Preaching Today

Arabic script appears mysteriously on boy’s skin

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:42:00 +0000

Degestan, October 19 -- Despite the advances medicine has made, there are still plenty of unusual conditions that appear mysterious, perplexing medical experts and defying all logic.

Ali Yakubov, a nine-month-old baby boy from Russia left doctors stupefied after the word Allah allegedly showed up on his chin when he was only a few weeks old.

Since then, verses from the Koran have emerged consistently on the infant’s back, arms, legs and stomach, before apparently fading away and being replaced with new ones.

Link to picture and original story: Skin

The Beltway Park Heresy Continues.....

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Fry) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:42:00 +0000

The Preaching Today Blog will be covering this event, so check back often for updates.

Christless Christianity

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Leavenworth) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:39:00 +0000

Hello, just got back from a vacation...as I travelled around from airport to airport I started reading a new book by Dr Michael Horton (of Whitehorse Inn fame) called "Christless Christianity." Let me tell you, this is a good one to get and read!

Here is a quote to get your tastebuds moving...I may post more as I read it.

"The challenge before us a Christian witnesses is whether we will offer Jesus Christ as the key to fulfilling our narcissistic preoccupation or as the Redeemer who liberates us from its guilt and power. Does Christ come to boost our ego or to crucify our ego and raise us up as new creatures with our identity in him? (p. 33).

'Missing Link' Primate Fossil Debunked

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Remember Ida, the fossil discovery announced last May with its own book and TV documentary? A publicity blitz called it "the link" that would reveal the earliest evolutionary roots of monkeys, apes and humans.

Experts protested that Ida wasn't even a close relative. And now a new analysis supports their reaction.

In fact, Ida is as far removed from the monkey-ape-human ancestry as a primate could be, says Erik Seiffert of Stony Brook University in New York.

He and his colleagues compared 360 specific anatomical features of 117 living and extinct primate species to draw up a family tree. They report the results in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Link to the rest of the story: Ida

Tenn. Church Burns After Members Throw Punches

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:39:00 +0000

There was a fist fight at a Claiborne County church and now the building has burned to the ground. Detective Capt. David Honeycutt with the Claiborne County Sheriff's Office said the fire was being investigated and a look at the fight is a strong element of it. The cause of the fire late Friday or early Saturday hasn't been determined. Honeycutt said there was no indication of an electrical malfunction.

Edwards Community Missionary Baptist Church was in rural part of the county, near the Union County line.

"That's God's house. It's no place to throw fists, or shoot people, or talk about shooting people, it's for blessing the Lord," the church's pastor, Rev. Clayborn Gibbons, told WBIR-TV in Knoxville.

The station reported the building had stood for nearly 70 years, but a recent division over who should lead the congregation erupted into fisticuffs on Sept. 30.

Church member David Lovin told the station "it just all broke loose."

Honeycutt said Thursday morning there had been no arrests in the fire. He said investigators were still taking statements from church members.

Honeycutt said the church has 30-50 members and "there has been a division of the church."

"When I heard that the church burned, it just broke my heart, cause you know that's where my heart was," Lovin said.

On Wednesday night, the congregation met in a church member's garage.

Link to original source: Church

My commentary on this story:

UFO tracks Iranian missiles

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:10:00 +0000

Link to the original news story:

UFO

Here is my commentary on the video:

Challenge Your Traditions!

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Leavenworth) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:37:00 +0000

Hey, it's been a while! I've been too busy with other thing and have neglected this blog. I've just started reading "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ" by John Owen and had to share something that I saw in the introductory essay by J. I. Packer that I thought was pretty good. Here it is:

"There are signs today of a new upsurge of interest in the theology of the Bible: a new readiness to test traditions, to search the Scriptures and to think through the faith. It is to those who share this readiness that Owen's treatise is offered, in the belief that it will help us in one of the most urgent tasks facing Evangelical Christendom today-- the recovery of the gospel."

Great thought...are you ready to let the Scriptures challenge your assumptions and your coveted traditions. If you think you don't have one you're wrong. Jesus Christ sure challenged people's traditions...ought we not to do the same?

Chew on that...think about a tradition of your's that's been challenged. Have you really studied it out to make sure you're on solid ground?

