NoMo'Condemnation

NOMOBLOGGING

2010-07-07T00:30:00.001-07:00

NOMO'BLOGGING for NOMO'CONDEMNATION (at least for a long time).

Don't Just Become Religious!

2010-06-23T23:40:00.000-07:00

"An old commentator observed that the greatest danger to religion is that the old self simply becomes religious. The hypocrites of whom Jesus speaks had convinced themselves that by performing certain religious acts, including various types of prayer, they became acceptable to God. People today still deceive themselves into thinking they are Christians, when all they have done is dress their old nature in religious trappings" (John MacArthur, Matthew 1-7, p.p.364).

Presupposition of Biblical Theology

2010-05-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

"The presuppositions we must make in doing biblical theology are those of Christian theism. The alternative to this is to accept the presuppositions of some form of humanism. Either we work on the basis of a sovereign, self-proving God who speaks to us by a word that we accept as true simply because it is his word, or we work on the basis that man is the final judge of all truth. The Christian position, to be consistent, accepts that the Bible is God's Word, and that it says what God wants it to say in exactly the way he wants to say it. Thus, when the biblical theologian sets out to describe the theology that is in the Bible, he must understand the presuppositions that he accepts as the basis of his method... Even if we start with truth Christian presuppositions it is difficult to remain totally consistent with them in our thinking about the Bible. Biblical theology should be done with a constant self-conscious effort to be consistent with biblical presuppositions" (Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan, pp.44-45).

The New Middle Road?

2010-05-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Source: sermonindex

Today's Version of Popular Arminianism is Unbiblical

2010-05-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

Though I classify myself as Reformed (Calvinist) in my theology, I can respect the Classical Arminian position, especially when they care to point out the errors of what is known today as "Arminianism," which is more Pelagian than anything. For instance..

"In many respects, where classical, Reformation Arminianism differs with modern 'Arminianism,' it also, for other theologial reasons, differs greatly from Calvinism. And while Calvinism and classical, Reformation Arminianism, in my opinion, are both viable, biblical theologies, modern 'Arminianism' is not. When one's doctrine of human depravity is softened, that person is on a slippery slope towards the playground of heresy. If a person is basically good, then why can he or she not be good enough or do good enough to earn God's favor? And why would a 'good' person need a Savior? Good people don't need a Savior, sinners do."

Source: Society of Evangelical Arminians

New Heart Leads to New Life

2010-05-02T01:27:00.000-07:00

"Notice that in order for obedience to take place the Lord must first cleanse our hearts, put a new spirit in us and remove our hardened uncircumcised heart. No one believes and obeys while their heart is still stone. Our blind eyes must be opened, our deaf ears unstopped, and our corrupt nature supernaturally changed by the Holy Spirit, before we can begin to have any good thoughts about Christ. The Bible likens the new birth, or regeneration, to the first creation (2 Cor. 5:17). God let light shine into what was darkness. And God breathed life into lifeless man and then man, because of the new principle of life now within him, breathed and walked. Likewise regeneration can be likened to God's first breath in man, and faith, to Adam's first breath. The former is monergistic and the later, while it springs from the principle of grace that now exists within, is participatory. Both the creation and the maintaining are all of grace, but only God's breathing life into us (ex nihilo) is monergistic (that is, it is the work of God alone). When God brings forth something out of nothing, it is monergistic, but when we breathe (or have faith) as a result of God's act, we are now participating, so by definition this is not monergistic, but all springs forth from God's initial monergistic act of giving life from nothing."

-John Hendryx, "Jesus Teaches Monergistic Regeneration" (monergism.com)

JMAC Rap

2010-04-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

If you thought the rap song by Shai Linne is good (see previous post), then check this one out! This video is way too funny!

Credit: wrager1

Atonement Q&A

2010-04-19T14:23:00.001-07:00

This is Shai Linne and this song is BAD! Theologically deep and written like a pocket guide to Protestant Orthodox theology. What I especially appreciate about Shai Linne is that he does not see music as replacing the importance of preaching. That is saying a lot because his lyrics are a lot more theologically rich than some sermons we hear today. I truly hope that more songs like this will be released in the near and distant future, regardless of the musical genre. I also hope that more theologically apt musicians like Shai Linne will write worship songs. Yes, this is worship!

Listen to his interview with Pastor Mark Dever from IX Marks here.

Credit: bhoyosa540

Your Strength is Small

2010-04-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

"If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small."

-Proverbs 24:10

"That may be an uncomfortable thought, but it needs saying. Anyone can bulldoze ahead when the course is downhill. And of course, our strength often really is small. How often Christians discover, with Paul, that God's strength is perfected in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:1-10)" (D.A. Carson, For the Love of God, Vol2, April 6).

Is this not why we are in constant need of hearing the Word preached, the ordinances administered, believers strengthening one another (Pro 27:17), and our knees on the floor with our hearts attuned to God and souls crying out to Him?

The Power Of The Cross

2010-04-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

Chorus:
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev’ry bitter thought,
Ev’ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
“Finished!” the vict’ry cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

Final Chorus:
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Credit: biblebeltkid

An Important Reminder and An Illustration of Christ's Sacrificial Love

2010-03-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

"... when the memory of John Newton was nearly gone, and he was an old man, that great saint of God couldn't preach anymore. He'd forgotten so many things that he couldn't carry on a conversation. But he said this, he said it seems as though there are only two things I can remember, one is that I am a great sinner, and the second is, that Jesus Christ is a greater Savior. That's the issue. That's what Jesus wanted the Pharisees to see, that's what He wants you to see. You were so great a sinner you couldn't atone for your sin, He did it for you. I read this week about a child, who was bitten by a poisonous snake, and the mother was there when the child was bitten and the mother was just struck with love for the child and so she placed her lips over the wound to suck the poison out. She succeeded in doing it and saved the child's life. But she had a little cut on her lip, the poison went into her and she died. So it is with Jesus Christ, who drained out of us as it were the poison of the serpent, and in so doing died in our place. We are great sinners, but He is a great Savior..." (John MacArthur, "Who is an Adulterer? Part 1").

Mark Driscoll to Phil Johnson

2010-03-09T00:19:00.000-08:00

Good video! Very respectable humility on the part of Pastor Mark Driscoll. And very, very, very important reminder of what and where and on whom our Christian-ministerial emphasis should be.

ESV MSB Baby!

2010-03-04T22:11:00.000-08:00

I recently switched to the English Standard Version (November 2009) when I started serving at our current church, New Life Christian Alliance Church. I use the ESV Minister's Bible published by Hendrikson Publishers and I hope to make it my lifetime Bible, that is, the Bible I memorize, read, study, and preach and teach from. It was a switch that I was excited to make (it actually took me several years to make the switch but that's another story). Today I am doubly excited to have discovered that the ESV MacArthur Study Bible will be coming out in August of this year (you can pre-order it here for 35% cheaper). I recall reading Phil Johnson's comment on a blog several year ago that the ESV MacArthur Study Bible was in the works. Well, it's finally here (almost)! First in the New King James Version, then the New American Standard Version, and now in the English Standard Version. Can't Wait!

We Will ALL Give An Account

2010-02-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

"Your pastor will stand before God and give an account for how they have led your congregation (Heb. 13;17). But every single one of us who is a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ will give an account for whether or not we have gathered together regularly with the church , spurred the church on to love and good deeds, and fought to maintain a right teaching of the hope of the gospel (Heb. 10:23-25)."

Just Sharing

2010-02-15T21:16:00.000-08:00

"Why was I such a coward? Why did I never find the strength to share the gospel with her? I wonder if she was saved? Why did I let go of such an opportunity? I am reminded of Adoniram Judson who was shocked to discover that the man that was groaning all night in pain next door to him in the inn died in his sin, the very man that lured him away from the Christian faith (Judson had no idea that he was so close to him in proximity at the very hour of his death and God providentially used this event to save him). The closest thing to biblical witnessing was when I once said to her, 'We are praying for you,' after she came back from being taken to the hospital in a stretcher last year. Why was I such a stranger even though a neighbor that lives just upstairs? I wonder if they ever heard me upset or express my frustration?"

These were some of the thoughts that were running through my mind, mixed with emotions of guilt and regret, when I was told by my wife that our lady neighbor downstairs passed away a week ago (which I found out later was actually two-and-a-half weeks ago). I was quite shocked just because of the the fact that she used to live right below us.

I felt the need to at least go and offer my condolences to the man that lived with her. I introduced myself as one who lives just above him, though he already knew that. I offered him my condolences, shook hands, shared our names and talked for a few minutes. His name is Tim. He was her son. He lost his mother.

When I spoke to our apartment manager afterward, Tim's mother apparently had a brain tumor removed in the past and was quite sick before her passing. Tim was taking care of her on the night of her passing, but himself fell asleep in the midst. When he woke up in the morning, his mother was already dead.

Tim's cousin is currently staying with him just down stairs. I feel for the man but he seems to be doing "alright." He is certainly handling it better than I think I would if my mother passed away. Perhaps, he is a Christian! If not, how is it that he is handling it so well? And I still can't help but wonder if he has ever heard me upset or express my frustration, especially in light of the fact that he has heard my kids being loud at times and even my wife playing the guitar (neither of which bothers him). I want to be a good witness to Tim without any hindrances brought on by me.

I don't know what my point really is with regards to this blogpost. Perhaps, it's making a more purposeful effort to getting to know our neighbors. Perhaps, it's building a relationship with them where they can trust us and where we can lovingly share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them at a proper time. Perhaps, it's being more aware our need to be much more careful about being a witness for Christ when living in an apartment or condo or townhouse where others can more easily hear or observe us. Perhaps, it's nothing more than me wanting to share about what "rocked" my day with the few people who bother to check my blog in hopes that some spiritual lesson can or will be gleaned by them. Perhaps, it's a prayer request for Tim. Perhaps, it's not being a gospel coward. Perhaps, it's a reminder that God's grace is so big that even the sin of gospel cowardice is paid for by the precious blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Perhaps, it's all of the above.

Being a Young Pastor (Part 5)

2010-02-03T01:38:00.000-08:00

Maintain office hours and be approachable. There are fewer things that put me off more than an aloof and unapproachable pastor. One way to remain approachable for your congregation is to keep office hours. Most churches provide adequate studies for their pastors. Make good use of your study and be available by phone, for personal visits, or a spontaneous “hello.” My study door is almost always open and I enjoy people sticking their head in and saying hello.

Each person is a little bit different in this area. My day off is Friday. My wife and I have a “date day” for breakfast outside at the beach, and we take a long walk every Friday morning simply to be together. This means I get in early on Monday morning and I have a written schedule of what I’ll be doing every day. Thursday is sermon-making day and no one gets through to me except my family, my elders, or a bona fide emergency. No interruptions on Thursday!

Source: "To the Young Pastor" by Ron Gleason

We Will Be Content

2010-01-27T22:20:00.000-08:00

"Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs."

-1 Timothy 6:6-10 (ESV)

Source: WORLDmag

Hensworth W.C. Jonas on Acts 4

2010-01-23T00:31:00.000-08:00

My goodness! This is what you call passionate preaching!

Christianity and Race

2010-01-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

I was one of the thousands of people who attended the Together for the Gospel (T4G) Conference back in 2008, a conference that occurs every two years encouraging and exhorting pastors to stand "Together for the Gospel."

Today being the observation of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, I thought I post this clip of Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile's sermon highlight from the same conference that touches upon the biblical perspective of "race." It is an important and needed reminder that the only "race" (if I may use that term) that really matters is one that surfaces as a result of sovereign regeneration. My biological identity may be Asian-American, but one that is of greater spiritual significance and eternal relevance is that I am one who by God's grace is part and within "God's chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession" (1 Pet 2:9 [Emphases Added]). This biblical "race" is the one matters to both this life and the next. By way of implication then, there is only one race that sinful man must seek to abandon, which is the fallen human race in its unregenerate state. The gospel is the very way of that abandonment! That should be our "dream"!

Being a Young Pastor (Part 4)

2010-01-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

Manage your time to the glory of God. This is a crucial, essential component of the pastor’s life and calling. Far too many pastors waste precious time performing ever-nebulous “networking.” Time, once spent, cannot be regained. Therefore, how we use our time matters greatly. Since we are accountable to God, pastors should have an exemplary work ethic. Among other tasks, the pastor must make time for theological study and keeping his use of Greek and Hebrew, he must be fully conversant with the contents of Scripture, taking the requisite time for sermon preparation and delivery, and setting aside time for prayer and reading the Bible devotionally for himself and for his own instruction and edification.

The pastor must also lead his own home well. This requires a disciplined life. He pays attention to his marriage and the spiritual instruction of his entire family. He is a good friend and neighbor. He builds solid relationships with his session and deacons, and other church members who serve in various other leadership positions.

Source: "To the Young Pastor" by Ron Gleason

Being a Young Pastor (Part 3)

2010-01-09T15:50:00.000-08:00

A faithful pastor takes worship seriously. For Christians, how we worship God is a key consideration. To worship God rightly means to worship Him scripturally. The pastor and his congregation must pay careful attention to what God requires in His Word. If God’s people are to worship Him in spirit and in truth — and they are — then we must look to Scripture both to form and inform our worship style. By using the ordinary means of grace God has given us, worship gives the opportunity to preach the Word, sing the Word, pray the Word, and read the Word. True worship is Christ-centered and Word-centered.

Source: "To the Young Pastor" by Dr. Ron Gleason

Being a Young Pastor (Part 2)

2010-01-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

Being a Young Pastor (Part 1)

2009-12-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

If you care to read my blog, I want to forewarn you that my next several posts will be mostly self-focused, yet done in an ecclesiastically-relevant and biblical manner.

I recently came across a short online article entitled "To the Young Pastor" by Dr. Ron Gleason (Grace Presbyterian Church and rongleason.org) from Ligonier Ministries and it summarizes the faithful pastor that I both should strive to be and long to be. So, if you are reading this, I covet your intercessory prayers. Please pray for me that I will be the type of pastor that Dr. Gleason describes in his article, which I will be posting in my blog part by part.

First, a pastor must...

Preach expository sermons from both the Old and New Testaments. The preacher’s foremost task is to preach the Gospel. Many voices in Christianity today tempt us to forget this. They encourage us to do what will attract the unsaved. Nevertheless, the pastor is primarily called to proclaim the riches of Christ through the preaching of the Word and the clear exposition of Scripture. In this manner, he both equips the saints and prepares them to present the true, pure Gospel to the lost. Expository preaching has three decided advantages for any pastor: First, it takes the congregation through a book of the Bible so that they are able to observe and understand the various covenantal themes contained in it. Second, this type of “series” preaching protects the congregation from the pastor’s “hobby horses.” Therefore, rather than preaching on a number of his favorite topics, he is bound by the text to preach and teach the variety of doctrines found in the Word of God. Moreover, in the history of preaching it has been this expository approach that has proven to be the most spiritually beneficial to God’s covenant communities. Third, this will solve the problem for the younger pastor of choosing a text every week. Being guided by the text and your exegesis, you know what you’re preaching on next week.

He Will Save His People from Their Sins!

2009-12-25T01:01:00.000-08:00

"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

-Matthew 1:21 (ESV)

These Things Ought Not to be So

2009-12-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

This video is from Desiring God. It is entitled "James 3: A Story." Read the actual James 3 below. I am convicted.

Taming the Tongue
3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

See Yourself a Sinner and You Will be Thankful!

2009-12-18T14:30:00.001-08:00

Here is Thomas Watson's suggestion on how believers can exercise thankfulness (The Godly Man's Picture, p.138:

"Question: What shall we do to be thankful?

Answer I: If you wish to be thankful, get a heart deeply humbled with the sense of your own vileness. A broken heart is the best pipe to sound forth God's praise. He who studies his sins wonders that he has anything and that God should shine in such a dunghill: 'Who was before blasphemer, and a persecutor, but I obtained mercy' (I Tim. 1:13). How thankful Paul was! How he trumpeted forth free grace! A proud man will never be thankful. He looks on all his mercies as either of his own procuring or deserving. If he has an estate, this he has got by his wits and industry, not considering that scripture, 'Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth' (Deut. 8:18). Pride stops the current of gratitude. O Christian, think of your unworthiness; see yourself the least of saints and the chief of sinners, and then you will be thankful.

Unity and Diversity in the Community of the Trinity

2009-12-13T22:06:00.000-08:00

I recall years ago (B.M.="Before Marriage") when on occasions I would listen to Ravi Zecharias as I was getting ready to go to church. Well, I just recently began listening to him more regularly. The more I listen to him, the more I am (really) impressed by him. Honestly, I "envy" the man's intellectual capacity and he is quickly becoming one of my favorite modern-Christian figures. Thank God for His grace in gifting such men.

The video above is a very good apologetic for the sensibility of the doctrine of Trinity. In fact, it is one of the best I've come across in awhile.

Christ Longsuffering Satan's Evil for Greater Honor

2009-12-09T22:42:00.001-08:00

Here is how John Piper answers the question, "Why does not God just wipe out Satan?"

"Why, then, does God not simply wipe Satan out? He has the right and power to do this. And Revelation 20:10 says he is going to do it some day. Why didn’t he cast him into the Lake of Fire the day after he rebelled? Why let him rampage through humanity for centuries?

The ultimate answer, as we saw last week, is that “all things were created through Christ and for Christ” (Colossians 1:16). The Son of God, Jesus Christ, will be more highly honored in the end because he defeats Satan through longsuffering, patience, humility, servanthood, suffering, and death, rather than through raw power. And the more highly honored the Son is, the greater the joy of those who love him."

Source: "The Fall of Satan and the Victory of Christ"

He Is the Head of the Body

2009-12-07T09:58:00.000-08:00

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

-Colossians 1:15-20

George Gallup, Jr, in his article entitled, “Who is Jesus?,” based on a survey taken years and years ago writes that Americans viewed Jesus as one who loves humankind, is willing to forgive, kind, and compassionate.

They also viewed Him as someone with a strong personality, who was warm, brave, emotionally stable, without sin, and perfect.

Smaller margins of people thought that He was easy to understand, practical, physically attractive, physically strong, divine (rather than human), and accepting (rather than demanding).

Some would probably picture Him as a baby in a manger, a child living in a carpenter’s home, a healer and miracle worker, a fiery preacher, a masterful leader, and/or a holy man.

Today, some think of Him as their homeboy (have you ever seen the “Jesus Is My Homeboy” t-shirt?). Some sing of Him as if He is their boyfriend. Some perceive Him as if He is a Disney character who will fulfill all our wishes (only if we believe hard enough).

