Blog blessing Saturday

This guy built a realistic model of Noah's Ark.

Steve Camp asks, "Does God hear the prayers of all people?"

A great photo showing two of the wonders of creation side-by-side. (HT: Chailles)

Pulpit Magazine answers some important questions about euthanasia, interracial marriage and sabbath-keeping.

A debate on God's existence!

This should be interesting!

New York, May 2, 2007 – Actor Kirk Cameron and best-selling author Ray Comfort will square off with two atheists at Calvary Baptist Church in New York City on Saturday, May 5, 2007 @ 7:30pm (EST). ABC originally planned to stream the 90-minute debate LIVE on their website, but decided to reschedule the broadcast to capture a larger audience. The full debate will air on www.abcnews.com on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 @ 1:00pm (EST). The Nightline piece will air that same night at 11:35 p.m. (your local time). Read more here.

The power of the doctrines of grace

"Whenever and wherever the doctrines of free grace and justification by faith have prevailed in the Christian Church, and according to the degree of clearness with which they have been enforced, the practical duties of Christianity have flourished in the same proportion. Wherever they have declined, or been tempered with the reasonings and expedients of men, either from a well-meant, though mistaken fear, lest they should be abused, or from a desire to accommodate the gospel, and render it more palatable to the depraved taste of the world, the consequence has always been, an equal declension in practice. So long as the gospel of Christ is maintained without adulteration, it if found sufficient for every valuable purpose; but when the wisdom of man is permitted to add to the perfect work of God, a wide door is opened for innumerable mischiefs."--John Newton, A Review of Ecclesiastical History. (HT: Challies)

Truth War pt. 2

It was Martin Luther who said:

“The world at the present time is sagaciously discussing how to quell the controversy and strife over doctrine and faith, and how to effect a compromise between the Church and the Papacy. Let the learned, the wise, it is said, bishops, emperor and princes, arbitrate. Each side can easily yield something, and it is better to concede some things which can be construed according to individual interpretation, than that so much persecution, bloodshed, war, and terrible, endless dissension and destruction be permitted.

“Here is lack of understanding, for understanding proves by the Word that such patchwork is not according to God’s will, but that doctrine, faith and worship must be preserved pure and unadulterated; there must be no mingling with human nonsense, human opinions or wisdom.

“The Scriptures give us this rule: ‘We must obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29).”

It is interesting to speculate what the church would be like today if Martin Luther had been prone to compromise. The pressure was heavy on him to tone down his teaching, soften his message, stop poking his finger in the eye of the papacy. Even many of his friends and supporters urged Luther to come to terms with Rome for the sake of harmony in the church. Luther himself prayed earnestly that the effect of his teaching would not be divisive.

When he nailed his 95 Theses to the door, the last thing he wanted to do was split the church.

Yet sometimes division is fitting, even healthy, for the church. Especially in times like Luther’s—and like ours—when the visible church seems full of counterfeit Christians, it is right for the true people of God to declare themselves. Compromise is sometimes a worse evil than division. Second Corinthians 6:14-17 isn’t speaking only of marriage when it says,

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.

-By John MacArthur. The Truth War

Movies and mayhem?

Does it matter what you watch? In terms of violence?

Mike White, a screenwriter for Hollywood movies writes an op-ed piece in the New York Times in which he muses:

The calamity at Virginia Tech is unfortunately not as unique an event as we’d like to think, but the sheer number of victims has grabbed our attention and inspired some collective soul-searching. As responsible Americans put their heads down on their desks and reflect, should the scribes of popular entertainment be excused to the playground? We screenwriters may be overgrown teenagers who still want to be cool, but we aren’t 12 years old anymore. Maybe we’re not responsible for Mr. Cho’s awful actions, but does that abrogate our responsibility to the world around us?

Most of us who chose careers in this field were seduced by cinema’s spell at an early age. We know better than anyone the power films have to capture our imaginations, shape our thinking and inform our choices, for better and for worse. At the risk of being labeled a scold — the ultimate in uncool — I have to ask: before cashing those big checks, shouldn’t we at least pause to consider what we are saying with our movies about the value of life and the pleasures of mayhem?

Sobering reflections from one within the industry.

Here is the whole article.

Coveting and contentment

From Phil Ryken, on coveting and contentment:

As long as we base our sense of contentment on anything in the world, we will always find some excuse to make ourselves miserable. Our problem is not on the outside--it's on the inside, and therefore it will never be solved by getting more of what we think we want. If we do not learn to be satisfied right now in our present situation--whatever it is--we will never be satisfied at all. . . .

The truth is that if God wanted us to have more right now, we would have it. . . . If we were supposed to be in a different situation in life, we would be in it. Instead of always saying, "If only this" and "If only that," God calls us to glorify him to the fullest right now. . . . Contentment means wanting what God wants for us rather than what we want for us. The secret to enjoying this kind of contentment is to be so satisfied with God that we are able to accept whatever he has or has not provided.

Exodus: Saved for God's Glory (Crossway), 673-74.

Denny Burk has the story behind the story of the three men who were martyred for their faith, men of whom the world is not worthy of. "The three men were heading to a previously arranged bible study with some Islamic “seekers” who had expressed interest in the Christian faith. It turned out that the five “seekers” weren’t interested in Christianity at all. After Necati read a chapter from the Bible, the five men assaulted the three Christians. The assault turned into a gruesome three-hour torture session." Some of this report is quite graphic in the details of the deaths of these men of whom the world was not worthy of. (HT: JT)

Martin Luther on the Truth War

Martin Luther, that noble gospel soldier, threw down the gauntlet at the feet of every Christian in every generation after him when he said:

If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all battlefields besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."

Truth War

It seems like every time I turn around, every time I read some blog, there is something new that concerns me about evangelical Christianity in America today. That is not to say that I am encouraged on many fronts as I hear of the triumph of truth. For this I rejoice.

As we think of the battles that we must constantly engage in as we "fight the good fight of faith" as Paul writes to Timothy, I trust that we will not grow weary in doing well. I was strengthened to press on and persevere in the cause for truth as last week I read The Truth War by John MacArthur. This book is full of exhortations to the good and faithful soldier of Jesus Christ. (Of course all of this military allusions are spiritual and figurative. We do not fight with the sword as some other religions advocate). So for the next few weeks I may share a quote or two from this book that encouraged me and I trust may encourage others.

Now is not a good time for Christians to flirt with the spirit of the age. We cannot afford to be apathetic about the truth God has put in our trust. It is our duty to guard, proclaim, and pass the truth on to the next generation (1 Timothy 6:20-21). We who look to Christ and believe the truth embodied in His teaching must awaken to the reality of the battle that is raging all around us. We must do our part in the ages-old Truth War. We are under a sacred obligation to join the battle and contend for the faith. . . .

Our task as ambassadors is to bring good news to people. Our mission as soldiers is to overthrow false ideas. We must keep those objectives straight; we are not entitled to wage warfare against people or to enter into diplomatic relations with anti-Christian ideas. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12); and our duty as ambassadors does not permit us to compromise or align ourselves with any kind of human philosophies, religious deceit, or any other kind of falsehood (Colossians 2:8).

If those sound like difficult assignments to keep in balance and maintain in proper perspective, it is because they are indeed. . . .

We are ambassador-soldiers, reaching out to sinners with the truth even as we make every effort to destroy the lies and other forms of evil that hold them in deadly bondage. That is a perfect summary of every Christian's duty in the Truth War.

Sad news in China

The Chinese mother named "Wei was seven months into her pregnancy, and hers was no natural stillbirth. The 34-year-old is a resident of Guangxi Province in southern China, and local officials dragged her to a hospital, injected her abdomen with chemicals to kill her baby, and lingered to make sure that he died. Her forced abortion was one of at least 60 in the province that took place under the direction of Chinese officials in Baise City during a 24-hour period April 17-18." Read the rest of the story here and mourn.

Holiness: Transcendent Majesty

"But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him." Habakkuk 2:20

"Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?" (Exodus 15:11)

A few months ago I read a chapter on the holiness of God that has deepened my understanding of this important aspect of God's character.

Stephen Charnock defines God's holiness as "a glorious perfection belonging to the nature of God. Hence he is in Scripture styled often the Holy One, the Holy One of Jacob, the Holy One of Israel; and oftener entitled Holy, than Almighty, and set forth by this part of his dignity more than any other."

Holiness is more than just moral perfection; it is also transcendence as R. C. Sproul points out, "When we speak of the transcendence of God we are talking about that sense in which God is above and beyond us. It tries to get at His supreme and altogether greatness. . . .Transcendence describes God in his consuming majesty, His exalted loftiness. It points to the infinite distance that separates Him from every creature."

So when we think of describing God we have to use terms like "wholly, absolutely, infinitely, incomprehensible, supreme, exalted, solitary, unique, and peerless."

I concur with Jerry Bridges who writes in The Joy of Fearing God, "Majesty, refers to sovereign power, authority or dignity. It speaks of grandeur and splendor. It can be a relative term, however, when we use it of human rulers--some are more sovereign or powerful than others; some have more grandeur and splendor. When we speak of God's majesty, we have to mean absolute, unequaled majesty. Since transcendence means over and above, I propose the expression transcendent majesty to enable us to come closest to an understanding of God."

