Be Holy for I am Holy - 1 Peter 1.15

In this next paragraph of chatper 1 of Peter's epistle (1.13-21) we enter a new thought.  Well, not an entirely new thought, but rather the working out of the Truth Peter just reminded his readers. We spent some time musing on what that inheritance is referring to in a post last week

Once he has reminded his readers of the importance of KNOWING THEIR INHERITANCE, he now begins to tell them it is important to KNOW THEIR MISSION.  In other words, so what?  What impact does the reality of this inheritance have on my daily living?  That is precisely what Peter means to do by starting this paragraph with “Therefore.”  Based on what I just said, now let me tell you what to do about this.

This paragraph contains three direct imperative verbs – three commands – which serve as the outline for this paragraph.

1.13 “set your hope fully”

1.15 “be holy”

1.17  “conduct yourself with fear”

There is much here and I cannot take time to review our 4 weeks of study so far in verse 13-16. But I do want to ask a couple of questions and recommend a couple resources.

What does it mean to “be holy for I am holy?”  How is God Holy, what does that mean?  And how am I to be holy like that?  It certainly is declarative and positional, but here in this passage, as well as in the Lev 11, Lev 19 and Lev 22 passages from where the quote is taken, it is an imperative verb.  It is a command to Be Holy.  What does that mean?

And next, why is Peter now bringing up this call to holiness?  What roles does our pursuit of holiness have to do with our ability to endure and honor God in trials?

For a more in depth look at this idea of God’s holiness and out call to be likewise holy, I recommend  tow resources

Listen to Dr D.A. Carson preach an amazing sermon on Isaiah 6 and the holiness of God

Get a copy of Dr. Jerry Bridges excellent little book The Pursuit of Holiness

What do you think?

Grace to you,

Our Inheritance - 1 Peter 1.3-12

This is such a rich passage and there is so much to say here.  But I want to keep current with where we are in our Sunday class.  So at some point in the near future I will return to this post and add some thoughts on this section of Peter’s epistle.

For now, let me point out the three main thoughts of this passage:

1.       He has caused us to be born again (1.3)  The object of our new birth, or what were we have been born again to, is described as a “living hope” and an “inheritance.”  Clearly the concepts of hope and inheritance would bring to mind the idea of the promisesmade to Abraham. The essence of this passage is Peter’s introduction to the real reason why his readers could endure suffering and difficulty. Namely, that God was fulfilling the promises he made to Abraham and his seed (which is Christ – Gal 3.16).  We are the children of promise if we are by faith connected to Christ.  Our new birth, that God sovereignly and monergistically brought about, was the means of fulfilling these promises.

2.       In this we rejoice (1.6)  In the face of trials and difficulties we rejoice because we know our inheritance is secured in heaven. Even though we do not now see Him, we believe and love Him and therefore rejoice in the certain outcome of our faith (1.9)

3.       Concerning this inheritance (1.10)  Even the prophets of old searched their own prophecies in a desire to better understand what would be revealed to us – on this side of the cross.  They understood to some degree that their message would be fulfilled not in a political nation or ethnic people, but for those in the New Covenant, those in Christ, the Children of Promise

In other words, Peter introduces this message of Hope by reminding his readers that God promised our victory long ago through Father Abraham and was in the processing of fulfilling that promise in them.  As he will soon elaborate on, they are a royal nation and a holy priesthood and belong to God Himself (2.4-5). The trials they are experiencing will pass and God will restore, confirm strengthen and establish them.  There was so much reason for them to Hope and Rejoice.

We too must remind ourselves that we have been called to suffer for the cause of Christ… to take up our cross.  When things get difficult, when trials come – even though we do not see Him – we have hope in the promise that our inheritance is eternal and established in heaven.  God is working out his eternal covenant by causing us to be born again.  Preach the gospel to yourself every day.  It keeps our focus on the big picture of building the Kingdom for His glory.

What to think?

Grace to you,

Be Hopeful - 1 Peter Overview and Outline

In times of trial and struggle, keeping our minds on the Big Picture serves as our hope and energizes us to endure, and even thrive, in the midst of difficult times.  Of course we need to ask, what is the Big Picture?  What is the purpose, what is the goal? That is what Peter is addressing in his first epistle.  Understanding that our Eternal Inheritance, – the promises that were made to Abraham, delivered to ancient Israel and fulfilled in Christ – which is ours through the new birth, will serve to strengthen our faith, our resolve to obey and  our love for each other.

