Between Two Worlds: All of Grace
Here is the link to a free audio book. It is Charles Spurgeon's book All of Grace. Every month www.Christianaudio.com does a free book. Check it out.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Getting Confession Right
From Joshua Harris, Not Even a Hint:
Often, when a person is confessing sin, they're more aware of their sinfulness than they are of God's grace and mercy. It's a mistake to think that emphasizing guilt will lead to change. The opposite is true. It's only when we remember that God has forgiven our sin because of Jesus Christ that we can find the resolve to keep battling sin (145).
Often, when a person is confessing sin, they're more aware of their sinfulness than they are of God's grace and mercy. It's a mistake to think that emphasizing guilt will lead to change. The opposite is true. It's only when we remember that God has forgiven our sin because of Jesus Christ that we can find the resolve to keep battling sin (145).
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
My Rant
From chapter 2:
Believing the true Gospel, and responding to it in repentance and belief, is the only way to be saved. The Gospel and its required response, therefore, are the very last things we want to assume that people know – even if some of them insist otherwise. The human heart is astoundingly deceptive (Jer. 17:9), nominalism (being a Christian in name only) has spread in our churches like gangrene, and misunderstandings about the Gospel abound among professing evangelicals, especially regarding its relationship to other religions and its implications for our everyday lives. People need to hear the Gospel – whether they’re professing Christians or not.
2Cor. 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. The implication is that once you try to turn the corner from technique, program, or entertainment to the Gospel, it’s likely that you’ll either lose them, or they will be converted to you, not Christ. The Gospel of Christ has never needed the gimmicks of man to effect conversion in the soul. (p44)
It has been my conviction that one who attends a “real” church should get a “real” Christian education. If I am to attend “every time the doors are open” then why should one attending seminary for only a short duration have any better education than me who spends a lifetime in corporate study? Acts 2:42. And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. How serious are we about knowing our great God? I know of only one place where He has given to us His own self-revelation. Should not we be adamant about knowing what He has said? This is the only manner that we will be His light to the world that He desires the salvation thereof. 1Tim2:3-4 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Believing the true Gospel, and responding to it in repentance and belief, is the only way to be saved. The Gospel and its required response, therefore, are the very last things we want to assume that people know – even if some of them insist otherwise. The human heart is astoundingly deceptive (Jer. 17:9), nominalism (being a Christian in name only) has spread in our churches like gangrene, and misunderstandings about the Gospel abound among professing evangelicals, especially regarding its relationship to other religions and its implications for our everyday lives. People need to hear the Gospel – whether they’re professing Christians or not.
2Cor. 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. The implication is that once you try to turn the corner from technique, program, or entertainment to the Gospel, it’s likely that you’ll either lose them, or they will be converted to you, not Christ. The Gospel of Christ has never needed the gimmicks of man to effect conversion in the soul. (p44)
It has been my conviction that one who attends a “real” church should get a “real” Christian education. If I am to attend “every time the doors are open” then why should one attending seminary for only a short duration have any better education than me who spends a lifetime in corporate study? Acts 2:42. And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. How serious are we about knowing our great God? I know of only one place where He has given to us His own self-revelation. Should not we be adamant about knowing what He has said? This is the only manner that we will be His light to the world that He desires the salvation thereof. 1Tim2:3-4 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Coincidence? I think not
I'm reading Joshua Harris' book Not Even a Hint and by the grace of God Josh has returned us this morning to our theme of accountibility.
From page 133:
Alone, isolated, and without accountability, [we become] the perfect target for temptation. Our enemy goes after people who have isolated themselves from other Christians. Stragglers make easy victims. Without other people to encourage them, watch out for them, and confront small compromise in their lives, they often end up drifting into serious sin.
From Paul:
Think of a herd of wildebeasts on the African plains. They are constantly being followed by lions and hyennas. Who are those predators looking for? The weak; be they young, old, or sick. Those predators do not waste their energies on the others. So, the herd is there to protect. Did you know that a giraff can actually kick your head off? Think about what a herd of giraffs can do. But when you seperate that one young, old, or sick giraff from the herd then it becomes dinner.
I believe we who make up the church should always find ourselves in one of two positions: either seeking the protection of the church in our weaknesses through accountibility and confession or seeking to protect those in the church through accountibility and confession. Again, this is impossible without relationships.
Go out there, gather the herd around you, and kick the head off of the sin that so easily entangles.
From page 133:
Alone, isolated, and without accountability, [we become] the perfect target for temptation. Our enemy goes after people who have isolated themselves from other Christians. Stragglers make easy victims. Without other people to encourage them, watch out for them, and confront small compromise in their lives, they often end up drifting into serious sin.