So, let us delight to fear God. Let us cleanse ourselves from evil in our flesh and spirit (2 Corinthains 7:1). May we practice humility in light of his transcendence (Isaiah 57:15). Surely we should grow in gratitude to God for His mercy to us through Christ. And such a sense of transcendent majesty should cause us to enter His presence with reverence (Hebrews 10:19, 22).

Enjoy God's holiness and praise Him for His transcendent majesty!

Last week Turkey, this week praying for China

Massive Arrest of Chinese and American Christian Leaders in Xinjiang

Contact: Bob Fu, China Aid Association, 432-689-6985, info@ChinaAid.org; www.ChinaAid.org, www.monitorChina.org

MIDLAND, Texas, April 24 /Christian Newswire/ -- China Aid Association has learned though credible sources that on April 19, 2007 in Akesu city, Xinjiang province, about 30 major house church leaders were arrested when they met with four American Christians. The four Americans were also arrested. Included among the arrested Americans are a senior pastor and an associate pastor of an American church. Sources tell CAA that the four Americans arrived at Akesu airport on April 17 and fellowshipped with the house church leaders on April 18 at a local church family house.

At the time of this press release the four Americans are still being held for questioning in an undisclosed hotel. The translator for the Americans, Mr. Jinhong Li from Beijing, is also still being detained. On April 23, the PSB confiscated the luggage of the four Americans from the house of their host, a local church family.

Eight Chinese pastors were released on April 20 and at least 6 others have already received criminal detention papers for 30 days detention, accused as "suspects involved in evil cult activities." The names of the accused are Pastor Xinglan Zhao, Pastor Xiurong Huang, Pastor Tianlu Yang, 41, Pastor Chaoyi Wang, 41, Pastor Cuiling Li, 48, and Pastor Sijun He.

The Chinese government may sentence the six accused pastors to 1-3 years re-education through labor because they were previously detained a couple of years ago for one month for organizing house church activities. Eyewitnesses told CAA that at least two of the arrested were seen with bleeding noses and bruises on their faces from torture at the interrogation site. They are being held at A Ke Su City Detention Center.

CAA has learned the US Embassy is intervening for this case.

“We urge the Xinjiang authorities to abide by both the Chinese and international laws in respect of religious freedom.” said Rev. Bob Fu, the president of CAA, “These Americans and Chinese Christians have done nothing wrong and the Police who are engaging in torture against theses Christians are to be held legally and morally responsible for what they have done.”

Issued by China Aid Association Inc. on April 24, 2007

The value of the OT to the New Covenant believer

Does the OT have any relevance or benefit to us as believers living under the New Covenant? I mean beyond just good illustrations for sermons or Sunday school stories for our children? If so, how do we know? And how are the helpful. How do we know that? Romans 15:4 tells us that events and stories of the OT were written for our encouragement. And in an extended passage we learn how the OT is for our benefit. Specifically drawing on some stories from the book of Numbers primarily Paul writes,

"I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:1-13)

I heard a message recently from a well-known Presbyterian pastor named Ligon Duncan and in it he made several salient observations about how and why we as believers who are partakers of the New Covenant should view the Old Testament as edifying and important for us today. These events actually happened for us and God wants us to learn from them how we should now live today.

1 - The events that occurred in the OT were examples to us. The New Testament often uses examples from the Old Testament to draw application for the reader. The inspired writers use the Old Testament to encourage and exhort Christians to live the Christian life. Here Paul says the examples in the Old Testament happened to teach us.

2 - The events that happened happened as a moral warning to us. Those events are designed to warn us off from evil cravings.

3 - The Apostle does not merely say these things are recorded as examples for us but that they happened as examples for us. In God's design, all the pain and suffering in the wilderness happened so that we can learn from it and from this we learn just how much He loves us.

4 - The events of the OT provide exhortation to New Testament believers. God in His providence has in view New Covenant believers even in the events that happen in OT.

5 - Paul specifically applies this to New Testament believers in four areas. 1) Do not be idolaters. 2) Do not be immoral. 3) Do not presumptuously test the Lord. 4) Do not grumble against providence.

6 - Not only did these events happen for Christians, but they were written down for Christians. They were written for our instruction.

7 - The Apostle warns us against thinking that we will not fall like they did. Don't think that just because you have seen the glories of the cross that you are impervious to the temptation to fall like the people in the wilderness and in the OT kingdom.

8 - We are to learn from their temptations and failures in order to escape ours. Duncan quoted the old phrase "He who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it" and suggested that this is the spiritual corollary.

9 - Christ is at the very center of this story, the whole wilderness experience, yes of the OT kingly line that would eventuate in the coming of the Messiah who is Christ.. He is the rock and it is all about Him.

So, read, learn, apply the OT to your life, follower of Jesus Christ!