Some would affirm Him as the Second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, the New Adam, the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Savior God!

I can go on and on and on and on, but as you can tell there are various ways people recognize Jesus Christ.

Yet, there is one particular-additional way in which we must recognize Jesus Christ, which will affect how we preach, how we do missions, how we do praise, how we do ministry, even how we live and die. Namely, we must recognize the sovereign lordship of Jesus Christ.

1. JESUS Christ is the sovereign Lord of Creation (vv.15-17).

[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Before His incarnation, He was in the image of God. In His incarnation, He was in the image of God. After His resurrection, He was in the image of God. Currently in His throne, He is in the image of God. From everlasting to everlasting, He is in the image of God. He is in the image of the invisible God. He is the manifestation of the invisible God, for He is God. See Christ—See God! Know Christ—Know God! Follow Christ—Follow God!

And He is “the firstborn of all creation.” “Firstborn” not chronologically, but “Firstborn” in dignity, preeminence, rank. In other words, He is sovereign over all creation.

[16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Christ who is God, Christ who is sovereign over all creation, is the very agent who created all creation.

All things material; all things spiritual; all that you see (i.e., visible); all that you cannot see (i.e., invisible); all the starry hosts; all the galaxies; all the angelic hosts; all the supernatural powers; the totality of existence; Christ not only is the agent who created them, but He is the goal of all creation. That is, for His glory and honor and praise He created them. So, all things exist for Him.

[17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Christ, who is God, having always existed and having created the universe, preserves and sustains his very universe.

As one scholar puts it, Christ is “the principle of cohesion” who makes the universe a cosmos instead of a chaos. That is why there is harmony and order and purpose and unity in the world. There is cosmos not chaos because Christ is the sovereign Lord of creation—over all creation.

2. Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord of the church (vv.18-20).

[18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. Now, that sentence in the beginning of v.18, “And He is the head of the body, the church,” is what I wish to emphasize (what the rest of the passage [vv.18b-20] is simply saying is this: just as Christ is the origin of His universe, He is also the origin of His Church; just as Christ is the preserver and sustainer of His creation, He is the preserver and sustainer of His Church; just as Christ is the preeminent one among all His creation, He is the preeminent one among all who have been raised from the dead).

God’s Word refers to the church as a bride, a building, a family, a flock, a kingdom, and a vineyard. But in v.18 the apostle Paul refers to it as the body. The church is the body and the body is the church. And it is with Christ as its head.

In other words, just as Christ is the sovereign Lord over all His creation, Christ is the sovereign Lord over His body, the church. And we who by God’s saving grace have repented of our sins and embraced Christ as our Lord and Savior, for us He is our chief and our leader. For us He is our provider and our preserver and our sustainer. Hence, the church will be triumphant solely because of Christ the head. He is the sovereign Lord of the church and He will be faithful. The head will not disappoint!

Then what of us the body? He is our chief. He is our leader. He is our sovereign. So, what of us the body?

Here is my answer: The body must be a Christ-centered body! The church must be a Christ-centered church! Ultimately, it’s all about Christ. It’s all about the head.

Do you know what this means for everyday Christian life and ministry? It means that our preaching must be Christ-centered. It means that missions must be Christ-centered. It means that our praises must be Christ-centered. It means that even as we seek to love one another, we must love Christ even more. We must elevate Christ not men. We must please Christ not men. We must die for Christ (if need be).

We must rather have Jesus than silver or gold. We must rather be His than have riches untold. We must rather have Jesus than houses or lands. We must rather be led by His nail-pierced hand. We must rather have Jesus than men’s applause. We must rather be faithful to His dear cause. We must rather have Jesus than worldwide fame. We must rather be true to His holy name than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin’s dread sway. We must rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today. It’s all about Christ!

It is about Christ—Christ who is the sovereign Lord of both the creation and the church. May we never lose sight of that!

“Give Thanks in All Circumstances”

2009-11-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

-1 Thessalonians 5:18 (in context)

Let me tell you a story about Anne Steele, a young woman who faced a great trial in her life. She was a devout Christian, a woman who praised God both in times of joy and in times of sorrow.

She was engaged to be married to the love of her life and she was eagerly looking forward to her wedding day when she and her love will be united as one before their parents, family, friends, guests, and more importantly, before God.

Unfortunately, when her eagerly awaited wedding day had finally come, her love, the husband to be, the groom, was missing. After waiting for about an hour someone brought the news to her that no bride wants to hear, that no father of the bride would want his baby daughter to hear, that no friend of the bride would want her to hear, the news that her fiancé was found drowned.

She had eagerly waited for this day and the news was too much for her to bear. No wedding. No marriage. No husband. No future family. This was truly a tragedy.

Some who face similar hardship would curse God to His face. Some would abandon the faith. Some would give up on life. Not so with Anne Steele. Why? Because God kept her!

Later she penned a song with these words:

"Father, whate’er of earthly bliss Thy sovereign will denies, 
Accepted at Thy throne of grace, let this petition rise: 
Give me a calm, a thankful heart, from every murmur free! 
The blessings of Thy grace impart, and make me live to Thee.  "

Did you read that carefully?

"Father, whate’er of earthly bliss Thy sovereign will denies,
Accepted at Thy throne of grace, let this petition rise:
Give me a calm, a thankful heart, from every murmur free! 
The blessings of Thy grace impart, and make me live to Thee."

But of these beautifully penned words that arose out of a mixture of genuine heartfelt sorrow and a deeply dependent heart on the one and only sovereign God, it is her words, “Give me a calm, a thankful heart,” that stands out this Thanksgiving season. Such are biblical words. Such is a God-glorifying request. Such is right!

When we read 1 Thessalonians 5:18 some may wonder, “Now, how in the world can I do that? How in the world can I possibly be thankful for so long and so consistently?” The answer is we can’t in and of our own!

But if we look to God as Anne Steele looked to God. If we see the importance of being thankful before God as Anne Steele saw the importance being thankful before God (even in her most unfortunate situation). If we (from our hearts) cry out to God, “Give me a thankful heart,” as Anne Steele (from her heart) cried out to God, “Give me a calm, a thankful heart,” I promise you this: The God who kept Anne Steele will prove Himself faithful and give us a thankful heart (if He can regenerate our souls and save us from our sins, can He not make us His thankful people? You bet He can!), thereby, enabling God’s children to give thanks in all circumstances!

Now, there are thousands of biblical reasons as to why we can give thanks to God in all circumstances. I wish to focus on just one. Here it is: We can give thanks in all circumstances because God keeps us saved.

Jn 10:22-29 reads: [22] At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, [23] and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. [24] So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” [25] Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, [26] but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. [27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. [30] I and the Father are one.”

“My sheep; My followers; My chosen ones; those who believe that I am the Christ; those who believe in My works; those who are part of My flock; their life is eternal; their life is imperishable; their life… let Me put it like this, ‘No one will snatch them out of my hand.’” This is essentially what Jesus is saying.

We might prone to wonder. We might prone to leave the God we love. But God takes us and seals us and safeguard us and protects us and preserves us.

Christ is not like a hired hand. He is no substitute keeper, protector, shepherd, etc. Just several verses earlier, Jesus states in Jn 10:12-13, “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”"

Again, Jesus is not like the hired hand. For us He came; for us He suffered; for us He fulfilled all righteousness; for us He died; for us He resurrected. If we are His (i.e., His servants) and He is ours (i.e., our Master), for all sinners who trust in Christ, there is absolute-eternal-you-can-bet-your-life security. In other words, He who saves sinners keeps those saved sinners saved. No one will snatch us out of His omnipotent (all-powerful) hands. And for this we can give thanks in all circumstances.

Now, think about that? Think about what that implies? If Jesus saves sinners and Jesus keeps those saved sinners saved, then what am I guaranteed? Glory!

We can get a glimpse of that glory, the glory promised to those will never be snatched out of Jesus’ hand in 1 Thess 4:13-18 and Rev 21:1-4. These are some of my favorite passages in the Holy Writ!

So, Jesus saves sinners; Jesus keeps saved sinners saved; Jesus comes back for saved sinners; Jesus glorifies saved sinners. Here then is my question, “How can we, as God’s children, not give thanks in all circumstances?”

The Best Bible Reading Plan EVER!

2009-11-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

Here is, in my opinion, the best Bible reading plan ever devised. It is the "Never in January" reading plan by Noel Piper, Pastor John Piper's wife. Click Here for a Bible reading record that will work well this reading plan. Enjoy!

"A year ago I set out to read the whole Bible. That's nothing new; I've begun to read the whole Bible every other year for about 28 years-emphasis on 'begun.' But with all the best intentions, I was never able to finish my annual program of Scripture-reading-until this year. A few months ago, I closed my Bible with a feeling of immense satisfaction: I had finally read it through, all 66 books, all in a year.

This time I can truthfully say that I never dragged myself dutifully on to the next chapters. I loved it and it pulled me back day after day. What made this attempt different? I'm certain God's Spirit provided the inspiration, because I was the same stumbling Christian I have always been. But I did decide to take a more creative approach to my 'walk through the Word.'

I didn't begin in January. I simply let the Spirit push me into it 'any time now.' I began in July.

I started in Hosea and read to the end of the Old Testament. I knew what had become of my efforts before when I had started quite literally, 'in the beginning.' I also knew there were chunks of the minor prophets I had never laid eyes on. There's something intriguing about unknown territory.

I didn't try to read books in sequence. After Leviticus, I was ready for some adventure in Acts. I completed one book before I began another, except for the Psalms and Proverbs which I read in scattered chunks whenever I wanted to.

I felt free to skim repetitive sections (like genealogies and censuses). But I did skim carefully enough to catch any unusual information that might have been stuck in unexpectedly.

I didn't divide the Bible into 365 equal segments. Sufficient to the day was the amount I could make time for. I have discovered when using daily reading guides that nothing kills my incentive like falling a few days behind and feeling under pressure to 'catch up.'

I kept my Bible handy. I often dropped it in my purse if I thought I might have reading time while I was out. At home, the Bible belonged on the kitchen counter, opened to the right place. Many times it called me away from dishwashing and into my easy chair.

I often took along only the Bible as reading material. This has been true for times as short as a ten-minute wait in the doctor's office and as long as a week's vacation. A bookaholic needs no encouragement to pick up something, anything, to read. And when there's only one book at hand, the choice is clear. And who can resist it?

All of those helped, but here was the most important difference from other efforts to read through the Bible. This time, I became a hunter, and my blue highlighter was my weapon. The prey was God's attributes. I set out to underline everything the Bible says about God (didn't want to set my sights too narrow!). I made blue stripes through all the names of God, word pictures about him, what he likes and dislikes, how he reacts to faithfulness and to sin. I was on my third pen when I finished.

This 'hunt for God' was irresistible to me. It drew me like a magnet. And once I was inside the pages, it kept my mind moving-no more drowsing and waking up two chapters later.

My Bible's flyleaves are filled with lists. As I read, I found I didn't want to lose what I was finding out about God. I made lists of God's names (I found over 200 names, phrases and variations that referred to him), Jesus' names (about 140), and the Spirit's names (about 35). There is also a list of pictures used to describe God (shepherd, potter, eagle, farmer, husband, nursing mother . . . ). Another list is of references for passages so beautiful I knew I'd want to find them again.

I used my 'finds' to focus my thoughts on God. From my daily reading, I could choose a name or description of God and think of him in those terms all day. For instance, on a vacation afternoon when my four boys had been out of school one day too long, it helped to know God as a Rock who cannot be shaken. Or when we couldn't see our way clear toward a decision we had to make, we still knew that God is our Light and our Salvation.

This year? I recently picked up an inexpensive paperback Bible and a new pink marking pen. This year I think I'll hunt for God's presence—all the times and circumstances when he promises he will be with us, that he will not leave us."

Note: you do not have to skim through the geneologies and censuses if your consicence tells you to read them just as carefully as you would say other portions of Scripture. It is still the Word of God!

Credit: Desiring God

Carson on God Videos

2009-11-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Check out these three videos from The Gospel Coalition blog (Click Here). Dr. D.A. Carson answers the following three questions:

1. How do I know God exists?

2. How can God be loving and yet send people to hell?

3. How can God allow suffering and evil in the world?

May your faith be strengthened!

Be Strong and Courageous

2009-11-03T23:48:00.000-08:00

Wow! My goodness! The video you see above is absolutely powerful. It's a sermon entitled "The Call to Courage" by Crawford Loritts from the 2008 Desiring God Conference for Pastors. It's over sixty minutes of pure passion and conviction and unction. There is never a dull moment and frankly, there are times when it's so convicting that you might be tempted to turn in off. If you are a pastor, I beg you to listen to it for the sake of being a better pastor. If you have a pastor, I beg you to listen to it to better understand the pressure he is under. Long? Yes! Worth the time? Oh Yes! Spiritually beneficial? Absolutely yes! You can't find the time? Yes you can! Listen to it while you're exercising. Listen to half today and the other half tomorrow. Sacrifice your favorite TV show or ESPN Sportscenter or internet browsing or a day's worth of Facebook time and just listen. It's that good! One of the best that I've heard all year! Super-highly recommended!

To download Click Here.

My Conscience is Captive to the Word of God!

2009-10-31T00:08:00.000-07:00

In light of the Reformation Day (10.31.1517), here is a little something-something for my fellow Protestants:

"Unless I am convinced by Scripture and by plain reason and not by popes and councils who have so often contradicted themselves, my conscience is captive to the Word of God. To go against conscience is neither right nor safe. I cannot and I will not recant. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me."

What boldness! Thank God for the Reformation!

He Freely Gave Me This Coat!

2009-10-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

The doctrine of justification is increasingly attractive and pleasing whenever it is expressed. Here is what "Christian" says to "Formality" and "Hypocrisy" in Pilgrim's Progress, the latter two of which attempts to reach the Gate through a shortcut and the keeping of laws and ordinances:

"You'll not be saved by laws and ordinances since you didn't come in through the Door. And as for this coat on my back, it was given to me by the Ruler of the place where I'm going. And, as you say, it is for the purpose of covering my nakedness. Furthermore, I take it as a token of His kindness toward me; for I had on nothing but rags before. And besides, as I go, I comfort myself with the thought that when I come to the gate of the City, the Ruler of the City will easily recognize me since I have this coat on my back--a coat He freely gave me the day He stripped me of my rags" (John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress in Modern English, p.52).

An Eschatology Discussion from Desiring God

2009-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Recently, I finished listening to "An Evening of Eschatology" from John Piper's Desiring God Ministries. Being that the whole round-table discussion is over two-hours long, I had to listen to them in chucks. Three positions are represented by three able and respectable men: (1) Amillennialism by Sam Storms (Enjoying God Ministries); (2) Premillennialism by Jim Hamilton (Southern Seminary); (3) Postmillennialism by Doug Wilson (Christ Church). Piper was the moderator. Click Here to read his review on the whole discussion. Long? Yes! Very informative? Yes! Worth listening to (even in chucks)? Yes! Unlikely that a church layperson will hear this elsewhere? Yes! Important? Yes (eschatology is important)! Check it out!

God Won't Let You Jump Out!

2009-10-18T00:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, take my heart oh Lord and seal it with a chain--with superglue! Great preaching! I absolutely love it!

William Perkins' LIfe & Ministry and Preaching Ministry Conclusion

2009-10-15T01:24:00.000-07:00

Here is my conclusion to my series on William Perkins, both the "William Perkins Life & Ministry" series and the "William Perkins Preaching Ministry" series.

CONCLUSION

This short study on William Perkins’ sermon methodology calls attention to several noteworthy matters. His precondition to preaching reveals the concerns that he and the variegated movement known as Puritanism shared and ideas that the modern preacher needs to remember again and again: deep commitment to Scripture because it is the supremely authoritative word of God; constant emphasis on Christ as the center of Scripture that translates into soul-saving preaching; incessant reliance on the Holy Spirit for He is the power behind the sermon; and a passion for holiness outside of the pulpit for it is the mark of God’s spokesperson.

Perkins’ preparation for preaching also calls attention to ideas that the modern preacher must bear in mind over and over again: complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit’s guidance in interpretation; vigilant dedication to study the Scriptures; watchfully interpreting Scripture with consideration to and consistently with the entire biblical text; unremitting belief in the authenticity of Scripture despites its numerous difficulties; preparation of law and Gospel preaching to expose sin and provide its solution in Christ; commitment to consider all types of listeners to prepare most extensively and relevantly; commitment to discover and teach doctrine solely from Scripture; dedication to preach applicatory sermons, both mental and practical, to produce results; and a passion for holiness in the pulpit for it is the mark of God’s spokesperson.

Perkins’ sermon methodology is not without several problems, however. Both his precondition to and preparation for preaching revealed several disagreeable ideas: a narrow view that only believers who hunger for the word of God can be impacted by it; atypical division of the OT books that limits the teaching of doctrine from the foundational books of the Bible; extension of the analogia fidei to the Apostles’ Creed; lack of emphasis on exegesis despite his personal practice of it; and a possible limitation of analogies drawn from Scripture only. Yet, Perkins’ was thoroughly Scripture-centered and wanted nothing more than souls justified and sanctified though his biblical preaching. Unfortunately, Christendom will never appreciate Perkins and his contributions the way he was once appreciated, but it would surely do well to produce more preachers of such caliber.

Notes:

Schaefer, 49.

Yes, They Are!

2009-10-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Who is the top NBA coach of the recent decade? This list from Yahoo! Sports gets it absolutely right (Click Here)! Here's an excerpt from the online piece about this coach:

"He's just the perfect coach for our times. He gets on with the stars and slumpers, he piles on the self-deprecating tone without making it seem like an act..."

Who is the top NBA player in the recent decade? This list from Yahoo! Sports again gets it absolutely right (Click Here). Here's an excerpt from the online piece about this player:

"... has led his team to four championships, three during the decade in question. He scores efficiently on either block, is a monster defender, rebounds like few others, draws huge amounts of attention when he has the ball offensively (something Kobe and KG, for all their gifts and for all the double-teams sent their way, just can't compare to), and he wins games."

Note: This player has three championship rings within the recent decade. In total, he has four.

Who is likely to come out on top of the NBA Western Conference and to the NBA Finals for the 2009-2010 season? Tim Legler is wise to select this team (Click Here).

Give respect where respect is due!

William Perkins' Preaching Ministry (Part 9)

2009-10-07T00:48:00.000-07:00

Preparation 4: Practical Tips for Preaching

In addition to the methods of interpretation, discovering doctrinal implications and applications, William Perkins left behind a variety of practical tips for preachers to bear in mind concerning the pulpit ministry, both during preparation and in the actual preaching event. Some of the more notable ones are discussed below.

