interpreting Galatians!

Check it out at the link.

Waiting for the Door to Be Opened

2011-12-14T06:34:00.000-06:00

"A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes... and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

(Written while he was a prisoner of Hitler and the Nazis, awaiting execution)

Heaven Draws Up Earth

2011-12-13T11:49:00.000-06:00

In the Incarnation God the Son takes the body and human soul of Jesus, and, through that, the whole environment of Nature, all the creaturely predicament, into his own being.

So that ‘he came down from Heaven’ can almost be transposed into ‘Heaven drew earth up into it,’ and locality, limitation, sleep, sweat, footsore weariness, frustration, pain, doubt, and death, are, from before all worlds, known by God from within.

The pure light walks the earth; the darkness, received into the heart of Deity, is there swallowed up. Where, except in uncreated light, can the darkness be drowned?”

C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, (San Diego: Harvest, 1964), 70ff.

Hat Tip: Desiring God:

Feel the Shiver

2011-12-13T06:39:00.000-06:00

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Watch For The Light: Readings For Advent And Christmas:

We have become so accustomed to the idea of divine love and of God’s coming at Christmas that we no longer feel the shiver of fear that God’s coming should arouse in us. We are indifferent to the message, taking only the pleasant and agreeable out of it and forgetting the serious aspect, that the God of the world draws near to the people of our little earth and lays claim to us. The coming of God is truly not only glad tidings, but first of all frightening news for everyone who has a conscience.

On Fire

2011-12-12T12:02:00.000-06:00

HT: Rick Ianniello

What Do You Have to Reject to “Accept Jesus”?

2011-12-12T06:14:00.000-06:00

This is good - Ray Ortlund Writes:

“You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9

You and I are not integrated, unified, whole persons. Our hearts are multi-divided. There is something like a board room in every heart. Big table. Leather chairs. Coffee. Bottled water. Whiteboard. A committee sits around the table. There is the social self, the private self, the work self, the sexual self, the recreational self, the religious self, and others. The committee is arguing and debating and voting. Constantly agitated and upset. Rarely can they come to a unanimous, wholehearted decision.

We are like that. We tell ourselves it’s because we are so busy, with so many responsibilities. The truth is, we are indecisive, held back by small thoughts of Jesus.

Such a person can “accept Jesus” in either of two ways. One way is to invite him onto the committee. Give Jesus a vote too. But then he becomes just one more complication. The other way to “accept Jesus” is to say to him, “My life isn’t working. Please come in and fire my committee, every last one of them. I hand myself over to you now. Please run my whole life for me.” That is not complication; that is salvation.

“Accepting Jesus” is not just adding Jesus. It is also subtracting the idols.

I've never really licked the common "christianeze" phrase "accepting Jesus." But I am totally amazed that He accepted me!

Hat Tip: Already Not Yet:

Don't Miss the Words This Christmas #4

2011-12-11T07:33:00.000-06:00

"Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy"

Keepping Chi

2011-12-10T09:06:00.000-06:00

In follow up to yesterday's post, I couldn't resist adding this!

New Kind of Men

2011-12-09T11:36:00.000-06:00

“God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man.”

- C.S. Lewis

God came from heaven to earth to make earthly men and women into heavenly creatures. Something to remember this wonderful season.

Does Writing 'Xmas' Take Christ out of Christmas?

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

Are you one of those Christians who gets upset over the use of "Xmas" as an abbreviation for Christmas? Heree's R. C. Sproul's explanation on the historical context for that practice - Does Writing 'Xmas' Take Christ out of Christmas?

The X in Christmas is used like the R in R.C. My given name at birth was Robert Charles, although before I was even taken home from the hospital my parents called me by my initials, R.C., and nobody seems to be too scandalized by that.

X can mean so many things. For example, when we want to denote an unknown quantity, we use the symbol X. It can refer to an obscene level of films, something that is X-rated. People seem to express chagrin about seeing Christ's name dropped and replaced by this symbol for an unknown quantity X. Every year you see the signs and the bumper stickers saying, "Put Christ back into Christmas" as a response to this substitution of the letter X for the name of Christ.

There's no X in Christmas
First of all, you have to understand that it is not the letter X that is put into Christmas. We see the English letter X there, but actually what it involves is the first letter of the Greek name for Christ. Christos is the New Testament Greek for Christ. The first letter of the Greek word Christos is transliterated into our alphabet as an X. That X has come through church history to be a shorthand symbol for the name of Christ.

We don't see people protesting the use of the Greek letter theta, which is an O with a line across the middle. We use that as a shorthand abbreviation for God because it is the first letter of the word Theos, the Greek word for God.

X has a long and sacred history
The idea of X as an abbreviation for the name of Christ came into use in our culture with no intent to show any disrespect for Jesus. The church has used the symbol of the fish historically because it is an acronym. Fish in Greek (ichthus) involved the use of the first letters for the Greek phrase "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." So the early Christians would take the first letter of those words and put those letters together to spell the Greek word for fish. That's how the symbol of the fish became the universal symbol of Christendom. There's a long and sacred history of the use of X to symbolize the name of Christ, and from its origin, it has meant no disrespect.

Stable Influence

2011-12-08T06:58:00.000-06:00

Don't Miss the Words This Christmas #3

2011-12-08T06:48:00.000-06:00

"God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay.
For Jesus Christ our Savior,
Was born on Christmas Day;
To save us all from Satans power,
When we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy!"
From "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen "

Church History in 5 Hours

2011-12-08T06:29:00.000-06:00

Here's an interesting condensed audio summary of All of Church History in 5 Hours! via MP3 files with PDF Handouts at Parchment and Pen.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

2011-12-07T17:29:00.000-06:00

"I preach as though Christ was crucified yesterday, rose from the dead today and was coming back tomorrow."
—Martin Luther

Maybe we should live that way also.

All I Want for Christmas....

2011-12-07T06:35:00.000-06:00

Oh Come, Emmanuel!

2011-12-06T17:46:00.000-06:00

More beautiful and uplifting Christmas music from the Annie Moses Band. Enjoy!

Deceptive DNA

2011-12-06T11:07:00.000-06:00

"You'll never understand sin's sleight of hand until you acknowledge that a significant part of the DNA of sin is deception. As sinners we are all very committed and gifted self-swindlers. No one is more influential in your life than you, because you talk to yourself more than anyone else does. What you say to yourself is profoundly important. Your words either aid God's work of conviction and confession or they assist sin's system of deception. So it's important to humbly admit that we're all too skilled at looking at our own wrong and seeing good. We're all much better at seeing the sin, weakness, and failure of others than we are our own. We're all very good at being intolerant in others the very things that we willingly tolerate in ourselves. The bottom line is that sin causes us not to hear or see ourselves with accuracy. And we not only tend to be blind, but, to compound matters, we also tend to be blind to our blindness."

From Paul Tripp at As You Are – The Gospel Coalition Blog. Much more at the link

Don't Miss the Words This Christmas #2

2011-12-06T06:41:00.000-06:00

"Yea, Lord we greet Thee,
born this happy morning,
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing;
Oh come, Let us adore Him!"

-Adeste Fidelis / Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Tim Keller's Google Talk On Marriage

2011-12-05T17:46:00.000-06:00

Tim Keller made an hour long talk on the meaning of Marriage from a Christian perspective to Google employees at their headquarters. This event took place on November 14, 2011, as part of the Authors@Google series. I can't think of anyone else who could do this, certainly not as well as he did. It's worth a listen!

Hat Tip: Reformissionary: Tim Keller | Google Talk On Marriage

Of course, his book The Meaning of Marriage is great too!

Man's Maker Made Man

2011-12-05T11:41:00.000-06:00

Man’s Maker was made man
that the Bread might be hungry,
the Fountain thirst,
the Light sleep,
the Way be tired from the journey;
that Strength might be made weak,
that Life might die.

—St. Augustine

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Free Download of R. C. Sproul Classic

2011-12-05T08:22:00.001-06:00

The Kindle edition of R.C. Sproul's classic book The Holiness of God is available for FREE download on Amazon.

This book is a life changer! I would list it with the top five books that have most affected my Christian life. If you use Kindle or another an e-reader, don't miss this opportunity.

Did I mention that it is FREE??!!!

Don't Miss the Words This Christmas!

2011-12-05T06:43:00.000-06:00

"Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the godhead see,
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as God with Man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel!"

From "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing": by Charles Wesley

There is A LOT of truth packed into those few brief lines!