Hanging Shoes and Giving Bibles

I have always been annoyed by what you see in the above photo. I have to say that I dislike seeing shoes hanging from telephone wires. It looks ugly and seems impossible to to do anything about. I recently learned that hanging shoes have (at least in Savannah) a more ominous meaning. I've been told that dangling shoes are a sign that the area is a center of illegal drug activity.

The area around where our church meets has many hanging shoes. In fact, I see more all the time.

No matter how many police cars patrol the streets, the drug activity will remain. No matter how many young men are put in jail, the illegal activity will continue.

What will change this type of activity is the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we know, God designed the gospel to flow from one person to another in conversation. This gospel message is contained in a great book - the bible.

This is why I am excited about what happened today. A few of us from the church walked around the church neighborhood and talked with folks. We gave out bibles and shared the gospel. On the surface, nothing earth-shattering happened. No one accepted Christ through streaming tears. However, many bibles were given out.

The bible itself speaks to the power of God's word. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

The bible has great impact. Our hope is that the bibles we gave out today will, through the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, make a difference in more than a few lives.

It was great to get to know a few more people. It was great to share the gospel and see it comprehended (for the first time for some of the people we talked to). It was great to see bibles placed into spiritually needy hands.

I hope to see fewer shoes hanging around the area - not because of increased police presence, but because of hearts radically changed by Jesus Christ.

Complaining, Sin, and the Sovereignty of God

We live in a society that complains about everything. We live in an era that is the most advanced technologically in history, yet we complain. We have machines to do nearly anything for us, but we gripe and gripe and gripe.

I understand why non-Christians complain. Because they do not know God, they are concerned primarily with themselves. When focus is on self, that person will complain.

But why do Christians complain? We have been told very clearly not to complain. In Philippians 4:14, Paul writes, "Do all things without complaining and disputing." This passage follows immediately after the great Christ Hymn of 2:5-11. In light of the context, we ought to be serving rather than complaining.

I believe there are at least two reasons why Christians (including me) complain:

First, we do not really grasp the depth of our sin. If we truly thought biblically about the holiness of God and the utter rebellion that our sin is, we would also see that we deserve absolutely nothing good in this life. John tells us that sin is lawlessness. What we do deserve is an express ticket to the Lake of Fire.

Second, we do not really believe that God is sovereign. I must admit that I give lip-service to God's sovereignty, but I'm not consistent in acting like I believe it is true. If God is sovereign, then this means that He controls all my circumstances. Since that is the case, I have nothing to complain about.

We complain because our focus is inward instead of Godward. We would do much better by focusing on meeting the needs of others instead of thinking about what would make our lives easier.

Who Believes in Global Warming?

The Pew Research Center recently published this data about various religious groups and their overall attitudes toward the issue of global warming. The below graphic clearly shows that white, evangelical protestants are least likely to believe that there is evidence for global warming. I wonder why this is. Do we not believe it because of biblical convictions, because of a distrust in science, because of a distrust of things secular, or some combination of the above? What do you think?

American Christians and Their Mixed-up Beliefs

A recent survey by the Barna Group indicates, more than anything else, that American Christians as a whole have wide-ranging beliefs when it comes to theology. These varieties of belief cover some of the most important doctrines of the faith including Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and sin.

It is amazing to me that self-described Christians can differ so much in beliefs when we have a source to look to: the bible. Keep in mind that I'm not talking about secondary issues such as baptism, the Lord's Supper, or eschatology. This Barna survey deals with core issues of the faith.

To read the interesting survey results, click here.

He is Risen

What did Jesus' Followers do on Saturday?

Mark 16:1, "When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him."

Luke 23:56, "Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment."

I'm impressed by the obedience of Jesus' followers. They followed the Sabbath regulations prior to going out to the tomb. Despite their despair, they kept the commandment.

Pierced for Our Transgressions

(Click on the diagram for a larger view.)


Isaiah 53:4-6 (NASB):

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
and our sorrows He carried;
yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
and by His scourging we are healed.

6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
to fall on Him.

Thank You, Jesus, for Washing My Feet

John 13:1-17 is the very familiar passage where Jesus washes the disciples' feet. I continue to be amazed that Jesus did this. After all, He is God. He certainly had no duty to do it. By all rights, the disciples should have been washing His feet.

Although I obviously was not at the last supper, I can't help but think that Jesus washed my feet, too. He did it by dying on the cross for me. He also did it by leaving me an example.

