Round Up

Preaching is Dangerous – A preacher’s authority does not come merely from his calling or anointing, but he has authority only to the degree that he correctly interprets and clearly proclaims the truths of Scriptures.

A Practical Understanding Of The Sufficiency of Scripture – Part 1 – I can’t wait for Part 2!

Where Did All These Calvinists Come From – A visual to show you where they have come from.

Celebrity Pastors:  A Retrospective – In retrospect, the critics were to be treated as the problem, but the band was to play on.

A Time Lapse – I love these things and would like to create my own one day.

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Phil Johnson on the Imminence of God from the sermon Providence is Remarkable:  God personally and constantly and permanently and exhaustively pervades and sustains and governs every aspect of His creation.  God is personally present and meticulously at work in everything that happens, even when He is not manifesting His presence by miracles.

Scripture and Scotch Revisited

In case you missed the original post, it can be found here and you might want to read it first.  Then read this blurb from KSPR33, a local newsstation from Springfield, MO, and then read on in this post.

First off, I want to say that I am by no means a “prude” in how we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I think it should be share promiscuously which is something most of us know little about from a Gospel perspective.  Yet, when we talk about promiscuous sex, we all know that that means someone who will have sex with just about anyone, at any time.  So, don’t think that I am against the spreading of the Gospel.  My concern is with the way in which it is being done.  Just this morning I was listening to the Mortification of Spin podcast and heard Carl Trueman say, “If you are into something because it is cool and hip, that is going to vanish like the morning dew when the heat comes.”  It would appear that church’s (and I use that term loosely) today think they have to be all “cool and hip” to reach the lost.  What are the results?  What were the results of the Scripture and Scotch time?  Were lives regenerated?  I do not see any of that posted on the facebook website.

When we use the ways of the world to reach the world, haven’t we by definition said to the world that the Church just isn’t good enough?  While most would say that this isn’t the case, I think if you look at it from a scriptural perspective, you will find it to be true.  1 John 2:15-17 really could not be more explicit in saying, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

Octavius Winslow says:

Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. (2 Corinthians 6:17)

There is not a stronger mark of the Lord’s people than their separation. They are separated from the world, separated from their families, separated from their own righteousness, and often separated from the religious world–a godly people whom the Lord has set apart from all others, that He might set them apart for Himself. Now, it is this distinctive badge ofseparateness the Lord will have His saints retain in all their Christian course. We are very apt to forget it.

We live in the world, mix with the world, hold transactions with the world, and, in some measure, are guided by the

Daily Roundup

16 Rules for Biblical Interpretation – A noteworthy list that needs to be applied by those of us who read and study the Bible.

“These Things” – Several “things” to think about from the book of John.

A Thankful Heart – Do we have a thankful heart?  I tweeted this morning the following, “If God is sovereign over all, when we complain we are actually questioning God; we are sinning against His sovereignty.”  We should be thankful in ALL things!

The Humble Celebrity – What a refreshing story.  It is just sad that stories like this are so rare today.

What Happens When We Read the Bible? – This gave me something to think about this morning.

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Today, an extraction from Carl Trueman’s book, The Creedal Imperative which deals with creeds in the Church:

I do want to make the point here that Christians are not divided between those who have creeds and confessions and those who do not; rather, they are divided between those who have public creeds and confessions and that are written down and exist as public documents, subject to public scrutiny, evaluation, and critique, and those who have private creeds and confessions that are often improvised, unwritten, and thus not open to public scrutiny, not susceptible to evaluation and, crucially and ironically, not, therefore, subject to testing by Scripture to see whether they are true (p. 15).

 

Daily Roundup

Behold Your God – This website talks about a new 12 week church study course that is soon to be released.  There is also information on a conference in Memphis, TN that takes place in January.

Ripping the Heart out of Sunday School – Tony Reinke looks at why we attend Church on Sundays.

The Kingdom is Now – R C Sproul, Jr. takes a look at the ‘already, not yet’ aspect of the kingdom of God.

9.5 Theses on Martin Luther Against the Self-Indulgences of the Modern Church – In light of many Reformation 500 posts happening this week, Carl Trueman tries to bring us back to the true Martin Luther and how the modern Church should view him.

Heretics Are Usually Nice Guys – Jared Wilson looks at a message by John Piper from 2006 that is very true

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4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. – Eph. 1:4

God’s eternal election is the basis both of our calling and of all the benefits that we receive from him… The timing of our election shows that it had to be free and could not have depended on any works of ours. …

Holiness and blamelessness are the fruits of election…. Those who are not elect retain their natural disposition, which cannot change except by divine intervention…. This verse is also a reminder that there is no room of licentiousness among the elect, because holiness of life is tied to the grace of election… Nor does this mean that we attain perfection in this life. We have the goal set before us, but we do not reach it until our race is done. Why do some people think of predestination as a useless and even poisonous doctrine? No doctrine is more useful, as long as it is handled properly, as Paul does here. It reveals the infinite goodness of God and gives us our knowledge of his mercy…. Election is the ultimate proof that we cannot claim any righteousness for ourselves. – John Calvin

Daily Roundup

Are We Too “At Ease” – Interesting article that ought to make us think about the way we look at our lives in the Western world.

Future Grace Revised Edition Book Recommendation – I have read the original version twice and highly recommend that if you haven’t read it, or even if you have, that you get this book and devour it.

Delaware the First State to Outlaw Spanking? – Another sign of the times in governmental control over our lives and our ability to raise our families.

Mark Driscoll Needs to Repent – Chris Rosebrough reviews Mark Driscoll’s latest sermon on Esther.

Creeds and Confession in the Contemporary Church – An audio file where Dr. Carl R. Trueman discuss’s the important role of creeds and confessions in the church through his book The Creedal Imperative.

Elements of Productive Bible Study – Part 2 – The second part of yesterday’s initial post on Bible study.

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By entertaining of strange persons, men sometimes entertain angels unawares: but by entertaining of strange doctrines, many have entertained devils unaware. – John Flavel

Daily Roundup

8 Rules for Growing in Godliness – Our growth in godliness is a grace from God, derived from our union with Jesus, and is a work of the Holy Spirit, and yet we are active throughout in both killing sin and living unto righteousness.

Elements of Productive Bible Study – Is studying the Bible hard?  Do you not really know how to start studying the Bible?  John MacArthur gives some tips on how to start.

Understanding the Times:  An Interview with Carl Trueman – From the current issue of Table Talk Magazine.

2 Timothy 3:16, 17 and the Case for Sola Scriptura – A transcript of a debate by Dr. James White that took place 19 years ago on the sufficiency of Scripture.

People Prospering Under Ol’ Fashioned Preaching – No pastorate will be successful in the absence of biblical preaching. ​The faithful preaching of a humble, prayerful pastor is one of God’s greatest means for building up His people.

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The knowledge that we all have the same creator and maker admonishes us not to harbor contempt for God’s work, whether in ourselves or in another, by asking “Why did he make it like this?” Thus we read in Isaiah, “Woe to anyone who, like an earthen potsherd, argues with its maker. Shall the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’” And in Proverbs, “Whoever disregards the needy insults their maker.” And so this faith, wherein we believe that we have been created by God, brings about these three things in our hearts: First, that with all our hearts we depend in all things upon God our creator. Second, that each of us be contented with our circumstances–indeed, that we embrace them with thanksgiving, given that God our creator has placed us in them. Third, that none of us view our neighbor’s circumstances with contempt, however vile and miserable they be, lest we thereby cast aspersions upon our common creator. – Wolfgang Musculus

Daily Roundup

Brian McLaren Leads Ceremony at Son’s Same-Sex Wedding – I well know, prominent individual who runs in Evangelical circles officiated a non-traditional wedding.  The NYT also reported this ceremony.  You can read about their report here.

We Are Beggers – 3 Lectures by Carl Trueman as he talks about Martin Luther as Theological Pastor.

Preach the Word – Pastor H. B. Charles lays out 3 aspects of preaching the Word.  If you are a Pastor, take notice, if you are laity, hold your Pastor accountable.

Bibles, Booze, and Bikini’s – Say it ain’t so!  Unfortunately, it is.

Reputation or Testimony? – We have to guard ourselves against all sins.

Created An Appetite – This post from Phil Johnson from 7 years ago still rings true.

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After Adam had ruined himself and all his posterity by his deadly fall, this is the basis of our salvation, this the origin of the church: that we have been uprooted from the deepest darkness and have obtained a new life sheerly by the grace of God; that the patriarchs have by faith been made partakers of this life (just as it was offered to them by God’s word); that this word, in turn, was founded upon Christ; and that all the pious who have lived since then have, in fact, been sustained by the very same promise of salvation by which Adam was revived in the beginning. – John Calvin

Daily Roundup

Sound Doctrine, Sound Words – This is a message by Phil Johnson (an ex-Pyromaniac) that was given at the Shepherds Conference in 2009.  How true his words have come true.  My wife and I watched this this weekend.

Carl Trueman Installed as Pastor of Cornerstone OPC Church – If you have never listened to Carl Trueman, or if you don’t know who he is, check out this website.  Pastor Trueman holds a doctorate and teaches at Westminster Theological Seminary in PA.  He is an outstanding preacher, theologian and historian.  Give him a listen if you want a blessing.

What Important Element of Public Worship Goes Largely Neglected Today? – Pastor Brian Croft asks why the reading of Scripture in our worship services is being neglected.

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There is no excuse for fear if God is the foundation of our trust. – C H Spurgeon