Bible Reading Project

Review: Called to Controversy by Ruth Rosen

2012-02-13T14:43:00.004-05:00

Called to Controversy is a stirring, encouraging and often candid account of the life of Moishe Rosen and the founding of Jews for Jesus. The book moves from Moishe's upbringing through his journey to faith and onward to his journey of faithful and zealous service. The biography, though written by his daughter and vetted by Moishe himself before his death, presents an incredibly human being, albeit a man of both extreme strengths and extreme weaknesses. In addition to being a biography of a Jewish believer in Jesus, a missionary and a visionary, it is the biography of a movement and an organization. The life of Moishe Rosen and the birth and growth of Jews for Jesus are often inextricable. Like Rosen himself, his organization is both lauded and hated, complimented and controversial. The biography does not shy away from the reality of weaknesses, failures and issues within Moishe Rosen's life and within the organization of Jews for Jesus though it is almost certain that it does not detail them enough to satisfy the organization's critics. Instead, the biography focuses on who Moishe was, attempting to communicate and enable a discovery of the character and calling of the man himself by traveling through his history in narrative, interviews, anecdotes and frank analysis.

Ruth Rosen displays talented, balanced and empathetic writing, allowing Moishe to come off the page and speak in his own words. She allows Moishe to inspire the reader, but not at the expense of keeping his humanity front and center. Moishe Rosen was a complex man with a simple mission. Called to Controversy achieves its highest success in consistently and successfully portraying the frail humanity of Moishe Rosen with a sympathetic and respectful context and tone. Rosen was a man who inspired an entire generation of evangelists and revolutionized missions and evangelism to the Jewish people. His real zeal and passion speak for themselves. His successes are preserved in the pages of this book; however, his mistakes and shortcomings are preserved here too. We don't always seem them specified or distinctly portrayed, but they are unmistakably there. Moishe Rosen was a man who was mightily used of God in spite of his humanity and weaknesses and this biography challenges and inspires in the face of our real humanity.

In addition to the story of the man, the book uncovers a journey into discovering evangelism, missions, vision and the establishment of a work for God. It works to inform the reader of the Jewish heart and mind, while also passing on the lessons Moishe learned and passed on to others regarding how to reach the lost and be faithful in leading an organization. These lessons are well articulated, but subtly spun into the retelling of the man's life. The lessons are impacted and qualified by the controversies that surrounded Moishe's life and ministry.

In dealing with the controversies, pain and anger surrounding Jews for Jesus and Moishe Rosen, the author maintains an quiet honesty. There is a consistent subtle tension between the lines of the text: an almost apologetic tone, which seems to acknowledge, albeit not quite directly, that there were times when Moishe Rosen's leadership was toxic. There are hints and sometimes outright admissions that Rosen hurt and perhaps damaged a number of those who ministered with him. The presentation of the man presents a conflict as the reader is inspired, awed and blessed by this very human example of strong faith and indefatigable zeal, but also pained and disheartened by the indication of difficult conflicts and mistakes in ministry. It is faith in Christ that answers and resolves this humanity and Called to Controversy is very much a challenge to believe, recognize and admire what Christ can and will do in even the most flawed vessels.

I would recommend this book to those in missions, leadership or in the process of founding a work for God. It is an inspiration, a warning and a call to compassion. It is an exhortation to believe and serve a great and merciful God in the name of Jesus Christ.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing a free review copy. I was not required to write a positive review, but an honest review.

Christ is Willing to Cleanse (Newsletter)

2012-02-10T13:58:00.000-05:00

And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. Mark 1:40-42

Leprosy spread uncleanness. It was contagious, and it was powerful to defile your body and damage your soul. The leper was a man marked as inescapably and chronically unholy before God. He was a cursed man, a man without friends and without a place of hiding. His uncleanness was evident; he was compelled to announce it before all, to shout “Unclean!” to the passing stranger. He declared the power of the disease within his body. If someone touched the leper, they became unclean. The uncleanness overcame them and their standing before a holy God. The leper knew that Jesus could heal him. He had faith in his power, but was Jesus willing? When Jesus touched the leper, He told the world that God’s power and compassion walked the earth, and the leper became clean. Cleanness overcame uncleanness, and the Spirit of Holiness overpowered the spirit of disease. It turned the legalistic understanding of holiness upside down (Haggai 2:11-14). This overwhelming display of cleansing power and life reveals the gospel of redemption.

Jesus healed when there was no healing. He opened the door of grace when the access to the throne of God was barred. He touched the untouchable. He had compassion on the poor, care for the young, and friendship for sinners. He had mercy on the brokenhearted, healed the sick, and raised the dead. He imparted life. When He touched the leper, His God-life poured out and overcame the disease in the man’s body. It was a miracle. Jesus was willing to perform it. He was not just willing to heal the man, which He could have done with a word; He was willing to touch him. He was willing to place His hand on the man’s diseased flesh. This great Jesus, the Creator of the universe wrapped in human flesh was willing to connect with the unclean and diseased. When He went to the cross, He took the sin of our diseased souls upon himself. He was willing to touch us, to take our sin, and from the darkness of the grave He arose in the triumph of resurrection life. Our sin did not overcome His life. His purity overcame our uncleanness. This is not just the work of another prophet. This is the life and love of Almighty God.

As I sat in a Muslim friend’s house and shared the story of Christ’s willingness to touch the leper and the unwanted, to have mercy and compassion on the sinner and the sick, I felt the joy of the Lord touch my heart. This is Christ’s pleasure. To declare Himself loving and strong to a people who have yet to hear His voice. This wonderful Jesus is alive today, and He is still willing to cleanse the leper. We the body and the church are His hands and feet, His vessels, the ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom. Christ is calling His body to open themselves to His Spirit, arm themselves with the words of life and represent Him here on the earth. This life is a puff of steam and time does not forgive. I must live and die for a cause and a kingdom. I was bought with a price and for a purpose, and I must see the great glory of God here on the earth. I must see a testimony established that will last for eternity.

I have been sent to thousands who have never heard the gospel. They come from whole nations restricted from missionary access. They come from crime and poverty stricken cultures where the enemy has attempted to keep millions upon millions from ever hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. Now these nations have come to us. They are gripped by Islam and marginalized by a culture that vacillates between fear and fascination with the Muslim world. There is compassion in the heart of Jesus. There is power in the presence of the Holy Spirit. There is a promise to break every chain and reveal the goodness of God here in the land of the living. May I be a vessel fit for His service.

Read the rest of the February 2012 Newsletter.

Read past Newsletters.

Interactive Cross Reference Visual

2012-02-09T14:41:00.000-05:00

The geniuses over at OpenBible.info have outdone themselves once again with a massive interactive visualization of Bible Cross References. This is way too good not to share. I quote their post and project below, but by all means head over to OpenBible and check out their amazing work. There are plenty of cool projects to keep you absorbed.

Re-visualizing Cross References (Interactively)
Browse this grid interactively.

This visualization is arranged by book, showing cross-reference sources on the y-axis and targets on the x-axis. Within each square, the first verse in the book or section is at the top, and the last verse is at the bottom. Here’s what a detail of a square looks like:

Genesis 1 is at the top left; Genesis 50 is at the bottom left. Daniel 1 is at the top right; Daniel 12 is at the bottom right. The most-striking cross references between these two books, to me, involve Joseph’s interpretation of dreams in Genesis 40-41 and similar stories in Daniel.
Also see a previous cross reference visualization.

2nd January 2012 Blog Giveaway Winner

2012-02-06T12:14:00.001-05:00

The first winner to the January 2012 Blog Giveaway of a brand new edition of the Expositor's Bible Commentary Volume 7 Jeremiah - Ezekiel did not respond with their email address within five days as specified, which means I'm picking a new winner:

Sehwan Kim

Please send your U.S. mailing address to biblereadingproject@gmail.com

If you don't respond within five days the book will go on my shelf and probably pop back up for a later giveaway.

Please keep your eyes open for new giveaways, and if you enter remember to subscribe and check on the results so you can claim the book if you win.

Jots and Tittles February 2012

2012-02-02T14:12:00.001-05:00

Which Needs to People Most Often Bring to the Bible? - Engaging Church

The Mortifying Power of Scripture - Paul West (I've been greatly blessed by his blog lately)

What Does Scripture Actually Accomplish? - ESV Bible Blog

Dr. Michael Brown and Pastor Gino Geraci Discuss Myths and Facts about Bible Translations and Bible Interpretation

Eight Profitable Ways to Read the Bible - J.C. Ryle

How the Physical Form of the Bible Shapes Us - Christianity today

Removing "Father" and "Son of God" from the Bible Part 3

2012-02-01T11:54:00.000-05:00

Please read Part 1 and Part 2.

2 Corinthians 4:2

2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

A good friend of mine and brother in missions has an adopted son. When he takes his son to hockey practice, he doesn't say to him, "Now, when you are at hockey practice don't call me Dad, because I don't want the other kids to think I'm married to your mom, because that isn't true. Why don't you call me Guardian instead." How would his son feel? Does that accurately reflect their relationship? Obviously this analogy isn't wholly accurate, but it does reveal some of the issues at stake here.

I'm not an enemy of contextualization. Contextualization is a positive thing and when led by the Holy Spirit is uniquely powerful to reach someone's heart. I'm not an enemy of being tactful or appealing to Muslims first on what they already recognize as true, such as the eternal, incorruptible nature of God's Word. But tampering with God's word is deceptive and dangerous to evangelistic efforts and to new believers.

I understand the issue. I sympathize with the translator's concerns. If there was a way to translate "Father" or "Son of God" in an accurate, inoffensive way, I would suggest we take it. But there has been no alternative suggested that does not rob the essence of the Father/Son relationship, the doctrine of adoption and undermine the deity of Christ as proclaimed in Scripture.

Wycliffe and SIL have responded by stating that the accusations against them are false, but they have failed to state anything specific. They have repeatedly made it clear in what they have published and what their translators have published that they believe that these choices do accurately translate the terms. Those making these appeals to Wycliff, SIL and Frontiers are not sensationalists out to make a name for themselves or to run these often admirable organizations through the mud. They are published Bible translators, linguists and missionaries to Muslims who see these translations as damaging to the work of Christ among Muslims. I have interacted with some of them in person and I have been greatly blessed by many of their training materials. Simply reading the articles written by SIL linguists should establish that these appeals have a basis and merit.

SIL International Statement of Best Practices for Bible Translation of Divine Familial Terms
Translation of the familial terms of God in Scripture has unfortunately generated considerable controversy. We want to clearly state our position on this important subject.
In SIL, we strongly affirm the eternal deity of Jesus Christ and require that it be preserved in all translations. Scripture translations must promote understanding of the term ‘the Son of God’ in all its richness, including Jesus’ relationship as Son with God the Father.
Without reservation, SIL’s Scripture translation practice is to use wording which accurately communicates to the intended audience the relationship of Father by which God chose to describe Himself in relationship to His Son, Jesus Christ, in the original languages of Scripture.
There are some cases in which it can be shown that a word-for-word translation of these familial terms would communicate an incorrect meaning (i.e. that God had physical, sexual relations with Mary, mother of Jesus; not only does this communicate obvious wrong meaning, but can also give readers the impression that the translation is corrupt). In these situations, the translations convey the accurate meaning by using terms that clearly have familial meaning but do not imply a procreative relationship. Where necessary, Scripture translations should include an explanation of the meaning of divine familial terms. This may be in an introduction, in one or more footnotes, or as a glossary entry, as seems appropriate to the situation.
Bible translation is complex work carried out by translation teams of highly skilled and dedicated people. In SIL, all personnel subscribe to a statement of faith which affirms the Trinity, Christ’s deity, and the inspiration of Scripture. SIL is committed to translating the Scriptures in the best way possible to preserve and not distort these truths. Respecting well-established Bible translation principles and practices, translation decisions are always made in consultation with other partners and the host communities, in order to achieve the best possible translation of God’s Word.
January 2012

I strongly disagree with their conclusions and feel that their statements regarding the debate are misleading. The charts below, taken from a presentation by Jay Smith and Bill Nikkides (available here), show some of the choices being made. Click on the images to view a larger size. For a full treatment of this subject and more thorough charts read: Chrislam: How Missionaries are Promoting an Islamicized Gospel.

Biblical Missiology has created a page to track media exposure of the issue and response from Wycliffe and SIL. I urge you to view the page, read the petition and sign it.

Removing "Father" and "Son of God" from the Bible Part 2

2012-01-31T15:41:00.001-05:00

Please read my first post on Removing "Father" and "Son of God" from the Bible.

Translators of the Bible have to deal with issues that few of us concern ourselves with. They're forced to make uncomfortable and highly controversial decisions that reflect how the gospel will be heard and how the Word of God is heard and read within a culture. What do you do if there is no word or concept for bread in a language? What are the theological consequences for saying that Jesus is the "rice of life" or the "yam of life." What if there is no concept for snow? Will Christ's blood make us white as milk? What if the people have never seen a sheep as in Papua New Guinea? Do His pigs hear His voice too? All of these questions should make us squeamish if we have a reverence for the Word of God, and the answers are not always simple or comfortable. We don't like to hear about these decisions or most often give the translators the benefit of the doubt.

Many translations are produced by the western world, and locals have a hard time keeping translators accountable, while westerners are often ignorant of the decisions translators are making. Because of this accountability is extremely difficult.

In the case of removing "Father" and "Son of God" from the Bible a number of missionaries, linguists, and indigeonous church leaders have come together to petition the engine behind these translations. I recognize that the translators will probably not get a fair hearing. Most conservative Christians will look at the issue and immediately be indignant and take offense without really looking at the issues or motives behind them. They may rail against institutions that are doing very admirable and excellent work otherwise. They may denounce organizations and missions that are doing real and much needed work among the lost. Unfortunately right now the majority of those who are looking at this issue are missionaries and linguists, and the proponents of these translations have published vast amounts of material that are very popular and used to educate those who come to the mission field with little knowledge of the issues or of Islam. They are taught that this is true before they have any interaction with Muslims. Others simply do not want to divide the body of Christ on the mission field where unity is so crucial and division is so costly. These ideas have been generated in the west by American Christianity. Westerners and American Christians will have to take a stand against them. I do not wish to give any of the translators a bad name or any backlash. I want them to reverse their decision.

While I do wish to give the translators the benefit of the doubt, I have read their justifications for these translation choices, and they in no way constitute a strong enough case to make such a choice. Their justifications essentially argue that the culture has made the term "Son of God" so offensive that it cannot be translated, as if to say that the term "Son of God" only ever means spawn of carnal intimacy in Arabic, Bengali and a number of other languages that are spoken by a Muslim majority. But even if that's true, so far no one has proposed an alternative wording that communicates a Father/Son relationship that protects the Sonship of Christ and the doctrine of adoption.

In addition are we creating an "evangelistic translation" or a translation Christians can actually use for discipleship? They shouldn't be different. Christians should be able to use the same Bible they give to non-believers, yet Christians and former Muslims all over the globe are protesting these changes and attempting to have these translations banned.

It gives Muslims the ammunition they've always wanted in order to claim that the Gospel has been changed and corrupted. Islamic tradition (not the Qur'an) states that the Injil or New Testament has been corrupted, that Christians changed it and the Qur'an now replaces the previous revelation. This is the number one objection that stops Muslims from reading the New Testament. Muslims have been searching for evidence of this for centuries. If these translations become popular, they now have the evidence that Christians have indeed changed the Bible.

More to follow.

Additional Reading:

Lost in Translation

Fact Check: Biblical Missiology’s Response To Wycliffe’s Comments On “Lost In Translation” (This is the most thorough and specific exposure of the issue on the web.)

The "Son of God" by Rick Brown

Explaining the Biblical Term "Son(s) of God" in a Muslim Context by Rick Brown

Explaining the Biblical Term "Son(s) of God" in a Muslim Context Part 2 by Rick Brown

Chrislam: How Western Missionaries are Promoting an Islamicized Gospel

Removing "Son of God" and "Father" from the Bible

2012-01-30T08:53:00.000-05:00

The blogosphere has caught up with a long-running debate between missionaries and Bible translators over removing "Son of God" and "Father" from the Bible. As a missionary to Muslims, this issue hits very close to home for me. I have been researching and praying about this issue for months, and it is very possible that Muslims who I have been proclaiming the gospel to have received "Muslim Compliant" translations from others which remove or replace the terms "Son of God", "Father" and other familial language from the Bible in favor of less offensive terms such as "Beloved one", "companion" and "Guardian." Anyone with a sense of loyalty to the Bible is going to immediately feel outraged and sickened about these changes, but they come with a complex set of arguments that need to be weighed in order to respond fairly. I have spent months reading thousands of pages in order to weigh the arguments, and I absolutely feel that their reasoning, exegesis and theology is wrong and that removing "Son of God" from the Bible removes the doctrine of adoption and alters the word of God in a dishonest and destructive way; however, most will condemn the authors of these changes far too easily. The proponents of this approach have high motives, they want to reach Muslims with the gospel; however, they have poor theology and have been deceived by postmodern ideas.