An Evening of Eschatology

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:01:00 +0000

Cruel Logic

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:19:00 +0000

How to Bring Your Children To Christ

noreply@blogger.com (Jason McFadden) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:37:00 +0000

"How to Bring Your Children To Christ...and Keep Them There."

This is a book by Ray Comfort that my wife and I recently finished reading.

Overall, I think it's a good book and recommend it.

To sum up the entire book in one sentence, the answer to the question in the title is, "Give them the Ten Commandments."

The Law? Not the Gospel?

No, you give them both. Ray Comfort makes a good case for and explains the necessity of first teaching your children the ten commandments, God's moral standard, so they can learn just how guilty they are before a holy God. Then when they learn of Christ's mercy and Grace demonstrated through the cross, they will fly to him!

To his credit, the author uses numerous illustrations for doctrines, verses, and in applications for teaching to your children. He also uses numerous quotes from Charles Spurgeon, among others.

It's a simple and short read, but fairly packed with concise teaching on the subject.

Another clear and very much appreciated subject in the book is Ray Comfort's addressing the reality and avoidance of False Conversion.

Through this book, Ray showed an understanding and demonstration for the whole council of God, not just the fluffy parts that modern evangelists use to teach people how to feel good in life.

Having read this, I am now challenged, inspired, and motivated to better know the ten commandments to teach them to my kids and use them in witnessing to others.

One thing I realized years ago, thanks be to God, is that the gospel, the good news, cannot be so good unless it is first preceded by the bad news, that all are (borrowing from Johnathan Edwards' sermon title) sinners in the hands of an angry God.

One of Ray's pointed notes is that quoting to someone Romans 3:23, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, isn't enough. People need to see the ten commandments to know specifically and personally how they themselves have broken God's law and thus to feel guilty and convicted of sin. The law is the schoolmaster that leads to Christ! Look in Psalm 19 alone to see how good the law of the Lord is!

Finally, this book is really helpful in specifically leading your children to Christ. The author gives examples of how he and others have utilized what he talks about in training up their own kids. He also promotes the advantages of home schooling.

You are Copyrighted

noreply@blogger.com (Jason McFadden) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:00:00 +0000

God made all of creation (Gen 1:1). He created everything, including you. You are his work of art.

God owns the copyright to you!

In fact, God owns you (especially if you're a Christian for you were bought with a price! 1 Cor 6:20)

And you owe God. Simply because you were created by God, you owe him your life. He gave you life. You owe him gratitude for it. Don't take your life for granted with ingratitude. At any moment God could snatch you right out of this life through death. He owns you. He made you. He can "unmake" you. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, blessed be his name (Job 1:21).

Should humans be cloned? No. Why not? Because that would be a violation of God's copyright. He alone has the right to create life. Each person is unique.

We should not make illegal copies of people.

But suppose we can clone physical bodies. Who can clone a soul? Can a soul be cloned? I think not. God alone has the power to create new lives, new persons, new souls.

Zeal before God or Kneel before Zod.

noreply@blogger.com (Jason McFadden) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:26:00 +0000

Do you remember Superman 2 from 1980? There’s a scene where the president is told to, “…kneel before Zod,” who is the “Anti-Superman.”

In keeping with the scripture where Jesus taught the principle that no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), we have our options:

Zeal before God
Kneel before Zod

A Christian is for God, but zealous? Why must we have zeal for God? Because also in keeping with the scriptures which teach total commitment to and love for Christ and the radical teaching of hating family and leaving your life behind for the sake of Christ, and for following a man who's life lead to brutal crucifixion on a cross and an "untimely" death, we can have no less than zeal for God.

Zeal for God is the standard for the Christian. Again, why? Moreover, zeal for God is in keeping with the teaching in Revelation 3:16. We must be “sold out” for Christ. There is no such thing as ho-hum Christianity. If we are lukewarm, God warns that he will spew us from his mouth. Not a pretty picture. Lukewarm, ho-hum Christianity is marked by apathy, complacency, flippancy, and superficiality, even contempt.

We must strive to seek God diligently, consistently, and constantly. Why? Because we as fallen fleshly creatures are prone to wander from our Lord. We have a propensity for mediocrity and laziness.

