Gospel Living

This is the first post examining a new video posted by Pastor Steven Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church . The video is 59:36, too long to focus on in one post. Besides, who wants to hang out on my page for an hour? So, we are only dealing with the first nine minutes of the video. We will move further in future posts. Unlike other posts here, Scripture in these posts will be quoted from the King James Version of the Bible, unless otherwise noted. Technical FYI: For those familiar with the service, I tried to use Splicd to trim the video to the appropriate time, but to no avail. I didn't see a help link, so if you know any fixes, please send them my way. Or, if you know of another service, please let me know. Anderson rightly states the importance of treating God's Word with care. We must approach the Bible with care, letting it speak for itself. We must not add to it or take away from it. It is from this starting point that I make my thesis for this and...

(from Day by Day , HT: Dan Philips )

Adapted from John Richard Sampey, “Psalms, Book of,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T7141 Man is a sinner in need of confession in the Penitential Psalms (6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143) Confession Individual confession: Psalms 32 and 51 National Confession: Ps 51; 105; 106 Forgiveness—Ps 51 Conquering sin—Ps 84; 130; 139:23; 19:13; 119:133 Doubts: Ps 37; 73

Okay, so some Christians regularly skip church to opt for going to the beach, going camping, going to a sporting event, hitting the off-button in order to finally sleep in, or in some other way exercise their "personal relationships" with Christ. What's the big deal? Can't we all worship God in our own ways? After all, God is not to be found in buildings. So, doesn't meeting in buildings somehow dampen my worship experience? One of passages in Scripture that feeds this error is John 4. Well, okay, it's not the passage but how we read the passage. Jesus meet with the Samaritan woman, who inquires if God is to be worshiped on this mountain or that one (a religious debate of their time). Jesus testifies that true worship does not involve location, but " spirit and truth ." Since true worship does not involve location, some contend, then it does not matter if you worship God in a church or on a surfboard. I was reading a journal article on John ...

One of the controversial discussion points within Christianity is the question of free will.  If God knows all of the future, furthermore, knows it because He predetermined the end from the beginning, then how can humans be said to have free will?  It seems very much that we have free will.  How are God's sovereignty and human will compatible?  While not answering the question directly, Triablogue points to an excellent Mel Gibson flick to provide an example of how predestination and free will go hand-in-hand .

In 1992, Michael Horton interviewed Robert Schuller on the White Horse Inn.  It is revealing for anyone wondering what is wrong with the ministry of the Crystal Cathedral or the "Hour of Power" television program. Listen to or download the interview: MP3 | transcript . (HT: R. Scott Clark )

In case you missed it (because I did), John MacArthur wrote a guest piece in the Washington Post .  That's right: " Read the Gospels: JC is not PC "

Adapted from John Richard Sampey, “Psalms, Book of,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T7141 Reverence toward God— “Yahweh is infinitely holy (Psalms 99:3,5,9). Psalms 95-100 are models of adoration and worship.” Thirsting for God Psa 42; 43; 63 Praising God— “More than 20 psalms have for their keynote praise to God. See especially Psalms 8:1,9; 57:7-11; 71:22-24; 95:1-7. The first three verses of Psalms 33; 34; 40; 92 and 105” Joy in God's house Psa 84; 122; 137:5 f Practicing the Presence of God Psa 91; 23 God in Nature. See: Psalms 104, "Hymn of Creation"; Psalms 29, "Yahweh, the God of the storm"; and the first half of Psalms 19, "the heavens are telling." Love for God's Word Psa 19; 119 God's Care of All Things Psa 65; 121 God Our Refuge Psa 46; 61; 62

Dr. James White and Islamic apologist, Abdullah Kunde. Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. August 17, 2009 (HT: Reformation Theology )

Check out some of the new pics on the Dawn Treader post .

