How to Make Your Time at a Bible College Spiritually Beneficial

I was thinking of questions one day and this popped into my mind. If a person came up to me and asked how he could keep his passion of Christ alive while sitting through classes at a Bible College what would I say? We have all heard or come across those that found that their time at a seminary/bible college brought dryness to their souls. Sitting through classes for hours, reading the Bible for a class assignment, going to chapel services multiple times a week, having to read about the Bible and theology again and again has a way of zapping spiritual vigor right out of a person if they are not prepared to handle it. So how does one keep this from happening?

(Since I am attending a Bible College I am only going to use the term Bible College. But the same principles apply to Seminary as well. Also, this is coming from the perspective of a single guy speaking to incoming freshmen that are single. There are very important principles to keep in mind regarding one’s spouse which I will not deal with here)

Just like one has to understand the purpose and limitations of a tool one has to understand the purpose and limit of a Bible College to one’s spiritual life and future ministry position. One would not try to hammer in a nail with a screw driver. The tool is only meant to screw in screws. One would not pull out the circular saw to smooth out a flat surface of a board. One needs a sander to do that. If one does try to force a tool to accomplish something it is not deign to do he is only go to find the object he was working on broken and possibly wound himself in the process. If you want to build a cabinet you need other tools in your shop to get it done. You cannot rely on one to do everything in the building process. The same idea applies to Bible College, it has limitations but if used right will do the job that it was intended to do.

(Also note: Where as a Bible College/Seminary are good, they are not the best. The local church is the best place to train future ministers. But because local churches fail in this regard we have to live with the next best thing.)

Bible College is designed to provide the technical and theoretical knowledge needed to do ministry. For those that do not have this needed theological knowledge it is a place to attain it. One can get his view of theological issues crafted so that when they go to a local church he can preach with confidence. Languages of the original manuscripts are taught. It is also a place to hear other view points and discuss different methodologies and ministry practices. And it is a great place because the Bible is presented constantly. It is in every class and weaved into the fabric of study. Books are of a biblical nature if not directly about studying the bible itself. And if the professorship is good one will be assigned great books that will have an impacted on one’s view of God and what He commands.

There are, however, other things that need to be in your life if you want your time at Bible College profitable. Now Derek James Brown has given a great list about how to waste one’s theological education. His list is excellent and a must read. As wanting to be another voice of exhortation on this subject, I also want to come at this topic on the positive side (what one should do) as complement you his negative side (what you should not do). Hopefully both will be of service to you.

So what things do you need in your life to do to make the most out of Bible College and so so the tool properly?

1. Obviously there are the normal spiritual disciples of Bible reading and prayer. Where as this is pretty basic, it is easy to let these be pushed to the side in the rush to get other things done. But if you let the busyness of school over take your personal time of seeing and learning from God, then your spiritual vigor will begin to dry-up. You must spend time beholding God through His Word. I know myself, my mind so easily gets distracted by things, good things many times, that Christ and His truth falls out of focus. And this is especially dangerous in Bible College where it is easy to think that since you read a book about God’s work of creation you are good to go. But that is not usually the case. You must fight to retain joy in the Lord and your focus to be on Him throughout the day. The way to do this is to eat the Word and be dependent on him through prayer

There is also a danger to separate your personal devotions with your school work. Don’t let that happen either. Enjoy to the fullest the tremendous blessing of studying God’s Word for school. Use that book on God’s work of creation to cause your heart to spring forth in praise to the God who creates and rules! Let the lessons in the classroom grow your love for the savior. Now you will have to fight for this just like you have to fight for your personal devotions. There will be many times that you will read a book on, say the atonement, and your only goal will be to finish the book. You must stop and cause yourself to realize that the Lord of the universe sent His own Son to bear His wrath so that sinners who have faith might enjoy everlasting joy in knowing God.

2. The Local church. It is absolutely essential that you are part of a local congregation. And I don’t mean just in attendance. You must be focused on serving a local church. This is critical! If the local church is not important to you and you are not active in a local congregation your endeavors at Bible College will be futile at best and harmful to the kingdom at worst. The local church is essential in three key areas:
(a) It is the body in which you grow. Studying the Bible in the class room is great but it can never replace being under the preached word and in a community who spurs each other onto good works. You must be under the watch-care of Spirit filled pastors, lay leaders and fellow Christians. God saves individuals into the community of called out ones. Bible College does not exempt you from this reality.
(b) It will give you an outlet to serve. You need to be an active part of the body. The place to do this is the local gathering of the body. And the body is dependent on its parts serving the greater whole. A very important part of being a minister is service, it is pretty much definition of our task. And the local church is the place to do it. Also, you must have the humility to do whatever service you can. Sitting around waiting for a teaching position to open up is not service, it is a demonstration of pride! You have crafted the plan for your life and you are just sitting around until God comes and fulfills it. No! By grace, you come to people and say, I have no idea what I am suppose to do, so how can I best serve you? A Christian who has this heart will do much more for the kingdom of Christ than the latter. “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” (1 Cor. 41-2) Train to be a servant, not a professional and so serve Christ’s church with a willing and humble heart. And finally,
(c) It is the goal of your theological training. What I mean by this is that service to the local church is the very reason you are at Bible College! You are not attending here to be the next John Piper or D.A. Carson. You are learning Biblical knowledge so that you may impart the glories of God to assembly works, school teachers, business men, third shift shelf stockers, mothers, fathers, waitress, nurse practitioners, electrical engineers, janitors, etc. The very reason you are sitting through these classes, debating long into the night about the extent of the atonement, reading in that coffee shop for hours is to cause men and women to worship and be satisfied in the majesty of Christ as revealed through the word that you are learning. What you are doing here is kingdom work! It is not a piece of paper that you will hang in your office (even though that is what some search committees might think), it is being filled with the knowledge of the Holy One to teach to others.

3. Get real life mentoring from an older, godlier saint. Get an older saint (the older and godlier the better!) into your life to spur you on, give you guidance, and set a real life pattern for life before your eyes. I have found this to be of so much benefit and so lacking in today’s evangelical culture. To be able to have an older man give me wisdom on issues ranging from fighting sin to how one pursues a woman to marry is a treasure. Also there is the immeasurable benefit when I get to watch how he manages his house hold and serves his family. Real life examples are so important to my future as a husband and father and minister. So when you get involved in a local church take initiative to ask an older godlier person of the same gender as you to mentor you.

4. Keep the glory of God central. You’re at Bible College for a reason, not to just go to classes and get a piece of paper. You are here to show yourself well approved to serve a local body for the glory of the One who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. You are not here to be viewed highly in the sight of men, to become smarter than your average church goers, or to be the next major figure in the evangelical culture. You are here to please your Savior by becoming a humble, well equipped shepherd and teacher of His flock that He bought with His own blood.

Hopefully by doing these things the tool of Bible College will be kept in its place for you. If used with these other things your time at Bible College will produce rich rewards of sanctification and growth in the knowledge of the Lord. There are other principles that can be added to this list as well but as I search my mind and my past two years of being up here at Boyce College, these come to mind as the most beneficial. Soli Deo Gloria!

The Inauguration and Christ's Kingdom

Well, yesterday we welcomed our 44th president into office, Barack Obama. I, sadly, did not get to watch this momentous occasion. I was stuck in an apartment (mine to be exact) with no TV and a massive test looming in my very near future (the next day to be exact).

Thinking upon it, I could not help but to feel some irony in this inauguration and in man. Let me explain...

Here is America celebrating the first African American to be elected president. And this is of great importance! At one time ships would sail from our coast to Africa for the purpose of kidnapping black people. they would kidnap them and cram them into the hulls of their ships like sardines. There, some of these people would die in their own refuse! For those that did survive, they were sold to be slaves for the rest of their lives. For their entire lives they would be classified as sub-human and work tirelessly until they died. But all of this has been completely over turned with the inauguration of Obama! Now, part of a race that was once deemed sub-human, he takes his place as the leader of the nation that classified his people as such, so long ago. Now a man who’s skin's color is black can be made president of the United States of America.

And as Christians we should rejoice with this! Those who's hearts hate injustice and love the dignity of human life should be very happy that God's common grace descended upon this nation and now one's value is not determined on the color of their skin. (of course I say this as being general and about the extent of the racism in America. Racism still exists. But it is not as prevalent and it is not to the horrible extent it was in the 1700s and 1800s).

Yet, here comes the irony,

With this evil passing away, a ominous evil is still among us and will grow because of the election of Obama. The evil that I am speaking of is abortion. Abortion is the hideous practice of murdering a child in the womb because they are unwanted by their mother. And Obama has pledge to be for abortion. He will be for laws that keeps it legal and remove any restrictions placed on it by the states.

Thus with the passing of one great evil comes the sustaining of another great evil. It the same snap shot we see the passing of the great evil slavery and the acceptance of abortion. Both are wicked acts against a human being. But as this culture shouts for the destruction of one it willing embraces another. (And some people like to talk about mankind progressing!)

Evil is in the very heart of man and no matter what he does it will still be there. Even when he is celebrating the removal of one evil he is praising the practicing of another.

as it is written:
None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom 3:10-18)

This is man and the place where he lives. He tries to setup his own laws and rules by which to live. But justice shows that it is all a sham in the end. In the end, there is no hope in man’s kingdom!

But there is another kingdom that has invaded! This kingdom is not of this world. This kingdom was proclaimed by a peasant man who lived in the land of Palestine 2000 years ago. He came declaring a message of repentance. For a kingdom was coming and would come. But unlike man’s kingdom, full of its hypocrisy, this kingdom does not let one iota or dot go unfulfilled from the law of God. It is perfect in upholding what God has declared. It is perfectly just and righteous in its rulings. And the man declaring the coming of this kingdom was Jesus.

But there is a problem for us. This kingdom that has invaded is the true kingdom of this world. For this kingdom is God’s kingdom. God is coming back to claim what is His. Man’s kingdom is actually a charade. For it is a kingdom set up in rebellion against the true king and ruler. It is man looking his creator in the face and saying, “I don’t want you to rule me!” And God’s answer to this is not one of passivity. God is just and will not let rebellion go unpunished. That is why one of the defining aspects of this coming kingdom is Jesus, at the end of time, casting the chaff (all those that still rebel against him) into unquenchable fire (Matt. 3:12).

But there is another aspect of this invaded kingdom. For the same one that came declaring this kingdom willing let himself be murdered on a cross! Why?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:16-18))

How wonderful and mysterious this is. The same king that is coming to judge, came to give His life as a ransomed! So that those there were rebels could forsake their sins and come into this new kingdom. For Jesus did not stay dead but rose again the third day so that we know that He was God and all that He said on earth is true. All those that see what God has done for them in sending His Son, the second person in the trinity, to suffer the wrath for their rebellion, would turn from their rebellion and love Christ. And they are now part of Christ’s kingdom awaiting the day when Christ will return to establish His beautiful kingdom on earth.

Oh, how our hearts should long for the consummation of our Lord's kingdom! When Jesus returns we will not have to have a list of primary issues to think through. Everything that He will bring will be righteous and good. Every policy will be for our benefit by making us glorify the Father!

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:1-8)

Revivals, Shakers, and the Dangers of Spiritualism

My parents recently went to a settlement that use to be the community of a people called the Shakers (or by their official title: The United Society of Believers In Christ's Second Appearance). The Shakers had started a settlement outside Harrodsburg, Kentucky. The Shakers have been disbanded for many, many years now.

What made my parents curious about these people was a particular belief that my parents had heard about. The Shakers believed that all persons that are part of their community should remain celibate. (One of the main reasons that they died out).

After my parents took a tour of the settlement they bought a little booklet that gave the general history of this group of people. And one does not have to read to long in the book to find out that this group was just a cult that grew up around the beginnings of the 1800s. There leader, Ann Lee, believed that she was the second coming of Christ. God was both male and female, the female side had to show up since the male side did in Jesus. And Thus, there she was! (rolling of eyes)

There was one comment about this group's beginnings that really caught my eye. Ann and her followers came to America and sought out converts. And where did they go to get this converts?

In 1780 she extended her sphere of influence to New Lebanon, N.Y., where a
revival was happened to be going on at the same time and where converts were
secured without much difficulty, local sentiment being more or less propitious
for the introduction of the new religion. (Daniel Mac-Hir Hutton, Old
Shakertown and the Shakers. Harrodsburg Herald Press; Harrodsburg, KY. p.9)

So basically, she set her tent up beside the Christian tent at a revival and got just as well as turn out as the Christians did.

Now here is the thing, when most Christians look at revivals and see the great scores of people coming down the aisle to the alter they immediately attribute it to a "great moving of the Spirit." But here was a revival taking place, a great move of the Spirit, and then a cult leader comes along proclaiming that she is the second coming of Jesus and they get just as good as turn out!

What was happening here? Was it indeed a true revival? No! Does God work for the growth of false teachings as He does his own Church? No. Then what was going on?

This is a prime example of the spiritual excitement that accompanied revivals of that time. People would get worked up and emotionally pulled down the aisle so that they would make a outward profession that they were going to follow Christ. Yet, just because they made an outward profession did not mean they there was a spiritual change. What all this, sadly, boiled down to was people getting hyped-up and getting spiritual and "on the good path." There was no actual building up in the doctrines of Christ.

And from my understandings the focus of the revivals was on holiness and becoming right in character. There was proclaimation of Christ but it mainly consited of proclaiming condemnation on all the evils of the land. The revival leaders would get people worked up agaisnn the evils in themselves and the evils of the land. They would then call them to repent and seek holiness. And so people many would follow suit.

This is the reason why Ann's cult had such a good turn out at the spiritual "revival." They just showed up and said to the masses, "Hey! if you want to be really, really spiritual why don't you come and join our little community? Because seeking holiness is what we are going to be doing!" And thus it was said about the people, "converts were secured without much difficulty." Think about that phrase for a moment longer...let the fact that the "female incarnation of the Christ" was able to do this!

What does all this mean for us? One of the big truths that we can glean from this is, Beware of Christian spiritualism that is detached from Christian doctrine. He were people getting excited for the right practices and reasons (holiness), but they were easily seduced by heretical teachings that had the same practices they were seeking. The Shakers were very big on being "holy" but there god was not the true god. If one does not make the teachings of Christ and His Apostles about the nature and character of God a priority in their preaching then other groups are going to come and present a style, movement, focus, or practices that is going to be just as, or even better than, what the church is marketing. The only thing that keeps us distinct as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is Christ! Unless we are grounded on Him any movement can roll-up next to us and present it better than we can and secure coverts "without much difficulty"

So ever practice, and call to right living, must be grounded upon the doctrine of who Christ is. Christ must permeate our teaching. He must be the focal point and the essence of what we proclaim. Anything else, no matter how right it sounds, or successful it appears, will never be for the increase of God's kingdom here on earth and His glory throughout the heavens

While being Sick...

Well, I have spent this day in a way that I could not have foreseen. I had plans to prepare for the trip back to Louisville and complete some Christmas shopping. I also looked forward to getting some more reading done in the book that I want to finish this winter.

But here I am in bed only now possessing the strength to type. I woke up this morning with a heaviness in my stomach and finding myself with less and less energy to do simple things. I manged to get myself back in bed where I have stayed for the entire day.

I feared that it was a stomach viruses since that seemed to be the bug going through Knoxville during these months. But, thank the Lord, I have not had any of the major symptoms like vomiting. I don't know what it is but I pray that the worst it will do to me is just zap my strength.

Yet, I don't need to waste this illness either! If God is sovereign of everything that happens in this world then microscopic viruses are under his dominion as well. The Lord has seen fit to take away my strength and lay me up in bed for the day. (maybe worst if He sees a means of bring Himself glory.) So what should I call to mind from my predicament that I have been placed in?

1. God is good to me beyond what I deserve, But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (Eph 2:4-8). Even though I am laid up in bed I am in a position that I do not deserve. I do not deserve to have a temporary sufferings. I deserve to have eternal sufferings! God, on the other hand, has decided to make me a recipient of His mercy and grace for all of eternity! What struggles I go through here on earth cannot compare to the rebellion God forgave at the cost of His own blood! I do not deserve this grace that I am in while I am sick

2. I have been granted the greatest healing that I could ever havev hope to attain. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (1 Peter 2:24-25). The greatest healing that I could attain is not some name it and claim it prayer where by I pray to God for physical healing and I know that He will give it. No, the greatest healing is that I was once dead to the sin that ensnared me and was bring me into destruction. But now, because of Christ death on the cross the old nature is dead and I am able to live unto righteousness. I can cast away the sins that brought pain and torment and be created in the image of the most glorious being in the universe, Jesus Christ! I can live according to His commandments, His guidance, His oversight and find myself fully satisfied in bring Him glory! That is true healing! Though this body lay broken, I have been healed according to righteousness through the sin defeating death and resurrection of Christ!

3. I am completely dependent on God for the normal functions of my body to work properly. Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" (Ex 4:11) mouths and eyes are all dependent on God. One day I was fine, going to get a shirt for an upcoming wedding (not my own, just to dispel such thoughts) and the next day all my strength is gone. Who am I but a creature that is totally dependent on his creator. That is a very humbling thought! One that I need to keep in mind for the rest of my life. I may think of myself as successfully but my very well being is under the dictates of God.

4. All my bodily functions can fail and I be left a powerless and desolate yet God upholds me by his strength and Christ is still in my possession. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Ps. 73:26)I maybe powerless on my bed, but Christ is still mine and I am His!

5. God does not need me. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. (Is. 40: 12-17) He can lay me up in bed for the day and rule the earth in absolute perfection. He does not need my strength, my insight, my well being for Him to accomplish His purposes. He is from everlasting to everlasting!

6. This body is broken like all other things in this world yet there is coming a day when this body will be redeemed. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.(Romans 8:23)

Well, my strength is getting close to depleted, so I believe that is all I can say for right now.

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side

Psalm 124
1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.

6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!

8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

I had had one of those times in the Word of God this morning that it seemed as if God was literally speaking to me. (Thought, God is speaking to us every time we open the pages of Scripture. It is our ears that are hard of hearing that makes the Word seem unexciting). This semester has be particularly hard on me. Working 20 hours a night, trying my best to stay on top of the Greek language, and getting around 5 hours of sleep during the week have taken their toll on me.

And one of those things that have taken a hit is my walk with God. It is not as if I rebelled (God forbid!), but one has to spend time in Scripture, prayer, other spiritual disciplines, while being under the shadow of the cross to grow spiritually. Yet, one thing that a person has to have to do all this is time. That was one thing I did not have. My schedule was packed beyond standard. And I was running on what little sleep I could get. So all of this to say that my spiritual walk was not were it should have been nor was it growing.

So this morning, before I opened up the Scriptures, I whispered the prayer that God would bring me back to Himself. That he would graciously restore me. Then I flipped open to this chapter to read for the morning. A full chapter exalting in the fact that God has stepped in and saved his people from there troubles. If God had not taken their side, there would be no hope. My mind was hearkened to a familiar passage that I have turned to many times, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31)

As one that is under the blood of Christ I have the immovable promise that God is for me in all things! Since I have be united to Christ God has removed all hostility against me. Where there was wrath there now exists peace.

But having God's wrath removed is no guarantee that God is for me. For one can have no hostility against someone but have no concern for their well being. What is my bases for saying that because of my salvation God is for me in all things?

Not only am I justified before the sight of God, I am also united to Christ. "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Col 3:3). The Father has united me to the Son so that everything that is His is now mine. "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" (1 Cor 1:30-31). My soul is hidden in the perfect wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption of my savior. My entire salvation is in the Christ and I am hidden in him.

Since I am hidden in Christ, the Father is for me as much as He is for Christ. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places," (Eph 1:3)

It is mind blowing to consider that my life has become a recipient of the love that flows between the Trinity. And it is this truth that vanquishes any doubt about God being for me. Even though I have fallen down, even though I have not pursued Christ as much as I should God looks upon me with mind blowing love! for my weak, puny, defenceless life is hidden in the glorious person of Christ. Therefore, all the love that God the Father is pouring upon the Son is being poured on me! For I am in the Son! The day God turns His hand against me is the day that the Father turns his hand against the Son. Which is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER! For that would mean God would turn against Himself. No. The love that exists between the members of the trinity is of a proportion that dimensions cannot handle! His love for the Son is unimaginable and I am receiving it because I am in the Son!

I myself have not fully worked through all of this (and I never will). It is so mind blowing to consider that: I know God is for me in all things because God the Father has place me in the Son which makes me a recipient of the inconceivable love the Father has for the Son.

Grace and Peace

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 1:2)


Grace and peace to you. These are very familiar terms to those that turn the pages of scripture. You come across them every time you open up an epistles of Paul, Peter and Jude. At the beginning of the letter you will find the terms used in a manner like the one I quoted above.

But do we really think about what is communicated by these words? Many times, familiarity with all things Biblical can create a callousness in us to those things. Not that we disdain them, but we will never take the time to ponder over them since, “Hey, I know all that stuff.”

If that is what familiarity does to you then you are in a dangerous spot indeed! Just look to the Israelites and you will find what happens to a group of people that let familiarity bred callousness.

I know for me that I let myself slip in this regard when it came to these verses. I mean, “It is just a little phrase. I hear about grace and peace so much, I should already know all that there is to be known about it.” What foolish thoughts!

As I was humbled to look at these verse like it was the first time I read them I was struck by the magnitude of its meaning. What is the very first words that come out of the God’s mouth? Grace and peace! Not condemnation! Not a stern rebuke! Grace and peace! No matter if Paul was writing to a messed up church in Corinth or writing to encourage believers in Philippi, God’s first words to them were grace and peace.

Grace: communicating that God has poured upon them blessing that they do not deserve. God is not dealing with his children according to what their works have earned. No, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32) God has decided to glory Himself by lavishing goodness and joy upon those that do not deserve it. And it is not just that they don’t deserve it. They deserve the opposite! Their sins were a declaration that they deserved hell and condemnation. They were children of wrath, dead in transgressions and sins. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:4-7)

Peace: No hostility exists between those in Christ Jesus and God! Where as, we rebelled against God, laughing at his law, insulting His glory to the infinite degree, Christ has reconciled us! Where as God answered our rebellion with his righteous wrath, God instead directed His wrath to His Son on the cross! “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Rom 5:6-11)

So ,whenever you open up a didactic latter of Paul, no matter what kind of rebuke you will receive from God as you read, remember, the first thing God wanted to say to you is this; Grace and Peace!

What is the Purpose of a Permarital Relationship?

The following is a short answer that I came up with for a project in the class Marriage and the Family.




What does the Bible say about dating for marriage?

Well, to answer this question we have to turn first to the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. In 2 Tim 3:15-17 The Apostle Paul tells is a young pastor named Timothy that the Scriptures are profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness so that the Man or messenger of God maybe complete and equipped for every good work. What Paul is telling Timothy is that everything that he needs for faith and practice of faith is found in the pages of scripture.

This is very important to realize when coming to the question of the purpose of dating. For what God, through the apostle Paul, is telling us is that all we need to know about dating and marriage is already before us. But let me throw in some important qualifications here, (1) it is all that we NEED to know and (2) it is for what promotes godliness. For point one, we may have ideas and assumptions that we see as essential for finding a spouse and having a happy marriage that God does not see as essential. The tendency is then to think of the Bible as insufficient because we do not find our own perceived needs listed in the Bible. To the contrary, the Bible tells us what we need. If our perceived needs are not in the Bible then they are not true needs. On point two, the Bible tell us us how we can reach the highest goal which is godliness. It is not concerned primarily about how we can quick satisfy our desire for romantic pleasure or a host of other desires. (As pure and godly as those desires might be.) What the Bible lays out is the path to the greatest joy, which is holiness.

So, lets look in to the main question now, should Christian just date to marry? If we look to the Bible one thing becomes starkly clear, there is not prescribed means to find a spouse. God gives no direct counsel on what levels of emotional closeness man and woman should engage in before they are fully married. Or anything like a formal system to find a mate. It is just not there. But since we know that the Bible the sufficient, we are guarded from the idea that God has fail to correctly inform us on this issue and we are left to fend for ourselves. We must turn to look at what God HAS said and see if we are properly aligning our priorities with God's priorities.

If we look for a relationship between an man and a woman that has moved beyond a friendship, marriage is the only thing that is presented as acceptable. In the very beginning God made woman to complement the man and they were in a relationship where they cleave to one another instead of their parents. Jesus makes the term of the relationship clear when He pointed to this account and defined the relationship as marriage (Matt 19:3-6). Through the Proverbs, Solomon only gives wise sayings to his son about marriage. When we read through the epistle, we only read about instructions regarding marriage and attesting to the glories of that relationship (Eph. 5:22-33, Col 3:18-19).

