Faith seeking Understanding

Graduation and Family

2008-05-26T09:53:00.001-04:00

I finally finished school. I have to admit that the last four years here at Southern have been challenging in so many different ways. When I finished my last exam I was excited but also mindful of the things to come down the road. I thanked God for all the things He has taught me so far, and asked Him to continue to prepare me for whatever comes next.

Right now I am more than excited to be helping out at my current church. For almost a year now I have been reaching out to the poor at the Salvation Army. A few of us sing some songs there and give a 20 minute sermon. I have learned a lot about ministry to the poor and preaching. We have seen a few people come to Christ, and we have been discipling one man for a few months now. My hope is that others from our church will join in this ministry.

After graduation, my first desire was to reach out to my family. Little did I know that God would answer that desire right away. You see two hours before graduation my dad called me to tell me that my grandma had died. During the ceremony all I could think about was death and the fact that I was about to see my family on my dad’s side. I don’t think any of them are Christians except for my grandma who is with the Lord now.

Right before the funeral service my dad asked me if I wanted to say anything. I looked over to my brother and asked if he thought the pastor would proclaim the gospel. Joe said that I could not count on it. So I told my dad that I had a few things I would like to say.

Right before the pastor asked me to come up and talk, he asked my uncle to say a few things. So I had a little bit of time to think how I would transition from talking about my grandma to sharing the gospel with my family. Little did I know that my uncle, who is not a Christian, would encourage all of us to read our Bibles just like my grandma. I about fell out of my seat! The Lord sure did prepare the situation for my desire to be fulfilled.

When I got up to speak, I began with telling some childhood memories of my grandma. Then I talked about her death. It was at this point that I broke down in tears. However, the Lord gave me strength to keep talking. I could not help but proclaim the gospel to my family. I told my family that they did need to read the Bible, and that it can be difficult to understand. So I told them the main thing they needed to know, the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a very detailed gospel presentation. My family members said what I told them was truly from the heart.

I am thankful that God gave me the opportunity to proclaim His name. Now I hope to write a letter to all of my family, each side, and tell them a few things I have learned in the last four years. I also hope to send this letter to all of my friends, who don’t know the gospel, from high school and college who I keep in contact through Myspace or Facebook. Ever think about joining these sites for this reason? How will friends and family know if you don’t tell them? Don’t wait on somebody else to do it.

Must read!

2007-11-05T14:26:00.000-05:00

You will want to read this! I guess Willow Creak Community Church did some research and found out that their seeker sensitve methodology gets a large crowd but self discipline of knowing Scripture is what really makes mature Christians. Woo hoo!

click here

Grace Church Louisville

2007-07-21T11:16:00.000-04:00

I have been a part of a daughter church plant from Clifton Baptist Church since April. 50 people left Clifton to make Grace Church Louisville. It has been a great experience. Our pastor has done a lot of research on church planting and it shows.

We meet in a building that is home to some Korean Seventh-Day Adventists; they meet on Saturday and we meet on Sunday. The church service is similar to Clifton’s except we partake in the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. At the end of every service the congregation goes up to the front of the room and breaks off some bread and dips it into either juice or wine. I enjoy that we do this every Sunday because it cultivates a reverence for God and His people.

The church has really been focused on getting out into the community. Whenever an event is going on in Louisville our Pastor calls for the congregation to volunteer to help out. This is a great way to glorify God by the example we set. I hope to reach out to the community by doing some door to door evangelism soon by simply telling people about our somewhat new church and telling them the basics of our beliefs. Some of our members have been able to share the gospel with co-workers just because they shared how they were excited about the church plant they were going to.

When our pastor and a few of us met to pray for the church plant, I said that I wanted to see some reaching out to the poor. There were a few other guys who have a heart for the poor and we are now visiting a homeless shelter weekly. Talking to the people has been a challenge, but I rejoice in the humbling experience. The four of us are going to be giving sermons at the homless shelter every Monday so it will be good experience for me.

"believe in Jesus"

2007-07-08T14:51:00.000-04:00

This excerpt (3 minutes) from one of John Piper’s sermons is a helpful reminder that you don’t always have to share the complete gospel with somebody and "close the deal" in order to take part in changing a person’s life. It helps me because I hope to use Facebook and Myspace to share the gospel with people I know from high school. Making sure I have everything down has caused me to stall in my writing to them. I have so many things I want to say, but I will start out with the very basics of the gospel and add some things later.

Helpful Books

2007-07-05T20:45:00.000-04:00

My OT2 professor gave us a list of books he recommended that we read to enrich our reading of Scripture. Some of them are a little too expensive for my taste; however, there are some books on the list I hope to read soon.

A Biblical Archaeology Bibliography

Study Bible
Archaeological Study Bible
Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., and Duane Garrett

Reference Texts
The Anchor Bible Dictionary David Noel Freedman
Holman Bible Atlas Thomas C. Brisco
The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land Joseph Aviram
Dictionary of the Ancient Near East Piotr Bienkowski and Alan R. Millard (Editors)
The Oxford Classical Dictionary Simon Hornblower

Histories
Peoples of the Old Testament World Alfred J. Hoerth

Mesopotamian History
History of the Ancient Near East: C. 3000-323 B.C. Marc Van De Mieroop
Ancient Iraq Georges Roux

Egyptian History
A History of Ancient Egypt Nicolas Grimal
The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt Ian Shaw

Persian History
Ancient Persia Josef Wiesehofer
Persia and the Bible Edwin M. Yamauchi

Greek History
Ancient Greece: A Concise History Peter Green
Alexander to Actium Peter Green

Roman History
History of Rome Michael Grant
The Oxford History of the Roman World John Boardman, Jasper Griffin, Oswyn Murray
Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome’s Greatest Politician Anthony Everitt

Israelite History
A Biblical History of Israel Iain W. Provan, V. Philips Long, Tremper Longman
Ancient Israel Edited by Hershel Shanks
On the Reliability of the Old Testament K. A. Kitchen

Ancient Texts
Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible Kenton L. Sparks
The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls James VanderKam and Peter Flint
The Ancient Library of Qumran Frank Moore Cross
Jewish Literature Between The Bible And The Mishnah George W. E. Nickelsburg

Anthologies of Primary Texts
Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament James Bennett Pritchard
The Context of Scripture William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger
Myths from Mesopotamia Stephanie Dalley
Ancient Egyptian Literature Miriam Lichtheim
The Literature of Ancient Egypt William Kelley Simpson
The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr., and Edward Cook
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha James Charlesworth
Loeb Classical Library Various Authors and Translators

The Ancient Social and Cultural World
Life in Biblical Israel Philip King and Lawrence Stager
Ancient Mesopotamia Susan Pollock
Gods, Goddesses, and Images of God in Ancient Israel Othmar Keel
The World of Athens Joint Association of Classical Teachers
Surveys of the Archaeology Related to the Bible
Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, Volume 1 Amihai Mazar
Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, Volume 2 Ephraim Stern
The Archaeology of Ancient Israel Amnon Ben-Tor
The Archaeology of Ancient Judea and Palestine Ariel Lewin
Archaeology and the New Testament John McRay

Perspectives on Biblical Archaeology
Shifting Sands: The Rise and Fall of Biblical Archaeology Thomas W. Davis
The Future of Biblical Archaeology James Hoffmeier and Alan Millard
What Did the Biblical Writers Know & When Did They Know It? William Dever

new web address

2007-06-30T22:22:00.001-04:00

I decided to change this blog's web address to faithseekingunderstanding81.blogspot.com due to layout reasons.

Update #1: Health

2007-06-26T18:33:00.000-04:00

(I seem to blog more often if i keep it short)

I write about my health because it might inspire you. Besides, your body isn’t your own.

