ROCK Blog

God's Glorious Purposes for the Tribulation

2012-01-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

The Olivet Discourse (Matt 24–25; Mk 13; Lk 21), John's Revelation (esp. 6–19), and Daniel's visions (esp. Dan 9:24–27) along with several other biblical references mark some of the hardest passages in Scripture to interpret. Do we apply them to the persecution of the early church? Do we apply them to the tribulations that the church is experiencing now? Or is there a more literal sense in these prophetic passages that applies to the future events immediately preceding Christ's coming and the end of the age (Matt 24:3)?

The "futurist" position, which this writer holds, takes these prophetic passages to be still future in their fulfillment rather than past or present. Despite all the persecutions and tribulations that the church has ever experienced from governments, other hostile peoples and religions, and false christs, there is a time coming when God will pour out His judgment on an unbelieving world (church removed) for rejecting Christ's sacrifice and authority in their lives. And His judgment will be far worse.

"For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be" (Mk 13:19). "And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book" (Dan 12:1). And the reason for this most unique "time of trouble" is because John saw that it was "the Lamb [who] opened one of the seven seals" (Rev 6:1a). God's judgment is far worse than persecution from men or even the schemes of Satan.

God says to the church that has kept his word about patient endurance: "I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world" (Rev 3:10). We believe that God will rapture ("snatch up") the living saints on the earth prior to His return to be with all those who have believed (1 Thess 4:17). "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (5:9). It is "Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come" (1 Thess 1:10).

At the rapture Jesus will return for His saints, whereas at the Second Coming Jesus will return with His saints (Rev 19:14). At the rapture we will meet Him in the clouds (1 Thess 4:17), whereas at the Second Coming Jesus will return to the earth (Rev 19:11ff).

Before Christ returns, God has specific purposes and plans for the Tribulation Period before Christ unites all things in Him, things on heaven and things on earth (Eph 1:10) in the Millennial Kingdom and into the Eternal State:

Purpose #1:Judgment for an unbelieving world

Revelation 3:10 refers to the Tribulation period as "the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth." The first major purpose of the Tribulation, then, is to test the unbelieving world. “Those who dwell upon the earth” refers to those who are unbelievers on earth during the period described in Revelation 4-19. (Thomas Edgar, "An Exegesis of Rapture Passages," in Issues in Dispensationalism, p. 216)
As the three series of judgments (seals, trumpets and bowls) are being pouredout on the earth during the period of the Tribulation, every creature will beheld responsible to the Creator for resisting Him and breaking His laws.
God will deal violently yet justly with all the pagan nations during this time.He will prove that though “the nations rage and the peoples plot” against Him,their rebellion is “in vain” (Psalm 2:1). “The rulers take counsel togetheragainst the LORD and against his anointed” (2:2) but “He who sits in theheavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision” (2:4).
Paul Benware adds, “These judgments are another step in dealing with sin in preparationfor the Messiah’s reign of righteousness on earth. But it is clear that Godcould judge sinners completely in a matter of moments and does not need sevenyears. This suggests that judgment, though important in the plan of God, is notthe main reason for the seven-year period of tribulation.”

Purpose #2:Preparation of a future generation of Israel

“The Bible teaches that the Tribulation is a time of preparation for Israel's restoration and conversion (Deut 4:29, 30; Jer 30:3-11; Zech 12:10)." (Ice and Demy, p. 36)
Ezekiel 20:37 says, “I will make you pass under the rod, and Iwill bring you into the bond of the covenant.”
Daniel 12:1 says, “At that time shall arise Michael, the greatprince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble,such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at thattime your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found writtenin the book.”
Zechariah 13:8 says, “In the whole land, declares the LORD, twothirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. 9 And Iwill put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, andtest them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answerthem. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is myGod.’”
A great number of Jews will be saved in the Tribulation. They will flee intothe wilderness (Rev 12:6, 13–14). And final salvation will come to believing Jews atthe end of the Tribulation period (Zech 12:10ff).
Romans 11:26 says, “And so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,‘The deliverer will come from Zion, he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.’” Soall Israel, that will inherit the Kingdom, will be saved.

Purpose #3: Salvation of an unnumbered amount of Gentiles

This purpose is moreof a bi-product or an result of God’s intentions in the Tribulation. Theyare referred to as martyrs (Rev 6:9; 7:9–10) because believing in Christ duringthis time will cost their life. Nevertheless, one cry will come out from every nation and tribe and people and language: "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb" (Rev 7:10).
Either the twowitnesses (Rev 11:3), the 144,000 sealed saints of Israel (Rev 7:4), the angels (Rev 14:6, 7) or the appearance of Christ atthe end of the tribulation (Rev 19) will be used to bring about the salvation of theseGentiles.

It seems that a literal, grammatical, historical interpretation of certain prophetic passages of Scripture leads us "to wait for his Son from heaven" (1 Thess 1:10a) who will come with judgment, power and glory (Matt 24:30) to establish His heavenly kingdom on the earth (Rev 20:1–6). "For God has put all things in subjection under his feet" (1 Cor 15:27a; Eph 1:22).

"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt 6:10.

A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God

2012-01-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

Most of the time we think of the Psalms as being written by King David, the Sons of Korah, or Asaph--which most of them are--but what about Moses? Book 4 (Pss 90–106) of the Psalms begins with: "A prayer of Moses, the man of God" (note: the superscriptions in the Psalms ARE inspired Scripture so don't read over them lightly!). So when you come across biblical insight like this, it is significant to keep in mind the life and other writings of Moses as you read Psalm 90.

A couple of examples illustrate this point:

Psalm 90:1 "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations."

Moses was God's chosen servant-leader during Israel's captivity, exodus, and flight from Egypt and their wandering in the wilderness. Most notably, Moses was given the Law of God to help Israel live according to God's holy standards. Also during their wandering from Egypt to the Promised Land as they departed from Mount Sinai, "Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp" (Ex 33:7).

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says, of the word "dwelling place":

NwøoDm (maœ{o®n) dwelling, habitation.
NwøoDm. Dwelling. (ASV, RSV similar except 1 Sam 2:29, 32 and Zeph 3:17 where RSV emends to read “eye”.) It is used eighteen times. This word is used to depict the ruins of desolate cities now the dwelling place of wild animals. Most frequently it designates the Lord’s dwelling place, i.e. heaven (always qualified with the word “holy”) and the temple (Ps 26:8). Finally it portrays the Lord as a refuge for his people (71:3; 90:1; 91:9).

Derek Kidner, in his Psalms 73–150 Commentary, says, " 'Dwelling place' is specially relevant to this psalm's emphasis on human rootlessness, and is a metaphor found also in the Blessing of Moses: 'the eternal God is your dwelling place' " (Deut 33:27).

"Moses, the man of God," had a unique role and privilege among the people of Israel because he sought the glory of God. "The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (33:11). The God who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and on the fiery mountain top at Sinai met with Moses regularly in the tent of meeting in order that Moses might lead the people of God in holy service and humble obedience to Him.

So for Moses to pray to God: "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations" in Ps 90:1, you can see what he means. God has always been a refuge for His people, in captivity, wilderness, and on their way to the Promised Land as they trust in His promises.

Psalm 90:3 "You return man to dust and say, 'Return, O children of man!'"

The text Moses was probably meditating on was Genesis 1–3 (which He wrote through God's superintendence). A number of observations in his prayer prove this point:

In verse 2, Moses references God being God even before He brought forth mountains and formed the earth and the world. This is obviously reminiscent of the Creation account in Genesis 1 (especially Gen 1:1).
Although in verse 3 the Hebrew word for 'dust' is different than in Genesis 3:19 ("for you are dust, and to dust you shall return"), it is the same verb 'return' which ties back to the curse on mankind for Adam's sin. This reference to the Fall and death as our sentence serves as the setting for the rest of the Psalm.
Each verse referring to God's anger and wrath toward man's iniquity serves to remind man that under the curse we all are brought to an end (v. 7), dismayed (v. 7), and in severe affliction (15). And if God is not our dwelling place (v. 1), our all-satisfying steadfast love (v. 14), and the Granter of divine favor (v. 17) then we will remain under His wrath.
In verses 4 and 10, it may be that Moses is intentionally contrasting the long lives of the patriarchs in Genesis (Adam=930; Seth=912; Methuselah=969) with the lives of those in Israel at the time of his writing (70 or 80 years). Regardless, it is true that "our years are soon gone, and we fly away" (90:10).

It must be kept in mind that Genesis and Psalms are different literary genres (narrative and poetry), even though there are poetic elements in Genesis. The Psalms function as heart-felt reflections on and exaltations of the eternal character and covenant relationship of God to His people.

Psalm 90:12 "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."

This prayer is similar to Isaiah 40 for its presentation of God's greatness and eternality over frail humanity, but while Isaiah is encouraging his readers in a positive tone, Moses has a more sober tone of correction for the iniquities of God's people.

In Deuteronomy 34:5, 7 and 9, it says, "So Moses the servant of the LORD died there... 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated... 9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses."

So even though Moses did not physically lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land, "there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face" (Deut 34:10). He heeded his own advice. He lived his own prayer in Psalm 90:12.

Our days are numbered, what will they be spent doing? A "heart of wisdom" will stir within our hearts a hunger to find satisfaction in the steadfast love of God (v. 14) and the favor of the Lord (v. 17).

The End For Which God Created The World

2011-12-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

The End For Which God Created the World is a short book written by Jonathan Edwards that John Piper says is the most important book that he as ever read outside of the Bible. Within this book, a certain paragraph is found that catches one of the most profound thoughts that could ever be communicated and felt in the human mind and heart.

You would do well to weigh these words carefully to see exactly what God the Son desired from God the Father for His children (see John 17:1–5 AND vv. 24–26). Let the truth found in these statements pour like pure, cool water through dry, parched lips to reach your thirsty soul.

God glorifies Himself toward the creature also in two ways: 1. By appearing to...their understanding; 2. In communicating Himself to their hearts, and in their rejoicing and delighting in, and enjoying the manifestations which He makes of Himself...God is glorified not only by His glory's being seen, but by its being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the soul both by the understanding and the heart. God made the world that He might communicate, and the creature receive, the glory; and that it might be received both by the mind and the heart. He that testifies his idea of God's glory does not glorify God so much as he that testifies also his approbation of it and his delight in it.

Read the last lines carefully, for from them come one of Desiring God's most profound and repeatable thoughts, that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

The Journal of David Brainerd

2011-12-15T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Diary and Journal of David Brainerd (Banner of Truth Trust, 2007) is a record of David Brainerd's missionary work among the American Indians from 1742–1747. Brainerd's Diary reveals his innermost life during his childhood, preparation for ministry, beginning of his mission, his instruction to the Indians, his most remarkable successes in ministry, and his return, followed by the circumstances that led to his death. However, the narrative in Brainerd's Journal of his missionary work among the Red Indians is the principal attraction.

Brainerd is a feeling man. He writes from day to day of his prayers, reservations about ministry, the texts he preached, his ambition for the Gospel effectiveness, the pain in the hardships, the joys in seeing people responding to God's Word, the turmoil, and the successes that God provided in his work with the Gospel. His diary and journal read much like the psalmist who continually dialogues honestly and openly and dependently on God.

Below are excerpts from the missionary work and heart of Brainerd from his journal:

The design of this publication is to give God the glory of His distinguishing grace, and gratify the pious curiosity of those who are waiting and praying for that blessed time, when the Son of God, in a more extensive sense that has yet been accomplished, shall receive the heathen for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession.

As these poor ignorant pagans stood in need of having line upon line and precept upon precept, in order to their being instructed and grounded in the principles of Christianity; so I preached publicly, and taught from house to house, almost every day for whole weeks together, when I was with them. And my public discourses did not then make up one half of my work, while so many were constantly coming up to me with that important inquiry, What must we do to be saved? and opening to me the various exercises of their minds.

November 26--I discoursed publicly among them from John 5:1–9. I was favoured with some special freedom and fervency in my discourse, and a powerful energy accompanied the Word. Many wept, and scarcely any appeared unconcerned in the whole assembly.

The persons lately awakened were deeply distressed for their souls, and appeared earnestly solicitous to obtain an interest in Christ; and some of them, after public worship was over, in anguish of spirit said, "They knew not what to do, nor how to get their wicked hearts changed."

Lord's Day, December 8--Such have been the doings of the Lord here in awakening sinners, and affecting the hearts of those who are brought to solid comfort with a fresh sense of divine things from time to time, that it is now strange to see the assembly sit with dry eyes, and without sobs and groans.

Lord's Day, December 22--Several of the Indians newly come here had frequently lived among Quakers...they had imbibed some of the Quakers' errors, especially this fundamental one, That if men will but live soberly and honestly, according to the dictates of their own consciences, or the light within, there is then no danger or doubt of their salvation. I found these persons much worse to deal with than those who are wholly under pagan darkness, who make no pretences to knowledge in Christianity at all, nor have any self-righteous foundation to stand on.

May we too desire for God to be glorified above all things. May we too labor in the harvest that the Lord has called us to. May we too find joy when sinners repent and find their soul's ultimate joy in Christ. May we too proclaim God's Word boldly with great expectancy of the Spirit's work in our hearer's lives.