What can we gather from all of this? If we keep in mind the doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture we remember that the priorities in the Bible should be our priorities. And the Bible clearly presents marriage as the holy relationship for a man and a woman to be in if it has moved beyond friendship. So I concluded that marriage should be the priorities of our premarital relationships. Our relationships with the opposite sex that has moved beyond friendship should be for the purpose of marriage. Any other purpose is is going to a place that God has not made that relationship to go. It is to make a goal (whether it be emotional closeness, physical interaction, or anything else) what God has not set as the goal. That is why I concluded that any premarital relationship should be entered into for the purpose of and constantly moving to a marriage.

A Great Paradox

But I, O Lord, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. O Lord, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me? Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless. Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in on me together. You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness. (Ps. 88:13-18)


Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High,to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah. God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! (Ps. 57:1-3)


It is a great paradox that the One who brings trouble and tribulations into our lives delights to deliever us from such trouble. We seek refuge in the One that brought the trouble we are seeking refuge from.

The Terror in Kenya

What horrific actions are happening in Kenya. What once was a stable democracy is now the scene of violence and blood shed. Protesters welding machetes have set fire to whatever they can reach. What is happening over there should put pain in all our hearts.

From what I have read, it all happened over the election of Mwai Kibaki as president. Charges of a rigged election sprang up against his win. What followed is the horrific scene we see today. Rioters filled the streets waving machetes and seting buildings and homes on fire. Over 300 people have been killed in the midst of the riots.

But all of this shows us some truths about this world.

This, of course, shows the depravity of mankind. What once was peaceful is now in violent chaos. Kenya was one of the most stable democracoes in Africa. But stablity is far from what we see now. Why, because of people. The wickedness that dwells in each of our hearts is enough to remove any peace and stability in this world. Evil is not an outside problem. It is in the very core of ourselves. There is no such thing as a stable country where there is no fear of anarchy. Kenya shows that clearly. man is always just a few steps way from destruction. We need to be reminded that no peace will before in man. The only peace that can bring hope to man is the reign of Christ brought to us by His shed blood. Man will never find peace by any means that he can devise. Only when we rest in the peace that Christ gives us with God can we have true peace. For that is the only answer to the evil inside each of us.

Italso struck me in how democracy is not the salvation of man either. Lest we forget, no government of man can bring true peace either. Democracy is not the answer to the evil of man. Kenya proves this clearly. Democracy, run by frail sinful men is just as prone to fall as a monarchy ruled by a sinner. Governments by men will never give us true peace. There is only one government, one King that can squelch any diversion from His kingdom and rule in absolute righteousness, justice, and love. When Christ returns to remove evil forever, then we will have true peace on earth.

What a testimony to the fact that salvation will not be found in man or the government systems that he implores. Real salvation from sin and destruction is only found in the name of Jesus Christ.

Our hearts should be filled with sorrow over the what is happening in Kenya. We should be willing to extend or prayers and any aid that we can. But this should make us remember that we seek a differed home then this world. We look to a city whose builder and founder is God (Heb 11:10). And our only answer to the sin that is at our very core is an act 2000 years ago on a cross.

Why we Celebrate this Holiday

This Christmas let us not forget the reason that we celebrate this holiday. The transcendent God of the universe stepped down into our world. This world full of it’s wickedness and rebellion against His ruler ship. Yet, He came to destroy the darkness and redeem for Himself a people. All of this according to His eternal plan to glorify His name by the salvation of sinners.

How did he choose to enter into this world? He should have came in judgment! Parting the skies, raining down His fury and wrath against such traitors! Punishing them for the infinite transgression that have waged against His perfect, pure, name!

Oh, but He did not come like this! 2,000 years ago a defenseless, dependent baby was born to a peasant girl in the mist of a nation under oppression. This baby, however, was no ordinary baby. That God, who should have flooded the world with His wrath. That baby born to that girl was Him! The God of the universe in the flesh of man! lying in a manger, in the heart of this wicked, broken world. Amongst those who constantly raise their fists in His face. Proudly walking against His ways! This God, chose to be born in this world.

From this child would come salvation to the world. people from every tribe, nation, and tongue would have their lives changed by the life of this child. For this God man came to seek and save the lost. His light broke through our darkness, giving hope and joy to all those that he calls and believes in His work. He came into this world through such a humble entrance to fulfill the requirements of the law by His life, to die upon a cross to satisfy the wrath of God, and be resurrected from the dead! How amazing is that! He did not come bringing wrath, He came to appease His wrath! He did not come with the law, condemning us for not doing it. He came to fulfill His law by His life! He did not come bring the sentence against us. He came bring complete pardon for all our sins!

God stepped into our world to give us what we could not have possible given or achieve by ourselves. What was impossible to us was possible to God! What love, greatness, majesty, grace, and mercy was shown to us that day 2,000 years ago when Christ took on the flesh of man to accomplish the eternal plan of salvation! That is why we celebrate this holiday!


Emmanuel
By Mark Altrogge

We have come today to worship
We have come to praise the One
Who came down into our darkness
Born a lowly virgin’s son
You who did not come with splendor
Pomp and strength and majesty
You who came to us in weakness
Born to us in poverty

Chorus:
Emmanuel, Emmanuel, Emmanuel
In You alone we hope and trust
Jesus, Savior, God with us
Emmanuel

We were blind and lost and godless
Wandering a trackless waste
Then hope arose, a glorious beacon
Like the star the wise men chased
Down from heaven came a Savior
Born a child, so small and frail
Taking up our pain and troubles
Conquering where we had failed

You who with a word created
Sun and moon and seas and sand
Lay there sleeping in a manger
Cradled by Your mother’s hand
You who made the mighty forests
Would lie down upon a tree
Fastened there with nails for sinners
Would bleed and die to set us free

Christianity, Unity, and Creeds

In an article in the Tennesee Baptist Newsjournal, Baptist & Reflector, a messenger at the Tennessee Baptist Convention raised a motions calling for prospective trustees and committee members to not be required to affirm the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. He said that the question should be, “Do you affirm God’s Holy Word, the Bible, as his perfect and complete revelation.” This was for the purpose of unity in the Body of Christ and not making the standard a document written by men.

This got me thinking about Christianity, unity and creeds.

I have had to deal with this issue before. Having gone to a Christian Church college for a semester. The Christian Church believes that denominationalism is wrong and we should not be known as Baptist, Methodists, and such, but just as Christians. Thus, the issue of denominations was raised frequently.


First off lets look at unity. What does the Bible say in regard to unity and Believers. Psalm 133 goes like this,

Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.

So unity among believers is good and desirable. This passage compares unity with the anointing of Aaron. This harkens the reader back to Leviticus 8:12 where Aaron is consecrated to the Lord by anointing. Thus, unity among brothers is compared to an act of consecration to the Lord. Then it is likened to the dew from Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. Wind from the Mediterranean Sea would blow the dew from Hermon, which was in the north, on the mountains of Zion. The goods of one mountain would be given to another. So, those that are unified are an aid to each other. Unity is pleasant, good, sanctifying, and providing. Unity is not something to be thought of lightly. Unified should be a place that is sought after.

I will say that to many times unity is not taken seriously. People will argue and divide over things that should not be divisive. Yet, because our eyes are on others things beside the things that are from above and our hearts are not overwhelmed in gratitude of the Savior’s love and His blood spilled in our behalf we divide. We will not take the time to be humble and gentle in our discussions and disagreements. Unity is to much a vision amongst believers as it should be a reality.

The Bible has more to say about unity. Yes, as Christians, unity is to be pursued in our local churches and amongst every body that confess the Lord Jesus Christ. But listen to Paul’s words to the Philippians,

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether
I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in
one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
(Phil 1:27)

A goal is set for unity attain. We are to stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side. Yet that is not the end of what Paul wants of the Philippians. The unity has a purpose; it is for something. They are side by side for the gospel! Unity is not an end itself.

The church is unified for the spread of the glory of Jesus Christ among every tribe and tongue to the glory of His name. We live with one another to treasure, keep, and proclaim the gospel. For this purpose we are unified!

Taken together, Unity is good, pleasant, sanctifying, and providing if it is used in keeping the faith of the gospel. If it does not complete the goal then unity of the body is a failure. For it does not ultimate profit people. If unity becomes the focus instead of the gospel then the only message that can satisfy man and redeem him from the wrath of God is not preached. Lies start to over take truth so that no one is offended.

On this point, I will say that most attempts to unify the church today break away from the purpose Christ intended unity to have. What is called unifying today is usually people selling away truth for the approval of man. Satisfying the division between men has become more of a priority than satisfying the division between one and God. Offending man has become far greater a crime than offending God. These actions are completely contrary to what God had in mind when He called His church to be unified. What is happening in the church today, under the mask of unity, grieves the Holy Spirit and eclipses the gospel from a lost and dying world.

Unity is to glorify Christ by being for the faith of the gospel. Unity is pleasant and good if it accomplishes this. And that is the unity the church must strive for. Not rebellion masquerading as unity.


From what the Bible tells us about unity, should Christians use Creeds or just say, “we use the Bible.”

If unity is about the gospel, then our question of membership should be about the gospel not about one’s views of the Bible. (I am not saying that one’s views of the Bible will not affect the gospel, I believe that in the end it will. I am just saying that it is not the first and only question.) If the church is to be unified with whoever just says, “I affirm God’s Holy Word, the Bible, as his perfect and complete revelation.” then we show that we have no concern for what they believe the Bible to teach. The Christian faith is not about the book, it is about the message of the book. It is because we cherish the message that we cherish the book. The message is what distinguishes between who truly believes.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you
received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast
to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. (1 Cor 15:1-2)

The message (gospel) is what we received. It is what we are standing on. It is the means by which we are being saved.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ
died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he
was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he
appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five
hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have
fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all,
as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (1 Cor 15:3-7)

Our unity is founded on the gospel that we have received.

The test of unity must be that of the person’s belief of the message. Thus, to simply ask, “Do you believe that the Bible is the only Word of God?” is to miss the test of true unity amongst Christians. We must ask the person what they believe the Bible to teach.

This is where Creeds and statements of faith become an essential. For they are means to test if one holds to the message we believe. If it is a good creed or statement, then it will lay out the message by which we see who accepts and who does not.

What about the fact that they are written by men? I really do not understand this problem. If a Creed contains the message that we have received then how in the world does the message lose its authority? How does clarification and translation diminish or remove the message? If that is the case, then one’s translation of the Bible is the same level as a creed. It was printed by men and written in a different language of all things. It did not come directly form the mouth of God. Also, what is the difference between what is written by men and what is spoken by men? Any clarification of a verse during a conversation with a lost person immediately means that the verse has lost its authority? Or not even clarification, just saying it puts it in the words of men. Especially if it is not in the original Greek or Hebrew. So, I am not bought with the “words of men” argument.

Unity is to guard and spread the glory of Jesus found in the gospel to the world. This is why we seek to be unified with the brethren. When we seek the unity as a means for the dispersion of the gospel then unity is good, pleasant, sanctifying, providing, and well pleasing to God. Thus we unify ourselves on this message. Anybody that does not agree with is message is reach out to with hope that they will receive the message. Anybody that believes it and cherishes it is embraced. And Creeds and statements of faith help us in make this distinction.

Pacifism

Not to be left out on the Pacifism verses war thoughts going on at Agent Tim Online. I want to give my thoughts on Pacifism.



This is one of my thoughts on the subject. This point is not a struggle with the texts of Scripture, per say. It is just thinking about a implication of Pacifism. The Bible should give us the most satisfying worldview in which to act. Thus, I believe, viewing the implications of this disputed ideology is with in the bounds of Christian thinking.



I ask the question, “Can pacifism exist without some person or nation allowing it to exist?” Or why is it that pacifists live in nations with militaries that protect them? It seems to me that pacifists cannot exist on their own. They have to be a attached to a non-pacifist group or nation to keep on living. If a nation said that it was not going to engage in warfare any more, How long would they last? How long would Israel be a nation if they became pacifists?


Pacifism, however, is suppose to be a Biblical teaching. What would happen if, a national leader based his laws on Biblical teaching. What Bible believing Christian would not want that to happen. If pacifism is the Christian position, The ruler would have to dismantle the military and remove all the defenses. His country would be completely open to be conquered. And I doubt the new regime would be as willing to adopt Biblical polices. So, A nation that founds its self on Biblical teaching (if pacifism is Biblical), practically offers its throne to who gets there first. And when another power takes over the Godly leadership that is in place is removed from office and a government that is less godly assumes command . So, the Bible would defeat its self. Causing less righteous rulers to always rule.


I know that this is a hypothetical situation. Or is it. How long would Israel be Israel if the leaders start basing there laws on the Bible that supposedly commands pacifism.


Now most Christian pacifist will say, “If people are not Christians, they do not have to follow this rule. It is the Christian community that should stay away from warfare. Not pagan nations.” But this does not make sense. So, are God’s laws pointless to those on the outside of Christianity? If God commands Christians to abstain from war, is that not the best thing for man to do? And is it not sin to do other wise? So, why should governments be exempt from God’s law? And if they can get away with this law. Why can they not get away with the rest of God’s law? It just does not fit to say that nations can sin and we should do nothing about it.


One could also ask, “How do we pray for a nation if the Bible teaches pacifism?” Is one to pray that the nation will disband the army? Basically allowing any nation to take over? Where does this leave the Christian in Israel? If he prays that his government would be righteous, he is essentially praying that Israel would be know more! That Israel would lower its arms and let the first Arab nation that marches in dominion over the land! So, if Israel wants freedom for its people it better stay far away from Biblical teachings! Or, are we to ask that our nation be righteous, except in one respect. That is, in regard to warfare? “God make our nation and its leaders, mostly, holy. For we still want the people around us free.” Either we want our leaders to be evil, or we do not care about the well being of our nation.


Maybe should not care about who runs the nation? I mean, our citizenship is not of this world, right? So, we should not care if a righteous ruler, or a Saddam Hussein runs the country? Is that really loving the people that are not Christians? Giving no care about the freedom that they should have? (In this respect, pacifism is a little bit selfish.)


All in all, I see Pacifism as a parasite ideology on a nation, if I can call it that. What I mean by parasite is, pacifism can only survive off a non-pacifist nation. It can never exist by itself (or not for long at least). Because it will be taken over buy another nation if does exist by its self. It must take the protection given by the host, non-pacifism, and it gives really nothing in return.


I am going to be coming out with some other thoughts some time soon. But, you can just think over this one for now. If you find in problems in my reasoning do not fear to point them out(in a humble manner, of course).

A Thought on Sin

A thought to muse over,

"Choosing to sin is declaring before God, that wickedness is a more honorable thing than who Christ is!"