So let’s take a high level look at Peter’s epistle.  We will briefly comment on the Author, the Audience, the Historical Setting and the Thesis of this letter.

THE AUTHOR

One the very exciting plot lines of the Scripture is the transformation we see in Peter.  From his calling in Mark 1.16-18 to the writing of the Epistles we see a dramatically different Peter.  The stereotype of Peter is a young, impetuous, short tempered zealot .  Let’s look at the Biblical record.  What do we KNOW about Peter?

-          Originally from Bethsaida (John 1.44), Peter was an entreprenuial business man that ran a successful (he had a large house shared with his brother and extended family  – Mark  1.29-31) fishing practice (Mark 1.16) in Capernum (Mark 1.21,29)  with his brother Andrew (Mark 1.16). 

-          Think of all the traits necessary to operate a successful fishing business: hard work, early riser, disciplined, manager of others, manager of assets such as boats and nets, salesmanship, aggressive.

-          These same skills are often observed in Peter during his three years with Christ.  He was almost always the first to speak up among the apostles.  His name is always the first one listed when the Apostles are named.  He was a recognized leader among the 12.

-          Peter was gradually and significantly transformed from a proud, self made man into a humble. Gentle servant of others.  God used such experiences as watching Christ crucified, Peter’s own denial, his racing to the empty tomb with John, and standing on the mountain watching Christ ascend to transform him into the Peter that we see leading the nescient church in the book of Acts.

-          In Acts we see Peter humbly preaching, yet with power, conviction and knowledge.  We see his response when jailed is very different than the Peter who cut off Malchus’ ear in Garden.

-          We know that Peter began an itinerant ministry along with his wife after James rose to prominence in the Jerusalem church. (1 Cor 9.5).

By the time Peter writes his Epistles he is a season Christian minister with a humble understanding of the sovereign work of God is the circumstances of life.  He rests in the certainty and confidence that God has instituted his New Covenant and secured out eternal inheritance in heaven. We see this certain hope all through both Epistles.

-           

THE AUDIENCE

Peter is writing this letter to the elect scattered around mountainous regions of what is today northern Turkey. He writes with a specific audience and with a sense of intimate relationship.  I think it is a safe assumption that his ministry travels along with his wife took him to this region.  He probably started many of the churches there.  Paul’s ministry trips were in the southern Turkey region and then he was directed by the Spirit to go to Macedonia.  Paul never traveled to the Northern regions that Peter is addressing in his letter.  There are probably many gentiles in the churches of that region, but the content of Peter’s letter indicate that there were a large population of Jews in the church as well.

THE HISTORICAL SETTING

It appears that Peter is writing this from Rome. (I won’t take this space to go into the usage of “Babylon” as a reference to Rome – but there is sufficient evidence.  Though admittedly not certain)  I draw this conclusion because tradition tell us that Peter and his wife are crucified upside down at the hands of Nero.  That would put Peter in Rome in the mid 60s.  He writes his letters before the persecution breaks out in full force, before Nero burns Rome.  But he has the foresight to tell his readers not be surprised when the fiery trial comes upon them (4.12).  Clearly the readers are experiencing some persecution and trials already, but the most intense is yet to come.

GENERAL THESIS

Peter wrote to these Christians, many of which we of Jewish background, but certainly not all were, to remind them that they, as New Covenant believers, were a Royal Priesthood, A Holy Nation, the fulfillment of the OT picture.  This was their Hope in times of trial and persecution.  Not a physical, political nation and certainly not in the Old Covenant.  This was increasingly obvious.  Their hope was in Christ, the New Covenant. The thesis of this letter is found in 5.10, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself, restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

THE OUTLINE

As we progress in our study I will fill in more detail of the outline of 1 Peter.  As of this writing we are in 1 Peter 1.15.  Here is the outline so far in the study.

