Some people believe in God. Others believe in believing in God. There is a vast difference between these two. Those who fail to see the difference are setting themselves up for trouble. When people talk about God, we cannot assume that they have the God of Scripture in mind. We must be discerning.
Whenever someone says that we should “return to God” or “pray to God” – we need to ask a few questions first. Such urging may sound good, but it may not be good. This generic kind of “God talk”, that we often hear at July 4th celebrations, can be particularly misleading. Some feel strongly that any kind of call or urging of our nation back to God will lead us in the right way politically. In the process, though, it may lead us down the wrong path theologically.
Are we really so passionate about political victories that we’re willing to gain them by theological compromise? The doctrine of God is a supremely important issue. Evangelicals who make a molehill out of this mountain are being deceived.
Consider, for instance, the recent “Restoring Honor” gathering in Washington, D.C….
I’m currently in the middle of reading a book about the fall of Rome and the rise of medieval Europe. (Sounds like a real page turner does it? Move over Stephen King.) I haven’t always enjoyed reading books like this. It must have something to do with my age. It seems the more history I come to have, the more history I come to love.
While discussing the various reasons that the towering nation of Rome crumbled into dust, Thomas Cahill (the book’s author), provides a tantalizing tidbit to consider. Cahill wrote,
“Rome [either] fell because of inner weakness, [whether] social or spiritual; or Rome fell because of outer pressure – the barbarian hordes.”
As Cahill points out, historians continue to be divided over the root cause of Rome’s demise. Like the fabled tragedy of Humpy Dumpty, we know that Rome once sat on a “great wall” and had a “great fall.” We also know that, despite the efforts of many men, it could not be put back together again. But no one seems to know exactly why this Roman Humpy Dumpty fell in the first place.
That sounds like the kind of question a doctor might ask you, doesn’t it? “Mr. Johnson, has your koinonia been acting up lately?” Or, “Mrs. Smith, take two pills daily and it should help take care of that koinonia problem you’ve got.”
While it may sound like it, koinonia is not a disease or an aillment. On the contrary, it is something found among the healthiest of people. In fact, if you don’t have koinonia, you may be more unhealthy than you realize.
This all begs the question, then, what is koinonia? The word is…
Not only do we enjoy good stories, but whether we realize it or not, our lives revolve around them. Conversations are dominated by stories. Nightly news broadcasts are grouped around stories. Comedians tell stories. Newspapers are filled with stories. Facebook updates and Twitter tweets are, in some way, mini-stories themselves. If there were no stories, then communication, as we know it, would not exist. (I suppose we would just walk around handing spreadsheets to each other to share information. Talk about boring.)
Even though human civilization is shaped in every way by stories, men (even Christian men) have a curious tendency to forget that the most important information ever communicated to us (e.g. the Bible) is, itself, a story. Being inspired, the Bible is a unique, God-given story. But, at its core, it is still a story nonetheless.
As you know, last year the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (for International Missions) was tens of millions of dollars short of the goal. As a result, many IMB missionaries have been delayed in their deployment while others are having to return home early.
That’s why this year’s LMCO is more important than ever.
As a church, our LMCO goal for 2009 is $20,000. With the economic slump in the US as well as recent offerings which have been lower than usual here at Forest, it’s clearly not going to be easy to reach our goal or the national LMCO goal of $175 million.
For us to reach this goal and keep our missionaries on the field it is going to take every person doing their part and making a special sacrifice. As we were recently reminded from the story of the widow’s mite, “Jesus is not as interested in the size of the gift, as much as He is in the size of the sacrifice.”
This week I was thinking about some creative and nontraditional ways that I (and my family) could give a little extra to the LMCO this year. As you may know my birthday is right around Christmas time and this year I am doing something I’ve never done before. I am…
Earlier this week I heard a radio spot that caught my attention.
At first, I thought it was a zany and boisterous car commercial. But after a moment, I realized that the ad wasn’t selling overpriced clunkers or the next “get rich quick” scheme. It was actually a commercial for a local church. The more I listened the more I began asking myself, “Should we be spending money on advertising like this? Do we need a slick, promotional campaign to boost area interest in Forest Baptist Church?”
