Chuck Lawless on the Why of Lottie Moon

This week is the week of emphasis and prayer and fasting for foreign missions and Lottie Moon.  The Lottie Moon Christmas offering will be taken up Sunday and many are unaware to who Moon was or why we take this offering up.  In brief, this is an offering that goes to support foreign missions.  As one who has been overseas a couple of times doing mission work, I have seen how these funds promote the spread of the gospel overseas.  If we truly believe in the gospel, then we ought to take this offering more seriously than we do.  If we really love the unredeemed, then we will give.

Recently, Southern Seminary professor Chuck Lawless wrote an article in the Baptist Press on the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and why it is so important.  After sharing with the reader a number of stories and testimonies of lives changed by the gospel, Dr. Lawless writes:

We have seen firsthand the changing power of the Gospel around the world, and those experiences remind us that Lottie Moon dollars are still making an eternal difference.

What keeps me awake at night, though, are those who have never heard or who do not yet believe. More than 6,000 people groups around the world have no Gospel witness. By some estimates, as many 3.5 billion people have never heard the Gospel. Some 6 billion people are lost without Christ.

Six billion lives at stake, and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering provides almost 55 percent of the IMB's annual budget to engage this lostness. Clearly, Lottie Moon still matters.

Six billion people right now are lost and going to hell.  How can we sleep at night knowing that we have done nothing about that?  We are ambassadors of Christ.  We therefore have a message to declare and we ought to take that message, and the Lord of that message, more seriously.


Baptist Press (Chuck Lawless) - FIRST-PERSON: Why Lottie Moon Matters

November 28, 2010 - God is Triune: God the Holy Spirit

Here is the audio and notes from yesterday's message.  I have been really blessed in my own personal study on the doctrine of the Trinity and hope to be able to post more on the subject.  This technically ends our series on the doctrine of God (Theology Proper) as we now turn to discuss the Doctrine of Christ (Christology).  Next Sunday we will be discussing the Doctrine of the Lordship of Christ.

Audio 
Notes






For more:
DeYoung on the Trinity  
MacArthur on the Comfort of the Spirit 
The Nicene Creed 
September 12, 2010 - God is Creator 
September 19, 2010 - God is Provident 
October 10, 2010 - God is Sovereign  
October 24, 2010 - God is Immutable
October 31, 2010 - God is Holy 
November 7, 2010 - God is Jealous
November 13, 2010 -  God is Love 
November 20, 2010 - God is Triune:  God the Father

DeYoung on the Trinity

We have been studying the Doctrine of the Divine Trinity and I have been greatly blessed in all of my ongoing studies of this wonderful doctrine.  The problem for many of us when digger deeper into Scripture and theology is the question of why such an effort is important?  Honestly, what good is studying the Trinity if it isn't practical?  As the old saying goes, what does that have to do with the price of bread in China - or something like that.  Is the doctrine of the Trinity practical?  I believe it is.  In fact, I believe that all doctrine is practice and if we really want to see a change in our hearts and be molded more like God, then the study of theology is paramount of things to do and consider.  All of theology - all doctrine is practical and the Trinity is no different.  In his book The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism author and pastor Kevin DeYoung offers three practical reasons why the Trinity matters:

1.   The Trinity mattes for creation.  God, unlike the gods in other ancient creation stories, did not need to go outside Himself to create the universe.  Instead, the Word and the Spirt were like His own two hands (to use Irenaeus’s famous phrase) in fashioning the cosmos.  God created by speaking (the Word) as the Spirit hovered over the chaos.  Creation, like regeneration, is a Trinitarian act, with God working by the agency o the Word spoken and the mysterious movement of the Holy Spirit.  -52


2.    The Trinity matters for evangelism and cultural engagement.  I’ve heard it sad that the 2 main rivals to a Christian worldview at present are Islam and postmodernism. Islam emphasizes unity . . . without allowing much variance for diversity.  Postmodernism, on the other hand, emphasizes diversity – diversity of opinion, beliefs, and background – without attempting to see things in any kind of meta-unity.  Christianity, with its understanding of God as three in one, allows for diversity and unity.  If God exists in 3 distinct persons who all share the same essence, then it is possible to hope that God’s creation may exhibit stunning variety and individuality while still holding together in a genuine oneness.  -52