One of the practical tips Perkins endorses was the utilization of memory in the preaching event. By “memory” he does not simply mean rote memorization. He also does not advocate the use of artificial memory aids. He also does not support the practice of word for word memorization of sermon manuscripts due to its many disadvantages (e.g. enormous work, causes anxiety, thwarts Spirit-given flow, etc.). Rather, by “memory” he means preaching directly from the heart by imprinting Scripture into the mind, with the aid of a methodical way of thinking (e.g. proofs, applications, illustrations, and its order of exposition).

Perkins also permits the preparation of analogies (i.e. illustrations) for the preaching event. It is uncertain whether he means scriptural analogies or non-Scripture-based analogies. Evidence seems to point to the former since he cites 1 Cor 9:9 to argue that Paul used analogies often, although he did not explicitly forbid the use of the latter. He qualifies its usage with four warnings: (1) they ought to be used in moderation; (2) they ought to be relevant to the matter at hand; (3) they ought to be used briefly; (4) they ought to be used for practical instruction and not to prove a doctrinal point.

Perkins also adds six tips on holiness, but this time emphasizing more on its relation to the actual preaching event and not just as a precondition. Step one: the preacher must have a good conscience because without it his mouth will remain closed (Isa 56:10). Step two: the preacher must have an inward sense of the doctrines preached because without being spiritually ignited himself he cannot ignite his hearers. Step three: the preacher must fear God because without it he cannot preach with reverence for God. Step four: the preacher must love the people of God and this requires diligent petition to God. Step five: the preacher must be worthy of respect and know how to respect others. Step six: the preacher must exercise self-control because without it his reputation will be without authority and dignity. Additionally, Perkins articulates the preacher’s need to manifest the following graces in his life: (1) ability to teach the word of God, because it is essential to the ministry; (2) execution of authority, because it is by which the preacher represents and speaks on-behalf of God; (3) portrayal of passion, because in the preacher’s hunger for God’s glory he will aspire to partake in effecting the sovereign declaration of God’s predestination of men and women to salvation.

Perkins also believes that concealment of human wisdom in the preaching event is one of two indispensable practices for the pulpit ministry. He makes the following argument:

"Humane wisdome must be concealed, whether it be in the matter of the sermon, or in the letting forth of the words: because the preaching of the word is the testimony of God, and the profession of the knowledge of Christ, and not of human skill: and again, because the hearers ought not to ascribe their faith to the gifts of men, but to the power of Gods word."

Next, Perkins believes that a demonstration of the Spirit in the preaching event is the other indispensable practice for the pulpit ministry. He argues that “when as the Minister of the word doth in the times of preaching so behave himself that all, even ignorant persons and unbeleevers may judge, that it is not so much he that speaketh, as the Spirit of God in him and by him… This makes the ministery to bee lively and powerful.” This is why Perkins executes the following in his own preaching ministry and exhorted other to do likewise: a gracious speech, a relevant speech (i.e. according to the congregation’s comprehension level), avoidance of specialized vocabulary, avoidance of uncommon vocabulary, avoidance of Greek and Latin vocabulary and phrases, avoidance of crude statements, avoidance of immature statements and story-telling, moderate voice in exposition but impassionate in exhortation, and gravity about gestures (erect trunk but active arms, hands, eye and facial expressions). Perkins basically forbids all that he perceives would detract from the congregation’s comprehension of the sermon and the preacher from expressing the brilliance of God in the sermon.

Notes:

Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 69-70.
Ibid., 52.
Ibid., 74-75.
Perkins, The Workes of That Famous and VVorthy Minister of Christ in the Vniversitie of Cambridge, M. VVilliam Perkins, 670.
Ibid., 670.
Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 72-75.

TIps for Prayer and Things to Pray For

2009-10-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

Greg Koukl from Stand to Reason (Click Here) has a simple yet helpful article on prayer entitled "10 Tips to Help Your Prayer Life" and "8 Things to Pray For." It seems as though through observation that prayer and evangelism are the two areas that many believers struggle to dedicate themselves to. Read it and be helped!

10 Tips to Help Your Prayer Life

If praying does not come effortlessly for you, try these tips for making your prayer life more focused and effective.

By: Gregory Koukl

For a few hardy prayer warriors, talking with God is as easy as breathing; it happens almost effortlessly. When you ask them how they do it, they simply shrug and reply, "I just pray." Unfortunately, that's about as helpful as John McEnroe saying "I just hit the ball," when asked for some tips on more effective tennis. It may be easy for him to "just hit the ball", but most of us hackers need a little more fundamental instruction to get the job done. With that in mind, we've included here some practical guidelines that might make your time with the Lord more fruitful. Not all of the suggestions will apply to your particular situation, but if you begin by incorporating a few of them, I'm confident your prayer life will improve.

1. Choose a specific place to pray away from distractions so you can concentrate. Ringing phones and crying children will sabotage your "quiet time" before it gets started.

2. Pray at the same time every day, if at all possible. Make it part of your regular routine and it will become habit. Write it into your schedule and then treat it just like a daily appointment.

3. Pray out loud. Many people can pray under their breath or in their minds for long periods and still maintain intensity, but for most of us it's a quick ticket to dreamland. When we pray out loud we have to form intelligent sentences. We have to concentrate more on what we're praying about.

4. Keep a note pad handy so you can jot down different things that come to mind while you're before the Lord. Sometimes you'll get great ideas totally unrelated to what you've been praying about. If you jot them down you can quickly get back to the topic at hand without being too distracted.

5. Make a list to keep track of your prayer needs. This can be done several ways. Prayer needs can be listed by category like "Church," "Family," or "Unsaved friends." Or they may be listed by the days of the week. Each day you pray for a different set of needs. You may want to include prayer everyday for a different area of society that has a tremendous influence on the direction of our nation. These seven categories include 1) the church and religion, 2) the family and the home, 3) the media, 4) government, 5) education, 6) business and commerce, and 7) the arts and entertainment.

6. Redeem time for praying out of unused corners of your schedule. Those who have to drive to work can use the time talking with the Lord instead of screaming at traffic (just don't close your eyes!). Busy homemakers can combine prayer with housework, especially if the task doesn't require a lot of concentration. Joggers, swimmers and cyclists can use their workout time for prayer. Sometimes my best times with the Lord have been chats during long, early morning walks or jogs along the beach.

7. Change the pace during your prayer time. Include praise, thanksgiving and singing as well as petition. Spend some of your time reflecting on the Scripture, meditating on it and digesting its meaning.

8. Keep a prayer journal. Here are two variations of this idea. The first is to keep track of what you prayed for and when you prayed for it. Leave a space to jot down the answer when it comes. This will help you to keep alert to God's answer so you can thank Him promptly. Sometimes prayer answers come in the back door and you don't want them to slip by you. The second variation is to write the entire prayer in your journal. Make it a personal letter to the Lord on a daily basis. Just write "Dear Lord" instead of "Dear Diary."

9. Pray with someone else. Though some prayers can only be said in solitude, there will be times when you'll want to join hearts with another person in prayer. If you commit to meet on a regular basis, the accountability can really help build consistency. Such prayer trysts can become powerful, life-changing events.

10. Pray one-sentence prayers. If the thought of laboring over a topic wears you out, pray short, sincere prayers instead. A sentence or two may be all that's needed to exhaust the topic for you for the time being. If so, just move on to the next item without feeling guilty for your brevity.

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8 Things to Pray For

In addition to following the suggestions above, here are a few more thoughts that will help. In the front of your prayer diary list three or four promises from the Scripture on prayer. Read them as an encouragement before you start. Start your prayer time with a hymn, focusing your heart and mind on the Lord. When you pray through your prayer list for the day, include the items on your daily schedule. Pray also about the things not on your schedule but still on your heart. Be sure your prayer time includes some of the specific things that God tells us in His Word to pray for. Below are a few examples:

1. Pray for the harvest.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." (Matt 9:37-38)

2. Pray for national and local leaders of government.

"I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." (1 Tim 2:1-2)

3. Pray that God will open doors for ministry of the Word.

"Praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word , so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ..." (Col 4:3)

4. Pray for those who have mistreated you. Forgive them.

"Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Lk 6:28)

"So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." (Matt 18:35)

5. [Note: Koukl did not put anything down for #5]

"Pray that you may not enter into temptation." (Lk 22:40

6. Pray that you may do no evil.

"Now we pray to God that you do no wrong..." (2 Cor 13:7)

7. Pray that your love may abound toward all people.

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment..." (Phil 1:9)

8. Pray that your whole spirit, mind and body be preserved blameless.

"Now may the God or peace sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess 5:23)

William Perkins' Preaching Ministry (Part 8)

2009-10-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

Preparation 3: Method of Discovering Applications

As mentioned in the previous section, application is the second way that William Perkins believes Scripture is to be handled in a manner where it is enabled to edify the people of God. He defines application as “the skill by which the doctrine which has been properly drawn from Scripture is handled in ways which are appropriate to the circumstances of the place and time and to the people in the congregation."

For Perkins, the underlying principle in discovering such apposite applications is to clearly recognize whether the passage is a statement of the law or the gospel. This is because when Scripture is preached statements of the law applies one way while the gospel applies another way. The former exposes one’s irresolvable sin and inevitably quickens his rebellious nature. The latter provides the only solution for the damnable predicament. Furthermore, the gospel is the power of the Holy Spirit unto salvation. Thus, it contains the power to regenerate a sinner to both believe in the Gospel and to obey God’s written word. This is why Perkins’ aspiration in preaching the statements of law was to reveal the sinner’s “need for perfect inherent righteousness, of eternal life given through the works of the law, of the sins which are contrary to the law and of the curse that is due them.” Subsequently, he made sure to preach the Gospel that “speaks of Christ and his benefits” in hopes that the acquittal of the guilty will result. The following is a real-life example of Perkins’ use of the “law and Gospel” preaching:

"A young lusty fellow going up the Ladder discovered an extraordinary limpishnesse and dejection of spirit, and when he turned himself at the upper round to speak to the people, he looked with a rueful and heaven countenance, as if he had been half dead already: whereupon Master Perkins laboured to chear up his spirits, and finding him still in Agony, and distresse or mind, he said unto him, What man? what is the matter with thee? art thou afraid of death? Ah no (said the prisoner, shaking his head) but of a worser thing: Saith thou so? (said Master Perkins) come down again man, and thou shalt see what God’s grace will do to strengthen thee: Whereupon the prisoner coming down, Master Perkins took him by the hand, and made him kneel down with himself at the ladder foot, hand in hand, when that blessed man of God made such an effectual prayer in confession of sins, and aggravating thereof in all circumstances, with the horrible and eternal punishment due to the same by God’s justice, as made the poor prisoner burst out into abundance of tears, and Master Perkins finding that he had brought him low enough, even to Hell gates, he proceeded to the second part of his prayer, and therein to shew him the Lord Jesus (the Saviour of all penitnent, and believing sinners) stretching forth his blessed hand of mercy, and power to save him in that distressed estate, and to deliver him from all the powers of darkness, which he did so sweetly press with such Heavenly art, and powerful words of Grace upon the foul of the poor prisoner, as cheared him up attain to look beyond death, with the eyes of Faith, to see how the black lines of all his sins were crossed, and cancelled with the red lines of crucified Saviours precious blood, so graciously applying it to his wounded conscience, as made him break out into new showres of tears for joy of the inward consolation which he found, and gave such expression of it to the beholders, as made them lift up their hands, and praise God to see such a blessed change in him, who (the prayer being ended) rose from his knees cheerfully, and went up the Ladder again, so comforted, and took his death with such patience, and alacrity, as if he actually saw himself delivered from the Hell which he feared before, and heaven opened for the receiving of his soul, to the great rejoycing of the beholders."

Consequently, statements of law now have a valid practical application in the life of the regenerate. It is to be understood in light of Christ’s work, and no longer in legal terms. Put another way, the legal character of the law is abolished and the Christian character of the law is now activated. The Christian character of the law still cannot lead to salvation, though such is unneeded, but it utilizes the statements of the law to show the regenerate God’s guide to gospel living. Hence, the preacher now preaches the statements of the law as applicable truths to the new convert in the congregation. This applicable use of the law is very analogous to John Calvin’s “third and principles use of the law,” which he considers to be the “more proper purpose of the law."

After making the distinction between statements of the law and the Gospel, Perkins categorizes his hearers into six types of individual listeners and one general congregation. He then diagnoses each type’s spiritual condition and supplies practical means to make suitable applications for each one. Table 5 lays out this unique method.

Table 5. William Perkins’ Category of Hearers
(Divided into Type of Listener with Accompanying Diagnosis)

Listener Type 1 & Diagnosis:
Unbeliever & Ignorant and Not Teachable

Listener Type 2 & Diagnosis:
Teachable Only & Ignorant

Listener Type 3 & Diagnosis:
Knowledgeable Only & Never Humbled

Listener Type 4 & Diagnosis:
Humbled & Genuine or Superficial?

Listener Type 5 & Diagnosis:
Believer & Righteousness and Holy in God’s Sight

Listener Type 6 & Diagnosis:
Fallen (from faith or in lifestyle) & Fallen faith indicates an erroneous understanding of the Gospel or Christ; Fallen lifestyle indicates an erroneous understanding of fundamental or secondary doctrines

Listener Type 7 & Diagnosis:
Church with Believers and Unbelievers & Typical Condition of Churches

Space does not permit a thorough examination of how Perkins went about making appropriate applications for each type but Schaefer’s summary is adequate:

"The preachers of the Word as prophet, as one who brings forth God’s Word to bear on the present life situations of a multivariate congregation, must be thunderer and therapist, confronter and comforter, exhorter and encourager. People have different needs and so different ways of bringing home law and gospel must be applied. The hardhearted must be threatened with the law. The humbled unbeliever must hear the tenderness of the gospel. The believer living in assurance of faith must be reminded of the gospel that saved and be exhorted to continual fruitfulness. Those professors of the gospel who have no peace because they have “fallen back” must have their temptations or struggle diagnosed and be called to repent, but also given the assurance that “sin does not abolish grace” and that in this “fallen and sinful world all of God’s works are done by means which are contrary to him” (i.e. “all things work together for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” [Rom 8:28])."

This goes to show that Perkins’ unsophisticated preaching of all law and all Gospel was not exercised for the sake of its simplicity but its extensive applicability.

Lastly, Perkins also categorizes the applications themselves into two types: the mental and the practical. Here he follows the 2 Tim 3:16 model and argues that “doctrine” and “reproof” are mental applications, while “correction” and “instruction” are practical applications. Doctrine is to be used for the purpose of informing the mind in order that it may judge correctly about what is to be believed. Reproof is to be used for the purpose of recovering the mind from any erroneous beliefs. Correction is the application of learned doctrine for the purpose of achieving godly transformation (e.g., admonition). Instruction is the application of learned doctrine for the purpose of living godly lives within the family, the state, and the church (e.g., encouragement and exhortation). All four types of applications can be made from each and every sentence of the Bible. So, according to Perkins’ methodology, the entire sermon is an application.

Notes:

Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 54.
The words “statements of the law,” “the law,” or “law,” as used in this section is not limited to the Ten Commandments or the OT. Rather, it involves the entire biblical text in which a given sentence, verse, or passage can be taught as “law” to the unbeliever in the congregation for his utter inability to obey it. For an example, Jesus’ teaching on adultery in Matt 5:27-30 is not seen as law to the believer, but to the unbeliever it is law because of his inability to apply in obedience to God.
Ibid., 54.
Ibid., 55.
Clark, 416-417.
Perkins, The Workes of That Famous and VVorthy Minister of Christ in the Vniversitie of Cambridge, M. VVilliam Perkins, 664.
Schaefer, 47.
John Calvin, Institutes 2.7.12,ed. by John T. McNeill, trans. by Ford Lewis Battles, in 2 vols. [vol. XX] (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960), 360.
Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 56-63.
Schaefer, 48.
Perkins warned preachers that “all the doctrines bee not propounded to the people, but those only, which may bee fitly applied to our times and to the present condition of the Church. And they must not only be choice ones, but also few, lest the hearers bee overcharged with their multitude” (The Workes of That Famous and VVorthy Minister of Christ in the Vniversitie of Cambridge, M. VVilliam Perkins, 669).
Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 64-65.

William Perkins' Preaching Ministry (Part 7)

2009-09-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

Preparation 2: Method of Discovering Doctrinal Implications

William Perkins interprets the words “rightly dividing” of 2 Tim 2:15 to mean that that the word of God is to be handled in such a manner that it is enabled to edify the people of God. He identifies that there are just two ways to do this: (1) through resolution and (2) through application.

Perkins defines “resolution” as “the unfolding of the passage into its various doctrines, like the untwisting and loosening of a weaver’s web.” Within resolution there is what he calls “notation” and “collection.” The former, “notation,” is a doctrine explicitly expressed in the passage and thus easily discernable. Perkins views that Acts 2:24-27 and Rom 3:9-11 are examples of this type. The latter, “collection,” is a doctrine inexplicitly expressed in the passage but still discernable from the text. He advises that the “collection” method should be undertaken by discovering what is implied in the text. Table 4 shows few examples of the “collection” method provided by Perkins.

Table 4. Examples of William Perkins’ “Collection” Method

Example #1

What The Text Says (1 Cor 9:9): As it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing."

Implications Collected From The Text (1 Cor 9:4): Do we not have a right to eat and drink?

Example #2

What The Text Says (Gal 3:11): “The righteous man shall live by faith."

Implications Collected From The Text (Gal 3:11): Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident

This method reveals Perkins’ endeavor to discover doctrinal implications exclusively from the true and accurate meaning of the text. Otherwise, in Perkins own words, “we shall draw any doctrine from any place."

Perkins also argues from Acts 18:24 and 28 that doctrine accurately drawn out from the Bible is sufficient in and of itself. In other words, doctrine that is rooted in Scripture automatically carries its own authority, and therefore, the people of God ought to believe it on that basis alone. Henceforth, the preacher discovering biblical doctrines must not rely on the testimonies of the Fathers or the philosophers. They also do not need to find but a few scriptural proofs for doctrines they have discovered from Scripture, and sometimes none is necessary since the discovered doctrines are already scripturally based. Lastly, the preacher should not be criticized for teaching doctrine in such a manner (see 1 Cor 14:32, 37). Perkins’ method of discovering and preaching doctrinal implications solely from the Bible is commendable.