After considering these questions from a theological, practical, and biblical perspective I came to a few important conclusions.
In just a few days time a surprising number of celebrities and media personalities have recently passed away.
The news tickers and headlines have been dominated over the last two weeks with updates about the deaths of such cultural icons as Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Billy Mays (the Oxyclean Guy), and Steve McNair (former NFL quarterback).
While the newshounds have done a lot of talking about their lives and deaths, I, myself, have done a lot of thinking about life and death in general. Amid all this obsessive, and mostly trivial, media coverage, I thought it would be good to share a sobering dose of biblical perspective.
Here are five thoughts related to these five deaths.
(To hear the full sermons of these 10 axioms, download Part One here and Part Two here.)
Marriage and family are good gifts from a great God.
Sadly, we see many, many problems in marriages and families today. Broken home…rebellious teens…sky-rocketing divorce…
Why is this the case?
The reason I think we see this in our culture, society, and even in our own homes, is not because something is wrong with God, or because there is something wrong with marriage as an institution, but because there is something wrong with the human heart.
When you put several sinful human beings under the same roof you will eventually have problems.
What we need is to return to the Word of God and the God of the Word as our guide for marriage and family.
How do we do that? Let’s start with a basic theology of marriage and family. Here are…
Pastor Tyler, what is Paul talking about when he refers to those “baptized for the dead” in 1 Corinthians 15:29?
(By the way, if you’re not yet awake, don’t read this article. Bookmark it and come back later when you are. This is not a “pre-coffee” subject.)
That had nothing to do with the answer, I just love the video. It’s the kind of stuff us preacher’s kids always thought about doing. Let the real answer begin…NOW!
As Peter said, in 1 Peter 3:15-16, in Paul’s letters
“there are some matters that are hard to understand.”
This 1 Corinthians passage is a prime example. The text in question reads,
“Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?”
What on earth is Paul talking about here? What does Paul mean by “baptism for the dead”?
I don’t have too many traditions in life, just a few.
I always put my stamps on upside down on an envelope.
I always wear my three-piece suit to the Christmas Eve Candlelight service.
And since it arrived in the theaters, I watch Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ on Good Friday. I always watch it by myself in the dark – not because I’m some kind of loner. It’s mostly because Rebecca doesn’t like to watch it (too emotional/graphic) and, so, it’s usually super late by the time I get around to it.
Everybody wants it but not everyone has it. People like to have a sense of confidence about their choices in life. Why do we hire home inspectors before closing on a purchase? Why do we read Consumer Reports before making a major buy? There’s one reason: assurance. People go to great lengths to have assurance about temporal issues. But how many of us go to such great lengths to have assurance about eternal issues? A home inspection may be important, but a heart inspection is essential.
Can we have assurance about our salvation? Does God’s Word teach us to live in uncertainty and fear or in confidence and hope?
Not only is he “bad“, but John Piper is a fountainhead of great quotes and memorable statements.
Here’s a great example I read today in his Foreward to the book Worldliness.
“What does it look like when the blood of Christ governs the television and the Internet and the iPod and the checkbook and the neckline?
Most people have never even asked the question, let alone answered it. The only way most folks know how to draw lines is with rulers. The idea that lines might come into being freely and lovingly (and firmly) as the fruit of the gospel is rare.”
There isn’t a godly parent out there who hasn’t asked this question. The question of your child’s salvation is only second in importance to the question of your own salvation. Can we know for sure if our children, or even if we, are saved?
Some preach that you should have assurance “beyond a shadow of a doubt”. The famous preacher line is that you “better know that you know that you know.” Certainly, the Bible does teach that believers can and should have assurance of their salvation. It’s one of the sweetest, most comforting works of the Spirit. However, ironically enough, God’s Word says that the certainty of one’s salvation comes by intentionally questioning one’s salvation. Paul said,
“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Cor 13:5a, emphasis added)