Arguments for the Existence of God

2011-11-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

Below are eleven arguments supporting the existence of God, simply stated, and a brief response from the atheist's point of view. The goal for you, the reader, is 1) to determine which arguments are strongest from the Scriptures, and 2) to respond to the atheist's response with Biblical discernment. And 3) to comment if you have questions that I can try to answer for you.

All text below is drawn from the manuscript of the Great Debate over the existence of God between Dr. Banhsen and Dr. Stein. These are Dr. Stein's words (holding the atheist world view):

1. The First Cause (Cosmological) Argument. Everything must have a cause, therefore the universe must have a cause, and that cause was God. God was the first or uncaused cause.

Response: This leads to a real logical bind for the theist, because, if everything must have a cause, then God must have a cause. If God had a cause, he cannot be the first or uncaused cause. If God did not have a cause, then not everything must have a cause. If not everything needs a cause, then perhaps the universe doesn't need a cause. Thus, there is a logical bind and the proof fails.

2. The Design (Teleological) Argument. The universe is wonderful and exhibits evidence of design and order. These things must have had a designer that was even more wonderful, and that designer was God.

Response: Surely if the world is wonderfully designed, and God, the designer, is more wonderfully designed, then God must have a designer even more wonderful than He is. If God didn't need a designer, than neither should the relatively less wonderful thing such as the universe have needed one. Again, there is a logical self-contradiction.

3. The Argument from Life. Life cannot originate from the random movement of atoms, and yet life exists. Therefore the existence of a God was necessary to create life.

Response: Basically, life didn't originate from the random movement of atoms, and no scientists would say so. Because there are limits of a chemical composition and physics of atoms, and they do not move in any possible way, chemicals do not combine in any possible way. That's why when you see these one billion to one kind of odds that people have set for life originating. They're all wet. They haven't considered the possibility that not every reaction can occur. So, it's possible to explain the origins of life without a god and using the principle of parsimony or Occam's Razor, I think we are left with the simpler explanation [which is] the one without the God. I'll go into more detail on that later.

4. The Argument from Revealed Theology. The Bible says that God exists, and the Bible is the inspired word of God, therefore what it says must be true. Therefore God exists.

Response: Well this is obviously a circular argument. It begs the question. We are trying to show whether God exists; therefore, calling the Bible the word of God is not permitted, because it assumes the existence of the very thing we are trying to prove. So, if the Bible is not the Word of God, then we cannot give any real weight to the fact that it mentions that God exists. Thus, it does not become a proof. In fact, to prove God from the Bible is standing things on its head. First you must prove God, then you may say whether God dictated it or inspired it. But you can't really use the Bible as Dr. Bahnsen seems to want to do as evidence for existence of God, per se.

5. The Argument from Miracles. The existence of miracles requires the presence of a supernatural force, or a God. Miracles do occur, and therefore there is a supernatural force or God.

Response: Again, this is begging the question; it requires that you must believe in a God first, beforehand. Then you say there are such things as miracles, which are acting of a God who creates violations of his own laws. So, it is not evidence, per se, it can serve as supplementary evidence, once you have good evidence in another kind of way for the existence of a God - you can use miracles as a additional argument, but in and of itself it doesn't show the existence of a God, because it assumes that which needs to be proven.

A quote from Thomas Paine about miracles: "When you see an account is given about such a miracle, by a person who says he saw it, it raises a question in the mind that is very easily decided. Is it more probable that nature should go out of her course, or that a man could tell a lie? We have never seen in our time Nature go out of her course, but we have good reason to believe that millions of lies have been told in this same time. It is therefore at least millions to one that the reporter of a miracle tells a lie" I think those are good odds.

6. The Ontological Argument. God is, by definition, perfect. A necessary quality of any perfect object is that it exists. If it did not exist it would not be perfect. If perfection requires existence, then God exists.

Response: There is a problem with the word exists. In order for something to be perfect, it must first exist. If something didn't exist, the word perfect wouldn't mean anything. First you must have existence, then possibly you may have perfection. So, this again is going backwards; you must first have an existing God, and then you can decide whether He's perfect, if perfection is a quality of a God, then He may be perfect, but He first must exist.

7. The Moral Argument. All people have moral values. The existence of these values cannot be explained unless they were implanted in people by a God. Therefore, God exists.

An atheist's problem: There are simpler ways to explain the origin of moral values without requiring the existence of a God to implant them into people. Besides, if moral values did come from a God, then all people should have the same moral values. They don't. People's moral values are a result of an accommodation they have made with their particular environment and have taught to their children as a survival mechanism.

8. The Wish Argument. Without the existence of a God people wouldn't have any reason to live or be good, therefore there has to be a God. Most people believe in a God, therefore there is a God.

Response: This really isn't a proof, it is just a wish. It's like saying that it would be nice to have a God (which it would), but that doesn't have anything to do with whether there is one or not.

9. The Argument from Faith. The existence of God cannot be proven by the use of reason, but only by the use of faith. The use of faith shows that there is a God, therefore God exists.

Response: Reason is a proven way to obtain factual information about the universe. Faith has not been shown to produce true information about the universe because faith is believing something is so because you want it to be so, without adequate evidence. Therefore, faith cannot be used to prove the existence of anything.

In addition, there is the fact that faith often gives you the opposite answer to what is given by reason to the same problem. This also shows that faith does not provide valid answers.

10. The Argument from Religious Experience. Many people have claimed to have a personal experience or encounter with God, therefore God must exist.

Response: This is a difficult one to handle, because, first of all, I've never had such an experience, but I'm sure that people have absolutely honestly thought they've had such experiences. But, the feeling of having met God cannot be confused with the fact of having met God. There is a semantic confusion; and also, we cannot use our own feelings as if they were valid ways to obtain information about the world. They are feelings that we have inside of us, but we cannot demonstrate them to another person. They cannot be used as an evidence. If everyone had that same experience; like if we all looked around the room and we all agreed that there is a clock over there, then we might say that the vision of a clock is a consensual one, if everyone agreed on it. Other than that, if you saw a clock and no one else did, or if only two or three people did in the room, then you have a bit of a problem.

11. Pascal's Wager. We have no way of knowing if a God exists or not, and we have no way of finding out, but you have nothing to lose by believing in a God, but on the other hand, you do have a lot to lose by not believing in a God, and it turns out later on that there is one after we're dead.

Response: This is only true if 1) You are right about a God, and 2) you have picked the right religion, because you might wind up on the Judgment Day and be right about a God, but He says, "What religion were you?" and you say, "I was a believer in Islam." And He says, "Sorry, Catholicism is the right religion. Down you go." So, in addition, you might have a God Who punishes people who have lived virtuous lives, say an atheist who has lived a virtuous life, did wonderful deeds in the world, but just does not believe in a God, if the God punishes him, you have an irrational God who is just as likely to punish the believer as the unbeliever.

The Great Debate: Does God Exist?

2011-11-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

I came across this quote in a theological debate from 1985 at the University of California, Irvine entitled, "The Great Debate: Does God Exist?" The third point to the opening case for the existence of God, Dr. Greg Bahnsen (Christian theist) argues with Dr. Gordon Stein (atheist) the "Transcendental Argument" (transcendental--something is comparatively beyond other things):

When we go to look at the different world views that atheists and theists have, I suggest we can prove the existence of God from the impossibility of the contrary. The transcendental proof for God's existence is that without Him it is impossible to prove anything. The atheist world view is irrational and cannot consistently provide the preconditions of intelligible experience, science, logic, or morality. The atheist world view cannot allow for laws of logic, the uniformity of nature, the ability for the mind to understand the world, and moral absolutes. In that sense the atheist world view cannot account for our debate tonight.

What Dr. Bahnsen is saying is that it is impossible for God not to exist even in an atheist's world view. The atheist is dependent on the "laws of logic, the uniformity of nature, the ability for the mind to understand the world, and moral absolutes," each of which God is responsible for. No God? Then no debate.

The Newness of the New Earth

2011-10-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Randy Alcorn, in his book Heaven, comments on the “newness” of heaven:

When we open our eyes for the first time on the New Earth, will it be unfamiliar? Or will we recognize it as home? As human beings, we long for home, even as we step out to explore undiscovered new frontiers. We long for the familiarity of the old, even as we crave the innovation of the new. Think of all the things we love that are new: moving into a new house; the smell of a new car; the feel of a new book; a new movie; a new song; the pleasure of a new friend; the enjoyment of a new pet; new presents on Christmas; staying in a nice new hotel room; arriving at a new school or a new workplace; welcoming a new child or grandchild; eating new foods that suit our tastes. We love newness--yet in each case, what is new is attached to something familiar...So when we hear that in Heaven we will have new bodies and live on a New Earth, that’s how we should understand the word new--a restored and perfected version of our familiar bodies and our familiar Earth and our familiar relationships.

Upon reading texts like Romans 8:19–23; Acts 3:21; 2 Peter 3:6–10; and Revelation 21 and 22, I couldn't agree more with Alcorn's line of thinking. What a comfort! What a blessed hope! What endless joy!

"Behold, I am making all things new" (Rev 21:5)!

Relevance of Prophecy

2011-10-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

Paul Benware, in Understanding End Times Prophecy, concludes his final chapter discussing the present significance of prophetic texts in Scripture. He comments,

"Knowledge of the future was designed to greatly influence the present. For example:
1. Prophecy reminds us that our God is sovereign over people, nations, and angelic beings;
2. Prophecy reinforces the truth that our God is good, having a glorious future in store for His children, because it gives us hope in a world characterized by hopelessness;
3. Prophecy motivates us to holy living;
4. Prophecy encourages us to establish goals and priorities that are in line with future realities.
It is God’s desire to change the way we see life by allowing us some glimpses of what lies ahead."

After studying and attempting to teach on eschatology throughout this summer, I couldn't agree more with Benware's conclusion.

So don't shy away from the topic! Don't avoid prophetic books! Don't shut down when you come across futuristic passages! Don't ignore Israel just because the Church doesn't replace them! Don't question the relevance of prophecy! Don't treat eschatology as merely an academic discussion or intellectual debate!

For, "Knowledge of the future was designed to greatly influence the present."

The Grace of Calvary in the Glory of the New Jerusalem

2011-10-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the final lesson(s) in our topical study of Eschatology (the theology of the end times). For the close of our time in the Scriptures it only fits that we would descent in faithful exposition of the final two chapters of God's written revelation to mankind (Revelation 21, 22).

The focus of the Eternal State (aka "the new heavens and the new earth" or "heaven" as we know it) is the New Jerusalem, which is the holy city and the capitol of the new heaven and earth. John has more than a vision or dream of heaven; he is literally, spiritually transported from the Island of Patmos where he was exiled by Roman authority to the holy city, Jerusalem (21:10).

The predominant characteristic of the celestial city, as described in detail and wonderment by John, is the glory of God. With the arrival of the New Jerusalem, and the dwelling place of God finally and fully being with man, the eternal glory of God fills the heaven and the earth.

The gates of New Jerusalem are large, single pearls. It makes one wonder why pearls are God's choice for the twelve gates fixed in the walls of His holy city. In John MacArthur’s commentary, John Phillips explains [of the nature of pearls and significance to why they are Jerusalem’s gates]:

How appropriate! All other precious gems are metals or stones, but a pearl is a gem formed within the oyster--the only one formed by living flesh. The humble oyster receives an irritation or a wound, and around the offending article that has penetrated and hurt it, the oyster builds a pearl. The pearl, we might say, is the answer of the oyster to that which injured it. The glory land is God’s answer, in Christ, to wicked men who crucified heaven’s beloved and put Him to open shame. How like God it is to make the gates of the new Jerusalem of pearl. The saints as they come and go will be forever reminded, as they pass the gates of glory, that access to God’s home is only because of Calvary. Think of the size of those gates! Think of the supernatural pearls from which they are made! What gigantic suffering is symbolized by those gates of pear! Throughout the endless ages we shall be reminded by those pearly gates of the immensity of the sufferings of Christ. Those pearls, hung eternally at the access routes to glory, will remind us forever of One who hung upon a tree and whose answer to those who injured Him was to invite them to share His home. (Exploring Revelation, rev. ed. [Chicago: Moody, 1987; reprint, Neptune, N.J.: Loizeaux, 1991], 254)

Love and Prayer

2011-10-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

John Piper's book Desiring God is loaded with one-liners that leave the born again reader reeling back in wonderment of the potency and efficacy of the Scriptures. Piper is gifted with the ability to paint pictures of biblical truths with one and two sentence brush strokes that captivate and fascinate the mind.

In the chapter on Prayer, he stated something profoundly true along these lines (I was listening to it on audiobook): "When the pump of love has run dry, the pipe of prayer has not gone deep enough."

When I read across this section of the chapter about how prayer enables us to love one another, it stung my heart with immediate conviction. I had to pause my iPod, stop running alongside the street, and just contemplate its application to my life...as I huffed and puffed as a sweaty mess.

Questions swirled in my mind:

Who is difficult for me to love?
Where is the limit of my love exposed?
What is the love of Christ?
How do I pray for them?
How can I pray for them more?

The depth of Christ's prayer life was continually found in the depth of the Father's love. He withdrew into the hills for prayer with His Father, He cried over unrepentant Jerusalem, He sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane before He endured the cross. What love. What prayer.

Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence."

Sin According to the Apostle Paul

2011-06-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

What do you think about when you have an unsaved neighbor who is one of the nicest people you ever met? Or when someone on your team, at your job, or in your class seems to do more "good" towards others than a number of "believers" you know? Are these unregenerate acquaintances really "totally depraved"? Are they indeed totally incapable of righteousness before God?

We must not get caught up when understanding one of the most essential components of the Gospel message, taught nearly on ever page of the Scriptures--the sinfulness of man.

To understand what sin really is we must understand sin first and foremost as withholding worship from the Worthy One. Even the most "moral" people in this world are NOT doing good unto the glory of God. Yes, relative good can be done by non-believers because of God's common grace (Matt 5:45), but NO ONE can do anything to receive a right standing before God.

I recently came across this pointed quote in Thomas Schreiner's New Testament Theology that summarized the Apostle Paul's definition of sin. I confess it caught me off guard, but upon second thought made more sense than ever.

The fundamental sin, according to Paul, is not the failure to keep God's law--as serious as such infractions are. The root sin is the failure to praise and worship and thank God, to glorify him as God (Rom 1:21)...Refusing to honor God as God and to give him glory, to worship and adore him, constitutes sin according to Paul.

Preaching with Courage

2011-06-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

"When faithfulness to God becomes the primary aim of our preaching (and the grace of his love our greatest security), we are freed from inordinate ("disproportionately large") concern about personal acceptance, reputation, and offense (Acts 4:29)." -Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching, 343

As I have been preparing this week to preach Ephesians 1:7, 8 on the redemption of Christ, I was refreshed with this encouragement from one of my favorite preaching books. My prayer is to be faithful to God and to fear Him alone. If in my mind I begin to entertain thoughts characterized by the fear of man (see Prov 29:25), then all I will care about is personal acceptance, my reputation, and whom I might offend/displease.

Acts 4:29 says, "And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness...31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness."

Pray that we all have a deep conviction that when we say what the Bible says, we speak what God desires. So preach with courage for God.

An Overview of End Times

2011-03-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

What has been your introduction to the "end times"? Who has taught you or told you about what is going to happen in the future? What have you read about eschatology (the study of future things)? What major passages in Scripture have set your understanding for the Second Coming of the Lord? What do you know about the great Day of the Lord's coming judgment, destruction, and restoration of all things?

I admit that these questions have haunted me all my life. I have largely avoided them, even in seminary to some degree. I attribute this to nothing other than my pride. I tend to warm up to that which I know best because I have more control and comfort there. On the other hand, I tend to keep at bay that which can expose my ignorance or make me feel insignificant. Sheer pride.

In God's abundant grace and great sovereignty, He has engaged me with the blessed truths of eschatology in the past two months of my life. I am currently enrolled in a Theology IV class at Master's Seminary this Spring dealing with eschatology. And the ROCK group has just come upon Mark 13, the Olivet Discourse (dealing with end times theology). Like a breached dam, God has penetrated my pride and has been pouring His Word into a place where water wants to go but has been held back for so long. And I invite the deluge. My soul has been shut off to so much of God's glorious truth about future things.

Of course, when the topic of the end times arises for the first time in Christ's ministry, the disciples are driven with curiosity as to when these last days and future events will take place. They ask him, “Tell us, when will these things be” (Mk 13:4).

Below is a brief timeline of what I have come to believe the Bible represents as sound eschatology. The points and brief summaries are taken from chapter 11 of Paul A Benware's book Understanding End Times Prophecy:

1. The Rapture of the Church

The Lord will return from heaven and suddenly remove the church from the earth (1 Thess 4:13–18). He will meet believers in the air as we receive our glorified bodies.

Christians who have died before the Rapture and have been with Christ since, will also be involved, having their physical bodies raised from the dead (1 Cor 15:51–53).

All Christians who make up the church, the bride of Christ, will be with Him in heaven (John 14:1–3).

2. The Judgement Seat of Christ

All those who have been raptured will immediately be evaluated by the Lord concerning our works done in, through, by and for Him. This does not concern the salvation of the individual, since that has already been settled at the cross by the effective work of Christ.

If the works done in their life are good, then they will receive reward. If there are worthless deeds done by the believers then they will suffer loss for them (once again, not a loss of salvation).

3. The Seven-Year Tribulation ("70th Week" of Daniel)

After the church is removed from the earth, the world will experience unprecedented tribulation. According to Daniel 9:24–27, the tribulation begins when a man known as the Antichrist signs a treaty with the nation of Israel. At first, he seems to be Israel's protector, but he will turn out to be the great persecutor of Israel.

The first and great purpose of God in the tribulation is to save the nation of Israel (and many Gentiles too) and bring them under the new covenant of salvation. God will employ many miracles but He will also allow intense persecution on Israel. More will be saved in this seven year period than any other (Rev 7:9–17).

The second purpose of the tribulation is judgment on unrepentant sinful people. This will be an unprecedented time of trouble and judgment on the earth, as laid out in Revelation 6–18 and Matthew 24:4–28). Nearly 80% of the population of the earth will be destroyed in three series of different judgments.

Satan will be busy during the tribulation, attempting to destroy God's people with the Antichrist. Many will be deceived and follow him, but it will be to no avail because Jesus will return to take control of the planet for good.

4. The Second Coming of Christ to the Earth

Jesus will come in power and glory, ending the great tribulation and inaugurating the Millennial Kingdom. Many will rejoice upon His coming and many will be filled with great sorrow for their judgment is at hand.

Five important events occur at this time:
(1) The judgment of the living Gentiles (sheep and the goats judgment, Matt 25:31–46);
(2) The judgment of Israel (parable of ten virgins, Matt 25:1–11);
(3) The resurrection and rewarding of Old Testament saints who perished in the tribulation (Rev 6:9; 20:4–6; Dan 12:2);
(4) The binding of Satan (Rev 20:1–3); and
(5) The actual establishing of the messianic kingdom.

5. The Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ

The Millennial Kingdom is established once all the enemies of Christ are judged in the Second Coming. This is the time when all the unconditional covenants in the OT are fulfilled and accomplished allowing Israel and Gentiles to partake of the blessings of Christ's rule.

Because the curse for sin has been lifted, all people everywhere will worship Christ as Lord and Savior and all creation will bloom and become fertile. There will be prosperity and peace on the earth. There will be no disease and man will live very long in the Kingdom. The animal kingdom will be universally reset to where lions will not eat lambs and all animals will be vegetarians.

Although everyone in the Kingdom is a believer from the start worshiping Christ as King, there will be two different body types: mortal bodies (for those who believed and lived in the tribulation and were ushered straight into the Millennial Kingdom) and resurrected bodies (believers who died in church age, OT, and tribulation).

Those with mortal bodies who marry and have children in the Millennium may or may not have believing children (like in every age). Most will come to believe but some will not accept Christ as their King (Ps 2:9; Isa 11:4). When Satan is released one last time at the end of the 1,000 years, these unbelievers will rise in rebellion against the rule of Jesus as King (Rev 20:7–10).

6. The Judgments of the End Times

Three judgments will take place after the 1,000-year reign of Christ on the earth (Rev 20:7–15; 1 Cor 6:3):
(1) final judgment of Satan and the fallen angels to the lake of fire for eternity;
(2) all unbelievers from every age will be judged at the great white throne judgment and also throne into the lake of fire because of their sin and unbelief; and
(3) the heavens and the earth will be judged/renewed/purged of all sin, decay, curse, and corruption. The fire from 2 Peter 3:7–10 will cleanse the earth of all contamination of sin and wickedness and prepare the way for the new heavens and the new earth.

Also those who die in the Millennial Kingdom will be raised at this time to be judged in preparation for the eternal state.

7. The Eternal State

Benware concludes, "It was God's purpose from the very beginning to rule over and fellowship with people and with angels. His rulership was challenged, and His fellowship was marred by the entrance of sin and rebellion. But with the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to pay for sin and satisfy the wrath of God, fellowship was once again a reality. And with the defeat of the usurper Satan and the collapse of all the kingdoms of mankind, the Lord Jesus is King of Kings and the kingdom is now delivered over to the Father. In the eternal kingdom of God, there will be a fullness of joy, full and unhindered fellowship, and meaningful living on a new earth (Rev 21:1–22:5). This will forever be the experience of those who are the children of God."

An Introduction or a Proclamation?

2011-01-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

If you once were an enemy of the cross of Christ (Phil 3:18), but now have been made a friend of Christ (John 15:14)...
If you once were separated from Christ and far off from God (Eph 2:12, 13), but now have a promise that He will never leave nor forsake you (Josh 1:5; Heb 13:5)...
If you once echoed the fools claim in your heart "there is no God" (Ps 14:1), but now the cross of Christ is the boast of your life (Jer 9:23, 24; Gal 6:14)...

...then what do you do in conversations with the lost?

Picture walking up to someone at church with your dad. You reach out your hand and introduce yourself to the individual and begin conversing with them. When the conversation is over, you kindly say goodbye, it was nice to meet them, and then you walk away. Wouldn't it be kind of rude to not introduce your dad to that individual?

Picture walking up to someone who had just been robbed, had their valuables stolen, left half dead on the side of the street. And with you is your friend who is a medical doctor. You examine the individual, tell them that they will be ok, give them your extra sweatshirt, hand them a few dollars, and tell them you will be praying for them and walk away. Wouldn't it be fiercely unjust to not introduce your friend who is the doctor to them?!

Picture walking up to someone who is just a commoner. There is nothing presentable about them, nothing showy, nothing of real worth in the town's eyes, nothing that would draw others to them. And with you stands the King of glory. You converse with the individual. You find things in common. You laugh at a few pleasantries. You talk about family, life, and interests. You find more things in common with them. You part ways with a smile feeling like you made a friend. But what about the King? What a disgrace! What is a king with no honor? What is a King with no recognition? What is a King with no proclamation?

If Christ has made you His friend, and promised to never leave you, and is your only boast in life, then why does He receive no introduction? Why isn't He of first importance to us when meeting someone new, someone in need, someone like us but who is lost? Obviously we are in the process of building relationships in order to proclaim Him with the message of the gospel and our lives (1 Thess 2:8), but far too often we push back introducing Christ to them rather than pushing it forward in our many interactions with the lost.

The fact of the matter is that Christ needs no introduction. Rather, He is worthy of our proclamation for all He is and all He has done! He is the preeminent One, the Creator of the universe, the Savior to the world, the Lord of lords, the promised Messiah, the fullness of God in flesh. He has conquered sin and death and reversed the curse through His precious blood shed on our behalf.

May we each find that resolve to proclaim Christ to the lost that is in proportion to who He is and what He has done.

Ignite Topic Preview...

2010-12-12T21:15:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be wondering what our topic is going to be for Ignite. Well, I came across this section in a Systematic Theology book written by Norman Geisler that will point you in the direction we are heading. Enjoy!

"The Preparation for the Savior

Immediately following the Fall, God announced His eternal plan to provides salvation for all humankind. He said to the serpent, whom He had allowed to tempt Adam and Eve, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Gen 3:15). The Savior would be the Seed of the woman, and He would ultimately–fatally–crush the serpent's head. This Christ did officially on the Cross (Col. 2:14) and will do actually when He returns (Rom 16:20; Rev 20:10).

The rest of the Old Testament is the preparation for the coming Savior. To begin, God called into existence the holy nation through which He would bring the Promised Seed. In the books of the law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), God laid the foundation for Christ. In the historical books (Joshua through Nehemiah), He made the provision for the holy nation to enter and obtain the Holy Land so that they could produce the Holy One (Christ).

We see, then, that in Genesis God chose the nation; in Exodus He redeemed them; in Leviticus He sanctified them; in Numbers He guided them, and in Deuteronomy He instructed them so that in Joshua they could be victorious. In Judges they were unsettled without a king, but in 1 Samuel the nation was established and in 2 Samuel it was expanded. After the reign of Solomon, the nation declined (in 1 Kings) and was departed (in 2 Kings–a prophetic history repeated from a priestly viewpoint in 1 and 2 Chronicles). In Esther the nation was protected, and in Ezra and Nehemiah they were returned and rebuilt.

Meanwhile, the poetic books express an aspiration for Christ. Job aspired for mediation, Psalms for communion with God, Proverbs for wisdom, Ecclesiastes for the greatest good, and Song of Solomon for intimate union–all of which was found ultimately in jesus the Messiah.

Finally, the prophetic books (Isaiah through Malachi) earnestly proclaim an expectation for Christ. Each book in its own way anticipated the coming Savior, concluding the Old Testament preparation for the One who was to bring salvation."

AND THAT IS JUST HALF OF WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BE HEARING ABOUT AT IGNITE! The Presentation of Christ in the NT will be the second half of Abner's content. I hope you are praying about this time together that it will do the most amount of good for Christ and His kingdom.

Nov 7, Prov 7 Highlights

2010-11-08T10:33:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 7:1 "My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; 2 keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; 3 bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend, 5 to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words."

The treasure of your heart and the apple of your eye. This is talk of affection and deepest devotion. Is it the Word or the world? Is it wisdom or women? May wisdom be written on your heart to avoid such peril (see v. 23 "cost him his life").

Proverbs 7:7 "and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, 8 passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house 9 in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness."

I'd hate to point out that this is one of the only times that the Bible actually uses the word "twilight" but we'll let that slide for now. The young man who "lacks sense" is the one who walks into sexual immorality because he is ignorant, stupid, foolish.

Proverbs 7:25 "Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths."

