Fear and Trembling

I sang “In Christ Alone” this morning at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN. It captures so much of the true gospel message. It was powerful to sing it with the thousand or so others in attendance at this church. I’ll post the lyrics below as found here . The story behind the song is given here . “In Christ Alone” by Stuart Townend / Keith Getty IN CHRIST ALONE my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song; This Cornerstone, this solid Ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My Comforter, my All in All, Here in the love of Christ I stand. In Christ alone! - who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe! This gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save: Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied – For every sin on Him was laid; Here in the death of Christ I live. There in the ground His body lay, Light of the ...

I’ve looked up some things on Ed Stetzer’s site over at NAMB Center for Missional Research . This guy found some interesting points from some survey work he has done regarding unchurched people’s perception of Southern Baptists: “almost half of those surveyed just have no familiarity with who we are” This is most disheartening. We spend a lot of time discussing our “Baptist Identity.” It seems that the people we are supposed to be trying to reach are not in on the discussion. “Among the unchurched people who expressed an opinion, almost three times as many said [a church’s identifying itself as Southern Baptist] it would have a negative impact [on their feelings for toward that church].” – This held true even in the southern states. It’s startling. We have a long way to go. But we are ot without hope: ...it may be more difficult to engage them in church based evangelism. It will require us to build relationships with them in order to break the negative image they hold before many...

Ed Stetzer talks some sense over at Resurgence : Yes, scripture shows that we share Christ, starting with people's understanding, interests, and needs. But we cannot and must not end there, for their needs can only really be met (whether they realize it or not) by meeting Jesus. Could there be a voice of common sense in the war of words over the seeker-sensitive movement? I think I may have found one.

I had the chance last night to attend a Christmas Eve Service at my brother-in-law’s church in Knoxville: Redeemer Presbyterian. Thankfully, they do not share the annoying Baptist tendency to sing only a few verses of the song. (We say, “The first and the last verse;” or “The first, third and forth verses.”) I was reminded of some wonderful truths buried in the verses we don’t usually sing. “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.” - O Come All Ye Faithful , verse 3. An allusion to the first chapter of John. The wonderful truth that God has freely chosen to reveal Himself to us in the Person of Christ, very God and very man. “Nails, spear, shall pierce him through; the cross be borne for me, fo you.” – What Child is This , verse 2. That Christ came to die for us is often ignored by our culture. He came to die for us. He emptied Himself , voluntarily not exercising all of His power and attributes, to pay the ultimate penalty for all who have faith in Him. “To free all those who trus...

Thanks to Vitamin Z for my Christmas quote for this year: "God with us." It is hell's terror. Satan trembles at the sound of it; the black-winged dragon of the pit quails before it. Let him come to you suddenly, and do you but whisper that word, "God with us," back he falls, confounded and confused. "God with us" is the laborer's strength; how could he preach the gospel, how could he bend his knees in prayer, how could the missionary go into foreign lands, how could the martyr stand at the stake, how could the confessor own his Master, how could men labor, if that one word were taken away? "God with us" is the sufferer's comfort, the balm of his woe, the alleviation of his misery, the sleep which God gives to his beloved, their rest after exertion and toil. "God with us" is eternity's sonnet, heaven's hallelujah, the shout of the glorified, the song of the redeemed, the chorus of angels, the everlasting oratorio of ...

On the election discussion, I leave you all with John Newton , author of Amazing Grace : “...You have objections to the doctrine of election. You will however, agree with me, that the Scripture does speak of it, and that in very strong and express terms; particularly St. Paul … Admitting, as I am sure you will admit, the total depravity of human nature, how can we account for the conversion of a soul to God, unless we likewise admit to an election of grace? The work must begin somewhere. Either the sinner first seeks the Lord, or the Lord first seeks the sinner ... In your own case you acknowledge he began with you; and it must be the case universally to all that are called, if the whole race of mankind are by nature enemies to God … What has made us differ from our former selves? Grace. What has made us differ from those who are as we once were? Grace … They who believe there is any power in man by nature, whereby he can turn to God, may contend for a conditional election, upon the fo...

"I know when apostolic passion has died in my heart. It happens when I don't spend my quiet time dreaming of the time when Jesus will be worshiped in languages that aren't yet heard in heaven. I know it's missing from my life when I sing about heaven, but live as if earth is my home. Apostolic passion is dead in my heart when I dream more about sports, toys, places to go and people to see, than I do about the nations worshiping Jesus." - Floyd Mclung, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (William Carey Library, 1999) I pray that God would awaken in us a holy zeal to see His Name glorified among the nations this Christmas Season. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) church I am a member of celebrates this time of year with the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering , a chance to give to further the cause of world missions. The International Missions Board of the SBC fielded over 5,000 missionaries, and I can count several family members in that noble cadre. Let u...

I found a great video over at Extreme Theology . He titled it Wow. I’m with him; I’ll say it again backwards, wow. I agree with this young black woman that Christ has been distorted in the ways she mentions. I long to see Christ raised in all His glory. See the comments section on the post linked above for some insightful discussion.

I found a great post over at Girl Talk on our “good” works while I was looking for a quote. Here’s a taste: “I must follow the example of one David Dickson who said: “I make a heap of all my bad works and all my good works and I flee them both to Christ.””

If I were a full-time, on-campus seminary or Christian college student, I would follow the advice given here .

Thanks to a link from Borrowed Light on controversy found via the Founder's Blog . John Newton makes great sense here . Newton had a unique way of handling controversy, and Calvinists like me could learn a lot from him in how to deal with people who disagree with us. I’ve heard it said he used his Calvinism like sweetner in his tea: you don’t eat raw sugar, you mix it into your tea in just the right amount, let it permeate the whole cup, and then enjoy your tea. My hope is that I will use the doctrines of grace in the same way. I let them color everything I write or speak on behalf of Christ, but I don’t let them become the main thing in and of themselves.

Prayers for those at New Life Church and at YWAM … A good collection of links to information is here.

I’ve been tagged by Ryan Jones with a book “meme.” Here goes. 1. One book that changed your life: “The Holy Bible, English Standard Version” (Read it in 90 days ; I dare you! Okay, if you can’t do it in 90 days, at least do it in one year .) 2. One book that you’ve read more than once: “The Holiness of God” by R. C. Sproul 3. One book you’d want on a desert island: I’m with Chesterton: “A Practical Guide to Shipbuilding.” I’m an Eagle Scout; I can stay alive until I get the ship built. 4. One book that made you laugh: “The Complete Calvin and Hobbes” by Bill Watterson 5. One book that made you cry: "The Brothers Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoevsky 6. One book that you wish had been written:“Systematic Theology” by John H. Gerstner 7. One book that you wish had never been written: “The Jews and Their Lies” by Martin Luther 8. One book you’re currently reading: “The Future of Justification” by John Piper 9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: “Systematic Theology” by Wayne Grudem ...

William Lane Craig gives a short account of a presentation at “the joint annual conventions of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature.” He attended: One of the most bizarre and intriguing sessions … a meeting of the American Society for Oriental Research in which the speaker showed what he claims are Egyptian records of the Exodus! These are not new discoveries, but known material which has just never been connected with the Exodus. It has to do with paintings and inscriptions on the walls of the tomb of Thutmose III (ca. 1500 B.C.) which show (in color!) waters parting and Egyptian soldiers and the Pharaoh himself being drowned. There are references to the Nile’s being turned to blood and other aspects of the biblical account. Typically, these Egyptian narratives are taken to refer to some primordial event in Egypt’s mythological past. But the speaker said that at the very least they falsify the conventional wisdom that there is just nothing in Egypti...

I have been listening to a series of lectures / sermons by John Piper on "Understanding Future Grace" . I’d like to add my two cents. Pastor John makes a comment in the second lecture that he thinks Calvinists have not spent enough time and effort exploring why it is that the new birth leads to a change in a person’s life. I’d like to offer some thoughts on why this is the case. Faith is of it very essence a form of trust. The article on faith from the 1689 London Baptist Confession discusses faith as follows: By faith a Christian believes everything to be true that is made known in the Word, in which God speaks authoritatively. He also perceives in the Word a degree of excellence superior to all other writings, indeed to all things that the world contains. The Word shows the glory of God as seen in His various attributes, the excellence of Christ in His nature and in the offices He bears, and the power and perfection of the Holy Spirit in all the works in which He is enga...

I recently purchased and read Kay Warren’s new book, and I must confess I am impressed. Take everything that Rick Warren has ever written and place it on one hand. Take Kay Warren’s book onto your other hand. You will instantly fell the greater weight on the book Kay has composed. Is it perfect? No book written by mere men / women ever is. We always lack the spark of the divine . Kay cites several authors I have never heard of, and these may bother me after I find out more about them. But those things should not take away from the force of this book. Here’s a sample: We are such wimps – really, we are. Living in a sophisticated developed country where life is full of comfort and conveniences has weakened our character and our resolve. We often look for the easy way out of challenging situations and even pride ourselves on doing the minimum required – just enough to get by. Discipline, sacrifice, cost – these are not popular concepts. When was the last time you read a magazin...

Thanks to Extra Nos and Above Every Name for information on an interesting conference being held on Calvinism . I hope we make some progress.