• Expositional Preaching
• Biblical Theology
• Biblical Understanding of the Good News
• Biblical Understanding of Conversion
• Biblical Understanding of Evangelism
• Biblical Understanding of Membership
• Biblical Church Discipline
• Promotion of Christian Discipleship and Growth
• Biblical Understanding of Leadership
The Compassion of the Lord
1 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” [ESV]
Get a clear and abiding sense upon your mind and conscience of the guilt, danger, and evil of the sin with which you are troubled. (pp. 65)
Danger 4 – The danger of eternal destruction.
To rightly understand this, consider two things:
First, there is a connection between continuing in sin and eternal destruction. God does graciously deliver some from continuing in sin so that they may not be destroyed. However, He will not deliver any from destruction that do indeed continue in sin! For any that lie under the abiding power of sin, the threats of destruction and everlasting separation from God should be held out (Heb. 3:12; 10:38). This is the rule of God’s proceeding – if any man ‘departs’ from Him, ‘shrinks back’ through unbelief, God’s ‘soul has no pleasure in him’; that is, God’s indignation shall pursue him to destruction (Gal. 6:8).
Secondly, he that is so entangled, as described above, is under the power of corruption, and has no clear evidence of participating in the grace of God. Such a one cannot claim any assurance that he is delivered from destruction. Destruction from the Lord should be an appropriate fear for him. Such a one should seriously consider this to be (pp. 72) the end of his course and ways. ‘There is…no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Rom. 8:1). True, but who shall have the comfort of this promise? Who can claim it for themselves? Those who ‘walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit’ (Rom. 8:4).
But you will say, ‘Does this not lead people away from faith? I answer, No. Whatever evidence we may have of our own salvation, we must acknowledge that an evil path leads to destruction. To believe otherwise is atheism. We are not throwing away the good evidence of a personal interest in Christ, but an evil path throws doubt upon the reality of it. We should surely fly from a path that leads to death! The realization that the end of such a path is destruction should move us to free ourselves from the entanglement of our lusts. (pp. 73)
[Words by Charles Wesley, music by Thomas Campbell]
Consider the symptoms that accompany a lust. If they are deadly and serious, then extraordinary remedies must be used. The ordinary course of mortification will not work. (pp. 54)
“If a man is under the power of his lust to the extent that the only opposition to it is the law, and the arms of the law, hell and judgment, and cannot fight against it with gospel weapons, it is very evident that sin has control over his will and affections, and has prevailed and conquered.
Such a person has cast off, in this respect, renewing grace, and is kept from ruin only because of restraining grace. He has fallen a great way from grace and returned under the power of the law. Must this not be a great provocation to Christ, that men should cast off His gentle yoke and rule, to cast themselves back under the iron yoke of the law, merely because of their lusts?
Examine yourself also by this: When you are tempted, and must decide whether you will serve sin and rush into folly, like a horse into battle, or fight against it and suppress it, what do you say to your soul? Is it only, ‘Hell will be the end of this course; vengeance will meet with me and find me out!’ It is time for you to look about you; evil lies at the door. Paul’s main argument that sin should not have dominion over believers is that they are ‘not under law, but under grace’ (Rom. 6:14). If your battle against sin is only on legal principles and motives, what assurance do you have that this sin will not have dominion over you, leading to your ruin? (pp. 60)”
• Two 5 page papers one on each book When People are Big and God is Small, and Humility due 7/13/07.
• Three 2 page papers on the booklets by Mark Dever due 8/3/07.
• One 5 page paper discussing the significance of the reformation for Protestants' understanding of the church, the pastor and his role, and the sacraments (based off of Theology of the Reformers) due 8/9/07.
• Lastly, write a broad timeline of the English Reformation, including major monarchs, reformers, and critical events and publications due 8/9/07.
Flowing Pouring
Sailing Soaring
Searching Learning
Yearning Churning
Melodies Painful
Sounds of Tearing
Souls Tormented
Tortured Baring
Living Fearing
Searing Hearing
Creeping Leaping
Flying Dying
Rhythms Hoping
Harmonies Groping
Building—Built
Compared Despaired
Lives Entwined
Behind Combined
Clutching Touching
Grasping Rasping
Ever Moving
Forward Surging
Stalling Inward
Outward Purging
Shouting Screaming
Demon Dreaming
Wanting Needing
Doubting Conceding
Ginger Peeling
Gentle Healing
Hopeful Posing
Final Closing
“He was to be the prophet of the whole catholic church; that is, of all the elect of God, of all that shall be saved in all ages and places, from the beginning of the world unto the end thereof. [p. 87]”
“His infinite wisdom, his infinite goodness, his essential veracity, his sovereign authority over all, give the highest assurance whereof a created understanding is capable, that nothing is detained from us – that there is no possibility of error or mistake in what is declared unto us, nor any pretence left of declining obedience unto the commands of the truth that we do receive. [p. 94]”
Shane Wrote May 25, 2007 - A Sad Day for IowaGovernor Chet Culver on Friday signed into law "a bill making it illegal to discriminate in employment, public accommodation, credit, housing or education based on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity." (Source: Des Moines Register)
The problem with this law isn't that I want gays, lesbians and transgendered (that concept is still ridiculous to me, like we are able to pick our gender) not to be able to be employed, get a loan, receive an education, obtain housing and the like. What I don't like is taking what many would argue is a behavior, a choice, a "lifestyle" so to speak and making it a protected class. Thereby granting them special rights.
As a Christian working for a para-church Christian organization our right to association should have been honored, and at the very least, an exemption given, but that is not the case. Churches are given an exemption for ordained clergy - you have the right not to hire a gay pastor, but churches can not discriminate against secretaries. One might even wonder if a non-ordained ministry director (such as a youth director) is gay if a church would have to hire that person as well.; Catholic & Christian schools also receive an exemption with teachers and administrators, but not other administrative staff. Boy Scouts receive no protection, as I understand this law.
Do we see the problem with this? It is no longer about equal protection under the law, but now it is about forcing their lifestyle on those who find it sinful. If I am in a church, I shouldn't have to hire a secretary who is a practicing homosexual, just like I wouldn't want to hire a secretary who is addicted to drugs. Christian churches, schools and organizations are not in the habit of hiring people with the knowledge of that person living unrepentant of a sinful lifestyle. This is what this law essentially will force us to do when faced with a homosexual unless we have other documented grounds for not hiring that individual. This is deplorable. I'm looking forward to 2008, I for one am going to remember what this year's General Assembly has done and will do my very best to remind those around me a well.
Astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez never anticipated becoming a test case for academic freedom. Soft-spoken and mild-mannered, the self-described "geek-scientist" is heralded throughout his field for developing the concept of a Galactic Habitable Zone. Journals such as Nature, Science, and Scientific American have featured his work.
But in his spare time, Gonzalez shuns scientific orthodoxy to research evidence for intelligent design (ID), an extracurricular pursuit that draws sharp criticism from many colleagues and now threatens his job. Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy denied Gonzalez tenure last month despite a distinguished publishing record that includes 68 peer-reviewed articles.
"I was surprised and a little depressed," Gonzalez said of his emotional reaction. "I almost decided not to turn in an appeal, but several friends convinced me to do so. This might have precedent, so it was important for me to go through it for the sake of others who might go through this in the future."
Gonzalez filed his appeal May 8. President Geoffroy has until June 6 to consider overturning his initial ruling, an unlikely reversal that would defy the consensus recommendation from the tenured faculty of the Physics and Astronomy Department, the chair of that department, a committee from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the dean of that college, and the university provost.
Gonzalez elected not to share with WORLD the specific stated reasons for his tenure denial or the substance of his appeal, fearing such public revelations might hinder the process. He referred to the disputed issues in more general terms: "I really don't think they have a legitimate reason for denying me tenure." He also said that possible discrimination for his views on intelligent design was one of his concerns.
Geoffroy declined to make any public comment on the matter while it remains under review. But Eli Rosenberg, chair of the Physics and Astronomy Department, told WORLD the central issue was not ID: "That was not an overriding factor in the decision that was made at the departmental level. You take a look at somebody's research record over the six-year probationary period and you get a sense whether this is a strong case. Clearly, this was a case that looked like it might be in trouble."
John West of the ID-advancing Discovery Institute, which counts Gonzalez among its senior fellows, scoffs at that explanation. "His department's standards for excellence in research require 15 peer-reviewed publications. Guillermo has nearly 70," West said. "It's pretty apparent that the reason for this tenure denial is because he is a proponent of intelligent design." Statistics obtained by the Discovery Institute reveal that 91 percent of faculty up for tenure this year were approved. Gonzalez fell short of that soft standard despite co-authoring one of his department's textbooks last year.
Two years ago, on the heels of Gonzalez publishing his pro-ID book The Privileged Planet, Iowa State religious studies professor Hector Avalos circulated a petition calling for university faculty to denounce ID as non-science. Avalos, an avowed atheist, procured the signatures of 120 faculty members and generated what Gonzalez calls "an extreme level of hostility against me."
Curtis Struck, a colleague of Gonzalez in the Physics and Astronomy Department and professor at ISU for 24 years, told WORLD he was not surprised by the decision to deny tenure. "Some of Guillermo's papers any astronomer would be proud to have written. Some others that is not the case," Struck said. "He includes some things in his astronomy resumé that other people regard as taking a coincidence too far."
Specifically, Gonzalez listed The Privileged Planet on his resumé when applying for tenure. Rosenberg admitted that the presence of that text played into the decision-making process. He also explained that the reputation of a professor among others in his field is a significant factor.
Gonzalez said he does not regret his ID work despite the resultant grief. He has never introduced the topic into his classes and sees no reason why academia should require him to abandon a personal interest. "I've never been involved in any of the educational debates over whether creation or evolution should be taught in schools. I just want to do ID research on my time," he said. "Maybe I should have waited until after I received tenure."
Copyright © 2007 WORLD Magazine
May 26, 2007, Vol. 22, No. 19
At first, we must witness to the free love of Christ in our mercy. But at some point, we must call the whole person to Christ. Very, very often, it is the needy person himself who then removes himself from your aid. We must strive to maintain this balance. The problem with "conservatives" is that they tend to establish conditions immediately, denying mercy to people who are living unrighteously. By contrast, "liberals" may never attach conditions to further aid. [pp. 98]