Nov 6, Prov 6 Highlights

2010-11-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 6:4 "Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber."

No, this is not a proof-text for playing video games all night. The context is speaking of one who needs to resolve interpersonal matters that have ensnared him/her. Matters must be resolved to find agreement with one's neighbor.

Proverbs 6:6 "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise...9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest."

As believers called to walk worthy of our highest calling, we'd do well to consider the ant's ways more often. There is wisdom in her many steps. If you aren't an ant, you are a slug. The sluggard is warned like the ensnared believer in vv. 1-5 to not rest until something is resolved. In the slug's case, it is that he must become wise like the ant. Slugs sleep, ants act.

Proverbs 6:21 "Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you."

When God's Word and godly instruction is bound around your heart, it is living and active. These words will lead you, watch over you, and talk with you. Does the wisdom of God's Word live in you in this manner?

Proverbs 6:25 "Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes."

The heart is what is fought for in the spiritual battle. Either the Word is living, active, and richly dwelling within, or the beauty of the things of this world will be actively destroying you from the inside. Do not be captured by anything but the Word.

Proverbs 6:29 "So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished...32 He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself."

The one who commits adultery in deed or in desire can expect one thing--consequences. To not "go unpunished" and to "destroy himself" show that consequences are brought upon you by one who punishes and that consequences are brought upon your life by yourself. Be wise and turn from the error of your ways and seek a vibrant, living relationship with the God of all wisdom.

Nov 5, Prov 5 Highlights

2010-11-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 5:1 "My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, 2 that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil."

Like a father to a son, so these words come with wisdom, understanding, discretion and knowledge that we tend to lack. "Lips" are twice mentioned here. First, our lips must guard knowledge. That which we've been taught ought to remain in us and guide us in discretion when tempted. Second, the forbidden woman's lips call the youth to give up wisdom rather than guard it. No matter how sweet and smooth, we must guard knowledge and walk wisely.

Proverbs 5:7 "And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. 8 Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house."

A second exhortation and plea from a father who desires more than anything to get through to his son: keep your way far from her! We are told not to depart and to depart, fast! Do NOT depart from words of wisdom, but DO desperately depart from the forbidden woman. Note: "keep your way far from her." Where are your feet headed? Eyes set? Thoughts fixed?

Proverbs 5:12 "And you say, 'How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! 13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.'"

The son that did not listen to the father's plea and warning, looks back on his moral blunder and says, "If only I had listened." Watch for the word "discipline" in verse 23.

Proverbs 5:21 "For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths. 22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. 23 He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray."

When it all comes down to it, the father cares not so much of how his son listened to his warning, but that his son realizes this: ALL OUR WAYS ARE BEFORE THE LORD. If our way should take us to the forbidden woman, may we remember our Heavenly Father's omniscience (all-knowing) and omnipresence (all-present). The son fallen into immorality is ensnared, caught in the cords of his sin. There is no easy escape. The "history" of the internet is not quickly erased. The guilt of "going too far" is not easily forgotten. The bondage of immorality of any kind is a snare for the soul. Why? Because he lacked "discipline" to walk wisely in the fear of the Lord.

Nov 4, Prov 4 Highlights

2010-11-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 4:6 "Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you."

Wisdom is often personified as one who cries out in the streets that all who fear the Lord might find her. Once found, she will keep and guard you. This is strikingly similar to the Ultimate Personification of wisdom--Christ Himself. He calls out to us. He is the Person who walks in and talks of this wisdom that is from above (James 3:13-18).

Proverbs 4:13 "Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life."

Interesting to note: if you do not forsake her (guard her), she will keep and guard you. She is your life. It should be life to you to walk in the wisdom of the Lord. Do not let go!

Proverbs 4:21 "Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart."

Again, keep wisdom within your heart, write it on your heart, bind it one your neck, and you will be kept by her.

Nov 3, Prov 3 Highlights

2010-11-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil."

All too often we rely on our own understanding by living prayerlessly, walking by sight rather than by faith, and holding a higher view of ourselves and lower view of God than we ought. But we must trust in the LORD! He is our faithful, covenant-keeping, personal God!

Proverbs 3:15 "She [wisdom] is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her."

Repeat: "nothing you desire can compare with her." Is there anything comparable to wisdom of God in your life? If I told you there was a check for a million dollars in the mail, I'm sure you'd sprint to the mailbox and ravage the parcels of mail until you found it. Do you pursue the wisdom of God in this manner?

Proverbs 3:19 "The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; 20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew."

And as we learn to appreciate His creation around us, we witness God's wisdom, understanding and knowledge displayed powerfully.

Proverbs 3:25 "Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, 26 for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught."

Panic attacks should have no place in the mind and life of the believer for the LORD is our confidence. It is Him, not something that He merely supplies at times, or can perform if we are lucky--no! He is our confidence!

Proverbs 3:34 "Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. 35 The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace."

Lord, make us wise and humble.

A. W. Tozer on Wise Shepherding

2010-10-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

"To enjoy a great religious book requires a degree of consecration to God and detachment from the world that few modern Christians have."

Michael Fabarez in Preaching that Changes Lives comments, "We would be wise shepherds to raise up a congregation of readers."

I couldn't agree more! Let us be a congregation consecrated to God and detached from this world!

Read on!

Blind Moles through Golden Pipes

2010-10-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

Martin Luther, historical reformer of the early church in the 1500s, about the difference between grace and law says, "Law (with its call for works) and grace (as a divine gift) are antithetic to one another. The law says 'do this,' and it is never done. Grace says, 'believe in this,' and everything is already done." "By grace alone!" was Luther's battle cry!

John Calvin, masterful theologian of the 1500s, about the spiritual realm says, "The greatest geniuses are blinder than moles!" He believed that every sinner needs God's special grace in order to please God.

Charles Spurgeon, powerful preacher of the 1800s, about the means of grace says, "All things come to us through Christ Jesus: he is the golden pipe of the conduit of eternal love, the window through which grace shines, the door by which it enters." He believed that the grace of God is the undeserved bounty of the ever-gracious Creator against whom we have offended, the generous pardon, the infinite, spontaneous lovingkindness of the God who has been provoked and angered by our sin.

Boy, are we blessed by godly men who paved the way before us down the narrow road that leads to Christ-centered, grace-oriented, God-honoring, church-purifying theology about the truth of God!

"If anyone aspires..."

2010-10-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever given a thought to how you view your future ministry to be like in the church? Take just a moment, considering all your strengths and weaknesses, gifts and abilities, and fears and desires to see where the Lord might be leading your heart regarding ministry to Christ in His body.

Full-time missionary overseas
Short-term missions leader
Inner-city pastoral ministry
Inner-city evangelism
Biblical training center worldwide
Church-planting team
Church-plant elder
Church-plant deacon/servant
Church-plant administrator
Lay elder in local church
Deacon in local church
Music ministry leader
Staff member part-time
Staff member full-time
Professor in Christian education
Christian school administrator
Christian college professor
Adult education teacher
Senior pastor of local church
Associate pastor of local church
Biblical counselor
Writer/author/speaker
etc

Whatever it may be that you envision yourself aspiring to (1 Tim 3:1), you must pray for God to fill you with the godly desire to pursue it. And it will not come in an epiphany overnight and come to fruition the next morning--it is something that comes through faithful, steady, prayerful and sacrificial service to Christ and His kingdom for the sake of the gospel and the glory of God. Consider further if you are using your gifts, abilities, strengths, and desires for His kingdom's cause right now.

Christ Himself said, "Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest" (Jn 4:35).

Will you be the one among your friends that starts a revival in your sphere of influence?
Is the condition of your marriage conducive for kingdom efforts?
Is your speech regularly seasoned with the grace that sets sinners free?
Is your faith one worth modeling? One that inspires those of genuine faith around you?
Does your heart for the lost take you beyond your comfort zones to new places of ministry?
What holds you back from being elder/deacon qualified? What does God think about that?
Do you aspire to serve Christ's body with an ambition that seeks no higher aim?

Once again, Christ says, "We must work the works of him who sent me [Heavenly Father] while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work" (Jn 9:4).

Man as Creature and Person

2010-10-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

What is man? Theologians call the doctrine of man Anthropology. There are zillions of ideas as to what man essentially is because of the endless unbiblical worldviews we see today. But what is man according a biblical anthropology? Here are some helpful thoughts that I believe take theology to humility and responsibility.

Anthony Hoekema in his book Created in God's Image says, "The human person does not exist autonomously or independently, but as a creature of God" (Gen 1:1, 27). Quoting Werner Foerster, Hoekema says, "Thus in becoming, being, and perishing, all creation is wholly dependent on the will of the Creator." God "gives all men life and breath and everything else," and "in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:25, 28).

He goes on, "Man is not only a creature, however; he is also a person. And to be a person means to have a kind of independence--not absolute but relative." This relative independence means that we have freedom to make decisions, set goals, and move toward them. We have options in life and we have the power to decide where we will go.

But do we have a contradiction in terms? Can man truly be a created person? Wholly dependent on God for life yet relatively independent to move in life as we see fit?

Filling these roles out further, Hoekema says, "To be a creature means that I cannot move a finger or utter a word apart from God; to be a person means that when my fingers are moved, I move them, and that when words are uttered by my lips, I utter them. To be creatures means that God is the potter and we are the clay (Rom 9:21); to be persons means that we are the ones who fashion our lives by our own decisions (Gal 6:7–8)."

Whole point: we must keep both of these truths clearly in focus. All worldly anthropologies of man will imbalance these two concepts in some form. Some more drastically than others. We have absolutely no existence without God who is central to all creation. AND at the same time we are not puppets or robots.

May our hearts be full of gratitude for God's sovereign grace in our lives, in creating and re-creating us in His image. And at the same time, may we "be imitators of God" as we have the responsibility to be conformed to His image.

"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil 2:12, 13).

"For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" (Col 1:29).

Something for Your Monday

2010-09-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

You have to watch this Video, all the way through...You'll at least get a good smile out of it;)

Walking in Repentance

2010-09-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

The Valley of Vision is a small book stored with rich literature from the Puritans. They are mainly composed of prayers of different topics. What stands out most to me after reading through so many of them, is their utter hatred for and suspicion of their sin. As this prayer below reflects on the continuance of repentance (don't miss: "I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness"), be in awe of our great Father's great grace.

"O God of Grace,

You have imputed my sin to my Substitute, and have imputed His righteousness to my soul, clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe, decking me with jewels of holiness. But in my Christian walk I am still in rags; my best prayers are stained with sin; my penitential tears are so much impurity; my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin; my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness; I am always standing clothed in filthy garments, and by grace am always receiving change of raiment, for you always justify the ungodly; I am always going into the far country, and always returning home as a prodigal, always saying, “Father, forgive me,” and you are always bringing forth the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it, every evening return in it, go out to the day’s work in it, be married in it, be wound in death in it, stand before the great white throne in it, enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, the exceeding wonder of grace."

The heart of the pray-er who penned these words surely "exceeds" my continual repentance. May we walk in repentance, putting off our filthy rags and dressing ourselves in our Savior's robes of righteousness.

A Prayer for Power

2010-09-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

A prayer for the ROCK group...

"For this reason we bow our knees before our Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

that according to the riches of Your glory, You may grant the ROCK Group to be strengthened with power through Your Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith,

that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,

that we may be filled with all Your fullness."

-Ephesians 3:14–19

May our heavenly Father grant to us, according to the riches of His glory: strength, sight, and satisfaction.

1.) Strength--the strength of the Spirit (Acts 1:8 "you will receive power [Gr. dunamis--from which we get "dynamite"] when the Holy Spirit has come upon you") in our inner man where Christ now dwells richly in us (Gal 2:20 "no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me," and Col 3:16 "the word of Christ dwell richly within you").

2.) Sight--only from a position of being rooted deeply and grounded firmly in the love of God (Col 2:6, 7 "as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him") may we have strength to comprehend and see ("Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law" Ps 119:18) the boundless dimensions of God's love for us in Christ.

3.) Satisfaction--the perfect man or woman is the one who is completely full of God ("For in him [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" Col 2:9) and satisfied in Him ("Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" Ps 90:14).

"Now to You who are able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to You be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

-Ephesians 3:20, 21

The Sacrificial Lamb

2010-09-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yom Kippur was on Saturday this weekend. On the biblical calendar, this is one of the most important days because it was when atonement was made for the nation of Israel (Leviticus 16:1–34).

Leviticus 23:26 says, "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 'Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord...28b to make atonement for you before the Lord you God."

I came across this video that will really grip your emotions and fix your eyes on the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). You will NEVER read Isaiah 53 the same way again. "Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter" so our Savior was captured and crucified on the cross.

Never forget the cross, nor the Lamb.

What is Expository Preaching?

2010-09-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what "expository preaching" is really all about? Are we as a church doing it right? If you tried out all the churches in the Antelope Valley would you notice a difference between how they all handle God's Word? Here is an short video discussion between three men who have faithfully exposited the Word of God in their respective churches.

Upon watching this 10min clip, I hope you will...

1. Be able to define and describe what "Expository Preaching" is;

2. Have a greater respect for the preacher's regular responsibility in preparing and preaching sermons for churches around the world;

3. Be able to engage more on Sunday mornings with each sermon;

4. Know how to pray for preachers of the Word more educatedly;

5. Have a greater reverence for God's Word;

6. Be more grateful for Valley's commitment to proclaim God's Word.

He Has Made Himself Known!