1.1-2                Greetings

1.3-2.10           Hope is anchored in our Great Salvation (1.3, 18-19)

1.3-1.12           Knowing Our Inheritance

                                    1.3-5                Inheritance Preserved

                                    1.6-9                Inheritance Proven

                                    1.10-12            Inheritance Prophesied

            1.13-1.25         Knowing Our Mission

                                    1.13                 Be Hopeful

                                    1.14-15            Be Holy

                                    1.16-21            Be Honorable

                                    1.22-25            Be Loving       

            2.1-2.10           Knowing Our Identity

2.11-4.6           Hope lives each day in Obedience (2.13-15)

4.7-5.11           Hope sees the victory coming (5.10-11)

5.12-14            Closing

Grace to you,

Hi Ho! Hi Ho! Back to the Blogosphere I Go

At the Assembly of Christians, the little Reformed Baptist Church of which I am a member, we have recently begun a verse by verse study of 1 Peter.  I have the immense privilege of leading our study.  I don’t say “teaching” necessarily, because, more than any other class I have ever “taught,”  this class is truly a venue for us to “encourage one another.”  I get the greatest joy from leading this group of believers in our fellowship in the Word.  So many people are engaging the Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach them.  People are experiencing the joy of personal discovery in the Word.  So our brief times together on Sunday mornings serve less as a unidirectional lesson and more as a venue for mutual teaching, admonition and education. 

We often find ourselves wanting to carry the discussion further than time will allow, so I have decided to reenter the blogosphere and utilize this space primarily as a forum for us to continue our discussions from our Sunday classes. 

At some point I will post a brief summary of what has transpired in my life and in my family since the last time I posted here (November 2005).  But we will save that for another day.  I will probably post other thoughts and articles as well.  I will likely even repost some of the older articles from back in 2005 to restart the conversation in the comment threads.  But the primary purpose of this space will be to discuss 1 Peter. 

So if you are part of the class with us on Sunday, please, please join in the discussions in the comment threads. If you are not, please feel free to still chime in.  We welcome all, and look forward to the conversations.

We are into Chapter 1, already at verses 13-21.  So I will post my outline of 1 Peter and few background and overview thoughts in the next post.  Then I will do a high level overview of verses 3-12.  At that time, we will begin to dig into the nuances of the current passage – the language, cross references, typology, grammar and theology of the verses.

If you are a first time visitor, feel free to take a look around the archives.  Perhaps you’ll find something challenging, encouraging or just little entertaining.  Glad you have come by.

Grace to you,

Reformation Day

It is amazing to me how few Christians know anything about Reformation Day. Those who do often play down the significance or even denounce the celebration of such, because it is divisive and elitist.

As for me and my house, we had a special worship service at home on Sunday that included a selection of hymns and spiritual songs that focused on the power, priority and preminence of the Word of God. I gathered the children around and told them the vivid story of Martin Luter's confrontation with Pope Leo and the Catholic rulers of his day. Then we did a Bible study from 2 Tim 3.16... looking at five really good reasons to study the Bible.
1. It is God's very word "God'breathed"
2. It tells us what God expects us to do "doctrine"
3. It tells what God forbids "reproof"
4. It tells how to be sanctified "correction"
5. It tells how to do the hard work of living holy "training in righteousness"

I trust as Christians, we will never downplay the significance of a man who was so passionate about the Truth of God's Word, that he staked his entire reputation and even his very life on the line for the defense of it... in so doing, changing Christendom and the World forevermore. Praise the Lord for the legacy of Martin Luther and may we have such courage.

May we all say "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel!"

Please take a moment and share how you celebrated Reformation Day by voting in the poll to the right and them sharing your experiences in comment!

Grace to You!

Why Should We Pray?

“The spectacle of a nation praying is more awe inspiring than the explosion of an atomic bomb. The force of prayer is greater than any possible combination of man made or man controlled powers, because prayer is man’s greatest means of tapping the infinite resources of God.”

Guess who said that? J. Edgar Hoover! That's right! The 48 year Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations. I never would have guessed that as a source, but the last thought is very profound... "prayer is man's greatest means of tapping the infinite resources of God."

Isn't that an amazing thought. God has "blesseds us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ." (Eph 1.3) The means by which we appropriate those infinite blessings is the intimacy of prayer. See James 4.2 "You have not because you ask not!" God tells us to ask in the name of Christ and we will receive. When we ask God for His will, we can be confident that we are going to find it. We ask GOd for His blessings on His terms in His time and he showers them upon us! As Pastors, we might wonder why our church doesn't grow. As Parents, we wonder why we struggle with our children. As Sunday School teachers, we wonder why our students are not growing and appropriating the Truth. How much do we pray for these things. You ever wonder why people don't come to the Lord in faith and repentance? How much do you pray for God to work a miracle of rebirth in the lives of people? Prayer is the means by which we tap the infinite resources of God.