His example reminds us that the Christian life is much more than believing the correct facts in our heads. Living for Christ is living like Christ. If He got his hands dirty, then we should do the same. If He served others who were worth far less than He, why shouldn't we serve others (who all have the same value as we do)?

I wonder if I get dirty enough for Christ? No, I don't.

Thank you, Jesus, for washing my feet.

Scourging: Part of What I Deserve and Part of What Christ Bore

(Click directly on the diagram to see a larger view.)

The Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic

The Nicene Creed describes the church as, "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." What does this mean, and how does thinking along these lines affect the church today? These are issues raised and answered by Richard Phillips, Philip Ryken, and Mark Dever.

I appreciate this text because the authors strive to be biblical. Additionally, they write with an eye on the history of the church instead of operating only in "the now." As a bonus, all three authors are genuinely good writers. They keep the discussion interesting and relatively easy to read.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the church. Order it here.

Yet Another Good Reason to Read a Book

Dr. Albert Mohler reports on a study that discusses the health benefits of reading. According to Mohler, "Researchers at the University of Sussex have determined that the very best way to relieve stress, both physical and mental, is to read a book." Click here to read more about it.

Total Depravity? It's in the Bible

Sunsets, Sunrises, and Joy

Click here to read an excellent and short post by John Piper on the joy that comes from gazing at a sunrise or sunset. Sadly, atheists miss out on this great joy.

"Evangelical Protestant" Atheists?

The Pew Forum recently posted the above chart. The above information indicates that 5% of Americans do not believe in God or any universal spirit. Of this 5% of the overall population, the chart shows how they identify themselves.

It is interesting that only 39% identify themselves as atheistic or agnostic. Those folks at least seem to be honest about it.

It appears to me that the 35% who label themselves as "Nothing in Particular" just want the whole issue to go away.

What I really do not understand is those who refer to themselves as "Christian," but who do not believe in God. In particular, what is with the 2% who refer to themselves as "Evangelical Protestant"? If an Evangelical does not believe in God, then what does he believe in?

My only guess about the reason for "Evangelical Protestant" Atheists is that these folks are referring to their heritage as opposed to what they believe. Maybe they were raised in an Evangelical home, but have since rejected the existence of God. They possibly don't want to take the full step of embracing atheism or agnosticism (the only honest thing to do), and instead want to remain in the middle.

Bizarre.

Twitter Church?

Yesterday I wrote a silly post over at TBNN entitled, "Twitter Church." The idea behind the post was that a man in California had planted a church that only met on Twitter. They never actually saw each other, but constantly updated each other on Twitter.

That post got me wondering about much that happens in our churches today. When we gather, how much time are we able to actually spend together, getting to really know one another? Are we able to get into meaningful, in-depth conversations with our church family? Do we know the problems, difficulties, and struggles our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing?

As most churches gather, the majority of the time is spent listening to someone preach or teach, singing songs, discussing bible passages, praying, and reading scripture. These are all good things.

However, if this is all we do, then we are not really sharing lives with one another. When we gather, if our conversations are just short, fractured statements about how our week was, then we are not getting to know each other at any kind of deep level. In fact, if this is the case, then we aren't really that different from Twitter.

My hope is that as we gather as local bodies we will actually spend time together. This can certainly happen on Sunday, but it can also happen on any other day of the week. When we sit down for coffee at a shop somewhere, we will probably have a longer, more meaningful conversation than we can possibly have on Sunday.

As Christians we need a balance. We need to spend time in preaching, reading scripture, singing psalms, and praying. We also need to build each other up through real conversation.

Let's not be Twitter churches. Let's do far more than give quick updates of our current status.

(And no Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, or Wordpress churches either.)

"One Pure and Holy Passion"

I loved singing this song during chapel at seminary.

John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology

In the evangelical world there are many false or at least distorted ideas about John Calvin. The reality is that this great reformer was much more than the austere theologian many make him out to be.

This being the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth, Reformation Trust has published an excellent book about the Calvin's life - John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology. The book is segmented into 19 chapters written by 19 current theologians. The authors include Thabiti Anyabwile, Jerry Bridges, Sinclair Ferguson, and John MacArthur.

This book is well worth the read because it offers a balanced look at the entire life of John Calvin. He is shown to be the man he was - a pastor at heart with a love for Christ and His church. I highly recommend this book.

To buy it, click here.

Survey Compares How Liberals and Conservatives Differ on Matters of Faith

Click here to read the results from a new Barna Group Survey that compares political liberals and conservatives in faith matters.

The numbers from the survey are interesting, but also somewhat predictable. For example,

"Liberals are also far less likely than conservatives to strongly believe each of the following:

• their religious faith is very important in their life (54% of liberals vs. 82% of conservatives);
• a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by doing good deeds or being a good person (23% vs. 37%);
• their faith is becoming an increasingly important moral guide in their life (38% vs. 70%);
• the church they currently attend is very important in helping them find direction and fulfillment in life (37% vs. 62%);
• their primary purpose in life is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul (43% vs. 76%);
• Jesus Christ did not commit sins during His time on earth (33% vs. 55%)."

Quiz: Can You Identify the Theologian?

I recently found out about a website called Reformationart.com. This site offers artwork of various theologians and happenings from the Reformation and later times. I thought it would be fun to post pictures of some of these theologians, and then put together a short quiz.

Below are pictures of 18 theologians. I've broken them up into three groups of six each. The first group is relatively easy, the second is more difficult, and the third might be tough for you. The answers to the three groups are located at the very bottom of the post. See how you do, and then comment with your results. Do you know your theologians?

EASY
1.


2.


3.


4.


5.









6.


MEDIUM
7.


8.


9.


10.










11.


12.


DIFFICULT
13.


14.


15.


16.


17.


18.

Answers are below (scroll down.)























ANSWERS
1. John Calvin
2. Jonathan Edwards
3. Martin Luther
4. John Owen
5. William Tyndale
6. George Whitefield

7. Richard Baxter
8. John Huss
9. John Knox
10. B. B. Warfield
11. John Wycliffe
12. Ulrich Zwingli

13. Louis Berkhof
14. Theodore Beza
15. Hugh Latimer
16. J. Gresham Machen
17. Phillip Melanchthon
18. Thomas Watson

Did Jesus Die for Hitler?

"Did Jesus die for Hitler?"

This is an interesting question, but is also a somewhat inflammatory one. It carries emotional baggage because of the horrors Hitler directed during WWII. A better question is whether or not Jesus died for those who never accept Him as Lord and Savior. I think we (meaning biblical Christians) can all agree that Jesus certainly died for all those who have faith in Him. But what about those who never believe?

We can also agree that all those who do not believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior go to hell when they die. Jesus was abundantly clear about this.

Back to the question at hand: Did Jesus die for unbelievers?

The answer to this question is closely tied to whether Jesus' sacrifice on the cross produces actual salvation or potential salvation. If Jesus' death actually produces salvation, then He must have died only for those who would believe. Otherwise, everyone would be saved. Actual salvation only occurs for Christians.

If, however, Jesus' sacrifice does not actually save, but only potentially saves, then He could have died for Hitler or anyone else. He could have died for everyone who ever lived. If Jesus' death potentially brought salvation, then something else has to be added to Christ's work on the cross in order to earn salvation. In this view, what is added must be faith.

The problem with the "potential view" is that faith becomes a work, whereby man earns salvation through Christ's death AND his own faith.

The bible makes it clear that we are saved by grace alone.

Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Additionally, the bible tells us that Jesus' death actually procured salvation. He actually bore sin and paid for sin.

Isaiah 53:11-12, "He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

II Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

I Peter 2:24, "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness -- by whose stripes you were healed."

The bible tells us repeatedly that Jesus' sacrifice was enough to buy salvation. Nothing else adds to His work. This is one of the things that differentiates Christianity from all other religions. All other religions offer a works-based salvation. Christianity is grace-based. God has done all the work needed for salvation, and then bestows it as a gift.

If Jesus died for every individual, then His death only bought a potential salvation. This view suggests that Jesus' death on the cross was not enough. Faith becomes a work.

If, however, Jesus' sacrifice did actually purchase salvation, then no other work is required. His death was enough. This view holds that Jesus died for the elect, not for all individuals.

So, did Jesus die for everyone? Did Jesus die for Hitler?

The answer has to be a resounding "No." Otherwise, salvation is not of grace.

(So where does faith come in? Faith is a response to the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Faith does not earn salvation, but everyone who is saved does have faith in Christ.)

What should we do in response to this awesome truth? Fall on our faces in praise and thanks to the God who died for us.