Luke 16.8b…
for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
Something for you to ponder: do associations matter?
by on 3.17.08
wiser in their generation . . .
by on 3.16.08
why are we surprised?
Bob Bixby thinks he is disappointed with John MacArthur, but he hopes not. Why?
Because John MacArthur is going to preach at the Billy Graham Pastors Institute at the Cove in North Carolina. Bob is surprised, disappointed, but holds out some hope…
Will MacArthur’s visit be affirming to the BGEA? Of course. Unless, of course, John gets prophetic as he is sometimes known to do.
If God has written Ichabod over the door of a house, John, why enter it unless you’re going there to preach in such a way that you will be absolutely sure that you are never invited again?
If possible, I’ll order the recording just to see.
Don’t bother, Bob, if you’ll check the rest of the schedule, you’ll see your hopes are unlikely.
by on 3.15.08
more excellent stuff on culture
By Kent Brandenburg … check it out here: Culture Decay—But Who Cares? part one.
Since this is part one, I assume there is more to follow. A key paragraph:
Like I said, we knew self dominates the world, but what’s different is that now Christians are also about self. A lot of terrain on the Christian blogosphere is dedicated to defense of selfish pursuits. They have staked out their love of booze, the movie theater, dance, rock music, dating touching, and a casual dress philosophy. These are all activities, which have historically been rejected by Christians, but not anymore.
Lest anyone misunderstand the emphasis, be sure to note this paragraph also, commenting on critiquing worldly externals:
So yes, the insides matter the most, but his outsides are also wrong. They conform to the world. His externals haven’t been transformed by the renewing of his mind. His body isn’t a living sacrifice and isn’t acceptable to God. In addition to his spiritual feebleness, he’s also not fashioning himself in a godly manner.
Good stuff, Kent, keep it coming.
by on 3.12.08
conflict is not the same as chaos
So says Walter Russell Mead in a column today found at ChristianityToday.com. Entitled “Why Culture War May Never End“, the article argues that there is liberty and safety in humanity when there is freedom for conflict. Here is the concluding paragraph:
Conflict is not the same as chaos. It may be that in a fallen world, we need the excesses of each party to be held in check by the other parties. The idea that the imposition of a single perfect program on the state and on government, on the country, is the way to perfect happiness for mankind is an old and constant dream in the world. Given that human beings are fallen and that our reasoning processes can be skewed, our understandings of justice distorted, it may be that this kind of open society, which is one of competition and contestation, may over time be the best way for human beings.
Conflict isn’t easy. For those not directly involved in the conflict, it is often seen as unnecessary. Those most stridently involved are often seen as the culprits in the exchange, even if they are reacting to real error.
Mead is making his point about the benefits of conflict in an open society especially for the cause of individual liberty and freedom. I would like to make an application to the world of Christendom.
Consider, for example, the Fundamentalist/Modernist controversies of the 1920s.
by on 3.11.08
our new look and summaries
After months of tweaking, our new church site is up at our old location. For our sermon summaries, I’ll just send you a link to our podcasts there. To explore the whole thing, start here:
Grace Baptist Church of Victoria
Let me know if you find any errors! I am sure there are some, I am quite klutzy. I would say my keyboard is depraved, but we all know that would be a lie.
We hope to have more on the site as time goes on. You will see some sections are still a little sparse. We have plans for them, but now I can finish my next project, our evangelism website. I’ll let you know when that is live and ready to go.
Now for the 3.9.08 sermons:
To Everyone who Believes (Rm 1.16c)
Since God’s power for salvation is available to everyone who believes, it is essential that we know what it means to believe. What kind of belief constitutes saving faith? What assurance will we have as we look honestly at our own works, whether the degraded works of the flesh or fleshly pride of moralism, if we do not know the one cure to both?
The Interpretation of the Bible (supplement) (Mt 2.18, Jer 31.15)
Last week I felt I was a little unclear. I left us all confused about the difference between direct prophecies and typical prophecies. So before concluding our lesson on The Interpretation of the Bible, I offered a little supplement dealing with Matthew’s remarks on the killing of the infants in Bethlehem (Mt 2.18) and Jeremiah’s prophecy which Matthew says is fulfilled in this incident (Jer 31.15). How can we say that Jeremiah is fulfilled in Matthew when the two passages are clearly talking about two different events?
The First and Hardest Lesson on Prayer (Mt 5.44; Lk 6.28)
Putting the Lord’s teaching on prayer into chronological order reveals a startling beginning. Lesson 1: “Pray for them that despitefully use you.” What? Couldn’t we work up to that? But this is where the Lord starts his teaching as recorded in the Sermon on the Mount. This is the way of spiritual life and it is a key to godliness.
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All right, that’s it for now… back to php and web-site tweaking…
by on 3.8.08
a word on worldliness from the UK
Peter Masters, the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, publishes the Sword & Trowel, a revival of Spurgeon’s magazine. I have subscribed for the last year and found spiritual benefit from every issue.
Just yesterday, I received the #3 issue for 2007 (I think Canada Post stores them for me). In an article entitled “The Holy War: Do we dodge enlistment?”, Masters says we are in a battle with demonic forces for the soul of the church. He echoes the concerns I regularly express concerning worldliness.
I’d like to share a couple of pertinent quotations for your consideration. They may not set well within certain circles.
by on 3.5.08
choosing music in the Spirit
I’d like to commend an excellent post to you (as well as direct more attention to my missionary colleague and friend who wrote it).
Scott Dean serves in Mongolia and writes a blog about it. I am sure you might find things of interest to pray about if you subscribe to the feed. Scott also often inserts bits of things the Lord is teaching him. Today, Scott gave us an excellent post on how to choose good music …
by on 3.4.08
buying converts?
The CBC National newscast reports Christianity Comes to Thailand. But not in a way that we rejoice in, at least, not in some cases. Apparently some groups have been ‘buying conversion’. I can’t imagine anything more disappointing. How can anyone think this is the right thing to do?
by on 3.4.08
Anglican rift – a little hardball
A small Anglican church in Toronto has been locked out of its building in consequence of its vote to leave the Canadian diocese in favour of a more conservative South American one. One suspects that this church is singled out because it is small.
The whole scene is not entirely promising … note that the pastor of this small church is female:
Within days of the vote, their minister, Rev. Barbara Richardson, was suspended by the diocese. She later resigned from the national church and has been licensed as a priest with Venables’ church.
This battle looks to be getting uglier by the day.
by on 3.4.08
the power of God unto salvation … and more
Romans 1.16 is a glorious passage. We are in message #2 on it this week. At least one more week to go…
The Power of God (Rm 1.16b) || Audio
The gospel can be summed by a clear set of theological facts. But the gospel is much more than a mere collection of facts. It is much more than bare orthodoxy. It is the power of God unto salvation.
Read the notes as you listen.
more…
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