How much have you tapped into the resources God has stored for you? Prayer is an earnest discipline of pouring your heart out to God and seeking His face and His will in the issues of life. It is not vainly repeating some prayer found buried in the an Old Testament geneology. It is honest and passionate. It is heartfelt and mind driven. What a privilege we have to enter into the presence of Holy God and pour out our requests to Him in confidence and boldness.

Grace to You!

Blame it on the Brain!?

An recent article at Fox News reporting the recent delcarations by the National Institutes of Mental Health that 46 % of all Americans will development a mental illness, caused me to once again ponder the issues of sin, psychology and Biblical answers.

Where do I even begin? When I was an elementary student in the early 1980s, the school counselor recommended that my parents put me on a regular intake of Ritalin. It seems I was not performing up to par. I was easily distracted and could not stick to a task for very long. Now I am 31 years old ... I am still not the most disciplined person. It takes a lot of work to excerise discipline and self control, especially for an 8 year old boy who had an overactive imagination. Did I need drugs to control by chemically "imbalanced" brain? Did I need someone to help me discipline myself for life?

Please don't misunderstand me! I understand that there are some situation in which legitimate, physiological concerns must be addressed by qualified medical professionals. However, this does not change the clear meaning of God's diagnosis and subsequent prescription for what ails the human condition.

What God has called sin, modern "doctors," have labeled sickness, disease, and (when they have no quantitative evidence) disorders. See for example:

Stealing (Eph 4.28)= Kleptomania
Worry Phil 4.6,7 = Anxiety
Laziness (Ecc 9.10) = Attention Deficit Disorder
Homosexuality (Rom 1.26,27) = Sexual Orientation
Fear (1 John 4.17,18) = Phobia
Selfishness (Rom 12.3-5) (Phil 2.3,4) = Depression
Drunkenness (1 Cor 6.9-11) (Eph 5.18) = Alcoholism

And so on and on the list goes. There are of course many dangers in creating excuses for sin. The greatest danger, as I perceive it, is the failure to offer any real solutions, a lack of hope. For example, when a drunkard is told he has a disease and will always have this disease, there is no hope. Sure, he is relieved from responsibilty, he is released from the consequences of his actions, and is given a formula to attempt to control the disease. But in reality, he is left with no hope.

When we call rebellious action what God calls it - sin - there is a solution, there is hope! Jesus came to "save his people from their sins" (Matt 1.21). "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim 1.15). There is an answer for sin. It is repentance and faith in Lord Jesus Christ. When we simply seek to mask the evidence and reality of sin, we are blocking God's call of repentance to the individual. When we tell a homosexual struggling with the guilt and shame of his sin that his lifestyle is a result of an innate sexual orientation, we are redirecting his God-given sense of guilt and shame away from the path of real hope, namely repentance and forgiveness.

By the definitions provided by the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Association, all humankind has a variety of mental disorders. I prefer simple recognize the problem of sin and declare the only true prescription, repentance and faith in the Lord!

Grace to You!

Further Resources
Articles from the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors
Blame it on the Brain, by Ed Welch

(I anticipate the response to this post will be varied and emotional. Let's try to interact on a rational, biblical level)

Isaiah 8.11-22 - Fear God; Heed His Word

I am using the London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689 for my personal Bible Study time. Chapter 1, "Of the Holy Scriptures," has provided much for my musing these last couple of days. Of particular interest to me was the opening phrase "The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience." A footnote here references, among other passages, Isaiah 8.11-22. Here Isaiah has just prophecied the coming Assyrian invasion. Even in the midst of the pending threat and sure overwhelming force and influence of the Assyrians, God tols the people not to walk in the ways of these people or take counsel from them. Isaiah declared from God, "And when they [the Assyrians] say to you, "Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter," should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?" (v19)

In other words, God knew the temptation to seek counsel, wisdom, truth from sources and resources other that through His declaration through the prophets would be powerfully tempting. He reminded them in verse 20, "If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn." They have "no dawn;" there is no light in them; they have no understanding! Truth, all truth, comes from God alone. Truth is not discovered, experienced, developed... it has once for all been delivered.

We are probably not prone to turn to "mediums and necromancers" (unless your an avid Harry Potter fan - had to take that shot, sorry) to discover truth. God clearly condemns that! We, however, are prone to seek truth in other places: our experience, our feelings, science. The temptation to interpret Scripture in light of our experiences (i.e. "I know this works") or through the lense of our emotions ("it feels like the right thing to do") is great. But we must remember the truth with which our Baptist forefathers opened their confession: "The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience."

