11/10/09

Win The Righteous Shall Live By Faith or Wait Until Then or nominate your pastor (me?) to win some books.

Compassion has a short series of questions to inform about AIDS worldwide.

What comes before?

How does the Gospel affect you?

Come to Jesus all ye...weary?

The danger of low expectations in the church.

20 years ago yesterday the Berlin Wall came down.

(HT: WBN)

-joe

evangelizing jericho

Years ago I began changing my stance on evangelism. (For awhile it was nearly non-existent, thankfully a good man named Scott gave me a good chewing out to get that idea out of my head.)

But, early on in my zeal I was notoriously the arguer. I wanted to smash every single rational defense against faith. I wanted to break down the walls and I wanted to show people that the Gospel was real.

Oftentimes it would take the form of debating creation/evolution or the problem of evil. More recently it might be apparent contradictions in Scripture or the fallibility of the church.

All of those things, as good as they may be, are not evangelism. Not even close.

Think about it like this.

Your friend is like the city of Jericho. He is a fortress city with high walls and great defenses. He can withstand attack after attack on his non-faith because he has spent years stockading.

Your job isn't to pull down his walls of defense brick by brick. Your job isn't to try and smash your way inside the heart of your friend.

Your job is to trumpet the good news of the Gospel and watch those walls crumble beneath the power of the Holy Spirit.

Evangelism is not our battle to fight. It is our duty to trumpet the news of the already won war. So, the next time you find yourself trying to tear down the walls of Jericho to witness to someone take a step back and realize that's not your job. Get out your Gospel trumpet and declare the majesty of God, the culpability of man and the good news of Christ. And then let the Spirit do the battle.

-joe

links of the day

I've decided to update my blog with some good links everyday, in addition to my regular posting. This will keep the number of links on Friday down and it will give you something to read during the week. This will, for the most part, be from my Google Reader shared list, so if you already subscribe to that, this will be a repeat.
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Don Carson answers the question: How can I know if God exists?

5 ways that sin is serious

Fact: Brian Regan is funny

The beauty of God's love

The good Doctor on the pride of knowledge

-joe

the majesty of God is greater

The heavens declare the glory of God.

We often think of the majesty of the stars, their magnitude and the immenseness of space. We see unbelievable pictures from the Hubble telescope and it is hard not to be awestruck.

But here's the thing. The heavens are telling of the glory of God. Not themselves.

God created the ubelievable things in the sky.
Source: Hubblesite.org

They aren't meant to make us say "how amazing are the stars" but "how amazing is God." They are unequal things and too often we equate them.

When you look up tonight remember that these things are to bring us into worship of the Creator, not the created.

-joe

the yankees? really?

I don't like the Yankees. Go Cubs!

And now on to more important matters.

Freebies of the week(ish):
50 chances to win at Challies
Win a Paul Washer book from Christian Book Notes
Unpacking Forgiveness is still available
Still a chance to win an ESV Study Bible

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Some things to read and consider:
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Prayer is Christian humility

Abortion: new healthcare plan includes it (even Planned Parenthood thinks so), The View can't decide if it is ok or not, and a former Planned Parenthood director resigns

Striving to be inadequate

The 130 million dollar church

We should simplify but never balance

To build or not to build

Help somebody this week

Fantastic deals on Piper's books for Christmas *hint*hint*


It's the International Day of Prayer on Sunday:
(HT: Persecution Blog)

-joe

envy

Psalm 73 tells a familiar story.

Asaph prays to God and says "my foot had almost slipped...for I envied the arrogant. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens of common man. This is what the wicked are like--always carefree, they increase in wealth."

Envy sometimes comes in mild forms. The neighbor gets a new car. A friend gets a raise. That family hasn't had to deal with a young death.

But always the end result is "Why don't I receive all the blessings that everyone else gets?" This is entitlement. This is evil and Asaph knows it...but sometimes his foot starts to slip and he sees that people who are "more wicked" than he are getting outrageous good fortune.

He goes so far to say this "Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in vain I have washed my hands in innocence." **

How is he able to combat such a force of pride and envy? Like this:

When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

The answer is bound up in the hope of glory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This earth will be full of trials and tribulations but we have a better hope and an abiding one. Behold the weight of glory and envy not your neighbor.

-joe


**Despite his doubts and fears, he keeps quiet when his heart cries out with this haughty declaration saying "If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children."

He knows that speaking such things without an answer would lead many to abandon the faith. So, don't let these few verses give you permission to declare all kinds of terrible things and call it "being honest" about your doubts. If you have not found the reason for your hope then it is best to confess these things to close friends and to God, not to a public audience who may be led astray without the hope of Christ.

the prosperity "gospel"

There is absolutely no way to describe my feelings after watching this:

The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.

(HT: Z)

John Piper responds to the issue:
(HT: DG)

This is entitlement.
We preach it without saying it many times.

-joe