At church a couple of weeks ago, someone expressed his desire to obey God and avoid sin, but said he could use as many other reasons not to sin as he could. I understand that. Here is a list I came across that I hope helps (HT: Brett Harris ). Because a little sin leads to more sin. Because my sin invites the discipline of God. Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted. Because my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me. Because my sin places a greater burden on my spiritual leaders. Because in time my sin always brings heaviness to my heart. Because I am doing what I do not have to do. Because my sin always makes me less than what I could be. Because others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin. Because my sin saddens the godly. Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice. Because sin deceives me into believing I have gained when in reality I have lost. Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership. Because the supposed ben...

Beginning Thursday and continuing each consecutive Thursday afterward, tune in for a five-post series of the Book of Psalms. These will be brief bullet-pointed posts, adapted from an article by John Richard Sampey in the ISBE. The purpose? I hope they will help you find comfort and hope, clarity for living, and cause for worship.

The movie is taking on a nice shape. :) HT: NarniaFans.com                                     UPDATE: Here are some closeups, and a couple of shots of the ship with its tail.                                                             Big HT to NF.com ( 17 Aug , 18 Aug ): Thanks for posting all of these!

There was a lot more than I expected. Join me as I open the packages. Cutting into the first box: Each of the boxes contain suggestions imprinted on the inside flaps for how to reuse them. Funny. Cool! They send science supplies. We keep these, and they are supposed to be good for experiments through 2nd grade. Textbooks! But wait, there's more. Here is some of the additional reading that comes with the history: I'll let you know in a future post if there is anything bizarre about the choices. The map has the US on the back. Wow, and we have a DVD. Neat. Inflatable globe. Wall cross not included. :) Uh-oh, this looks like trouble waiting to happen: A couple more books, these on art: The white paper at the bottom shows a list of art prints they sent us. The level of awesomeness is only going up. We still have more boxes to open. Here are some math supplies I would have never thought of getting: Kindergarten. The only grade I remember liki...

Funny stuff:

Just thought you should know.  :)

This is part of an ongoing series examining Wolfgang Simpson's "15 Theses" . Review: Response to Thesis One Response to Thesis Two 3. The Third Reformation. Simpson has stated that he wants a radical departure from the "system," the conventional means of church life. Though Luther made great strides in recovering the message of salvation, Simpson alleges that Luther failed to do enough in recovering the "pure" worship structure that came before Constantine. If we were to obtain such a departure today, it would amount to nothing less than a capital "R" Reformation of Lutheran proportions. He writes, In rediscovering the gospel of salvation by faith and grace alone, Luther started to reform the Church through a reformation of theology. In the 18th century through movements like the Moravians there was a recovery of a new intimacy with God, which led to a reformation of spirituality, the Second Reformation. Now God is touching the wineskins t...

I am currently writing a multi-part response to a YouTube video called "Modern Bible Versions Exposed." I'll let you guess as to what the video is about and what position the speaker holds. Why respond to a KJV-Only video? First, because both KJV-Onlyists and non-Onlyists agree that handling the Word of God with care is important, so answering the debate is important for believers who are concerned about this issue. Second, because it is important to understand what the Word of God is when we say we hold to Scripture. My contention is that many KJV-Onlyists restrict God's Word among the His people to an archaic form of the English language, and perhaps miss many wonderful truths found therein as a result. Third, because it is important to have faith in what God has spoken, but for the right reasons. Fourth, because there are some superstitious tendencies within the movement that Christians should avoid, tendencies that may even prove damaging to the Gospel. This r...

This is a conclusion of a two-part message I had the pleasure of delivering to the youth of Lake Hills Community Church. The first part is here . ast time, we looked at the word "repentance" and some of the ways it is used in the Bible. We saw that it is an essential component of salvation: one believes in Christ in order to be saved, but the result of a genuine renewal of the Spirit is a repentant heart. Therefore, anyone who has not repented of their sin is not a child of God. Furthermore, a redeemed, repentant soul would continually want to confess and put away sin in order to become more like Christ. However, there are misuses of the term "repentance," and we must examine some negations. Some of these misuses can even damage the Gospel, though the individual may be using Gospel-language. What's more, if you don't understand what repentance is not , you may have practiced a deed to earn salvation that God did not honor. What Repentance is Not MacAr...