3.    The Trinity mattes for relationships.  We worship a God who is in constant and eternal relationship with Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Community is a buzz word in American culture, but it is only in a Christian framework that communion and interpersonal community are seen as expressions of the eternal nature of God.  Likewise, it is only with a Trinitarian God that love can be an eternal attribute of God.  Without a plurality of persons in the Godhead, we would be forced to think that God created humans so that He might show love and know love, thereby making love a created thing (and God a needy deity).  But with a biblical understanding of the Trinity, we can say that God did not create in order to be loved, but rather, created out of the overflow of the perfect love that had always existed among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who ever live in perfect and mutual relationship and delight.  -52

I particularly like the second point raised by DeYoung and that is the issue of unity and community.  Let us not forget that unless the Trinity be true, then eternal realities like love, peace, and community have no real meaning.  We cannot say that God is eternally love unless He be eternally Triune.  This is what the Bible and the gospel means when it says, be holy like God.  God has always been holy and we ought to reflect that holiness.  Part of that holiness includes a love that is defined and exercised by God and He has done so for all of eternity.  When we want peace, we want the peace experienced by the Trinity, not a temporal empty peace we often look for.

This concept of community is hugely practical for us.  Think about it.  If we reflected the Trinity in our own church we would explode without ever fearing of personal prides and agendas getting in the way.  Most church's are at each other's throats because they refuse to participate in the community of the local church reflecting the community shared within the Trinity.  This means that how we act as a body of believers says much about what we believe about our God.  God is both one and yet a community of three Persons.  We ought to reflect this same dictotomy.  We are called to be one as He is One within a local community called the Church.

All doctrine, as I like to remind us all, is practical.


For more:
GBC - November 20, 2010 - God is Trinue:  God the Father  
GBC - MacArthur on the Comfort of the Spirit 
GBC - The Nicene Creed 
GBC - This is Who We Are  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Father
GBC - This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Son 
GBC - This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Spirit  
GBC - Shai Linne:  Triunne Praise 

MacArthur on the Comfort of the Spirit

This Sunday we will be talking about the Third Person of the Trinity -- the Holly Spirit. As of right now, we will be studying John 14 and even chapters 15-16 of John's Gospel. The best and brief explanation of the wonderful promises of the Spirit come from John MacArthur's comments on the John 14 passage at his website. Here is some of what he has written:

The promise of the Holy Spirit is the culmination of all that Jesus said to comfort those eleven troubled men. In that hour of turmoil, they feared being left alone. However Jesus assured them that they would not be left to fend for themselves; they would have a supernatural Helper. The Greek word translated ‘Helper’ (parakletos) literally means ‘one who is called alongside.’ The King James Version translates it ‘Comforter,’ which is one of its meanings.

The Greek word translated "another" may provide a helpful clue in understanding Jesus' meaning in John 14. There are two Greek words frequently translated ‘another’: heteros and allos. Sometimes the biblical authors used those words interchangeably, but sometimes they used heteros to speak of another of a different kind and allos to speak of another of the same kind (e.g. the ‘different’ [heteros] gospel vs. ‘another’ [allos] gospel in Galatians 1:6-7).

Allos is the word Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit: ‘another [allos] Helper.’ That could be His way of saying, ‘I am sending you One of exactly the same essence as Me.’ He wasn't sending just any helper, but One exactly like Himself with the same compassion, the same attributes of deity, and the same love for them.

Jesus had been the disciples' helper for three years. He had helped them, comforted them, and walked alongside them. Now they would have another Helper – One exactly like Jesus – to minister to them as He had.

This is simply fascinating. When the disciples need comfort most, what Jesus offers is the Spirit of Comfort. What is most interesting is the language Jesus uses. What they really want is for Jesus to stay, and so what promises the disciples is that He isn't going anywhere. Sure He is about to die only to raised from the dead and would eventually ascend, but as chapters 15 and 16 tell us, unless Jesus ascend into heaven, the Spirit would not come down who is of the same essence of Jesus. Jesus offers the comfort of Himself as seen in the presence of the Spirit. And we have this Spirit in all of us who have trusted in Jesus Christ, repented of our sin, believing that He alone can save us. We have this Paracleet, this great Comforter. What a wonderful promise!!


Grace to You (John MacArthur) - The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

A Word From the Pastor - December 2010

Have your Christmas listed written yet?  You’ve got less than a month to buy all of the gifts, go to the parties, and “enjoy” this Christmas season.  All of us will be exhausted, more busy than usual, and probably a little in debt.  It is so easy to get distracted by the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season that we forget why we as Christians celebrate it in the first place.  Unless we are focused on the gospel all of our celebrating, planning, and giving are in vain.  Christmas is about the Incarnation, the moment when the eternal Son put on human flesh in order to become a substituting, atoning sacrifice for us not because we deserved it but because He is a Jealous God who loves us with an unconditional love.  Christmas is about Christ and that means more than a bumper sticker can deliver.  Let every holiday, song, present, and moment of celebration throughout the year be about the gospel.  Let us be motivated and driven by a love for the God of the gospel who became one of us so that we might be called children of God.

The Nicene Creed

Sunday night we discussed the Nicene Creed and what role it played in our understanding of the Trinity and the doctrine of Christ (called Christology).  The Nicene Creed was primarily a response to the challenge of Arianism which rejected the deity of Christ.  The Arian heresy is now found in the Jehovah's Witness movement.  They too reject the deity of Christ and instead believe that Jesus was the first created being of God (Jehovah) and the Spirit was created by Jesus. 

Here is the traditional version of the Nicene Creed:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.  For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.  On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. 

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.  We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

 

This is a good creed that virtually every true Christian affirms including Catholics, Protestants, and Eastern Orthodox.  Even the Emerging Church claims to affirm it (but I think that is a farce).  We'll have more to say about this creed next month when we discuss the doctrine of Christ.

November 20, 2010 - God is Triune: God the Father

I failed to record yesterday's sermon and so only the notes are available.  This week we looked at the Doctrine of the Divine Trinity and focused on God the Father - the first member of the Trinity

Notes


For more:
September 12, 2010 - God is Creator 
September 19, 2010 - God is Provident 
October 10, 2010 - God is Sovereign  
October 24, 2010 - God is Immutable
October 31, 2010 - God is Holy 
November 7, 2010 - God is Jealous  
November 13, 2010 -  God is Love 

November 14, 2010 - God is Love

I know I'm over a week late, but here is the audio and notes from the sermon from two weeks ago on the Doctrine of Divine Love.

Audio
Notes





For more:
MacDonald on the Love of God  
September 12, 2010 - God is Creator 
September 19, 2010 - God is Provident 
October 10, 2010 - God is Sovereign  
October 24, 2010 - God is Immutable
October 31, 2010 - God is Holy 
November 7, 2010 - God is Jealous  

A Word From the Pastor - November 2010

I know I'm a little late. 

November means one thing: another excuse to overeat and watch football!  Thanksgiving is a great holiday full of history and meaning.  As Christians, especially, we have much to be thankful for beyond the birth and history of our nation, friendship, peace, and family.  As Christians, we must always be thankful for the fact that the holy God we have been exploring stooped down from Heaven, in the person of the Son, became one of us and died in our place.  Thankfulness ought to be naturally a characteristic of the Christian that must go beyond turkey and sports once a year.  Thanksgiving itself opens the door to other spiritual truths like humility, joy, contentment, peace, love, goodness, and prayer.  How can we who deserve nothing and yet have been righteousness and have been adopted by our Heavenly Father not be grateful?  Only when we have a right view of ourselves – filthy, sinful, in constant rebellion who seek to oust our Creator – and a right view of God – righteous, holy, sovereign, and just – can we truly be thankful.  John Newton, the author of the hymn Amazing Grace and a former slave trader prior to his conversion, summed it up perhaps the best:  “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.”  Amazing Grace that saved a wretch like me . . . and for that we ought to be more than grateful; we ought to be in constant worship.

This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - Man

For the past several months, the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 has led us to think deeply about the doctrine of God and especially the Divine Trinity – 1 God in 3 Persons unified yet at the same time separate.  Now the BF&M 2000 forces us to now consider the Doctrine of Man known as Anthropology.  The BF&M 2000 states:

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God’s creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

The confession of faith essentially says two things – one theologically the other culturally and morally – that force us to address them theologically and biblically.  First is the creation of man itself.

The first sentence sums up the basic Christian understanding of anthropology: Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image.  Understand the depth of that statement and everything else will make sense.  Man stands as the climax of creation and most closely resembles God (though clearly not God is many and most respects).  Whatever made in the His own image may mean (and theologians disagree), we can at least admit that human life is special, unique, and on a level unmatched by any other creature.

At the same time, and as the BF&M 2000 makes clear, though Man was created in the image of God, that special creation was divided into two genders: male and female.  Both are made in God’s image.  Both are equal and both are the crowning jewels of God’s creation.  However, they are both different in many ways.  It is tempting at this point to erase that last sentence.  In a culture like ours, it is simply unpopular and even offensive to state that men and women are different.  Anyone married for 15 minutes, however, can tell you what we all naturally know: men and women are different.  But, just as both genders are equal in status and both are unique creations of God made in His image, God is most glorified whenever we maximize how He has created us.  Only the Christian faith makes sense of this.  In other words, God is glorified in both masculinity and femininity.  God rejoices at the differences in the two equal genders for He created us as we are.  So instead of turning men into wimps or castigating boys for being boys, let us celebrate each other knowing that though we are different, we are equal & God is glorified for that.

This all leads to why we have such debates in the first place.  Sin has entered our universe and with sin came the Curse.  Man and woman were perfect at one point until we sought to dethrone God.  At that point, the world began to spin out of control.  Death, decay, cancer, factions, selfishness, droughts, and divisions replaced what was once the perfect world we can only dream of today.  Once we thought of ourselves instead of God, we became slaves to sin.  And it continues to this day.

It is at this point that the BF&M 2000 picks up on the second aspect of Anthropology.  The first was more theological, the second – driven out of that theology – more cultural and moral.  Clearly the BF&M 2000 has in mind issues regarding life like abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, murder, and other issues regarding life and the taking of life.  As Christians we would also add rape, violence, injustice, and other social issues such as poverty and crime to the equation as well.

How the theology affects our morality should be obvious.  If man is created in the image of God and thus has inherent dignity, then to take innocent life is morally repugnant.  In Genesis 9 God clearly states that any forms of murder is evil because the life of an image bearer of God is being taken.  Being the author and creator of human life, only God reserves the right and authority to determine our days from conception to death.  The BF&M 2000 goes into some detail surveying this issue.  Human life, at its conception, has a level of dignity unmatched by any other creatures and thus ought to have the full rights that any other born human being in a society. Life is precious because it originates with God.  To take the life of an innocent human being, made in the image of God, is an attack on God Himself. 

As a result, the many moral and ethical issues along with the many cultural debates we have in this country aren’t trivial issues, but are theological issues.  They are gospel issues.  Let us not forget that the One who created us didn’t stop at the Curse in Genesis 3, but proceeded to Calvary where He bled and died in our behalf.  If life had no value, then please explain calvary.  Anthropology, then, is a gospel issue and we must, as always, return to the gospel in all that we say, do, believe, and vote.


For more:
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - Introduction
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - Scripture
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God
This is Who We Are  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Father
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Son 
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Spirit  

Holman Dictionary on Jonah

In my preparation for tonight's study of Jonah, I came across some insightful quotes from the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary.  The entry on the book of Jonah is perhaps the best I came across covering the message of the book and the issues surrounding it in brief.

To begin, the editors note how many since the rise of modern liberalism and biblical criticism have enjoyed picking on Jonah arguing that it is simply a fable or a myth rejecting its historicity.  The reasons for this should be obvious on the surface.  For one, fish don't swallow people only to vomit them up again.  Likewise, plants don't grow and then be eaten by a small worm in a matter of minutes or hours.  The problem with such arguments is to assume that the God of creation has no control over His creation.  If God is supernatural and not bound by natural laws, then it is logical to conclude that He can override natural laws in a supernatural way.  Jonah is no exception.

The dictionary writes:

Many since the 19th Century AD have regarded Jonah as a parable or didactic fiction, as if factual history were ruled out by literary artistry or the recounting of miraculous events.  If this narrative, however, whose form bears at every point the mark of a historical account, was judged unhistorical on either of these bases, then most of the Bible would follow easily along.  It is pointless to ask whether Jonah really could have been swallowed by a great fish without also asking whether God really could communicate with a prophet.  Every aspect of man’s encounter with God is miraculous.  Jonah is clearly didactic, but it is not presented as fiction or interpreted as such by Jesus (cp. Matt. 12:40-41).   -942

Also, the entry discusses why Jonah was so adamant to not preach repentance to the Ninehvites.  This is helpful because oftentimes we read Jonah without realizing the difficulty of the task Jonah was asked to complete.  Would we go to the inner circle of the most wicked terrorist and proclaim the gospel to them?  I am willing to bet we wouldn't simply because we would think that they wouldn't deserve the good news.

Jonah was not pleased when God commanded him to go to Nineveh and preach repentance.  The Assyrians worshiped the vicious god Ashur and a multitude of other gods and goddesses.  Assyrian brutality and cruelty were legendary.  The Assyrians were known to impale their enemies on stakes in front of their towns and hang their heads from trees in the king’s gardens.  They also tortured their captives – men, women, or children – by hacking off noses, ears, or fingers, gouging out their eyes, or tearing off their lips and hands.  They reportedly covered the city wall with the skins of their victims.  Rebellious subjects would be massacred by the hundreds, sometimes burned at the stake.  Then their skulls would be placed in great piles by the roadside as a warning to others.  Jonah decided that he would rather quit the prophetic ministry than preach to such people.  Nineveh was about 500 miles to the east, so he headed for Tarshish, probably what is now Spain, the farthest western location he knew, about 2,000 miles.  -945


*  The above picture is of Jonah preaching in Nineveh.

Bibledex on Jonah

Here is the video from the folks at Bibledex.  I must say I am surprised that they don't come out and reject the historicity of the book.  They in fact, almost ignore some of the modern criticism's of the book which is unlike them.  So in that sense, this is perhaps my favorite they have done thus far.



They have also put together a second video with more footage from theologians talking about Jonah. Unlike the video above, one scholar emphasizes that Jonah is a satire.  Although I agree there are satire in the story, I do not believe that the story itself is only satire.  Just like Jesus used satire and humor in His ministry, so too the writer of Jonah offers a historical tale weaving in satire to make an even finer point.  Here it is:





For more:
Bibledex on Malachi 
Bibledex on Nahum  
Bibledex on Habbakuk 
Bibledex on Zephaniah
Bibledex on Zechariah
Bibledex on Malachi  
Bibledex on Matthew 
Bibledex on Mark  
Bibledex on Luke 
Bibledex on John 
Bibledex on Romans
Bibledex on 2 Corinthians
Bibledex on Ephesians 
Bibledex on Philippians
Bibledex on Colossians 
Bibledex on 2 Thessalonians  

Veggie Tales and Jonah

I found this hilarious.  Tonight we'll be studying the book of Jonah and the folks over at Veggie Tales have an entire movie dedicated to the prophet's story.  What follows is the blooper real from the movie put together by the makers.  I also recommend watching the movie especially if you have kids.  Its pretty good and covers the entire story.



If you would like to watch the entire movie online for free, click here.  I am unable to embed the video, but it is through youtube.  And to top it all off, here is a music video from one of my favorite bands, Newsboys, called "In the Belly of the Whale" that was on the soundrack for the movie:

30 Hour Famine Information

In the upcoming months, I want us as a church and as a youth group to participate in the 30 Hour Famine.  For more information on what this is, the folks over at World Vision have provided us with some videos to help us understand what it is and its purpose.  I hope this helps.




;lkasdf  I also want to point you to a link at the 30 Hour Famine website that shows what rewards are available for those who participate.  Though our motivation for doing this shouldn't be to be rewarded, there are nonetheless gifts for those who raise money.  Depending on how much you raise, you can win anything as small as a pin to anything as hats, shirts, bags, and so much more.  Click here for more.

MacDonald on the Love of God

This Sunday we will be discussing the love of God and what a wonderful doctrine it is!  One of my favorite pastors, Dr. James MacDonald, was once interviewed on the subject.  Here is what he had to say:

Bibledex on Micah

Here is the video from the folks at Bibledex for the book of Micah which we will discuss tonight.  It should be a fascinating discussion.  Again I don't agree with everything that is said here, but I fit a helpful review nonetheless.  One of the things I disagree with is the suggestion that Micah has two authors.  Many suggest that Micah actually wrote (or at least prophesied) the first three chapters while chapters 4-7 were added at a later period.  I reject this wholeheartedly.





For more:
Bibledex on Nahum  
Bibledex on Habbakuk 
Bibledex on Zephaniah
Bibledex on Zechariah
Bibledex on Malachi  
Bibledex on Matthew 
Bibledex on Mark  
Bibledex on Luke 
Bibledex on John 
Bibledex on Romans
Bibledex on 2 Corinthians
Bibledex on Ephesians 
Bibledex on Philippians
Bibledex on Colossians 
Bibledex on 2 Thessalonians 

November 7, 2010 - God is Jealous

Here is the audio and notes from this past Sunday where we discussed the Doctrine of Divine Jealousy.  There has been little written on the subject as compared to other theology proper doctrines.  I consider this to be an important topic and one that Christians should think about more. If God is jealous, then I am loved.





Audio
Notes


For more:
Repost - Is God Jealous?:  Oprah Weighs In 
October 31, 2010 - God is Holy 
October 24, 2010 - God is Immutable 
October 10, 2010 - God is Sovereign  
September 19, 2010 - God is Provident 
September 12, 2010 - God is Creator 

Repost: Is God Jealous: Oprah Weighs In

Anybody who knows me knows that I am not a fan of Oprah especially when it comes to her theology.  Oprah is a postmodern, relativistic, New Ager that denies all doctrines of sound theology.  The following video illustrates this well.

Tonight we'll be discussing the jealousy of God.  Yes God is jealous.  In fact, He says that His name is Jealous (Exodus 34:14).  One of the hurdles that Oprah has struggled with in the Bible is its description of God as a jealous God as illustrated in the following video.  Before you watch know that the video is essentially an advertisement, but it does do a good job showing Oprah's radical and dangerous theology.  Watch especially her webcast starting a little after the 2 minutes and fifty seconds mark.  It is there she talks about God being jealous.



For more:
Oprah and Universalism 

What is the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

A few weeks ago on a Wednesday night the question was raised about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit which Jesus says is unforgivable.  Here is how Pastor and author of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington answered the question.





HT:  Mars Hill Church Blog

October 31, 2010 - God is Holy

Here is the audio and notes from this past Sunday morning.  I know I'm a little late, but I've been real busy so far this week.  Hope all is going well.  I'm really enjoying this series and it has really challenged me personally.  What an awesome God we worship and serve.

God is Holy





Audio
Notes


For more:
Tozer on Holiness  
Third Day:  Our God is a "Consuming Fire" 

Bibledex on Nahum

Here is this weeks installment of the Bibledex videos.  This week we are discussing the book of Nahum.  Ironically, Nahum 1:2 introduces us to the doctrine of Divine jealousy which is also our subject this upcoming Sunday.  Anyways, here's the video.




For more:
Bibledex on Habbakuk 
Bibledex on Zephaniah
Bibledex on Zechariah
Bibledex on Malachi  
Bibledex on Matthew 
Bibledex on Mark  
Bibledex on Luke 
Bibledex on John 
Bibledex on Romans
Bibledex on 2 Corinthians
Bibledex on Ephesians 
Bibledex on Philippians
Bibledex on Colossians 
Bibledex on 2 Thessalonians

November 2010 Newsletter Available Online

Just to let everyone know that the newsletter for this month has now been posted.  So if you failed to pick one up the other day at Sundary morning worship, you can still download it for free online by clicking the link below or (as always) by clicking on the link on the left hand column.  See ya Sunday!

November 2010 Newsletter