Let me add as well that this is not the same debate as the use of Allah for God in the Bible. That issue has its own debate. Allah is the only word for God in the Arabic language and it predates Islam. While some Arab Christians have invented another word for God in their language, most Arab Christians use the term Allah. The Islamic Allah and the Christian God are vastly different in their character and nature, but I believe it is acceptable to use the word Allah in translations as long as it is used consistently to refer to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and not to the Father only as some Muslim Compliant translations choose.

The most published scholar behind the movement to remove "Father" and "Son of God" from the Bible is Rick Brown. I recommend reading his articles The "Son of God" and Explaing the Biblical Term 'Son(s) of God' in a Muslim Contexts (Part I and II) in order to understand the arguments put forth in favor of the removal of familial language. For an overview of the entire debate I would reccommend the Biblical Missiology website and their article debating Wycliffe and others, as well as Chrislam: How Western Missionaries are Promoting an Islamicized Gospel. Brown's arguments generally fall into three categories, though there is a broad range of argumentation:

1.) Linguistic: Brown argues that the arabic word for son: Ibn always refers to a biological son and infers a carnal act between God and Mary. A number of Arabic linguists debate this fact and Jesus is referred to as "son of Mary" (ibn of Mary) in the Qur'an in spite of the fact that the Qur'an reinforces the virgin birth and absolutely does not infer a carnal relationship between God and Mary.

2.) Exegetical: Brown argues that the term "Son of God" and "Christ or Messiah" are identical and interchangeable, therefore nothing is lost when "Son of God" is removed. I believe this is poor exegesis and completely ignores the most basic meaning of the term and the importance of our adoption.

3.) Cultural: Brown argues that Muslims have been taught repeatedly that Christians believe in a carnal relationship between God and Mary, therefore the term "Son of God" is anathema to them. He argues that our understanding of the term son of a b____ is so offensive we would never apply it to Jesus no matter how it was redefined. This is a convincing argument, but all the Muslims I've interacted with take your word for it when you explain that the term does not refer to that and move on to object to the deity of Christ, which is the real issue with the term.

Brown makes a number of other arguments in similar lines, but in another article he makes it clear that he believes the deity of Christ is not necessary for salvation, "These doctrines about the deity of Jesus and his substitutionary punishment are wonderful parts of the Good News, and it is worthwhile discussing them with seekers, as Paul demonstrated in Romans. But the overwhelming Biblical witness is that although these doctrines are important for the disciple to understand, an understanding of them is not required for salvation." (from What Must One Believe about Jesus to be Saved?) This belief has crafted an entire missiology. It is dead wrong and endorses cheap grace, false salvation and syncretism and immunizes people to the true gospel.

I will be posting more on this in the future, but please read the links and the following articles in order to inform yourself on the subject:

Sign the petition to keep "Son of God" and "Father" in the Bible:

sign the petition here: http://www.change.org/petitions/lost-in-translation

Christianity Today: The Son and the Crescent

Critique of Christianity Today's Article Entitled: The Son and the Crescent by Jay Smith

January 2012 Giveaway Winner

2012-01-30T07:50:00.000-05:00

The winner of this month's giveaway, a brand new edition of the Expositor's Bible Commentary Volume 7 Jeremiah - Ezekiel is: Marji. Marji please send your address to biblereadingproject@gmail.com, and I will ship the commentary out to you. If no one contacts me within five days I will pick another winner.

Didn't win? Stick around for more giveaways.

January 2012 Giveaway - Expositor's Bible Commentary - Jeremiah - Ezekiel

2012-01-17T12:15:00.003-05:00

I've been fairly busy lately, and since I'm moving in the next week, I may continue to be busy. During the down time I would like offer another fantastic giveaway. This one is in support of Dr. Michael Brown's ministry. Dr. Brown is one of my favorite authors and I have been enjoying his commentary on Jeremiah greatly. This month's giveaway is a brand new edition of the Expositor's Bible Commentary Volume 7 Jeremiah - Ezekiel.

You can read my review here. I will say I regret my single critical comment on the text. After reading the majority of the commentary, I feel foolish that I nitpicked in such a way.

Enter by commenting on this post with your full name. If you post the giveaway on a blog, post a second comment with the link accompanied again with your full name for an extra entry. I will randomly select a winner on Monday January 30th and announce their name on the blog. If they do not contact me at biblereadingproject@gmail.com within 5 days I will post a second winner. Tell all your friends.

Why give away books? It helps spread the messages and works that the Lord has used to inspire me in life and ministry. It helps spread passion and zeal for the work. Many of the books will be ones I've received for free or extra copies that I have on hand, or simply books that I feel are important enough that they need to be disseminated to the body of Christ at large. I hope this contest draws interest in Dr. Brown's work and ministry and grabs interest for the blog.

Review: ESV Ryrie Study Bible

2012-01-16T17:06:00.000-05:00

The Ryrie Study Bible has been popular since its first publication in 1978 and has sold over 2.6 million copies. Moody Press has released the Ryrie Study Bible with the ESV text, a new layout, and in a new soft-touch faux leather binding. Among single author Study Bibles, Ryrie's stands out as the most popular and perhaps the most accessible. Though distinctly dispensational, it includes enough study materials and basic informational notes to remain relevant and useful to those who disagree with dispensational theology. The Ryrie Study Bible's strength is in its ability to make academic information concise and accessible to all.

BINDING

The Soft-Touch binding is smooth and attractive with a handsome design that looks modern but will be appealing to more than just youth or those with trendy taste. The back features an imprint of 2 Timothy 3:16, and I appreciate the lack of gold lettering or ostentatious design. The Soft-Touch material is firmer and less textured than than Crossway leathersoft but has a nicer, matte texture when compared to Hendrickson's flexisoft. It is not as flexible or as thick as either, but it doesn't seem to have as much of a rubbery element. It will be interesting to see how it wears.

At 6.94 x 9.5 the Bible is fairly large but not as thick or as heavy as many study Bibles. It seems that Moody has arranged the layout and materials of the Bible to facilitate a fairly thin spine, a compromise I usually don't favor, but when it comes to study Bibles this may be a deciding factor for some. The ESV study Bible is almost certainly too large for most people to use it as an everyday Bible, while this edition will be appealing to those who wish to carry a study Bible with them everywhere.

The Soft-Touch edition features an obviously glued binding (correction: CBD staff state that this is smyth-sewn as well as glued), which means it may begin to crack and release the maps at the end if put through rigorous use for more than a year or two.

I was impressed to see this edition perform yoga fairly well in spite of its more rigid binding; it took a little more coaxing to get it there, but it held the position well and returned to its original posture without folds or seams showing up.

LAYOUT

One of the reasons I was interested in looking at this edition was because I wanted to look at the ESV as rendered by a different publisher from Crossway and Cambridge. Moody Press hasn't done anything revolutionary with the layout, but they have provided a readable double column format, featuring a center column of references and humble note placement. The occasional graphic, map or chart interrupts the text but for the most part the notes are uninterrupting, staying fairly far down on the page in a readable but narrow sans serif font. The main text is very similar to a Crossway layout with a taller serif font at about an 8/9 pt size. The text is given headings that correspond to outlines given in the book introductions, which creates an extra tool for study, reference and is very helpful in tracking topics or finding certain passages or events in the narrative or argument of the text.

Moody has changed their previous layout style, which included two columns of side column references. The center column reference bar creates a more unified, less cluttered look and makes the margins look wider, though in actuality the previous layout may have afforded more space for note taking.

My co-laborer Andrew's 1995 NASB Ryrie Study Bible.

NOTES

The Ryrie Study Bible features a holistic commentary on the text, providing a wealth of pratcical, factual information without being intrusive, and providing more in depth commentary on verses within a millennial dispensational perspective. This means there may be an unusual emphasis on the millennial kingdom and the specifics of how God worked in different ways at different times. The strength of the Ryrie notes is their ability to quickly and concisely convey basic information that helps understand biblical terms, history and language better.

Ryrie states his positions within the notes without listing other interpretive choices, which is not unusual for study Bibles edited or created by a single scholar. It should be kept in mind that the notes are from a single perspective.

Matthew 16:19
16:19 the keys. The authority to open the doors of Christendom was given to Peter, who used that authority for Jews on the Day of Pentecost and for Gentiles in the house of Gentiles in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). shall be bound . . . shall be loosed. Heaven, not the apostles, initiates all binding and loosing, whereas the apostles announce these things. In John 20:22-23 sins are in view; here, things (i.e.,practices). An example of the apostles binding practices on people is found in Acts 15:20.

FEATURES

The additional study tools and features are one of the biggest draws to the Ryrie Study Bible. The inclusion of an expanded topical index, a comprehensive concordance, 16 full color maps, an 8 page historical timeline and Daily Bible Reading adds powerful and distinct study tools that make information quickly accessible. Detailed articles include a synopsis of Bible Doctrine, The Inspiration of the Bible, Understanding the Bible, How We Got Our Bible, The Meaning and Blessings of Salvation, Archaeology and the Bible and A Brief Survey of Church History.

It is easy to see why the Ryrie has been so popular for so long. It features a popular layout and relevant usable study tools, and the notes feature important information in a concise format. Those searching for a study Bible they can carry with good commentary from a dispensational perspective should look no farther.

Warring with Redemption (Newsletter)

2012-01-10T15:03:00.001-05:00

“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Rom 12:19. We live in a journey surrounded by God’s redemption and the Spirit’s revenge on the work of the enemy. Our walk through the valley of the shadow of death is brightened and redeemed by the truth that our Father is with us. Even as we struggle and suffer in this world inhabited by the enemy of our souls, Christ is made manifest again and again to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). We live in a war of redemption. We watch as the year of the Lord’s favor unfolds and we are placed within the work of the Spirit’s anointing to replace poverty with good news, broken-heartedness with healing, captivity with liberty, bondage with freedom, and mourning with comfort (Isaiah 61:1-2). This is the Lord’s warfare on the enemy’s attacks on our lives, to redeem every circumstance, every trial and every wound and to turn them into windows through which we view His grace and love.
The Lord teaches us to oppose the enemy with the fruits of righteousness and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Where there has been conflict and turmoil, our Father wages peace on our circumstances. Where we have been grieved, He comforts and consoles us. When we sit in the ashes of defeat, despair and remorse, He gives us beauty. He pours the oil of joy on those who mourn; He wraps us in the garment of praise and lifts us up out of our heaviness. He establishes us firm and strong so we won’t be tossed and bent by the storm. Where we have felt failure, hate and despondency, He covers us and fills us with His love. Where there has been fear and disquiet, He gives us the peace of Jesus. Where there is fatigue and frustration, He gives us patience. Where we have faced cruelty, He extends kindness. When we see only evil, He reveals His goodness. When we have been let down and betrayed, He is faithful. When we have been handled roughly, He restores us gently. When we feel like things are in chaos, He is in control. As we begin to see God working to redeem our lives, our character and our struggles, we take on His character and the fruit of the Spirit grows within us. In the ashes of what has been torn down, the Lord is planting His nature. What the devil has stolen is replaced above and beyond all that was lost. What the devil has killed has been given an undefeatable resurrection life and what the devil has destroyed is being built on a firmer foundation by the Holy Spirit. This is the Lord’s vengeance on the enemy’s attempts on our lives.
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). In the midst of trials and refining, our faith is tested and made precious in the sight of God. We are believers, and we believe in the power, deliverance and salvation available in Christ. Hope remains in us as we look to our glorious future and the promises we have been given, delighting in what our Father will do in the lives of His children. Love overpowers all. It binds us to Christ as we receive His life and His love and we give it back to Him in an unending, eternal love relationship that propels us deeper and deeper into His arms. These three abide; they remain; they stick. As we cling to them we cling to Christ and His sure and everlasting work within us. We watch Him work His redemption and healing through our circumstances, destroying the work of the enemy and bringing us home to Him. I look forward to 2012 with inexpressible hope in the powerful redemption of God in my character, in my circumstances, in my city and in the sinners who He is drawing into His kingdom. Isaiah 61:4 follows the proclamation of the Lord’s favor, the day of salvation and the advent of the gospel: “And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.” The Lord is performing a redemptive work within our city. The harvest is ready, may we labor faithfully in the new year.

View the whole January 2012 newsletter here.

View previous newsletters here.

Jots and Tittles January 2012

2012-01-02T23:54:00.000-05:00

How to Study the Bible in a Nutshell

When the Literal Makes Sense Seek no Other Sense: Why This Principle isn't the Best Fit for Revelation

Craig Keener: It's Okay to Expect a Miracle

Trevin Wax: Why Studying the Bible Won't Change Your Life

2012 Bible Reading Plan: Tips for Starting and Finishing Well

2011-12-29T17:23:00.001-05:00

Numerous blogs are encouraging their readers to start a new Bible reading plan this year, an ambition I support for a number of reasons. Organizational aids such as reading plans aid discipline and consistency, though they should never replace the impulse to roam about the Bible in one's spare time. Plans should create a core around which our interest in the Bible grows and we gain more passion to explore.

The trick to plans is keeping them interesting, keeping yourself motivated and choosing something that pushes you but is possible to achieve and finish well. Having a reading plan should not be dull. Spice things up, keep things fresh, maintain your motivation and start and finish your 2012 plan with passion.

1. Pick the Right Plan

Think and pray about what plan is best for you. Unfortunately we should admit that most people won't be able to stay on the Sermonindex 26 Day Plan that reads the whole Bible every 26 days. At the same time, reading 3 verses or even one chapter a day is probably not enough to live on. Pick what you need best. I recommend that everyone takes on a plan that reads the whole Bible in a year, or at least reads through the whole New Testament once or twice.

Length isn't the only concern. While many are choosing Grant Horner's Bible Reading Plan, some may find it confusing and difficult to keep up with. Unless you've already read the Bible a few times, one chapter of job mixed with one chapter of Isaiah and Acts may get jumbled in your memory and it may be easy to lose the narrative or the argument of the text. Some may want a more chronological or book by book plan. You may want to consider mixing Psalms and the New Testament in with Old Testament readings, so if your sloughing through Leviticus you can still refreshed by a Psalm or an epistle. Not everyone will find the division of the land in Joshua edifying at all times in their life. Also consider if you want to read a lot of Scripture quickly or a small amount slowly. For young Christians or those not well suited with the Bible, reading large portions is very effective, but as you become more acquainted you may want to slow down and take a more meditative approach. Make sure your plan suits your personality, reading style and learning style.

2. Keep Reading

Plans usually fail because we find ourselves busy and miss a day or two. You may be able to catch up at first, but if you keep missing you may eventually give up, especially if you fall too far behind to catch up.
Don't give up. Even if you miss a day or a week or more. Catch up if you can, but if you can't, skim the portions you missed, read the section and chapter headings and skip ahead to where you need to be for the day. It is far better to keep on the plan than to find yourself in limbo, discouraged and neglecting the Word. Stick with it even if you feel like a slouch for missing days.

3. Set a Time and a Place

For some, this will be impossible, but consistency is aided by compounding multiple habits and routines. Establishing a certain time everyday at a certain place for reading and study will help you keep on the plan. The downside is that if you aren't able to keep the time and place you may be more tempted to miss the reading too. Sort out what you can and can't do. I know I probably won't be able to plan on a consistent time or place unless I do my reading before 7:30 AM and I'm not sure I want to make a habit out of doing all of my reading when I'm hazy headed. Breaking it up into morning and night or coordinating it with meal times can be effective.

4. Enjoy It

Keeping a good attitude and actually looking forward to the time will work wonders. Establishing good thought patterns, intentionally thinking, "I can't wait to get to the Bible" will help you stay consistent and engaged. Let yourself soak in the Word, don't rush. If something else is stressing you out or on your mind and it makes you resent sitting down and spending the time, walk away and do what you need to do. It may be better to steel yourself and discipline your heart to desire the Bible first and foremost, but if you begin to worry and associate bad emotions with spending the time reading, you may need to work out a different schedule. Reading the Bible should be enjoyable. If it's not, take the issue to the LORD, do some heart searching and find a way to enjoy communion with God.

5. Spice Things Up

Adding variety to your plan can help. Try out a new Bible, a new translation, an audio Bible or start taking notes etc. Do new things with your plan or organize your plan in a way that creates variety. Incorporate a One Year Bible or a study Bible pick topics to keep track of or references to chain through. Set time to meander and get off the plan. Keep it new and fresh. I'll be writing more about this, but be creative. If a set time and place doesn't work for you than changing the location can be good. Try the library, a cafe or lunch at work. Talk about what you are reading with others, get their perspectives and relate it to what you are learning and experiencing.

More to come. All the best for your 2012 experience with God through His Word.