From Paul:
Think of a herd of wildebeasts on the African plains. They are constantly being followed by lions and hyennas. Who are those predators looking for? The weak; be they young, old, or sick. Those predators do not waste their energies on the others. So, the herd is there to protect. Did you know that a giraff can actually kick your head off? Think about what a herd of giraffs can do. But when you seperate that one young, old, or sick giraff from the herd then it becomes dinner.
I believe we who make up the church should always find ourselves in one of two positions: either seeking the protection of the church in our weaknesses through accountibility and confession or seeking to protect those in the church through accountibility and confession. Again, this is impossible without relationships.
Go out there, gather the herd around you, and kick the head off of the sin that so easily entangles.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The Preventative Function of Accountability Relationships
From page 69:
Sin needs darkness to grow--it needs isolation disguised as "privacy," and prideful self-sufficiency disguished as "strength." Once these conditions prevail, sin is watered with the acid of shame, which then makes darkness appear more attractive to the sinner than the light. But when we walk in the light by confessing our sins, we realize that we are not alone in our struggles, and we open ourselves to the protective rebukes and loving corrections that function as pesticidies to curb the destructive and enslaving potential of habitual sin.
From Paul (the pastor not the hurricane):
I appreciate so much the emphasis in the chapter on relationships which make correction possible as well as profitable. I am always prone, like the rest of us, to want to correct someone else's theology, attitude, or behavior while honestly belieiving there is nothing in need of correction in my own theology, attitude, and behavior. But in a real relationship my theology, attitudes, and actions will come out and call for correction.
Here's my question: How do we cultivate those relationships while being so busy?
Sin needs darkness to grow--it needs isolation disguised as "privacy," and prideful self-sufficiency disguished as "strength." Once these conditions prevail, sin is watered with the acid of shame, which then makes darkness appear more attractive to the sinner than the light. But when we walk in the light by confessing our sins, we realize that we are not alone in our struggles, and we open ourselves to the protective rebukes and loving corrections that function as pesticidies to curb the destructive and enslaving potential of habitual sin.
From Paul (the pastor not the hurricane):
I appreciate so much the emphasis in the chapter on relationships which make correction possible as well as profitable. I am always prone, like the rest of us, to want to correct someone else's theology, attitude, or behavior while honestly belieiving there is nothing in need of correction in my own theology, attitude, and behavior. But in a real relationship my theology, attitudes, and actions will come out and call for correction.
Here's my question: How do we cultivate those relationships while being so busy?
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Between Two Worlds: America's God
Between Two Worlds: America's God
I thought this was pretty interesting about how the denominations break down at a glance and also the precentages of how those people view God. Check it out.
Paul
I thought this was pretty interesting about how the denominations break down at a glance and also the precentages of how those people view God. Check it out.
Paul
Reading Dever's synopsis of the Gospel, which I thought was incredibly simplistic but accurate, my first thought was how many of our people would feel that they were being put on the spot and offended. Do we have the relationships even within the church to be able to ask such bold, but simple questions?
Another thing that is not spelled out but is implied is Dever's view of the role of the pastor. It's a view that the pastor's role is much more than what many in Baptist circles would care to enjoy. I would personally like to see that these kinds of questions come from deacons, even Sunday School teachers.
How many of our Sunday School teachers could answer let alone ask their students to explain the Gospel in 60 seconds. Encourage it in your class next Sunday. Take somebody out to lunch that you haven't gotten to know very well; maybe a new member.
We have got to raise the bar in Sunday Schools. Many of us may say, "Amen," but if we don't set the standard and then tell them that there is a standard, they will not live up to it!
Start there building the relationships. It's not enough that the pastor holds us to it, we must, we must hold each other to the standard of being able to explain the Glorious Gospel in 60 seconds, and understand how to live it a lifetime.
On a technical note, when posting make sure that your font is set to "normal size"(12 pic). It seems to cause the template to force everything down below the lowest link. Mark your the culprit.lol.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Aaron
Thursday, October 19, 2006
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
The introduction of this book states that the church of God is the only institution entrusted by God with the message of repentance of sins and belief in Jesus Christ for forgiveness. This single task ultimately displays His glory to His creation. This solitary message is what is known as the gospel – euangelion – the good news or as the Old English says, “Glad tidings.”
The gospel is what grows the church in both the vertical (spiritual) and horizontal (numerical) realm. It does so by protecting the assembly from doctrinal error and moral wickedness. The church must be faithful to this gospel message and trust that Christ will build His church by this very method that He has set forth before us. We, as a church, do not measure success by the count on our membership role but by our faithfulness to remain steadfast to the whole of scripture.
So what is the gospel? The authors of this book have outlined the gospel as:
God is our holy Creator and righteous Judge. He created us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, but we have all sinned, both in Adam as our representative head, and in our own individual actions. Rom. 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, We therefore deserve death – spiritual separation from God in hell. Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Eph. 2:3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. We, in fact, are spiritually stillborn, helpless in our sins. Ps. 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Rom. 5:6-8 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Eph. 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins. We are in need of God to impart spiritual life to us. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." So God sent His Son Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, to die the death that we deserved, and He raised Him up for our justification, proving that He was God’s Son. Rom. 5:1 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 1:4 declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord. If we would have Christ’s perfect righteousness credited to us, and the penalty for out sins accounted to Him, we must repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. 2Cor. 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The Old Testament showed us the Law and how helpless that we were in our own efforts to keep it; this is not good news. The New Testament contains this good news that even though we are all sinners we have Jesus Christ as our substitute. He alone paid our sin debt in full making us alive to righteousness and an access to God’s peace. He is Jacob’s ladder.
The introduction of this book states that the church of God is the only institution entrusted by God with the message of repentance of sins and belief in Jesus Christ for forgiveness. This single task ultimately displays His glory to His creation. This solitary message is what is known as the gospel – euangelion – the good news or as the Old English says, “Glad tidings.”
The gospel is what grows the church in both the vertical (spiritual) and horizontal (numerical) realm. It does so by protecting the assembly from doctrinal error and moral wickedness. The church must be faithful to this gospel message and trust that Christ will build His church by this very method that He has set forth before us. We, as a church, do not measure success by the count on our membership role but by our faithfulness to remain steadfast to the whole of scripture.
So what is the gospel? The authors of this book have outlined the gospel as:
God is our holy Creator and righteous Judge. He created us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, but we have all sinned, both in Adam as our representative head, and in our own individual actions. Rom. 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, We therefore deserve death – spiritual separation from God in hell. Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Eph. 2:3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. We, in fact, are spiritually stillborn, helpless in our sins. Ps. 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Rom. 5:6-8 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Eph. 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins. We are in need of God to impart spiritual life to us. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." So God sent His Son Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, to die the death that we deserved, and He raised Him up for our justification, proving that He was God’s Son. Rom. 5:1 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 1:4 declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord. If we would have Christ’s perfect righteousness credited to us, and the penalty for out sins accounted to Him, we must repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. 2Cor. 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The Old Testament showed us the Law and how helpless that we were in our own efforts to keep it; this is not good news. The New Testament contains this good news that even though we are all sinners we have Jesus Christ as our substitute. He alone paid our sin debt in full making us alive to righteousness and an access to God’s peace. He is Jacob’s ladder.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
THE DELIBERATE CHURCH
The following will serve as our scheduled reading assignment:
Week of Oct 1 Intro and chapters 1&2
Week of Oct 8 Chapters 3-5
Week of Oct 15 Chapters 6-8
Week of Oct 22 Chapters 9-11
Week of Oct 29 Chapters 12-14
Week of Nov 5 Chapters 15-17
Week of Nov 12 Chapters 18-20
Week of Nov 19 Chapter 21
Monday, October 09, 2006
Christianity Today's top 50 books
You've probably seen the list by now but if you haven't check it out and be surprised. I want to thank Denny Burk at www.dennyburk.com for pointing me to the list.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
When I went to Shepherd's Conference a couple of years ago it unearthed a question long since buried in my mind from my Baptist History, or was it Systematic Theology, class: Who should I invited to the Lord's table? Should the sprinkled, the immersed, the covenant, or just plain ole everyone come and partake?
I have given you a link to a paper dealing with that very issue. It's a Southwestern publication written by a PhD student at Southeastern who earned his MDiv at Southern. How about that for getting a taste of Baptist higher education?
I have given you a link to a paper dealing with that very issue. It's a Southwestern publication written by a PhD student at Southeastern who earned his MDiv at Southern. How about that for getting a taste of Baptist higher education?
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Arthur Pink on using "trump texts"
But the Word of God does not contradict itself, and it is an evil practice which cannot be too strongly condemned to pit one passage against another: any attempt to neutralize one text by another is handling the Truth deceitfully (Arthur Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews, 1011).