Notes:

Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 48.
Ibid., 48.
The Workes of That Famous and VVorthy Minister of Christ in the Vniversitie of Cambridge, M. VVilliam Perkins, 662.
Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 49.
Perkins, The Workes of That Famous and VVorthy Minister of Christ in the Vniversitie of Cambridge, M. VVilliam Perkins, 663.
Ibid., 665.

Funny Study Bible Commercial

2009-09-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

Of course no individual's theology lands on the exact same conclusions as Pastor John MacArthur's especially with regards to what many deem "secondary matters," that is, views that have no bearing on one's salvation though are nevertheless important just by the mere fact that Scripture touches upon it (e.g., spiritual gifts, eschatology, etc.). But his voice is a trustworthy and proven voice and the MacArthur Study Bible is a most helpful resource that continues to have a wide-impact by the providence of God. My wife and I, along with many of our godly friends, can testify to that. Enjoy the commercial!

William Perkins' Preaching Ministry (Part 6)

2009-09-16T23:37:00.000-07:00

Whereas parts 3-5 focused on William Perkins Precondition to preaching sermons, the series will now focus on his Preparation for preaching sermons.

William Perkins’ Preparation for Preaching Sermons

Preparation 1: Method of Interpreting Scripture

William Perkins believes that in the exercise of interpreting the Bible, the duty of the interpreter is to exegete its single and natural sense, that is, the literal intent, which is the only legitimate sense of the Bible. However, his primary suggestions for interpreting Scripture are not methods to discover that single sense. Rather, his principal emphasis is on the human interpreter’s need to subordinate himself to the chief interpreter, that is, the Holy Spirit. His reasoning is simple: “The one who makes the law is the best and the highest interpreter of it."

Perkins’ other primary suggestion for interpreting Scripture is an emphasis on custom, a custom of vigilant private study (see Dan 9:2; 1 Tim 4:13; 1 Pet 1:10). He advises a five-stage strategy that must be applied in the preacher’s study. First, he is to fixate in his mind the sum and substance of biblical doctrine. Second, he is to read the Bible employing the grammatical, rhetorical and logical analysis, with other ancillary studies. He recommends that the preacher first read the epistle of Romans and the Gospel of John for they are keys that help one to comprehend the entire NT. Afterwards, Psalms and the doctrinal books of the OT are to be read, followed by Isaiah and the prophetic books, and finally Genesis and the historical books. Third, he is to consult ancient Christian writers from the past in order to combat both modern and revived heresies. Fourth, he is to jot down anything worthwhile noting for possible use in the future. Fifth, and most importantly, he is to earnestly pray to God for enablement in order to grasp the scriptures (Ps 119:18; Rev 3:18).

As far as interpretation methods are concerned, Perkins first advocates the use of the analogia fidei, that is, the clearer parts of Scripture the interpreter ought to turn to when he comes across a problematic verse or passage. Peculiar to his own approach, he includes the Apostles’ Creed as part of the analogy. Schaefer explains why Perkins may have adopted this practice:

"While such a use of tradition within a sola Scriptura framework might seem odd at first to a modern evangelical, it actually fits the standard sixteenth-century way of explaining the final normativeness of Scripture. To the sixteenth-century Reformed mind, the interpreter never stands alone but rather embraces a Trinitarian and redemptive reading as the matrix in which sound understanding arises. Such reflection in no way denudes the final authority of Scripture in matters of faith and practice, they claimed, because all such creedal expressions and teachings of humans finally must come under the searchlight of Scripture as final and only infallible authority. Human teaching derives authority only secondarily as both the individual exegete and the church catholic hold to the sure testimony of Scripture with humble and prayerful commitment."

So, for Perkins, analogia fidei is not necessarily limited to Scripture alone but all teachings accurately derived from Scripture.

Perkins also advocates the use of what he calls the “comparison with other passages” method. This interpretive method is simply an exercise of comparing different passages with one another in order that their meanings may become clearer. For example, Perkins uses Acts 9:22 to argue that Saul utilizes this method by “proving (i.e. by comparing one thing with another) that this Jesus is the Christ.” He advises that this method be applied either by comparing a statement in a context with another context where it emerges, whether the statement is altered or not (see table 2) or by comparing a context with another context, whether they are similar or dissimilar (see table 3). Tables 2 and 3 provide examples gathered from Perkins’ The Art of Prophesying.

Table 2. William Perkins’ “Comparison with Other Passages” Interpretive Method 1: When Comparing a Statement in a Context with the Same Statement in Another Context

Scenario & Example #1
Comparing a statement in one context with another context where it emerges unaltered (e.g., Isa 6:10 with Matt 13:14; Mk 4;12; Lk 8:10; Jn 12:40; Acts 28:27; Rom 11:8)

Scenario & Example #2
1. For exposition: Gen 13:15 and Gal 3:1

2. To clarify: Mic 5:2 and Matt 2:6

3. To limit to original sense: Gen 2:24 and Matt 19:5

4. For application/type and fulfillment: Jon 1:17 and Matt 12:40
5. For brevity: Zech 9:9 with Matt 2:15 (for brevity)

Table 3. William Perkins’ “Comparison with Other Passages” Interpretive Method 2: When Comparing a Context with Another Context, Whether Similar or Dissimilar
(Note that the similar ones agree either in phraseology or sense)

Scenario & Example #1

Comparing a context with another context with similar phraesology (Greek and Hebrew concordances are helpful here) (Gen 28:12 and Jn 1:51)

Scenario & Example #2

Comparing a context with another context with similar sense (similar meaning with the comparison of a general principle and an illustration of that principle) (Pro 28:13 and Ps 32:3-4)

Scenario & Example #3

Comparing a context with another context with dissimilar phraeseology or sense (no agreement in meaning) (Zech 11:13 and Matt 27:9; Rom 3:28 and Jas 2:24)

Another interpretive method Perkins advocates is what he calls “the circumstances of the particular passage” method. The purpose of this method is to clarify the passage before getting deeper into the passage. This is accomplished by asking basic questions: Who is writing? Who is speaking? Who is receiving? Who is listening? What occasion is this? What time is it? Where is it? What happened before? What happens after? etc. This is an elementary yet an essential interpretive principle and it is tantamount to what is known today as the process of observation in hermeneutics.

Perkins also deals with the interpreter’s need to discern the nature of a given passage. He explains that while there are analogical and plain passages that are consistent with the analogia fidei and with the scriptures, there are those that are not so easily identifiable. He calls these the “cryptical and hidden” or “difficult and dark” passages. For such he suggests that if the natural interpretation of a phrase disagree with the analogia fidei or the perspicuous parts of Scripture, it is obviously incorrect and the correct interpretation still needs to be sought. Schaefer implies that such was not problematic for Perkins since Reformed theologians understood that “perspicuity never meant that all places plainly expressed their meaning but rather that the basic teachings on God and redemption could be grasped clearly.”

Perkins also provides numerous linguistic helps to aid the preacher in his Bible interpretation, but they do not need to be mentioned here. All in all, he gave the primary of place to the guiding work of the Holy Spirit and the necessity of private study for achieving proper Scripture interpretation. He advocates the analogia fidei, the “compare with other passages,” and the “the circumstances of the particular passage” interpretive methods. He also acknowledges that God’s Word is both apparent and yet enigmatic, but did not question its authenticity whatsoever. This is his method of interpretation, simple on paper yet arduous when applied.

Notes:

Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 26.
Ibid., 23-25.
Schaefer, 45.
Ibid., 45.
Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 27.
Ibid., 27-29.
Ibid., 27.
The Workers of That Famous and VVorthy Minister of Christ in the Vniversitie of Cambridge, M. VVilliam Perkins, 654.
Schaefer, 46.
Ibid., 46.

Beware of Theological Perfectionism!

2009-09-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

Lee Irons from The Upper Register has an excellent article entitled "The Problem of Theological Perfectionism." Provided below is an excerpt but please, please, please be sure to read the entirety of the article. It's a good and necessary read. Thanks to Mr. Irons for writing this!

Here is the excerpt:

"In sum, what are the problems of theological perfectionism?

(1) It gives us the feeling that we are addressing spiritual realities when in fact we are engaging in a secondary, intellectual analysis of spiritual realities. This secondary activity is very important, but we must not think that engaging in it is a substitute for the primary activity of loving God and loving our neighbor.

(2) It causes us to think that everything hangs on getting it right intellectually, when we should be putting into practice what we already have come to understand by God's grace. If we have a clear understanding of the gospel and strong foundation for assurance grounded in the finished work of Christ, then sorting out the details of secondary theological issues need not be so pressing. As Paul said, the gospel is "of first importance" (1 Cor 15:3).

(3) Theological perfectionism promotes spiritual pride, rather than a sense of humility before God and awe at infinite mysteries that finite minds will never fully grasp. We must always make a clear distinction between the truth of God and our finite attempts to explain and formulate the truth of God. I don't want to sound too skeptical, for I believe that all things that are necessary for salvation are clearly taught in Scripture (the perspicuity of Scripture). But when it comes to matters that are less central, there are obscurities and mysteries.

(4) Theological perfectionism always causes disunity and dissension in the body of Christ. Of course, unity is founded on the truth of the gospel, and where the truth of the gospel is not agreed upon, there can be no true Christian unity. Nevertheless, there are matters not central to the truth of the gospel that have wrongly divided Christians. Often this happens because the two sides are afraid of the potential implications, theological or spiritual or practical, of some minor point. Instead of demonizing our opponents, we should try to believe that the Holy Spirit will restrain them from taking their error to what we fear to be its logical God-dishonoring conclusion."

Pimp Prosperity Preachers are Like a Box of Skittles

2009-09-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

This preacher's name is E. Dewey Smith. I hardly know anything about him so I neither endorse nor discount his ministry. I must admit what he says in this video is quite funny, however. Towards the end of this clip he says the following:

"You can’t tell the difference in some of us. We say we’re preachers but look like a box of skittles. Purple suits and yellow alligators and red… C’mon man, what are you? Are you a Rev. or…. going to the pimp convention?... ya don’t like what I’m saying because I’m talking about yo brotha!"

Ha Ha Ha... That's some funny stuff!

This other video in the bottom is just for your pure entertainment purpose. It's kind of old so you may have already seen it in the past. These pimp prosperity preachers mind as well sing these songs!

William Perkins' Preaching Ministry (Part 5)

2009-09-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

Precondition 3: Necessity of Holiness for Preaching

William Perkins strongly promotes the “holiness of heart and blamelessness of life” model for preachers. For him it is preposterous that a minister would approach the pulpit and proceed to preach as anything less than that. His admonition verifies this:

"Furthermore inasmuch as Ministers are Interpreters, they must labour for sanctitie, and holinesse of life… the kingdom of Assiria is saide to be sanctified or set apart, to destroye Gods enemies… If there be a certaine kind of sanctification, necessary for the worke of destruction, they howe much more is true sanctification necessary for this great and glorious worke of the edification of Gods Church? A Minister is to declare the reconciliation betwixt God & Man, and is hee himselfe not reconciled? Dare he present another man to Gods mercy for pardon, and neuer yet presented himselfe? Can hee commende the state of Grace to another, and neuer felt the sweetenesse thereof in his owne soule? Dare hee come to preache sanctification with polluted lips, and out of an unsanctified heart? Moses might not stand uppon the Mount in Gods presence, till hee had put off his shooes from off his feete. Exod. 3. & dare any man presume to come into this most high and holie presence of the Lorde, vntil hee haue mortified his corruptions, and cast off the vnrulines of his affections?"

It must be noted, however, that Perkins does not automatically reckon a “holiness of heart and blamelessness of life” individual as a qualified preacher. Rather, the point is that no individual can do the work of ministering and preaching without such venerable qualifications. He came up with five reasons why:

"1. Because the doctrine of the Word is hard to understand and practice. Consequently the minister ought to express what he teaches by his example, as a kind of model or type of his own message (Phil. 4:8; 1 Tim. 4:12; 1 Pet. 5:3). 2. A person is not godly, however much he may understand the Scriptures, if he does not possess an inward sense and experience of the Word in his heart (Gen. 18:17-19; Psa. 25:8, 9; Amos 3:7). 3. God abhors godly speech which is not joined with a godly life (Psa. 50:16, 17). As Gregory of Nazianzus (c.329-c.389) said, it is as strange to see someone who is supposed to guide others on the way wandering out of the way himself, as it is to see a physician with signs of disease in his own body. 4. It is one of the secrets of ministry that the minister ought to cover his infirmities, so that they are not obvious. Ordinary people do not distinguish between the ministry and the minister. They are not able to see the importance of the ministry without first assessing the person of the minister… Words do not make as great an impression on the soul as works do! 5. A minister who is wicked, either openly or secretly, is not worthy to stand before the face of the most holy and almighty God (Lev. 10:3; Isa. 6:6-8; Jer. 15:19). That is why the judgments of God remain for wicked ministers to tremble at (1 Sam. 2:17; 25)."

Hence, Perkins views preaching as a life-consuming responsibility, since it concerns the public ministry that must be in accord with the private life of integrity. One can surmise that it is this that caused him to doubt whether there is a more difficult challenge in the theological disciplines than the art of preaching. Remarkably, he demonstrates that he was very close to what he promotes, a preacher with a “holiness of heart and blamelessness of life.”

Notes:

Perkins, Of the Calling of the Ministerie, Two Treatises, ed. William Crashaw, 3d ed. (London: Printed by Thomas Creede, 1606), 4.
Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 72-73.

William Perkins' Preaching Ministry (Part 4)

2009-09-02T20:31:00.001-07:00

Precondition 2: Extent of Canon for Preaching
William Perkins holds to the common orthodox understanding of the extent of the Canon, thirty-nine OT and twenty-seven NT books. But he atypically divides the OT books into historical, doctrinal, or prophetic books. This division is illustrated in table 1.

Table 1. William Perkins' Division of OT Books

Historical Books
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
I and II Samuel
I and II Kings
I and II Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job

Doctrinal Books
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
The Song of Songs
Ecclesiastes

Prophetic Books
(Major Prophetic Book)
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
Daniel
Lamentations of Jeremiah

(Minor Prophetic Books)
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

Perkins holds that historical books are records of stories that illustrate and confirm doctrines gleaned from other books. He also holds that doctrinal books teach and prescribe theology. And he holds that prophetic books forecasts either divine judgment upon sinners or divine deliverance of Christ’s church at His return. His division of the NT books is more typical as he divides them into two types, histories (Matt-Acts and Rev) and letters (Rom-Jude).

Perkins is convinced that these books constitute the Canon for one basic reason: the persuading power and work of the Holy Spirit. He provides the following explanation for this phenomenon: “The elect, having the Spirit of God, first of all discern the voice of Christ speaking in the Scriptures. Furthermore, they approve the voice which they discern; and what they approve they also believe. Finally, believing they are (as it were) sealed with the seal of the Spirit.” Thus, for Perkins, it is solely the regenerate who is able to believe in the sixty-six books of the Canon. It is this very Canon that Perkins faithfully proclaimed throughout his preaching years. He rejects the Apocrypha as being part of the Canon.

Notes

Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 12-17.
Perkins’ held that there are numerous secondary witnesses that attest to the Canonicity of Scripture. See his elucidation in The VVhole Treatise of the Cases of Conscience Distinguished Into Three bookes, 130-144.
Ibid., 18.
Perkins, The Workes of That Famous and VVorthy Minister of Christ in the Vniversitie of Cambridge, M. VVilliam Perkins, 650.

Don't Waste Your Life!

2009-08-31T16:57:00.001-07:00

Good message! Good music (may or may not be your taste)! Good quality! Good video!

"God created us to live with a single passion to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives... But whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not waste your life (John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life, pp.37&47).

Credit: diamy00

William Perkins' Preaching Ministry (Part 3)

2009-08-26T23:50:00.000-07:00

William Perkins’ Precondition to Preaching Sermons

Precondition 1: Necessity of Scripture for Preaching

At the heart of William Perkins’ preaching is his adherence to 2 Tim 3:16. He adhered to the following:

"Touching the Author, the Scripture referreth it selfe vnto God. Therefore hee alone is the true and vndoubted author thereof and none but he… if God were not the author of Scripture, there would bee no one booke in the earth so fabulous and so full of errorur as it: which is to say, is blaspheme. For it speakes such things, as neuer any could speake, but God… if it were not the booke of God, then all Gods will should be hidden, and God should neuer yet have reuealed his will to man… it if had not beene the word of God, the falsehood thereof would haue been detected long agone. For there hath beene nothing falsly said of God at any time, which hee himselfe hath not at sometime or other, opened and reuealed. Euen as hee did detect and discover the falshood of the false prophet… Gods heavy hand, no doubt, would long since haue been vpon the Ministers and preachers of this word…"

The following deduction can be made from this quotation: (a) Since Perkins clearly observes that Scripture testifies to its authorship by God, and (b) Since Perkins fully believes that Scripture is authored by God, therefore, (c) Perkins confidently preached the Scriptures that he observes and believes is authored by God. Otherwise, by his own admission, God’s “heavy hand” would have ensued already. Perkins preached the word because he believed it is of God!

Perkins also place emphasis on the nature of Scripture, namely, its sufficiency, purity, and eternality. Sufficiency of Scripture for Perkins means that its completeness forbids the addition of any new revelation and deduction of already given revelation (Deut 12:32; Ps 19:7; Rev 22:18-19). Purity of Scripture means that its completeness precludes both deception and error (Ps 12:6). The eternality of Scripture refers to its quality of inviolability, that its commands cannot pass away until they are all accomplished (Matt 5:18).

Perkins believes that this sufficient, pure, and eternal nature of Scripture makes it a powerful tool of the Holy Spirit in preaching. In The Christian Doctrine or The Foundation of Christian Living Gathered Into Six Principles Necessarie for Every Man to Learn, which reads like a catechism, Perkins insists the following:

"Q. What outward mean must we use to obtain faith, and all blessings which comes by faith?
A: The preaching of God’s Word, and the administration of sacraments, and Prayer.
Q: Where is the Word of God to be found?
A: The whole Word of God, needful for salvation, is set down in the holy Scriptures.
Q: How do you know that the Scriptures are the Word of God, and not mens policies?
A: I am assured of it: first, the holy Ghost perswadeth the conscience that it is so. Secondly, I see it by experience: for the preaching of Scriptures have the power of God in them to humble a man, when they are preached, and cast him down to hell, and afterward to restore and raise him up again.
Q: What is the use of the Word of God preached?
A: First, it breedeth, and then increaseth faith in them which are chosen to salvation: but unto them that perish, it is by reason of their corruption, an occasion of their further damnation.
Q: How must we hear Gods Word that it may be effectual to our salvation?
A: We must come unto it with hunger-bitten hearts, having an appetite to the Word, we must mark it by faith, submit out selves unto it with fear and trembling, even then when our faults are reproved: lastly, we must hide it in the corners of our hearts, that we may frame our lives and conversation by it."

It is garnered from here that Perkins deems the preaching of Scripture to be effective in at least five ways: (1) it humbles the unbelievers, (2) it casts “down to hell” the unbelievers, (3) it restores and renews the humbled unbelievers, (4) it increases the faith of the “chosen to salvation” (i.e. believers) and/or (5) it further damns the unbelievers.

Furthermore, Perkins espouses a thoroughly Christocentric emphasis on Scripture. He lays out the sum and substance of its message with the following syllogism:

"Major Premise: The true Messiah shall be both God and man, from the seed of David. He shall be born of his heavenly Father’s bosom. He shall satisfy the law. He shall offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the faithful. He shall conquer death by dying and rising again. He shall ascend into heaven. In due time he shall return for judgment.
Minor Premise: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary, meets all of these requirements.
Conclusion: Therefore Jesus is the true Messiah."

Perkins argues that the major premise is drawn from the OT composed by the prophets and the minor premise from the NT composed by the apostles and evangelists. He sees a union between the former and the latter conveying a single message with one covenant of grace, given as a promise in the Old and fulfillment in the New. And so, Perkins’ holds that Scripture is unmistakably God-authored, sufficient, posses penetrating power, and presents Jesus Christ as its explicit theme. It is with this stance on Scripture that Perkins views that one should exercise the art of preaching.

Where Are the Faithful?

2009-08-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

Very well said! I feel spiritually small!

William Perkins' Preaching Ministry (Part 2)

2009-08-21T02:12:00.000-07:00

WILLIAM PERKINS’ PERCEPTION OF PREACHING

William Perkins in his preface to The Art of Prophesying makes the following illustrative statement regarding preaching: “The dignity of the gift of preaching is like that of a lady helped into and carried along in a chariot, while other gifts of speech and learning stand by like maidservants, conscious of her superiority.” He avers that this incomparably dignified spiritual exercise has dual value: (1) it is a divinely ordained instrument in assembling the church and drawing together all the elect people of God; (2) it is a divinely ordained instrument to drive away the spiritual wolves from amongst the sheepfold of God. He also views that it is magnetic in that it is “the allurer of the soul, by which our self-willed minds are subdued and changed from an ungodly and pagan life-style to a life of Christian faith and repentance.” He even views it as a vicious weapon in that it shakes “the foundations of ancient heresies, and also, more recently cut to pieces the sinews of the Antichrist.” Hence, Perkins is fully convinced that prophesying stood as the “most excellent” spiritual gift available to man from God.

Moreover, Perkins perceives that the highest level of mental commitment is essential for studying and acquiring the ability to correctly execute this “most excellent” gift. Consequently, it ceaselessly mandates a tremendous responsibility on the part of the preacher in preparation. He doubts that there is a more difficult challenge in the theological disciplines than the art of preaching. Furthermore, he views preaching as a solemn utterance by the prophet of God and as relating to the worship of God. It is this earnest preacher’s sermon methodology that is be explored and evaluated in this paper.

Perkins interchangeably used the words “preaching” and “prophesying.” Thus, such prophesying for Perkins was not about receiving new revelations from God but about accurately handling the perfectly revealed word of God given by inspiration through the penning of both prophets and apostles. The word “prophesying” was an Elizabethan adopted terminology for preaching that was distinctively penetrating, doctrinally sound, convicting of sin, and glorifying God’s sovereign grace (Schaefer, 39, 42).

Notes:

Perkins in his The Art of Prophesying argues that preaching has a dual value (p.3) but then adds that it is also “the allurer of the soul” and a “weapon.” Hence, it can be argued that Perkins actually viewed preaching as possessing a fourfold value.
William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying (1595; trans. 1606; reprint, Carlisle: Banner of Truth Trust, 2002), 3.
Ibid., 3.
Ibid., 3.
Ibid., 5.

William Perkins' Preaching Ministry (Part 1)

2009-08-17T13:55:00.001-07:00

Having concluded my modest effort to make William Perkins more known via my particular attention given to his life and ministry, I will now continue on with that same effort via emphasis given to his preaching ministry. Please note again that while there are some misspelled words by modern English standards, they are accurate quotations of the seventeenth-century English resources utilized. Enjoy!

William Perkins Preaching MinistrY

Synopsis of the Preacher

As influential a minister, scholar, and writer as Perkins was, his forte was undeniably his God-given ability to preach from the scriptures. His preaching was biblical, expository, lucid, practical, and very powerful. It is said of his preaching that they were all law and all Gospel. All law to expose the sinner’s sin and all Gospel to offer God’s free pardon for that same sin. Moreover, he was quite successful at it. Hence, his preaching was an awakening ministry that aroused sinners to perceive the certainty of their eternal damnation and its only solution through God’s gracious salvation.

Perkins was a sought after preacher. Clark notes that upon the discovery that he preached to the prisoners in Cambridge, which brought about the spiritual renovation of numerous convicts, “many resorted to that place out of the neighbor-Parishes to hear him.” Subsequently, he was chosen as the lecturer/preacher to Great St. Andrew’s parish church in Cambridge, a place of prominent pulpit ministry, where he preached for the remaining years of his life.

Perkins was also an effective soul-caring preacher. His preaching was not so plain that the erudite could not admire them. Yet, they were not so complex that the unlearned could not profit from them. He excelled at ministering to broken souls and those battling with doubtful and troubling consciences. Hence, it was common that “the afflicted in spirit came far and near to him, and received much satisfaction, and comfort by him.” His preaching was truly multifarious in that sense.

Perkins’ extraordinary eloquence was palpable ever since his earliest preaching years. Those familiar with Perkins probably came across the following notation by Fuller: “He would pronounce the word Damne with such an emphasis as left a dolefull Echo in his auditours eares a good while after. And when Catechist of Christ Colledge, in expounding the Commandments, applied them to home, able almost to make his hearers hearts fall down, and haires to stand upright.” Yet, as ingenuous as this report may be, it is actually an inexact representation of Perkins’ the preacher in entirety. Fuller adds that as this ardent young preacher seasoned and matured, “he altered his voice, and remitted much of his former rigidnesse, often professing that to preach mercy was that proper office of the Ministers of the Gospel.” So, his progressing effectiveness as a preacher was more owing to his attention to substance rather than his style.

Perkins was also a preacher who set his heart to practice the scriptures and not only to study and preach/teach the scriptures (cf. Ezra 7:10). In other words, he was a pious preacher—one who perseveringly paid close attention to his life and doctrine (cf. 1 Tim 4:16). Fuller points out that “Amongst those his many vertues worthy our imitation, his humility was eminent, in condescending to the capacity of his meanest Auditors.” Clark states that “his life was so pious, and spotlesse, that Malice was afraid to bite his credit into which he knew that her teeth could not enter.” Even when his friend prayed for the alleviation of pain caused by his deleterious kidney stones, Perkins requested, “Pray not for an ease of my Torment, but for an encrease of my Patience."

Perkins piety fused with his penetrating preaching influenced the ensuing generations of Puritan preachers. Schaefer writes that “William Haller, who, along with Perry Miller and M.M. Knappen, helped bring Puritan studies out of scholarly obsolescence, coined the phrase, ‘the spiritual brotherhood’ for this younger generation of preachers who absorbed the instruction of those like Chaderton and his pupil Perkins.” Moreover, a series of “Puritan worthies” also developed because of Perkins’s ministry. For instance, Perkins' ministry was instrumental in the spiritual conversion of Paul Baynes, his successor at St. Andrews. Baynes in turn was instrumental in the spiritual conversion of the famous Puritan Richard Sibbes, considered the second William Perkins due to his influence upon the rising generation of his contemporary Puritans. Sibbes was instrumental in the spiritual conversion of John Cotton. Cotton was instrumental in the spiritual conversion of John Preston. Preston was instrumental in the spiritual conversion of both Thomas Shephard and Thomas Goodwin. Peter Lewis writes that it was through Perkins’ “thorough and typically Puritan standards of expository preaching and strict and pious living, the younger generation of Puritans was immeasurably influenced by ‘Perkins our wonder.'"

Notes (see William Perkins' Life & Ministry posts for a fuller bibliography for some of the sources listed below):

Peter Lewis, The Genius of Puritanism (Hayward Heath: Carey Publications, 1975), 20-21.
Hulse, 44.
Clark, 415.
Ibid., 415.
Ibid., 415.
Fuller, The Holy State and the Profane State, 82.
Ibid., 82.
Clark, 417.
Schaefer, 41.
Ibid., 41.
Lewis, 24.
Schaefer, 41.
Lewis, p.21.

Unfortunately True!

2009-08-10T01:18:00.000-07:00

Can you disagree with what they're saying?

Woe to You!

2009-08-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

I think myself and those in "my camp" need to hear this, repeatedly. I can't think of anyone else in greater danger of becoming like the Pharisees.

William Perkins' LIfe & Ministry (Part 4)

2009-07-29T00:58:00.000-07:00

Synopsis of Post-Conversion Years: Youth to Adulthood (Continued)

Perkins was not an insipidly isolated-ivory-tower academician, however. As much as he was a scholar among scholars, he was also a scholar for the common people. For example, his success as an across-the-board writer was largely due to his inimitable ability “to extract ideas from others, to combine them with his own insights and to relate the result to the needs of laity, ministers and scholars over a wide range of subjects." Breward notes that an examination of his writings suggests two main reasons why he was so popular internationally and extensively—“an ability to clarify and expound complex theological issues which aroused the respect of fellow scholars and a fit for relating seemingly abstruse theological teaching to the spiritual aspirations of ordinary Christians.” Hence, he possessed what might be called a “ministerial scholarship” or “relevant scholarship” or even “significant scholarship.”

Perkins’ ministry also extended beyond the common people. He was known as one who, following his conversion, dealt sympathetically with those in dire spiritual need. But his sympathy was externalized in gospel-ministry, not merely in charitable deeds. For instance, upon his first entrance into the ministry of the Gospel, “the first beam he sent forth shined to those which sat in darknesse and the shadow of death,” that is, the prisoners incarcerated in the castle of Cambridge. These were individuals living detached from Christ, bound in their fallen flesh and seared in their consciences—the epitome of Rom 3:10-18. Yet, he made it his personal business to obtain permission to convene with these prisoners so that he might minister to them even as he did among the large crowds that came to hear him preach at St. Andrews. Fuller provides the following details regarding this personal ministry:

"Perkins prevailed so far with their jaylour, that the prisoners were brought… to the Shire-house hard by, where he preached unto them every Lords day. Thus was the prison his parish, his own Charity his Patron presenting him unto it, and his work was all his wages. Many an Onesimus here he begat, and as the instrument freed the prisoners from the captivity of sin."

Clark also adds that it was his “manner to go with the prisoners to the place of execution when they were condemned, and what successe his labours were crowned with… by this example.” Perhaps, it would be fair to reckon that Perkins’ sympathetic ministry is akin to the ministry model of Jesus Christ Himself, who “did no come to be served, but to serve (Matt 20:28)” and was also “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matt 11:19).

This was the post-conversion William Perkins. A man radically transformed and renewed by the grace of God. A former reckless and profane individual and a drunkard, who became the most esteemed Elizabethan Puritan—whose ministry influenced both his contemporaries and those of the ensuing generations, even in the international domain. One whose theology did not cause him to become cold or callous towards sinners but mercifully brought his theology to both the learned and the unlearned, the scholarly and the laity, the minister and the commoner, even the socially outlawed and communally confined—those who were cold and callous against his God even as he once was.

Notes:

Breward, 116.
Ibid., 113.
www.apuritansmind.com/williamperkins/williamperkins.htm
Fuller, The Holy State, 81.
Hulse, Who Are The Puritans?, 44.
Fuller, The Holy State, 81.
Clark, 416.

William Perkins' LIfe & Ministry (Part 3)

2009-07-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

Here is part 3 of the series on William Perkins. Bear in mind that there are some misspelled words by modern English standards.

Synopsis of Post-Conversion Years: Youth to Adulthood

Perkins’ scholarly ability demonstrated during his rebellious years was now put to valuable use. Samuel Clark provides an example of his intellectual aptitude: “He had a rare felicity in reading of Books, and as it were, but turning them over, would give an exact account of all that was considerable therein: He perused Books so speedily that one would think he read nothing, and yet so accurately that one would think he read all.”

He also collaborated with other intellectually and spiritually able men such as Chaderton, Richard Greenham (1531-1591), and Richard Rogers (1550-1620) to form a spiritual brotherhood at Cambridge that advocated Calvinistic Puritan convictions. This amalgamation of God-gifted ability with spiritual and theological accountability proved expeditiously effective. Fuller notes:

"The happy houre was now come wherein the stragling sheep was brought home to the fold, and his vanity and mildnesse corrected into temperance and gravity. It is certainly known and believed, that if Quick-silver could be fired (which all coufesse difficult, and most conclude impossible) it would amount to an infinite treasure; so when the roving parts, the giddy an unstable conceits of this young Scholar began to be settled, his extravagant studies to be confined and centered on Divinity, in a very short time he arrived at an incredible improvement."

Schaefer adds that Perkins continued to mature “after the Cambridge and southeastern England controversies over vestments and church government.”

Perkins rapid maturity both spiritually and academically eventually made him “the most influential of Elizabethan puritans,” and “the prince of puritan theologian and the most eagerly read” among his contemporaries. According to Curt Daniels, Perkins “became the Cambridge Calvin. To be more precise, he was the Beza of Cambridge. Perkins closely modelled [sic] his theology after Beza… Though not as well known today, Perkins exercised far more influence among the later Puritans than anyone else. His books sold like theological hotcakes.” Breward explains just how popular his writings were and why they were so popular:

"Perkins was the first theologian of the reformed Church of England to achieve an international reputation on the basis of editions published outside Britain… A check in major European libraries for editions for Perkins published outside Britain has revealed fifty printed in Switzerland, nearly sixty in various parts of Germany and over 100 in the Netherlands. Smaller printings were made in France, Bohemia and Hungary… Perkins shared his knowledge of and dependence upon Reformed and Lutheran Scholars, but what makes him so important is that by the end of the sixteenth century his writings had begun to displace those of Calvin, Beza and Bullinger. Though he was not a scholar of the first rank, his gift for rapid and retentive reading, clarity of thought and expression, felicity with his pen and influence in Cambridge enabled him both to reach a wide audience and fill some of the yawning gaps in the theological equipment of the Elizabethan Church."

Indubitably, such comparisons to and even surpassing the achievements of the giants of the Protestant Reformation, coupled with his distinctive academic ability, corroborates his impressive scholarship regarding things divine.

Notes:

Samuel Clark, The Marrow of Ecclesiastical History, 3d ed. (London: W.B., 1675), 416.
“In 1570 Greenham left the academic atmosphere of Cambridge, where he had been a tutor, to take up pastoral work in the humble village of Dry Drayton about five miles from Cambridge. There he laboured for twenty years, only occasionally preaching away from home. Greenham was pastor par excellence, a physician able to discern the deep experiences of the soul, an expert in counseling and comforting. He constantly rose, winter and summer, at 4 a.m. He refused several lucrative offers of promotion and abounded in acts of generosity to the poor. Young men came to live at Dry Drayton, forming a ‘School of Christ’ and devoting themselves to the Scriptures and to the outworking of the Word in their own souls and the souls of others. Why should a village situation be exciting? The answer is that here we see a microcosm of a wider work, the rooting of the gospel in rural England. Richard Greenham was criticized for his nonconformity and the manner in which he conducted worship services. He was passive in his resistance. He did not wish to argue about things he regarded as adiaphora, that is, things different. He preached Christ, and him crucified, and simply pleaded for tolerance that he should continue to be a faithful minister of Christ. He enjoyed the friendship of men of influence who always managed to put in a good word for him and thus keep him out of trouble” (Hulse, 41).
“In 1574 Richard Rogers became a preacher of God’s Word in the village of Wethersfield, Essex, there to labour for the conversion of souls, but also to work at the mortification of sin in his own soul. Like Greenham, he kept a school for young men in his house. Having first committed himself to the rigours of the godly life, he wrote in detail on practical godly living. This was called The Seven Treatises, a work which went through seven editions before 1630. His close friend and neighbour Ezekiel Culverwell expressed the wish that readers of the book could have seen it author’s practice with their own eyes and heard his doctrine with their own ears. Here we see illustrated a fascination with the essence of godliness. Rogers kept a diary and from it can be seen a man walking as closely as possible with God. One of his series of expositions gained fame, namely, discourse on the book of Judges. We should not imagine that Rogers led an easy life, being waited on by servants, so that he could give himself to spiritual exercises. Besides the care of his immediate large family we read of him that ‘He did regard it as his duty to meditate, study and write but at the same time he carried on no less conscientiously the activities of a householder, a farmer, a figure in the countryside, a preacher, a pastor, a reformed and the head of a boarding school’” (Hulse, 42-43).
Beeke, www.apuritansmind.com/williamperkins/beekejoelperkinspredestinationpreaching.htm
Fuller, Abel Rendevivus or The Dead Yet Speaking, 433.
Paul R. Schaefer, “The Arte of Prophesying” in The Devoted Life, ed. Kelly M. Kapic and Randall C. Gleason (Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 2004), 38.
John Morgan, Godly Learning (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1986), 25.
Patrick Collinson, The Elizabethan Puritan Movement (New York: Oxford University Press, 1967), 125.
Curt Daniels, The History and Theology of Calvinism (Springfield: Good Books, 2003), 41.
Schaefer adds, “Perkins’s fame spread well beyond the borders of his England. Churchmen from other lands translated his treatises into a number of languages including Dutch, German and Polish. In the land of his birth, salves of his works soon eclipsed even those of Calvin and lined the bookshelves of “the godly.” (“The Art of Prophecying” in The Devoted Life, p.40).
Ian Breward, “The Significance of William Perkins,” 113, 116.
The following are two possibilities why Perkins is scantly known in the twenty-first century Christianity: “Although William Perkins was one of the most widely read preachers of his own age, and one of the most outstanding theological thinkers of the Elizabethan era, many, even among those who regularly buy and read Puritan reprints, scarcely know of him. Part of the reason for this might be that unlike the writings of notables such as Owen, Baxter and Sibbes, few of Perkins’s works actually have been reprinted in either of the Puritan reprint revivals of the nineteenth or twentieth centuries. Another reason for this might be the quandary of exactly how to under Perkins, a man whose scant forty-four years (1558-1602) nevertheless spanned almost he entirety of the religiously tumultuous reign of Elizabeth I (reigned 1558-1603) (Schaefer, 38).

Are You Appointed to Eternal Life?

2009-07-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

"When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."

-Acts 13:48 NASB

"After the detailed account of Paul's sermon in Pisidian Antioch, we are told that many Gentiles 'honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed' (13:48). An excellent exercise is to discover all the ways Acts, or even the entire New Testament, speaks of conversion and of converts--and then use all those locutions in our own speech. For our ways of talking about such matters both reflect and shape the way we think of such matters. There is no biblical passage that speaks of 'accepting Jesus as your personal Savior' (though the notion itself is not entirely wrong). So why do many adopt this expression, and never speak in the terms of verse 48? (D.A. Carson, For the Love of God, Vol.1, July 27)"

William Perkins' LIfe & Ministry (Part 2)

2009-07-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

Here is my second installment on the life and ministry of the great Elizabethan Puritan, William Perkins:

Synopsis of Personal Conversion: Youth

Perkins’ conversion is somewhat evocative of the apostle Paul’s Damascus Road experience, but in a much less shocking and frightening manner. Just as the apostle heard a voice, so did Perkins. Just as the apostle was made known of his sin, so was Perkins. Just as the Damascus Road experience was the first step toward conversion on the part of the apostle, so was a particular experience on the part of Perkins. What makes Perkins’ conversion less shocking and frightening is that the voice he heard was not the voice of a divine but a young mother chiding her child. His sin made known to him was not the persecution of Christ but more so an absence of Christ in his life. And although the Damascus Road experience of Paul outshines most conversion experiences, his experience was alarming enough to lead him to take his first step towards his own spiritual conversion. The following is a recount of this “first step” experience:

"He was much devoted to drunkenness. While he was walking through town, he heard a young woman say to her child, “Hold your tongue, or I will give you to drunken Perkins, yonder.” Finding himself as a byword among the people his conscience gripped him and became so deeply impressed by it that it was a first step to his conversion. After his conversion he became a strong exponent of Calvinism and always dealt sympathetically with those in spiritual need."

Fuller offers an interesting possibility as to why God may have allowed Perkins to persist in his godlessness for so long:

"Probably divine Providence permitted him to run himselfe with the prodigal Son out of breath, that so he might be the better enabled experimentally to reprove others of their vanity, effectually sympathizing with their sad condition, and be the better skil’d how to comfort and counsell them on their repentance. Why should God’s arme, which afterwards graciously overtook Master Perkins, be too short to reach others in the same condition."

Perkins’ new spiritual voyage had begun. He fled to Christ under the spiritual influence of the great Puritan leader Laurence Chaderton (1537-1635), also known as the pope of Cambridge Puritanism, his personal tutor and a lifelong friend. He heaved his debauched ways and began to bear spiritual fruits worthy of God. Moreover, he relinquished his quest for mathematical studies and fascination with the practice of magic. In their place, he took up what was to suffuse the remaining years of his life, theology and ministry, particularly in writing and preaching. In the words of Fuller: “True it is he was very wild in his youth till God… graciously reclaim’d him.”

Notes:

Dr. Willaim Perkins, www.apuritansmind.com/williamperkins/williamperkins.htm
Fuller, Abel Rendevivus or The Dead Yet Speaking, 432.
“Laurence Chaderton…lived to be almost a hundred years old and published little. He came from a wealthy Roman Catholic family by whom he was ‘nuzzled up in Popish superstition.’ He suffered disinheritance when he embraced the gospel and Puritanism. A well-known benefactor at the time was Sir Walter Mildmay, who founded Emmanuel College at Cambridge. Sir Walter chose Chaderton to be master of that college, a position which he filled for forty years. He was a lecturer for fifty years at St Clement’s Church, Cambridge. When he eventually came to give up his lectureship at St Clement’s, forty ministers begged him to continue, claiming that they owed their conversion to his ministry. There is a description of him preaching for two hours, after which he announced that he would no longer trespass on his hearer’s patience, whereupon the congregation cried out, ‘For God’s sake, sir, go on! Go on!’” (Erroll Hulse, Who Are The Puritans? [Darlington: Evangelical Press, 2000; reprint, 2001], 44).
Beeke, www.apuritansmind.com/williamperkins/beekejoelperkinspredestinationpreachin preaching.htm
Fuller, The Holy State, 81.

William Perkins' LIfe & Ministry (Part 1)

2009-07-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I've had the privilege learning about and from the great Elizabethan Puritan and preacher, William Perkins. I was first introduced to him by reading Erroll Hulse's introductory book, Who Are The Puritans? (Buy It Here), and remember that for some reason he stood out to me more so than the rest of the puritan greats (perhaps, due to his excellence in the pulpit). Well, by God's providence I was provided the opportunity to read of him and study him more. It is probably true that many Christians have never heard of the man. This blog-series is my modest effort to make him more well known. Note: there are some misspelled words by modern English standards but they are accurate quotations of the seventeenth-century English resources utilized. Enjoy!

WILLIAM PERKINS' LIFE & MINISTRY

"It was through the pulpit that Puritanism made its mark on the English nation in the early seventeenth century."

–Leland Ryken

This observation by Ryken is remarkably true. The more notable Puritans, such as John Cotton, Thomas Goodwin, John Preston, and Richard Sibbes, were primarily preachers of the scriptures. These men were not without a paradigm, however. Elizabethan Puritans, such as Laurence Chaderton, Richard Greenham, and Richard Rogers, were all model preachers, yet none were as influential as William Perkins. Sinclair B. Ferguson comments, “In his preaching at Great St. Andrews, Perkins proved to be an outstanding example of the principles he enunciated, and he set the standards which… pulpit giants… would emulate.” But such impact was not first without an internal reformation on the part of Perkins.

Synopsis of Pre-Conversion Years: Childhood to Youth

William Perkins was born to Thomas and Hannah Perkins in the village of Marston Jabbett in Bulkington Parish of the Warwickshire County in the year of 1558. Virtually nothing is known about his childhood years. Thomas Fuller notes in one of his biographical works that Perkins’ childhood “is a matter before dated in the Register of my Intilligence, whereof I can receive no instruction. Onely I dare be bold to conclude, that with Saint Paul, 1 Cor. 23.11. When he was a childe, he spake as a childe he understood as a childe, he thought as a childe… so we passe it over with silence.” Ian Breward concurs that between his birth and admittance into Christ’s College in Cambridge “Almost no details of this period survived."

A few things are known about Perkins’ youthful years in Cambridge, however, albeit mostly atrocious. Simply put, he was a young man given to drunkenness, profanity, and recklessness. It was not long after his admittance into Christ’s College in Cambridge that, despite possessing scholarly ability, his concentration was given to and his life was absorbed by untamed vileness. It was an age in which one may call it “the Mid-Summer Moon” or “the Dog-Days” of a man’s life. And although it is a mystery as to how and when Perkins exactly started to engage in such decadence, it is nevertheless certain that he took “such wild liberties to himselfe as oft him many a sigh in his reduced age.”

The Mid-Summer Moon days or the Dog-Days of Perkins’ life continued until his early graduate years. It was then that he became much more addicted to the study of natural magic. So intense was his addiction that people thought of him as bordering the very hell itself with regards to his curiosity for magic and equated it to “black art” or “blackness.” Fuller, however, while not conveying tolerance for his addiction, expresses that such an equation is an exaggeration and an ignorant observation of Perkins’ practice of magic:

"There goeth an uncontroll’d tradition, that Perkins, when a young scholar, was a great studier of Magick, occasioned perchance by his skill in Mathematicks. For ignorant people count all circles above their own sphere to be conjuring, and preferently cry out those things are done by black art for which there dimme eyes can see no colour or reason. And in such case, when they cannot flie up to heaven to make it a Miracle, they fetch it from hell to make it Magick, though it may lawfully be done by natural causes."

Hence, his addiction to magical practices was not what should be deemed as satanic or occultic but rather resultants of his trickery of hand or even careful calculation. Even so, his addiction was still that, an addiction. Coupled with his alcohol-prone lifestyle, he persisted in a debauched state of godlessness.

Notes:

Leland Ryken, Worldly Saints (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 91.
Sinclair B. Ferguson, foreword to The Art of Preaching (1595; trans. 1606; reprint, Carlisle: Banner of Truth Trust, 2002), x.
Thomas Fuller and Other Eminent Divines, Abel Rendevivus or The Dead Yet Speaking (1652), 431-432
Ian Breward, “The Significance of William Perkins,” The Journal of Religious History 4, no. 2 (Dec 1966): 116.
Joel R. Beeke, Perkins on Predestination and Preaching, www.apuritansmind.com/willia mperkins/beekejoelperkinspredestinationpreaching.htm
Fuller, 432.
Ibid., 432.
Thomas Fuller, The Holy State, 4d ed. (London: Printed by John Redmayne for John Williams, 1663), 81.

Humility is No Accident!

2009-07-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

"However, humility cannot be attained and explained solely by honest self-assessment, for Christ understood that he was able, perfect, and sinless in every way, and yet he was the very example of humility. Therefore, like other Christian virtues, humility is deliberate. One is not compelled to be humble, and one does not become humble by accident. Christ acknowledged that he was Teacher and Lord to his disciples, but he stooped to serve them, even to wash their feet (John 13:13-14). And this explains how we can remain humble before others even when we know that, by God's grace, we are genuinely superior to them in some respects. Humility is not an acknowledgement of inferiority, although it can include this when it reflects reality. But in its higher expression, it is thedeliberate act of stooping in one's attitudes and actions in order to serve others according to the will of God.

Our modern corporate world considers it healthy to always compete and compare, but this attitude can prove destructive to the Christian community. Yet one can often find it in the contexts of Christian discipleship and ministry. To the extent that we are concerned about becoming better and bigger than our brothers, and exhibiting our superiority before men, we are no longer serving God, but self. A humble man has a true assessment of himself, but there is also the spiritual strength to practice deliberate abasement and service before others."
-Vincent Cheung, Commentary on First Peter, pp.142-143

Check out Vincent Cheung's Website: Click Here

Calvin Turns 500 Today!

2009-07-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

In light of John Calvin's 500th...

Almost His Birthday!

2009-07-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

"Every one of us is, even from his mother’s womb, a master craftsman of idols."
-John Calvin

I wonder if Calvin cared much for birthdays.

James White Vs. George Bryson

2009-07-03T10:03:00.001-07:00

A long while back I posted a link to the following videos. Now that I figured out how to post the actual videos on my blog (I am not tech-savvy), I decided to post the following two. They are both from the same debate that was held at Anaheim Vineyard (I think). You'll quickly discern that the debate is about Calvinism and Arminianism with James White (Alpha & Omega Ministries) espousing the former and George Bryson (Calvary Chapel Theology) the latter. In the first video White cross-examines Bryson regarding John 6:44. I think it's fair to say that this is a very good example of when one's presuppositions that are brought to the biblical text do not, in fact, cannot, withstand the scrutiny of it and yet the subject (i.e., the one holding to his presuppositions) persistently does all that he can to make sense out of his no longer sustainable preconceived ideas. After all, admitting to it would necessitate radical ramifications for one's view of God, man, and the Bible, especially when it comes to the good ol' Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate. I do not think it's necessarily fair to say that Bryson wasn't trying to honor God, however. That much I think we should give him credit for.

Note: The title of this video, "Why George Bryson Won't Debate Anymore," is inaccurate and unfair as Mr. Bryson is willing to debate James White again. Here is what Mr. Bryson wrote me, "I have also offered to debate White on the question 'Does Calvinism teach that God is the author is sin?' He has declined so far which is his right to do." It'll be nice to verify this with James White.

Note2: Here is what James White wrote me recently: "I recently devoted some time on the DL to taking apart some of his most recent attempts to get around John 6, for example. We have tried to get him to commit to debate, but he has one caveat: no cross examination. Well, that's where a debate takes place, of course. He also does not want to debate a biblical topic, but only something where he has nothing to defend and can only attack."

The second video is James White's closing statement. Simply biblical and quite powerful!

Credit: Dr. Oakley 1689

Unequaled Greatness by Art Azurdia

2009-06-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

This powerfully Christ-centered sermon (an excerpt) is by Pastor Art Azurdia, one excellent preacher. Articulate, clear, genuine, passionate, and most importantly, biblical, is how I would describe his preaching ministry. Personally, his effective, and I mean effective, combination of varied tone and tempo that accompanies his faithful exposition is what stands out the most to me. If a preacher brings his listeners back to the Lord Jesus Christ and the cross, then there probably is no higher objective to aim for in the very event of preaching (at least in my opinion). This is exactly what Azurdia accomplishes in this sermon. Again, just an excellent preacher!

You can listen to more of his sermons by clicking here.

Credit: Truth Crossing

Proper Theological Methodology

2009-06-24T00:52:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite systematics is A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith by Robert L. Reymond (Thomas Nelson Publishers). Though I've never read it in its entirety (it is my goal to begin reading it this month from cover to cover), every time I've referred to it I've never been disappointed by it. R. Kent Hughes describes it as "a theology which will cast a gracious shadow into the next millennium. Students will turn again and again to this book, not only because it bears the grandeur of the best of Reformed thinking, but because the writing is so relevant and warm" (backcover). Buy it here.

Here is how Reymond describes his theological methodology, which I wholeheartedly agree with, and is itself worth the purchase:

"It must be ultimately God-centered in all its pronouncements and resist every human effort to intrude an unbiblical 'analogy of being' (analogia entis) into the biblical thought forms, that is to say, to put an 'and' or 'plus' where the Bible puts 'only' or 'alone.' For example, in theological methodology it must not say, 'I understand and I believe,' but 'I believe in order that I may understand'; in soteriology it must not urge 'God and man,' but rather 'God only' as Savior; it must not teach 'faith and good works' as the instruments for justification, but ratehr, 'faith alone'" (p.xix).

By the way, this quote reminds me of what Anselm of Canterbury, the brilliant medieval theologian, once wrote:

"I acknowledge, Lord, and I give thanks that You have created Your image in me, so that I may remember You, think of You, love You. But this image is so effaced and worn away by vice, so darkened by the smoke of sin, that it cannot do what it was made to do unless You renew it and reform it. I do not try, Lord, to attain Your lofty heights, because my undertanding is in no way equal to it. But I do desire to understand Your truth a little, that truth that my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand so that I may believe; but I believe so that I may understand. For I believe this also, that 'unless I believe, I shall not understand [Isa.7:9]" (Prosologian in Anselm of Canterbury The Major Works, p.87).

Desiring God

2009-06-21T21:31:00.001-07:00

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth."

-Psalm 73:25

"Whom have I in heaven but you? David declares that nothing, either in heaven or on earth, except God alone, and that without God, all other objects which usually draw the hearts of men towards them were unattractive to him. And, undoubtedly, God then obtains from us the glory to which he is entitled, when, instead of being carried first to one object, and then to another, we hold exclusively by him, being satisfied with him alone. If we give the smallest portion of our affection to the creatures, we in so far defraud God of the honour which belongs to him. And yet nothing has been more common in all ages than this sacrilege, and it prevails too much at the present day. How small is the number of those who keep their affections fixed on God alone!... And being with you, I desire nothing on earth.* This expression amounts to this: I know that of yourself, apart from every other object, you are sufficient, yes, more than sufficient for me, and therefore I do not let myself be carried away after a variety of desires, but rest in and am fully contented with you. In short, that we may be satisfied with God alone, it is of importance for us to know the plenitude of the blessings which he offers for our acceptance" (John Calvin, Heart Aflame, p.171).

Preservation from God Alone

2009-06-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a short and helpful observation from John Calvin on God-centered faith and perseverance:

“Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You…”

-Psalm 70:4a

"We may infer from this, that our faith is only proved to be genuine when we neither expect nor desire preservation otherwise than from God alone. Those who devise various ways and means of preservation fro themselves in this world, despise and reject the salvation which God has taught us to expect from him alone. What had been said before, those who seek you, is to the same purpose. If any individual would depend wholly upon God, and desire to be saved by his grace, he must renounce every vain hope, and employ all his thoughts towards the reception of his strength" (John Calvin, Heart Aflame, p.165).

Just Do Something for God and Live!

2009-06-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

Now here's a book about discerning or enjoying the will of God that seems worth reading. Monergism Books summarizes it as follows:

"Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung counsels Christians to settle down, make choices, and do the hard work of seeing those choices through.

Too often, he writes, God’s people jump from church to church, workplace to workplace, relational circle to relational circle, worrying that they haven’t found God’s perfect will for their lives.

But God doesn’t need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He’s already revealed His plan for our lives: to love Him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like."

I think this summary itself is worth $8.79, which is what Monergism Books is selling it for Here.

I think that we belabor too much on discerning the perfect will of God for our lives rather than assigning Him the place of preeminence and in faith just going where He wants us to go, living where He wants us to live, serving where He wants us to serve, striving as He wants us to strive, struggling as He wants us to struggle, etc. I mean, we really do believe that God is sovereign and possesses omniscience? We really do trust that He knows what is best for us? We really do have faith that He who began a good work is us will surely see to it that He completes what He initiated in us?

I think we forget (or ignore) the reality that the Word of God is already the revealed will of God and instead venture into wanting more of what God has not revealed to us as if that which is already revealed is not sufficient enough or undesirable. By the way, do we ever wonder if God feels disrespected when we do that? Do we ever stop to think about how selfish we are when we are consumed with the will of God for our lives only?

I think what we should be striving for is not so much to discern the perfect will of God for our lives, but to seek even more to honor God in all our decisions and henceforth, be willing to submissively experience the unfolding of our choices before God. That is certainly more preferable, for it would make life so much more simplified, and the thought of a life more simplified makes it sensible to deduce that it would leave room for less distractions in our walk with God (at least potentially). Can we not all use less distraction in our lives anyway for the benefit of our souls (e.g., internet, TV, fastfood restaurants, etc.)?

Like Augustine said, "Love God and do what you please." Now, go live simply for the glory of God!

Warning and Encouragement Concerning the Lord's Supper

2009-06-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

"Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord."

-1 Corinthians 11:27

Here is John Calvin's thoughts on the serious offensiveness of taking the Lord's Supper "in an unworthy manner":

"To eat unworthily, then, is to pervert the pure and right use of it by our abuse of it. Hence there are various degrees of this unworthiness, so to speak; and some offend more grievously, others less so. Some fornicator, perhaps, or perjurer, or drunkard, or cheat, (1 Corinthians 5:11,) intrudes himself without repentance. As such downright contempt is a token of wanton insult against Christ, there can be no doubt that such a person, whoever he is, receives the Supper to his own destruction. Another, perhaps, will come forward, who is not addicted to any open or flagrant vice, but at the same time not so prepared in heart as became him. As this carelessness or negligence is a sign of irreverence, it is also deserving of punishment from God. As, then, there are various degrees of unworthy participation, so the Lord punishes some more slightly; on others he inflicts severer punishment" (1 Corinthians in Calvin's Commentaries, pp.385-386).

And here is Calvin's thoughts on encouraging the weak to partake of the Lord's Supper:

"At the same time, it is not a perfect faith or repentance that is required, as some, by urging beyond due bounds, a perfection that can nowhere be found, would shut out for ever from the Supper every individual of mankind. If, however, thou aspirest after the righteousness of God with the earnest desire of thy mind, and, trembled under a view of thy misery, dost wholly lean upon Christ’s grace, and rest upon it, know that thou art a worthy guest to approach the table — worthy I mean in this respect, that the Lord does not exclude thee, though in another point of view there is something in thee that is not as it ought to be. For faith, when it is but begun, makes those worthy who were unworthy" (p.388).

So Gifted!

2009-06-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Some guys just have it! Certain men are endowed with extraordinary gifts (plural). Some men are brilliant thinkers (such as Jonathan Edwards); some are incredible athletes (such as Lebron James); some are supreme preachers (such as John Piper); some are great singers (such a Luther Vandross [man, he’s smooth]); etc. Then there are men who seem to have it all. One who is supremely intelligent, athletic, preaches very well, and even sings well. John MacArthur is one such man. Now, while I am no MacArthurite (though I do hold him up as one of my heroes in the faith), I gotta give it up to the man. He’s one of the main reasons why I went to The Master’s Seminary and a major player through whom I was further introduced to Reformed theology or the doctrines of grace. Actually, it was God who used MacArthur as a “means” to accomplish such ends, for which I am forever grateful to Him! But going back to what I was saying, I gotta give it up to him. The man is obviously brilliant (no need to get into that), a natural athlete (could have been a professional), great expositor (unleashing God’s Word one verse at a time), and also a great singer. Yes, a “great singer”! In fact, a great singer and even a better rapper! Click Here to listen to him sing a solo. Afterward, Click Here to listen to him rap. Indeed, certain men are endowed with extraordinary gifts, but some pretty much have 'em all.

The Constant and Gradual but Never Static Goodness of God

2009-06-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

"We are not to understand that believers are fully replenished with the goodness of God at any one moment; it is conveyed to them gradually; but while the influence of the Spirit are thus imparted in successive measures, each of them is enriched with a present sufficiency, till all be in due time advanced to perfection. While it is true, as stated (Ps. 103:5), that 'God satisfies our mouth with good things,' at the same time it is necessary to remember what is said elsewhere, 'Open your mouth, and I will fill it.'"

-John Calvin, Heart Aflame, p.155

Advice on Combating the Entertainment Lure

2009-06-01T23:29:00.000-07:00

While all entertainment is not sinful, like most things in life it can lead to habitual sin. Somebody asked the following question to Pastor John Piper:

"I believe I do love Jesus, but most of the time I'd rather spend time being entertained than spend time in God's word. How do I break this hold that entertainment has on my heart?"

Have some (or most) of us not desired to ask that question at least at one point in our lives but were too afraid to actually verbalize it out of fear of being rebuked or perceived as spiritually weak or immature? Well, here is Piper's helpful response (you can also read, listen to, watch, or download it by going Here), and I do appreciate the patient manner and tone in which he offers his counsel:

"That's a very good question. And I think it's especially relevant because we live, I think, more now than ever, in a day when entertaining kinds of things are immediately accessible.

I was thinking the other day of the difference between our temptations and, say, 250 years ago, the day of Jonathan Edwards. Edwards would write about the folly of young people getting together to do "frivolous conversation" or other worse things. ("Bundling" it was called: getting in bed together and keeping your clothes on, that sort of thing. Just spice up life a little bit. Life gets boring in New England 250 years ago.)

Today we carry in our pockets radio, television, internet, and games, and anything that would be titillating, fun! And "fun" is a word in the church today that's just rampant! It's an adjective, it's a noun, it's a verb, because we do ministry in order to fit this mentality.

I'm deeply concerned about that. I want to stand for seriousness about God, instead of making him palatable by making him "fun"! Turning him into another piece of entertainment.

So this question is, "How do you break free from that kind of addiction?"

1. Recognizing it is a huge step in the right direction.
2. Seek the Lord earnestly about it. Pray like crazy that God would open your eyes to see wondrous things out of his law.
3. Immerse yourself in the Bible, even when you don't feel like it, pleading with God to open your eyes to see what's really there.
4. Get in a group where you talk about serious things.
5. Begin to share your faith. One of the reasons we are not as moved by our own faith as we are is because we almost never talk about it to any unbeliever. It starts to feel like a kind of hothouse thing, and then it starts to have a feeling of unreality about it. And then the powers of entertainment have more sway in our life.

And so those would be some of the things, but ultimately it's a gift of grace to feel the glory of God.

One last suggestion: think about your death. Think about your death a lot. Ask what you'd like to be doing in the season of life, or hours or days, leading up to meeting Christ. I do that a lot these days. I think about the impact of death, and what I would like to be found doing, and how I would prepare to meet him and give an account to him."

Greater Works You Will Do!

2009-05-31T00:26:00.000-07:00

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father."

-John 14:12

Here is a good-short commentary on John 14:12 by John MacArthur:

"Maybe a good illustration is in John 14...John 14, and we won't spend a lot of time with this, but it's such a wonderful text. The disciples the night when Jesus was betrayed were struggling through all kinds of things, wondering about what their future was going to be like. So in John 14:12 Jesus says this, "Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also." That's pretty shocking. You put your trust in Me, you put your faith in Me and the works that I do you will do. He further says, this is even more shocking, "And greater than these." Not greater works, not works is not in the original. "And greater than these shall he do because I go to the Father." Not greater in terms of kind, but greater in terms of extent. You will be able to do things that change people's lives. As long as Jesus was on earth, His power was limited to His presence. Wherever He was, His power was expressed. Wherever the Twelve were, their power was expressed. When the seventy were sent out, wherever they were they was expressed but it was confined to the land of Israel and no further. But when Jesus went to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit, the Day of Pentecost, the explosion began and we have not done greater works, you couldn't do greater works than the greatest work Jesus does and the greatest work Jesus does is raise the spiritually dead, right? The greatest work is the work of regeneration, the work of salvation, the work of conversion, transformation, the new birth that's discussed in John 3. That's the great work of Jesus, that's what He came to do... to seek and to save that which was lost, to bring salvation. That work is the greatest work that He did, we can't do a greater work but we are used by God to do it at a greater extent. The limits are off and we have been used along with all the generations prior to this generation to take the gospel to the ends of the earth and to go to those places and to teach the truth and to live the truth and to live a gracious and forgiving life, to do all the things that seem impossible. We do them because when Jesus went back to heaven, it says if you follow the text, "I will ask the Father, He'll give you another helper that He may be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth." Jesus goes back, He sends the Spirit, the Spirit comes and we are now empowered as we entrust our lives to the power of God and the indwelling Spirit. We can do everything that He asks. And that's what it says in John 14, "Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it that the Father may be glorified in the Son." "In My name" means consistent with who I am, consistent with My will" (Four Hallmarks of Humility, Part 3).

God Is Our Helper!

2009-05-24T02:02:00.000-07:00

“O give us help from against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain.”

-Psalm 60:11

Here is a great and necessary reminder that believers ought to seek help from God. It is indeed a basic Christian principle, but one that our pride tends to dispense with. Note carefully how John Calvin distinguishes God’s help that arrives via human agency:

“God, in accomplishing our preservation, may use the agency of man, but he reserves it to himself, as his peculiar prerogative, to deliver, and will not suffer them to rob him of his glory. The deliverance which comes to us in this manner through human agency must properly be ascribed to God. All that David meant to assert is, that such confidences as are not derived from God are worthless and in vain. And to confirm this position he declares in the last verse of the psalm, that as, on the one hand, we can do nothing without him, so, on the other, we can do all things by his help” (Heart Aflame, Calvin, p.144).

Do you see the implication? The implication that while we may cry and seek God to hear and answer us in our deepest troubles, and even in the ordinary struggles of everyday life, that He is not absent nor has He turned a deaf ear to you? The very encouraging words you hear from a brother or sister in the midst of your discouragement, the very gracious monetary gift you receive in the midst of your economic struggles, the very hug that you receive from your spouse or child in the midst of your weakness, the very piercing words that you hear in a sermon in the midst of your self-pity and doubt, and so forth, are divine mercies that flow down to you from our helping God above. Perhaps, we may have thought to ourselves, “How is it that so and so shows me so much love and care but God seems absent?” or “How is it that that my friend seems to listen to my struggles but God just seems to not care?” Well, the chances are, and biblically speaking, that very love and care you have received, that very friend who cares to listen to your struggles, is not merely that which arises out of his or her virtue but rather “God’s help that arrives via human agency.” Now, this human agency does not negate human responsibility, which means that we ought to sincerely thank the very individuals who sincerely help, love, and support us, but it does entail God’s sovereign arrangement of people, place, and time to help you in your time of need. So, look back at all the gifts and helps you have received from man, and hopefully you will be able to see God’s helping hand in much of it. From henceforth, rob Him not of His glory.

J.W. Hendryx’s (Some) Criteria for Evaluating Preachers and Preaching

2009-05-13T23:48:00.000-07:00

Credit must be given to J.W. Hendryx from what I think is the best Reformed/theological website of all time, www.monergism.com, and also its great complementary blog, www.reformationtheology.com. Two of my absolute favorites! Here is his criteria for preaching:

"Authoritative – this “text” is binding upon believers and not to be demeaned.

Logical – the train of thought is followed easily and well structured.

He preaches BOTH the indicatives and the imperatives. The NT uses indicative statements when discussing the certainties of what God has done, is doing or will do for us. Imperative statements (on the other hand) are commands declaring from God what we should do. What God commands us to do (the imperative) as Christians is always based upon what He has done, is doing or will do for us in Christ (the indicatives). For example, the first three chapters of Ephesians are indicatives, declaring the foundational grace we have in Christ, while the following chapters, which say “therefore …” (live this way), are imperatives. Selecting a preacher who understands this should be a number one priority because this is the clearest indicator of whether he is preaching a full-orbed gospel, avoiding both legalism and antinomianism. What God has done for us in regeneration & justification results in preaching faith and obedience, because it is God working in us that makes this a reality.

Exegetical accuracy (including Christocentricity). In his sermons, does he demonstrate the significance of every text in the light of Christ and his cross? Does he demonstrate the centrality of Christ in both Testaments and in all different genres of the Holy Scriptures?

Doctrinal substance: Fear of man plays no role in how he preaches the text. If a Text speaks of an unpopular doctrine, he does not avoid it simply in order to maintain peace. It is the preacher’s job to communicate the fullness of God’s message.

In the pulpit doesn’t spend a lot of time talking about self – for the most part, leaves “me” of the message – He points to Jesus Christ. Although an occasional testimony to the power of God's grace in his life, tasteful confession of personal struggles, etc., if it does not detract from the message of the gospel, may be appropriate.

Pointed application – What is the message about, and what is the listener to learn and remember for the day/weeks ahead?

Follow up questions after the sermon has been preached:
1) Did the sermon comfort the distressed? and
2) Did it distress the comfortable?

God has made provision and He is relentless in reminding us that “our relationship with Him lasts because He chooses us, not because of our devotion and/or obedience. If we only do the former(#1) we’ll comfort the self-righteous; if we only do the latter (#2), we’ll lose our audience without Christ."

Colbert Embarrasses Ehrman

2009-05-02T23:31:00.000-07:00

You've got to see Stephen Colbert embarrass Bart Ehrman, the theological liberal. Check it out at Extreme Theology: Click Here. Must see, and quite entertaining!

The Preciousness of Time (Part 10)

2009-04-29T23:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the last entry of "The Preciousness of Time" from one of Jonathan Edwards's sermons. Enjoy!

"3. Improve well your time of leisure from worldly business. Many persons have a great deal of such time, and all have some. If men be disposed to it, such time may be improved to great advantage. When we are most nature, a happy opportunity for the soul is afforded. Therefore spend not such opportunities unprofitably, nor in such a manner that you will not be able to give a good account thereof to God. Waste them not away wholly in unprofitable visits, or useless diversions or amusements. Diversion should be used only in subserviency to business. So much, and no more, should be used, as doth most fit the mind and body for the work of our general and particular callings.

You have need to improve every talent, advantage, and opportunity, to your utmost, while time lasts; for it will soon be said concerning you, according to the oath of the angel, in Rev. x. 5, 6. ‘And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.’"

Jesus Christ Encourages Me!

2009-04-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

I’ve had the immense privilege of being encouraged by many brothers and sisters in Christ, particularly from those who attend Pillar Bible Church. They have encouraged me in numerous ways through gifts, laughter, ministry, words of wisdom, etc. For all that they’ve done for me and continue to minister to me, I will forever be in debt. But I must admit that I find my greatest encouragement when I am reminded of what Christ has done for sinners like me and how He is both the source and sustainer of my soul, thereby making it not merely a possibility but a reality that I persevere before God in the face of this world. You see, it’s no revelation that I am a BIG sinner, with particular struggles and many weaknesses (too embarrassing to list and too many to mention). I feel like a failure everyday. I am reminded of mistakes and sins in the past that I’ve repented of. I am tempted to think wrong thoughts of God. The devil both accuses and tempts me left and right. On top of it all, my flesh yearns for godlessness. This is not a special case, however, as I’m sure that you the reader can testify to this all so well. At times like this God providentially leads me to read of Christ, His love, His mercy, His sacrifice, His sufficiency, and His faithfulness to me. This is why I am learning to love Jesus Christ more and more as days go by. This is why I lean on Him and find my greatest encouragement. J.C. Ryle writes (geared towards young men and women without Christ but just as relevant even for those already in Christ):

"Do you want to consult friends? He is the best friend: ‘a friend who sticks closer than a brother’ (Proverbs 18:24). Do you feel unworthy because of your sins? Do not fear: His blood cleanses from all sin. He says, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’ (Isaiah 1:18). Do you feel weak, and unable to follow Him? Do not fear: He will give you the power to become sons of God. He will give you the Holy Spirit to live in you, and seal you for His own; He will give you a new heart, and He will put a new spirit within you. Are you troubled or beset with a strange bent to evil? Do not fear: there is no evil spirit that Jesus cannot cast out, there is no disease of soul that He cannot heal. Do you feel doubts and fears? Throw them aside: ‘Come to Me,’ He says; ‘whoever comes to me I will never drive away.’ He knows very well the heart of a young man. He knows your trials and your temptations, your difficulties and your foes. In the days of His flesh He was like yours--a young man at Nazareth. He knows by experience a young man's mind. He can understand the feeling of your temptations--because He Himself suffered when He was tempted. Surely you will be without excuse if you turn away from such a Savior and Friend as this."

Nothing encourages like Jesus Christ. This is why it is good to be a believer though it may be challenging and difficult at times.

Shall We Pray for Church Growth or Church Health?

2009-04-18T23:31:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, the natural man’s ideology of “the bigger the better,” whether it is with regards to one’s bank account, car, house, etc., is ordinary even within the church. It reminds me of a young woman’s emphasis on her externality and consequent pursuit to alter her body via surgical procedures all in order to get noticed more; a young man’s likewise emphasis on his externality and consequent pursuit to consume hormone elevating drugs all in order to attain the biggest muscles that his body can possibly hold. The church, and I am using that word loosely (as loosely as the term “evangelical” has become), deems such lifestyle as arising out misdirected goals that only proves to be futile. Ironically, the church is not guiltless of similar misdirection and futility. Just as a young woman or man’s new look does not equate to true health, or true beauty for that matter, many in the church fail to recognize that their bigness (numerically) does not necessarily equate to Christ-honoring healthiness. Yet, that seems to be the focus of many (I don’t know how many times people have asked me about how many people we have in our church, but I don’t ever recall being asked if we preach Christ and Him crucified). Perhaps, if we focus more on the healthiness of the church, God will see fit to bless it with health and beyond, even numerically. After all, does not God always bless abundantly? Does not God always give more than what we can ask, think, or receive? Did Jesus Christ not promise to build His church (Matthew 16:18)? Here is what Pastor Mark Dever has to say, to which I agree wholeheartedly:

"It is tempting to think that we should just pray that God would make our churches bigger. But what we’re really after is health, not just size. Churches can be incredibly unhealthy even when they’re big. A small, healthy church is better than a big, unhealthy church. That’s right. A bigger church isn’t always a better church. It may make us look better as leaders, but size doesn’t always indicate health (as so many of our bodies attest!). So it makes sense to stop and ask yourself: What are your motives for praying as you do for your church? When we gather as a group of elders, we need to be praying not just that God would make our church bodies bigger, but that He would make them healthier."
-Mark Dever, The Deliberate Church, p.177

We have enough numerically gigantic churches, but as always are lacking in healthy churches. This is not to imply that churches shouldn’t grow in size, but simply that we ought to constantly keep our emphasis in check and pray accordingly!

This Does NOT Suck!

2009-04-10T23:43:00.001-07:00

My previous post was properly entitled, “This Sucks!” Well, today’s post is properly entitled, “This Does NOT Suck!” Why? Because Christ’s death makes the following a reality:

"Although the words of personal invitation spoken by Christ do have promises or rest, and power to become children of God, and partaking of the water of life, it is helpful to make explicit just what Christ promises to those who come to him in repentance and faith. The primary thing that is promised in the gospel message is the promise of forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). And in Peter’s preaching of the gospel he says, ‘Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out’ (Acts 3:19; cf. 2:38).
Coupled with the promise of forgiveness and eternal life should be an assurance that Christ will accept all who come to him in sincere repentance and faith seeking salvation: ‘Him who comes to me I will not cast out’ (John 6:37)."

This Sucks!

2009-04-06T23:53:00.000-07:00

As an avid fan of the San Antonio Spurs, I must say that "it sucks!" Tim Duncan has been playing with bad knees and now Manu is out for the rest of the season, including the playoffs (Read It Here!). I hate to say it but things are looking worse and worse for the Spurs. Perhaps, the Spurs should have made the trade for Vince Carter, which would have been very interesting. But be that as it may, I will still root for them and not jump ship like some who have done, are doing, and will do. They can still win it, at least I am hoping!

The Preciousness of Time (Part 9)

2009-04-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

I didn't post on this series for some time now, but here is the second to the final one. Enjoy!

"2. Be especially careful to improve those parts of time which are most precious. Though all time is very precious, yet some parts are more previous than others; as, particularly, holy time is more precious than common time. Such time is of great advantage for our everlasting welfare; therefore, above all, improve your Sabbaths, and especially the time of public worship, which is the most precious part. Lose it not neither in sleep, or in carelessness, inattention, and wandering imaginations. How sottish are they who waste away, not only their common, but holy time, yea the very season of attendance on the holy ordinances of God!—The time of youth is precious, on many accounts. Therefore, if you be in the enjoyment of this time, take heed that you improve it. Let not the precious days and years of youth slip away without improvement. A time of the strivings of God’s Spirit is more precious than other time. Then God is near; and we are directed, in Isa . lv. 6. ‘To seek the Lord while he may be found, and to call upon him while he is near.’ Such especially is an accepted time, and a day of salvation; 2 Cor. vi. 2. ‘I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in a day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’"

Your Most Worthwhile Life Now!

2009-04-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

I don't think that one can have his or her best life now. But I do agree that when properly understood in light of the Word of God, and of course, by the regenerate, one should realize that he or she can actually have the most worthwhile life now for one reason (or should I say one being): GOD! God gives life to all (in the material sense), but in giving a new life to the elect (in the spiritual sense) He also grants them a worthwhile life to live. J.I. Packer notes:

"What makes life worthwhile is having a big enough objective, something which catches our imagination and lays hold of our allegiance; and this the Christian has in a way that no other person has. For what higher, more exalted, and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?"

Have You Heard This Song?

2009-03-31T23:59:00.001-07:00

Go to Pastor Kim Riddlebarger's blog (The Riddleblog) and check out the song, "Jesus Is My Friend." Click Here! Pastor Riddlebarger describes it most accurately: "A perfect marriage of pop rock and Pelagianism!" The main singer actually sings, "He (Jesus) taught me how to pray and how to save my soul." HOW TO "SAVE MY SOUL?" That is the very epitome of Pelagianism (Read a summary of Pelagianism here).

P.S. It's both funny a a bit embarrassing.

The Absurdities that Flow from the Doctrine of Universal Atonement

2009-03-26T23:54:00.000-07:00

Few reasons why universal atonement, though perhaps desirable, is not scripturally tenable according to Francis Turretin:

"The last argument on this subject is, the absurdities that flow from the doctrine of universal atonement. If Christ died for all men universally, it would follow:—1. That he died, on condition they would believe, for multitudes innumerable, to who his death has never been made known; and hence it was impossible that they could believe. 2. That he died for those whom he knew to be children of perdition, who God had passed by, and who would never, to all eternity, enjoy any of the fruits of his death; and so exercised ineffable love towards those whom both he and the Father will cause to suffer eternally under the effects of their wrath. 3. That he died for those, who previously to his death were actually condemned without all hope of reprieve, and were in hell suffering his avenging wrath, and that as their surety he suffered punishment in the place of those who were suffering punishment for themselves, and must suffer it without end. 4. That Christ is the Saviour and Redeemer of those who not only never will be, but never can be saved or redeemed. Or otherwise he must be an imperfect Saviour, having obtained a salvation which he never applies; for he indeed cannot be properly called a Saviour of any but those whom he makes to be partakers of salvation, and who are actually saved” (Atonement of Christ, pp.160-161)."

How Is Your Conscience?

2009-03-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

How is your conscience? Personally, and unfortunately, due to my fallen sinfulness, I tend to be the second type that Pastor John Piper mentions below, which is by no means biblical (at least not fully) or spiritually comforting. I sincerely hate it with all my heart and it is something that God really needs to change in my life. It is a good read. Check it out (you can also read the entire sermon: Click Here!):

"Satan Can Turn Our Conscience to a Distorted View of God

Yes, Satan can sear a conscience, but there's another way that Satan can destroy our conscience. Scripture calls him in Revelation 12:10 the accuser of the brethren who accuses us day and night before our God. If he can't sear our conscience, he will seek to fine tune our conscience to a perverted view of God. He will paint for us a caricature of God—a God who is impatient and who really is not for us but against us. A God who is just looking for a slip-up so that he can pounce on us. A God who is not slow to anger, not abounding in loving kindness, but rather a perfectionistic taskmaster who will hound us, and ridicule us, and torment us until we do every thing just perfect.

Three Experiences with Conscience Among People

My guess is that there are three types of people represented in this room right now. Some whose conscience have long since been seared or are in the process of being repressed into silence. Then there are some whose consciences are very lively but are attuned to a taskmaster God who is impatient. You labor under a blanket of guilt, that never goes away. You are depressed and broken and defeated. You confess your sins, but never feel like you did it well enough to actually be forgiven; you look at how you love your brothers and sisters and you feel that its never perfect enough to please God. And the third type of people are some of you whose conscience is lively, but attuned to a God who is holy and also compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. When you fail to love as you should, your conscience condemns you, informing you that God is against your sin. But you thank God for your conscience. It is like those nerve endings that mercifully scream out in pain when something is wrong in your body and needs attention. When your conscience condemns you, you turn to God in confession and you trust the promise that God will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. If the harm you did is something that can be restored through a word or a deed, you will rely on God's help to be reconciled to the person you hurt. And then your conscience will be quieted, and you will be free to love and to pray once again.

Those of you who know that your conscience has been inappropriately quiet for too long, or inappropriately condemning for quite awhile, and you feel stuck, no matter how much you pray or read Scripture; my admonition to you is to seek out help from a trusted friend, or a pastor or a professional Christian counselor. Because God is in the business of reclaiming and rehabilitating our conscience. There is nothing more valuable than a conscience that condemns us when we are wrong, and there is nothing sweeter than a conscience that is at rest once we've repented. God wants us to have free and responsive hearts, "Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God."

Kareem, I Don't Disagree!

2009-03-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

I am no Lakers' fan, but I know that even a laker can be objective and right. Here is an excerpt from "Q&A: Kareem on teaching, the Lakers and Tim Duncan," by John Hareas (NBA.com).

"NBA.com: Who is the most overlooked big man in the game today?Kareem: The big man that I think has been the best of this generation is Tim Duncan. He gets the job done, night in and night out. He's versatile, totally able to do the things his team needs him to do to win. Tim is the leader for the Spurs. He's consistent. He does a number of different things, offensively and defensively. He's a good rebounder. He's also consistent offensively to be a go-to guy -- nothing is lacking in his game. He's very well rounded and very, very consistent."

Interesting that he does not mention Shaq (perhaps too one dimensional though darn dominant).

A Quote on Trinity

2009-03-03T22:02:00.000-08:00

"The threeness and the oneness of God are not in the same respect. Although the orthodox interpretation of the Trinity seems contradictory (God is one and yet three), the contradiction is not real, but only apparent. A contradiction exists if something is A and not A at the same time and in the same respect. Unlike modalism, orthodoxy insists that God is three persons at every moment of time. Maintaining his unity as well, orthodoxy deals with the problem by suggesting that the way in which God is three is in some respect different from the way in which he is one. The fourth-century thinkers spoke of one ousia and three hypostases. The problem is determining what these two terms mean, or more broadly, what the difference is between the nature or locus of God’s oneness and that of his threeness… It appears that Tertullian was right in affirming that the doctrine of the Trinity must be divinely revealed, not humanly constructed. It is so absurd from a human standpoint that no one would have invented it. We do not hold the doctrine of the Trinity because it is self-evident or logically cogent. We hold it because God has revealed that this is what he is like. As someone has said of this doctrine:

Try to explain it, and you’ll lose your mind;

But try to deny it, and you’ll lose your soul."

Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 363-367

Actually this is what God is (i.e., Triune) not “what he is like.” Otherwise, I hope the quote proves helpful.

Reconciliation with Justification Exalts the Atoning Work of Jesus Christ

2009-02-24T23:33:00.000-08:00

"No one should diminish the importance of reconciliation, but neither should we make the mistake of exalting reconciliation and minimizing justification. The reason human beings need to be reconciled to God is because of their sin and guilt. Sin is an objective reality that separates us from a holy God. Reconciliation between God and humans does not become a reality merely on the basis of human repentance and a desire for forgiveness. If human beings could be reconciled to God by repentance alone, then the sacrifice of Christ on the cross would be completely unnecessary. All people would need to do to receive forgiveness would be to feel sorry for their sins, and we could dispense entirely with the work of Christ. Reconciliation is a precious reality, but it is anchored in the sin-bearing work of Christ on the cross by which the wrath of God was appeased."

-Thomas Schreiner, “Penal Substitution View” in The Nature of the Atonement (Four Views), p.69

The Glory of Penal Substitution

2009-02-17T23:33:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a book on Christ’s substitutionary death that is not too technical, yet rich and deep enough for lay people, pastors, and seminary students, and one highly endorsed by the likes of D.A. Carson, Mark Dever, Sinclair B. Ferguson, John Frame, R. Kent Hughes, C.J. Mahaney, J.I. Packer, Thomas Schreiner, and a whole lot more conservative Christians, then Pierced for Our Transgressions (Crossway Books, 2007) is the book for you. Its authors (a bunch of Ph.D. dudes ministering or teaching in London) do a magnificent job in making the case for penal substitution from the biblical text, answering modern challengers and contrarians to the doctrine (which are nothing but rehashes of older forms), historical lineage of the doctrine, and even practical ramifications of the doctrine. You’ll also appreciate its brilliant format due to its simplicity. More importantly, it will positively further your understanding of what Christ accomplished on the cross, which carries with it the potential to further your appreciation and love for Him who declared, “It is finished!” on the cross, provided that you not approach, read, and study the material merely with an academic intention. It is for this reason and its potential spiritual benefits that this book is highly recommended! Here is an excerpt concerning the importance of the doctrine of justification:

"If our sin cannot be imputed to Christ, then by the same reasoning his righteousness cannot be imputed to us. We must then abandon the doctrine of justification by faith, the teaching that we are counted righteous in God’s sight on the basis of Christ’s righteousness, imputed to us by faith. Without justification by faith, the only basis upon which we could stand before God on the Last Day would be our own righteousness. This inevitably leads either to despair (‘I could never be good enough for God’) or to pride (‘I am good enough for God – well done me!’). Both of these outcomes are at a variance with the Bible’s teaching. The apostle Paul can assure believers that ‘there is … now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Rom. 8:1), while at the same time insisting that ‘boasting … is excluded’ (Rom. 3:27). Yet this is only possible because Christ’s people are united to him, share in his benefits, and are therefore justified by faith in him" (p.249).

Warning Regarding Legalism

2009-02-14T23:39:00.000-08:00

"It is quite possible that the gospel is preached in the life of the church, but the Christian congregation does not make the connection between that gospel and their own lives. One of the hallmarks of an assumed gospel in an evangelical church is that the gospel is regarded as being for the outsiders, the non-Christians who ever so rarely slip into one of the services. When we limit the gospel in this way to unbelievers we begin to adopt extra ways of relating to God and to others, and they all fall under the label of legalism. This is the opposite of the gospel of grace—striving to be acceptable first of all to God and then to others by keeping rules and by outward behavior. Churches at the Reformed or conservative end of the spectrum can be especially prone to their own set of extra rules: what we wear on a Sunday, how many services we attend, the version of the Bible and the hymnbook that we use, what must happen at which point in the service, whether we keep the pews or the organs. Churches like this are often only a generation away from extinction and from denying the gospel by losing sight of its primacy."

-David Gibson, “Assumed Evangelicalism” in Modern Reformation, Vol.16, No.5, Sep/Oct 2007

The Spirit and the Word

2009-02-10T00:20:00.000-08:00

It seems like it’s now a cool thing to label oneself a “Calvinists,” or better yet “Reformed,” at least in my circle. Some would go so far as to label themselves something to the effect of Baptistic-Charismatic (not Charismaniac)-Calvinistic-Dispensational-Evangelical-Historically Fundamental-Reformed-Christian or some other complex fusion of sorts, which by the way reminds me of the “kamikaze” drinks we use to blend together at the nearby liquor store’s or fast food stand’s beverage fountain (Coke + Diet Coke + Dr. Pepper + Mountain Dew + Slice + Hi-C = Kamikaze), but as long as “Calvinists” or “Reformed” is in there, it’s cool.

I think part of the reason is that most of the coolest (and I mean THE coolest) theological giants are in the Calvinist/Reformed tradition. John Calvin, John Knox, Francis Turretin, John Owen, William Perkins, Jonathan Edwards, W.G.T. Shedd, Louis Berkhof, Cornelius Van Til, John Gerstner, J.I. Packer, R.C. Sproul, the guys at the White Horse Inn (I have to mention the WHI because I absolutely love listening to those guys!) just to name a few. Then there are those who are heavily Calvinistic though not affiliated with any particular Reformed denominations, such as John MacArthur (can you think of a better Bible teacher?), John Piper (can you think of a better preacher?), Albert Mohler, Mark Dever, C.J. Mahaney, Wayne Grudem, Thomas Schreiner, Mark Driscoll, etc. I’d be lying to you if I said that I have no desire to be affiliated with those guys and to label myself “Reformed,” or at least “Calvinist.” I’d also be lying to you if I said that I don’t first consult and prefer to read those guys over anybody else on any given day. I mean these are the guys that continue to show me the infinite and unfathomable greatness of God; these are the guys that exalt the Lord Jesus Christ and the cross and make me want to love Him even more for who He is and what He’s accomplished on the cross on behalf of the wicked elect.

Now, there are the purists who would never deem an individual like me as “Reformed,” or even a “Calvinist” (Click Here! To read “How Many Points” by Dr. Richard A. Muller), primarily because I differ on some matters (e.g. baptism), regardless of the fact that I agree with the Reformed on most, and I mean most, of their theologies. For crying out loud, it is one of my dreams to study at a Reformed seminary! Yet, I don’t think we can blame them for their puritanical frame of mind. After all, I wouldn’t consider the Local Church “Baptists” just because they baptize adults. Even so, there are many individuals like myself who, and many who are much more advanced than I both in theological prowess and ministerial ripeness, are as close to being Reformed as any sovereignly-and-monergistically regenerated child of God can be (which is really all who are saved).

Anyhow, I can’t believe I said all this just to quote a couple of paragraphs from another Reformed systematic. Well, here it is anyway:

"The Reformed church, however, insists that the salvation of men is always under the direct, sovereign governance of God, that salvation is always directly from the Lord, and therefore, that the Holy Spirit must beat witness, immediately and directly, by and with the Word in men’s hearts if they are to respond in repentance and faith to the Word of God… In short, the Reformed position on the efficacy of the Word as a means of grace is that, even though the Bible is the very Word of God, it is rendered efficacious as a means of special grace, not intrinsically or automatically, but only by the immediate and direct attendant working of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of its readers and hearers. The Reformed church emphasizes that the imparting of spiritual life is ever sovereignly with God the Spirit who is the Giver of life. That is to say, where and when the Spirit effectually works in human hearts by and with the Word of God (and only there and then), the Word is irresistibly efficacious as a means of grace in the salvation of lost men and the building up of the saints in faith" (Robert Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, p.916).

She Swam Across the Atlantic Ocean!

2009-02-07T23:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, she did! She swam across the Atlantic Ocean! SIMPLY AMAZING! Click Here!

The Preciousness of Time (Part 8)

2009-02-05T23:35:00.000-08:00

SECT. V.

Advice respecting the improvement of time.

"I SHALL conclude with advising to three things in particular.

1. Improve the present time without any delay. If you delay and put off its improvement, still more time will be lost; and it will be an evidence that you are not sensible of its preciousness. Talk not more of convenient seasons hereafter, but improve your time while you have it, after the example of the psalmist, Psal. cxix. 60. 'I made haste, and delayed not to keep they commandments.'"

The Preciousness of Time (Part 7)

2009-02-01T23:31:00.000-08:00

So far I have posted a portion of Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “The Preciousness of Time (and the Importance of Redeeming It).” I have decided that after this particular post, I am going to skip a significant chunk of it and begin posting just the final 5-10% of it. Here it is:

"Every day that you have enjoyed has been precious; yea, your moments have been precious. But have you not wasted your precious moments, your precious days, yea your precious years? If you should reckon up how many days you have lived, what a sum would there be! and how precious hath every one of those days been! Consider, therefore, what have you done with them? What is become of them all? What can you show of any improvement made, or good done, or benefit obtained, answerable to all this time which you have lived? When you look back, and search, do you not find this past time of your lives in a great measure empty, having not been filled up with any good improvement? And if God, that hath given you your time, should now call you to an account, what account could you give to him?

How much may be done in a year! how much good is there opportunity to do in such a sphere of time! How much service may persons do for God, and how much for their own souls, if to their utmost they improve it! How much maybe done in a day! But what have you done in so many days and years that you have lived? What have you done with the whole time of your youth, you that are past your youth? What is become of all that precious season of life? Hath it not all been in vain to you? Would it not have been as well or better for you, if all that time you had been asleep, or in a state of non-existence?

You have had much time of leisure and freedom from worldly business; consider to what purpose you have spent it. You have not only had ordinary time, but you have had a great deal of holy time. What have you done with all the Sabbath-days which you have enjoyed? Consider those things seriously, and let your own conscience make answer."

Obesity Virus?

2009-01-26T00:47:00.000-08:00

This is so strange that I felt the need to mention it in my blog. Apparently, research shows that obesity can be "caught" like a common cold. Yes, like a common cold! Read it here: Click Here!

The Preciousness of Time (Part 6)

2009-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

SECT. II

Reflections on time past.

"You have now heard of the preciousness of time; and you are the persons concerned, to whom God hath committed that precious talent. You have an eternity before you. When God created you, and gave you reasonable souls, he made you for an endless duration. He gave you time here in order to a preparation for eternity, and your future eternity depends on the improvement of time.—Consider, therefore, what you have done with your past time. You are not now beginning your time, but a great deal is past and gone; and all the wit, and power, and treasure of the universe, cannot recover it. Many of you may well conclude, that more than half of your time is gone; though you should live to ordinary age of men, your glass is more than half run; and it may be there are but a few sands remaining. Your sun is past the meridian, and perhaps just setting, or going into an everlasting eclipse. Consider, therefore, what account you can give of your improvement of past time. How have you let the precious golden sands of your glass run?"