Kids 4 Truth: Bob's Blog

Brilliant!

BobRoberts — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:36:00 GMT

I am doing my part to help the viral spread of this brilliant 3 minute video. It is worth watching on several levels:

1. The command this man possesses of the English language is one-of-a-kind. Our language is lovely, and listening to it spoken by one that weilds it with such skill and authority is marvelous.

2. He says really, really good things that need to be heard and heeded by all that carry any amount of influence.

3. He boldly confronts with the truth. I'd love to hear this guy deliver a sermon!

Enjoy!

Friends Don't Let Friends Blog Angry

BobRoberts — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:51:00 GMT

Is it considered Christian growth because I just deleted a whole bunch of stuff I wrote about this ad and refused to publish it on my blog?

I hope so. That would be the highlight of today's sanctification methinks.

If You Haven't Watched This Yet...

BobRoberts — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:47:00 GMT

...right now would be a great time to experience our latest dynamation, Lady Lucy. Here is the link: www.kids4truth.com/ladylucy

This is another Kids 4 Truth dynamation that prods away at the evolutionist worldview and attempts to show that Darwinism is primary philosohical in nature, not scientific.

And it is also a reminder why God demands repentance. Without Christ, we are lost, blind, and dead in our sins and enemies in our minds. We don't acknowledge God, and our most fundamental presuppositions are all wrong. Darwinists don't need more evidence, or more data, or more convincing ... what they need is repentance. They need to personally experience Colossians 2:3, that in Christ is hid ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

I hope you enjoy the new dynamation and find it useful for Kingdom purposes.

That being said, I now have a question for both of my readers: "What kind of dynamation would you like to see this year?"

We currently have three ideas on the table but I would personally love to hear from you if you have a thought about what we should do next. And please remember, our goal is not political, it is GOSPEL.We want to see, by God's grace, authentic conversions that glorify God.

Really Really Really Cool Ministry

BobRoberts — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:56:00 GMT

Over Christmas my wife and I traveled to see her brother Marc and his family. Marc is a missionary to France currently on deputation and is staying rent free at a ministry-housing facility called "The Shepherd's Bethel." To say I was impressed by both the quality of facilities and the heartbeat of the leadership there is an understatement.

For several years the Mike Weiss family has served missionaries and other ministry families by providing free housing. Well, maybe not 100% free as Mike requests that dads put in a few hours every week working to maintain and/or improve the facilities.

My wife and I had the opportunity to attend a going-away meal for one of the missionaries there. Did I mention Mike is a great cook and in another life he was a top notch chef? The food was great but the fellowship was better. I got the sense right away that the Weiss' love and pray for the families that stay there. I think if you're there for any amount of time you are counted as a part of the Weiss family, and that is an altogether good thing.

I began talking to Mike about fishing up north and ended talking to him about his "need" for more families to stay there. I would have thought there was a waiting list to stay at a place like this! Not so. There is room here, and if you find yourself among those that meet the qualifications (i.e. full time ministry) and have a need, I implore you to call Mike today. You can find all the details you need here: www.shepherdsbethel.org.

One other thing, if you go to visit Shepherd's Bethel make sure you wander around French Lick for a couple hours. If you don't know why the little town of French Lick is significant, shame on you, and may Larry never find out about your ignorance!

Really Really Really Bad Tract

BobRoberts — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:25:00 GMT

Okay. I found this orangishy, cardstocky tract at a gas pump recently while traveling through--prepare to be shocked--the deep south. There are at least 3 major problems with this tract. Try your skill and see if you can find all 3 today!

(HINT for 1 of the 3: You will NOT need this blog post 10 seconds after you die.)

Spurgeon Said Things We Don't Say Nowadays

BobRoberts — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:55:00 GMT

"It strikes me that, here in England, we greatly need more Bible catechizing of the children of all classes. I was very much struck with the Scotch, how vastly superior their children are to our youngsters in the knowledge of the Scriptures. I sometimes take young men into my institution for the ministry whose education is very deficient, and I sometimes find these good, earnest young English brethren, though they have read the Scriptures, [they are] not thoroughly acquainted even with the historical parts and narratives, but often make sad blunders. Now, though I have dealt with many Scotchmen, I never met with one who was not thoroughly acquainted with the narrative and well-instructed in the doctrine. I attribute that to the use of catechisms, and I think that, if we could revive, more and more, the use of a good catechism, or the catechetical principle of bringing home, by question and answer, the doctrines and truths of Scripture to the lads of our villages, we should be doing a world of good. The way to secure the masses would be to secure them when young." -- Charles Spurgeon

Next Dynamation Sneak Peak - Merry Christmas!

BobRoberts — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 19:56:00 GMT

Merry Christmas friends! Here are a couple images from our soon-to-be-released dynamation, Lady Lucy.

"Christianity Gets 12 Pages, Feminism Gets 27 Pages"

BobRoberts — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:37:00 GMT

The humanist agenda gets it. In order to change the world one needs to change the minds of others. And no mind is more easily influeneced and directed than the mind of a child.

http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=1083934&p=1

Are Children Born Believers?

BobRoberts — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:30:00 GMT

No.

But this guy says that children are predisposed to believe in God. Read this LINK

Perhaps what this guy is observing is that children are more open to faith in God because they haven't spent many years suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. But whether one is a tender child or a hostile atheist, regeneration is what is needed. It's the only thing that can make that which is dead in sin alive in Christ. There is no difference in the fundamental nature between the child or the old atheist. They both desperately need God to grace them with saving faith and repentance.

I found the comments on the article to be of particular interest.

Required Listening - Hitchens and Wilson

BobRoberts — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:56:00 GMT

This is a worth-your-time debate on the existence of the Christian God between Douglas Wilson and atheist Christopher Hitchens.

It is about 100 minutes in length and about a 40MB download.

Here's the LINK

***WARNING*** Hitchens mutters the occassional expletive and during a Q&A session one member of the audience quotes Hitchens' work which uses some foul language.

Here are a few reasons why I encourage Christians to regularly listen to debates like this (at least a few times a year):

1. Because all Christians are commanded to give an answer with meekness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). You need to know the questions and objections so that you can answer them. We are living in a post-Christian age...and we will be witnessing to atheists more and more. There is simply no reason to be fearful of them and their arguments unless you have not equipped yourself. One reason I listen to debates like this is to help sharpen my evangelism.

2. It demonstrates the primacy of one's worldview. Hitchens is an atheist...and he interprets everything through that filter. Wilson is a believer in the triune God...and he interprets everything through that filter. Hitchens begins with reason (or what he perceives as reason). Wilson begins with the Bible. (There is a fascinating discussion of reason and logic between the two debaters near the end. Notice the tangled web Hitchens gets himself caught in. The bottom line is at some point we all hit bedrock.) ***NOTE*** I appreciate the fact that Wilson states that one cannot reason themselves to God. Wilson is a solid presuppositionalist and he understands that unless God is gracious to open up one's eyes through the truth, no amount of evidence, data, facts will convince the unbeliever to become a believer. There needs to be a fundamental/presuppositional/bedrock change in thinking. Hitchens has man at the center of his universe, in particular himself, and therefore needs to repent. And he won't repent unless God grants him repentance.

3. It should cause you to grieve over the lostness and blindness of the atheist and pray for God's grace to open eyes.

4. Most of us live in a comfortable Christian subculture away from the bothersome challenge that the atheistic worldview brings our way. Stop it. God didn't call you to live a comfortable life. It shoud stir up a righteous passion in you to confront the culture because you hold, in your jar of clay, life saving and life changing truth by the grace of God. And we know how God has used this truth in our lives so it stands to reason based on His nature and promises that he'll do it for others too.

5. Realize that we can engage non-biblical viewpoints with humility, while still weilding the sharp edge of the truth with authority.

I also found this LINK to what is probably my favorite Christian-V-Atheist type debate ever.

I hope that you will benefit from these solid resources.

Regeneration v. Decisionism

BobRoberts — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:37:00 GMT

This message by Paul Washer is truly worth your time. He draws the line in the sand between biblical conversion and much of what passes for evangelism in our current day.

Here In Knoxville...

BobRoberts — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:44:00 GMT

This past month has been one of travel. Almost every weekend, I’ve had the opportunity to be in a different state. Just a couple of weekends ago I had the privilege of speaking at a junior event called RodeoFest up at Northland Camp & Conference Center. It was such a blessing to minister to the 250 or so juniors and sponsors who came out for the day. Our time at Northland was also spent working on a project that I am thrilled about which is the curriculum-in-audio. Jason Gerdt and Trevor Gearhart worked tirelessly on this project with us, and we are so grateful for their sacrifice for the ministry. The fruit of this effort should begin to be made available in early 2009. Please pray that the curriculum-in-audio would be blessed by God and used by many boys and girls (and moms and dads) to learn good theology!

The month of October is going to be full as well, as my wife and I spend time in Knoxville, Tennessee. Not only is it a tremendous opportunity to tackle some big Kids 4 Truth projects, but it’s also a chance to spend time with our friends and co-laborers in the ministry, Rob and Julie Gillen and their two children. During the month, I will be spending much needed time meeting with Rob on several items. One of the biggest projects that we'll be working on is the development of web based training. The harnessing of new technology will allow us to effectively multiply our small staff by offering live webinars as well as up-to-date and more effective training options for local churches. Lord willing, we will be able to begin implementing some of these new training sessions by the first of the year.

My wife will also be very busy this month as she works to transfer data from our current website to the updated version. Although the website will be her primary responsibility, Sarah will still be able to keep up with customer service by using her new soft line on her laptop to answer phone calls to the office and keeping up with the chat line. It is exciting to see how God can be glorified, and efforts maximized through the use of technology! Praise the Lord for gifting Kids 4 Truth staff with the talents necessary to accomplish His mission.

Who Got The Big Sword?

BobRoberts — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:39:00 GMT

Congratulations to Ethan Gillespie for winning the Kids 4 Truth Award at Tri-City Baptist Church (this is the church where I help with the program)! Each year, the Kids 4 Truth Club at Tri-City presents a special award to the 5th or 6th grader who has memorized the most curriculum during the curriculum year. This child must also earn the gold award (earned for completing a total of thirty patches). Not only did Ethan memorize all of the verses possible within the curriculum, but he also was able to recite all of the verses within a theme at one time along with the key truth and key verse of each theme. Ethan completed all of this work within 8 months time rather than the 11 month time frame scenario that Tri-City utilizes. Wow!

This award is not a Kids 4 Truth specific award, but rather a Tri-City specific award. In other words, at Kids 4 Truth we desire for churches to be creative and unique in their approach to club time and awards. The Kids 4 Truth curriculum is designed to be flexible enough so that local churches can this ministry tool in the best way possible for their children, families, and workers. Although Kids 4 Truth comes complete with all of the patches and awards necessary, we are always thrilled to see local churches putting their own unique spin on this part and all parts of the ministry.

I know there is much debate about the use of rewards/awards in children's ministry. But I contend that awards are the language of children. They get it. By giving out an award you are communicating that what they had to do in order to receive the reward was important to you. So important that you spent your effort, energy, and money to acknowledge it with an award. Furthermore, awards demonstrate honor. Frank Hamrick says: "You get what you honor." In so many churches we honor kids that can play an instrument well, or kids that can kick a ball skillfully, but we fail to honor boys and girls that are working diligently to learn the most important truths about God in a memorable way. Oh that local churches would put more emphasis on the doctrinal rearing of youth. Good theology is what will save and grow the upcoming generation and yet it is so often neglected.

(note: the tall guy on the right side of the photo is Will Cover. Will is now the official director of the Kids 4 Truth Club at Tri-City and is doing a fantastic job.)

Why I Believe the Bible is the Word of God - by my friend Massimo

BobRoberts — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:25:00 GMT

I met Massimo through the WWW. He is a big fan of presuppositional apologetics like me. As I've gotten to know him a little better I've found that his evangelistic fervor and zeal is commendable and challenging. In other words, he uses presuppositional apologetics for more than just philosophical discussion. It has impacted the way he does evangelism. He is publishing a new book about witnessing that I hope to have in my hands soon. Here is an article he wrote about why he believes the Bible is the Word of God. I hope that you will find it useful.

Why I believe the Bible is the Word of God - by Massimo Lorenzini

I could answer this question by appealing to evidences such as:

Prophecy - supernatural predictions of the future that are precise, detailed, and accurate. Sum: supernatural predictions.
Unity - Diversity of authors, settings, and topics yet converging on a unity of testimony. Sum: supernatural unity.
Answers the big questions in a way that is consistent with the way we experience and perceive the world and in a way that is internally cohesive. Sum: supernatural insight.
Historical accuracy - Consistent with archaeology and history; gives unimpeachable testimony; tremendous amount of manuscript evidence. Sum: supernatural events.
Changed lives - The Bible transcends time and culture to radically transform sinners into saints. Sum: supernatural impact.
Survival through time and persecution. Sum: supernatural survival.⁽¹⁾

However, I prefer to answer this question with a question. What truth verification scale will you use to weigh my answer? Or, by what ultimate criterion for truth will you accept or reject my answer? This is the real issue. The issue of epistemology (one's theory of knowledge). Is it the testimony of God as revealed in the self-authenticating Scripture? Or is it autonomous reasoning? Which one do you appeal to as the final arbiter of truth?

How do you justify your position to question the self-attested Word of God? From what vantage point do you stand in judgment of God's Word?⁽²⁾ If you cannot answer, then you have no way to verify the claims of Scripture and you must simply repent of your autonomous use of reason and rely on God's interpretation of reality as found in His Word and think God's thoughts after Him.

Now, allow me to give you a bit more explanation of my response to this question. The reasoning method I'm using is indirect rather than direct and does not allow for common ground in its presentation of arguments and evidences for Bible. The method I'm using is called the presuppositional method. This method was taught by Cornelius Van Til, the late professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary. He wrote: "Every bit of historical investigation [historical apologetics], whether it be in the directly Biblical field, archaeology, or in general history, is bound to confirm the truth claims of the Christian position. But I would not talk endlessly about facts and more facts without ever challenging the non-believer's philosophy of fact" (The Defense of the Faith, p. 199).

What I'm arguing for here is called the transcendental argument. A transcendental argument is one that transcends normal patterns of thought and speaks to the possibility of intelligible thought or rationality. It is a clash of ultimate starting points in reasoning. This approach to apologetics is what I like to call worldview apologetics because we're not simply debating a fact or two in isolation from all other facts. I'm arguing for the biblical Christian worldview in contrast to the non-believer's worldview. Facts only have meaning in relation to all other facts. Therefore, we must not discuss facts apart from their interpretation in relation to one's worldview.

One of the main arguments for the Christian worldview is the impossibility of the contrary. This argument states:

If Christianity is not true, then nothing is true (Prov. 1:7).
Without the Christian worldview, no position is possible; nothing makes sense.
The Bible is the precondition of all rational thought
Unbelievers need God to account for the laws of logic, inductive reasoning, uniformity in nature, predication, human dignity, rationality in the world, ethics, an invariant moral code, science, mathematics, and everything that underlies all their thinking. They contradict themselves.
Unbelievers use what God gave them to ridicule Him (Ps. 10:4; Isa. 45:21; Hos. 2:8; Acts 17:28). This is their unacknowledged dependence upon suppressed truth (Rom. 1:18-20).
The unbeliever has rejected God with foolish pride (Ps. 14:1).

So in using the transcendental argument, I'm not answering your question in a direct, "simple" manner. I'm moving the discussion to the undeclared assumptions or presuppositions that the questioner holds and that govern all of his thinking about facts. You see, I can't just give you "brute" facts as if the believer and unbeliever see the facts in the same way. Again I quote from Van Til, "This is tantamount to saying that those who interpret a fact as dependent upon God and those who interpret that same fact as not dependent upon God have yet said something identical about the fact" (The Defense of the Faith, p. 203). So rather than just give a pile of facts, I'm challenging the unbeliever's undeclared assumptions. I'm calling the unbeliever to epistemological self-consciousness. This means to become aware of your ultimate source of knowledge (i.e. God or self).

This method is consistent with all we know from Bible doctrine. In fact, one of my favorite passages affirms that the way Christians defend the faith is not by using the conventions of debate that the world dictates: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" ( 2 Cor. 10:3-5, NIV).

So it is actually immoral to feign neutrality in the realm of epistemology. We are commanded by God's Word to "take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." Our thinking is either righteous and aligns with the truth according to God's Word, or it is wicked and follows "the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient (Eph. 2:2, NIV).

If you want a simple answer to the question of why I believe the Bible to be the Word of God. Here it is: The Bible's own testimony (in innumerable passages the Bible declares or assumes itself to be the Word of God). Sum: supernatural testimony.

Notes:

1. These evidences are summarized from a teaching outline by Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason (www.str.org).

2. You only have two choices: (a) Man is the final or ultimate reference point in human predication (the logical affirmation or assertion of something about another—to affirm, give ground or relationship, or to found a proposition). (b) God, speaking through Christ by His Spirit in the infallible Word, is the final or ultimate reference point in human predication.

For a more detailed study on this topic see Has God Spoken? How Can We Know the Bible is from God?

Junior Camp In Michigan

BobRoberts — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:28:00 GMT

This week I've had the privilege to speak to children at Camp CoBeAc in Prudenville, Michigan. Most of my growing up years were done here in Michigan and so it is a treat to be in my "homeland." I actually attended Camp CoBeAc (www.cobeac.org) growing up. Pastor Bob Wall (now Pastor in Fostoria, Michigan) brought us teens over here for a few Winter retreats and some basketball camps if memory serves me right. I'll never forget the midnight pop can war we had in the cabin one night (sans Pastor Wall)!

Jeff Kahl is the director of Camp CoBeAc and has been a special blessing to me over the years. I served under Jeff at Northland Camp and Conference center during the summers of 1995 and 1996. There are a few qualities that you can't help but notice about Jeff: #1 Jeff is friendly, #2 Jeff hates trash...especially on the ground/floor, and #3 Jeff is concerned about unity amongst Christians. One thing is for certain, you won't be able to entirely figure him out, and I think that is a good thing. Jeff will sharpen and deepen your thinking about a great many things. I praise God for Jeff Kahl and the solid ministry he is having here in God's country. :-)

Oh, one more thing...Jeff is a former "bus kid." He rode a bus to a Baptist church. He ironed his sweatpants to look the best he possibly could on Sunday. In my humble opinion Jeff is the kind of person that remains the best kind of argument FOR a bus ministry in local churches. In my mind I imagine someone giving Jeff a hundred reasons against a bus ministry with him graciously nodding and listening. Then, at the end of the discourse, Jeff sighing, looking down, putting his hands on his knees, looking back up and stating: "You know, I was a bus kid." I do hope that happens someday if it hasn't already!

Jon Vandenburg the program director here has also been a special blessing to me the last couple of years. I have thorougly enjoyed our late (very late) night Taco Bell trips. Think of it as "camp fuel."

Pearson Johnson is here as a sponsor. He serves as an assistant pastor at Inter-City Baptist Church in Detroit, MI. Pearson (we used to call him "PJ" back in the day) is a friend from my summers at Northland Camp. He has been blogging about the week of camp and has posted several very good pictures. View the blog and the pics here: http://homebuildersonline.wordpress.com/