Friday, September 22, 2006
Sam's third movie of the year
I have found now the third movie Sam will have to see this year; my what a busy year the Long's will have. It's the documentary titled Jesus Camp.
The sad thing is that this is how the liberal media views evangelicals. They do not see this as an aberrant group who has missed the point at several points. I bet they assume this is what is happening at Mambrino VBS every summer.
The sad thing is that this is how the liberal media views evangelicals. They do not see this as an aberrant group who has missed the point at several points. I bet they assume this is what is happening at Mambrino VBS every summer.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Jacob's Ladder
One of the hardest things about being a preacher is getting ahold of something interesting and not being able to use it in a sermon. Well you guessed it, I came back across some information that I'm not going to be able to use this Sunday so you get it today.
What in the world is Jacob's ladder all about in Genesis 28:10-15?
10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (NKJV)
Is this simply the product of poor pillow selection or something more?
The something more is Jesus Christ. Did you know Jacob's Ladder is Jesus Christ?
See John 1:51 and tell me what you think
51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (NKJV)
What in the world is Jacob's ladder all about in Genesis 28:10-15?
10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (NKJV)
Is this simply the product of poor pillow selection or something more?
The something more is Jesus Christ. Did you know Jacob's Ladder is Jesus Christ?
See John 1:51 and tell me what you think
51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (NKJV)
Monday, September 18, 2006
The results are in
The next book has been placed on order and it is
Mark Dever's book The Deliberate Church
For those Mambrino folks out there the cost will be 10.00 to get in on the action. If you want to go ahead and take a peak than look at the amazon.com site here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581347383/ref=pd_rvi_gw_1/002-4210980-7344013?ie=UTF8
And check out Mark Dever's site here:
www.9marks.com
Mark Dever's book The Deliberate Church
For those Mambrino folks out there the cost will be 10.00 to get in on the action. If you want to go ahead and take a peak than look at the amazon.com site here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581347383/ref=pd_rvi_gw_1/002-4210980-7344013?ie=UTF8
And check out Mark Dever's site here:
www.9marks.com
Friday, September 15, 2006
Teens and Media
I'll confess up front that the incompassing use of media in todays teens surprises me (and I'm 27)! Web cams, My Space, camera phones, text messages, blogs, mp3 players, and whatever is coming tomorrow is consuming our teen culture. And when I say 'consuming' I am using a negative reference.
Last night Angela and I watched the end of the ABC Primetime special on Mean Teens. Here is a snipet video from the show. YOU ARE WARNED the language used is not your Sunday morning straighten up you're in church language. I normally would not link to this but a daughter in the house has called me to action.
Primetime Webcast: The Teenage Girl
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2436321
Please, Please, Please follow the link connected to "Teens and Media" above and listen to the biblical response by Al Mohler president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Besides, if you tithe to a SBC church you're helping to pay his salary.
Paul
Last night Angela and I watched the end of the ABC Primetime special on Mean Teens. Here is a snipet video from the show. YOU ARE WARNED the language used is not your Sunday morning straighten up you're in church language. I normally would not link to this but a daughter in the house has called me to action.
Primetime Webcast: The Teenage Girl
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2436321
Please, Please, Please follow the link connected to "Teens and Media" above and listen to the biblical response by Al Mohler president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Besides, if you tithe to a SBC church you're helping to pay his salary.
Paul
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Books I'm reading for the present
Mark is the only post on what to read next. There was mention previously, undocumented of course, between Paul and Sam to the ends of reading God is the Gospel by John Piper. Since Mark is so adament and I have two copies let's read Deliberate Church next. Until those all come in and we get started here's what I'm digging into and where you can get a taste.
1. The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance & Assurance, Thomas R. Schreiner & Ardel B. Caneday
If someone disagreeing with John MacArthur is just like someone talking bad about your momma I would stay away. No, I would encourage. They are very graceful and biblical (aka I think they're right).
Check out Tom Schreiner (sermons and writings) here: http://www.theopedia.com/Thomas_Schreiner
2. Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor
I'm not too far in but if you want a better explanation for biblical sexuality than what masquarades for an explanation in most of our churches than check this one out.
3. War of Words, Paul David Tripp
If you want to learn to talk to your wife, kids, friends, pastors, deacons, in a way that glorifies God then you need to check this one out. Angela and I are reading it together and moaning about how often it nails us right in the heart of our communication struggles.
4. Genesis Commentaries
5. Hebrews Commentaries
I would list those but dinner is on the table!
Paul
1. The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance & Assurance, Thomas R. Schreiner & Ardel B. Caneday
If someone disagreeing with John MacArthur is just like someone talking bad about your momma I would stay away. No, I would encourage. They are very graceful and biblical (aka I think they're right).
Check out Tom Schreiner (sermons and writings) here: http://www.theopedia.com/Thomas_Schreiner
2. Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor
I'm not too far in but if you want a better explanation for biblical sexuality than what masquarades for an explanation in most of our churches than check this one out.
3. War of Words, Paul David Tripp
If you want to learn to talk to your wife, kids, friends, pastors, deacons, in a way that glorifies God then you need to check this one out. Angela and I are reading it together and moaning about how often it nails us right in the heart of our communication struggles.
4. Genesis Commentaries
5. Hebrews Commentaries
I would list those but dinner is on the table!
Paul
Monday, September 11, 2006
Arthur Pink on using "trump texts"
But the Word of God does not contradict itself, and it is an evil practice which cannot be too strongly condemned to pit one passage against another: any attempt to neutralize one text by another is handling the Truth deceitfully (Arthur Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews, 1011).
Lessons learned from Grace Abounding
1. Grace abounded for me to finish the book.
It is so easy to get involved and complete what is easy is it not? Reading Grace Abounding was on a small scale like getting involved in someone's life who constantly takes a great deal of our emotional effort. I found myself wanting to at times scream at Bunyan but that's because I lack compassion, gentleness, patience, and the like. Uh oh, sounds a little bit like the fruit of the Spirit doesn't it? Reading Bunyan is prep work for dealing with people. Grace abounds for us to get involved and persevere in a way that glorifies God and builds His kingdom.
2. The unexamined life is not worth living
Socrates said it consumed with himself but Bunyan lived it consumed with God. The deeper Bunyan dug into his desires the greater he discovered his need for grace. The more sin he discovered the more concerned he became over the state of his own eternal soul. The roller coaster ride took him to places I dare say our own 'secure' faith will not take us. How many of us could endure 12 years of prison, the death of a child because of the stress, placing our family in poverty, and the like all so we can preach the gospel? Bunyan struggled greatly and he was used mightily. I wonder if there is any connection with struggling a little and being used a little?
3. Scripture must be used constantly and rightly
We mentioned the inadequacies of Bunyan's interprative methods previously. He botched some things and this caused him difficulties. His proper use of Scripture, however, brought him greater strength, endurance, and joy than his improper use. This does not excuse him or us but it should show us the value of constantly using Scripture in the battle of life (as Bunyan did) and it should encourage us to think of the even greater advantage of using it rightly (as Bunyan at times did not do).
Paul
It is so easy to get involved and complete what is easy is it not? Reading Grace Abounding was on a small scale like getting involved in someone's life who constantly takes a great deal of our emotional effort. I found myself wanting to at times scream at Bunyan but that's because I lack compassion, gentleness, patience, and the like. Uh oh, sounds a little bit like the fruit of the Spirit doesn't it? Reading Bunyan is prep work for dealing with people. Grace abounds for us to get involved and persevere in a way that glorifies God and builds His kingdom.
2. The unexamined life is not worth living
Socrates said it consumed with himself but Bunyan lived it consumed with God. The deeper Bunyan dug into his desires the greater he discovered his need for grace. The more sin he discovered the more concerned he became over the state of his own eternal soul. The roller coaster ride took him to places I dare say our own 'secure' faith will not take us. How many of us could endure 12 years of prison, the death of a child because of the stress, placing our family in poverty, and the like all so we can preach the gospel? Bunyan struggled greatly and he was used mightily. I wonder if there is any connection with struggling a little and being used a little?
3. Scripture must be used constantly and rightly
We mentioned the inadequacies of Bunyan's interprative methods previously. He botched some things and this caused him difficulties. His proper use of Scripture, however, brought him greater strength, endurance, and joy than his improper use. This does not excuse him or us but it should show us the value of constantly using Scripture in the battle of life (as Bunyan did) and it should encourage us to think of the even greater advantage of using it rightly (as Bunyan at times did not do).
Paul
Friday, September 08, 2006
Where to next?
I looked back over the schedule and we are supposed to have finished Grace Abounding this week. Well, I'm a week behind. Hopefully I'll finish it this weekend.
What matters is what we are going to read next. Where do ya'll want to go?
Tom wants to get together and talk face to face about Grace Abounding. I think it's a good idea and I need to know when and where is best for everyone.
Paul
What matters is what we are going to read next. Where do ya'll want to go?
Tom wants to get together and talk face to face about Grace Abounding. I think it's a good idea and I need to know when and where is best for everyone.
Paul
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