Since December I have lost 30 pounds! I think the last time I weighed as much as I do now was probably my freshman year of high school. I have a lot more energy these days which helps for any kind of contribution to the Kingdom (does that inspire you?)

What helped me the most with my weight loss was keeping a journal of my calorie in-take. In order to lose weight you must be burning more energy than you take in calories (or something like that.) So I got a journal and recorded all the calories of foods that I normally eat throughout the week. Lenny wasn’t a big fan of my practice, because I would record all the calories of his precious sweets. I even went online and recorded most fast food nutirion charts. Then, throughout the day, I would add up my calories after every meal. I’m guessing at my age I should take in about 2,000 calories a day. So I brought it down to about 1,700 calories a day (which is still a good amount of food.) I would lose weight every week. Now that I reached my goal, I eat about 2,000 calories and work out.

The fitness instructor who gave me my orientation for the gym, here at Southern, told me that we control about 70% of our weight just by how much we eat. “Now I’m a believer.”

Here are some other things to consider:

1. Cardio AND lifting weights is the next best thing for losing weight. I would recommend doing cardio at least 30 minutes everyday. If you don’t like running (like me) try walking on a treadmill (3.5mph) with the incline up to 10% (it is equivalent to running.) Lifting weights tones your muscle which will help you burn calories faster.

2. Not getting enough sleep could (will) easily cause you to overeat. I recommend 8 hours of sleep. The average American got 10 hours of sleep before the light bulb was invented.

3. Supposedly eating protein in the morning will make you not as hungry throughout the day.

4.Be Patient. If you follow the above examples, then you will lose about 3 pounds a week. Just keep focused on your goal. Get on the scale once every two weeks. I use a scale that measures weight and body fat seperatly which is helpful.

My example helped some other people lose weight so I figured if I wrote it down, then it might encourage you.

Books by John Piper for $5.

2007-06-23T20:33:00.000-04:00

My friend Jim inspired me to blog again thanks to his recent post. He makes a good point that monthly updates do not take much effort. The fact that some people out there actually care is enough motivation to blog again.

Before I give all you readers an update, I want to make mention of a great deal at desiringGod. On June 27-28 the ministry will be selling their books for $5 each!

Check it out here

Reality

2006-09-01T13:19:00.000-04:00

1. Well classes have been going on for a while now. At Southern it seems like the weeks go by so fast and yet I feel like I have just begun. I suppose this means I am behind in school work already. In all of my classes I am learning things that are very new to me. My biblical counseling class is by far the most interesting. Every time our class meets it seems like Dr. Scott is causing me to question myself about why I think certain ways. He is really ripping some roots out of my mind and planting fresh biblical theolgy within. In one of our classes we watched some videos of non-Christians doing some "counseling." I must admit that some of the videos were somewhat humerous but over all it was very sad. I sat there in shock as I saw counelors try to help people fix there problems. The "professionals" had these people thinking back to their childhood and encouraged them to even become that person again. One person was encouraged to think back to when they were 3, but this time they had strengh and a voice. The man actually started crying like a 3 year old, and when his pretend mother would tell him to shut up, the man would yell back . Another woman thought all the way back to when she was stuck in her mother's fallopian tube. The counseler encouraged her to over come that horrible time in her life. The video's became even more bizarre. For example, one woman was encouraged to think back to another lifetime. She somehow was able to remember when she lived in the first century and how she was stabbed in the stomach and died. She relived that moment as she was screaming in pain in front of the counselor. Another woman was encouraged to overcome her problems by detatching from all of her family and friends. I could not help but wonder where these people are now and what they believe about life. The videos were a good dose of reality for me. I like to think that I don't get angry very easily, but I was pretty upset that night after class. After such a wake up call one must ask..."Do I really want to do this?" I will one day have to deal with these very same people. Am I ready for that? I could know all there is to know about theology, but am I going to know how to apply it to help the person whose life is a mess? Can I undoe the damage that has been done? As I sat there in class I had mix of emotions within my mind. Although I was upset and broken, I was also excited. I know that I am not adequate for these things. I think these videos have helped me put so much more trust in Christ, because it is only through Him that these people can change. I am excited to help people. I can think of nothing more joyful than living for others. I am eager to undergird people's misconceptions about life and ground a biblical foundation for them. I know I will probably not see dramatic changes in people right away, but I will rest in knowing that I am being obedient to my Lord.

2. In one of the books I am reading for class, the author said that we really don't know people like we think we do. For example, he spoke of a couple that he has been friends with for years. He said it seemd like their relationship was great until one day when the husband came in for counseling. It turns out that for years the couple had been fighting and there marriage was not good at all. The author also tells us that in a way we are all counselors. People come to us with problems and we should be wise about the way we handle our answers. So I am thinking it would be wise to look at our friends and make sure we know them well. We should always be asking questions and offering help even if the friend doesn't come for help. Most importantly, we should always be encouraging one another so that our hearts do not harden.

The other day I was eating lunch in the cafeteria with some friends. One of them admitted that when he first met me he thought I was the rebellious type. He said that I looked like I was not very interested at the meeting we were at. He thought I would drop out of seminary! Ha! I was acutally excited to hear the speaker at that meeting. I suppose we all have our first impressions about people. I think it would be good to realize that most of us here at Southern have at least some kind of desire to do ministry and we are willing to learn. That has to be somewhat admirable. Also as a Christian we have our first impressons and we also have our misconceptions about people well after we have met them. It would do all of us some good to always keep in mind that we are all created in the image of God and that we are all going through the sanctification process. We might have the wrong attitude about people, but there is always hope and room for change. The more you pray for and help people with their lives you might find the more you love and care for them. Next time you see somebody who rubs you the wrong way think about how you can make a big impact in their lives and do it with gentleness. So please pray for me as I learn to handle reality with a biblical worldview, and you know I will be praying for you.

new additions

2006-07-28T23:48:00.000-04:00

1. Tyler got all of us roommates a devotional book for when reading through the bible. The devotional book has the date on each page, it tells you four chapters to read from the bible for that date, and the author gives a one page comment about one of the chapters. There are actually two volumes and the second volume is exactly the same thing except the author makes a comment on one of the other chapters read for that day. When you get all the way through the devotional book (one year) you will have read the NT and Psalm twice and the OT once. Now I have been a strong supporter of reading through the entire bible at least every year for a while but this devotional has been really helpful. The great thing is that I know my roommates are reading the same thing (except for Lenny because for some weird reason he feels like he has to wait for January 1st) so it allows for great discussion of what we all read for that day and what we thought about the author’s comments in the devotion book. Did I mention the author of the devotion book was D.A. Carson? Carson does a great job of giving some historical facts for the time setting of the chapter, helping you understand how the bible fits together, and of course giving some application.

(can you spot the two UFO's in this picture?)

2. I have never owned a camera but always enjoyed taking pictures. A lot of times I find myself wondering why nobody brought their camera to a certain event or wishing I had one when a great sunset appears from behind the clouds. Well a few weeks ago I received a digital camera for a birthday gift and it is great!

3. I have not done much traveling this summer but I am about to do a lot of it next week. Next Thursday I will be leaving with my parents to go to Rochester, Minnesota for my brother’s wedding! Then when we get back I will be off to New York to be in a friend from high school’s wedding. That will be a lot of hours on the road. I am really looking forward to getting out of Louisville and seeing family and friends!!! I will be taking many pictures! I like the whole idea of having new additions to the family…especially Joe’s fiancé! She is a great person and I know she will be great for Joe as well. I hope to visit again sometime after they are married. Maybe we can all go visit Minneapolis…say on a…umm Sunday..and maybe go visit a…ummm a certain church..(cough cough.) Then when I get back from all of that seminary classes will start up again. I am looking forward to seeing people who went away for the summer.