Praise the Lord that He has declared to us all we need to be all that He wants us to be (John 17.17; 2 Tim 3.15-17; 2 Peter 1.3)

Grace to You!

Back to the Grind

Praise the Lord for a great vacation. We had a tremendous time as a family. I survived even though ...
... I haven't turned my laptop in 9 days (I am on my home PC tonight)
... I haven't had Starbucks in nearly two weeks
... I haven't stepped foot into my office in over a week

Seriously! The Lord did provide for us a much needed and very pleasant family vacation. Some highlights...
... swimming in Lake James with my daughters
... "hiking" with Jonathan
... sitting by the fire with Crystal after the kids were tucked into their tents
... the "Nature Center" at Pokagan State Park, specifically the film celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Lewis & Clark Expedition
...reading The Little Pilgrims Progress by flashlight with the family sitting around the fire

Also, it appears that I picked a good week to be gone from the blogosphere. Phil Johnson had a quiet week, Steve Camp simplyrepublished articles I already read at Audience One (though I did enjoy the comments), and my dear friends Curtis Richardson and John Babri still haven't updated their blogs (they must have real jobs). I am looking foward to getting back into the swing of this, catching up with the regulars at World Mag Blog, PyroManiac, Camp on This and a new favorite (the cleverly named) Jeremy Weaver's Blog.

I am especially looking forward to being at my home church tomorrow! I really don't like to miss a service at Emmanuel (last week was the first service I missed since I started my ministry their a year ago). I appreciate the exposition of my Pastor, Philip DeCourcy. You too can enjoy his ministry thanks to the wonders of the web - visit our homepage for Pastor's current series or for his archives.

Anyway, more on Monday! Have a great worship this Lord's Day!

Grace to You!

Much needed get-away

Blog activity here at Mullins Musings as been slow the past few days. Vacation time has finally come for the Mullins family. We spent the weekend with some dear friends in Cuyohoga Falls (Akron), Ohio. We had a great time. We enjoyed church this morning at First Baptist Church of Green (Akron), where my Father-in-law Pastors. Great message on "Resurrection Realities" from John 11. What confort we have in the return of Christ and our promised resurrection! Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow (Monday) we leave for a few days in the wilderness. We will be tent camping at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana., This will be a special time.

Here are a few of my Vacation Goals (I am not allowed to take my laptop):

1. Kids Time. I want to be sure to spend the majority of the daylight hours with my three kids. They need some daddy-time. We will hike, fish, ride bikes, swim, build sand castles, read and just relax, tickle and laugh together.

2. Wife Time. My wife (who is six months pregnant - hey, she IS excited about camping! Don't worry, we have an air matress.) and I need some alone time as well. The closest we will get will be after the kids are tucked away for the night. I intend to spend some time discussing our goals and plans for the coming school year. We will be homeschooling one daughter and partnering with the Chrisitan School our church operatesfor the other. We need to think about educational and spiritual goals for the kids (particularly the girls).

3. Reading. I am hoping to finish (or at least make significant progress) The Soul Winner , by C.H. Spurgeon. I am also taking along Family Man, Family Leader, by Philip Lancaster, published by the Vision Forum.

Pray for us as the Lord puts us on your hearts. Looking forward to catchng up with you all when I return.

Grace to You!

Preachers that Influence You

I am still working on my list of "must read" books for every Christian. The list is way too long and I am trying to find a good way to categorize and edit it.

In the meantime, in my way too time-consuming hobby of surfing the blogosphere, I have recently discovered Adrian Warnock, a blogger from the UK. He has some helpful insights. In a recent post he asks for your most favorite, well known preachers. The responses are very interesting, and fun. In this spirit, I suggest as similar discussion here.

Let me ask you to do the impossible. List your five (only five - that's the hard part) favorite, modern-day (whatever that means to you) preachers. Give their name and place of ministy if your can.

Here is mine (for now anyway):

1. John MacArthur from Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, also of Grace to You Ministries.

2. Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Seminary.

3. Alistair Begg from Parkside Church in suburban Cleveland, also of Truth for Life Ministries.

4. John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, also of Desiring God Ministries.

5. Iain Murray of Banner of Truth Trust, a reformed publishing ministry. Dr. Murray focuses more on historical theology than exposition. Find his sermons/lectures at SermonAudio.com.

Now it is your turn. Give honor to whom you believe honor is due!

Grace to You, my blogging friends!

Good Reading for Christian Boys

A brief scan of this blog's archives will clearly indicate the high value I place on reading. I have commented on great value of reading Christian biographies, the effect reading has on Pastor's and subsequently, churched, and most recently I expressed some concern over fiction. Regarding the reading of Harry Potter, I have a very unformed opinion. (Which is quite amazing, since I usually land soundly on an opinion and argue vehemently, often to my own detriment.) My gut pulls me away from embracing the series, simply because (although fictional - believe me, I have read the arguments) of the glorification of what God has condemned. I do not feel strongly enough to make a case for or against the acceptance of this series or anything like it.

Although, my Pastor made a great point Sunday morning. Six million people stood in line to anxiously buy and read the latest installment from Rowling. How many people were lined up at the front door of the church to get in and hear the next installment of their pastor's exposition? He made absolutely no value judgement on Harry Potter; rather, he pointed out the difference in how the world passionately embraces their stories, which are mere fiction, and how the church embraces our stories, which are historical, life-changing facts. Interesting!

Regarding Harry Potter, again I would direct your attention to Phil Johnson's thoughtful comments. Though I largely agree with Phil's assertions, I still contend that there must be better stuff available for young Christians to read. Things that will allow them to "let the Word of Christ richly dwell in [them]."

My boy, Jonathan, is going to be 3 in a couple of weeks. My two girls LOVE to read. Statistics indicate that boys are far less inclined to reading. Though I cannot substantiate this claim, there must be some relationship to a boy's lack of interest in reading and the lack of good, imaginative, well written fiction for them to read. Most of what the publishing industry aims at young boys (and girls for that matter) is drivel with no substantive plot, no interesting character development, and usually a contrived, spiritualized ending. Put that stuff up against Harry Potter and the young wizard will win everytime.

I found (actually my wife found) a very interesting selection of exciting, well written books for young men. The Vision Forum is an organization dedicated to restoring the vision of a the biblical family. They have a decidedly reformed bent and desire to bring the Word of God to bear in the life of the Americal Family.

Happy Reading... and Grace to You!

Can I be a Calvinist and an Evangelist?

The question is sometimes asked, "How can you be a 'five pointer,' you are an Outreach Pastor?" As if to say a Calvinist has no concern for lost souls. We certainly do! I certainly do. I have no greater joy than one a new worshipper is born for the glory of God.

Let me paste a comment I made during a discussion over at The Cutting Edge. The discussion began by asking the question, "Was Jesus seeker sensitive?" to which I replied, there is no such thing as a seeker (Rom 3.10,11). So the next logical (some what Arminian) question comes, "Why do we share the gospel if God does all the deciding?" Here is was my reply...

"Can I be both a Calvinist and an Evangelist? An age old question... For this we turn to the examples of Mueller, Spurgeon, early Southern Baptists such as Boyce and many others throughout history that were strong Calvinists AND strong Evangelists. More recently we can look at the good doctor, Martin Llyod-Jones, who was an expositor but considered himself first and foremoest an evangelist. Remember, the only way a corpse can come back to life is the Word. The way the Word gets out is the faithful proclamation of the Gospel by faithful preachers. (Rom 10.9-17) In other words - we faithfully proclaim the Word, from pulpits, lecturns, classrooms, and in the intimacy of relationships. While we proclaim, we recognize we do so solely for the purpose of God's glory. We are obedient! God will care for the saving of souls. When I teach and lead our Grace Evangelism team out on visitation ministry every Tuesday night, I remind them, our goal isto make much of the glory of God as demonstrated on the cross of Chrsit. If God causes someone to respond, even better! But our task is to faithfully proclaim the good news for the Glory of God! God's Word will not return unto us void, it will always accomplish everything he intended it to."

I would submit that to you as a good motivation for evangelism - yea, even the most important motive for evangelism - namely, the Glory of God alone. Why do we go/send people to the mission field? Why do pass out Gospel literature? Why do preach the good news of Christ? Why do we tell our neighbors of the hope of the gospel of Christ? Obedience, of course, is part of it. Because we care about lost souls? Is caring about lost souls of preeminent importance?

Let me take moment to trace the evangelist fervor of Paul through his letter to the Romans...

Romans 1.1-5. Jesus Christ is declared, descended from David according to the flesh, the Son God, through whom we have received grace to bring about obedience of faith...why? "for the sake of His name among the nations." The Glory of God among the nations was the motivation for sending His Son.

Romans 15.8-11 Christ demonstrated God's truthfulness "in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy." Again, the motivation of the salvific work of Christ was the Glory of God!

Paul concludes his thoughts to the Romans with a Doxology that emphasizes the strengthening work of the Gospel. His final doxological thought is "to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Christ!" From where does the "glory forevermore" emminate? Jesus Christ!

You see, my motivation to share the Gospel is directly tied to my commitment to the sovereign work of God in eternity past desiring to bring His people to glorify Himself.

Yes, one can be, (and I am) an Evangelist and a Calvinist!

Grace to You!

Harry Potter is more secure than our Borders

The new Harry Potter book comes out on Saturday, so I hear. The Book Standard reports that the new books are under tight security. One delivery driver "revealed recently that he had been ordered to make the ten-hour trip without stopping. To ensure compliance, his truck was outfitted with a global positioning system, which allows a satellite to monitor his progress—reporting any deviation from the strictly regulated route, or even stops for bathroom break."

I thought is was interesting that more time and effort are spent on tracking Harry Potter books than is spent on tracking suitcases packed with nuclear bomb making parts. I know not really a far comparison; but, isn't unbelievable the hype that goes into things?

That is not really my real concern. I was thinking again about Harry Potter recently. I have never really given and clear thought to the subject or appropriateness of filling ones mind and imagination with the content of Rowlings best sellers. I know have a 3 year old son that might someday be interested in fantasy literature - thankfully, not yet! That is not my genre of choice. But I want my decisions to be based on clear biblical conviction.

Deut. 18.9-14 is absolutely clear that God forbids having anything to do with one who practices sorcery, divination, necromancy, wizardry, etc... That is clearly Harry Potter. Why do so many Christians readily bring this stuff into their homes and the minds of their children? Once in my last church, we had a missionary teaching children's church. I thought that was safe enough. I later found that she was pushing Harry Potter to our children -"there are good moral lessons about good vs. evil, etc..." When do good moral lessons trump Biblical authority? Isn't there other places to get good moral lessons without spitting in the face of clear biblical teaching?

While I am at it, let me ask an honest question. I know, a bit taboo for a Christian to even think about questioning The Lord of the Rings. Shame on me for even thinking anything might be remotely wrong with that series. But doesn't that series also involve sorcery, wizardry, etc... I know, I know ... it's all good vs. evil, allegorical, etc... But again, let's deal with the text of Scripture. When can we bring that kind of stuff into the minds our children? As long as we use some Christian themes and Christian words, the other stuff is okay? Then let's all got buy the latest U2 album! See? When does it become acceptable?

These are honest questions? I admit to having never read either Potter or Lord of the Rings. So I speak with level of ignorance. But I think I grasp the spirit of Deut 18, and other Scriptures.

By the way, two night ago we started, for family devotions, Little Pilgrims Progress by Helen Taylor. This is great fictional literature!

Grace to You!

Now I am a heretic!

I was just referred to as a heretic over at the World Magazine Blog, where I frequently comment. The topic in the open thread for the day was hymn / song lines that are theologically suspect, or just plain wrong. I commented on the one the plagues me most: "Above All." This is a mostly good song, but the idea of what is "above all" changes throughout the song, there is no consistency. By the last line we proclaim "you took the fall and thought of me above all." Suddenly the one singing is "above all" - at least above all in the mind of Christ as He died on the cross. Of course, we know that the thought of Christ on the cross was obedience to the will of the Father to please and glorify Him. (Heb. 5.8; Phil 2.8; Eph 5.2 "to please His Father).

However, the heretic arrow came when I further commented that another concern with this song, or any like it, gives the impression that Christ was thinking of every person singing this song, as if Christ died for every person in the world.

NOW... there you see where the heretic shot came. I hold to a particular redemption perspective of the atonement. According to someone code named "Duck" that makes me, along with Spurgeon, Calvin, most all Baptists until around 1800, and many others (including modern teachers like James White, John MacArthur, John Piper) all heretics.

It is not my intent to necesarily spark a debate on the extent of the atonement, though I am open to that. My larger question for the time is simply this: What are the qualifications for a teaching to be considered a heresy? And when do we label one a heretic?

Incidently, my friend Curtis Richardson, sent me a link to a scary Jack-Hyles type site that calls MacArthur a heretic. Read if you dare!

Anyway, Grace to You my friends! Grace to you ALL!

Are Seminaries Hijacking a Local Church Mandate?

My friend Steve Camp is on one of his tirades again. As usual, Steve his aggressive, pointed, sometimes bombastic, and always thoughtful. Apparent throughout his articles and essays is a desire to bring Biblical principles to bear in the real world of life and ministry. I have never doubted Steve's passion for the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. This was apparent to me within minutes of picking him up at the airport the first time we met. I greatly appreciate his desire for a pure form of Christianity. Steve provides much fodder for debate among my friends and I.

In a recent post at Camp on This, regarding seminaries, Steve decries the fact the seminaries have assumed the responsiblities for training men for ministry and the local church has stood by to let this happen. I have not fully formed my thoughts on this, but have long held many of the same concerns. Please read the his post and share your comments to enlighten me. After I muse on it a bit more, I will share some of my thoughts.

By the way, this is exactly why I do a Blog. It has nothing to do with the fact that I think I have something of exceeding value to apss on to you. It has everything to do with interaction and mutual enlightenment. So please comment and let's encourage one another as iron sharpening iron.

Grace to You!

Pray for Londoners

Just wanted to take a brief moment to express my concern for and prayers for the people of London. This is a "barbaric" attack, as Prime Minister Blair has said.

Remember, Phil Johnson is ministering at the School of Theology in London this week. He has posted that he and Darlene are safe. Pray for evangelical ministries in London to minister the grace of the True God at this time, in the face of those who conduct such evil in the name of their God.

Grace to you & Peace!

A Couple Great Finds

I discovered some very wonderful websites that have quickly become a couple of my favorites. The web is a very dangerous thing. There is so much information available, that I spend too much time reading. It that actually possible. Well, I am on the verge...

Anyway, let me direct your attention to some great reading

The Reformed Reader is a collection of works by mostly Baptistic reformed writers and theologians. Great thoughts, especially some of the historical essays.

The Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics deals more with apologetics. It is a great portal to many of the historical documents that shaped the church over the centuries.

Keep on Reading... and as always,

Grace to You!

Is God still speaking?

The United Church of Christ has used the motto "God is still speaking", calling it their "Nationwide Identity Campaign," for some time now. They put forth the concept that the worldwide community of believers is to be accepting and embracing of all mankind. They believe that the Scriptures are part of God's revelation, but that God continues to speak as culture and society change. The universal concepts of grace and acceptance must be understood in light of a changing culture and evolving societal norms.

With these concepts providing the framework for discussion, debate and decision, the UCC meeting in General Synod voted overwhelmingly for the recognition of "marriage equality." This is completely consistent with the denominations long standing support for the homosexual lifestyle choice. They ask each UCC church to consider adopting a Wedding Policy that does not discriminate against couples based on gender.

This should not surprise us at all. During a survey of the churches website, I found very few Scripture references; those I did find took quite a bit of creative exegesis to be used the way they were. This conclusion, and many like it, are the natural results of dismissing the authority of the Word of God. When anything replaces the final authority of God's will, as revealed in the Word, pragmatism reigns supreme. This decision to endorse, even encourage, gay marriage is not a major jump. It is the next logical step for a group that has systematically denied the authority of Scripture.

We must be careful to examine our ministry and worldview decisions. What is our authoritative source? Might it be history, backed by proof texting? Perhaps a genuine desire to see people saved, but without regard to the methodology that would line up with Scripture? Motives are not always bad! But sincerity must be directed by the authority of God's Word. You've heard the saying, "It's alright to be sincere, but you can be sincerely wrong!"

Let's be very careful not to replace the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God with pragmatism, historical precedent, or even good, gracious motives, lest we begin to slide down the slippery slope of humanism like the UCC.

As always... Grace to You!

FYI - Campi is "official" in the Blogosphere

I always thought Audience One WAS the blog minsitry of Steve Camp. But apparently I was wrong. Campi has officially entered the Blogosphere with his newest release Camp On This. It really is quite similar to his Web based ministry at Audience One, but allows the reader to interact by way of comments. Provacative as usual.

Also, keep an eye on PyroManiac this week. Phil Johnson is ministering at the School of Theology this next week at the Met in London. He plans to journal his week. I will plan to live vicariously through one more privileged than I. I would love to visit London, especially WITH Phil Johnson (hint hint Phil). I would love t0 see the grave markers of the faithful men and women who have gone on before - CH Spurgeon, chiefly, but also Watts, Gill, Richard Baxter at Christ Church, and many others. Maybe someday!

Ministy in Toledo, Ohio is as vital as ministry in London!

Grace to You!