To fight the flesh requires much discipline and sacrifice. And we must be willing to fight to the death! Yes, we will die, but Christ has defeated death.

Look at Jesus. He struggled and resisted sinners to the point of shedding his own blood (Hebrews 12:3-4). And he suffered and waited on God until his eyes grew dim (Psalm 69:1-3). He did all this to the point of death, but God delivered him in resurrection. God proved faithful even in death! So take your passions and your zeal and direct them towards God alone.

We must have zeal for God (according to knowledge, Romans 10:2). Otherwise we will fall prey to Satan’s devices, and we will “kneel before Zod.”

Entertainment's the Word.

noreply@blogger.com (Jason McFadden) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Psalm 19:10 - Do we really believe that God’s word is more desirable than much fine gold? Really? Come on, we don’t really believe that, do we?

We believe what America says, not what God says. America says you can attain the American dream if you work hard for it, and these days it even says you are entitled to it. The credit card offers claim you deserve another loan to go buy more stuff. Have fun going into debt. Debt is fun? What an oxymoron, we must be morons!

America says that Entertainment and Home Theaters are more desirable than God’s word. And we Christian Americans believe that too.

We always go after what we desire most. We do what we want. Like America, we want entertainment. Thus giant screens in stadium style worship centers (they used to be called sanctuaries). Worship does take place in them - worship of entertainment, not God.

“God, entertain me!” Entertainment is our god.

Is this really true, or is this a gross caricature?

Well, God’s word is more desirable than much fine gold. Now, if you actually had much fine gold, you could buy a whole lot of home theater and entertainment with it. But we only have a little cold hard cash. And what do we spend it on the most? That which we desire the most – cold hard entertainment my friends! Movies, music, games, etc. My iPod is an idol.

And what do we spend most of our dispensable time doing? Diligently studying God’s word? Nah, we get entertained.

So, we don’t really believe God’s word is more desirable than much fine gold, because if we did, we would seek it more often, more diligently, more consistently, instead of seeking more entertainment.

You seek that which you desire most.

Binary Bibles

noreply@blogger.com (Jason McFadden) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:13:00 +0000

I'm kinda stunned at this.

Let's say you're a bit of a self-proclaimed tech geek, and a Bible geek. You probably already have the Bible on your computer, maybe even a mobile version.

Mobile versions have been around since the 90's at least. As a high school graduation present, I received from my church the Franklin Bible that was a one-line digital pocket Bible. It was primitive but effective in its time.

Years later I scored a Pocket PC and installed Laridian's PocketBible. It was excellent, leaps and bounds beyone that previous Franklin.

After that, I got the Laridian Pocket Bible for my Windows Mobile Phone. It too was quite useful.

Now there have been other digital mobile Bibles around, but none measured up to Laridian's offerings IMO.

Moving on to the iPhone and iPod Touch, there are many Bible apps available, some free, some not. I've tried a few free ones, but none we're that great.

Well, just yesterday I discovered a fantastic new bible app for the iPhone. It's the Reformation Study Bible. I could gush about it, but I'll spare you. Suffice to say, it's fantastic, and it's a great deal. Snag it now while it's on sale.

Then, today, the very next day after I purchased the fantastic RSB for iPhone, low and behold...
Laridian has just released a PocketBible for iPhone and iPod Touch! AND, you can use all the books and Bibles you already bought for previous mobile platforms! Unbelievable! And this comes just one day after I bought the RSB! AND...PocketBible is FREE!!!

I'll be installing this soon in addition to the fantastic RSB (it has the Greek text too, but does anyone know what text it's based on?)

I highly recommend Laridian's PocketBible from my previous use of it, and I highly recommend the RSB.

Here's the links:

RSB app for iPhone

PocketBible for iPhone

9 The Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:18:00 +0000

Saw the movie 9 tonight. I recorded a review of the movie and my daughter joined in to help out. You can listen to our thoughts about the movie here:

Arminian Theology in View, Part IV

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Leavenworth) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:22:00 +0000

OK...it's been a while & I haven't posted anything about Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities by Roger E. Olson. I'm almost done with the book and am hoping to email professor Olson to get some questions answered that have not been really answered in the book. Overall I think the book is pretty good at describing what Arminius and his followers believed. What the book fails, in my opinion, to do is show us where these beliefs come from in the Scriptures. So far I'm on page 220 of a 246 page book and he's referenced 29 passages of Scripture (not including 3-4 references to an entire chapter)...but NONE of these passages are actually taken apart and exegeted!

John 3:16, 1 Tim 4:10, 2 Pet 3:9, etc are quoted over and over again but Professor Olson does not show how the verses support his claims/views. This is pretty sad and it's consistent with what I've found...nobody wants to go to any deeper argumentation than to say "John 3:16 says all and that's all I have to say about the matter!"

Sorry folks...this is not the way God's Word should be treated. I expect more out of pastors and teachers than just a few quoted verses and no explanation. Anyway...off my soapbox.

Here is a passage that made me go "Huh?!" On page 206 the author makes the following statement:

"Third, one charge frequently laid against Arminius's (and Arminianism's) doctrine of justification is that it makes faith the efficient and meritorious cause of justification, thus resulting in justification as a reward for a work of righteousness. How did Arminius regard the causes of justification? First, he stated clearly and repeatedly that faith itself is a work of the Holy Spirit and not a work of autonomous humans. 'Evangelical faith is an assent of the mind, produced by the Holy Spirit, through the Gospel...' Thus the Holy Spirit is the efficient cause of justification."

OK...here is my question; If the Arminian claims that the Holy Spirit is the efficient cause of faith and the efficient cause of justification then how can the same argue with limited atonement (I prefer to call it particular redemption)? If the Holy Spirit has to produce the faith through which we are justified then the Arminian would have to answer the question, "Why doesn't the Holy Spirit produce faith in everyone?"

I really wonder why this is not seen for what it is, and that's double speak. On the one hand he says that the idea of limited atonement is unbiblical...and yet on the other he says that the Holy Spirit has to produce the faith in order for someone to be justified. Anyone from the Arminian persuasion, please help me understand how this can be?

Sexual Sin and Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:48:00 +0000

Satan Promotes Church

noreply@blogger.com (Jason McFadden) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:39:00 +0000

Well, it seems to be working. How's that for pragmatism?

A church in Detroit has ads with Satan endorsing them to attract attention and thus people to the church and ultimately to God.

Maybe you've seen the news and ads already. If not, here you go: Satan hates Metro

Wow. Have we really gone that far as a Christian people? What would the early church fathers say about this?

Here's a quote from the Youth Pastor of the church, "Jesus wants us to be creative...and use whatever it takes to reach people."

OK. Creativity is a cool thing. Reaching people for God is good. God uses many things to get people's attention in life and can easily use these ads here. But is this really a wise or Biblical way of reaching out to the lost?

Should this church be advertising as they are to attract people to it's church?

The question then is, are they trying to attract Christians from other churches to build up their congregation, or are they trying to attract lost sinners to come to their church so that they might get saved there?

It seems they are trying to attract the lost. If so, then hear this:

Why in the world would a lost sinner suddenly be attracted to the house of God just because Satan hates it? Since lost people are of their Father the Devil, then they too will hate the church and thus not be attracted to its light but be repelled by it so they shrink into greater darkness, for the darkness hates the light.

Am I making sense here?

Shouldn't the church reach out to the lost with, say, the gospel, instead of a creative, "modern", "relevant" ad campaign?

Or am I missing something here? This campaign seems to be another product of the seeker sensitive movement. The only thing to add to that point is, there is none that seeks God (Romans 3:11). Again, lost people don't want God.

[UPDATE: To reiterate the point in provocative fashion, the church could run ads that say,

"Church SUCKS" - John Q. Sinner

"God SUCKS" - Satan

"God SUCKS" - John Q. Sinner

Satan and the lost sinners of this world will say the same things against God and the church. They're the enemies! So I'm not sure how this church is attracting the lost with these ads.

End UPDATE]

God does draw people to Christ (John 6:44). And Jesus said if he was lifted up from the Earth he would draw all men unto him (John 12:32).

If the church wants to reach the lost, we must proclaim Christ!

The church performs this function by teaching and preaching the word in church to believers, thus equipping them. Then those equipped believers venture out into the world in their everyday routine and are salt and light to those around them. They witness, show Biblical love and good works, exhibit faith, share the gospel, and so on.