(this was how the sky looked the night i got my camera)

Why Would an Eskimo Need an Air Conditioner?

2006-06-22T21:17:00.000-04:00

Here are just a few highlights from the past two months.

1. Scott Ryan

Uche moved back to Canada for the summer (a sad day it was) and was replaced by Mr. Scott Ryan. Scott attended Wright State University his freshman year of college, finished college at Cedarville University (which is 7 miles from my hometown), spent a year in China with one of my best friend’s from high school, and is the brother of Jim Ryan who I knew in Campus Crusade for Christ at WSU. All of those facts and yet I did not meet Scott until last fall semester. I can tell it will be a great time having Scott as a roommate. I think he might be one of the most positive people I know and I still have not known him that long. For example, he just got home from working a very long day at J. Alexander’s (which sounds really tough) and told me about his long day with a big smile on his face. The whole time he explained his work day there was not a single hint of complaint. So far Scott has been very consistent in just sounding excited about everything he talks about (I know I should not end a sentence with a preposition…you don’t want me to fix it the way we use to fix them at WSU.) I am thankful the Lord has blessed us with such a positive example in Scott in which we all can learn from him. Uche was such a blessing to our apartment as well and us WSU boys can learn a lot from both of them.

Random Fact about Scott: Every morning Scott likes to eat two different kinds of cereals at the same time! In other words, Scott mixes his cereal (i.e. Raisin Brain and Cheerios together.)

Favorite Quote from Scott Thus Far: “Did somebody’s cereal just explode?” (Ok so I made a mess with my cereal.) It was funny when Scott said it because he sounded so concerned (yet positive….of course.)

2. Food Making SKills

Lenny, Tyler, Scott, and I decided we would put together our food making skills and invite some people over. The guests were Danielle Evans, Carrie Beohm, Mike Ward, and Beth Swearinger (sp?) Lenny made the best lasagna I have ever had, Tyler made the best apple pie that Beth has ever had, I made the best salad that…ummm… I have ever had, and Scott….provided the drinks (somebody had to do it.) I was actually disappointed when I was chosen to make the salad but then I remembered en excellent salad that my mother made last summer. So I got a hold of her and got the recipe. The salad calls for nuts and sunflowers seeds. I found the sunflowers seeds and there just happened to be a bag of nuts next to them. I realized it was actually a mix of things but that didn’t phase me from buying them. So I was making the salad and adding everything together and I poured the nuts in and whatever else was in the bag. To my surprise the bag also had m&m’s in them! At first I thought chocolate in a salad might seem really weird but figured the ladies might enjoy it. Well Beth said the salad was really good except she wasn’t so sure about the m&m’s (woops.) Oh well I liked it.

Later that night we played a game. The game consists of people and chairs. There is one less chair than there are people so there will always be one person standing. The person standing will say a somewhat interesting fact about themselves. For example, one of the participants said, “I have been arrested.” Everybody who had ever been arrested had to get up out of their chair and move to another chair. The standing participant is now allowed to also find a chair to sit in. Whoever does not act fast enough in order to sit in another chair is the next person who has to say a somewhat interesting fact. Needless to say nobody got up for the fact just mentioned and the standing participant had to mention another fact about themselves. I really enjoy the game because it allows you to learn a lot of things about people really quick.

Interesting Facts From the Game:

Danielle has won a burping contest in which the guys were allowed to drink a carbonated beverage and she did not need to drink anything. Note: Danielle does not promote burping loudly she just can do it really well when competing.

Mike and I have memorized at least 6 consecutive chapters in the bible.

Out of the 8 of us only two had ever been pulled over by a cop (very impressive!)

Out of the 8 of us only one has divorced parents.

We all have read through the entire bible (in this day and age that is actually impressive.)

When Scott Ryan was little he shoved a carrot up his nose and left it there for a whole day until it came out during dinner when he sneezed. ( I bet he had a smile on his face the whole day too “Yep….just got this carrot up my nose…that’s all.”)

3. Walk Please!

Sometimes Christians like to think that since they work with non-Christians that there job is much better than being stuck in the Christian bubble. Well I have two jobs this summer and one of them is with many Christians and the other includes many non-Christians. I would have to say that both jobs are very rewarding. I have been lifeguarding on campus and at Eagles Eyrie (apartment complex.) On campus I have been encouraged and inspired by so many Christians. At the apartment complex I have become friends with many non-Christians and hope to share the gospel with them.

One of My Favorite Memories at Work: An international student stepped on to the deck of the pool on campus. He began to do jumping jacks and various other exercises. Then the student began to…..RUN LAPS AROUND THE POOL! I was shocked because this is one of the few places where you are specifically not supposed to run! As he finished his first lap and passed by me, I told him to stop but I quickly realized that he did not know English very well. So the next time he came around I stepped in front of him with my hands out waving for him to stop. He stopped running and I proceeded to try to explain to him that it is bad to run around the pool area. Of course he just nodded his head and smiled at me and then jumped in the pool. Aw geez.

4. I Hold to the Millinnium Falconist View

Well I am doing a lot of reading this summer, but for now I will only give two book reviews from books that have been great for me to read this summer.

The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views (contributors are George Ladd, Anthony Hoekema, Herman Hoyt, and Loraine Bottner):

I actually got a lot more out of this book than I expected. I enjoyed the format in that all four theologians give their view of the millennium and then everybody responds to the other views. Ladd did a good job in presenting the historical premillinnial view because he spends time on how he interprets Scripture and he actually covers Revelation 20.

Hoyt and Bottner (representing the dispensational premillinnial view and postmillennial view) give some thought provoking ideas but do not seem to back up their ideas with Scripture as much as I was hoping they would. For example, neither Hoyt nor Bottner cover Revelation 20 which is the key text to cover when discussing the millennium. Bottner’s main argument for a postmillennial view (view that claims that the peaceful millennium will occur before Christ returns) is that the world is getting better. He spends a lot of time mentioning how communication is improving (radio, television) and this allows for the gospel to travel rapidly. The other theologians simply respond with the fact that there are many terrible things going on in the world and sin is evidently alive.

Then enter Anthony Hoekema! If this book were turned into a war movie I would close my eyes every time Anthony Hoekema appeared on the scene because I know it would be bloody. I learned a lot from this man. Hoekema sets a wonderful example when replying to the other theologians. He begins by pointing out everything good he found in the essays. The he, in a loving manner, gives about 6 reasons why he does not think that their positions are valid. Hoekema defends the Amillinnial view (view that claims that there will be no millennium on earth but that the millennium is going on right now as Christ reigns in heaven at the right hand of the Father) and gives superb interpretation of Revelation, exegesis, implications, AND APPLICATION (you don’t see this in the other defenses.) Nevertheless, so far Hoekema has not persuaded me to be Amillinnial. I am still a historical premillinnialist even if some of the ideas are a little fishy but that is a post for another time.

Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp:

Reading this book has been one of the biggest highlights of my summer. Honestly I always look forward to reading another chapter in this book each day. Tripp has really caused me to analyze myself and see what a selfish person I am. As Tripp goes through Scripture he has really wanted me to seek out others and to be a great brother in Christ to them. I think my favorite part of the book so far is that Tripp is not a big fan of merely fixing a persons problems by going over the Scripture that only covers those problems. This approach mutilates the Scripture. Tripp calls for whole biblical counseling. We are people who need to hear and understand the whole bible because it tells of God’s amazing action to redeem and change people and causes us to want to live for Him.

5. Thunderstorms

Louisville doesn’t mess around when it comes to thunderstorms! A few days ago Tyler, Lenny, and I watched a thunderstorm that had constant lightning! There was not a time when we did not see the sky being lit up. I can’t imagine why people don’t like them. It is always a good time for me to sit back and watch the amazing things God causes to happen. Note: If there is a thunderstorm you still have to get out of the pool on campus. Many people ask me why they still have to get out. Well lightning can supposedly still come into the pool and lightning + water + people = dead people and we don’t want that. This answer seems to work most of the time.

Well there are many more highlights but these will have to do for now because….I’m tired of typing and you are probably tired of reading.

in my mind

2006-06-13T22:34:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday I was hoping to go to the membership meeting at the church in which I am a member. The reason was not exactly a happy reason but it had to be done. I was not able to attend because I had to work. At work I got soaked by a thunderstorm probably at the same time the event at church occured.

When Lenny got back from the meeting I asked him if it actually happend. He said it did and explained it all to me. Now it is in my mind all the time. Last Sunday night a decision was made to remove a member from the church. According to 1 Corinthians 5 the former member has been handed over to Satan. The member was caught in sin and would not repent. The former member realizes what this church discipline means. Lenny said it was a solemn moment in the congeregation.

I am thankful our church does church discipline. For me there seems to be more of a reverence for God and life. Hopefully all will see things in a more serious manner and always be encouraging their friends to press on. I take every chance i can to pray so hard for my friends in Christ. I know without a doubt that they are saved but i still pray. We know Christ will return but we are still to pray for His return. You better believe I will always be praying for the perseverenace of those around me. In the same way I want to be more careful with my words taking the most out of every opportunity to speak to those around me. We are Christians and we know the truth. Our words, prayers, and actions, are the only light the world can see. Set the example among Christians and non- Christians. Their life depends on it.

Read any book you want online!

2006-04-04T00:16:00.000-04:00

Ok maybe not any book but google does have a few good books to read. I wish I knew about this a while ago (actually I think I did know about it but just forgot.) After reading Schreiner's NT theology on the computer I think I can handle reading a few shorter books online.

Check it out! www.print.google.com (click on the full view books option and search away)

Friends

2006-03-29T00:28:00.000-05:00

Sometime around August 2004 I had three days until I would leave my apartment in Fairborn, Ohio for good. One of my roommates, Abhinav, had still not seen The Lord of the Rings. So those last three days were devoted to sitting down with the roomies and watching LOTR! The very last day everybody except for one of my best friends and roommates, Travis Kavanagh, left right before The Return of the King was over. I found myself watching the end with Travis as Frodo said goodbye to Merry, Pippen, and Sam. Not only was this sad, but I realized that I would be saying goodbye to my very dear friends at college. I could not help but break down. When the movie was over there was a long pause of silence. I still remember the words that Travis had to force out of his mouth..."I don't like this." I did not like it either. Of course I would see all of them from time to time,but I knew it wouldnt be the same. I wouldn't be a part of their lives on a daily basis.

Tyler, Uche, and I had a conversation today that I didn't really want to hear. It looks like the four roommates will only be 3 this summer and next year. I guess the breaking of the fellowship is a really hard thing for me. I love to know that I am a part of peoples lives...that I can be a part of peoples plans on a weekly basis...to grow together with friends. I have enjoyed getting to spend time with married couples while in seminary. I like to here the husband or wife talk about spending time and doing everything together with their best friend. I remember a couple just checking their mail together on campus...just a little thing like that was great to me.

After the roommate discussion, I talked to Tyler about Paul. Could you imagine building up a church for two years and then leaving them? Could you imagine being ready to die and all your friends want to protect you from death? Paul helps me a lot! His zeal to do the Lord's work is a great example for me. Friends will come and friends will go but Christ is always there. My King, Lord, God, and Friend will never leave me. I hope those words never sound cheesy to any of us. It is the truth and we should cherish it. I rejoice in knowing that I am with my friends in spreading the gospel. What great hope we have in Christ!

Rob Turner in Chapel!

2006-03-09T22:40:00.000-05:00

The moment we have all been waiting for...Rob Turner in a suit! Rob is the pastor of the church that me, Tyler, and Lenny attended while in college. He spoke in chapel today! Rob has the amazing ability to always keep your attention while he is preaching. There is never a dull moment with Rob. He gave a great sermon over Psalm 42:1-11. Dr. Schreiner was cracking up at his funny but relevant stories. Go to this website and scroll down to March 9th to here the sermon.

http://www.sbts.edu/resources/audio/Spring2006.php

(Also in this picture Tyler has decided to reveal the head that is growing out of his back...still not as neat as Rob in a suit.)

Was Cornelius Saved Before Hearing Peter?

2006-02-25T15:04:00.000-05:00

Inclusivism is the idea that people can be saved without knowing about Jesus Christ. They are still saved by Jesus Christ, but they do not know about Jesus Christ. They have not heard the gospel.

One of the favorite arguments for inclusivism is that Cornelius was saved before Peter talked to him (Acts 10.) Inclusivists claim that since Cornelius was God fearing, gave alms to Jews, and prayed to God continually, then he must be saved. Since Cornelius' prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God(Acts10:4), then he must be saved because only people who are saved through Christ are able to do such things. It is not until later when he hears the the preaching of the gospel by Peter. Therefore he must have been saved before he heard the gospel.

The reason I am writing this is because some day or later you will probably come across somebody with such an argument. Here is what you need to say to them.

First of all, you could ask the inclusivist why God had Peter preach the exclusivity of the gospel to Peter when he was already saved. Why did Peter tell Cornelius that only believing in Christ brings about forgiveness of sins?(Acts 10:43.)

Someone might tell you he has an implicit faith. He does believe in Christ, but he doesn't know he believes.

Next, you could tell the inclusivist that Cornelius did not have the Spirit until after Peter spoke the gospel to him (Acts 10:44.)

The best thing to tell the inclusivist is to always always always read the whole story. Then tell the inclusivist that the angel in the vision specifically claims that Peter's words are what Cornelius needs to hear in order to be saved (Acts 11:13-14.) Hence he was not saved before hearing the gospel.

We need to realize that Acts is written in order to show God's awesome faithfulness in redemptive history. The stories show how the gospel spreads throughout Jerusalem, Samaria, Judea, and even to the remostes parts of the earth (Acts 1:8.)

We should not be so eager to take a special story about Cornelius, claim inclusivism, and believe that many others will believe without knowing the truth of the gospel.

We should take this special story about Cornelius and praise God for bringing the gospel to the gentiles.

Everything and Nothing All at Once

2006-02-05T15:33:00.000-05:00

Here are just a few simple thoughts, facts, quotes, and updates.

1. Uche and I have decided not to do any school work on Sundays. We will spend the time relaxing, reading a lot of Scripture, discussing theology, blogging, being creative, calling friends, replying to e mails, and slowing down to enjoy life.

2. Lottie Moon (1840 – 1912) gave her life to being a missionary in China for 40 years. She practically became Chinese to the Chinese so that she might save some. She went through a lot of rough times in her life but her life of perseverance is an example we all can learn from. Every year, near Christmas, many Southern Baptist churches give a Lottie Moon offering that goes straight to missionaries. In the year 2000, the Lottie Moon offering had given over $2 billion to missionaries since it began.

3. “Surely there can be no deeper joy than that of saving souls.”
- Lottie Moon

4. When I filled out my application to attend SBTS, I had to mention if I planned on staying with the Southern Baptist denomination after I graduated. At first the question made me squirm. Saying that I would remain Southern Baptist was not something I wanted to write. I don’t remember my answer, but I have been extremely impressed with Southern Baptist life and their zeal for sound doctrine and missions.

5. “Southern Baptist missions have been instrumental in spreading the gospel of Christ in more countries and with a larger mission force than any other organized evangelical mission effort in history.” (Baptists and the Bible, 359.)

6. “He who tries to win people from other denominations to his own distinctive views may be a sectarian bigot; but he may also be a humble and loving Christian.”
-John A. Broadus

7. Dr. Schreiner has spent the first two classes of NT Theology going over some books that he recommends us to read. Most of these books are by people who are uiversalists, liberals, errantists, and neo-orthodox. Dr. Schreiner has over and over again challenged us to be open to people’s ideas even if we think they are way off. Now I don’t mean open in a way that compromises what we believe is truth, but to learn from all sorts of people and to understand where they are coming from. For example, some of his PhD students thought a book was horrible just because it was by a liberal author, but when read in context the book did a lot of good because it was refuting another person who was really off his rocker. It is wise to learn what people believe and why even when we don’t believe they are telling the truth. Then we can show them what we believe in a kind and gentle way by speaking about the heart of the issue without our close minded ignorance.

8. “First pure, then peaceable, if only one is attainable, choose the former.”
-Charles Spurgeon

“Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin and to pursue union at the price of truth is treason to the Lord.”
- Charles Spurgeon.

9. The Jerusalem bible was the first catholic bible to be translated into English from the Greek and Hebrew text. One of the translators of the Jerusalem bible was J.R.R. Tolkien. (Journey from Text to Translation)

10. Over the years I have had many thoughts about death. While I was in college some of my friends thought there was something wrong with me because I thought about death. I thought I needed to change my thinking habits. I have realized that my thoughts about death have really kept my life in perspective. It is amazing to think that some day we will some day die. We will probably see many loved ones die as well. I can’t get over how fragile our lives are. The other day my thoughts about death made me so glad that I was alive so that I could be encouraging to fellow Christians to stand strong for Christ. I can encourage them about the resurrection. I can rejoice with those who rejoice. I want to be so encouraging to those who are engaged. Rejoice with your friends in their times of happiness for death will some day come upon us. It will not help at all if we are envious of our friends. The thought of death gives strength to faith, love, and hope. I hate death and look forward to the defeat of death by Christ.

11. Rob Turner, the pastor of the church I attended while in college, will be speaking in chapel on March 9th. Woo Hoo!

Many Readings

2006-01-24T21:47:00.000-05:00

During the massive break we have before school begins I have been working on getting a lot of my reading done for classes. As you can tell from this picture I need a break. Since I havnt posted in a long time I will write something soon on my blog which will be an overflow of the reading I have done and some other thoughts.

I'm thankful to have other crazy theologians who will read with me. Uche doesn't look to comfortable in that position but I think he learns better that way. I notice Chris has a smile on his face. He must have read one of Schreiner's knock knock jokes in his commentary on Romans.

In Need of A Title

2005-11-09T23:03:00.000-05:00

ST2 Project

What should be the title of this painting?

Keep Them Secret! Keep Them Safe!

2005-10-26T09:26:00.000-04:00

Since I have a great desire to take care of the Lord's people, and realize that I am not adequate for such a huge task, I always have these verses on my mind when I am praying.

"Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?" God said to Solomon, "Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you."

2 Chronicles 1:10-12

The Doctrine of the Trinity and Almost Hitting a Deer

2005-10-23T16:13:00.000-04:00

1."Trinitarian theology has had a wider impact on the piety of the Eastern church. Eastern liturgies are permeated with Trinitarian prayers and doxologies. In the West, the Trinity has in practice been relegated to such an extent that most Christians are little more than practical modalists."

-Robert Letham

After almost being done with The Doctrine of the Trinity class, I have come to the realization that everybody needs to study up on this doctrine. When I say study i don't mean just read the chapter in Wayne Grudem's systematic theology.

I have learned a lot of concepts and ideas that I feel every Christian should be aware of. Therefore I recommend to you The Holy Trinity by Robert Letham. It goes over biblical foundations, historical development, modern discussions, and crtitical issues. I promise you will learn something new from this book. (It even has a really good chapter on John Calvin that any reformed theologian would enjoy...and he wasnt a subordinationist)

2. A few nights ago I was coming home from a pumpkin carving party when a deer stepped out in front of my car while I was going 65mph. I slammed on my breaks and my car decided to go sideways. The deer ran out of the way but now I was going sideways down the highway. Of course i tried to turn but ended up over correcting and started going sideways the other direction. Then I just stopped turning the wheel and pressed on my breaks until I was at a complete stop. I thanked God for having mercy on me at that time. I truly believe that God ordains prayer because that morning I felt compelled to pray for my safety while I was driving. After I was done praying, I had a feeling something scary might happen but that I would still be safe.

new blog

2005-08-31T00:04:00.000-04:00

I told you he had something to say. Now he speaks! 90 in a 55?! Didn't we cover that in Bible study?

http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=dkfultz

Piper on Romans 9

2005-08-12T18:09:00.000-04:00

"There are two experiences in my life that make Romans 9 one of the most important chapters in shaping the way I think about everything, and the way I have been led in ministry. One happened in seminary and turned my mental world upside down. The other happened in the fall of 1979 and led to my coming to serve this church. "

"Emotions run high when you feel your man-centered world crumbling around you. I met Dr. Morgan in the hall one day. After a few minutes of heated argument about the freedom of my will, I held a pen in front of his face and dropped it to the floor. Then I said, with not as much respect as a student ought to have, "I [!] dropped it." Somehow that was supposed to prove that my choice to drop the pen was not governed by anything but my sovereign self. "

"But thanks be to God’s mercy and patience, at the end of the semester I wrote in my blue book for the final exam, "Romans 9 is like a tiger going about devouring free-willers like me." That was the end of my love affair with human autonomy and the ultimate self-determination of my will. My worldview simply could not stand against the scriptures, especially Romans 9. And it was the beginning of a lifelong passion to see and savor the supremacy of God in absolutely everything."

-John Piper

http://www.desiringgod.org/library/sermons/02/110302.html

worth reading

What Do You Think?

2005-06-16T19:36:00.000-04:00

"How many times had I myself sat in a bible-study circle of earnest young believers where the leader reads a text then asks the question: “What does this verse mean to you?” The inevitable response from the members in the circle is a cascade of ill-conceived interpretations that contradict one another, ramble into therapeutic incoherence, and ultimately miss the point of the Scripture. Then, after all had offered their version of “what this verse means to me,” the leader says “amen” and closes with prayer with everyone feeling satisfied that they had shared their feelings with one another. What I learned from Dr. Hendricks is that those kinds of “bible studies” are less a study of the Bible than they are a haphazard pooling of everyone’s ignorance."

http://dennyburk.blogspot.com/2005/06/feet-firmly-planted-in-mid-air.html

This is how I feel a lot of times about bibles studies. I have even fallen victim of it. I have definitly learned to take the bible very seriously and this is why you might not here me be so opinionated at times. The author of the blog link above was an assistant of Robert Stein at Southern Seminary. Stein has also taught me to read the bible very carfeully and to allow the auther of the text to be the main authority and not my own opinion. He (author above) recommends the book A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible: Playing by the Rules by Stein.

Stinkpot the Turtle

2005-06-13T20:20:00.000-04:00

Today I went to the Newport Aquarium and made a new friend. His name is Stinkpot. He's a stinkpot turtle.

Sovereignty as an Incentive

2005-06-01T13:24:00.000-04:00

"When the Philippians are told to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, on the ground that it is God who is working in them both to will and to act according to his good purpose, it is important to observe what is not said. The Philippians are not told to work out their salvation since God has done his bit and it is their turn; nor are they told that they should simply "let go and let God" since salvation is all of grace. Rather, they are encouraged to work out their salvation precisely because it is God who is at work in them, both at the level of their will and at the level of their actions. God's sovereignty functions as an incentive to work, not a disincentive. Similarly, when in a night vision the Lord encourages Paul to preach on in Corinth (Acts 18:9-10), the ground is that the Lord has many people in this place. In other words, election here functions as an incentive to evangelism, not a disincentive."

D. A. Carson. "Reflections on Assurance," Still Sovereign, ed. Thomas R. Schreiner and Bruce A Ware (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003), 270.

Might be a Christian?

2005-05-24T17:59:00.000-04:00

When I do evangelism I always come across people who claim to be a Christian. I have come to the point where I am somewhat skeptical at first when I hear this. I have talked to some people who claim to be a Christian but later on in the talk I am somewhat confused. I don't hear of any change in their lives and it doesn't seem like Christ is in them.

Back in Ohio when I taught international students how to swim, my co-teacher shared with me an interesting story. She said that before she was a Christian she pretended to be a Christian so that she could date a Christian guy that she liked. That story terrified me!

Now when I do evangelism and I come across someone who claims to be a Christian I like to go over a few things with them. For example, I will ask them to share the gospel to me and have them tell me how it is that they are saved.

No doubt sometime it is obvious that Christ is not in people and we need to be gentle with them when we ask them to test themselsves to see if they are in the faith. However, there are other times when it is really tricky and there needs to be much discernemnt.

Scripture is most helpful when we are not sure if someone who is testifying to be a Christian is really a Christian.

Do they enjoy worshipping God? 1 John 1:3

Do they have an awareness of their sin? 1 John 1:8

Do they seek to be obedient to the word of God? 1 John 2:3

Do they love other Christians and want to be with them? 1 John 3:14

Do they display the fruit of the Spirit? 1 John 4:13 Galations 5:22-23

Of course this list is not everything. Things like signs of repentance and working out their salvation are important as well.

Some people might tell me that it is mean to call people out and ask them to question their salvation. I think it would be worse if you were concerned about someone and you didnt tell them anything and find out on judgment day that you are too late.

A Good Kick in the Pants

2005-05-22T22:55:00.000-04:00

I want you to read this quote from Charles Spurgeon and tell me what you think. Is it convicting to you? Do you like to be called out like this? I love reading Spurgeon because he tells me what is up. I find my conscience say things like, "I needed to hear that." I love it when I hear people like Piper flat out yell at the pulpit "MAKE WAR!!!!" (in dealing with my flesh.) I know there are other people out there who feel beat up when they hear things like this. It might not be helpful at all. There might be a better way to go about convicting people. When I first heard Mohler's talk about marriage I really enjoyed it becuase it was good kick in the pants. Now I am starting to feel beat up at times. I am starting to feel guilty that I am not married. I know Proverbs is full of verses that say we should love correction. I just hope that we are wise about our correcting. Alright enough rambling! Here is the quote:

"Ah! You know more about your bank books than your Bible; you know more about your fictional novels than what God has written; many of you will read a novel from beginning to end and what have you got?
A mouthful of froth when you have done. But you cannot read the Bible; that solid, lasting, substantial, and satisfying food goes uneaten., looked upon in the cupboard of neglect; while anything that man writes, a catch of the day is greedily devoured.
“I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.” Ye have never read it.
Perhaps, ye say, I ought not to charge you with any such thing. I always think it better to have a worse opinion of you than too good a one. I charge you with this; you do not read your Bibles. Some of you have never read it through. I know I speak what your heart must say is honest truth.
You are not Bible readers. You say you have the Bible in your house; do I think you are such heathens as not to have a Bible? But when did you read it last? How do you know that your spectacles, which you have lost, have not been there for the last three years?
Many people have not turned over its pages for a long time, and God might say unto them. “I have written unto you the great things of my law, but they have been accounted unto you as a strange thing.”
Others there be who read the Bible; but when they read it, they say it is so horribly dry. That young man over there says it is a “bore;” that is the words he uses. He says “My mother says to me, when you go up to town, read a chapter every day. Well I thought I would please her, and I said I would. I am sure I wish I had not. I did not read a chapter yesterday, or the day before. We were so busy. I could not help it.” You do not love the Bible, do you? “No, there is nothing in it which is interesting.”
Ah, I thought so. But a little while ago I could not see anything in it. Do you know why? Blind men cannot see, can they? But when the Spirit touches the scale of your eyes, they fall off; and when he puts eye-salves on, the Bible becomes precious.
I remember a minister who went to see an old lady, and he thought he would give her some precious promises out of the word of God. Turning to one he saw written in the margin “P.” and he asked. “What does this mean?” “This means precious sir.” Further down he saw “T and P.” and he asked what the letters meant. “That,” she said, “tried and proved, for I have tried and proved it.”
If you have tried God’s word and proved it – if it is precious to your soul, then you are Christians; but those persons who despise the Bible, have “neither part or lot in the matter.” If it is dry to you, you will be dry at last in hell. If you do not esteem it better than your necessary food, there is no hope for you; for you lack the greatest evidence of your Christianity."

-Charles Spurgeon

Don't Be Hasty!

2005-05-14T09:35:00.000-04:00

Now that I am done with seminary until fall, I can begin to do more reading.
When I was a kid I wasn’t the biggest fan of reading, but now I can’t put the books down. I am addicted to learning!

I think it is important study hard at all times. I hope that many of us will continue to study hard during the summer. Our formations professor challenged us to read at least one book every week. The excuse for not enough time always lingers in the back of the mind but that excuse is not valid. We have plenty of time in our day for the things that are important for us.

The days are evil and we are just vapors! Study hard with the time that is given to you.

Charles Spurgeon suggests that it is better to read a few books and learn a lot than to read a lot of books and learn a little from each book. He calls the latter hasty reading. “Little learning and much pride come of hasty reading.” I admit that I will read a good book but within a year I will probably forget what I read. It is important for us to read the good books more than once, take notes, read out loud. I would also suggest reading some of the old theologians of the past. For example, reading the puritans will do you some good. They had such a reverence for God and are very careful with the subject matter.

Discipline yourself in the reading of Scripture! I have found it so helpful to have a planned action for reading Scripture. For example, I read two chapters from the Old Testament, 1 Psalm, 1 Proverb, and two chapters from the New Testament (all in order) everyday. Get into the habit of reading the bible all the way through every year. You know if you don’t have a plan like this then you will always linger toward the New Testament. The things written in the Old Testament are an example for US. Make sure you are aware of these examples. Your life is too short not to read these examples. Hopefully you will gain a great reverence for God from reading about Israel in the wilderness and see how it amplifies the majesty of Christ.

Billy Graham said that if he could go back and start everything over again he would have studied harder in college.

Here are some of the books I have started and will begin to read for the summer:

The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen
Jonathan Edwards: A life by George Marsden
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relations, Roles, and Relevance by Bruce Ware
The Gagging of God by D.A Carson
The Challenge of Postmodernism Edited by David Dockery
Christ our Mediator by C.J. Mahaney
Sound Mind Investing by Austin Pryor (gotta learn how to handle money)

I hope to be able to get some of my books for fall semester and get a start on the reading for my classes. Classes I am taking in the fall:

The Doctrine of the Trinity with Bruce Ware
Greek Exegesis: John with Cook
Systematic Theology 2 with Gregg Allison
New Testament 2 with Tom Schreiner
(might add another class in the future)

“The next rule I shall lay down is, master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you. Read and re-read them, masticate them, and digest them. Let them go into your very self.”

-Charles Spurgeon

The B-I-B-L-E

2005-05-01T18:10:00.000-04:00

You know what I like about my church? Once you become a member, you really become a member. They don't mess around. At Clifton Baptist Church everybody gets to be a part of the nursery! After about 5 months of being a member, they make sure you get mailed a schedule telling you what day your working and with what age group. All of us get to work in the nursery about every 6 weeks. Today I got the wonderful opportunity to work with the 2 and 3 year olds. I now realize that learning big theological terms and translating greek is nothing compared to working with the 2 and 3 year olds. We got to sings songs, have snacks, read a book, play games, and take advantage of the new guy (me). None of this makes them tired! Not at all! All the things we did just gave them more energy! Most of us in there didnt have much expereince working with that many kids so we tried all kinds of things to keep them from getting too crazy. One lady suggested that we play duck duck goose. It was a good idea until we realized that we forgot to tell the kids that the person whose head is touched after the word goose is said, is the ONLY kid who needs to get up to run.....doh!

You know what I think is funny about my church? There are a lot of single guys there. So we might not be married for a while, but we will have some expereince with the little ones after our time is up here. Just imagine a bunch of single guys ,who dont know much about nursery duty, being predestined to work in the nursery. I think it will help us all build endurance.

What book would you recommend?

2005-04-27T20:19:00.000-04:00

I got a gift certificate in the mail today to LifeWay bookstore (bookstore on campus). This made me wonder what books have made a big influence on people. So what book would you guys recommend that I get? Please share how certain books have impacted you. My first thought is to get a new bible to replace the one that I have which is falling apart.

Ichabod Spencer (1798-1854)

2005-04-18T23:51:00.000-04:00

Last week I finished reading A Pastor's Sketches by Ichabod Spencer. Every chapter is about Ichabod speaking to individuals in his congregation (Ichabod was the pastor) about their salvation. Almost every chapter the individual comes to Christ in the end. Ichabod's main principle in evagelism was to always agree with and depend on the Holy Spirit. If you were to read this book you might be surprised by some of the things he did. For example, Ichabod asked a man about his salvation and the man claimed that he was realzing how wicked he was. Ichabod told the man that he was more wicked then he thought and walked away...that is all he said. Other times people would constantly come to him and ask questions about the gospel. If Ichabod felt that they had a good understanding of the gospel, he would tell them to go away. He said that anymore of his own words might do damage to the person. These people would go home feeling like there was no hope. Then they would finally think about what they needed to do instead of gaining more and more information. Ichabod would also remove any obstacles from peoples minds. For example, some people would be stuck on how one should be baptized. Ichabod would always bring the conversation back to Christ and tell them not to think too much about other things that get in the way.

Last Sunday I went to a nursing home to do evangelism. I talked to a 93 year old man by the name of Mr. Parker. When we finally got to talking about God, right away Mr. Parker brought up baptism and why different denominations do it diffetent ways. I quickly brought the conversation back to Christ. I also remember getting an e mail about somebody not desring a personal relationship with Christ. What was I to do? Run around like a chicken with my head cut off? Or pray like hard! I got on my knees and prayed hard. We will see wonderful things happen when we depend and trust in the Holy Spirit.

We are to do our job and not worry about the end judgement. Think about your friends that you deisre to see come to Christ. Do not merely bring them to church or bible studies or the like, but you yourself should tell them the gospel. Ask them questions like "Why do you think God made this world?" or "Did you know that Jesus claimed to be God?" Tell them the truth and ask them if they understand it. You might even ask them to repeat it back to you. Once you have done that trust in the Holy Spirit. Make sure they know that TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.

One thing that I really liked about Ichabod Spencer is that he had good doctrine. Many non Christians would argue about his doctrine. For example:

Young Woman: "I wish to be saved, but I never can believe in total depravity. The doctrine disgusts me. It sounds so much like cant. I never will believe it. I abhor it. And I won't believe it. "

Ichabod: "Perhaprs not. I dont not ask you to believe it. But I ask you to repent of sin now to improve your day of grace, and get ready for death and heaven. I ask you to love the world supremely no longer to deny yourself and follow Christ, as you know you ought to do. When you sincerely try to do these things, you will begin to find out something about your heart that you do not know now."

Young Woman: " But I don't like doctrines! I want a practical relgion!"

Ichabod: "That practical religion is the very thing I am urging upon you: the practice of prayer-the practice of repentance-the practice of self denial- the practice of loving and serving God in faith. "

Later:

Young Woman: "I never should have believed it, if I had not found it out by my own expereince. It was just as you told me. When I really tried to be a Christian, such as described in the Bible, I found my heart was all sin and enmity to God. And I am sure I never should have turned to Christ, if God had not shown mercy. It was all grace. Now I believe in total depravity. But I learned it alone. You did not convince me of it.

Ichabod: I never tried.

Check out what a young woman said after hearing a good sermon on the sovereignty of God.

"All my life I have been troubled with the doctrine of election. I have studied it for more than twenty years in vain. But now I know what has been the matter - I have never been entirely willing that God should be God. And when you are entirely willing that God should be God, election will trouble you no longer. "

Old Poems

2005-04-08T16:03:00.000-04:00

Here are some old poems that I wrote a while ago:

FREE FOOD

if there were a science fair
what would i find there
all kinds of people from big to thin
would i see things like transparent skin
could projects explode
turn me into a toad
maybe there will be something rare
like magic talking hair
i picture mammoth balloons
candles that smell like prunes
babies that fly
instead of cry
a lawn mower that works on its own
an oven also used for a phone
now if all this was there
i would not care
though it may sound rude
if there was no free food

ETERNITY DOESN"T RUST

It looks like my things are falling apart.
My flesh's paintings no longer art.
Shoes have aged and become to old.
Cheese and bread share some mold.
The CD player has had enough.
Polker cards have the last bluff.
Computers crashing all the time.
All the pets have passed their prime.
Instead of breaks I call them brokes,
And I'm waiting for when the whole car croakes.
The house has cracks all over the ceiling.
This black spotted banana isn't worth peeling.
My guitar rejects any new string.
Not even a bank can save my diamond ring.
Clothes I admit put up a good fight.
I just can't wear them when they get too tight.
Books are bent and somewhat faded.
Lifetime gaurantees are over rated.
I sit and watch my dying flowers,
As i listen to the crash of two tall towers.
I thankfully think as I turn to dust,
At least eternity doesn't rust.

THREE THOUSAND NATIONS ARE WE

three thousand nations are we
neither breathe nor do we see
we dont know we are dead
these words are never said
nor would we hear if it came to be

controlled by an amazing power
like a horrible wind with a dainty flower
being a slave to a dark dominion
gives us thoughts of an evil opinion
and our deeds are nothing but sour

forever stuck in a destructive kingdom
always starving just like Edom
feeding from sin to sin
leading up to death again
unless you come and preach us freedom

UTMOST GLORY

if we speak of His predestination
yet shy away from reprobation
we only tell half the story
only give Him half the glory
His almighty power must be known
for true holiness to be shown
it will happen whether we like it or not
making us thankful if we have been bought

The Children's Petition

Father listen to your children today
For it is through Christ we pray
Give wisdom to make us wise
Tame our tongues from blasphemous cries
Forgive us when we seek competition
And forget about our spiritual mission
Teach us to master our sin
And kill the evil within
Keep us strong to the end of your story
Fighting the times into glory

The Children's Petition

2005-02-26T21:48:00.000-05:00

Father listen to your children today
For it is through Christ we pray
Give wisdom to make us wise
Tame our tongues from blasphemous cries
Forgive us when we seek competition
And forget about our spiritual mission
Teach us to master our sin
And kill the evil within
Keep us strong to the end of your story
Fighting the times into glory

Question

2005-02-21T13:20:00.000-05:00

If you knew you were going to error, which would you rather error in freedom or legalism?

Hardening of the Heart

2005-02-18T15:13:00.000-05:00

Here is what I think is a biblical thought that says God hardens peoples hearts and yet still upholds James 1:17.

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."
James 1:17 (NASB)

Update: I meant to say James 1:13 as well.

"Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. "
James 1:13 (NASB)

"God's different dealing with men. He hath mercy on some, and hardeneth others. When God is here spoken of as hardening some of the children of men, it is not to be understood that God by any positive efficiency hardens any man's heart. There is no positive act in God, as though he put forth any power to harden the heart. To suppose any such thing would be to make God the immediate author of sin. God is said to harden men in two ways: by withholding the powerful influences of his Spirit, without which their hearts will remain hardened, and grow harder and harder; in this sense he hardens them, as he leaves them to hardness. And again, by ordering those things in his providence which, through the abuse of their corruption, become the occasion of their hardening. Thus God sends his word and ordinances to men which, by their abuse, prove an occasion of their hardening. So the apostle said, that he was unto some "a savour of death unto death." So God is represented as sending Isaiah on this errand, to make the hearts of the people fat, and to make their ears heavy, and to shut their eyes; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isa. 6:10. Isaiah's preaching was, in itself, of a contrary tendency, to make them better. But their abuse of it rendered it an occasion of their hardening. As God is here said to harden men, so he is said to put a lying spirit in the mouth of the false prophets. 2 Chron. 18:22. That is, he suffered a lying spirit to enter into them. And thus he is said to have bid Shimei curse David. 2 Sam. 16:10. Not that he properly commanded him; for it is contrary to God's commands. God expressly forbids cursing the ruler of the people. Exod. 22:28. But he suffered corruption at that time so to work in Shimei, and ordered that occasion of stirring it up, as a manifestation of his displeasure against David. "

-Jonathan Edwards (God's Sovereignty in the Salvation of Men)

Biblical Theology

2005-02-09T21:19:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it can be easy to do systematic theology without a firm foundation in mind of a whole biblical theology. I find myself zoning in on one aspect of the bible all the time (of course it is good at times). It is good to have the whole bible in perspective when doing systematic theology so that we can see how all things fit together. Last semester our philosophy professor told our class that it can be easy to do systematic theology without a biblical theology and end up driving certain doctrines into the ground until we kill them. Ok he said something like that. Therefore I would reccommend reading the whole bible every year! Ok ok although I think it is a good idea I would also reccommend a book on biblical theology. Here at seminary, every student has to read According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy. Out of all the books I have to read this would be at the top of my reccommendation list. The first few chapters are devoted to explaing all the different kinds of theology and why it is important. The the rest of the book goes through a lot of the important facts in the whole bible and shows how things connect together. While doing this Goldsworthy shows with many diagrams how all of it is leads to Christ bringing about the Kingdom. It is great because when you are reading through the whole bible you can have those things he wrote about ready in your mind and you don't miss it when it comes. Then after you are done reading it I would suggest going over it with somebody who might be a new Christian. It will always be a handy book to have on the shelf when you disciple people from year to year. You can find this book at monergism.com or any other Christian bookstore/website. Though it might seem a little to introductory at times I think it is worth reading a few times.

I would also have any congregation read Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney.

God's Providence

2005-02-01T18:16:00.000-05:00

Simply put God's providence is that He is in control of all things and nothing happens that is not within His plans. It is easy for us to learn from our own expereinces and think we have things figured out. For example, we think that the clouds rain because Carl Nichols tells us it is going to rain. A better example would be that we figure the clouds are moving because the wind is pushing it. Some people might come to conclusions about how some people act because of their childhood. We might have our own thoughts about many things, but the bible tells us that there is something much more powerful out there that causes things to happen. There are so many verses that blow us away because they show how in control God is. God is even in control of evil THOUGH HE IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF SIN, AND HE DOES NOT DIRECTLY CAUSE SIN. I am going leave it to Scripture to convict you of such awesome power after I quote a book on evangelism that speaks of reconciling doctrine back into our lives and where to start.

"One place to start could be an agreement to alter the unbiblical practice of sepereating doctrine from expereince , thus making doctrine secondary in importance to practice. "
--Will Metzger

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power Hebrews 1:3 (NASB)

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together Colossians 1:17 (NASB)

for in Him we live and move and exist Acts 17:28 (NASB)

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
1 Corinthians 8:6 (NASB)

But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:7 (NASB)

"If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. Job 34:14-15 (NASB)

"For to the snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,' And to the downpour and the rain, 'Be strong.' 7 "He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work. 8 "Then the beast goes into its lair And remains in its den. 9 "Out of the south comes the storm, And out of the north the cold. 10 "From the breath of God ice is made, And the expanse of the waters is frozen. 11 "Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the cloud of His lightning. 12 "It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, That it may do whatever He commands it On the face of the inhabited earth. 13 "Whether for correction, or for His world, Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen. Job 37:6-13 (NASB)

Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father Matt 10:29 (NASB)

The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD. Proverbs 16:33 (NASB) (this would be like us flipping a quarter...those stats professors were wrong!)

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. Psalms 139:16 (NASB)

Man's steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way? Proverbs 20:24 (NASB)

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. Genesis 50:20 (NASB)

He turned their heart to hate His people, To deal craftily with His servants. Psalms 105:25 (NASB)

For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Joshua 11:20 (NASB)

Then his father and his mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she looks good to me." 4 However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. Judges 14:3-4 (NASB)

"If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the LORD desired to put them to death. 1 Samuel 2:25 (NASB)

Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him 1 Samuel 16:14 (NASB)

If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it? Amos 3:6 (NASB)

The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these. Isaiah 45:7 (NASB)

Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth? Lamentations 3:38 (NASB)

"For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur Acts 4:27-28 (NASB)

What is the gospel and the Kingdom of God?

2004-11-03T17:52:00.000-05:00

If you went out preaching the gospel what would you preach? If you tell people that they are sinners, you have not preached the gospel. If you tell them to repent and put their faith in Christ so that they might be saved from the wrath to come, then you still have not preached the gospel. If you finally end with judgment, then you have missed the gospel completely. Now don't get me wrong all these aspects are very crucial to the gospel but they don't seem to tell me any good news.

Simply put the gospel is that Jesus is Lord. He is our King and has come to proclaim His kingdom. He is Creator of all and everything belongs to Him. He died and rose again therefore conquering his enemies and preparing the way for His Kingdom. The gospel is a revelation of authority and mystery. This gospel is good news indeed for Christ is good indeed! When preaching the gospel let the people know that Jesus Christ is the Master of all. Tell them that we will all bow down to the King.

The gospel of the Kingdom of God is that Jesus reigns. The Kingdom of God is that reigning of Christ. The Kingdom is not some simple territory but the actual Kingship. Right now it is partially here and will come into its fullness at the end times. It is a wonderful thing to be a co-heir of our King!

Fact of the day: Ambrose was the govenor of Milan. When the bishop of Milan died he attended the election for the next bishop so that it would not get out of hand. When calming down the crowd the people decided that they wanted Ambrose to be their bishop. He was forced ,by the emperor, to be bishop against his will. He was a very young Christian and had to be baptized and study theology. It was the preaching of Ambrose that would bring Augustine to Christ.

I wonder what Ambrose would say today if people asked him if he felt God was calling him to be bishop. It looks like he didn't have a choice. The same goes for Augustine who was forced to be bishop of Hippo.

First Words

2004-11-01T23:32:00.000-05:00

I knew it would come to this. The blogging community has won me over. I pray that this blog will be beneficial to those who stumble upon it.