2010-05-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

From Psalm 19:1–11, we learn about "General Revelation" and "Special Revelation" from King David. No doubt it is a more challenging theological concept, but it is well worth trying to understand the best we can.

Brief definition of the biblical concepts:

1. "General Revelation"--God revealing Himself to mankind generally through Creation (Psalm 19:1–6).

What the Bible says about the concept of "General Revelation":

Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

Also see Romans 1:19–20 "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

(For more fun reading on this Main Point #1: Psalm 8:3–4; Isaiah 40:12–15; Acts 14:15–17; Romans 2:14–16 referring to the voice of God in the conscience of EVERY man)

2. "Special Revelation"--God revealing Himself to mankind especially through the Word of God (Psalm 19:7–11) AND the Person of Jesus Christ (Gal 4:4; John 14:9).

There are two sources of "Special Revelation" of God: the Word of God and the Son of God.

First of all, the Word of God being Special Revelation.

From our text from Friday night, please see Psalm 19:7–11.

2 Peter 1:19–21 "And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God las they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

1 Corinthians 2:9 "But, as it is written,

'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him'—

10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ."

Secondly, the Son of God as the supreme Special Revelation of God.

Galatians 4:4, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law."

Hebrews 1:1–3 "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."

John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Other ways God has revealed Himself to mankind (in the past, not presently):

a. Theophanies (God appearing to man in some shape of form)

b. Dreams and visions (Numbers 12:6)

c. Direct contacts (Numbers 22:9; 23:4; Exodus 33:11)

d. Miracles and signs

e. The Prophets

BUT the nice thing is that we have these recorded for us in the Word of God! So read on! :)

Brief comparison of the biblical concepts:

I believe Pache's comment is accurate and trustworthy, "The revelation given in nature [general revelation] is insufficient. It does allow us a glimpse of the power, providence and eternality of God; but it fails to present clearly His person, His holiness, His righteousness and--above all--His redeeming love and everlasting purposes for us" (Rene Pache, The Inspiration and Authority of Scripture, pg. 16).

Therefore, you cannot be saved by General Revelation alone. Though someone can believe that God exists through seeing and observing creation, they still cannot be saved because they haven't heard and believed in what the Bible says about Christ dying for their sins, making them right with their mighty Creator God.

"The Bible may be regarded as completing the intended divine revelation of God partially revealed in nature, more fully revealed in Christ, and completely revealed in the written Word." Praise God for the fullness of His revelation to us! We are not left short-handed, or with partial information about Him!

Its kind of like inside information in the investment world. When you get "specific" information from someone on the inside who works for Apple, and they say that a new product is being released in January 2011, then you should put your stock in Apple before it comes out. You have an advantage because you know information that the "general" public and other investors do not know.

God has revealed Himself specially through His Word that we might gain insight into how we can be saved--through Christ and Christ alone. The one who has never heard the gospel is still in the dark, until they are reached with the preaching of the gospel. Listen to Paul...

Romans 15:20–21 says, "and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written,

“Those who have never been told of him will see,

and those who have never heard will understand.”

How can we be holy?

2010-02-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

This morning's message at The Master's Seminary chapel was delivered by Dr. Bill Barrick on "Sanctification: The Work of the Holy Spirit and Scripture."

To answer his question, "How can we be holy?" he answers from Scripture:

1. The Initial Sanctification

First Corinthians 6:11 says, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

First, remember that you were made completely and perfectly holy by the regeneration of your soul and the washing of the stains of your sins. In Christ, we have been positioned as holy before our holy God. That should ALWAYS motivate you to become holy out of the gratefulness of your heart.

2. The Exhortation of Sanctification

Second Corinthians 7:1 says, "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God."

Since you are clean (number 1 above), therefore be clean! We have the promises of God to bring us out of every defilement of body and spirit. We have been exhorted to purge out that which is inconsistent with our holy calling.

3. The Imperative of Sanctification

Hebrews 12:14 says, "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."

We are to strive for holiness, making it our ambition to seek a holy life. Can it be observed of your life that you strive for or pursue holiness?

4. The Process of Sanctification

Second Corinthians 3:18 says, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

Be assured of this, that becoming holy like Christ is a process. You won't be done with all former sins in four minutes. You won't walk through temptations like they never phase you. You are a "work in process." God has so wisely and wonderfully designed in His Word that you may be forgiven as you repent of your sin, that you'd be shown grace when broken over your sin, and that you'd be shown mercy when you are feeling like a failure. God is patient. Endure the process, for it is God who began a good work in your and He will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6).

So go. Be holy, as He is holy.

Christ's Ascension...So What?

2010-02-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

What do you know about the Ascension of Christ? Is it deep to you? Was it really that significant? Does it have any relevance to us now? Kenneth Alan Daughters expounds on this often overlooked, yet Biblically significant, aspect of Christ's earthly ministry in his article: The Theological Significance of the Ascension.

For the sources of the quotations below, please check the Emmaus Journal, Vol 3 (1994) 163–177. He begins, in part...

"Easter is incomplete, Pentecost is impeded, and the Second Coming is impossible without the ascension...Where is Christ now?...If he is not on the right hand of God the Father, he does not reign, and we have no King."

1. It marks the end of Christ's self-limitation (Phil 2:1–8)

2. It is the occasion for Christ's exaltation and glorification (Jn 17:5; Phil 2:9–11; Eph 1:20–22)

"He is reigning as King in heaven, sitting at His Father's right hand and soon His rulership will extend to this earth when He returns in judgment to set up His kingdom...It also demonstrates the Father's acceptance of Christ's earthly work...God the Father set the seal and crown upon His resurrection, and upon His whole earthly ministry...He rose to ascend; he ascended to reign."

3. It marks the entrance of resurrected humanity into heaven

"Jesus was the first man to enter heaven with a glorified body. He is our forerunner (Heb 6:20). His presence there is our guarantee that we too will be resurrected and taken to heaven."

4. It marks the beginning of Christ's new ministry of intercession and advocacy (Heb 7:25; 1 Jn 2:1)

5. It allowed Christ to send the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower us (Jn 16:7; 14:12)

"Unless Jesus returned to the Father, we would not be empowered to do these 'greater works'...Our works are not greater in quality, but greater in quantity. Greater works can be accomplished because the Spirit indwells each one of us. Jesus has shared Himself with us more by sending His Spirit than if He had stayed personally."

6. It served as the opportunity for Christ to give us spiritual gifts (Eph 4:8)

7. It allows the preparation of our future heavenly home (Jn 14:2–3)

8. It anticipates His return (Acts 1:11)

The Ascension is a significant aspect of not only Christ's life here no earth, but also His present ministry from heaven's throne to those who believe today. BUT, how often do we spend time to contemplate and really mediate on the significance of this culminating and forward-looking event of Christ's ministry?

May we appreciate the Ascension of Christ more than before and in every day until He returns in the same fashion He left.

Who is Worthy of Worship?

2010-02-04T16:07:00.000-08:00

Take a look at Scripture at a few examples...

Is Peter?

Acts 10:25–26 "When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, 'Stand up; I too am a man.'"

How about Paul? And Barnabas?

Acts 14:11, 14–15 "And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, 'The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!' 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 'Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.'"

Try Angels?

Revelation 19:10 "Then I [John] fell down at his feet to worship him [the angel that spoke to him], but he said to me, 'You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.'"

Jesus?

Matthew 13:31–33 "Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' 32 And when they [the disciples] got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'"

Matthew 15:25 "But she [the Syrophoenician woman] came and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, help me.'"

Matthew 28:9 "And behold, Jesus met them [women after His resurrection] and said, 'Greetings!' And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him."

John 9:35–38 "Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?' 36 He answered, 'And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?' 37 Jesus said to him, 'You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.' 38 He said, 'Lord, I believe,' and he worshiped him."

Surely if Jesus was only a man like Peter, Paul or Barnabas, or even if He was an angel, He would have rejected the worship offered to Him throughout His life. Rather, Jesus accepted worship and commended men and women for their faith in Him.

Logical conclusion: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, so worship Him and Him alone for He is God!

Frazier Park Snow Day-Part 3

2010-01-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

Darrin raises the bar with his famous face plants, many of which have left evidence and debris in his mustache.

Tyler puts us all to shame when perfecting the standard sled jump, though only moments after he would be found cold, curled up on a log, tending to his frozen, ice-burnt wounds with no shoes on.

HAD to try "The Train" at our last stop of the day. Pretty much cleared out the whole park with our superior performance, but left with no regrets knowing that we left our best on the slopes.

Frazier Park Snow Day-Part 2

2010-01-30T23:38:00.000-08:00

Today was an incredible day of fun AND fellowship! God is so good for having kept us all safe up in the mountains as we thrashed our bodies on sleds in the snow AND He is so good for having provided wonderful opportunities to get to know other brothers--and sister ;)--in Christ better, to talk about things of His Word and creation, and to relate to one another over eternal and personal matters...when we weren't discussing who had frostbite the worst (a very personal matter indeed...just ask Tyler T)!

Our arrival at Frazier Park, as Paul shows us how much air he wants to get.

First order of business...find the steepest slope with the most jumps and "Go big or go home!"

Where others find "dead ends" we come alive with our finest tricks!

Frazier Park Snow Day-Part 1

2010-01-30T22:52:00.000-08:00

Paul and Tim (whom we had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know) made haste to drop in and book it to the bottom.

Paul takes a plunge from unparalleled heights! See as he pulls a sudden and unexpected, yet skillfully successful, trick on his way over the "speed bumps."

Daniel, under the impression that this was a smoothly-carved out half-pipe, finds himself being lodged into the opposing embankment.

Mark Those Observations!

2010-01-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

I have been teaching through the Gospel of Mark on Friday nights for the college ministry for a couple of years now. My Expository Preaching professor, Dr. Ardavanis, is also preaching through the Gospel of Mark in his church at Placerita Baptist in Santa Clarita. One of the joys of my preaching class, which has also become a source of personal embarrassment at times, is hearing how he has preached through the sections of Mark and what the propositional statements were for his texts when I didn't necessarily see them that clearly. For instance,

1. The "Compassionate Goodness of Christ" is NOT the main point of Mark 7:31–37, in which Jesus heals a deaf man.

2. "Christ's Compassion and Miraculous Provision" are definitely aspects of Mark 8:1–10, but NOT the main point to emphasize, which I also did.

3. I generally have been teaching each paragraph, or section of thought, observing Who Christ is, what He has said/done, and how people respond to His actions. They make for great little devotions, but seem--to me now--to have been missing something that unified them all.

One of the greatest mistakes I feel like I have made is teaching through the Gospel of Mark, without the overarching theme of the whole book, and the major theme of the larger sections of Mark's writing.

For instance, 1:1 says, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." THIS is the purpose statement of the book of Mark. Therefore, my steady appeal to those who hear my messages should be something along the lines of "This is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and here in this passage it is clear that He is the Son of God. Will you receive Him by faith and follow after Him?"

Also, if you look closely you will find the theme of Jesus' authority threaded in and out of the context of chapters 1–8. You will see His authority over sickness, Satan, demonic possession, forgiveness of sins, creation, sickness, death and disbelief. Surely Mark comes out strong in his Gospel providing evidence for the authority that Jesus Christ has as the Son of God.

And, if you look to the next large context of Mark, you will find an "inclusio," which is a body of thought inclosed with one main purpose. The inclusio spans from chapters 8 to 10. On either end of the body of thought, there are two similar miracles performed by Jesus that function as the passage's "book ends." At the center of these three chapters lies the three different foretellings of the death, burial and resurrection of the Son of Man. Not only that hard news to hear for the 12, but also a model for the way in which they would live following after Him--if you are to follow Him, you are to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. If you are to follow Him, then forsake it all to find it all in Him. If you are to follow Him, you will not be ashamed of Him in this adulterous and sinful generation. If you are to follow Him, you will be last of all and servant of all. If you are to follow Him, you must be servant, slave, and sacrificially selfless to all. These are the terms or requisites of authentic discipleship.

What is interesting in the first bookend, when Jesus heals the blind man at Bethsaida, is that He heals him in two phases. Why? It was not because Jesus was warming up and improving or practicing on him. It was not that anything was limiting Him from healing this man's blindness. It WAS an illustration for the doubting disciples for them to have the eyes of their hearts opened to the truth of who Jesus really is. In 8:17, 18, and 21 say, "Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?...Do you not yet understand?"

And what is unique about the second healing of Jesus restoring sight to blind Bartimaeus, is that He does it without touching him. Just the commendation of Bart's faith and the power of Christ would suffice. For Bart had seen/believed something about Jesus that others were slow and partially blind to see about Him--"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Bart got it right! He knew that this man was the promised Messiah through the line of David! And it was his undivided faith that healed him.

So lesson learned: Preach the biblical text propositionally with the support, flow and force of the context.

Can You Become a Leader?

2010-01-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

I came across a powerful set of questions in J. Oswald Sanders' book on leadership, Spiritual Leadership, which are worth considering for your own relationships with one another:

1. Do other people's failures annoy or challenge you?

2. Do you "use" people, or cultivate people?

3. Do you direct people, or develop people?

4. Do you criticize, or encourage?

5. Do you shun or seek out the person with a special need or problem?

These are pretty penetrating tests of our leadership potential. Spend some time thinking through which way you lean in each of these questions in each of your relationships.

A Verse of Encouragement

2010-01-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been feeling pretty weak physically and at times it can really wear on me. I know that there are plenty of people at Valley who are going through the sickness season, and there are many others who are experiencing affliction in various ways, perplexing times, and even persecution for standing up for Christ. So here is a verse to encourage you in the midst of your weakness.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Cor 4:7).

The surpassing power of God is what gets us through each trial and hardship, and that power is not of own doing or striving. May God receive glory in our "inglorious" days. And may our minds and lips be full of praise to God for His surpassing power demonstrated in our weakness, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh (v. 11).

I'd love to be able to say, "I'd rather be sick and know the power of God, than to be healthy and feel like I don't need God's power." Unfortunately, I have a lot of maturing to go until I get there!

Does God forgive us when we don't confess our sin?

2010-01-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

I was asked this question recently and thought that it would be profitable to include the discussion in our blog. "Does God forgive us when we don't confess our sin? Like if we never admitted we sinned, does he forgive us for that by his grace?" Whenever the answer doesn't seem screamingly clear to me, I just start by reinforcing biblical truths that I know are in place first, and then view the question in my fresh understanding of those other concrete truths. For instance...

1. Forgiven are those who fear the LORD

Psalm 103:11–13 says, "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him."

One would not know where to start when trying to measure the distance "the east is from the west." This shows the extent and effectiveness of His perfect forgiveness. Do you think about this truth when you feel guilt from things you have done in your past? Do you think on this truth when you slightly fall back into past sins that you once felt such immense guilt about? Do you think on this truth when you are caught up in sin from day to day?

Note: There is no sign of taking advantage of God's gracious and complete forgiveness here, as if we can just walk up to this truth and say, "I have sinned. You say you will forgive me entirely. So I will go on living like I always have because you never count it against me." NO! "The LORD is great in his steadfast love and shows compassion to those who fear him."

Too often we don't walk in the fear of the LORD. We must recognize that if it weren't for the compassionate mercy and gracious forgiveness of the LORD, then we would stand condemned for the whole of our lives AND into the next, experiencing the totality and severity of God righteous and indignant wrath for sinful rebellion against Him. And turning away from Him and choosing a life of sinfulness should cause us to tremble in fear.

Romans 6:1, 2 (along with Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 2:16; Jude 7) say, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" Let us not "pervert the grace of God," but "walk in newness of life," "using our freedom to serve God and man."

2. Blessed are the forgiven by the LORD

Psalm 32:1–2 says, "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgive, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit".

Not knowing if you are forgiven for sins is no way to live. Trying to conceal your sin, covering it up and justifying your sinful thoughts or actions is really a decaying process for your soul--"For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of the summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin" (32:3–5).

If you know that you've sinned and you feel guilty because you've broken God's holy standard, then you only have two choices--try to cover it up yourself or be covered by God. David here is expressing the anguish and turmoil of what it is like to attempt to cover it up himself. This is no way to live! It only leads to death (2 Cor 7:10).

So David's advice is "Let everyone who is godly offer prayer to You at a time when You may be found...You are a hiding place for me; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with shouts of deliverance" (Ps 32:6–7).

Because let's be honest, "Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart" (32:10–11)! THIS is the way to live--to be covered by the steadfast love of the LORD. Trust Him, seek His forgiveness for all the sin He is making known to you, and rejoice for you know you are clean!

3. Sanctified are those who are holy in the LORD

When talking about forgiveness in the life of a believer, we are really talking about the process of becoming more holy--sanctified. Putting off that which is in accordance to our old nature and putting on that which pertains to our new nature in Christ Jesus (Col 3:1–17; Eph 4:17–32; Rom 6; 1 Thes 4:3–8). The key doctrines of our faith are often referred to as "Doctrines of Grace," namely Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification in the life of every believer. It is very important in getting each of these understood biblically so that you don't get mixed up and confuse them with each other. And with a healthy understanding of the doctrines of grace, you will be able to understand best what God is doing in the life of one who has been called His child.

By God's grace you are positionally forgiven (justification) for all of your sins--past, present and future (John 1:29). But progressively (in sanctification) you are called to ask forgiveness for your sins as you see them and ask the LORD to search them out. For instance: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). That is a conditional clause. Meaning that if we confess, He will forgive. And if we don't confess our sin, then why should He forgive us? And Psalms 139:23, 24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" So it is our responsibility as holy and beloved children of God (He adopted us) to make it a habit of seeking forgiveness and confessing sin.

However, this DOES NOT mean that you are any less saved or forgiven positionally if you don't ask forgiveness for your sins (in progressive holiness) here or there. If you make a habit of not confessing sin, or just confessing it because those around you are, or because you were just told to from a young age, then it may evidence that salvation was not genuine in the first place.

BUT what it MAY mean is that if you are aware of sin in your life and you DO NOT ask for forgiveness, then you surely will not be as close to God as you could and as He desires. Why do we not feel as close to God as we ought? Because of our disobedience--our choosing of the power and presence of sin rather than the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. For example, if I continually did contrary to my wife's desires, then of course we would not feel close to one another. We are still in a relationship until the Lord ends it, but within the context of our relationship we could be closer if I did as she pleased and vice-a-versa. Though you are covered by His perfect and efficacious grace, He still longs for you to repent of your sin until you no longer sin (perfect holiness and communion with Him in heaven--Yea!). "You shall be holy, for I am holy," (1 Pet 1:16) must be taken to mean our progressive holiness, being made more and more into the likeness of Christ (Rom 8:29).

AND actually, because He has forgiven you perfectly and hidden you in Christ's clean and perfect righteousness that can NEVER be taken away, this is to be a MOTIVATION for you to want to seek forgiveness for the sins that you see pop up in your life on a regular basis. The less you appreciate and believe what He has accomplished for you at the cross, the less you will strive to become holy like He is.

No, we will never know the full extent of our sins. But we are sure that whatever they total in number and in grievousness to God, He has forgiven us of them all. So because of this, may we walk in obedience and seek closeness to our loving, forgiving Father Who cannot dwell with darkness (You gotta read 2 Cor 6:14–7:1!).

For an example, the "Puritans"--a group of believers alive during the early establishment of the church in America--were radically committed to integrating the doctrines of grace into real life. If you read their prayers that have been recorded in works like Valley of Vision or other Puritan works and biographies, they would often pray that they would be forgiven of the entirety of their sin, especially the sin they were not even yet aware of. They knew that God's holiness so far exceeded their own to where it made them broken about the fact that they still had the residual effects of sin in their fleshly bodies.

So to return to the question: "Does God forgive us when we don't confess our sin? Like if we never admitted we sinned, does he forgive us for that by his grace?"

I would say that the simple answer is this--Yes and No:). He DOES forgive us of all our sin in a general sense no matter what we have done (He doesn't hold anything against His children as if they were still children of wrath). BUT He DOESN'T forgive us until we've confessed specifically to our wrong doing. If we are born-again and don't know or care about how our sin offends God, then that would seem like we aren't repentant of it and that we aren't turning to the Lord in closer communion with Him and obedience to Him. So just because He has forgiven us all our sin (even the sin of not confessing our sin!), this doesn't give us an excuse or pass to overlook past or present sins and not deal with them according to God's Word.

So confess your sin as soon as He makes you are aware of it (no matter how long ago it was). Confess to the LORD also that you are prone to wander and feeble and frail (sinning and falling short of His glory every day in many and different ways). And fear the LORD knowing that out of His steadfast love and faithful kindness He forgives us of all our sins. This should align our will with His and restore us to close communion with Him.

Tell the Truth

2009-11-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

I am reading a great book--highly recommendable--entitled Tell the Truth (subtitled: "The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People") by Will Metzger. In his chapter, How to Communicate Personally, he quotes these lyrics at the end of the book:

O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us,

Revive Thy Church with life and power;

O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us,

And fit Thy Church to meet this hour.

O Wind of God, come bend us, break us,

Till humbly we confess our need;

Then in Thy tenderness remake us,

Revive, restore; for this we plead.

O Breath of Love, come breathe within us,

Renewing thought and will and heart:

Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,

Revive Thy Church in every part.

Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating

While harvest fields are vast and white?

Revive us, Lord, the world is waiting,

Equip Thy Church to spread the light.

Lyrics by Bessie Porter Head, titled "O Breath of Life," 1914.

Good Luck or God Reigns?

2009-10-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

How lucky are you? Do you even believe in luck? How many times a day do you think, hear, or say something involving luck or good fortune?

In the book of Ruth, we find a handful of theologically profound and practically rich themes:

1. The Sovereignty/Providence of God

2. Kindness in the Community of the Redeemed

3. Redemption that Looks forward to Christ

4. Salvation for Gentile Believers Only Through the God of Israel

5. Preserving the Royal Blood Line for the Messiah

The writer of Ruth uses certain terms, careful words, in Ruth 2:3 to show the hand of the LORD in the events of the historical narrative ("everyday life" for the people in the story of Ruth). This narrative really helps us understand the theme of the Providence of God better. To get first things first, chapter 1 highlights that the story was not heading in the best direction (death, bereavement, loss, famine, moral decline in leadership, no rest, no security, bitterness, etc.), or so it seemed. Ruth goes to work in the fields and "she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz," her close relative and kinsmen redeemer (2:1, 20; 3:9, 12; 4:4, 9, 10). This was not to her knowledge at all, but it was surely in God's! So I ask you, do we call this luck? Did Ruth stumble across Boaz's path "as chance would have it?" At this point it would be helpful to include a helpful and concise definition of God's Providence:

One definition: “God’s providence is His constant care for and His absolute rule over all His creation for His own glory and the good of His people.” As used in Trusting God, by Jerry Bridges.

One challenge: When you find yourself thinking or saying to someone else, "Good Luck," or "Take Luck" (if you are a Bryan Reagan fanatic;), consider for a moment the sovereignty of God and His providential rule and care over all His creation. Could you possibly insert "God Reigns" in your thoughts or speech, rather than attributing something positive to the lesser deity of "Luck"?

One example: When someone tells you, "Good luck on your exam today!" You might think to yourself, "Well, God reigns. Either way, if I fail it, ace it, get an average grade, brake my leg on the way to the test, the test is postponed, different material is on the test than you covered, etc. God Reigns! He is in absolute control. He constantly cares for you. He has His purposes in mind, so trust Him."

One caveat: Obviously we have a responsibility to "work out [not for] our salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12) before the Sovereign Lord. We are not to put the LORD our God to the test (Deut 6:16) or take His grace for granted (Rom 6:1).

Fall 2009 College Ministry Schedule

2009-10-01T23:05:00.000-07:00

ROCK Group Fall 2009

A College Ministry of VBC

September

4^th ROCK Group

5^th “Hangtime” Begins

11^th CORE Group Meeting

ROCK Group

18^th Leaders Meeting

ROCK Group

19^th “Closer” (all Growth Group Event at VBC)

25^thCORE Group Meeting

ROCK Group

26^th“GO” to Santa Monica Day (Sat)

27^thROCK Group Luncheon After Church

October

2^nd-3^rd“Creation Weekend”

9^th CORE Group Meeting

ROCK Group

16^th Leaders Meeting

ROCK Group

17^th Pumpkin Pickin’ at Lombardi Ranch (Sat)

23^rd-25^th WOMEN’S RETREAT

23^rd Guys’ Night

25^thROCK Group Luncheon After Church

30^th ROCK Group

31^stTrunk ‘R Treat at VBC (Sat)

November

6^th CORE Group Meeting

ROCK Group

13^th ROCK Group

20^th Leaders Meeting

ROCK Group

26^th Turkey Bowl (Thanksgiving Day)

27^th ROCK Group

29^thROCK Group Luncheon After Church

December

4^thCORE Group Meeting

ROCK Group

11^th Leaders Meeting

ROCK Group

12^th ROCKn’ SnL Christmas Party (Sat)

18^th ROCK Group

22^nd and 24^th Park Days

25^thChristmas (No ROCK Group)

27^thROCK Group Luncheon After Church

31^st-3^rdWINTER RETREAT

-“ROCK Group” is our weekly Bible study Friday nights @ 7pm @ the Moes’ house (722-1844).

-“CORE Group” is at Kyle and Kathy Jenisons’.

-“Hangtime” is at the Baloghs’ (947-9748) every Saturday night at 8pm during the school year.

Missions All Around

2009-08-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the Lord orders certain events, conversations, and occurrences in our lives to teach us a lesson. I've heard them before referred to as "teachable moments." I personally got used to thinking of them as "Divine Appointments"--alarmingly clear instances where God in His sovereignty appoints something to happen at a particularly impactive or significant time your life that really grabs your attention. In these moments, when we see (by faith;) the hand of God sewing one thread after another in and through our lives, we must not write it off as merely circumstance or luck. Take some time to reflect on what God is showing you. Here is what I have been reflecting on recently...

1. In a recent Staff Meeting at church, we had the Summer Interns join us. They gave a report of their summer internships and were asked a particular question: Where do you see yourself in future ministry to Christ in His church? Oddly, each one of our interns shared their respective passion for the lost to come to Christ, namely those unreached by the gospel.

2. In my subsequent one-on-one discipleship time with Dale, he followed up the morning's staff meeting by asking me what I thought about the interns' comments. For nearly 2 hours, Dale and I talked about Missions and what we'd like to see done for Christ in this dark and Godless world. It was quite possibly one of the most uplifting conversations I've had in some time.

3. The night of these conversations, one of our college students came to our door wanting to talk further with Kathy about Missions and her future plans. They talked of the great possibilities to serve Christ globally and locally.

4. Only days later, I was having lunch with my cousins. They grew up in a wonderful family devoted to Christ's cause. They spent most of their younger childhood in Indonesia translating the Bible into an unknown language in the jungle village of Obogui. Their family returned to the States after they had close encounters with malaria and desired US schooling. Now they live and serve in the Antelope Valley. We spent almost our entire lunch talking about what a return trip to the tribe in Obogui would look like if we were to go back.

5. When I returned home, I received my monthly issue of The Voice of the Martyrs magazine in which our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer death and persecution tell their stories of what the Lord is doing in China and other hurting countries.

6. I was so moved by some of the stories in the magazine that I used some ladies' testimonies of faith to intro our ROCK group Bible study. We were just beginning the section in Mark about suffering on Christ's behalf and the gospel (8:34–38). It was a blessed time in the Word that evening as we all were challenged in our faith.

7. The next day, Kathy and I decided to go to the beach to spend some time together. Sure enough, after walking up the coast we ran into a young man and his friend that we knew from Master's. We stopped and talked for about an hour. And what do you know, he was sharing his testimony about his heart for China and how he is going to seminary (Master's) in order to be trained and to return to the mission field. Now he is in my Greek class.

8. Upon returning home, I had a great talk with my good friend. And what does he want to talk about other than a good friend of his who is serving the church in Africa! He shared stories, pictures (thank you FB!), and desires to see Christ's church strengthened and the lost reached in such difficult fields of ministry.

9. I met a new guy to our college ministry on Sunday evening at softball and one of the first topics that was brought up as I was trying to get to know him was that he was planning on going back to Taiwan for another short-term missions trip. At this point, I had to tell this young man of all the things that were recently happening that seemed to be pointing to the topic of missions. We had a great conversation, as we watched our college teams hammer some other teams:)

So I pause in weeks like these...What do I do? How do I respond? Answer: the same thing I have always been trying to do--serve, proclaim and glory in Christ Jesus with all my heart and might and see where He leads and guides His church. I pray that God leads and guides Valley into the lives of the lost on a daily basis and that we cultivate a missional mindset about ministry in this culture and the next (see Acts 1:8).

Let us not forget the biblical evangelist/church planter, the Apostle Paul's, words in Romans 15:20 which say, "and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation."

Let's "Go!"

Psalm 1

2009-06-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

(photo courtesy of mbaldwinfineart.blogspot.com)

Beginning the lengthy, poetic, majestic, practical, and theologically rich Old Testament book of Psalms, Psalm 1 opens with a powerful comparison of the righteous and the wicked. And wedged right between this comparison, we find one of the most beautiful and natural illustrations recorded in Scripture.

Let me ask you a simple question...Which one are you?

Would you consider yourself righteous or wicked? What gives you the confidence that you know which one you are? What characterizes the heart of the righteous and what lies at the core of the wicked person's heart? Let's find out.

In verses 1 and 2, we find characteristics of the righteous person. We see where not to walk, stand nor sit--among the sinful, scoffing wicked. We see what must be our delight and meditation--the Law of the Lord.

1. The Righteous person is blessed because they...

a. Do not walk in the counsel of the wicked;

b. Do not stand in the way of sinners;

c. Do not sit in the seat of scoffers;

d. Delight in the law of the Lord;

e. Meditate on His law day and night.

In verses 3 and 4, we find the portrait of the lively, flourishing, nourished righteous person and we find the dead, useless, insignificant wicked person.

2. The Righteous person is like a tree which...

a. Is planted by streams of water;

b. Yields its fruit in its season;

c. Its leaf does not wither;

d. Prospers in all that he does.

3. The Wicked person is like chaff which...

a. Is not like the tree, meaning...

i. [not planted by streams of water]

ii. [not yielding fruit in its season]

iii. [all the leaves wither]

iv. [does not prosper in what it does]

b. The wind blows away.

In verses 5 and 6, we find the characteristics of the wicked person. A dead, useless, and perishing tree cannot stand and will not stand. This is the condition of the wicked.

4. The wicked will...

a. Not stand in the judgment;

b. Not stand in the congregation of the righteous;

c. Not be known by the Lord;

d. Perish.

Also see Jeremiah 17:7–8 for a remarkably similar illustration including a tree planted by streams of water. We draw our life from God. We must delight in His Word. We must meditate on it day and night, as the streams of water never fail providing the tree with life-giving nutrients.

So let me ask you again, what is your life characterized by? Where are your thoughts? Where are your desires? What is your attitude and behavior like? What is your delight? What fills your mind?

ROCK Group Summer Calendar

2009-05-23T09:37:00.008-07:00

(Ancient calendar found at Gezar, a biblically and historically significant location in the Land of Israel)

May

29^th ROCK Group (Cody)

30^th Softball and BBQ @ Moes @ 9am (Sat)

Welcome all College Freshmen!

June

5^th CORE Group @ 3pm

ROCK Group (Kyle)

9^th Intro Teaching Class @ 7pm (Tues)

12^th CORE Group @ 3pm

ROCK Group (Kyle)

13^th Beach Day @ 8am (Sat)

16^th Intro Teaching Class @ 7pm (Tues)

17^th Wakeboard Trip (Thurs)

19^th Coffee Connection / Guys Nite @ 7pm

21^st Soccer Camp Mtg @ VBC @ 7am (Sun)

26^th ROCK Group (Kyle)

30^th–3^rd Soccer Camp

July

3^rd ROCK Group (Bobby)

4^th Fourth of July Beach Party @ 9am (Sat)

10^th ROCK Group (Nate)

11^th CORE Group Breakfast @ 8am

14^th Intro Teaching Class @ 7pm

15^th–18^th ROCK SUMMER RETREAT

21^st Intro Teaching Class @ 7pm (Tues)

23^rdWakeboard Trip (Thurs)

24^thCORE Group @ 3pm

ROCK Group (Rick)

28^th Intro Teaching Class @ 7pm (Tues)

31^st ROCK Group (Kyle)

August

1^stBeach Day / Hollywood Bowl (Sat)

7^th–9^th Man Camp

7^th ROCK Group

11^th Intro Teaching Class @ 7pm (Tues)

14^th CORE Group @ 12pm

Ignite Worship Night @ VBC @ 7pm

15^th Activity Day (Sat)

21^st ROCK Group (Nate)

28^thCORE Group @ 3pm

ROCK Group (Kyle)

-“ROCK Group” is our weekly Bible study Friday nights @ 7pm @ the Moes’ house (722-1844).

-Softball games are Sunday evenings followed by “The Pool” @ the Baloghs’ house (947-9748).

-“CORE Group” is at Kyle and Kathy Jenisons’.

-“Introductory Teaching Class” is at VBC on Tuesday nights.

-For more information call Kyle (886-9735).

Keeping Our Eye On Why VBC Plays Softball

2009-04-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Well, softball season at Valley Bible is once again "stepping up to bat!" And the ROCK group is looking at 4 TEAMS this year! That's right...4. We have had 2 teams a while back, and then we had 3 teams for a little while, and now another team has emerged out of necessity. This is exciting growth to see because it is a testimony and reflection of God's faithfulness to the college ministry at VBC.

[why we play "soft"ball]

The first game this season will be held on May 31st at Lancaster City Park. There might actually be 20 teams in the church as a whole, so there will be a lot of games and injuries and fun every Sunday afternoon this summer. Not to mention the abundant opportunities to cultivate Christ-like relationships amongst one another and to establish contact with unbelievers in our community. Let us all remain biblically-aligned in our will, our focus, and our desires with the Diving design God has established for His church in this world.

Please be in prayer for the three objectives of the softball season: 1) service and the edification of the believers (see Scriptures below), 2) outreach and the salvation of the lost (see Scriptures below), and 3) golden softball and the glorification of the ROCK group (no biblical basis whatsoever!).

These TWO biblical objectives (service and outreach) are the "bat and ball," the "hand and glove", the "right and left cleat," the "home and away teams" to the softball season for the church; both are absolutely necessary! Let us not show up without one or the other.

Service and the Edification of Believers

First Corinthians 12:4–6 says, "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone."

Romans 14:18, 19 say, "Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding."

Ephesians 4:15, 16 says, "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."

Hebrews 10:25 says, "Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

First Peter 3:8 says, "Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind."

Outreach and the Salvation of the Lost

Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

Matthew 5:16 says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Mark 16:15 says, "And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'"

Second Timothy 4:2, 5 say, "Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

Colossians 4:3–5 says, "At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account for which I am in prison--4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time."

Ok, Now Go Out and Play Ball!

The CORE of Servant Leadership

2009-02-28T15:36:00.001-08:00

The "CORE Group", in the College Ministry at Valley Bible, refers to our student leadership team. Currently, we have 5 students who have been faithfully attending since last year. We also have three adult leaders sit in on the meetings, including myself, Kathy, and Aliza. We meet about every other week at my house at 4pm before ROCK group Bible study.

Our meetings are generally two-fold in their purpose. First we will attempt to address the topic of leadership from a biblical perspective and develop and discuss what it takes to be a servant leader. For the other half of our time, we will focus on the many different faucets of the work in ministry.

Some of the specific areas in which we focus our time, attention, and efforts on in the ministry are as follows...

1. Caring for Believers, which may entail discipling and counseling other believers, praying for the group, meeting up with fellow students, contacting students who are away for the semesters, and cultivating loving relationships with others.

2. Teaching the Word, which may entail Bible studies on Friday nights, ROCK Sunday school classes, Coffee Connections for the ladies, guy/girl split teaching times, retreats, and more.

3. Evangelizing the Lost, which may entail supporting the Go Ministry, planning our own days to share the gospel in the community, organizing summer evangelism for VBC activities/events, being actively involved in cross-cultural missions, and more.

4. Arranging Activities and Events, which may entail planning, organizing, and implementing various activities, events, outings, retreats, and service opportunities throughout the year to stimulate group unity and rich fellowship.

5. Ministering through Music, which may entail practicing, playing, and leading the ROCK group in worship on Friday nights, for retreats, for special events or activities, for Ignite, and more.

Over the years that I have been a leader in the ROCK group, there has been a challenging trend that we have been faced with in the ROCK group: The fewer the opportunities for the students to serve and to take on responsibilities, the fewer students will be faithfully committed to serving in the college ministry from semester to semester. Now, I take this on myself. I have only until recently realized the joy, the blessing, and the fulfillment the students share in as they serve among their peers.

Now we are all called to serve like Christ, and we are all progressively maturing in our faith because the indwelling Holy Spirit, but having opportunities laid out right before us helps immensely with direction and a plan for serving others. These responsibilities give the student a sense of ownership, accountability, and involvement in the group.

May we all realize more fully and remember more frequently that living the Christian life is not about getting or being served by others, but about giving of ourselves and serving till we are absolutely spent for the sake of others. Only then may we be living the abundant Christian life and living as Christlike examples of servant leadership.

Mark 10:45 says, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

2 Corinthians 12:15 says, "I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls."

Philippians 2:3–5 says, "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus."

Serving Christ in Internet Services?

2009-02-26T09:17:00.000-08:00

Good question: "do you have a facebook?" It doesn't stand alone. How about Twitter, AIM, Blogging, Myspace, iChat, or Youtube? Heard of these? There is a pretty good chance that the number of people who haven't heard of any of these internet services has almost diminished entirely. These "services" simply exist to connect people to other people. Sounds like a good thing, right? Sounds pretty fun to me. Anyways, wouldn't you like to stay better in touch with your friends?

The Age we are in has undeniably taken technology to the next level. Possibly better stated, technology has taken us to the next level; swaying generations into the technologically advanced niceties at the touch of a finger. But amid the "technological sway", brother, sister in Christ, let me ask you another more important question, "Is it being used to take us to the next level in our sanctification?" Isn't this the most important question for the believer to ask pertaining to the rapid growth of internet community?

In Scripture, we find no other method to carry out the one anothers (to "forgive," "submit to," "prefer," "love," "show hospitality to," "humble yourselves toward," "confront," etc) than in community with one another. We clearly were made for community. Even from the creation account we find that it was not good for man to be alone. As the Church, we are described as a body working together with each part working together properly (Eph 4:16) as Christ, our Head. In John 17, Christ prays to His heavenly Father that "they (believers) may be one even as we (God the Son and the Father) are one" (v. 22). It is here, in the presence of God through Christ, that we may be one seeking to glorify the Father and point the world to God's glory.

But being a part of a mega "online community" brings its own unique set of challenges to the redeemed. Below are some warnings, borrowed from the blog of Al Mohler, which he calls "suggestions for safeguarding social networking."

1. Never allow social networking to replace or rival personal contact and communication. We cannot permit ourselves to substitute social networking for the harder work of building and maintaining personal relationships that are face-to-face.

2. Set clear parameters for the time devoted to social networking. These services can be seductive and time consuming. Social networking (and the Internet in general) can become obsessive and destructive of other relationships and higher priorities for the Christian.

3. Never write or post anything on a social networking site that you would not want the world to see, or anything that would compromise your Christian witness. Certain words and comments are said online that utterly ruin the testimony we want to be to the lost world.

4. Never allow children and teenagers to have independent social networking access (or Internet access, for that matter). Parents should monitor, manage, supervise, and control the Internet access of their children and teens. Watch what your child posts and what their friends post.

5. Do not allow children and teens to accept any "friend" unknown to you. The social networking world can be a dangerous place and parental protection here is vital.

6. Encourage older friends and relatives too sign up and use the technology. Grandparents can enjoy keeping up with their grandchildren and with friends and loved ones separated by distance or mobility.

7. Use the social networking technology to bear witness to the Gospel, but never think that this can replace the centrality of face-to-face evangelism and discipleship.

8. Do all things to the glory of God, and do not allow social networking to become an idol or a display of narcissism (which is "excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one's physical appearance"; self-centeredness, self-absorption, pride, or any other form of selfishness).

So ask yourself, am I really serving Christ with the internet services I am involved in? You may benefit yourself, and your "friends," to step back and think about how you are growing closer to God in all that you do.

Valley of Dry Bones

2009-02-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

One day Yahweh was speaking with Ezekiel, His faithful prophet to Israel. He brought him out and set him down in the middle of a valley. This valley was full of dry bones. There was no sinew, no flesh, no skin on them. They were very dry.

Yahweh said, "Can these bones live?" Ezekiel replied, "Yahweh, God, you know."

Then He asked Ezekiel to prophesy (be His mouthpiece) over the bones saying, "Hear the word of Yahweh, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live,' and you shall know that I am Yahweh."

So Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded. And as he prophesied, there was a sound, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone into bone. Then he prophesied that the breath of God would enter the slain and give them life. Then they lived, and stood on their feet, and there was an exceedingly great army.

Then Yahweh said, "These bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.' "

This amazing scene is found in Ezekiel 37:1–14. The Lord "Yahweh" loves His people with

a covenant faithfulness and a loyal love and He will not abandon them. Though the context is speaking directly to the restoration of the house of Israel, we can observe powerful and practical insight into the reviving and renewing nature of the Word of God.

Since Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work," what do we learn about the Word of God? How do we prioritize the proclamation of the Truth? When the Word of God is preached, what effect does it have on our souls?

In chapter 4:2 Paul charges Timothy to "Preach the Word!" Essentially, be the mouthpiece of God and proclaim the gospel of the grace of God! Preach the powerful message that delivers us from the dominion of darkness and transfers us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col 1:13, 14)!

Psalm 19:7–9 says,

"The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure,

making wise the simple;

8 the precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

enlightening the eyes;

9 the fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true,

and righteous altogether."

John 8:31, 32 say, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Christ is speaking of Truth and its freeing power over sin. Committing sin is bondage to sin (v. 34) but abiding in Truth is freedom from that bondage.

May the Word of God have its reviving, renewing, freeing, restoring, rejoicing, enlightening, enduring and righteous effect in us each day! May we preach the Word of God to ourselves and to others that our dry bones may receive life!

Ministry Moments at VBC

2009-02-11T14:07:00.000-08:00

There is something spectacular that happens at VBC, behind closed doors, that I would like to let you in on...

It is the Valley Bible Church Staff Meeting. Every Monday we meet at 9am in Gerry's office to have our meetings. Dale leads the meeting by asking each staff member how things have been going in their respective ministry. Since I sit directly on his left, I go first.

This is a time for me to highlight some of the happenings in the ROCK group, college ministry. If an event or activity has happened we spend a while discussing what went good, what didn't, what things we could improve on, what was learned, even names of new people and conversations that were had. If an event or activity is coming up, then we will talk about everything that needs to happen in order for it to run smoothly and effectively for the church and the kingdom of God. I keep them updated on how each Friday night is going, what college group Sunday school is like, and what the overall tone of the group is. We also talk about leaders meetings, CORE group meetings (student leadership), and other faucets of the ministry.

This is also a time for me to ask a discussion question to gather wisdom and feedback from others about the ministry. There is a wealth of knowledge and understanding in that room because of what they know of the Word and because of how experienced they are in caring for others. I would be the biggest fool to not seek their counsel.

[Though these may seem like familiar faces (ie. Becky Williams, Joel Kirkendall, the guy who played Bruce Wayne in Dark Knight, etc), none of them currently attend our church...that I know of.]

Back to the meetings...since Rocky Osborne is on my left, he then updates everyone on how the AWANA ministry is going and what children and families are new to the program, and to the church. He will always excitedly inform us about who was new that he met on Sunday morning. That is always a joy for me to hear. We have so many visitors every week and Rocky is faithful to welcome them all.

Then Kim Taylor goes and she keeps us up to date on children's ministry. The children have a great Sunday school curriculum now and all the teachers are such servants week in and week out. She always has stuff coming up, especially the Neighborhood Bible Clubs and Vacation Bible School. Her heart for the young ones at Valley is clearly evident, tried, and true.

Gerry Andersen shares about anything and everything, which goes to show how much he actually is involved in at Valley. He is teaching almost regularly, leading meetings, overseeing missions, managing the church office, maintaining the website (tons of people hear about VBC via the web each year), coordinating softball (and keeping accurate, annual stats), studying theology, managing Valley's budget and moneys, and so much more. Praise God for his service to our church! Every healthy church needs a "Gerry".

David Johnston follows Gerry. This is when we all get to hear about how the junior high, high school, and youth leaders are all doing. This is an enormous ministry containing up to almost 200 people total! Please pray for him, his wife, and children as they serve in this capacity. He always shares his heart about where the group is studying (currently in Hebrews), and he genuinely, honestly cares for each of the students, their families, and those serving with him in leadership.

Dale Whitehead concludes by updating men and women's ministries, sharing the latest with growth group ministries, mentioning people in hurt and in need, and other odds and ins. This is truly where the shepherd's heart is seen. Thank God for a pastor who emulates the Good Shepherd in the way he lays his life down for others.

We pray together at the end knowing that nothing can be done for the kingdom apart from the Lord's strength and that we must lean entirely on Him to see these things through.

May God give us the grace... :)

Ignite Worship Night

2009-02-11T11:54:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, over a hundred from the high school group, college group, and career group showed up Friday night for our second Ignite Worship Night at the church.

The overall purpose of "Ignite" is for the edification of the believers at VBC. It is not evangelistic in nature but rather it is a place and a time for the next generation of men and women of the church to gather, serve, fellowship, sing praise, hear the Word of God, and worship the Lord together. The overall structure of the night permits for the centrality of the proclamation of the Word, thus promoting the worship in song and fellowship in relationships to be Word-filled as well.

What I love about Ignite is the fact that everything from refreshments, to the tear-down and set-up crew, to the band practicing, to the sound team, to the end of the night is done mostly by those who are younger than I am. I stood in the middle of the auditorium looking around at all that was happening that night before we started and I just had to take a moment to praise God for His faithfulness to the young adults of Valley; for their sensitivity to the things of the Lord; for their willingness to serve Him and others; for their spirit of unity; and for their kingdom-mindedness. Isn't God good and so worthy to be served and worshiped!

The message was from Revelation 4 and 5. I began by "trimming the fat off" of what worship is not (not for unbelievers, not a place, not emotion-driven, and not about self), and then we moved to our text to allow our minds to marinate on what true worship is--heavenly worship that pleases the Holy God before His throne.

Revelation 4:8, 11 say,

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!

Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created."

Revelation 5:9, 10, 12, 13 say,

"And they sang a new song, saying,

'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,

for you were slain,

and by your blood you ransomed people for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation,

and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they shall reign on the earth...

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and

might and honor and glory and blessing!

To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!' "

VBC Hosting Pastor Vazquez and His Wife

2009-02-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

From March 4th to the 6th, our church's elders and deacons will go down to The Shepherd's Conference at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley (home of The Master's Seminary). What is unique to this year's trip is that we will be hosting Pastor Daniel Vazquez from Dios Con Nosotros, Mexicali with us as we drive down for those three days (Wed-Fri).

Daniel and his wife Ruth, will be hosted for that week in the Antelope Valley by my parents, Dan and Miriam Jenison. Each evening, Kathy, my wife, will drive Ruth down to meet up with the men at the Conference for dinner and the evening sessions.

For those of you who don't know, Mexican pastors don't have it easy. Not only are there many ministry difficulties with the families from the community, but the teaching ministry has its own challenges. There are no where near as many study resources and materials for the preparation as they teach the Word week in and week out. For instance, the two teaching pastors at Dios Con Nosotros are mainly only familiar with J. Vernon McGee's Commentaries. I don't believe they have all of his commentaries, but this just shows their limited resources that are available to them. McGee is traditional and very sound in his theology, yet there are SO many other commentators and study resources out there today...just not in Mexico.

All that to say, taking Pastor Vazquez with us to The Shepherd's Conference this year will be SUCH a blessing to not only his teaching ministry, but to his own spiritual life, his understanding of the Word and the preaching of the Word, and for this opportunity for extended fellowship with other strong believers. And yes, everything will be translated for him. Mauricio will be with him the whole time and every main session and many of the breakout sessions will be on the spot translated. He is learning

English quite well.

We will all come away from the Conference with multiple books as a gift to each one who is registered. And there are enormous sales by many publishers of great books.

As Mauricio has always mentioned about the greatest need in Mexico, "They desperately need biblically sound teaching and preaching. There are so many waves of false doctrines that know no limit and their damage knows no limit. False teaching runs rampant in Mexico. The most important thing we can do for the Mexicans is to bring the Truth to them." What a great way for us to meet the needs for DCN!

Please be in prayer for the Shepherd's Conference. Pray especially for Pastor Vazquez and Ruth, that they will be blessed by their experience with us.

By the way, you'll be able to meet him the Sunday after the Conference. Say hi to him if you get the chance! He's in the middle by the way...

Prizing the Knowledge of Jesus Christ

2009-01-17T11:25:00.001-08:00

This Thursday, Sinclair Ferguson delivered a wonderful sermon on Philippians 3:1–16 down at The Master's Seminary (TMS) chapel. With his heavy Scottish accent he proclaimed the glories of Christ with great magnitude and depth. He stated that these verses are Paul's "life verses"--his life prior to the Damascus road conversion, his conversion, and his new life ahead of him.

First, he pointed out that the focus of Paul's ambition was the knowledge of Jesus Christ (v. 8). He is a "minister of the gospel" so he points to the One who is the gospel--Jesus Christ.

Like Jeremiah 9:23, 24 and 1 Cor 1:28–31 say respectively, "Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me," and, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." Paul was determined to know nothing except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2). Ferguson mentioned that it is easier for a minister to say that at the beginning of his life, but greater is it to be able to say it at the end of his life.

He asked, slowly in his rich Scottish accent, "What minister glories in the person of Christ anymore?" That question cut me to the heart right where I sat that morning. It was a great reminder, as I've been teaching through the book of Mark, to glory in Christ as we shadow and study His life, the very Person of God garbed in humble human flesh.

About the gospels, Sinclair said that we so often approach/preach them asking the question, "Where do I/you fit in here?" But that couldn't be further from the point the authors Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were making. They were trying to answer the question, "Who is Jesus Christ?" As he mentioned further, we treat the gospels as a "Where's Waldo?" trying to find out where we are in them.

Paul's life was packed with the prized knowledge of Jesus Christ; his mind was Christ-centered in every aspect.

What do you tend to think about when you have nothing to think about? Is it the person of Christ?

Second, Ferguson pointed out that the pursuit of Paul's ambition was union with Christ (vv. 8–11).

True saving faith leads to communion with Christ in His dying and rising. Justification and sanctification are coupled in Christ, and to part them is to rend Christ asunder (partially quoting Martin Luther). Knowing Him and associating with Him conforms us into the likeness of Christ.

Second Corinthians 4:10–12 connects quite well with point two. "For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh" (v. 11). Models of the gospel are those who commune with Christ at His cross.

To become like Christ is an endeavor that requires a great deal of suffering to purge our life of sinfulness we've grown comfortable with and of complacency in our stagnating faith. And in all of this, we are brought ever nearer to Christ's side and in conformity to His likeness.

"It's not great talent that God blesses, but great likeness to His Son which He blesses." --Robert Murray McCheyne, another astonishingly great Scottish preacher.

Third, and finally, the effects of Paul's ambition flow into his daily living (v. 12).

A. He had a holy dissatisfaction (v. 12)

He hasn't become perfect, yet he presses on.

The more you are satisfied in Christ, the more you become dissatisfied until you know Him more fully and perfectly.

B. He had a single-minded simplicity (v. 13)

"But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead." Though you may be doing a thousand things, you really are only doing one thing in a thousand ways.

C. He had true spiritual gain (vv. 7, 8)

Counts all loss (this is accounting talk, like transferring all that was in the gain column and putting them in the loss column)

May we all prize, and find our only boast in, the knowledge of Jesus Christ that we may be made like Him.

Blog Swapping

2009-01-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

This is the new blog of the Valley Bible Church college ministry (formerly at www.valleybible.net/kyle). It underwent some major loses in my attempt to update it to the newest version. We are now at (www.kylejenison.blogger.com). I'm starting from scratch, but that is not enough to stop proclaiming the good news of the gospel!

Hopefully you will find this blog to be a source of great encouragement to you in the Lord, and that you may be blessed by hearing testimony of the gospel of the grace of God.

Acts 20:24 has been the theme verse of my life and will govern the content and nature of this blog. Paul says, "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."