Gimmicky ads and fads may seem to work for a season, but in the end they are insufficient.

When will churches stop compromising the effectiveness and vitality of simply equipping believers to go into all the world and make disciples? Clever campaigns are neither required nor necessary.

Here's the Detroit church's own website for more info.

Protest the Protesters?

noreply@blogger.com (Jason McFadden) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:47:00 +0000

Yesterday, Trevor posted his commentary about Marilyn Manson protestors and took issue with Christians protesting.

Related to that, Abilene's Planned Parenthood clinic was pseudo-protested yesterday by an on-site prayer vigil led by a Catholic Bishop.

Questions:

1. Is protesting unbiblical?

2. Is protesting unwise?

3. Is it wiser to hold a prayer-vigil on-site so the lost people get your message, or is it wiser to prayer in your church or a church member's home?

The biggest question is this:

How are Christians truly going to reach the lost? By praying against abortion in front of a clinic? Or by preaching, teaching, sharing the gospel, and discipling the lost on a more personal level?

In this article about the prayer vigil, it states that people there were urged to make ending abortions their number one ministry.

Is that right?

Should ending abortions be a Christian's number one mininstry? Or should preaching and teaching Christ be a Christian's number one ministry?

If we go with the latter, then every kind of sin will be dealt with, not just abortion or other sins which we find more serious.

Perhaps the people were praying for the salvation of not just unborn babies but also their mothers and the clinic workers. That's good. But did it have to be in front of the clinic instead of in church? The power of prayer is not in question here but rather the location of it in conjunction with protesting.

On a related note, are Christian boycotts relevant or useful?

I just wanted to think about these things some more and get you to think also after listening to Trevor's commentary about protesting.

The Missing Link in the Golden Chain!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason McFadden) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:07:00 +0000

I know we're supposed to blog original content, but this is too cool to not pass along.

John Piper asked a question that was always in my mind. In Romans 8, did Paul goof!?

Here's how Piper asked it:

"Have you ever wondered why "sanctification" is missing from this Golden Chain in Romans 8:29-30?"

For the answer and explanation, check his blog here.

Marilyn Manson

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:56:00 +0000

Christians came out in their droves to protest outside a Marilyn Manson concert in California on Tuesday night. You can read the news report about the protest at this link: Protest

I recorded a commentary about the story. You can listen to my comments here:

Know the Greatness of God's Love

noreply@blogger.com (Jason McFadden) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:29:00 +0000

Have you ever noticed that people, including me and you, tend to focus on God in only one of his attributes? Some folks focus on God's love as his biggest and best attribute. Other people focus on God's sovereignty as his most important attribute.

Are any of God's attributes bigger or better than another? Or do we just pick our favorite and focus on that mostly?? Thus, do we often have an imbalanced view of God?

To this I must also restate that God is infinite and we are finite, therefore we can never fully comprehend God, which leads to marvelous implications for our enjoyment in eternity with God.

If we can never fully comprehend God, can we ever fully know any of his attributes?

Paul seems to say that, "Yes!" Indeed we can! For he says,

Ephesians 3:14-19 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith- that you, 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 you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

So does Paul want us to comprehend the breadth (width), length, height, and depth of the love of Christ?

Paul seems to say he wants us to know what cannot be known! For he says he wants us to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge! Yet he prays that we may know it. So to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge must be a work of God! Pray for it!

The other day I began to think and wonder about God's love for me being far greater than I can imagine, let alone know and comprehend!

Think about it. It is flabbergasting to me to think of how God's love exceeds my imagination and comprehension, yet we can know him in his love more and more.

For the believer, does God's love outweigh his justice? Does his mercy outweigh his wrath?

We like to sing the song of how amazing God's grace is. "Amazing Grace." How sweet the sound!

How amazing is it?
How amazing it is!

Feasting On God's Word

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:45:00 +0000

For my devotional study today, I looked at Jeremiah 15:16. You can listen to the study here:

False Repentance

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:19:00 +0000

Tonight for my devotional study time, I looked at Judges 2:1-5.

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hammack) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Tonight I looked at Luke 4:1-13. I called the study, Analyzing Temptation.

You can listen to the study here: