Matt Troupe's Blog

The Prayers of Paul

2011-08-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

I found this great document that compiles a number of Paul's prayers in the NT under a topical arrangement. Great tool for a prayer meeting.

PRAYERS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, TOPICALLY ARRANGED

Here is another arrangement from the Navigators

Jonathan Edwards on the Poor

2011-07-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

Of the obligation of Christians to perform the duty of charity to the poor.

THIS duty is absolutely commanded, and much insisted on, in the Word of God. Where have we any command in the Bible laid down in stronger terms, and in a more peremptory urgent manner, than the command of giving to the poor? We have the same law in a positive manner laid down in Lev. 25:35, etc. "And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee, then thou shalt relieve him; yea, though he be a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with thee." And at the conclusion of verse 38, God enforces it with saying, I am the Lord thy God.

It is mentioned in Scripture, not only as a duty, but a great duty. Indeed it is generally acknowledged to be a duty, to be kind to the needy. But by many it seems not to be looked upon as a duty of great importance. However, it is mentioned in Scripture as one of the greater and more essential duties of religion. Mic. 6:8, "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Here to love mercy is mentioned as one of the three great things that are the sum of all religion. So it is mentioned by the apostle James, as one of the two things wherein pure and undefiled religion consists. Jam. 1:27, "Pure religion, and undefiled, before God and the Father, is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

So Christ tells us, it is one of the weightier matters of the law. Mat. 23:23, "Ye have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith." The Scriptures again and again teach us that it is a more weighty and essential thing than the attendance on the outward ordinances of worship. Hos. 6:6, "I desired mercy, and not sacrifice;" Mat. 9:13 and 12:7. I know of scarce any duty which is so much insisted on, so pressed and urged upon us, both in the Old Testament and New, as this duty of charity to the poor.

Jonathan Edwards From The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced

What is the Bible All About?

2011-03-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

I just came across this great book, which was previously a series of lectures by DA Carson called "The God Who is There." I am not sure if this is a title connection between Francis Schaeffer's famous book. Anyway, the idea is to take a jet tour of the big story of the Bible in 14 lectures. Carson is a very learned, clear, and informed communicator and these talks are good! I have been challenged and refreshed. Best of all the talks are intended to be accessible to people who do not have a lot of previous bible knowledge.

You can visit the Gospel Coalition page to see the whole series and links to the book.

Here is the first talk:

The God Who Is There - Part 1. The God Who Made Everything from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

How does divorce affect children?

2011-03-19T23:10:00.000-07:00

In doing some research to preach on marriage and divorce recently I have been simply overwhelmed by the mountain of evidence that shows that divorce is one of the worst things that can happen to a child. In many ways we are destroying our own future through the selfishness of divorce.

Check out the statistics here

And Here

Medical Terminology Pronunciation File

2010-11-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

Hello, here is an MP3 for any of you who are interested in listening to the pronunciation of the words for your pronunciation quiz.

The Ministry of Listening

2010-05-05T23:37:00.000-07:00

The Ministry of Listening

"The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them. It is God’s love for us that He not only gives us His Word but also lends us His ear. So it is His work that we do for our brother when we learn to listen to him. Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking where they should be listening. But he who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either; he will be doing nothing but prattle in the presence of God too. This is the beginning of the death of the spiritual life, and in the end there is nothing left but spiritual chatter and clerical condescension arrayed in pious words. One who cannot listen long and patiently will presently be talking beside the point and be never really speaking to others, albeit he be not conscious of it. Anyone who thinks his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but only for himself and for his own follies."

“Life Together” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Fresno Poverty Compared to Appalachia

2010-04-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

This is an older article, but reinforces the fact that Fresno ranks high on poverty compared to other places in the US. When I read articles like this I am forced to question myself: Sometimes it doesn't seem that bad to me, is it because I am hiding away from it? What am I doing, as a resident of one of the poorest cities in America to help the poor? What are my feelings toward the poor? Do I see myself in them, or simply look down on them as suffering for their own bad decisions?

Poverty plagues 'New Appalachia'

Dealing With The Accuser

2010-04-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

“Satan accuses Christians day and night. It is not just that he will work on our conscience to make us feel as dirty, guilty, defeated, destroyed, weak, and ugly as he possibly can; it is something worse: his entire play in the past is to accuse us before God day and night, bringing charges against us that we know we can never answer before the majesty of God’s holiness.

What can we say in response? Will our defense be, ‘Oh, I’m not that bad?’ You will never beat Satan that way. Never. What you must say is, ‘Satan, I’m even worse than you think, but God loves me anyway. He has accepted me because of the blood of the Lamb.”

—D.A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 98-99

The Financial Collapse and Porn

2010-04-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

Did Porn Cause the Financial Crisis?

The article linked below provides a slightly different piece of the puzzle as we unravel what brought us to our current financial crisis. It seems that while crooks on Wallstreet were lying and stealing, all of the folks who were supposed to be enforcing the laws we already had were looking the other way. And they were looking the other way a whole lot....

How to Succeed in Anatomy and Phsiology at AVC

2010-04-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

I am just reposting this entry from a couple of years ago to be useful to the masses once again...

How to Succeed in Anatomy and Physiology at AVC

Well, who am I to write about this? I have been in these classes and have done pretty well. Some students have asked me for advise, and so I will offer some suggestions of what has worked for me (and what I have seen work for others).

1) Try to take the introductory human biology class (Bio 100) with Dr. Ezzedine if you can. This is an acceptable prerequisite in lieu of general biology, though it might affect you qualifying for Microbiology in the future. Check with a counselor. Anyway, it covers much of the same info that is presented in the Bio 201 and 202 classes. It is more of an overview of the 2 semesters of A & P. I did this and felt like large portions of the Anatomy and Physiology classes were repeating this information. This will give you more time to process the info, and more times going over it. The benefit, you will probably do better in the class, and you will probably remember more of the core material in the long run.

2) Go to the learning center and have your learning style assessed. Work smarter not harder. If you are an auditory learner you are going make more progress in listening to lectures, and pod casts than in reading or other methods. We should all try to immerse ourselves in many different approaches so that we remember more of the material, but you may be able to save yourself a lot of heartache by focusing on your strengths. In my case, I am a listener, and in some portions of the curriculum I listened to the lectures on my iPod 2 or 3 times and that is all I needed to get it.

3) These are serious college classes, none of the sissy general ed. stuff. Plan accordingly. Often instructors say you should spend 2-3 hours outside of class for every hour in class, but in my experience that is more than you need. Not for these classes. Expect to put in your time; there is no way around it. That might mean that you have to only take 1 or 2 classes so that you can focus. If you have expectations that while taking anatomy you will also have plenty of time for TV watching and hobbies, you will end up feeling like you have been wronged. Just set your mind that learning human anatomy and physiology is one of the main purposes of your life for a couple semesters. It is called sacrifice. That is why the people who persevere and succeed make more money than the rest of us. If you expect to work hard and study you won’t be shocked or disappointed.

4) Remember why you are taking the class, especially when the going gets tough. If you keep your goals in mind (nursing school or whatever) that will keep things in focus when your inner slob is screaming, “why do I need to know this!” Remind your spouse of this often as well.

5) Take it from me, if you are going into the practice of medicine, you will need to understand this stuff. When you are training, your preceptors won’t talk in laymen’s terms. When you are going through CE’s (continuing education) in the future, your teachers will be speaking this lingo. When new drugs or procedures come out, they will be referring to the stuff you learned here. And when you are faced with a sick patient who doesn’t fit nicely into a recipe in some protocol, you will need to think your way through the problem, and all that you have learned will come back to you. I worked as a paramedic for many years and found this to be a lifesaver.

6) Go to the SI (Supplemental Instruction) sessions. They have these for classes with high failure and withdrawal rates for a reason. It is like having a study partner, but more structured. The SI leader communicates with your instructor. It is a great way to help. Students who use SI traditionally score 1 letter grade higher than those who do not.

7) DO NOT MISS ANY CLASSES. Sounds like common sense. But even if you attend all of the classes you will often still feel like you are behind. If you miss a class, you may feel like the task is impossible. Also show up early so that you don’t have added stress. Parking is usually a nightmare for the first 6 weeks.

8) EXPECT TO BE OVERWHELMED EVERYDAY. This has been my repeated experience. Most of us feel like quitting when we are overwhelmed, or at least avoiding the work that is before us. But I recommend that you tell yourself that every new class will give you information that you don’t understand, and that this will seem like an academic Everest. Be assured that this feeling of being “lost” will slowly erode as you go over the material again and again. I have been surprised by how many times this has happened to me. It helps me to tell myself that this feeling is normal, and that it will go away. Just think of when you learned to drive. Everything made you nervous: driving at night, checking your blind spot, getting lost, etc. But now you can do it with a Big Mac in one hand and the radio on. Why the change? Because you have done it many times.

9) See the instructors during office hours if you have questions or need help. They all say this every semester, yet very few students go in for help. But think about it, your instructors are really the best ones to help you through some confusing point. They are the experts; they are going to write the exams! Also, they will often see your effort and be willing to do more to help you if they see you are willing to stretch and sacrifice.

10) Do whatever extra credit is offered. It will help you learn and might push you over the edge on a borderline grade. Better to have more points than you need. If can do it, I recommend taking the time to do a Cadaver project. You can get lots of extra credit from this, and learn a lot about anatomy and yourself. If you do it you will know what I mean, MWAHAAHAA HAA! Also it is likely that several questions on the lab practical test will come from your work! Easy points! Also the teachers are eager to help you with this stuff.

11) Buy and listen to the lectures a second time. When I took the class I listened to Professor Langjahr’s lectures, even though I was not taking his class. I did it, and helped me immensely to hear the same material covered by 2 different teachers. Professor Langjahr is probably the best teacher I have ever had. He is tough, but if you want to learn you will enjoy the work. In any case you can buy the CD’s in the IMC, or get them off of the pod cast site. Just ask him.

12) Spend some time focusing on effective methods for memory. Things like acrostics, mneumonics, flash cards, etc. may seem like voodoo or tricks, but applied properly these memory aids can not only help you remember the material, but do it with much less work!

Why we think we can't sing

2010-03-27T12:16:00.001-07:00

Technology has convinced us we can't sing

Here is an interesting article on singing. If our insecurities are fed by a society inundated with artificial images of "perfection," is it possible that the average person also feels inadequate when it comes to singing for similar reasons? God wants us to sing well, but deeper than that he wants our hearts.

Paramedic Lessons on Motivation in Learning

2010-03-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is a photo taken by a friend of mine of a pile up on the Cajon Pass that happened when I was working in Victorville. If you have ever wondered why you should pay attention in class this picture is worth a thousand words.

After several years as a paramedic I decided to get involved with training. Many of the classes I took to become an EMS instructor spent a lot of time on theories of "adult learning." Adults learn different than children. One important emphasis is on motivation. If adult students don't see any value in learning the material you are presenting, then most of them will drift off. I had this theory drummed into my head, and tasted it in the many classes I taught.

I personally had sat through so many lectures and CE classes (continuing education) that were a form of legalized torture. The teacher was boring and ineffective. The students were rowdy and everyone wished they could go home. Often it was worse than a just a waste of time because there were few precious hours available to "raise the bar" of health care provided by EMT's and Paramedics. I hated sitting through classes like this, and probably muttered a vow to myself that I would never teach a class like that. My classes would be worthwhile....My students would learn...My students would even enjoy it! Easy to say, hard to do.

I have always had good grades, from the elementary years, through high school, and into college. But much of the time I still felt like I was faking it, not really learning. It was not until I went to paramedic school at Mt. Sac in 1995 that I feel like I really "learned how to learn." For the first time in my life I felt like I had to remember something that was for more than just an exam. Our instructors intentionally rattled our cages with a healthy amount of stress. Stand and Deliver. I felt like I needed to know this stuff or people might die. And that was true. So I studied and buried myself in the material. My Goal: mastery. Well of course you can't master anything until you have gone out and done it for a while. But my hard work in school did pay off, and many years later I was still reaping the benefits of the knowledge I had gained. Some of it was above and beyond. But there were many times when I was able to pick up on some piece of information in an assessment, from a patient's history or medication list that might have gotten missed. And it was because I had worked hard in the class room. And after School I was committed to keep on learning. And when I became an instructor I was determined that I would keep my students interested.

I mention this because I have often heard people belly-ache in various classes about what they have to learn. Even if they pass, they leave ignorant because they are not convinced that it matters. Who needs to know that stuff. It is stupid. I don't want to deal with all of these details, I want the glory! Yeah, uhuh. And who wants you to come to their rescue, Mr. I just barely passed by the skin of my teeth.

I read some of the Horatio Hornblower books several years ago and a statement in one of the books has stuck in my mind. One of the sailors said, "for every 2 minutes of excitement in battle, there are 2 weeks (or was it months?) of monotony at sea." This is definitely true of medicine, and EMS in particular. Much of it is routine, even boring. But it is in those in-between hours of average work, of routine, of study, and diligence in mundane things that no one notices; this is what really defines who you are as a person, and a professional. It will define your reputation, and establish the habits (or ruts) that will bleed over (pardon the pun) when the heat of battle rages on. You may only get one shot to make it big.

Sadly, I have had many instructors who do not make the subject matter exciting. They have lost connection with the idea of motivation and purpose. Want to be successful? Convince yourself that you NEED TO LEARN when you are taking classes. Ineffective teacher? In my opinion, it is during these times that we have to motivate ourselves with a sense of the significance of study, and remind ourselves why we are learning. Furthermore, being able to learn from a bad teacher might be the most valuable thing you gain. If you can learn from a clod, you can teach yourself. Stay motivated, even if you have to tell yourself a lie like, "I really need to know this for the future! Maybe there will be a job interview question about this someday." Truth is, it probably isn't a lie. I have heard of stories about that, "oh I see on your resume, that you have taken a class in XXXX, tell us about YYYY..."

Stay motivated. This is one of the keys for learning for adults ( and I think kids too).

Freso has the worst pollution

2010-03-17T23:24:00.000-07:00

In Depth: Worst Cities For Year-Round Particle Pollution

Fresno has been said to the be "the first of the worst" in many things. I don't believe all of the claims, but the bad press seems to come in droves for us. Lots of health problems, and this is probably one of the reasons why healthcare is so expensive here too.

For anyone who thinks Rape is a Crime simply of lust....

2010-03-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

N.C. Man Allegedly Rapes Woman and Carves "Mine" into her Stomach

What is involved with rape? is it simply a matter of sexual lust? or is there more. This disturbing story is an example of the deep darkness of sexual sin.

Why So Tired?

2010-03-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Americans are Too Tired

Interesting to see how tired we are in America. We have more time saving devices and prosperity than ever, and we still can't sleep. What is perhaps most interesting are the causes of this problem, and its effects. It is not good for your marriage either. Too tired for sex? That is really tired.

Do animals have rights or do we confer them?

2010-03-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

Swiss vote down lawyers for animals

The Swiss have decided not to give animals lawyers. This raises an interesting question. All moral questions are either raised by humans or about humans. This is profound, especially in light of the fact that the natural world is rather brutal, and that is the way of things. The weak are eaten by the strong. One organism survives at the expense of another. That is true of all organisms to some degree. Yet we all make exceptions for people. Why? I believe it is part of the inescapable reality of the image of God. The difference between people and animals is more profound that our location on the food chain. Humans have distinct value because they are like God.

Liberals, Atheists Are More Highly Evolved?

2010-03-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

Liberals, Atheists Are More Highly Evolved?

Here is an interesting article from Nat Geo. It points to some research that is obviously questionable in its approach. But it builds on the idea that our behaviors are all genetically determined. Here is a thought. We have been told that gays are that way because of genetics and that they cannot therefore be wrong or changed. If we grant that line of reason, I wonder which behaviors are really genetically determined? What if being a part of the religious right is also determined. Then of course, we have to conclude that it is neither wrong, and should not be changed. The problem with concluding that behavior is chemically or genetically determined is that it falls into the "Is-Ought" fallacy. We cannot conclude that because something is a certain way (for whatever reasons) that it should be that way. The issue of "oughtness" is a question of ethics, and cannot be determined by science alone. We must bring our philosophical and religious convictions to arrive at the conclusion that anything that "is" shouldn't be that way.

2009-11-19T09:04:00.000-08:00

Instructions for Kastner Intermediate School Escrip from Matt Troupe on Vimeo.

This is a video that describes a fundraiser at the Middle School where my son attends. If you can do this, it is an easy way to help the school. Thanks!

Prayer: The All Good

2009-08-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

The All-Good

Adapted from Valley of Vision

My God,
You have helped me to see that if there is anything good in honor and rejoicing that I should be amazed at the goodness of the one who gives them, and who can take them away;

That real happiness s not found so much in receiving good from you and in you, but in displaying your glory and virtue;
That it is an amazing thing to see God in a creature, speaking acting, filling, shining through it;
That nothing is truly good but you;
That I am near to good when I am near You;
That to be like you is a glorious thing;
This is my magnet, my attraction.

You are all my good in times of peace, my only support in days of distress, my only sufficiency when life shall end.

Help me to see how good your will is in every situation and circumstance, and even when it cuts across my own will. Teach me to be pleased with it.

Grant me to feel you in the fiery trials, in the rich supply of food, and in every “chance detail” of your plan, and to see that your many gifts and creatures are simply your hands and fingers holding and guiding me.

You are the bottomless fountain of all good, and I give myself to you out of love, for everything I have or own is yours: my possessions, my family, church, self, it all belongs to you to do with as you please.

If it is in line with your eternal plans, the intentions of your grace, and the great goals of you’re your glory, then please grant me the blessings of your comforts; if not then let me willingly give myself to your wiser arrangements.

Prayer: Love to Jesus

2009-08-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

I enjoy the book "Valley of Vision" which is a collection of prayers from Christians several centuries ago. The book is wonderful, but the language can be antiquated and challenging to read. I occasionally use this to stir up my sluggish heart. I have decided to paraphrase some of them into more modern language for our use and thought I would share them with you.

“Love To Jesus”

Adapted from Valley of Vision

Lord Jesus,

If I love you, then my soul will seek you,
But can I seek you unless my love to you is kept alive for this purpose?

Do I really love you because you are good, and because you are the only one who can bring real good to me?

It would be right if you did not love me because I am vile and self centered; yet I do seek you and when I find you there is no wrath to consume me, only your sweet love.

You are like a huge rock that stands between the burning sun and my soul, and I live in the cool shade as your chosen one.

Whenever my mind works apart from you, it yields only deceit and delusions; and when my deep desires work apart from you the only result is lifeless actions.

O how much I need you to live within me, because I don’t naturally have eyes to see you; yet I live by faith in you, the one whose face shines brighter to me than a thousand suns.

Christ, when I see that all my life is full of sin and shame, then show me that you are full of all goodness and glory.

Keep me from believing the error that you only appear in glory to my soul when I experience a heart full of strange feelings, as if that was the activity of your grace and glory.

But let me see that you reveal your self most clearly during the eclipse of my personal pride and conceit, when the good and pleasurable things of this world fade away.

It is then that the Son truly breaks out in glory and shows that he is the one who outshines everything in creation; then he makes men spiritually poor and helps them find true riches in himself. Help me to be suspicious of myself, and to find everything good in you!

Welcome To Heartbreak

2009-07-31T10:01:00.001-07:00

One of the things I have been trying to do lately is to pay closer attention to the culture around me so that I can understand what people actually believe and eventually find the "cracks in the armor" that may present an opportunity to share the truth of Christ. I love it when I can allow other people, especially people who don't even confess faith in Jesus, to make a point for me. These are the lyrics to the rap song "welcome to heartbreak" by Kanye West. I think this is a candid admission of the emptiness of life apart from the grace of God, and things like this may help to provide an open door with people that would otherwise be closed.

Welcome To Heartbreak lyrics

My friend showed me pictures of his kids
And all I could show him was pictures of my cribs
He said his daughter got a brand new report card
And all I got was a brand new sports car, oh

And my head keeps spinning
Can't stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
And my head keeps spinning
I can't stop having these visions, I gotta get with it

Dad cracked a joke, all the kids laughed
But I couldn't hear him all the way in first class
Chased the good life my whole life long
Look back on my life and my life gone
Where did I go wrong?

And my head keeps spinning
Can't stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
And my head keeps spinning
I can't stop having these visions, I gotta get with it

I've seen it, I've seen it before
I've seen it, I've seen it before
I've seen it, I've seen it before
I've seen it, I've seen it before

Oh my God, sister getting married by the lake
But I couldn't figure out who I'd wanna take
Bad enough that I showed up late
I had to leave before they even cut the cake
Welcome to heartbreak

And my head keeps spinning
Can't stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
And my head keeps spinning
I can't stop having these visions, I gotta get with it

And I and I can't stop
No, no, I can't stop
No, no, no, no, I can't stop
No, no, no, no, I can't stop

Can't stop, I can't stop, I can't stop
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no
No, no, I can't stop

I can't stop having these visions
I gotta get with it

Another Way to Access the Research Paper

2009-07-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Some people have had problems with the SCRIBD site, so here is another way to download it, or you can email me at metroupe@gmail.com and I will send it to you:

The State of RB Church Planting

Discussion of the Church Planting Research Paper

2009-07-28T12:58:00.001-07:00

Here is a link to the RB Seminary Blog where Dr. Bob Gonzalez and others have been discussing the paper.

Church Planting Research Paper

2009-07-20T14:04:00.001-07:00

Below you will find the results of my church planting research project. I have performed this investigation to provide a better picture of what is going on among Reformed Baptists in North America in the area of church planting, and to make several recommendations that will help us to be more faithful to the great commission and its fulfillment here at home. The document can be printed or read online. I am aware that there are limitations to all research, and that ultimately the teaching of scripture is all that matters. Consequently I realize that this paper is just one point of view, and that not everyone will agree with what I have said. I welcome any comments and input on this paper, and hope that this brief treatment of church planting will promote more discussion and continued reformation of our beliefs and practices to the will of Christ.

I discovered several things that are encouraging in this area, but more causes for concern, and perhaps even alarm. This project suggests that RB's are not excelling in the area of domestic church planting, and that some common approaches to planting churches among RB's are in need of reformation.

Several comments on the format of the paper are in order. Azusa Pacific University (where I was studying) requires the use of APA style. This format requires citations within the text, and stylistically is very "dry." It does not allow for very much expressiveness in the way a paper is written. My apologies ahead of time.

Additionally, the format of the paper requires a bit of redundancy throughout the chapters in the form of summaries. For those who are not interested in research theory, you may find that reading chapter 2 (the literature review) is helpful. But most important is chapter 4 (page 40-70). This is the meat of the research where the results are presented and discussed.

The State of RB Church Planting by Matt Troupe

This is appendix C from the research which shows the list of known RB church plants in the last 10 years.

RB Church Planting Appendix Table

Lock the Church!

2009-07-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

Get equipped, and then get out of the church and into the world!

"Despite his insistence on the primacy of the church, Calvin knew the church had its limits. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress illustrates these limits well. In his classic allegory, Bunyan calls the church "the house built by the Lord of the HIll for the safety and rest of pilgrims." Bunyan has his main character, Christian, enter this house, the church; he has him "fed," his allegory for the sermon and for the Lord's Supper; and he has him led into the armory, where he is equipped. Then Bunyan has the keepers of the house send him away, out into the world. Calvin did the same for his parishioners by locking the church doors after the service. Christians, having been fed and equipped, refreshed and nourished, are to be in the world, according to Calvin...Calvin locked the church doors so the church could be in the world...Calvin locked the church doors after the service because he wanted the church to be salt and light in the world that God made and entrusted to us."

Stephen Nichols, The Reformation, Crossway Books: 2007, pg. 79-82.

God Scatters His People for His Own Purposes

2009-06-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

"In many ways the great Head of the Church scatters His servants abroad; but they ought of themselves to scatter voluntarily. Every Christian should say, “Where can I do the most good?” and if he can do more good anywhere beneath the sun than in the land of his birth, he is bound to go there, if he can. God will have us scattered; and if we will not go afield willingly, He may use providential necessity as the forcible means of our dispersion."
CH Spurgeon

Garage Sales, Self Image, and Jesus

2009-05-14T12:31:00.001-07:00

What can a garage sale teach us about the gospel? I am not exactly sure, but I thought of something that they illustrate. Over the years I have enjoyed going to garage sales with my wife. There are a couple of different kinds of garage sales. One kind, that is usually more fun for the buyer, happens when someone realizes that they have way too much stuff and they want to get rid of it. They realize that even though they may have paid $100 bucks for that wheel barrel 10 years ago, that it is not worth that much now. And these folks are really trying to get rid of their stuff; they are fun to bargain with. “Will you take $5 for both of these?” These people are often getting ready to sell their house and move. They are motivated movers. And they know that whatever they don’t sell they are going to have to haul in a moving van across the country. Lots of times you get a good deal from these folks because they are selling stuff for less than it is worth.

The other kind of garage sale isn’t quite so pleasant. The people who have these kinds of garage sales are often sentimental pack rats (I speak from experience!). I will call them sentimental sellers. They value their stuff so much that they never get rid of anything. They don’t understand that a piece of junk is only worth $15 if someone is willing to pay that much for it. These people take personal offense when you offer them $3 dollars for that unopened white elephant Christmas gift that they have had in a box since Y2K. And at the end of the day they have almost as much stuff as they started off with. Then they have to pack it all back up, or spend the rest of the day, and the few dollars they earned at the sale to haul it to the dump. The problem with these folks is that they think their stuff is worth a lot more than it really is.

Well what does this have to do with anything? I was thinking recently about the kind of Christian message that is designed exclusively to boost your self-esteem. It seems to me a lot like going to a garage sale. The thrust of the message seems to be to try to convince us that our biggest problem is that our stuff is worth a lot more than we (or anyone else) recognize. We are motivated movers and don’t realize it. Our big problem is that we have under-valued ourselves, and Jesus can come along like an appraiser to help us see our real worth. If we could just see how wonderful we really were, and get other people to see it too, then life would be much better. Jesus is really useful in this arrangement because he helps us to fall in deeper love with ourselves.

The sad truth of the matter is otherwise. All of us are really like sentimental sellers. We all have an over-inflated view of ourselves, our accomplishments, our perspectives, our virtues, etc. We are upset with other people because they can’t manage to see our grandeur. This is not to say that we are junk. No, we are not garbage, we are the special creation of God, made to reflect his wonder. We are mirrors, meant to reflect the image of something greater. But we are broken mirrors, and the image we depict looks more like the distortion of a carnival fun house than reality.

As I understand the gospel, the message of Jesus is not so much meant to help us prop up our self-image with so much religious silicone, as it is to show us how things really are. Our problem is not that we think too little of ourselves, but too much. And Christ helps us to see the truth, and that often hurts. When he arrives we get our self-image in line with reality. He helps us to see that we are vandals. Then through his love we come to see that our greatest value comes not from ourselves but from our relationship to Him. You should think about this next time you pass a garage sale.

10 (or more) Reasons I love My Mom

2009-05-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

I decided to sit down and come up with at least 10 things I could say to honor my mom and show her how much I love her. This is a great exercise to show our cranky hearts how thankful we should be, and a wonderful way to honor the one who brought you into the world.

10 (or more) Reasons I love my Mom

1. Mom thanks for coming to all my games when I was a kid. I was constantly playing football, baseball, and basketball and you were always there to support me, and even embarrass me with your Kazoo. Thanks for driving me back and forth to so many activities while I was growing up.
2. Mom I love you because you taught me how to iron my own clothes when I was little. This is a small thing, but I think altogether you showed me how to care about my appearance.
3. Mom, I love you because I have a memory of being very small and you holding me close. I can remember having my head up against your chest and remembering how comforting your voice sounded to me. Thanks for being such a tender mom. I was born in 1973, the year that Roe V. Wade was passed. I know I came along “unexpected.” Thanks for keeping me.
4. Mom, thank you for always making a big deal out of the little successes in my life. You always encouraged me when I got good grades or had some kind of achievement, big or little. That has helped me to learn how to be a better dad. Thanks, also for continuing to be proud of me as an adult when I succeed and do well. I love you for that!
5. Mom, I love you because you always let us have dogs when we were growing up. Thanks for letting me have the dog in the house, and even letting her sleep on my bed when I was younger.
6. Mom, I love you because you are a generous person. I can always remember you giving things to people out of kindness. Sometimes you gave gifts, sometimes you gave extra things to customers at our family restaurant. When I was growing up you always showered me with kindness and good presents. Thanks for teaching me to be generous.
7. Mom, thank you for disciplining me when I was a child, and never abusing me. I am sure I deserved much more than I got. You were always patient with me. Thanks!
8. Mom, I Iove you because you have stayed with Dad your whole life. I am thankful that even though you disagreed sometimes, I don’t ever remember a real “fight” while I was growing up. Your commitment to one another is a blessing that I am sure I still do not fully appreciate.
9. Mom, thanks for loving my wife. I think that you were supportive and kind to her from the time we first met. She has been a wonderful wife, and you have always showed your acceptance and approval of her. You have always made her feel welcome in our family. I love you for that!
10. Mom, thanks for taking me camping so often when we were kids. Thanks for letting me be in the boy scouts and do dangerous things without freaking out all the time. Thanks for not freaking out when I crashed the car, 2 times in high school.
11. Mom, I love you for teaching me not to use drugs, and giving me so many positive memories and blessing so that I never really felt pressured to go down that path.

What is Saving Faith

2009-04-30T01:30:00.000-07:00

John Stott on a Motive for Missions

2009-04-30T01:27:00.001-07:00

“If God desires every knee to bow to Jesus and every tongue to confess Him, so should we. We should be ‘jealous’ for the honor of His name—troubled when it remains unknown, hurt when it is ignored, indignant when it is blasphemed, and all the time anxious and determined that it shall be given the honor and glory which are due to it.

The highest of all missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God), but rather zeal—burning and passionate zeal—for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Only one imperialism is Christian, and that is concern for His Imperial Majesty Jesus Christ, and for the glory of his empire or kingdom. Before this supreme goal of the Christian mission, all unworthy motives wither and die.”

—John Stott, The Message of Romans (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 53

Walking in the Spirit

2009-04-28T17:30:00.001-07:00

Here is a helpful outline of some steps involved in walking in the Spirit:
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." (Gal. 5:16)

A – Admit my helplessness (John 15:5)
P – Pray for help (Psalm 50:15)
T – Trust a specific promise (Isaiah 66:2)
A – Act with confidence in God (Isaiah 55:11)
T – Thank God (I Thessalonians 5:18)

This comes from John Piper, who I think got it from J.I. Packer. It is a good reminder of things to do when you face a temptation or challenge. It has helped me from time to time, and seems to be a broad distillation of the teaching of Scripture on the Christian life.

Spurgeon on Stealing Sheep

2009-04-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

"...they maintain their churches by converts from other systems. I have even heard them say, 'Oh, yes, the Methodists and Revivalists are beating the hedges, but we shall catch many of the birds.' If I harboured such a mean thought I would be ashamed to express it. A system which cannot touch the outside world, but must leave arousing and converting work to others, whom it judges to be unsound, writes its own condemnation." --Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: Complete & Unabridged, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, page 243, Zondervan, 1979.

I cannot help think of this quote and evaluate myself and the whole Reformed Baptist movement in America.

Why Every Believer is a Missionary

2009-04-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

What Does God Require of Us?
I have heard that there is a discussion afoot where some people are advocating the idea that it is not the responsibility of each individual Christian to live as an evangelist or missionary in their neighborhood. This is a strange idea to me, and as I have been reading my Bible, the notion has appeared even more bizarre. I would acknowledge that there are believers who have special gifts for evangelism, and should be set-aside for this purpose. Furthermore, I don’t believe that every Christian must be involved in some kind of “formal” evangelistic process. But even as I attempt to articulate just what I think the scripture does and does not teach I realize how silly this is. “What is required is… What I don’t mean is…” Trying to get technical about just how much evangelism is specifically required seems to miss the point and pander to the kind of complaint we might expect from cheeky teenagers, “Aw mom! Do I have to!?” Today, in reading from the Gospel of Mark I was struck with the fact that telling the good news is the spontaneous result of the experience of God’s grace and power in our lives.

Face to Face with Incarnate Glory
In a number of places we find people in the ministry of Jesus who are so amazed by his glory that they erupt in “evangelistic” activity. The Samaritan woman (John 4:1-42) comes to the close of her first conversation with the Son of God, and she is amazed that even thought he knows all about her sin, this Jewish man still speaks to her and offers her living water. Immediately she goes into town to tell her friends about the messiah. The disciples (who at this point are still pretty dense about this matter) come back from town with a bunch of sandwiches, while she returns with a bunch of sinners. The juxtaposition is amazing! Jesus adds his blessing to her efforts by providing commentary about the approaching group of Samaritans: “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35) The spontaneous proclamation of the good news of Jesus by the woman becomes the first successful evangelistic effort in Samaria. And she didn’t have any special training, unique example, or even a command from the Lord Jesus. The word of the woman is a key step in the salvation of her friends: “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’” (4:39)

In Mark 5:1-20 we read the account of the demoniac of the Gadarenes. He is radically changed from being a screaming, naked, self-mutilating, hanging-out-with dead bodies, and uncontrollable, superhuman public enemy number one into a man who is “clothed” and “in his right mind” (5:15). How does this man respond to being the recipient of such amazing grace and power? He begs to be with Jesus! But Christ tells him that he cannot come, and instead says, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you” (v. 19). The great commission for this infant believer was to spread far and wide the story of the messiah in his life. And as an extraordinary sinner, his testimony would have impressive potential to display the power of God. What is the result? First, the man obeys, “And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled” (v.20). If you trace out the events in the book of Mark you find that in chapter 7:31-37 we find that Jesus returns to the Decapolis after the region has been softened up by the message of this new believer. Jesus heals a deaf mute in the presence of a gathered multitude (v.33), and they respond with astonishment and exclaim, “he has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak” (v. 37). It would appear that not only is the spontaneous “evangelizing” of the glory of Christ the result of his miraculous work in the life of this man; it is also quite effective means in the hands of the Holy Spirit in helping sinners to become worshipers.

Not a New Testament Phenomenon
But this idea, that I am calling “spontaneous evangelism” from an experience of God’s grace, is not only a New Testament phenomenon. It is not something reserved for people who were demoniacs, or for people who experienced miracles, or for people who had face-to-face encounters with Christ. In Psalms 32 and 51, important psalms of penitence and forgiveness, we find that receiving the mercy of forgiveness turns a sinner into an evangelist. After coming through a time of deep agony and conviction, David receives forgiveness. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity…” (Psalm 32:1-2) After coming through the experience of sin, conviction, repentance and forgiveness David says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (v.8). David warns against being stubborn in resisting God and the conviction of sin. He explains the mercies he has received. In Psalm 51 he recounts the events surrounding his sin with Bathsheba, the repentance that follows, and his hope for God’s mercy. He writes for these words for our example, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You” (vv.12-13). It would seem that it is impossible to encounter deep sorrow and conviction of sin, come to God in hope of mercy, receive the remission of your sins, and not open your mouth to teach others about how they can be forgiven. Perhaps if we do not tell others the good news, we do not have a full appreciation of what our sins deserve, or what it cost to pardon them.

The Impossible Command
The passage that got me to thinking about all this is Mark 1:40-45. This passage records how Jesus miraculously healed a man suffering from a disease that was both terminal, and socially disgraceful. Jesus heals the leper and then says, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” (1:44). Try to imagine this: you have been miraculously healed of leprosy by the long awaited messiah, and you are not supposed to tell anyone. When your friends and family who have been shunning you ask you how you were cured what are you supposed to say? He should have obeyed the command, but I think that we can have a little sympathy for him. Jesus was commanding him to do what was against nature!

There are at least 8 times in the New Testament when Jesus gives instructions not to speak about his identity or actions. (Matt 8:3-5; 16:20; 7:35-37, Mark 8:29-30; Luke 5:13-15; 8: 55-56; 9:20-22) Most often this seems connected with Jesus preventing a premature growth in popularity in connection with the father’s divine timetable.

When Jesus tells people not to say anything about his miracles or identity, they often fail at this simple command. They cannot keep their mouths shut because they are so overwhelmed with wonder and gratitude. They have to tell someone!

Under the present circumstances, none of us have a command to restrain what comes naturally. In fact, we have every encouragement in the world to share the good news of the work of God in our lives and to bring others to share the same grace that we have come to understand. In some ways, asking whether Christians have to be evangelists might miss the point the same way that asking whether Christians have to worship. In both cases, everyone who has really encountered the grace of God will do it quite naturally.

Our Hope of Gospel Success

2009-04-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

“Let no one say . . . that the doctrine of election by the sovereign will and mercy of God, mysterious as it is, makes either evangelism or faith unnecessary. The opposite is the case. It is only because of God’s gracious will to save that evangelism has any hope of success and faith becomes possible. The preaching of the gospel is the very means that God has appointed by which he delivers from blindness and bondage those whom he chose in Christ before the foundation of the world, sets them free to believe in Jesus, and so causes his will to be done.”

- John R. W. Stott, The Message of Ephesians (Downers Grove, Ill: Inter-Varsity Press, 1979), 48

A Short Video on Samuel Zwemer Missionary to Muslims

2009-04-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

I found this while looking around for info on this man. I heard D. A. Carson make reference to him as a man who labored for 40 years with only a few people won to Christ, and some of those were martyred.

NoiseTrade Widget

2009-04-03T23:12:00.001-07:00

You're Kidding Right? The Ridiculous Truth About the Prosperity Gospel

2009-04-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

I saw a link to the "Victory Church" in Oklahoma, and I was checking out their statement of faith. I have found myself stuck between laughing so hard that I am crying, and shaking my head in disbelief. Is this for real? or is this a joke? If I wanted to mock the prosperity gospel I don't think I could come up with a better parody myself. On the other hand, I feel that my faith is so weak.... that I never thought to pray for "Rebates and Returns." It says:

"OFFERING OF THANKS
As we bring our tithes and offerings unto the Lord, we are believing for:

Jobs & Better Jobs
Raises & Bonuses
Benefits
Sales & Commissions
Growth in Business
Settlements
Estates & Inheritances
Interest & Income
Rebates & Returns
Checks in the Mail
Gifts & Surprises
Finding Money
Bills Paid Off
Bills Decreased
Blessings & Increase

Thank you Lord for meeting all of my financial needs, that I may have more than enough to give into the Kingdom of God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!"

What Does it Mean to Serve Others in Love?

2009-03-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a quote I read from Jack Miller's book, "Heart of a Servant Leader," this morning. It is truly humbling and inspiring at the same time! I want to put others first for the Glory of Jesus!

"A particular challenge I'd like to put before you. What does it mean to serve one another in love? Practically it means to labor to make others successful. Ask yourself: What can I do to make the other team members successful? What about choosing one [team member] to major on--perhaps Richard--and working with intensity to make his work successful? Maybe this isn't practical at this time, but still I have found that it can really release the gifts of others and give direction to the ministry" (HOASL, p. 146)

Clip from C. J. Mahaney on the Cup of Jesus

2009-03-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

Wow...what a savior!

Judgment is Not Enough

2009-03-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

When I took microbiology I learned that in order to sterilize our equipment and culture media (the agar, the gel stuff that is used to grow bacteria) every single bacteria and spore had to be destroyed. If even just one survived, then in the space of several days it could reproduce at an exponential rate producing millions more. In order to do this, we used an autoclave. From time to time we would use disinfectants to clean our work areas, and this was helpful, but it did not assure that every germ was destroyed. Additionally, in an attempt to grow bacteria on a Petri dish we would perform a special procedure (called “streaking for isolation”) in order to test a colony of bacteria that grew from a single bacterium.

I thought of this while reading Genesis 7 this morning. The Lord puts Noah and his family on the ark, and floods the world. Human evil was so bad that God wiped out the world with a flood, like a bunch of disinfectant. But Noah—a righteous man—and his sons survive to provide a fresh start. It is not long after the floodwaters recede that we find that not only has Noah’s family survived, but so has the problem of sin and corruption. In Genesis 9:20-28 we see that this lone family experiences serious “dysfunction” through alcohol abuse and sexual sin. The problem of evil had survived because it was located in the fallen hearts of people.

We read in other places how people respond to God’s discipline and judgment with anger and hatred. In Rev 16:9 we read, “and men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.” It would appear once again that judgment is not enough to remove sin. It is like a disinfectant that can sometimes restrain it. The inevitable question confronts us: is there any hope at all for the elimination of evil?

Hebrews 12:23 speaks of those who are, “registered in heaven,” where we find “the spirits of just men made perfect.” This will be the payment in full of the plan of the gospel to redeem fallen men through Jesus. Romans 8:29-31 tells us that the final destination of those who believe in Jesus is to be “glorified,” and to be made into the “image of His son.” The bad news of judgment alone is not sufficient to remove sin, it takes the good news of grace to do that. This is why Peter tells us “gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 1:13) The return of Jesus is a day of expectation for believers even though it is a day of judgment. It is a day of expectation because it will be a day of grace, and we are to look in hope towards that future day in order to have strength to live in the present.

Beautiful Recitation of Psalm 25

2009-03-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

I think this is a good example of how the psalm should be read! He certainly embraces the emotion of the psalm!

A Question that You Must Answer!

2009-02-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

“Is there any meaning in my life that the inevitable death awaiting me does not destroy?”
from Leo Tolstoy, "A Confession"

Example of A Baby Born Alive in an Abortion, and Left to Die

2009-02-09T10:20:00.001-08:00

It really happens.....

http://www.buffalonews.com/260/story/570428.html

Fight the Freedom of Choice Act

2009-02-01T08:14:00.001-08:00

Here is a website that documents the attempts of the Obama administration and others to remove any restrictions on abortion via the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). It attempts to make abortion on demand a national right by doing the following:

FOCA will do away with state laws on parental involvement, on partial birth abortion, and on all other protections.
FOCA will compel taxpayer funding of abortions.
FOCA will force faith-based hospitals and healthcare facilities to perform abortions.

Check out this website for videos, information and a petition: http://www.fightfoca.com/

Perceptive Thoughts on Obama's Inaugeration Speech

2009-01-26T18:06:00.000-08:00

Cal Thomas, a Christian journalist who is syndicated and shows up in print all over the place writes perceptively about President Obama's Speech. Here is a quote:

"The media coverage of the inauguration gave a preview of how they might cover the Second Coming. It was total worship. No doubts were expressed; no questions about his ability to do anything -- from healing the economy to bringing peace to the Middle East. "

I didn't think of this at first, but since reading this, I have to say that I don't think I heard anyone challenge or be critical of his speech and agenda. That is a little scary.

Photographing the President

2009-01-26T14:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a great 5 minute video that records some of the experiences of 2 photographers that followed George W. Bush for 8 years. It includes some great photos and a narration from these men with commentary on their perception of the president.

Chesterton on Fatherlessness

2009-01-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

G.K. Chesterton on Absentee Fathers
"What is called matriarchy is simply moral anarchy, in which the mother alone remains fixed because all the fathers are fugitive and irresponsible."

- The Everlasting Man, CW II, p.186

Excuses! Watch the Whole Video

2009-01-22T18:02:00.001-08:00

How Offensive! A Christian Praying in Jesus Name!

2009-01-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

In this article from the LA Times, we see a glimpse of our culture's view of us. Christians are allowed to exist as long as they don't bring their convictions out of the closet. This is a really strange perspective coming from people who want to bring homosexuality into public life with full acceptance.

This article by by Duke Helfand reports that some people are up in arms over several things from Rick Warren's prayer at Obama's inauguration. I don't agree with Warren on everything, but I am really glad that he didn't sell the farm on Tuesday. Please remember that the people with their skivvies in a bunch are the people that keep telling us how accepting and inclusive we should be. What are they so upset about:

That a pastor would oppose homosexuality.
That a pastor would quote the Lord's prayer at the inaugeration. It is so distinctly Christian.
And finally, that a public prayer would be offered in Jesus name.

Religion is allowed, as long as you don't say that anyone is wrong or take a stand on moral issues. There will be more of this, and the heat is going to rise. We will have more and more opportunities to stand for truth in the coming days.

Preaching the Gospel to Yourself

2009-01-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

“Preaching the gospel to myself each day nourishes within me a holy brazenness to believe what God says, enjoy what He offers, and do what He commands. Admittedly, I don’t deserve to be a child of God and I don’t deserve to be free of sin’s guilt and power. I don’t deserve the staggering privilege of intimacy with God, nor any other blessing that Christ has purchased for me with His blood. I don’t deserve to be useful to God. But by the grace of God I am what I am and I have what I have, and I hereby resolve not to let any portion of God’s grace prove vain in me! And to the degree that I fail to live up to this resolve, I will boldly take for myself the forgiveness that God says is mine and continue walking in His grace. This is my manifesto, my daily resolve; and may God be glorified by this confidence that I place in Him.”

- Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians (Focus Publishing, 2008), 52.

A Good Source for Info and News: The Pew Forum

2009-01-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

From time to time as a pastor or student I find myself looking to find some statistics about religion in America or current news related to religion and culture. The Pew Forum may be a good place to look if you are looking for similar info for research purposes. They conduct research but also give links to current news in issues such as gay marriage and the death penalty. It is a good resource.

What Books does President Bush Read?

2009-01-06T19:51:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting write up on what the president reads. A challenge to anyone who wants to grow as a thinker and a reader.

An Atheist Talks about How to Evangelize! WoW!

2009-01-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

A friend shared this with me. It is a famous atheist, (Penn, of Penn and Teller) who talks about how a polite christian gave him a Bible. You have to hear his version of why it is immoral not to proselytize!

Clever Accapella Tribute to John Williams- Star Wars Composer

2009-01-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

"I think My Wife's a Calvinist" - Funny Song

2008-12-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

Postmodern Group Hug

2008-12-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to an interesting article about a Pew research poll and some folks at Lifeway research that call the poll into question due to the wording of the survey. The research attempts to find out how many christians believe that christianity is the only way to eternal life. The folks at Lifeway bring up some valid points about the way that the questions were asked. However, even in their own survey (with better questions) they found that almost 40% of "Protestants" do not believe that faith in Jesus is the only way to heaven. That is almost half! Whoa, are we in trouble! The words of the Bible are pretty clear on this subject. Jesus said he was the only way (John 14:6), and his disciples echoed that (Acts 4:12). In this discussion someone HAS to be wrong. So we are left in a precarious position. We have to decide if Jesus is wrong, or if the universalists are wrong.

This poll is revealing about our new "kinder" "more tolerant" society. What can get you into trouble as a pastor or christian and bring on the beginning of persecution? This issue is perhaps one of the best examples. We are supposed to accept everyone NO matter what. If you say that what you believe is the only truth, get ready to be put through the meat grinder as an insensitive-unloving-radical.

This is becoming very clear as the debate on homosexuality warms up. They (and you now who they are) have constructed the questions and the nature of the debate in such a way that we have swallowed the rhetoric with very little protest. The only way to truly love homosexuals is to support their lifestyle by approving it. IF you disagree with them it is because you hate them and want to deprive them of their civil rights. The question: "why don't you think gays should have civil rights?" resembles the well known fallacy: when are you going to stop beating your wife? The question is framed with lots of assumptions, and we need to be wise enough to address them.

John 12:42-43 "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."

So the bottom line is, everyone (in theory) will be welcome in the group hug except Jesus and the people who agree with him. I think that this will be one of the great tests of our faith in the next 40 years in America. Many have already fallen...

"But the cowardly... shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

Current Abortion Statistics

2008-12-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

For those who want a factual basis for claims on the abortion issue, the Alan Guttmacher institute has a website and publishes respected data on this subject. This page is a good place to go to find an overview on the whole issue. It is also full of references and footnotes. It is truly startling.

• Nearly half of pregnancies among American women are unintended, and four in 10 of these are terminated by abortion. Twenty-two percent of all pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.

• In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed, down from 1.31 million in 2000. From 1973 through 2005, more than 45 million legal abortions occurred.

• Each year, about two percent of women aged 15-44 have an abortion; 47% of them have had at least one previous abortion.

• Forty-three percent of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 27% as Catholic.

May we be like the people in Ezekiel 9:3-5 who sigh and cry over the abominations.

Need Help in Fresno?

2008-12-13T13:01:00.001-08:00

I found out about “Need Help Now” through a friend. I browsed through the newspaper format and found information about all kinds of help for people in the midst of a crisis. I was surprised, and delighted, to find out that this magazine is the result of the loving labors of a couple of Christian men who want help people in need. Their website describes the touching story behind this idea. I wanted to learn more about this ministry and spoke with James Carrasco, one of the operators for this ministry. James was truly pleasant and I came away with the impression that these men feel very strongly about what they are doing. They do not want hurting people to suffer through a crisis when there are dozens of willing organizations standing in the wings waiting to help, but often unused because people do not know where to turn.

In many ways, “Need Help Now” is like a small phone book containing information about services for people with problems. Because of this perspective, this resource contains information about help offered from government, nongovernment, and faith-based groups. This little newspaper provides a “one-stop-shopping” place for resources. Best of all, it is free. Dale, Frances, and James provide this service out of love. They know what it is like to be in a desperate situation with no place to turn, and they do not want others to face that darkness.

“Need Help Now” provides information about resources for homelessness, food pantries, addictions, crime victims, rape, suicide hotlines, etc. Before becoming a pastor I worked as a Paramedic for over 10 years. I wish that I had been supplied with a big stack of these newspapers. I would have given them away frequently. The folks at “Need Help Now” will allow you to use their file for free if you want to change it for your church, and they are beginning to sell advertising. Also, they have some ways that youth groups and others can deliver these newspapers door-to-door as a fundraiser. The bottom line is that this is a wonderful resource that is providing real help to people in desperate trouble. Visit their website to read their story, and download the paper. I would recommend that you find a way to support them. I keep a stack of them in my briefcase and give them away when I meet people who need help that I cannot provide.

Their website: http://www.needhelpfresno.com/home.html

Beware of the Doghouse!

2008-12-10T12:57:00.001-08:00

What a crack up! and true to life as well!

Baby Panda Sneezing

2008-11-29T11:43:00.001-08:00

Quite funny!

Here is another companion video :-)

The Cost of Salvation

2008-11-18T07:47:00.000-08:00

“The cost for the recipient of God’s grace is nothing - and no price could be higher for arrogant people to pay.”

- Dan Allender, as quoted in Gospel Transformation

Book Reviews: the Shack

2008-11-15T23:33:00.001-08:00

OK, I haven't read the book...but I saw it at Borders. I read the line on the bottom by Eugene Peterson (comparing it's importance to Pilgrim's Progress) and it made me scratch my head. So what is this all about? I went to Tim Challies' site to see if he had anything to say...unfortunately it doesn't sound good at all. Challie puts lots of quotes in his write up, and he is a balanced reviewer. His conclusion...don't waste your time.

The world is going crazy over this, but it doesn't appear that the answers provided by the shack to the problem of evil (depicted in the murder of a little girl) are really Biblical answers. Doug Wilson also gives it a thumb's down (to put it lightly), he is not one of my favorites, but he is a literature guy.

Here is another review from the guys at Mathias Media. Paul Grimmond politely shoots down the book but says that each of us really need more "shack time," meaning time in the presence of the real God. The more I read about this book, and read quotes from it the more upset I get...

For anyone still reading....Al Mohler did an episode on his radio program analyzing the book. I think this will become something of a fad with some emergent folks and hopefully only a minor distraction in the long run. What is not a minor distraction is the mindset that it grows out of...the post modern, group hug, everyone is right and no one is wrong mindset.

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Funny: Why Language is Really Important

2008-11-10T11:18:00.001-08:00

Fuel in the Furnace of Salvation

2008-11-10T08:39:00.000-08:00

Here is an insightful quote from Eugene Peterson. It is from his book "Run with Horses." He is addressing the 2 visions in Jeremiah of the budding almond rod (God will accomplish his word) and the boiling pot from the north (God is in control of evil):

"We cannot afford to be naive about evil-- it must be faced. But we cannot be intimidated by it either. It will be used by God to bring good. For it is one of the most extraordinary aspects of the good news that God uses bad men to accomplish his good purposes. The Great paradox of judgment is that evil becomes fuel in the furnace of salvation.

"Uninstructed by this vision, or something like it, we loose our sense of proportion and are incapacitated for living in open and adventurous response to whatever comes to us through the day. If we forget that the newspapers are footnotes to scripture and not the other way around, we will finally be afraid to get out of bed in the morning. Too many of us spend far too much time with the editorial page and not nearly enough with the prophetic vision. We get our interpretation of politics and economics and morals from journalists when we should be getting only information; the meaning for the world is most accurately given to us by God's word."

Run with Horses, Eugene Peterson(1983) Intervarsity Press p. 54.

What are The Most Dangerous Countries in the World for Christians?

2008-11-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

I found this site (Opendoorsusa.org) which ranks countries throughout the world based on their treatment of Christians. You can download and read their report, which is quite in depth. What are the top ten? After seeing Maldives on the list I did some reading about the country and found out that it is one of the least evangelized nations on earth.

January 2008:	Ranking 2007:
1. North Korea	1.
2. Saudi Arabia	2.
3. Iran	3.
4. Maldives	5.
5. Bhutan	7.
6. Yemen	6.
7. Afghanistan	10.
8. Laos	9.
9. Uzbekistan	11.
10. China	12.

2 Tim. 1:8 "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God."

Hebrews 13:3
"Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also."

Matt 5:10-12
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Spurgeon and Church Planting

2008-11-07T15:04:00.001-08:00

Church Planting is trendy, but is it new? Every heard of C.H. Spurgeon's involvement in Church Planting? What was the purpose of the Pastor's College?

"Twenty-Seven churches were founded by students form the Pastor's College between 1853 and 1867. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the number of Baptist churches in London doubled and nearly all of these were founded, in one way or another, under Spurgeon's influence. Students were sent out to new areas or existing churches, normally at the command of "the guv'nor," as students called Spurgeon...Spurgeon joined with two other London Ministers, Landels of Regent park and Brock of Bloomsbury, to found the London Baptist Association, with the goal of building one new chapel each year. Both Brock and Landels had planted their churches and started local missions, but Spurgeon's vision was London-wide."

From: Michael Nicholls, "Missions, Yesterday and Today: Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-92) Church Planter, " in Five 'Til Midnight: Church Planting for A.D. 2000 and Beyond, ed. Tony Cupit. Quoted in Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches (2006) p. 67

After forwarding this quote to a few friends, I received this email from Robert Briggs- a Scottish pastor in Sacramento California. AMAZING!!!

"Matt

I thought you might be interested to know.

My home church as I call it, the one I was nurtured in, near Edinburgh Scotland, was planted by David Tait who was 77 years old when he planted it, in 1933.

He was a student at the Pastors College under Spurgeon in his 20’s back in the 1880’s. Your article was spot on and I like to think of myself in a nostalgic sort of way as being part of the fruit of that wonderful ministry over a century later.

The Pastors College model has been the one I have been looking into for us here in Sacramento. Two years of training proven, gifted men and sending them out.

Enjoyed the fellowship yesterday.

Warmest regards

RB"

How Many Have Not Heard the Gospel?

2008-11-05T23:18:00.000-08:00

Here is a humbling, inspiring "clock" with figures about the number of people in the world who have not heard, and cannot hear of the gospel of Christ.

It is from the International Missions Board.

Another helpful resource is the Joshua Project

A Great Interview With a Man From Arica

2008-11-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

I found this interview with Oscar Muriu who is a church planting guy in Kenya. We obviously come from different perspectives, still I was amazed by the great vision the man has for reaching the lost, training leaders and planting churches. I was also amazed by his simple but pentrating insights into the Western mindset. The article is lengthy by worth the read. I am planning on reading it to my kids tonight and discussing it for family devotions.

A Book to Set the Heart on Fire

2008-10-31T08:13:00.001-07:00

I have been re-reading this precious book, "Words to Winners of Souls" little by little, using it to fire my soul, especially on days of prayer and fasting. Horatius Bonar was a Scottish minister from the past who had a zeal to see pastors awake and alive to the issues of eternity and the need to win souls. This book is aimed at pastors, but beneficial to others. My copy was given to me over 1o years ago by Pastor Michael Crawford, and I can remember reading it together and praying in his study. You can get it at amazon.com or a discount version at Chapel Library.

I read some of it yesterday and it lead me to pray and seek God with earnestness. He is one of the "old boys" that lays it down straight. Bonar (1808-1889) was not a puritan, but quoted them extensively. It is interesting to me that of all the interest in puritanism and the theology of the past that has been reborn in the last 50 years, there are precious few that have sought to emulate their lives when it comes to soul-winning. Bonar says some remarkable things:

Having good theology and a cold heart can be worse than having bad theology or an open life of sin. " Even when sound in the faith, through unbelief, lukewarmness and slothful formality, they [ministers] may do irreparable injury to the cause of christ, freezing and withering up all spiritual life around them. The lukewarm ministry of one who is theoretically orthodox is often more extensively and fatally ruinous to souls than that of one grossly inconsistent or flagrantly heretical." (p. 1-2)
"The object of the Christian ministry is to convert sinners and to edify the body of Christ." That sounds like part 1 and 2 of the great commission to me. Sadly many people who are "concerned" about too much evangelism in the church, and strong evangelistic preaching to the lost attempt to justify this stance from a posture of "respect" for the preachers of the past. They seem to think that the pastor should only be concerned with part 2 of the Great Commission-- tending the sheep. Nothing could be further from the truth. Bonar quotes the famous Puritan John Owen: "Ministers are seldom honored with success unless they are continually aiming at the conversion of sinners." (p. 5)
The most important aspect of being a soul-winner is a close and lively walk with God. By this Bonar means a life of complete consecration to prayer and the word. We fire our souls during time alone with God. He quotes John Berridge, "It is much to be feared that we are weak in the pulpit because we are weak in the closet." (p.11) He says with great skill that we should study the lives of great men of the past more than their sermons, because the power of their closeness to Christ is was brought blessing.

I was struck while looking through a hymnal that Bonar thought about this a lot. He also wrote this hymn which is a poetic expression of these ideas. I just printed a copy of this and taped it above my desk to stir me to this kind of zeal.

Go, labor on: spend, and be spent,
Thy joy to do the Father’s will:
It is the way the Master went;
Should not the servant tread it still?

Go, labor on! ’tis not for naught
Thine earthly loss is heavenly gain;
Men heed thee, love thee, praise thee not;
The Master praises: what are men?

Go, labor on! enough, while here,
If He shall praise thee, if He deign
The willing heart to mark and cheer:
No toil for Him shall be in vain.

Go, labor on! Your hands are weak,
Your knees are faint, your soul cast down;
Yet falter not; the prize you seek
Is near—a kingdom and a crown.

Go, labor on while it is day:
The world’s dark night is hastening on;
Speed, speed thy work, cast sloth away;
It is not thus that souls are won.

Men die in darkness at thy side,
Without a hope to cheer the tomb;
Take up the torch and wave it wide,
The torch that lights time’s thickest gloom.

Toil on, faint not, keep watch and pray,
Be wise the erring soul to win;
Go forth into the world’s highway,
Compel the wanderer to come in.

Toil on, and in thy toil rejoice!
For toil comes rest, for exile home;
Soon shalt thou hear the Bridegroom’s voice,
The midnight peal, “Behold, I come!”

Some Highlights from a Good Book

2008-10-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have been reading this book recently and it has really fed my soul. Sooo....in order to convince my pastor friends and aspiring preachers and church planters to buy this book, I decided to read a few excerpts to give you a flavor. There are about 7 minutes of highlights here, I hope you enjoy!

I have loaded it here:

Our Destiny Is To Say These Small Words Forever

2008-10-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

“I have often wondered, perhaps in part simply because the term is so rarely used today, what it might mean to ‘glorify’ God forever. It will undoubtedbly mean a great many things, but one of them surely must be that we will continually thank him.

We will thank him for his graciousness and goodness to us, and for inviting us into conversation. Along this line, I would think that we anticipate our ‘chief and highest end’ every time we behold something beautiful and find that after we have exclaimed, ‘Ah, how wonderful!’ we are almost compelled to say ‘Thank you!’

Our destiny is to say these small words forever and so experience the gratitude that is the perfection of happiness.”

—Craig M. Gay, Dialogue, Catalogue & Monologue (Vancouver, BC: Regent College Publishing, 2008), 48-49

Great Time!

2008-10-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

This last week April and I were able to get away for a few days and spend time strengthening our marriage. Throughout our 17 years of marriage these times have been critical in helping us grow closer to one another and closer to Christ. We had a special opportunity to go horseback riding on the beach! This has kind of been a lifelong dream. This photo is taken at Oceano State Beach, near San Luis Obispo.

Over the years I have found that a large part of trying to be a "good husband" involves ample time to talk to my sweetheart. I think that 80% of loving your wife as Jesus loves the church is done in conversation, and getting away from normal obligations and time tables can encourage conversation that is deep and free.

The Other Elliot Son

2008-09-30T21:48:00.001-07:00

Most of us have heard the story of Jim Elliot and the five missionaries who died in Ecuador at the hands of the Auca Indians. That story is Chronicled in the book "Through Gates of Splendor." A great story that has inspired thousands. Until I saw this talk by Randy Alcorn, which comes from the Desiring God Conference "Stand" I never knew the story of his brother. Bert Elliott has been in Peru since before Jim Elliot went to the mission field. He and his wife stayed there until past their eighties. What kind of work did he do? watch this video to find out and be inspired!

this second video is contains the interview with some of the people involved in the killing of the missionary, including a man who has become a christian.

A Sobering Video on Persecution of Christians in India

2008-09-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

"Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also."- Hebrews 13:3

Fear Not, Provided You Fear

2008-09-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

"But a ruthless honesty will always leave us shattered by our inadequacy. The world is a frightening place. If we are not a little bit scared, we simply don't know what is going on. If we are pleased with ourselves, we either don't have very high standards or have amnesia in regard to the central reality, for 'it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God' (Hebrews 10:31). Pascal said, 'fear not, provided you fear; but if you fear not, then fear'"

-Eugene Peterson,
Run With Horses, p. 49

A New Treasured Speaker

2008-09-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

Recently a friend recommended that I listen to some sermons by Geoffrey Thomas. He is from the UK, and has a unique accent- maybe welsh? But his messages are full of meaty substance and have blessed my soul. You can find his stuff here.

My friend Mike Mills sent me the following from him:

Here are some questions I got from one of Geoffrey Thomas' sermons.

Questions for Christians to Ask

What does God want me to be and to do?

How does God want me to use my time and my money?

How can I best discharge my stewardship of those gifts that God has entrusted to me for which I must give account to him in that tremendous day?

What tasks are the priority for Christians like myself in this particular generation?

How can I best serve the Savior who died in agony on a cross under the weight of my sins and God's wrath toward them to save me from hell?

Geoffrey Thomas

Finding Life in Death

2008-09-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

Saudi Woman Killed by Her Father for Her Faith In Christ

Here is an account of a young woman whose father burned her to death and cut out her tongue for becoming a Christian. This is shocking, and you can read the story from Voice of the Martyrs. But it should not be a surprise, Jesus said it would be this way. According to Christ, this woman has not lost her life. She has gained it!

Matt 10:34-39
"34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

Some Irish Music, for Free

2008-09-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

I found this website on Podbean. It is pleasant flute music with a little drum in the background, enjoyable to listen to and Free. You can listen at the site, download or podcast.

http://pasha.podbean.com/

Here is another one:

http://irishflute.podbean.com/

Book: Agape Leadership

2008-09-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have recently been reading the book "Agape Leadership" by Robert Peterson and Alexander Strauch. It is a short book of about 80 pages which walks through the life of Pastor R.C. Chapman, a brethren pastor from England in the 19th century. Besides having a picture of Chapman with a cool beard, the cover of the book comes with its own commendation: C. H. Spurgeon said of Chapman, "The saintliest man I ever knew." That is high praise coming from the Prince of Preachers. If that is how Spurgeon felt about this man, I think I want to know something about him. The book is easy to read and has a devotional quality about it. Each chapter/vingette of his life is arranged topically and addresses topics such as gentleness, hospitality, evangelism, and how he worked with and trained up other Christian leaders. The book has been a continual refreshment, challenging me and making me thirst for a much deeper experience of God's grace in the details of my life. If the book has any significant faults it is probably that it doesn't identify any of Chapman's shortcomings. He obviously had some, but it is hard to imagine what they might have been. The man was truly like Jesus and I have benefitted in reading this book and discussing it with a brother from Church. I enjoyed it so much that a bought a bunch of copies to give to others. After reading this book, I can't help but wonder where the modern Chapman's have gone. I know that I want to be like this man because he was very simply, very humbly like Christ.

You can get it on Amazon.

Growing In Evangelism

2008-08-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have recently come over a major mountain pass in my efforts to grow and understand Biblical evangelism. I have often struggled with this personally. I look around and see the cheap salesmanship methods of "winning" people to Christ and I am left more than a little flat, it seems that so few of the "converts" ever bear fruit. We know from the parable of the sower that only what bears fruit counts. On the other hand, I have not seen a great harvest of souls from my own efforts. I have spoken to many people, made many invitations to church, given out Bibles and tracts, and have still felt like something was missing. In the last few weeks I started listening to some messages by Michael Ramsden- I have another post about him from last week- a guy from Ravi Zacharias ministries. I also began reading a book by Randy Newman (which I found in the footnotes of Mark Dever's book- "The gospel and Personal Evangelism", which I would also recommend). This book is called "Questioning Evangelism," and it is not challenging the act of evangelism, but proposing that in the process of doing this we spend a lot more time asking questions than just giving answers. I cannot agree with everything that he says, but it appears to me that this man has a heart for God and for the lost. I have not finished the book yet, but in the first 60 pages I feel like a light has come on that has been missing for many years.

He offers several reasons to use questions, rather than just giving answers. He doesn't give his reasons just this way, but this is kind of what I have come away with: What is so good about using questions?

This is the most common method of Jesus. He asks questions of people in responses to their questions or statements far more often than he gives an answer. For example, the to the rich young ruler he says, "why do you call me good" (Mark 10:17-18); when asked about taxes he asks for a coin and whose image is on it (Matt 22:17-20); When asked about healling on the sabbath he asks a question about a situation where a sheep falls in a pit (Matt 12:9-12).
He also says that asking questions can help us get out of a defensive position, and put the person challenging us on the defense by asking them to explain what they believe. People often enjoy making us squirm by asking us to do this, and little do they know how difficult it is to articulate you own faith commitments.
It can help to disarm a person by showing that we are not just interested in an argument.
It can be a great way to show love to people, because when we ask questions- and then really listen we are showing genuine interest in their lives and what they believe.
Questions can help a person to wrestle with and see their own assumptions and inconsistencies, often in a way that is more effective than if we told them.
Asking questions and having dialogue creates the potential for a relationship, and that is a much better way to share the gospel than giving a sales pitch.

I hope you buy this book, read it, and put it into action. I have already started to ask more questions when I speak to people and I elated!

One Upmanship

2008-08-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ever spend time with one of those people who always has to "top" your story with a better experience? Here is a hilarious comedy routine about this very thing. What a crack up!

Poem on Heaven and Humility

2008-08-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

I found this poem, a clever way to articulate the mystery.....

I dreamt death came the other night
And heaven’s gate swung wide.
With kindly grace an angel came
And ushered me inside:
And there to my astonishment
Stood folk I’d known on earth,
Some I had judged as quite unfit
Or but of little worth:
Indignant words rose to my lips
But never were set free,
For every face showed stunned surprise
—NO ONE EXPECTED ME!

Len Dean

Jesus, No Respecter of Persons

2008-08-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

“Jesus shocked the established authorities by being a friend to all—not only to the destitute and hungry, but also to those rich extortioners, the tax-collectors, whom all decent people ostracized … The shocking thing was not that he sided with the poor against the rich but that he met everyone equally with the same unlimited mercy and the same unconditioned demand for total loyalty.

If we look at the end of his earthly ministry, at the cross, it is clear that Jesus was rejected by all—rich and poor, rulers and people—alike. Before the cross of Jesus there are no innocent parties. The cross is not for some and against others. It is the place where all are guilty and all are forgiven.”

—Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 151

Conversational Apologetics

2008-08-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to 2 great talks on conversational apologetics from a guy who is very funny and very adept at reaching people with the gospel. This is good stuff...it is from Michael Ramsden who works with Ravi Zacharias Ministries. I have found that learning how to share my faith and answer common questions has strengthened my own heart and slaked many a doubt.

Jesus Strong and Mighty

2008-08-15T10:18:00.001-07:00

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"The popular image of Jesus is that He is not only kind and tender but also soft and prissy, as though Jesus comes to us reeking of hand cream. Such a Jesus can hardly steel the soul that is daily assaulted by the enemy. We need to learn the catechism of Psalm 24. Question: Who is the King of glory? Answer: Yahweh, strong and mighty! Yahweh-mighty in battle! (Ps 24:8). We must catch the vision of the Faithful and True sitting on the white horse, the One who 'judges and makes war' in righteousness (Rev 19:11-16). No mild God or soft Jesus can give His people hope. It is only as we know the Warrior of Israel who fights for us (and sometimes without us) that we have hope of triumphing in the muck of life." (Ralph Davis, "Joshua: No Falling Words," p.82)

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Conrad Mbewe's Website

2008-08-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

I recently had the privilege of attending the Heritage Baptist Church Missions Conference. One of the speakers was Conrad Mbewe of Zambia. We were well fed by the word of God when he spoke. You can listen to the sessions at their website.

I learned today that Conrad now has a blog, and their church has a very cool website with lots of good information.

http://www.kabwatabaptistchurch.org/

A Simple Introduction to Christian Fasting

2008-08-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a great, and very simple message on fasting by my friend Arden Hodgins. He is a gifted teacher of God's word with a great apprehension for the "big picture." In the first ten minutes he makes suggestions for further reading on the subject, and that is worth a lot in itself.

Why You Should Go to Church #2: Good, Better, Best

2008-08-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

Because Worshiping God is More Important Than All the Other Stuff You Want to do On Sunday.

I am surprised at how often I wake up on Sunday morning-- even as a pastor--and find myself full of lethargy. The complaining voice that lives in my heart tells me that there are better things to do than worship God on such a beautiful day. He tells me that we should go do something else. I am familiar with this conversation, and I know that it is common for others too. The fact that people hear this voice from within doesn’t bother me. What really concerns me is how many people actually listen, and how few fight back. By my assessment, most Americans don’t argue with these thoughts. Even people who insist that they are Christians find more enjoyment in their recreational pursuits than they do in gathering with other believers to hear the message of Jesus, or singing in gratitude and wonder to God. No surprise that they choose the lake rather than the pew.

Jesus said, “where your money is, there your heart will also be” (Matt 6:21). I believe it would be safe to say, “where you spend your time on Sunday, there your heart will also be.” When we skip worship for concerts, movies, a little extra sleep, or a soccer game, we are sending a clear message to God. We are telling him that He is not at the top of our list of priorities or enjoyments. If we love God so little, it should be obvious why we do not enjoy the simple discipline of going to church to worship. Worship will never be more than a duty, and an unpleasant one at that, when we do not love and enjoy God.

Putting aside our personal tastes, we find that the Bible is very clear that worshipping God is the most important thing in our lives. When someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, He replied that it is “to Love God with all of our heart, and soul, and strength…” (Matt 22) It is the greatest commandment because in the face of the love of God, every other love must go to the end of the line. But elsewhere, the language of scripture is sharp and uncomfortable. J. B. Phillips paraphrases James 4:4 this way, “You are like unfaithful wives, flirting with the glamour of this world, and never realizing that to be the world's lover means becoming the enemy of God! Anyone who deliberately chooses to love the world is thereby making himself God's enemy.” No candy coating on those words, the Bible is brutally honest. When we love and enjoy other things more than God, the proper word is “adultery.” When a married man chases after another woman, he does it because he thinks she is in some way better than his wife. It is the highest insult, especially when offered to God.

The attitude of those who love God is different. Worship becomes an act of delight, Psalm 84:10 “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” “I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." (Psalm 122:1) We could easily string together pages of texts from the Bible that show us that worship is a delight to those who love God. It is something to be longed for. It will be the magnificent obsession of heaven.

If you don’t go to church to worship God regularly, you should ask yourself if you love other things more than God. You should inquire, who or what has mastery over your deepest delights and the way you spend your time. Our hearts are small, and we are not capable of loving so many things at once. Jesus understood this, and his words may be like a surgeon’s knife, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” (Matt 6:24)

Great Message on Cross-Centered Worship

2008-08-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a great message by C.J. Mahaney on Cross Centered Worship.

An Old School Word on What is Missing

2008-07-25T09:48:00.001-07:00

“The love of the Spirit”

“Perhaps much of our slow progress in the walk of faith is to be traced to our overlooking the love of the Spirit.

We do not deal with Him, for strength and advancement, as one who really loves us, and longs to bless us, and delights to help our infirmities (Rom 8:26). We regard Him as cold, or distant, or austere; we do not trust Him for His grace, nor realize how much He is in earnest in His dealings with us.

More childlike confidence in Him and in His love would help us on mightily. Let us not grieve Him, nor vex Him, nor quench Him by our untrustfulness, by disbelieving or doubting the riches of His grace, the abundance of His loving-kindness.”

—Horatius Bonar, “The Holy Spirit”

One Very Funny Guy

2008-07-22T12:58:00.001-07:00

I saw this guy featured in one of Rhett and Link's video's and I looked up his blog, it has lots of funny pictures that he makes. His humor is reminiscent of Gary Larsen and the far side. Look for the one with the Ice Cube and the Titanic- really funny!

bentobjects.blogspot.com

Inconvenience, Complaining, and Opportunity to Open My Mouth for Christ

2008-07-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

I am amazed at how often I forget simple truths that I have learned. As a young Christian I learned that God often works through trials in our life. Victories and triumphs come through difficulties large and small. When we moved into our new house I was frustrated with the process of getting the Internet hooked up. I arranged for DSL to be installed, and after a delay that was unacceptable to me, the equipment arrived and I found out that it was too slow. So I arranged to have Cable Internet installed instead. The Cable Company sent out 2 workers who could not do the installation because the connection was on a pole that was too high, and the box had become the home of a wasp’s nest. The next available appointment was a week away. As a domestic missionary, my goal is to knock on every door I can, and speak to every person that I meet -hoping to find room to talk to them about Jesus. I did have a chance to speak to both of these men briefly and invite them to church, and I gave them both a gospel booklet. However, I still fretted instead of thanking God. I had dismantled much of my office to make the connection possible, and now I would have to set it up, just to take it down later. Deep sigh.

The next cable guy came out unprepared to deal with the problem, which produced more delays. They hadn’t dealt with the problem and it was becoming a major inconvenience to me. The young man at my home was in his mid twenties, a rough looking man who was covered with tattoos. I spoke to him, and found out that he was a skeptic about spiritual things. Both of his parents had died and that left him sour. I also invited him to church and spoke to him, giving him some reasons to believe. I also gave him a tract “Jesus for Skeptics.” But, in my mind the internet problem was still an albatross hanging off my shoulders and I wanted it to be dealt with. After explaining to the customer service representative on the phone that I was not happy, and could not spend the rest of my life waiting around for the right crews to show up, I managed to get a crew out to the house that could install the internet.

Two more men arrived later in the evening. One man was the supervisor who helped to fix the problem and then leave. I was able to quickly invite him to church as well and hand out another booklet. The other man had to stay to finish the installation. He was a young black man named Chris. I had a huge opportunity to speak to this man. He ended up staying at our home for 2 and ½ hours- slowly working to fix the problem. After some discussion I learned that this was his last call for the day. I stood next to him almost the whole time as he worked, asking him about his life and spiritual things. He was eager to listen and even asked some questions. On a stretch, I invited him to stay for dinner. To my amazement he accepted, and I rushed to ask my wife to prepare a dinner that would include our guest. I felt like Abraham asking Sarah to go kill the fatted calf. He ate with us and we talked. I spoke to him very boldly about Christ and what He had done on the cross, and our need for him. I told him my own story of salvation. I asked him if I could call him and meet him sometime in the next week for coffee or dinner and speak to him more about spiritual things. To this he agreed and he left his number. I asked him if I could pray for him, and he agreed.

As he left I was in disbelief. This was one of the best opportunities I have ever had to share the gospel with a stranger. My goal is to speak with at least 20 people every week in an evangelistic way. I spoke to about 23 people last week, but not with so much clarity as with this man. This was a clear answer to prayer, an answer that came through a malfunctioning cable connection. If the cable had worked the first time, I would not have had a chance to meet Chris, or speak to the other four cable employees. But God works through mysterious ways, and I am humbled at the privilege to open my mouth for my savior, and ashamed at how forgetful I am of the simple lessons that I learned as a new believer.

Where to Meet Them?

2008-07-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have struggled to find the legitimate ways in which to engage people in our culture. In the book of Acts Paul went to the synagogues first, a place to meet the Jews and attempt to persuade them to believe in Christ (Acts 9:20, 13:5, 13:14, 17:10). He also went to the Market place to address the Gentile (Acts 17:17). As our culture has become increasingly isolationist I have found it difficult to find ways to interact with people about spiritual things. I am less and less satisfied with door-to-door ministry, because people have an aversion to this when anyone comes to their door- and I don’t feel that we can say it has anything to do with religion. People are so bombarded by sales calls and intruders that they have built a fortress around their lives to protect them from marketing.

Furthermore, we don’t have many places where non-Christians typically go to hear public addresses, and more and more people don’t want to have interaction with others, especially discussion about anything of substance. Maybe I am wrong about this, but I feel that I have struggled to reach people in places where I can befriend them and speak about Christ. This aversion to thinking and conversation in our culture is not just limited to religion. Many people do not want to discuss politics or science. Those who do often look to the Internet or talk radio for this kind of interaction.

This week I struck upon and idea that I intend to follow up on. On Saturdays many people have garage sales. These are occasions where people interact and speak with one another and buy and sell. April and I went to 4 garage sales and had a chance to speak with 11 people today. Much of the conversation was friendly and I asked questions about their lives and neighborhood. But I also spoke about their faith and invited them to church. I spoke about our church and our mission. I also gave out booklets with the gospel in them. I am encouraged that this week I had 21 evangelistic contacts for Christ. I don’t know why I didn’t ever think of this before! I feel like my eyes were opened to a whole new opportunity. Most of the people who attend these garage sales are Hispanic and speak Spanish. I wish I had a Spanish Bible Study to reach them. Anyway, I feel like I have struck upon an idea that is gold and wanted to share it. I am also convinced that I need to spend lots of time thinking about this so that I can find other open doors.

All Sanctification comes Through The Cross

2008-07-04T10:34:00.001-07:00

There is no victory over the indwelling power of sin, and there is no pardon for the guilt of sin, but as the soul deals with the blood of Christ. All true sanctification comes through the cross.

Seek it there. Go to the cross—oh, go to the cross of Jesus. In simplicity of faith, go. With the strong corruption, go. With the burden of guilt, go, go to the cross.

You will find nothing but love there—nothing but welcome there—nothing but purity there. The precious blood of Jesus ‘cleanses us from all sin.’ And while you are kept low beneath the cross, your enemy dares not approach you, sin shall not have dominion over you, nor shall Satan, your accuser, condemn you.”

—Octavius Winslow, Morning Thoughts (January 8)

Lawmakers, All of Us

2008-06-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

"It is a common saying that every man has a pope in his own bosom. That is, the disposition to Lord it over God's heritage is almost universal. Men wish to have their opinions on moral questions made into laws to bind the consciences of their brethren."

Charles Hodge
(Systematic Theology, 3:265)

Owensboro Missions Conference Video

2008-06-14T19:27:00.001-07:00

Now THAT is a commercial!!!

Fasting for the Father's Reward

2008-06-13T09:45:00.001-07:00

Here is a great 30 minute message on Fasting by John Piper. It deals with the great temptation of wanting to be seen by men and addresses the answer: Doing what we do to be seen and rewarded by our father. Very good stuff. If there is to be blessing and success in church planting it will come through seeking God in prayer and fasting.

Effort is REQUIRED!

2008-06-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

"As well might a poor man expect to be rich in this world without industry, or a weak man to become strong and healthy without food and exercise, as a Christian to be rich in faith and strong in the Lord without earnest endeavour and diligent effort. It is true that all our labours amount to nothing unless the Lord blesses them (Psalm 127:1), as it also is that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Nevertheless, God places no premium upon sloth, and has promised that "the soul of the diligent shall be made fat" (Proverbs 13:4). A farmer may be fully persuaded of his own helplessness to make his fields productive, he may realize that their fertility is dependent upon the sovereign will of God, and he may also be a firm believer in the efficacy of prayer; but unless he discharges his own duty his barns will be empty. So it is spiritually."

AW PINK

Unrecognized Greatness

2008-06-08T00:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a story in the Washington Post, that reports on an experiment they did in having a world class violinist- Joshua Bell- play like a street musician to see who would stop and appreciate it. It also contains some video....a remarkable story. I heard a preacher refer to it, and I wanted to use the illustration some day :-)

A Vignette on Prayer and Fasting by Paul Washer

2008-06-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a 20 minute message from a radio program in Alabama with Paul Washer speaking about fasting. He is known to be intense, and sometimes even fiery-nothin wrong with that. But this little feature was very encouraging and tender-hearted.

Download it here.