3650 Challenge
Reading Plan Generator
Reading Plans

The 3650 Challenge - Horner's Bible Reading System

2011-12-27T14:21:00.000-05:00

Tim Challies has invited readers to join him in a year long excursion through the Bible using Dr. Grant Horner's Bible Reading Plan. Tim has been using an audio Bible to go through the plan, an excellent idea and has stirred quite a lot of interest in the project.

This comes at a perfect time for people to start new habits for the new year and I am excited to see so many people committing to read ten chapters per day. I think using an audio Bible for the plan is an excellent idea. I include links to the challenge, some resources rounded up by Tim, a recent interview with Grant Horner about the plan and my original feature of the plan.

I am joining the challenge myself using the free full ESV audio Bible from Faith Comes by Hearing. It promises to be an excellent year of study and immersion in God's word. I'll be posting more about starting new reading and study disciplines in the new year, but please consider joining the 3650 challenge.

The 3650 Challenge

Resources for the 3650 Challenge

Recent Interview with Grant Horner

Dr. Grant Horner's Bible Reading Plan

Christmas Flash Mob

2011-12-20T09:44:00.000-05:00

Excellent evangelistic idea.

December 2011 Giveaway Winner

2011-12-19T09:40:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to William Bernard Dodrill who won this month's giveaway. Please send your address to biblereadingproject@gmail.com, and I will ship your books ASAP.

Didn't win? Stay tuned for future giveaways.

Jealous Fire (Newsletter)

2011-12-13T14:21:00.002-05:00

God the Father crafted us before we foundlife in our mother’s womb, he keeps count of the hairs on our head and hasnamed us and called us with a destiny and a purpose in our generation. Hiswatchful eye longs for us to reach the height of all-consuming commitment toour creator. His guiding hand pulls us and draws us into intimacy with Him. Itpushes us forward into greater and greater intensity. He sets a passion and afire within us that cannot be quenched by anything less than an eternal God andan eternal fulfillment of ultimate intimacy. Even as He places the beauty ofChrist and the power and person of the Holy Spirit within us, He yearns over usjealously (James 4:5). He desperately desires the wholeness and the unity ofour being. He wants us as He made us to be, in an overwhelming relationshipthat consumes every decision, every thought and every moment of our lives. Hewaits patiently while creation groans for the final consummation of our purposein Christ, our ultimate redemption in complete union with the God of love.

In this life and in this walk with Jesus Iam increasingly aware of the intense passion and jealousy of God. His lovepresses itself upon every decision, every action and every moment of every day.There are times when I deny Him portions and moments of my life and I feel theconviction and the disappointment of His heart. Jealous is the name and natureof our God, who longs to have all of us (Ex 34:14). He desires an intimacywhere we are consumed and formed by His Spirit within and His spirit without.

Paul pressed boldly ahead with this singlepurpose, “this one thing I do. . . Ipress toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”He had unity of mind, unity of heart, unity of eye and spirit. He pressed onwith undaunted and unquenched intensity. He didn’t slow in the face of beating,torture, shipwreck, sleeplessness, starvation and desertion. His course wasset. The holistic hunger of God burned within him, and he pushed forward in theintensity and jealousy of a Holy God whose beauty and glory was worth it all. “Forour light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far moreexceeding and eternal weight of glory,” (2 Cor 4:17). This eternal perspective,coupled with an insatiable drive to know Jesus pushed him past trials andafflictions, temptations, exhaustion and despair to a life that continues toreveal the beauty and goodness of God two millennia after he finished his racewith joy (Acts 20:24). He loved Jesus and He knew the love the Father had forhim, a love that demanded all.

As I look back at the past year I can saywithout a doubt that this has been the most trying year of testing andrefining. In the midst of the trials, the opposition, the battles andstruggles, the sleepless nights, long days and pain pierced months, I haveknown the call of the Christ, the holy jealousy of God and the pleasure of theFather as He sings over me (3:17) and as His Spirit inside me holds me close toHim. Like never before there is a drive within my heart and direction within mysoul to see the LORD magnified in my body (Phil 1:20) and to see the nationsreached with the goodness of God. Our Father is love: a consuming fire (Deut4:24, 1 John 4:8).

“Only one life, ‘Twill soon be past, onlywhat’s done for Christ will last, and when I am dying, how glad I shall be, ifthe lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.” – C.T. Studd

Read the rest of the December 2011 newsletter.

December 2011 Giveaway

2011-11-30T14:30:00.001-05:00

~~As part of the Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus series I'm giving away a copy of The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms and Surprised by the Voice of God to one blessed winner.~~

Enter by commenting on this post with your full name. If you post the giveaway on a blog, post a second comment with the link accompanied again with your full name for an extra entry. I will randomly select a winner on Monday December 19th. Tell all your friends.

Why give away books? It helps spread the messages and works that the Lord has used to inspire me in life and ministry. It helps spread passion and zeal for the work. Many of the books will be ones I've received for free or extra copies that I have on hand, or simply books that I feel are important enough that they need to be disseminated to the body of Christ at large.

The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms provides fundamental information regarding the meaning, background, context, and application of the Psalms. In addition to practical application, numerous charts are included that provide information about the various types of psalms (messianic, prophetic, etc.) along with a quick reference list of psalms that lend themselves to being used for worship or personal meditation or as a basis for praying the Scriptures. Through the use of full-color visual images, the message and world of the Psalms are brought to life in a way never before presented, making this book not only an excellent resource for understanding the Psalms, but a wonderful gift as well. The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms is a must-have for students of the Bible, pastors, and anyone who desires to possess a unique reference guide to these ancient works of poetry and worship.

Surprised by the Voice of God takes you to the Bible to discover the variety of creative, deeply personal ways God still communicates with us today. You'll learn how God speaks with people apart from the Bible, though never in contradiction to it. Jack Deere first describes the ways God revealed his thoughts to first-century Christians. Then he tells why God continues to speak to us using the same methods. Finally Deere tells how accurately God speaks through prophecies, dreams, visions, and other forms of divine communication. With candor, sensitivity, and a profound understanding of Scripture, Deere identifies our hindrances to hearing the Holy Spirit and calls us beyond them to a more intimate relationship with God. Filled with fascinating stories and personal accounts, Surprised by the Voice of God is for all who want to walk in the dynamic scope of Christianity.

JACK DEERE brings practical wisdom to Christians through his teaching ministry, drawing from his experience as a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, pastor of several churches, and author of bestselling books, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit and Surprised by the Voice of God. He is dean of the extension schools in the Wagner Leadership Institute and executive director of Covenant Ministries International.

Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus Part 1 - Introduction

Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus Part 2 - Sufficiency of Interpretation

Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus Part 3 - The Risk of Relationship

Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus Part 4 - The Interpreter

Jots and Tittles December 2011

2011-11-28T01:51:00.001-05:00

Scripture & Tea from The Work Of The People on Vimeo.

Acts 29 Fellowship has redesigned it's website.

Joe Thorn - How I'm Using the ESV Journaling Bible

The Blazing Center - How to Read Revelation Without Feeling Like a Moron

Baker Book House Church Connection - Have You Heard of the "Etymological New Testament"?

Circumpolar - Two Approaches to Using the Bible in Mission

Lisa Robinson at Parchment and Pen - Personalizing Biblical Narrative and Prophetic Discourse

Ed Stetzer - The Urgent Need for Biblical Literacy

Challies - The Public Reading of Scripture

What I'm Studying:

The Old Testament Template

Sermon Recommendation:

Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus Part 4 - The Interpreter

2011-11-23T13:16:00.001-05:00

Isaiah 50:4-5
New King James Version (NKJV)

4 “ The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. 5 The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.

The inspiration of Scripture remains one of the firmest and least challenged tenets of the Christian faith. While inerrancy, accuracy and interpretation may be debated, the overall God-breathed, God inspired nature of the Bible stands as a sure thing among those who have experienced rebirth in Christ. Scripture is God's objective, persistent revelation to the world of His nature, His being and His person. We take a natural comfort in the inspired objectivity of Scripture. There may be different translations, different texts, but these agree with astounding, faith-enforcing symmetry. We draw comfort from knowing that God is not to be understood and discerned through mere, fickle and weak subjective means but through a context and understanding formed by the steadfast, unchanging Word of God.

As an evangelical community we spend a great amount of time and energy teaching, enforcing and "holding fast" to what we know as sound doctrine. This activity is empowered by Scripture, the root of our doctrine and the security of our knowledge of what is and is not sound teaching (2 Tim 3:16). Our defense of sound doctrine is made secure by what we view as objective revelation, that which cannot and should not be questioned, that which can be supported by hermeneutics, language studies, historical context and other objective factors. We find these things comforting, empowering and safe. We tend to view subjective revelation as spurious, without foundation, without accuracy, untrustworthy and altogether inappropriate.

However, Scripture is far less an objective revelation than we might pretend. The vast and varied interpretations of Scripture even in the realm of academia should be evidence that the text of the Bible is subject to personal interpretation and consumption. While we know that Scripture is not of private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20) we often fail to agree what the public interpretation is to be or what the gamut of public interpretations should be.

We've sought to enforce principles to keep us safe, producing vast amounts of information on biblical interpretation, hermeneutics, inductive Bible study, study Bibles, commentaries and so on, but even these measures do not protect us from this simple truth that we are subject to our own weakness, cleverness and dullness of spirit when it comes to interpreting the Bible. We cannot trust ourselves. Even with all the academia we've developed, even with all the education we've consumed, we cannot be certain of our absolute purity in interpretation and consumption of the Word.

This remaining weakness and fallibility creates an enduring question. Who is the best interpreter of Scripture? Isaiah 50:4-5 prophesies of the Messiah who was and is and is to come, stating the vital perfection, "The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away." Jesus Christ was not qualified to understand the Father, His will or His Word by His intellect or academic prowess, though He was undoubtedly a genius and astounded the religious leaders even as a child (Luke 2:47). He was qualified by His ability to listen, by His attentiveness to the Father, by His submitted heart. He was able to accept and understand the cross. He saw it in Scripture when no one else did.

When the Pharisees and Sadducees were arguing finer points of doctrine, Shepherd boys, pagans, old men and uneducated women were worshipping the newborn King of Glory. They had a prophetic perception that went beyond the letter that kills (2 Cor 3:6, remember this verse is quite possibly referring to Scripture itself when void of the Holy Spirit's interpretation) into the Spiritual realm of divine, inspired truth and revelation. This is the testimony of Jesus: the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10), the Spirit given ability to perceive who Jesus is, what He has done, what He is doing and what He will do. The interpretive power of the Holy Spirit is far more reliable than hermeneutical principles, interpretive processes, and all the Bible knowledge available to man. It is our confidence in ourselves that is more likely to blind us than our ignorance:

THE BEST INTERPRETER
One of the most serious flaws of Bible deism is the confidence the Bible deist places in his abilities to interpret the Bible. He assumes that the greater his knowledge of the Bible, the more accurate his interpretations are. This follows logically from a hermeneutical axiom the Bible deist often quotes: The Bible is the key to its own interpretation. In other words, the Bible interprets the Bible the best. Wrong! It takes more than the Bible to interpret the Bible.
The Author of the Bible is the best interpreter of the Bible. In fact, he is the only reliable interpreter.
And if the Spirit's illumination is the key to interpreting the Bible, isn't the Bible deist's confidence in his own interpretive abilities arrogant and foolhardy? How does one persuade God to illumine the Bible? Does God give illumination to the ones who know Hebrew and Greek the best? To the ones who read and memorize Scripture the most? What if the condition of one's heart is more important for understanding the Bible than the abilities of one's mind? Is it possible that the illumination of the Holy Spirit to understand Scripture might be given on a basis other than education or mental abilities?
-Jack Deere, Surprised by the Voice of God p. 257

It takes more than text, knowledge, understanding or mental ability to receive the truth of Scripture and it takes far, far more to apply it. God desires sincere children. Those who will utterly depend on Him for knowledge, understanding and wisdom. He wants those who are desperate for an accurate revelation of who He is and what He desires. He desires to reveal Himself. He desires us to know Him through His interaction with us. He wants to know Him through relationship. Without that relationship, that connection of the Holy Spirit, the Bible remains a revelation that burdens us with responsibility but fails to pierce our hard hearts. Thank the LORD for His Holy Spirit, poured out on the earth today. He empowers the Word to penetrate our hearts and enlightens our eyes to see the truth of what is written.

A Martyred Life (Newsletter)

2011-11-16T09:02:00.001-05:00

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. -Song of Solomon 8:6

Jesus Christ the Son of God took up His cross and approached death, pouring out His soul to the glory of the Father, knowing that in His death He accomplished an eternal purpose far beyond what His life could accomplish. His love was stronger than death; it was the very flame of the LORD consuming our sin and our punishment at the cost of torture, death and the agony of the Father’s rejection. In Mark 8:34 Jesus issued a prophetic call to follow Him into this love that is stronger than death, taking up our cross, the instrument of our own torture and death, and follow Him to the place of our own death and resurrection. We are called to exit this world system, to not love our own lives even unto death (Rev 12:11), but to love the life of Christ to such a degree that His image and the image of his death is pressed upon our souls (Phil 3:10).

In Acts 1:8 Jesus promises His followers power to be witnesses through the Holy Spirit. This word “witness” is the Greek word “martos,” a word that soon came to mean martyr as the church faced the persecution and opposition of the world and the enemy. The Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost in a mighty rushing wind. Suddenly, secret believers were flooding the streets proclaiming the glory of God and Christ in languages they had never learned. They made themselves public targets, they were willing to be made fools, they were willing to speak, to fight, to give, to sing, to dance. They were filled with a new Spirit. It was this powerful Spirit of love that compelled Stephen to fix His eyes on the King of Glory, forgive His attackers and die for his faith. He saw and believed the truth that there was greater glory in eternity for being obedient unto death than for preserving himself to minister another day. He understood the Ephesians 3:10 mystery that God’s purpose for the church is an eternal display of wisdom to the rulers and authorities in spiritual realms. It is not about this world. There is a system of spiritual and eternal value so far beyond our understanding and our tiny world: so far beyond what we see. One day it all will be opened to us when Jesus calls us into His glory. In that place those who did not count their lives dear unto themselves will find their witness and their martyrdom, in life or in lifestyle, rewarded in the never-ending love and intimacy of the everlasting God.

The desire of my heart is to give back to the LORD a love as strong as death. In spite of the danger, the risk and the sheer cost of this immersion in the Person of Christ, I fight to know true devotion, to risk all of myself, lay down my own life, surrender all to the LORD and find it all and more in His presence and love. Nothing less will do. Nothing less will give God the glory He deserves. He valued us so much that He gave His Son, shed His precious blood and overcame the grave. If Jesus Christ is the Son of God then no sacrifice is too great. The eternal son stripped Himself of His heavenly glory and came down, humbled as a man, a servant, a slave, to give His life for our eternal redemption. His heart cries out that we follow in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21).

Read the whole November 2011 Newsletter here.

Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus Part 3 - The Risk of Relationship

2011-11-14T13:35:00.001-05:00

One of the largest temptations in modern American Christianity is also one of the least talked about issues in the Church. As a body of wealthy, western, well-educated believers we suffer from a strong temptation to make our God manageable: to tame Him in our minds and lives and to funnel our relationship with Him into a predictable, comfortable set of patterns and routines conformable to our lives. There is safety in believing that God's interaction with our real, practical lives is at the mercy of our own interpretation. There's a perverse feeling of freedom in believing that God is distant: though few would admit it.

Much like the Muslims I meet and witness to on the streets, many Christians are comfortable with a Holy God who keeps a Holy distance from us, who fails to intervene, who fails to make spontaneous demands, who fails to interact with us in a way that we don't have the ability to control and process. We have a comfort level in believing that God has a set of rules that He won't cross, that we can count on Him not to do certain things or meddle in certain areas. We can rule out His divine intervention and thus never get our hopes up or have them dashed. We know that when He didn't meet our needs the way we wanted Him to that it was just because He doesn't work that way. We can rely on what He does not do. We can have faith in His inaction, in His subtlety. We don't have to stand out on a limb and risk our faith, our emotions and our welfare on the necessity of God showing up. We can safely assume that He won't and make the best of it ourselves. We justify these mindsets by saying that now that we have the Canon of Scriptures, that we really have all that we need. We don't need the interaction of God, We have His book, His love letter, His rules, His comfort, His doctrine and His system for our lives. We don't need personal interaction and personal revelation and encounter because we have objective revelation in the Bible. We shouldn't expect more. We can be happy and content in that lack of expectation and that lack of requirement.

The horrible danger is that we risk believing and acting as if we don't need God as a Person in our lives. And we desperately do.

We need a God who walks and talks with us. We need the Person of Jesus Christ. We need the Person of the Holy Spirit. We need the Person of God the Father. Only a Person can save you. Only a Person can be your Comforter, your Advocate, your Healer. Only a person can be your Father. Only a Person can live in a love relationship with you. It is a Person who dwells in our hearts by faith. Anything less than that is not Christianity.

We are a Christian culture in love with ideas and theology. We are giddy over the revelations and communications of theologians. We are in a boom of new, exciting theology and in a boom of resurrecting the ancient truths of the reformation. All these things are for the glory of God and honor Him, but are we as excited about our daily interaction with the Person of God in Jesus Christ? Are we really in love with the Father? Are we desperate for the Holy Spirit to have His way in our hearts? Do we know God, or do we only know His book? It is God Himself who is to be the center of our attention, worship, praise and excitement. Our personal lives should be filled with interaction with a loving God who has drawn near to us. Indeed the purpose of our redemption was the glory God receives out of His fellowship with us. In 1 John 1:4 the Apostle John is clear that His purpose in writing the Scripture was that we would have true fellowship with Christ. He was not simply writing it to solve errors in the church, to give instruction or even to give God glory in a general way. He was writing it so that all would join in fellowship with Jesus: the Person. We were meant to fellowship with Jesus. The Bible was meant to lead us into that, and that is our purpose in reading the objective revelation of the Scripture, that we might have fellowship with the Father. That fellowship is not the act of reading itself, but the communion with God that comes as a result of believing the truth and acknowledging God's intervention and interaction in our world and in our lives: first in the salvation of our souls by the death and resurrection of Christ and then in the journey towards eternal perfection in the growing love relationship we have with Christ.

So often we find it safer, easier and more comfortable to settle for less, to create a system of theological safety nets to prevent us from the real risks of being involved in an ultimate all encompassing relationship. Our fears, hurts, unbelief or confidence in our interpretations can pull us away from the most vibrant relationship with Christ and restrict us from ever seeing or acknowledging the fullness of God's Person in our lives.

Unfortunately it is the Bible that we often use to shield us from a real, unmanageable self-threatening relationship with an Almighty Father.

What Produces a Bible Deist?
If you asked me why I held these kinds of positions, I would have told you the Bible clearly taught them, and I followed the Bible, not experience or tradition. But I had another motive for being a Bible deist and resisting subjective revelatory experiences. I wanted to preserve the unique authority of the Bible. I was afraid that if any form of divine communication other than the Bible were allowed, we would weaken the Bible's authority and eventually be led away from the Lord.
I thought it was possible we could be taken over by emotional instability and guided by ever-changing feelings. Authority would then be transferred from the objective standard of the Bible to the subjective state of the individual and there would be diminished in the body of Christ, and we would end up as in the period of Judges where "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judg. 21:25 NASB). I thought there was virtually nothing to gain from allowing subjective revelatory experiences, and everything to lose. Nothing to gain, because these experiences could not add anything to the Bible, and the Bible already supplied everything we needed. And everything to lose, because all I had to do was look at the Corinthians and the chaos caused by tongues in order to see what could be lost by allowing these things. It wasn't worth the risk.
During the days of my Bible deism, I thought the above were my only reasons for my views of the role of the Bible. Looking back, ten years later, I can see there were more powerful forces at work in the unconcious realms of my heart. I could easily blame my Bible deism on my teachers and the traditions I unquestioningly swallowed from them. I could blame it on a very closed system of education which punished deviations with expulsions. But I was never the kind of person who was afraid to deviate or to question. The truth is, Bible deism appealed to a serious weakness in my heart. The weakness was a fear of being hurt. I didn't like emotions because they caused me to lose control, and if I lost control, I became vulnerable. And vulnerable people get hurt. I had been hurt a lot. Although I didn't know it back then, I blamed some of those hurts on God.
Now I know that I attributed the deepest wounds of my heart to the hand of the Lord. He could have prevented the wounds, but he didn't. Where was his sovereignty when I needed it? Why did some of my most desperate prayers fall from my lips to the ground unanswered? My heart was filled with fear of God--not the biblical fear of God, but a fear of intimacy with him. I wanted a personal relationship with God, but I didn't want an intimate one. An intimate relationship would give him total control, and a voice out of some dark unexplored region of my heart told me that his control would bring me pain again, more pain than I could bear.
So I decided that my primary relationship would be to a book, not to a Person. It's so much easier to relate to a system of interpretive rules and a set of traditions than to a Person. With Bible deism, I could be in control. My principal task in life was to study the Bible and to cultivate the intellect. I didn't need my emotions for this task, just discipline and willpower. No emotions meant no loss of control. And that meant no more hurt.
If I had a question, I could ask the Bible. I didn't have to risk asking a God who might give me a painful answer. Besides, God and the Bible were practically the same. What he didn't say in the Bible, he left up to me. I found the things I liked in the Bible and ignored the rest. So all in all, it was a safe, comfortable system. And for me, it was also becoming a lifeless system.
I had tested life in my early Christian years, and I never would have embraced Bible deism just because of the hurt in my life. The hurt was the open door, but it was my pride that welcomed Bible deism through the door and gave it a home in my heart. For much of my Christian life, I've thought myself wiser than most Christians. Since I thought myself wiser than others, it was only natural that I should be in control of them. If God only spoke through the Bible, then the one who knew the Bible the best would be the one who heard God's voice the best. Therefore, the person who heard God the best, would know best what everyone else should believe and do. This system fit in perfectly with the proud state of my heart. In Bible deism, I found a wonderful tool to keep myself from being hurt and to give me control over my life and the lives of others. The fact that I had an intellectually oriented personality--I loved to study--helped me to be an even more effective Bible deist.
By now you've figured out that Bible deism is not so much theology as it is a system that caters to a personality type. It's a system that caters to a personality type. It's a system that religiously proud, hurt, intellectual people find hard to pass up. It offers us a justification for our pride without having to repent of it, an anesthetic for our pain without having to endure the surgery to heal it, and an outlet for our intellectual pursuit without having to submit our minds to a God whose ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts. To put it very simply, I had the kind of personality that made me much more comfortable relating to a book than to a Person.
When the principal thing in your life becomes the study of the Bible, you have become a Bible deist. But usually a practicing Bible deist does not recognize that they are a Bible deist. Whenever people accused me of being a Bible deist, I assumed that they were just lazy and didn't want to make a careful study of the Bible. They weren't disciplined enough to learn Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and whatever other discipline was necessary to hear God speak. They weren't interested in things like the Sitz im Leben of a biblical text. They probably wouldn't even recognize a Sitz im Leben if they sat on one. I assumed these lazy detractors were just part of the cursed rabble that didn't know the law (John 7:49).

-Jack Deere, Surprised by the Voice of God p. 254-256

As an academically minded introvert I sympathize with Jack Deere's testimony of his own Bible Deism, but not because I believed quite the way he did. I can deeply sympathize with the comfort and protection books bring, and the pain and danger of real relationships with real people. I was terrified of a relationship at almost any level, let alone an all consuming love relationship with God. But when I met God, when Jesus came into my heart, I could do nothing less then throw myself into His arms with all my strength. This total abandonment to a Person, not a book, came as something entirely new in my life. I had never known anything like it. I had never experienced anything remotely close, and I know I never will. There have been plenty of times when my head knowledge of my theological boxes and interpretations of Scripture have cramped my relationship with the LORD. I'm sure there are some even now that I don't see, but far greater than that is my experience of letting the Scripture lead me to the Lover of my soul. It introduces Him. It introduces the Way, the Truth and the Life and the Word and the Spirit combine to bear witness to Jesus. That is what I'm interested in. I love doctrine. I value and fight for sound doctrine, but my love is for a Person. Doctrine leads me to Christ. It helps me know Him. It keeps me safe as I experience His beauty. Authority and power and sovereignty and love belong to the Person of God. I love His Word, but I can't settle for less than God Himself.

In spite of the danger, the risk and the sheer cost of this immersion in the Person of Christ I urge you to risk all of yourself, lay down your own life, surrender all to the LORD and find it all and more in His presence and love. Nothing less will do. Nothing less will give God the glory He deserves for valuing us so much that He gave His Son, shed His precious blood and overcame the grave.

November 2011 Giveaway Winner

2011-11-14T01:10:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Jared Houghtelling who won a copy of Sola Scriptura and Surprised by the Voice of God.

Please contact me with your address at biblereadingproject@gmail.com or through the contact button to the right.

Didn't win? Stay tuned for future giveaways.

GIVEAWAY- Scripture and the Voice of God (Reminder)

2011-11-11T10:45:00.002-05:00

I'm a bit disappointed in the participation so far for my November Giveaway, so I thought I would remind/encourage people to enter. I know Google Reader has had some issues this week, so perhaps that's the reason for the lack of participation. All you have to do is go here and comment on the post with your full name. It's that easy. I will pick a winner on Monday. Here's some more information on the two books that one blessed winner will receive. Tell your friends.

Sola Scriptura, the formal principle of the Protestant Reformation, is essential to genuine Christianity, for it declares that the Bible is the inspired word of God, the church’s only rule of faith and practice. Yet this doctrine is under assault today as never before, both from outside and and inside the church.

In this book, several leading Reformed pastors and scholars, including Joel Beeke, Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Ray Lanning, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, Derek W. H. Thomas, and James White, unpack the meaning of the doctrine of sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”). They also explain where the attacks on the Bible are coming from and show how those who accept the Bible as God’s inspired Word should respond. Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible is a treasure trove of information and a comfort to those who grieve to see the twenty-first-century church wandering away from the safe harbor of the Bible.

Surprised by the Voice of God takes you to the Bible to discover the variety of creative, deeply personal ways God still communicates with us today. You'll learn how God speaks with people apart from the Bible, though never in contradiction to it. Jack Deere first describes the ways God revealed his thoughts to first-century Christians. Then he tells why God continues to speak to us using the same methods. Finally Deere tells how accurately God speaks through prophecies, dreams, visions, and other forms of divine communication. With candor, sensitivity, and a profound understanding of Scripture, Deere identifies our hindrances to hearing the Holy Spirit and calls us beyond them to a more intimate relationship with God. Filled with fascinating stories and personal accounts, Surprised by the Voice of God is for all who want to walk in the dynamic scope of Christianity.

JACK DEERE brings practical wisdom to Christians through his teaching ministry, drawing from his experience as a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, pastor of several churches, and author of bestselling books, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit and Surprised by the Voice of God. He is dean of the extension schools in the Wagner Leadership Institute and executive director of Covenant Ministries International.

Jots and Tittles November 2011

2011-11-07T18:57:00.000-05:00

Look to the right and vote on the new poll: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE MAJOR PROPHET?

Crossway details the 2011 update to the ESV text.

Christianity Today reveals statistics showing that Frequent Bible Reading Can Turn You Liberal

Boston Bible Geeks features a stirring study on The Reward for Faithful Witness

Time features an article on the logistics of IHOP's 24 hour prayer: Restless Reverence

Baker Book House Church Connection previews the 2011 NIV Study Bible

Michael C. Patton writes about What Sola Scriptura Does Not Mean

I'm giving away a copy of Sola Scriptura and Surprised by the Voice of God as part of the Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus series.

November Giveaway

2011-11-05T12:51:00.003-04:00

~~As part of the Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus series I'm giving away a copy of Sola Scriptura and Surprised by the Voice of God to one blessed winner.~~

Enter by commenting on this post with your full name. If you post the giveaway on a blog, post a second comment with the link accompanied again with your full name for an extra entry. I will randomly select a winner on Monday November 14th. Tell all your friends.

Why give away books? It helps spread the messages and works that the Lord has used to inspire me in life and ministry. It helps spread passion and zeal for the work. Many of the books will be ones I've received for free or extra copies that I have on hand, or simply books that I feel are important enough that they need to be disseminated to the body of Christ at large.

Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus Part 1 - Introduction

Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus Part 2 - Sufficiency of Interpretation

2011-11-03T13:08:00.001-04:00

[Paul] didn't say, "I know what I believe," obviously he did; he said "I know in whom I have believed." - David Ravenhill

Knowing Jesus Christ is the vital life of the believer. Knowing Jesus is salvation. We have condensed the saving life of Christ into a moment a decision, a prayer and an acquiesance to a list of doctrine, but we have neglected the necessity of knowing God through the person of Jesus Christ.

In consistency with this method of mental assent we have cultivated a Christian culture that is truly passionate about nodding our heads to proper doctrine, to proper scripture interpretation and to proper theology. We are commanded to hold fast to sound doctrine and to a sound confession of the truths of the faith, but not in the place of a living, growing love relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

As I live and minister to the illiterate, the poor and those whose mental faculties are scrambled by drugs, malnutrition, toxic exposure and poor education, I realize more and more that Jesus is the revelation of God. It is Jesus Himself who reveals God to the poor. Like the Hebrew masses of Bible times these men and women are cut off from the scripture and from the ability to soundly interpret it. It takes years on the field to teach believers to read and to interpret scripture, but before they can understand a word of the Bible they can know the Father through His Son and enter into a love relationship that teaches them far more about God and how to be like him than all the professional Bible interpreters in the world. It is the knowledge of the person of Christ that is truly transforming. That knowledge is augmented, initiated and propelled forward from the Word and through Scripture, but its core is a person to person relationship with the Savior. Paul had impeccable doctrine, but he found it in His personal relationship with Christ the King. His passion and desire was not greater revelation of doctrine or head knowledge, but of Jesus and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death (Phil 3:10). It was this pursuit of knowing the Person of Christ that focused Paul's life into, "this one thing I do" (Phil 3:13). He was in a love relationship with God: a living, walking, talking relationship with his Master: the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who he had never known in the flesh but knew intimately through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 15:27).

Our interpretation of Scripture is not sufficient. Our pet doctrines, our understanding of predestination, our five point plan of salvation, Romans Road or Nicene Creed will not get us into Heaven. Heaven is the unveiled glory of Jesus, and He has reserved that intimate exposure of Himself for those who know Him intimately. Scripture is indeed sufficient. It does hold all the knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. But without the Holy Spirit bearing witness to The Way, The Truth and The Life that knowledge holds no reality and power over the soul. They are only words on a page to us and our knowledge of them and belief in them is vacuous because we are not meant to believe and know a book alone, but God Himself. We are called to a higher knowledge and a more costly faith in the revealed Person of God in Jesus. Do we really know him? Or do we believe that knowing the Bible is enough? Or knowing our church's doctrine? Or believing the right thing? Will we be judged by our theology or by our relationship with Jesus. Scripture gives a harrowing picture

Matthew 7:21-23
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
Luke 13:24-27
24 "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.' 26Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' 27But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'

We might cite our mighty deeds or our familiarity with Jesus's teachings, but the LORD wants to know us Himself. He wants us to give ourselves to Him in a way that gives Him complete access to our lives, complete intimacy cultivated by complete sacrifice of our life to him. In that final day many will find that they interpreted themselves away from the LORD and away from His presence into an idol made of intellectual understanding of a god who fit in the right box and behaved himself according to the borders of their understanding of the scriptures. They will have known the words of God, but not the Living Word of God.

The Sufficiency of Scripture or of One's Interpretation?

The Bible deist talks a lot about the sufficiency of Scripture. For him the sufficiency of Scripture means that the Bible is the only way God speaks to us today. He loves to repeat slogans like "The Bible is all I need to hear from God" and "What the Bible says is what we should say, and where the Bible is silent we should be silent." Although the Bible deist loudly proclaims the sufficiency of Scripture, in reality, he is proclaiming the sufficiency of his own interpretation of the Scripture. Bible deists aren't alone in this error. When many people say they have confidence in the Bible, what they really mean is they have confidence in their ability to interpret the Word, in their own particular understanding of the Bible, in their own theological system. Nobody says this out loud, for fear of being labeled arrogant. But they demonstrate it when they refuse to fellowship with those who baptize differently, or with those who have a different view of the gifts of the Spirit, or with those who have a different view of the end times. Many Christians agree on the fundamentals of the faith, but are so confident that in the debatable areas their interpretation is the correct one that they separate themselves from those who differ with them.
The Bible deist is especially guilty of this because he conceives of the Bible and his interpretation as one organic whole. After all, the Bible deist has consistently applied grammatical, historical exegesis to the text. Above all, he has a good theological framework, and his interpretations are consistent with his theological framework, and his interpretations are consistent with this theological framework. He stands squarely in a tradition that is hundreds of years old and has many illustrious names within it. With that tradition behind him, plus his own personal skills and abilities, he is sure he is right. Oh, there are times, when he can admit the possibility of being wrong--for humility's sake, or better, for the appearance of humility. Otherwise, he might give some people he thinks he is infallible. But in his heart of hearts he knows there is only the minutest possibility he might be wrong in any of his individual interpretations.
So it is extremely difficulty for Bible deists to concede that they themselves might be presently holding an erroneous interpretation. They refer to their opponents' interpretations as "taken out of context," or as a failure to apply consistent hermeneutical principles. Or, in some cases, where they have little respect for their opponents, they chalk up their opponents' views to just plain sloppy thinking. In those rare cases where they have to admit that their opponent has out-argued them, it wasn't because their opponent had truth on his side. No, their opponent was a skillful debater--actually, he was downright tricky. In one case, a theologian I knew was asked why other knowledgeable interpreters of the Bible held a different eschatological position from his own. "Sin," came the terse but honest reply.
The Bible deist is so confident in the sufficiency of his interpretation that it is difficult for him to be corrected by experience. He usually has negative comments about subjective things like feelings and experience. He doesn't realize it, but it is more important to him to know the Bible than to experience its truth. This is inevitable result of exalting the mind over the heart, and knowledge over experience. It also explains how someone full of biblical knowledge may be able to give a better explanation of humility than an elderly lady in his church--but possess so little humility when compared to her. Haven't we all witnessed this tragic disparity?
-Jack Deere, Surprised by the Voice of God p. 252-254

The Pharisees of Jesus's day had the Scriptures and knew them inside out. They had them memorized and considered those who did not have them to be "cursed" (John 7:49). Yet, it was their confidence in their knowledge of the Scripture that gave them an assumed authoritative stamp on rejecting Jesus. They rejected their God and His Way. They were offended by His unorthodox, unanticipated fulfillment of the covenant. While He fulfilled the law, he broke their interpretations of it. While he healed the sick, forgave the sinner, set the captives free and raised the dead, they squabbled over whether or not He was born in the right place and whether or not he conformed to every jot and tittle of their interpretation of Sabbath-keeping.

They were so concerned with the finer points of interpreting proper doctrine that they tithed the mint and rue, but left the poor and the needy without comfort (Luke 11:42). They had hidden the Word of God in their minds memorizing it, theorizing on it, interpreting it and holding it sacred, but when confronted with the resurrection of Lazarus, their reaction was to kill both him and Jesus (John 12:10).

Knowledge of the Scriptures and the ability to interpret them is important, but it is the Holy Spirit who gives life and bears witness to the truth, not the proper hermeneutical method or systematic theology. Jesus does not honor those who hold the proper interpretation over those who are confused or hold erroneous theology. He honors those who honor Him with their whole hearts and their whole lives: those that know Him and love Him.

Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus Part 1 - Introduction

Review: The Voice New Testament

2011-11-02T16:12:00.000-04:00

As I am not familiar with Greek, Hebrew or serious Bible scholarship, I am not prepared to review translations on a serious level; however, as a Bible lover who is familiar with literature I can comment on the readability, dynamics and style of the text. On a literary level few Bible translations are as immediately dynamic and compelling as The Voice. The blend of poetry, idiom and genre forms creates a truly unique reading experience that outdoes The Message in drama and verve. It is consistently creative, at times over the top and often uncomfortably different from the familiar verses that are part of the foundation of our faith.

For many this will be an oddball translation, the kind you pick up a few times out of interest or reference, but don't read all the way through. For some, this will be the translation they have been waiting for and will toss reservations aside to make this their main reading Bible. However, this translation seems to be best suited for those who are familiar with the Bible and desire to look at it with new eyes. The diction and phrasing of The Voice seems to be intentionally different, intentionally leaning away from direct Greek and Hebrew equivalents in order to favor more colorful language. This results in an uncomfortable unfamiliarity that can be grating, but also can provide a fresh look at Scripture.

The Voice seems to be more conservative when it comes to the epistles, in fact I may favor it above other dynamic equivalence translations for some of the texts I use to evaluate whether or not I will like a translation. The editors take significant liberties with the form of the Gospels changing the form into a screenplay and adding a modern lilt to the dialogue. This makes it seem much more like a paraphrase in places and this makes The Voice feel like it has an inconsistent accuracy. It certainly seems that some portions of the text are stretched and played with far more than others; however significant additions and paraphrasing are identified with italics.

The Voice features in-text study notes which offer explanatory and descriptive comments on the Scripture. I would prefer if these were isolated from the text rather than embedded in the paragraph structure, but they are interesting and practical. In addition to the full text of the New Testament and notes comes a thorough preface to the translation, a "Step into the Story of Scripture" article, four daily reading plans, a topical guide to the study notes included in the text and an article on "The Titles of Jesus."

I would recommend The Voice before recommending The Message and I look forward to reading the whole New Testament in this translation; however I would caution all to keep a more mainstream translation handy to check alternate translations. I wouldn't suggest using this translation for study or for everyday, year in, year out use, but it's an excellent way to spice up your reading and enjoy a fresh perspective on the text. I highly recommend visiting hearthevoice.com and downloading the book of John to read for yourself.

In the beginning
1Before time itself was measured, the
Voice was speaking.
The Voice was and is God.
2This celestial Word remained ever present
with the Creator;
3His speech shaped the entire cosmos.
Immersed in the practice of creating,
all things that exist were birthed in
Him.
4His breath filled all things
with a living, breathing light—
5A light that thrives in the depths of
darkness,
blazes through murky bottoms.
It cannot and will not be quenched.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson for this complimentary review copy. I was not required to give a positive review but an honest review.

95 Theses to the Modern Evangelical Church - Greg Gordon

2011-10-30T19:30:00.001-04:00

Happy Reformation Day.

95 THESES TO THE MODERN EVANGELICAL CHURCH by Greg Gordon

I believe many need to hear these truths and they are shared in the humility of my weakness and lack in my own Christian Life. May all of these lead people to experiencethe person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and to proclaim His Gospel clearly and accurately. May God in His mercy come and revive, reform and renew North American Christianity for His glory alone. “May the Lamb of God receive the reward of His sufferings in our lives today!” - Greg Gordon (founder of SermonIndex.net / Twitter@sermonindex)

1. The “church” at large has forgotten that the chief end of man is to glorify God. (Rom 16:27; 1Cor 6:20; Mt 6:9; 1Cor 10:31)

2. Christians ignore most of the methods, practices and principles found in the book of Acts. (Acts 2:42,44; Acts 2:46; Acts 2:38)

3. Many treat “church” like any other social club or sports event that they might attend. (Acts 2:46; Heb 10:25; Acts 1:14)

4. We’ve made Christianity about the individual rather than the community of believers. (Rom 12:5; 1Cor 12:12; 2Tim 4:16)

5. In most “churches” the priesthood of all believers isn’t acknowledged and the role of pastor is abused. (1Pt 2:9; 1Cor 12:12; Eph 4:11-13)

6. The “church” as a whole has lost the concept of their being grafted into the promises given to Israel. (Rom 11:15, 17-18, 20, 25)

7. There needs to be a recovery of teaching the whole counsel of God, especially in expository form. (Acts 20:27; 1Tim 4:6, 2Tim 2:15)

8. We take it too lightly that we have the blessing and honor of having God’s Scriptures in our possession. (Ps 119:16; Acts 13:44; Neh 8:9)

9. There has never been more access to the Word of God, yet so little reading of it. (1Tim 4:13; Neh 8:1-3; Ps 119:59)

10. Some read the Scriptures to attain knowledge, but do not practice what they read. (Jam 1:22; Mt 7:21; 3Jn 4)

11. Worship has become an idol in many “churches.” The music often resembles that of the world. (Amos 5:23; Phil 4:8; 1Jn 5:21)

12. The world is shaping the views of the “church” more than the “church” shaping the world. (Rom 12:2; Mt 5:13; 1Cor 1:22-23)

13. The “church” spends more money on dog food than on missions. (2Cor 9:6; Lk 21:2; Acts 4:34-35)

14. We take lightly the cost of discipleship laid out by Jesus Christ and do not deny our lives. (Lk 14:33; Lk 14:26-27; Mt 8:19-20)

15. There is a lack of true discipleship and making others to be obedient disciples. (Mt 28:20; 2Tim 2:2; 2Tim 2:14)

16. Many subscribe to the error that parts of life are to be spiritual while others are to be secular. (1Pt 4:2; Col 3:3; 1Jn 2:6)

17. Modern Christians often find Jesus’ command to sacrifice and serve abhorrent. (Phil 2:21; Jam 3:16; Rom 12:1-2)

18. Self disciplines in the Christian life such as fasting and praying are considered legalistic. (2Tim 2:21; 2Tim 1:8; Mt 6:17)

19. Little thought and contemplation is put towards the lostness of men, the seriousness of the Gospel. (Phil 3:8; Gal 2:20; Heb 10:34)

20. We are living with an epidemic of cheap grace with flippant confession and shallow consecration. (Lk 14:28-30; Lk 14:26; Jam 4:8)

21. Since the inception of the Church, the Gospel had the requirements of repentance and discipleship. (Acts 2:38; Lk 14:26; Jn 8:31)

22. Now forgiveness is offered without repentance, discipleship without obedience, salvation without sanctity. (Heb 10:29; 4:11; Lk 13:24)

23. Introspection, counting the cost, godly sorrow over sin, are all foreign to many in the “church.”(Acts 2:37; Ps 119:9; Heb 6:1-2)

24. The modern church loves itself more than its neighbor. (1Cor 3:3; Gal 5:13; Phil 2:3)

25. The church must repent of its idolization of personality, and of business principles. (2Cor 2:17; 1Cor 3:5; 1Cor 12:23)

26. Many elders and pastors of the “church” sadly are fleecing the flock to supply their own wants. (Jn 10:12-13; 1Pt 5:2-3; Rev 2:15)

27. The qualities most in demand in today’s pastorate are frequently foreign to the Scriptures. (1Tim 3:2-3; 1Tim 3:5; 1Tim 1:5-7)

28. The professionalization of the pastorate is a sin and needs to be repented of. (2Cor 11:13; Gal 3:1; Gal 2:6)

29. There must be repentance for the ambitious desire and idolization of the celebrity pastorate. (3Jn 9; Jer 17:5; 1Cor 12:22)

30. Pastors must trust the Spirit, not statistics. (2Sam 24:1; 1Cor 1:25; Rom 8:14)

31. Modern day prophets are being stoned by criticism and neglect. (2Tim 4:3-4; Gal 1:10; Jer 1:7-8)

32. God’s prophets are ill-treated and shunned by most “christians” who consider them too extreme. (Jer 6:10; Isa 6:9-10; Gal 4:16)

33. The prophets prophesy falsely, priests rule by their own power; and my people love to have it so. (Mt 24:4, 11-12; 1Cor 1:19, Jude 8 )

34. There are many false gospels being preached from pulpits in our day. (2Cor 11:4; Gal 1:8-9; Jude 16)

35. There is an epidemic of a “mock” salvation message. It is correct in doctrine, but false in reality. (2Cor 3:6; 1Jn 5:11-12; Rom 8:9)

36. A salvation that does not make men holy is trusted in by a deceived multitude. (Jude 4; Rom 8:1; Rom 6:17-18)

37. There is a needed perseverance in the truths of the Gospel without unbelief. (Eph 1:1; Heb 6:11-12; Heb 10:26-27)

38. A great need is to see “christians” become saints in actual experience. (1Jn 2:29; Col 3:5-8; Tit 3:8)

39. Many professors of religion are forbidding people to be a part of the holy body of Christ. (Mt 23:13; Ps 119:1-2; 2Pt 1:3-4)

40. Preaching has become all about the happiness of man and not the glory of God. (Jn 6:26; Rom 4:20; 1Pt 4:11)

41. Preachers give smooth words to entice men, yet very few give any words of correction or rebuke. (Jer 6:14; Pro 1:23; 1Tim 5:20)

42. Run from gospels that focus on our success and prosperity in the name of Jesus Christ. (Jn 2:16; Acts 20:33; Jer 6:13)

43. Run from gospels that focus on self-improvement. (1Tim 6:5; Heb 12:14; Jam 4:14)

44. Run from churches where men, and not Christ, are glorified. (Col 1:18; Jude 25; Jn 16:14)

45. Run from churches where there is no Bible, no cross, no mention of the blood of Christ. (1Pt 1:18-19; Eph 3:13; Rev 1:5)

46. Run from churches where the worship leaves you cold, where there’s no sense of God’s presence. (1Cor 5:4; Ps 80:14-15; Jer 12:11)

47. Run from churches where you’re comfortable in your sin. (1Cor 14:25; Heb 10:30-31; Heb 4:13)

48. Run from churches that use the pulpit of God for a personal agenda. (Jude 10-11,19; 3Jn 9)

49. Run from those who preach division between races and cultures. (Jam 2:4, Gal 3:28, Rev 5:9)

50. Run from ungodly, spasmodic movements and endless empty prophesying. (Jer 5:13; 1Cor 14:33, 1Jn 2:16)

51. Run from preachers who tell mostly stories and jokes. (Eph 5:4; Tit 1:8; 2:12)

52. Run from those that are only after money, who use one gimmick after another to get your money. (2Pt 2:3; 2Cor 12:14; 1Cor 9:18)

53. The phrase “accept Jesus as your personal Saviour” is not found in the Scriptures. (Rom 10:9-10; Col 1:13; Acts 26:20)

54. Evidence of true conversion does not seem important to modern day Christians. (1Jn 2:6; 1Jn 4:17; Mt 7:20)

55. Thousands of sinners think of God as having only one attribute: Love! But they continue in sin. (Rom 1:18; Acts 5:11; Ps 2:12)

56. “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!” has hindered true evangelism. (Rom 3:19; Acts 26:18; Phil 3:18-21)

57. A Gospel of love and grace only, without the law of God being preached. This is a doctrine of Satan. (2Tim 4:3-4; Rom 2:4-5; 3:19)

58. There has clearly arisen a careless mixture of 20th century reasoning with God’s revelation. (Col 2:8; Rom 1:25; Gal 1:6)

59. Decisionism and the “sinner’s prayer” has been a major cause of false conversions in the “church.” (2Pt 2:1-2; Eph 2:4-5; 2Cor 5:17-18)

60. Many will be surprised to hear Jesus say, “I never knew you, depart from me.” (Mt 7:22-23; 1Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21)

61. Men have taken the place of the Holy Spirit in confirming men in their supposed salvation. (1Jn 2:3-5; 2Ths 1:8; Gal 6:12-15)

62. The doctrine of hell and eternal suffering is something little grasped by most professing “christians.” (Mt 13:42; Jam 5:1; Ps 9:17)

63. The judgment seat of Christ is perhaps one of the most neglected topics in the modern pulpit. (2Cor 5:10; Rom 14:10; 1Cor 3:13)

64. The second coming of Christ needs to be re-instated as the church’s general thrust and burden. (1Jn 3:2-3; Col 3:4-6; 1Ths 4:14-17)

65. The church has lost the fear of God and has over emphasized the love of God. (Heb 12:28-29; Lk 12:5; Heb 10:31)

66. The church has left evangelism to a few trained professionals. (Acts 8:1,4; Acts 4:29; Rom 10:14)

67. Repentance is considered a one-time act in modern evangelism rather than a way of life. (Rev 3:19; Heb 12:17; 2Pt 3:9)

68. The Lordship of Jesus Christ is something that is not taught in many pulpits. (Acts 2:36; 1Cor 12:3; Rom 6:18)

69. Many in “churches” are not open to correction, church discipline or rebuke. (1Cor 5:5; 1Cor 11:31-32; Heb 12:7-9)

70. Some preach salvation as a theory instead of persuading men to come to Christ. (Jn 5:40; Col 1:28; 2Cor 4:5)

71. There has been a loss of the fullness and majesty of the gospel. (1Tim 1:11; Jude 25; Rom 15:29)

72. There is little mention of sin or the depravity of man from “church” pulpits. (Jn 3:20; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:5)

73. Covetousness, consumerism, and coddling of the world’s goods does not appear wrong. (Jer 22:17; 1Jn 2:15-16; 1Tim 3:3)

74. Little is made of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in churches or in evangelism. (1Cor 15:14-15; Acts 4:10, 33)

75. The “church” has relied more on technology than God. (Zech 4:6; 1Cor 1:21; 2:4)

76. The prayer meeting is considered one of the least important meetings in the “church.” (1Tim 2:1; Acts 4:31; Phil 4:6)

77. Pastors have never prayed less than they do in the “church” today. (Jer 10:21; Phil 2:21; Eph 6:18-19)

78. Very few are waiting on God for His direction and purpose for His Church. (Eph 1:11; Ps 37:7; Isa 40:31)

79. The “church” has many organizers, but few agonizers. (Phil 3:18-19; Rom 9:1-3; Jer 9:1)

80. We need to have the gifts of the Spirit restored again to the “church.” (2Tim 4:2; 1Cor 14:39; 1Cor 12:31)

81. A serious, sober, self-controlled Christianity is very seldom found or preached. (2Pt 3:11; 1Pt 4:7; Jude 3)

82. The “church” at large has forgotten how to pray. (1Jn 3:22; Acts 6:4; 1Ths 5:17)

83. Many “churches” are more dependent on tradition than the leading of the Holy Spirit. (Mk 7:13; Acts 16:6; Acts 13:2)

84. Multitudes of professors preach and teach: that you cannot be freed from sin. (Rom 16:18; Rom 6:1-2; 2Pt 2:1)

85. The Apostles and Christ always preached the possibility to walk free from the bondage of sin. (Tit 2:11-12; 1Pt 1:14-16; Rom 6:19)

86. Sinners are not saved to sin, but rather, saved to holiness and good works. (Rom 6:13; Eph 2:10; 2Pt 3:14)

87. Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. (2Tim 2:19; 1Pt 4:17-18; 2Tim 3:12)

88. A baptism of holiness, a demonstration of godly living, is the crying need of our day. (1Tim 6:3; 2Ths 3:6; 2Ths 2:13)

89. Many are confused about obedience and the good works that are readily mentioned in the Scriptures. (Tit 3:8; Jn 10:32; Rev 3:15)

90. Little emphasis is put on the plan of God to make us like Jesus Christ in “churches.” (1Pt 1:14-16; 1Jn 2:6; 1Pt 4:1)

91. Christ did not die on the cross to obtain a worldly “church” but for a “glorious Church.” (Eph 5:27; Tit 2:14; Col 4:12)

92. Christ does not come into an unregenerate and impure heart as many contemporary theologians say. (2Cor 5:17; Mt 5:8; Eze 18:31)

93. A holy Church is God’s blessing to the world; an unholy “church” is God’s judgment upon the world. (Mt 5:14,16; Eph 4:1; 1Ths 2:12)

94. If Christianity is to make any headway in the present time, it must be proved to be more than a theory. (2Ths 3:6-7; 1Ths 4:1,11-12)

95. Unbelief has gagged and bound us as risen Lazarus! We need release in this final hour! (Heb 3:12-14; 1Cor 3:21-23; Heb 11:6)

The Deity of Christ - Dr. James White

2011-10-29T12:32:00.000-04:00

As a missionary to Muslims I constantly face a world view that does not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. Muslims desire to believe the Bible as their Qur'an instructs them to, "...you will attain nothing until you observe the Torah and the Gospel..." (V:68), but they resist the Bible's emphatic declaration of Jesus as God. James White performed well in debating Jalal Abualrub on the subject. I've edited his excellent opening statement into a short overview of the Scripture's revelation of Christ as God. View the full debate here.

Bible Deism and Knowing Jesus Part 1 - Introduction

2011-10-27T21:35:00.001-04:00

In focusing on the Bible and the biblical word, we uplift the objective revelation of God as given by the Apostles and canonized by the church. This blog focuses on inspiring passion for the Word of God and discovering new and interesting ways of interacting with the Bible. As an avid reader and writer, I am built to love books, to love words and to love the revelation God's word. The Book suits me. But the Bible can become an end in of itself. This subtle and deadly form of idolatry can seduce us from loving Christ and place us into a drive for more and more Bible knowledge, leading us into dry, hollow, cold religion.

So often our study of the Bible can be a study of the book without a motivation to really study and know Jesus better. Are we really pursuing Christ in the Word or are we pursuing the word itself and denying the divine revelation of Jesus as a person in our lives? Are we following Jesus or only following His teachings? We were meant to know and worship and follow a Person. I love the Bible. I love studying it. But above all I love Jesus Christ, and if my time in His Word does not lead me to Him, to know Him and love Him and experience Him in a real way, then I do not really know the scriptures or the power of God. We must come to Jesus for eternal life, not the Bible. It is Jesus who sustains our life in Him, not the Bible:

John 5:39-40

New King James Version (NKJV)

³⁹ You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. ⁴⁰ But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

The Scriptures testify to the one who is the Living Word: Jesus our God and King. He is the subject of our worship and attention. His word is a revelation of Him.

Jack Deere's book Surprised by the Voice of God features a powerful testimony and strong word on the dangers of worshipping the Bible instead of Christ. The next few weeks will feature a number of posts on Bible Deism. They will include excerpts from his chapter, "Confessions of a Bible Deist" followed by thoughts and commentary. I welcome any comments and discussion on the posts, though I will probably not interact in discussions in the comments section as I'll let the series speak for itself and develop it based on reader interaction. These posts will be fairly lengthy and in the future will feature lengthy portions of Jack Deere's work as well as lengthy portions of commentary from my own walk with the Lord and study of His word.

The following is the opening of "Confessions of a Bible Deist" from Surprised by the Voice of God.

Confessions of a Bible Deist

Augustine had an entire book of confessions. Perhaps you will indulge me for just a single chapter of my own. Here is my confession: Somewhere along the way in my academic study of the Bible, I became a Bible deist. You probably studied deism in one of your high school history classes. The framers of the Constitution of the United States were mostly deists. They believed in a religion of morality based on natural reason, not on divine revelation. They believed in God, but they didn't think he interfered with the natural laws governing the universe. He created the world, and then left it alone--like someone who wound up a giant clock, and then left it to run down on its own. A Bible deist has a lot in common with the natural deist.

They both worship the wrong thing. The deists of the eighteenth century worshiped human reason. The Bible deists of today worship the Bible. Bible deists have great difficulty separating Christ and the Bible. Unconsciously in their minds the Bible and Christ merge into one entity. Christ cannot speak or be known apart from the Bible. At one time, Christ did speak apart from the Bible. He used to speak in an audible voice to people on their way to Damascus, give dreams, appear in dreams, give visions, give impressions, and do miracles through his servants. However, the Bible deist believes the only one who does things Christ used to do. The devil can speak in an audible voice, give dreams and visions, even appear to people and do miracles. Jesus doesn't do these things any more. He used miracles and divine revelation in the first century to wind up the church like a big clock, and then left it alone with only the Bible. The Bible is supposed to keep the clock ticking correctly. That's why a Bible deist reads a passage like Isaiah 28:29:

All this comes from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom. . .

and in his or her mind, translates it into something like this:

All this also comes from the Bible, which is wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.
Bible deists have a tendency to substitute the Bible for God. They actually deify the Bible. Bible deists read John 10:27 like this: "My sheep listen to the Bible; I know them, and they follow the Bible." They hear Jesus say, "If I go away, I will send you a perfect book" (John 16:7). What God used to do in the first century is now done by the Bible. If the Bible can't do what God used to do--heal, give dreams, visions--then the Bible deist maintains that these things are no longer being done, and that we don't need them anyway.

Bible deists preach and teach the Bible rather than Christ. They do not understand how it is possible to preach the Bible without preaching Christ. Their highest goal is the impartation of biblical knowledge. Their highest value is being "biblical." Actually, they use the adjectives "biblical" and "scriptural" more often than the proper noun "Jesus" in their everyday speech.

-Jack Deere, Surprised by the Voice of God p. 251-252

Bible Cross References Visualization

2011-10-21T17:38:00.000-04:00

Open Bible blog features some truly mind-blowing infographics and visualizations. The above is just one example. I need a lot of help to understand what I'm looking at, but this represents a huge amount of data, presented for very general analysis in visual form. Click on the image above to view the high definition results.

Review: Cambridge KJV Clarion in Black Goatskin

2011-10-20T15:33:00.001-04:00

Cambridge's new KJV Clarion partners classic presentation with modern style and sensibility, pairing an excellent Cambridge binding with a newly designed text block that nears perfection. For many the Clarion will be the most exciting KJV ever produced and for some, that perfect Bible they have been searching for. The combination of tried and true binding and printing techniques with innovation in the style and implementation of the single column setting makes the Clarion a unique success.

BINDING

The black goatskin binding is a familiar to those acquainted with the Cambridge line. The leather features a fine grain most similar to what I've handled in the KJV Concord (though I hear the Cameo is similar as well). The cover features fine stitching along the edges and a combination of impressive softness, flexibility and durability.

At 7.5 inches tall, 5.5 inches across and 1.75 inches thick the Clarion is an in between size. Not quite small enough to fit in the pocket, but about an inch to a half inch shorter than many mid-size Bibles. The size is something of a mystery; first of all, how they fit a beautifully proportioned text block with an 8.75 size font into such a small Bible, but secondly, why they chose a thicker version of a Pitt Minion size. This in-between size may be the only thing that keeps the Clarion from ultimately pleasing all single column fans. Some will prefer larger Bible, some will prefer smaller. For those who want a Bible that's easy enough to hold up and doesn't have to rest on their lap, but don't want pocket portability, the Clarion's size will be perfect.

The sewn binding and supple leather flex easily into a number of positions, not folding entirely in half, but partnering enough flexibility and strength to keep undue stress off the binding.

The limp, easily rolled quality of the leather means it can be flexed into a number of positions and folded in half for easier viewing, should the reader wish to focus on one page. Notice the crimson ribbons, which seem to be of a higher quality than the two that came in my Cambridge Wide Margin. The red under gold gilding glistens with traditional class.

The size fits nicely in the hand and makes it manageable and flexible without two hands or the need to rest it on the table or on your lap.

The thickness is only slightly smaller than my wide margin, but it's noticeable smaller and features a noticeable finer, narrower grain than my Goatskin ESV Wide Margin. Goatskin is a natural product and will vary, but my guess is that many will prefer the finer-grained Clarion.

A handy Size.

It nearly opens flat from Genesis One. With time it may break in to that level of flexibility.

LAYOUT

The main appeal of the Clarion is going to be the layout. The sheer beauty of the single column text, printed in the Netherlands, partnered with a crisp, redesigned 8.75 font font will woo single column lovers everywhere. It may even persuade a few traditionalists to switch.The layout is exceptionally readable and the side column references have never been so accessible and yet so subtle. While this Bible leaves little room for notes, in its primary function as a reader it is hard to surpass.

The Clarion does feature some ghosting. The paper seems thinner than most Cambridge editions, though still strong and wrinkle resistant. In the poetry sections there is a distinct shadow of the text which comes through the page. Most will find this slight flaw easily overlooked, but I must say that this is probably the worst ghosting I have seen in a Cambridge edition.

The combination of the single column setting with a large, modern font will please many. The proportions and layout aesthetics in this edition will hopefully set a standard in the industry. More and more Bible publishers should take advantage of the frontier work done in this edition.

FEATURES

The Clarion contains a number of special features. First among them is the Epistle Dedicatory and the often forgotten "The Translators to the Reader." Cambridge has also chosen to include the italics to indicate words not in the original languages, which I find important. The Bible text is followed by a 144 page Reader's Companion instead of a traditional concordance. It provides a number of different king of information:

First, it provides identification of the most significant proper names (of persons, tribes, places etc.) which occur in the Bible, together with lists of the main references to them in the text.
Second, in cases where the Authorized Version uses unfamiliar words, or words which have now changed their meaning, the sense understood by the translators is given together with examples of Bible passages in which the word concerned may be found.
Third, information is given about the background of life in biblical times, in entries about flora and fauna, customs, occupations and artifacts, again with references to contexts where they are mentioned.
Fourth, an attempt is made briefly to clarify some the social, legal, ethical and religious concepts which occur in the Bible, with references especially to passages which throw further light upon them.
Fifth, note on each biblical book is given, as well as information about literary forms, original languages, and related non-biblical literature from ancient times.
Sixth, a small number of entries relates to the history and particular features of the Authorized Version, and to other biblical translations related to or derived from it.
Finally, entries under 'key words' offer select listing of verses where those words may be found in the text, e.g. for the use of readers trying to locate a biblical quotation.

While many will appreciate this information, especially since the edition lacks book introductions or other helps, some will prefer a simple concordance.

Included is Cambridge's classic maps and map index.

A Cambridge signature is the high gloss, ironed goatskin interior, which provides a luxurious look and feel.

The Clarion is an excellent innovation in Bible publishing and hopefully will appeal to many readers. The single column setting is easy to read and aesthetically well-balanced. While the Clarion is not perfect and may not meet every reader's desires, it is at the top of the Single Column market and the KJV release opens a new line of single column reference Bibles with high quality bindings and high quality design that majors on function.

Aggressive Faith (October Newsletter)

2011-10-12T09:41:00.001-04:00

Jesus cried out with a call to discipleship that required an extreme rejection of one’s own life: one’s own pleasures and desires, occupation and interests. This call echoed out into the crowd (Mark 8:34) shaking loose the weak and the half devoted, convicting the hearts of those who sought the Lord and disrupting the thoughts and hearts of an entire culture. Jesus was a man of no half measures; He placed His glory aside to take up the Cross and carry out His own death and the atonement for our sin. In the same way He calls out to us for an extreme response that allows no half measures and calls for a complete effort of the whole body, soul and spirit as grace draws us through the narrow gate and into eternity in the Father’s embrace: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). Even as we strive in a supernatural effort drawn forth from the core of our being by God’s grace, we are encouraged further by the God and man who assured His followers, “… from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt. 11:12). God’s grace and love places the violent fire of zeal within our hearts to apprehend and know and love Christ with all of our being. Christ then challenges us with the knowledge that just as it takes the violence of the death of Christ and our own death to come into true life and gain the kingdom of heaven for ourselves, so it takes a violent, no-holds-barred force in the Spirit to declare the kingdom of heaven here on the earth.

Jesus constantly disrupted the culture of His day by declaring the heart of God, condemning the corrupt, religious system and the professional Scripture interpreters and preaching a forceful repentance of human nature itself. He taught to love our enemies, to flee wealth and to forsake all to follow Him. Those who answer His call can only do so by a violent love and an aggressive faith. To fulfill the call to discipleship we must have such a devotion and belief that we sacrifice ourselves to the death and resurrection of Christ, allowing Him to dethrone the idol of self. To fulfill the call to ministry we must have the courage to violently wage war on the powers of this world, eschewing the world’s values to preach the power of the gospel to a perishing people.

As I spend time in the homes of Muslim men, I am distinctly aware that however tactful I am, my presence as a follower of Christ opposes their beliefs, their culture and their ideals. My task is to take courage and in love and grace disrupt culture and speak the saving truth that Jesus is the only Lord and that Muhammad was never a prophet. The Lord came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and that destruction comes as a result of a war in the spiritual realm between love and hate, truth and lies, the kingdom of heaven and the powers of darkness. Only the aggressive will overcome. Only the violent will take the kingdom by force and enforce it here on the earth. Even as Jesus died, we also must die to ourselves and come to the battlefield as those already martyred, prepared to cling to our sword until the Lord takes us home into eternal triumph.

View the rest of the October 2011 Newsletter
To view other newsletters, view the newsletters page.

Bible Storytelling: Gideon and Crossing the Jordan - Cooke

2011-10-11T18:38:00.000-04:00

Graham Cooke's humorous retelling of God's battle plan for Gideon and the "Men's Meeting" after crossing the Jordan puts a new spin on the stories and illuminates God's sense of humor, His outlook on warfare and His all-sufficiency.

Convictions on Interpreting Scripture - Zac Poonen

2011-10-10T10:30:00.001-04:00

The following thoughts are Zac Poonen's comments before launching into an exposition of 1 Corinthians 11 and teaching on head coverings. His article is surely controversial and opens an issue that I do not have strong enough convictions on to teach either way. My desire is not to draw attention to the controversy. I read Brother Poonen's article in part because I recently received one of Gordon Fee's commentaries and Fee stands clearly on the other side of the issue (for a good article that features Fee's approach see this post from The Prodigal Thought). I thought reading both sides of the issue would be beneficial. The principles laid out by Poonen are an honest approach that flows out of belief in the inerrancy of scripture.

Hopefully we can hold these principles up to our convictions and find ourselves fully obedient to the Lord and to sound exposition.

We begin this study with the conviction that the entire message of the Bible is the Word of God without any error.
There are two fundamental truths that we must bear in mind as we seek to understand God's Word for us today.
On the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), God abolished the old covenant and began to deal with man thereafter under the terms of the new covenant (Heb.8).
There are historical and teaching sections in the New Testament. We must find the basis for new covenant doctrines only in the teaching sections. The historical sections merely tell us what the apostles and early Christians did. Many false teachings have developed from doctrines based only on the Acts of the Apostles - two examples being: (i) all believers must speak in tongues (based on Acts 2:4); and (ii) all believers must share a common purse (based on Acts 2:44).
Jesus told His disciples just before He went to the cross, "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear (understand) them now. But when the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth" (Jn.16:12,13). Jesus wanted to teach His disciples many more truths than He did while He was on earth. But they would not have been able to understand them until the Holy Spirit came to dwell within them and renewed their minds and gave them revelation. Some of these truths are what we find written in the New Testament epistles. So the epistles also contain commands from the Lord Jesus - but given through His apostles.
If we reject any command in any of the New Testament epistles, saying it was only for the time and place when it was written and not for us today, then in order to be consistent, we must give equal freedom to other people to reject other commands in the epistles and in the teachings of Jesus as also being only for that time and not for us today. For example, we must, in that case, give freedom to people to teach that forbidding homosexual behavior and same-sex marriages and divorces and premarital sexual intercourse, etc., were only for the first century and not for us today. Otherwise we will be inconsistent.
[. . . .]
(Note: We must distinguish between commands given by God and mere greetings given by the apostles. For example, the apostles give greetings and good wishes such as these in their letters: "Greet one another with a holy kiss" (Rom16:16) and "I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2). These were obviously mere greetings and good wishes - and not commands or promises given by God - for there is no Divine principle taught in those verses, as is the case with head-covering, water-baptism and breaking of bread(Rom.6; 1Cor.11)).

Poonen summarizes with some thoughts on obedience:

Finally, we must bear in mind that:
- If we ignore any command of God in Scripture (however small) we will suffer some eternal loss (Rev.22:19).
- Those who cancel (or teach against) the smallest command of Scripture will be called "the least in the kingdom of heaven" (as Jesus said in Matt.5:19).
- The truths of Scripture are hidden from the clever and the intelligent and revealed only to the humble ("babes" - Matt.11:25 with Matt.18:4). The teaching of 1 Cor.11:1-16 will be simple and clear to the humble, childlike person. But one who depends on his human cleverness and intelligence will argue against the plain meaning of these verses.
- God tests our honesty in the way in which we deal with such verses of Scripture. He does not see whether we understand everything in His Word, but He does see if we are honest in dealing with His Word. The Lord says, "To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isa.66:2).

Review: Jesus Calling Devotional Bible

2011-10-06T11:41:00.001-04:00

Thomas Nelson's immensely successful devotional Jesus Calling is now available within the full Bible text of the NKJV in the Jesus Calling Devotional Bible. Jesus Calling comes from the personal journals of Sarah Young, a missionary who decided to record her impressions of God's voice, journaling the voice of the Lord rather than prayers. The result was a unique and perhaps prophetic perspective on devotion. Jesus Calling presents an intimate look inside a relationship with Jesus and a discovery of his voice and character as filtered through the relationship of one person. While I am not able to read and evaluate all of the content within this volume, the nature of the project resonates with me. One must be careful to weigh the words of the devotion more carefully, as they are written in the first person as from the Lord and as such should be tested and tried (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22). Young's project is dangerously intimate, but promises to pull the reader into discerning the voice of the Lord and finding the power of the loving, kind, good, faithful, joyous, peaceful, patient, gentle, self-controlled voice of Jesus.

SIZE

At 8 and 5/8" by 5 and 1/2" with a 2" spine the Jesus Calling Devotional Bible fits my preference for a well-weighted Bible with a thick spine. The padded hardcover is nicer than a plain hardcover and the graphics are attractive. The spine is obviously glued and the size of the book block makes me fairly sure that the spine would not hold up to constant use; however, this is a devotional Bible and most users probably won't make this a lifetime Bible. It should hold a couple years under average use. There are also leathersoft editions available which may feature a sewn binding.

LAYOUT

This Bible features a nice double column paragraph format in a nice serif font. The print is crisp and black (black letter) and features dark orange chapter numbers and section titles in a bold sans serif font. More popular and notable verses featuring God speaking are sometimes highlighted in an orange text-block and italicized orange print. The font is fair 9pt size. The paper is fairly thin and features some bleed through or ghosting, but seems strong and doesn't crinkle easily.

DEVOTIONS

The devotional content will be the purchasing point for this Bible, and it is prevalent and poignant. Each devotional page insert features a portion of the text block, a written out prayer from an individual identified by a first name and a section of writing in the first person portraying God's voice selected from Sarah Young's writings. Some will read the content, and it will be like God speaking to them. Some will think, "that sounds just like Jesus." Some will think, "That sounds just like someone trying to sound like Jesus." Those with a critical mind but an open heart will make the most out of this devotional as they scrutinize and weigh the words in the balance of scripture and the witness of the Spirit, ready to receive and recognize the voice of the Lord. At its best, the devotional can lead someone into a dialogue with the Lord and with His Word, teaching them to recognize His voice. At its worst it could lead someone away from what the Lord is actually speaking to them. An example below:

Listening to Him
I am speaking to the depths of your being. Be still, so that you can hear My voice. I speak in the language of Love; My words fill you with Life and Peace, Joy and hope. I desire to talk with all my children, but many are too busy to listen. The "work ethic" has them tied up in knots. They submit wholeheartedly to this taskmaster, wondering why they feel so distant from Me,
Living close to Me requires making Me your First Love--your highest priority. As you seek My presence above all else, you experience Peace and Joy in full measure. I also am blessed when you make Me first in your life. While you journey through life in My presence, My Glory brightens the world around you.
See also Isaiah 50:4; Revelation 2:4; Isaiah 60:2 (From Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

FEATURES

The Jesus Calling Devotional Bible is fairly light on features, but does include a long, gold ribbon marker, a presentation page, an introduction by Sarah Young and a very brief topical index and list of helpful scriptures. There are no maps or concordance.

Fans of Sarah Young's writing will find this Bible a suitable devotional guide, and the presence of the whole Bible text enables one to read without flipping back and forth between a book. It keeps devotional time founded in Scripture. The proximity of the devotions to the text, helps draw themes out of the text for the reader. Others may find this to be a good short-term Bible to read through in a year with the devotional content. This Bible has the potential to give people a thirst for God's voice and tune their ear to hear Him in their own lives and in the Word. The devotions draw out God's character and His love for His bride, but may be lacking depth and variation for others. This Bible definitely has the potential to lead readers into an intimacy with Christ and His Word and for that it deserves praise. Regardless of personal application it is a fascinating and inspiring look at one individual's relationship and perception of the Lord.

Jots and Tittles October 2011

2011-10-04T10:53:00.000-04:00

N.T. Wright's Bible reading plan:

The Blazing Center features an interesting post on The Problem with Taking the Bible Literally

The Biblical World asks Do Bible Readers Really Know What They Want in a Translation? in response to Lifeway's recent poll that revealed that 75% want total accuracy.

N.T. Wright's Reflections on Bible Translation

Five of the Dead Sea Scrolls are now online thanks to Google.

I'm giving away a book over at RawMinistryBlog

Hermeneutics vs. Soaking and Individualism vs. Community

2011-10-04T10:17:00.000-04:00

Corrected and Constrained by the Text from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

D.A. Carson, Tim Keller and John Piper have an important discussion on the impact of hermeneutics and returning to basic, thorough Bible knowledge. As a topic within that discussion they highlight the importance of individualism as well as community. These discussions are highly important. I have recently come across the testimonies of three Dallas Theological Seminary graduates (two of whom were professors there) who testify to the creation of a special class of professional Bible interpreters who descend into Pharisaism. The popularity of modern Bible scholarship and the new availability of that scholarship may have negative effects as well as positive. In addition, being a natural loner and individualist living within a tight knit crucible of community ethics allows me to appreciate the side topic of the discussion as well.

We must be careful to let the Bible shape our views. Our constant soaking in the very Word of God will do far more for us than a proper hermeneutical method or a moral observance of the current theological vogue.

October 2011 Giveaway

2011-10-02T20:49:00.001-04:00

I'm giving away a book over at rawministryblog: a new blog I'll be keeping for journaling my mission work and studies surf over, check it out and enter to win. The following is a quote of the contest rules. You can't enter by commenting on this post. Comment on the post at rawministryblog to enter.

This month's giveaway is a book that has inspired and challenged me in ministry and in life. Its statistics are somewhat outdated now, but the message is just as fresh, relevant and provoking.
Revolution!: The Call to Holy War by Michael L. Brown

Enter by subscribing and following through Google or Networked Blogs (Facebook), and commenting on this post. Every comment on this post is an entry, so you can enter over 100 times if you wish! If you post the giveaway on a blog, comment with the link and every pingback will be an entry! I will randomly select a winner and send the book out at the end of the month.
Why give away books? It helps spread the messages and works that the Lord has used to inspire me in life and ministry. It helps spread passion and zeal for the work. It helps get the message out about raw ministry, this blog and the needs of Hamtramck. Many of the books will be ones I've received for free or extra copies that I have on hand, or simply books that I feel are important enough that they need to be disseminated to the body of Christ at large.

Illuminating Look Inside One Translation Decision

2011-09-26T19:18:00.000-04:00

The Biblical World posted this absolutely fascinating clip, which features a brief edited compilation of the ESV Bible Translation committee discussing the word "slave." This is a rare an interesting treat (if you have quick eyes you can spot J.I. Packer looking sagely and aloof).

The Biblical World has a lengthy post discussing the video so I will redirect you there with a quotation from the source:

I discovered through facebook that the BBC recently aired a program titled: When God spoke English: The making of the King James Bible. The program is part of the international celebration of the KJV’s 400^th anniversary. Unfortunately, the program is not yet available in North America.Part of the program features a 5 minute clip of the ESV committee working at Tyndale House. The topic of the committee’s discussion is how to translate the word slave in the Bible. Pete Williams, warden of Tyndale House, was kind enough to direct me to a youtube clip of the committee’s discussion. It provides a brief look at how translation committees work on difficult issues. I have placed the clip below and then would like to make a few remarks in response to some of the comments made.

Essential Edwards Giveaway from Blogging Theologically

2011-09-22T13:12:00.000-04:00

Blogging Theologically is giving away a free copy of The Essential Edwards Collection! So surf over and enter to win.

Public Reading of Scripture by A.W. Tozer

2011-09-21T13:21:00.000-04:00

Til I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. --1 Timothy 4:13

Of course we of this generation cannot know by firsthand experience how the Word of God was read in other times. But it would be hard to conceive of our fathers having done a poorer job than we do when it comes to the public reading of the Scriptures. Most of us read the Scriptures so badly that a good performance draws attention by its rarity.

It could be argued that since everyone these days owns his own copy of the Scriptures, the need for the public reading of the Word is not as great as formerly. If that is true, then let us not bother to read the Scriptures at all in our churches. But if we are going to read the Word publicly, then it is incumbent upon us to read it well. A mumbled, badly articulated and unintelligent reading of the Sacred Scriptures will do more than we think to give the listeners the idea that the Word is not important....

We should by all means read it, and we should make the reading a memorable experience for those who hear. The Next Chapter After the Last, 27.

"Lord, as I read the Scriptures publicly, I am both declaring the very Word of God Himself and drawing people into an experience of worship. Help me never to take that lightly or address it carelessly. Amen."

-A.W. Tozer "Public Reading of Scripture" retrieved from Sermonindex.net

On Interpreting Scripture - Art Katz

2011-09-19T07:56:00.000-04:00

The Bible is another kind of literature. It is utterly unique. I have been a reader all my life long, but there is nothing like the Scripture for conveying depths of meaning in so few words. The scriptures are terse, compact, and intense, and that puts a great demand upon us to draw out the meaning-which is not the least of God’s purposes for giving us the written Word. He wants us to be students of the Word; He wants us to draw out the meaning by the operation of His Spirit and by our dependency upon Him. So much, if not everything, is the issue of revelation. And revelation is the issue of Spirit. And God is not going to give revelation to arrogant personalities, to those who want knowledge only that they may flaunt it, or exhibit it, or show themselves off. The revelations of God are precious, but they are requiring. “To whom much is given, much is required.”

Who of us has not been guilty of misusing the Word of God? We can do this by not accepting the Word of God on its literal face value, but interpreting it in metaphorical and allegorical ways, which is to say spiritualizing the Word of God. There has been more damage done by this liberty than we can ever understand. Once you take that kind of liberty with the Word, of giving it your meaning because it suits your fancy, or it is in keeping with your mindset, what does that do in terms of your relationship with God Himself? “In the beginning was the Word.” God Himself is the Word, and when man exalts himself as God’s interpreter, he always stands in danger of exalting himself above the Word, which is to exalt himself above God. It is deadly. So this issue of correctly drawing out the meaning of the scriptures needs to be done with the deepest reverence for God. Nor is there a single meaning or interpretation for any one text. The Word of God is so rich that it allows for many different applications and meanings.

You can find allegorical meanings. An allegory is where something stands for something else. You take a literal word and you impart to it a spiritual or significant meaning, and there is a place for that, but not a first place. Our first responsibility is to discern God’s literal intention for that word. Allegorical interpretation must never displace the literal interpretation. For example, in the history of the Church, there has been an enormous rejection of the literal statements of God for Israel. I am persuaded that the early church fathers [and later ones!] did not want to see Israel glorified. They did not want to see a restored nation, or that it would become the locus of God’s millennial kingdom and glory, so they interpreted every such reference as to mean the Church; that Zion does not mean a particular location in Jerusalem, but only something symbolic, allegorical, and metaphorical for the Church. Now you can preach wonderful messages that way and inspire the Church, but it would be a pity that in the process of that we have the lost the literal intention of God.

Another reason why literal meanings have been traditionally avoided is that the implication of the literal meaning is too radical in terms of its requirement upon us. So we want to get off the hook, and one way to do that is to give the scriptures a poetic and spiritualized meaning. And so, we have to fight to restore the original intention of God for His Word. What if the word “glory” becomes for us a cliché? Better that our lips were sealed than that we should speak the word rather than cheapening it or demean it by too much and too shallow a reference. When we say we are jealous for the glory of God, we better have a sense of what that glory means, because if it has only become a cliché and a phrase, we will not be capable of the suffering that precedes it. In other words, if we allow the word to lose its real value, we have lost the only thing that would have been the incentive to suffer to have obtained it. This is the nature of truth in God, and let us be jealous to safeguard His word, both in spirit and in truth.

About Art Katz
Washington Times article on his passing.

Scripture Mementos and Fire

2011-09-15T15:14:00.000-04:00

The Bible is filled with images of fire. A word search of terms relating to fire renders nearly 1000 entries in the concordance. From judgment fire to Holy Spirit fire, the Bible is filled with symbols of fire. A stream or river of fire flows from the throne of God (Daniel 7:10). In this same fire Jesus immerses believers (Luke 3:16). We are commanded never to quench it (1 Thessalonians 5:19: some translations read, "don't put out the Spirit's fire"). The Holy Spirit fell with tongues of fire on the believers in the book of Acts and the tongues of fire put fiery sermons on their tongues of flesh in all the languages of those present in Jerusalem (Acts 2:2-4). Even as I'm inspired and caught up in the fire and wind of the Holy Spirit, I'm tested and tried in the refiner's fire (Malachi 3:2). Our God is a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29) and the God who answers by fire is God (1 Kings 18:24).

As I desire more of God a passion and hunger grows for a greater zeal and a greater fire for God. Those immersed in fire desire more fire. Those who are filled with fire seek a continual filling with fire. As a project, I printed out the 961 references to fire, fiery, flame, flaming, burn, burnt, burned, burning and read each one of them, highlighting those worth that I felt significant to my life: promises to keep, challenges and warnings to learn, words to inspire.

From the first reference to fire in scripture to the last, it is clear that the image is one of power and intensity. The Bible instructs us that only by passing through fire may we receive from the tree of life (Genesis 3:24) and also that the eternal, fiery wrath of God awaits those who reject the goodness and love of God in Jesus Christ (Revelation 21:8).

As I memorize verses on fire, I picked up a scripture and prayer memento. The Old Testament is filled with physical objects meant to remind the Israelites of aspects of God, aspects of Holiness and aspects of worship. They are only shadows of the reality, but they were meant to be a constant reminder. The fire was meant to always burn on the altar in reminder of the continual, consuming presence of the LORD (Lev. 6:13).

As a memento of God's refining and Holy Spirit fire, I bought a Zippo and carry it with me. Everyday I flick it, sometimes multiple times, and say a quick prayer, "Set me on fire, Lord; more fire; I want to burn for you." I quote the most recent verse on fire that I've been memorizing. Many times this action has brought me conviction of the cold condition of my own heart, of my lack of zeal, of my lack of fire for the lost, for the Spirit, for worship, for holiness. Often times it has comforted me as I realized that the trials and circumstances of life are the testing of my faith and the refining fire of God (1 Peter 1:7).

Earlier this year I wrote of my ministry work:

When men called by God sought victory and Holy fire to combat the enemy, they often found God’s refining fire purging their hearts and reducing them to their core desire for God. The work that God has called me to do here in the city of Hamtramck burdens me with the daily needs of those around me and the heartbreaking dominion of sin and false religion. A popular maxim for ministry in Detroit says, “all you can do is take a bucket of water out of the Detroit River, the rest of the river runs on.” Our ministries and methods may be defeated, but the Holy Spirit is never defeated. God is raising a Gideon’s band, which will march on in the face of the opposition, armed with humility and obedient service. But God has to reduce the army first. He trims away the fat and the flesh. He melts down the ore and pulls out the dross. Those who are fruitful he prunes. Those who are unfruitful he fertilizes. Those who remain unfruitful he cuts down. Our greatest hope and encouragement is an expectation of God’s pruning shears. His refining fire is a promise of His answer by fire.

We possess the glory of God, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels, jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:6-7). We carry the glory and the knowledge of Jesus Christ within our hearts, but it is contained in our fleshly bodies and human frailty. It is when this vessel is broken that the “surpassing power” pours out. It is the breaking of the outer man and the release of the Spirit. When we are humbled and submitted and our foolish pride and fleshly identity is broken before God, the power and knowledge of Christ and His glory flows from our lives. He does this to display that the origin is from Him and not our own lives. Pride would claim the power and glory for ourselves. It must be broken before the power can be released from within our hearts, where Christ sits on the throne.

When Gideon defeated Midian in Judges 7:16-20, the Lord drastically cut down his army and ordered them to surprise the enemy in this weak condition. The orders were not to attack with weapons or brilliant strategy, but with a pre-emptive shout of victory: a cry of faith in the midst of fear and immense opposition. The symbol of their faith, their noisemaker and the object of their proclamation were torches contained in jars. With a shout, they broke the jars revealing the flaming torches and throwing the enemy into chaos. The enemy was routed and their camp was plundered. When these jars were broken, the fire was released. In our lives the jar of clay, the earthen vessel, our soulishness and flesh, must be broken for the fire to be released. Our personal pride, strength, independence and all other fleshly obstacles must be broken to release the powerful fire of God. In the same way, when the outer ore is purged away in the refining process the true gold is left exposed. Please pray for me as I face many daily trials, but persevere in the promise that in the breaking of my outer man, the fire of God’s glory will be released in my life. The enemy will be routed and hell will be plundered. In the light and heat of the refining fire I look forward to the fire of the Holy Spirit’s work. Let the God who answers by fire be God!

Review: An Essential Guide to Baptism in the Holy Spirit by Ron Phillips

2011-09-12T15:35:00.000-04:00

An Essential Guide to Baptism in the Holy Spirit by Ron Phillips is book 1 in a series currently being published by Charisma House on the Foundations of the Holy Spirit. The book is a brief introduction to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and the Charismatic experience as a whole. Phillip's style is bold and clear, but at times rushed. Though only one hundred pages long, the book covers a large amount of doctrines and experiences at times only loosely connected to the central topic of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This book is not meant for skeptics, but I would guess for those who seek to understand their own experiences or are simply seeking more.

The book succeeds the greatest where it stays closest to its main topic. Though hardly a holistic introduction or apologetic to the doctrine, Phillips covers most of the main aspects of the doctrine and is careful to consider an audience not familiar with Charismatic or Pentecostal doctrine or experience. He draws from history and mainline texts to establish credibility and bring the doctrine more in the center of Christian thought and his background as a Southern Baptist pastor grounds his context. He has a talent for explaining things quickly and clearly:

the apostles in Jerusalem had heard that there were some people in Samaria who had "accepted God's message," so they (the apostles) sent Peter and John (Acts 8:14, CEV). When these two mighty apostles from Jesus's inner circle arrived, they prayed with the knowledge that the people in Samaria were already believers, that those same brothers and sisters would be given the Holy Spirit, "for as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." Then, when Peter and John laid hands on these baptized believers, "they received the Holy Spirit" (vv. 15-17). p. 20

This passage leads the reader into the argument and integrates scripture smoothly. By retelling the event in a clear summary, Phillips gives the reader the perspective of how the passage fits into his explanation without cumbersome explanations. At times, this ability is used too much, however, and the arguments feel unsupported and rushed. In addition the most important question for seekers remains unaddressed, namely, "How do I receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit." Most of those who buy this book will find this question important, but I find no specific or general answer in the pages. Phillips includes enough scriptural examples for the reader to deduce for themselves, but any introduction to the doctrine should include this major point.

Though the book does not attempt to be a thorough apologetic, Phillips makes a large amount of unsupported statements and is often incomplete in his arguments. Though I find myself agreeing with much of the book, I was often concerned by what seemed like lazy assertions and loose ends. In addition, the book trails into unnecessary territory, which is where I found myself most at odds with Phillips' doctrine:

Remember also that no matter how social values and mores may change, the Bible is clear that "no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" (Eph 5:5). This verse makes it clear that immorality does not steal your salvation but limits your blessings. This list is expanded in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, where it states, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers will inherit the kingdom of God." ps. 21-22

This is gross doctrinal error. According to this doctrine practicing homosexuals can continue in a homosexual lifestyle and still be saved. They will only lose blessings in the here and now. This is absolutely incorrect. At best it is a grave mistake in discourse, but at face value it is a grave mistake in doctrine. Anyone who lives a willfully sinful lifestyle, in knowledge of sin but refusing to repent, identifies themselves with sin and is neither saved nor will go to heaven. The phrase "inherit the kingdom of God" absolutely does mean salvation as well as spiritual blessing. This major doctrinal error does not in fact relate directly to the baptism of the Holy Spirit but Phillips includes it and it will completely undermine his credibility for conservative Christians.

While I found that Phillips often succeeded in a concise introduction, the book leaves much to be desired. I wish the 100 pages would have spent more time on the main points of the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but seeing as this is the first book in a series, a more general introduction to the Charismatic experience, explaining physical manifestations etc. seemed needed. If it weren't for my doctrinal disagreement on the above point, I would have had no trouble recommending the book as a very brief and general introduction to Charismatic doctrine, but most will want a more apologetically sound study. That said, this book is short, concise and very accessible.

My thanks to Charisma House for providing this complimentary copy. I was not required to give a positive review, but an honest review.

Religion of Healing - Dr. Michael Brown

2011-09-11T01:44:00.002-04:00

[. . . .] in a very special way, Christianity was the religion of healing.²¹⁴ Beginning with the miracle stories in the Gospels that were offered as proof of the messiahship of Jesus²¹⁵and continuing on through the preaching of the apostles,²¹⁶ the message was always the same: God through his Son had procured and proclaimed liberty for the captives.²¹⁷ According to M. Kelsey, "the practices of healing described in the New Testament continued without interruption for the next two centuries,"²¹⁸ and the apologetic testimony of Justin Martyr is typical:

For numberless demoniacs throughout the whole world, and in your city, many of our Christian men exorcizing them in the Name of Jesus Christ . . . have healed and do heal, rendering helpless and driving the possessing devils out of the men, though they could not be cured by all the other exorcists, and those who used incantations and drugs.²¹⁹

Even more striking is an account from the apocryphal Acts of John, wherein the apostle reacts with shock when he hears that, out of the women in Ephesus older than sixty years.

only four [are] in good bodily health; of the rest, some are paralytic, others deaf, some arthritic and others sick with divers diseases." And John on hearing this kept silence for a long time; then he rubbed his face and said, "Oh, what slackness among the people of Ephesus! What a collapse, what weakness towards God! O devil, what a mockery tou have made all this time of the faithful at Ephesus! Jesus, who gives me grace and the gift of confidence in him, says to me now in silence, 'send for the old women who are sick, and be with them in the theatre and through me heal them; for there are some of those who come to this spectacle whom I will convert through such healings as have been beneficial.'"²²⁰

Even Augustine, who in his early writings "stated quite specifically that Christians are not to look for continuance of the healing gift," decidedly changed his views while completing his magnum opus, The City of God.²²¹ Therefore he wrote:

Once I realized how many miracles were occurring in our own day and which were so like the miracles of old and also how wrong it would be to allow the memory of these marvels of divine power to perish from among our people. It is only two years ago that the keeping of records was begun here in Hippo, and already, at this writing, we have nearly seventy attested miracles.²²²

The early rabbinic writings also preserve some indirect references to the healing prowess of the early messianic Jewish²²³ believers, commending one Tannaitic sage who died before he was able to receive healing in the name of Jesus from the "schismatic"²²⁴ [. . .] identified as Jacob of Kefar Sama (t. Hul. 2:22-23),²²⁵ while reproving another sage who was healed by a min in Jesus' name.²²⁶ It is also possible that Rabbi Akiva's exclusion from the world to come (m. Sanh. 10:1)²²⁷ of "he who whispers over a wound and says, 'I will put none of the diseases upon you which I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord your Healer" (Exod 15:26)"²²⁸ was directed against the contemporary Jewish followers of Jesus.²²⁹ In any event, the testimony of the rabbinic sources cited here led S.T. Lachs to conclude, "In Jewish literature these disciples and those who followed them were best known through their healing activity in the name of Jesus."²³⁰

-Michael L. Brown, Israel's Divine Healer p. 64-65 (notes from pgs. 292-293)

^{214. See especially Kelsey, Healing and Christianity; cf. also Jakobovits, Jewish Medical Ethics, 1. As stated by Sigerist, Civilization and Disease, 140, "Medicine was faith healing in the early Christian community."}
^{215. Cf. J.D.G. Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975), 69-76; see below, ch. 5 for further discussion and bibliography.}
^{216. Cf. the sources gathered in E. Frost, Christian Healing: A Consideration of the Place of Spiritual Healing in the Church Today in the Light of the Doctrine and Practice of the Anti-Nicene Church (London: A.R. Mowbray & Co., 1940), and more concisely, Kelsey, Healing, 104-99. Mueller states, "Not only did Jesus heal the sick and drive out demons, the early church as a while was a movement which turned its attention to the situation of the sick in a significant way" (Sickness and Healing, 182).}
^{217. See H.C. Kee, Miracle, 146-73 for the apocalyptic significance of miracles of deliverance; see also Mueller, Sickness and Healing, 116-19; cf. below, 5.2.2, on the Jubilee pronouncement in the gospel of Luke.}
^{218. Kelsey, Healing and Christianity, 129, n. 1.}
^{219. Second Apology to the Roman Senate, cited in ibid., 136. Out of many similar testimonies that could be cited, see Tertullian , To Scapula 4 (in ibid., 137): "And how many men of rank (to say nothing of common people) have been delivered from devils, and healed of diseases!"}
^{220. Trans. by K Schaferdieck, in W. Schneemelcher, ed., New Testament Apocrypa, trans. R. McL. Wilson (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1992), 2:177. Regardless of the authenticity of this account, it does, of course, reflect the attitude that for the NT church, divine healing was thought of as an expected norm. Cf. further P.J. Achtmeier, "Jesus and the Disciples as Miracle Workers in the Apocryphal New Testament," in E.S. Fiorenza, ed., Aspects of Religious Propaganda in Judaism and Early Christianity (Notre Dame: Univ: of Notre Dame Press, 1976), 149-86.}
^{221. See Kelsey, Healing and Christianity, 184-88}
^{222. Augustine, City of God, 22.8, cited in Kelsey, ibid., 185. See also the important statement in Augustine's Retractions, 1.13.7 (also 1.14.15), cited in ibid., wherein he specifically revises his earlier views.}
^{223. G. Boccaccini has recently argued that "Christianity" be recognized as a "Judaism" (see his Middle Judaism: Jewish Thought, 300 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. [Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991}, with some strictures in the foreword by J.H. Charlesworth, xviii), citing the judgement of scholars who underscore the "Jewishness" of early Christianity (see esp. 13-18; see also the challenge of G. Vermes, Jesus and the World of Judaism [Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983], 87-88 for a new "Schurer-type religious history of the Jews from the Maccabees to AD 500 that fully incorporates New Testament data." For further bibliography of related works, cf. M. L. Brown, Our Hands Are Stained with Blood: The Tragic Story of the "Church" and the Jewish People [Shippensburg, Pa.: Destiny Image, 1992], 233-34, 237-38). Because Christianity quickly developed into a predominantly Gentile religion, at times hostile to its Jewish roots, I believe scholarly references to "Jewish Christianity" may present an unnecessary oxymoronic problem. Terms such as "Messianic Jew/ish" and "Messianic Judaism" may be more appropriate, descriptive and in fact accurate when applied to the first followers of Jesus.}
^{224. Although dated, the standard collection of the relevant rabbinic material is R.T. Herford, Christianity in the Talmud and Midrash (London: Williams & Northgate, 1903); for more recent discussion, cf. L.H. Schiffman, Who Was a Jew? Rabbinic and Halakhic Perspectives on the Jewish-Christian Schism (Hoboken, N.J.: Ktav, 1985); C.J. Setzer, Jewish Responses to Early Chrisitians: History and Polemics, 30-150 C.E. (Minneapolis: Ausburg Fortress, 1994).}
^{225. Cf. Schiffman, Who was a Jew?, 68-71 (on the scurrilous name "Yeshu' ben Patira," see the literature cited on pp. 100-101, n.5).}
^{226. See below, nn. 228-229; cf. also t. Hul. 2:21, cited in Schiffman, Who was a Jew?, 64: "We are not healed by them, neither healing of property nor healing of life." (According to one view, this means neither healing of animals nor healing of humans; the other view interprets the phrases in question [. . .] to refer to healing in cases where there is no mortal danger vs. healing in cases involving mortal danger; see p. 99, n. 79.) It is not clear whether miraculous healings by the minnim are included here, or whether the prohibition only countenances medical treatment by the minnim. To this day, the Orthodox rabbinic community has strongly discouraged Jews from receiving ministry from Christian "faith healers" (including Gentile Christian faith healers), seeing that faith in Jesus would be involved. Note the end of a relevant responsum of Rabbi Y.Y. Weiss: "How right were our sages in forbidding us to be cured by a cleric in an unnatural way, even in life-threatening situations. May God send a complete recovery to all the sick in Israel" (see A.Y. Finkel, The Responsa Anthology [Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson, 1990], 178). Weiss states emphatically that the Jew "should use only qualified physicians, prayer to God, and charity," rather than utilize the services of a minister such as Rev. Tony Agapo of Manila, who, according to Rabbi Weiss's questioner, "cures all diseases and plagues and performs surgery without making incisions, just with his hands."}
^{227. This seems to be a later addition; cf. Schiffman, Who Was a Jew?, 41-46, who identifies the core of m. Sanh. 10:1 as a pre-A.D. 70 censure primarily directed against Sadducees.}
^{228. [. . . .]}
^{229. [. . . .]}
^{230. S.T. Lachs, A Rabbinic Commentary on the New Testament. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (Hoboken/New York: Ktav/Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith, 1987), 178, on Mt 10:1, see H. Strack and P. Billerbeck, Kmentar zum Neuen Testament aus Talmud un Midrash. For a structural-genre analysis of the Talmudic and NT healing stories, cf. D. Noy, "The Talmudic-Midrashic 'Healing Stories' as a Narrative Genre," Koroth 9, Special Issue (1988): 124-46.}

The Jesus Creed- Dan Stevers

2011-09-09T18:00:00.001-04:00

The Jesus Creed from DanStevers.com on Vimeo.

Goodness, Power and Hunger (Newsletter)

2011-09-08T18:12:00.000-04:00

The last two months have been some of the most difficult times for me since I came to Hamtramck, but among others I hold on to Peter’s words in 1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” I have found constant joy in the promises of Christ and even in the most challenging times I am awed at the kindness and goodness of God. The revelation that changed my life as an emotionally and mentally ill freshman in college was that God actually loved me and was willing to supernaturally reveal His goodness in my life. In the last months, the revelation of His goodness and love has changed me again, opening new places of faith and power in life and ministry.

God’s goodness, His kind and merciful dedication to seek every soul with His love and power, renews my mind as I walk the streets of Hamtramck. The growing knowledge and reality of God’s heart desire to reach every lost sinner with His love and to demonstrate His goodness before a world soaked in evil changes my ability believe and hunger for God to work. God does not desire that any should perish. He desperately wants the fellowship and glory of the souls He created and bought with the precious blood of His Son. Today He is extending His mercy, grace and love to the world, displaying His goodness through the work of the Holy Spirit, the manifestation of His presence and the lives of you and me. Though judgment is being stored up for those who reject His goodness, today is the day of salvation. Today God wants to speak words of truth, love and comfort to a lost and dying world. Today God wants to bear the pain of the lost and hopeless. Today God wants to break the chains of bondage and touch the broken and the sick with His healing hands. Today God wants to show His goodness to the world because today is the day of His favor (Luke 4:19). We are the ambassadors of this reconciliation, the doorway to God’s goodness and power. When we really know and feel the blessing that is in the heart of God for the eternally important souls of this world, it becomes impossible for us to believe that He won’t use us to accomplish miracles in His name.

I have longed and hungered to stand in a place of abiding where I knew that God would use me to reach people and heal the hurt of the world in His name. In the revelation of His goodness, I know He will. Not because of my worth or my power or knowledge or skills in ministry. But because of the burden of His heart to reach every soul. And because I believe. As a lost sinner on my college campus, I believed in God, but I didn’t believe in His grace. I didn’t believe in His goodness and love. When He spoke to me and shed His love abroad in my heart, I believed. As grow in my knowledge of the Father, I grow in my faith in His goodness, kindness and His desire to bless the world with the knowledge of His love. When you believe in the goodness of God, life gains a new logic that enables you to touch the world with God’s good, perfect and pleasing will.

Read the rest of my September Newsletter here.

Jots and Tittles September 2011

2011-09-01T13:21:00.000-04:00

What I Believe from onetimeblind on Vimeo.

Better Bibles Blog features an overview of Dynamic Equivalence.

The Prodigal Thought posts on some favorite books on understanding the Bible and on The Challenge of Hermeneutics.

Present Testimony Ministry posts the Best 100 Academic Christian Books.

Koinonia revisits the question Can an Individual Interpret Scripture?

The Voice of Revolution features 50 Burning Quotes.

Bible Design Blog features a number of posts featuring single column Bibles, introducing the series here.

One of the books I'm currently enjoying: