On to the World Series!

National League Champs two years in a row

More Excellent Photos

My daughter, Caroline, has been gifted by God in the area of photography. She recently revamped and added to a couple of different websites that she uses to display her photos. I encourage you to take a look.

Photographs of God's Creation (portfolio)

Caroline Carpenter Photography (portraits and other photos)

Here are some of my favorites:

I'm Thinking Maybe Not McDonald's

I admit that I posted this simply because I think it's funny.

Atheist Ads in New York

A few atheistic groups will be putting advertisements in New York City subway stations beginning next week (read full article here).

Hmmmm. I wonder what God thinks about this.

Are Bible Translations Really Worth Dividing Over?

Isn't it ironic that on the one hand the bible commands Christians to be united, but on the other hand some of us divide over the bible itself?

In particular, some folks believe the King James Version (KJV) is the only true English bible. See here for one example.

If the KJV is better than all other modern English versions, then it seems that the KJV would be considerably different than the other versions, especially in key verses. The one verse in the bible that I believe best sums up the gospel is II Corinthians 5:21. Let's compare this verse in the KJV to how other versions have translated it.

First, the KJV:

KJV: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Now let's look at other versions (in no particular order):

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

ESV: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

NIV: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

NASB: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

HCSB: He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

RSV: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

NLT: For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Geneva: For he hath made him to be sinne for vs, which knewe no sinne, that we should be made the righteousnesse of God in him.

Tyndale: for he hath made him to be synne for vs which knewe no synne that we by his meanes shuld be that rightewesnes which before God is aloved.

In slightly different ways we read all of the above versions saying the same thing. The wording is different, but the meaning is demonstrably the same.

I personally favor some translations (ESV, NKJV) over others (RSV, NLT). We all probably have our own favorites. Some translations are more literal than others. Some are more readable than others. (There are a few translations that should be avoided, but this is because the translators have purposely altered the meaning of the original text because of a significant bias; the NRSV and TNIV come to mind.)

For the most part, modern English translations say the same thing. This is certainly something we can discuss and, if need be, agree-to-disagree.

Let us avoid separation over any preference of a particular translation, whether it be the KJV, ESV, NIV, or any other.

We should certainly be able to remain united around the truth of the gospel as presented in the bible instead of dividing over the very word that presents the gospel to us.

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Not Sure What I Think About This...

Apparently the Pope has decided to make it easier for disgruntled and disaffected Anglicans to join Roman Catholicism.

According to an ABC report, "Pope Benedict XVI approved a new church provision that will allow Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while maintaining many of their distinctive spiritual and liturgical traditions, including having married priests." To read the article, click here.

The current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has a history of speaking a great deal, but rarely taking a stand for much of anything. In typical fashion, Williams said in response to Rome's actions, "It has no negative impact on the relations of the communion as a whole to the Roman Catholic church as a whole."

I'd certainly disagree with Williams on that one.

Overall I'm not sure how I feel about this. Is a person better off in an Anglican Church or a Roman Catholic one?

The answer: go wherever the gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed and lived out.

"This Wide."

A few days ago, during a meeting of one of our church Sunday School classes, a lady in our fellowship said something very simple yet very profound.

From what I'm told, a few of the class members were involved in a fairly intense discussion about what the parameters of Christianity should be. The topic focused in particular on Roman Catholicism. At one point the following question was posed, "How wide/narrow should our definition of Christianity be?"

In response, one lady said, "This wide," and held up her bible in her hand.

I hope my beliefs and practices, as I seek to follow after Christ, are as this lady said: as wide (and as narrow) as what the entire bible says.

No more. No less.

"Better" in Hebrews

The author of Hebrews repeatedly tell us that Jesus Christ is "better." Below are the instances in Hebrews where the word better is used. The author either describes Jesus Himself as better or things He brings about as better.

From these verses we can see that Jesus truly is superior to all things. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

"having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." Hebrews 1:4 (NKJV)

"But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner." Hebrews 6:9

"Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better." Hebrews 7:7

"for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God." Hebrews 7:19

"by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant." Hebrews 7:22

"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises." Hebrews 8:6

"Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Hebrews 9:23

"for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven." Hebrews 10:34

"But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:16

"Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection." Hebrews 11:35

"God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us." Hebrews 11:40

"to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel." Hebrews 12:24

Jesus is Better Than...

I just recently completed reading through the book of Hebrews. What a joy!

The primary theme of this book is that Jesus is better than... For example, Christ is better than angels, better than Moses, better than the Mosaic covenant, better than O.T. high priests, better than O.T. sacrifices. He is superior to all things.

I think we would all agree with these things.

Hebrews also implies that Jesus is better than all of our man-made religious conventions and traditions. We, in our attempts to feel good about ourselves, have a tendency to "try to be good," and at times rely on ourselves for "feeling good" about our relationship with God. This is nonsense.

Jesus is better than all man-made ideas about religion. He is infinitely superior to any thoughts, feelings, ideas, or programs we can come up with. His great grace is sufficient for not only salvation but also sanctification.

Let us constantly look unto Jesus, the "author and perfecter of our faith," for all we need. He is superior. He is better than all other things.

Let us avoid any temptations at self-justification. Let us fix our gaze upon Christ and run to Him. He is better.

I Better Think Before I Preach...

(Thanks to Jim West for this video.)

A (Challenging) Word to Live By

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29

Baptized Again!

I suppose it is appropriate that at our recent church fall festival I was the first victim in the dunking booth. The photo above is actually an "action shot." If you look closely, you can see the platform separated in half and me hitting the water (click directly on the picture for more detail).

Since the Greek word baptidzo means to immerse, it felt something like getting baptized again and again! I must have been submerged about 20-25 times before my 30-minute segment mercifully ended. I do have to admit that it was fun watching the kids try to hit the target, but after a while it was beginning to feel like some sort of semi-water torture.

Maybe next year instead of a dunk tank we should just sprinkle.

And More Photos from Africa

Click here to see more photos from my parents' adventures in Kenya.

Photos from Africa

My parents, who are serving this year at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya, recently posted some photos from a brief journey into the African countryside. Click here to see. My personal favorite is the one of the lions eating the carcass.

What Do We Do? How Do We Do It? Why Do We Do It?

"What Do We Do? How Do We Do It? Why Do We Do It?"

These are three very important questions to ask about what happens when the church of Jesus Christ gets together. They are questions that we should be continually asking ourselves as we look at our church gatherings.

Unfortunately, in my experience it is the first of the above three questions that seems to garner the vast majority of the attention these days. The concern seems to almost always be the content of what is happening: "Is there preaching? What kind? Is there singing? What kind? Are there testimonials? How long do they take? Is the bible read aloud? Are there pews or chairs? Is there a Sunday evening service? What do the kids do?" etc., etc., etc.

Content is certainly important. If the gospel of Jesus Christ is not the centerpiece of the gathering, then something is very wrong.

A concern of mine is that while we frequently ask the first of the above three questions, we do not often ask the other two. The irony in this is that the bible is clearer in its answer to the second two questions than it is to the first.

In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul answers the question, "How do we do it?"

At the conclusion of I Corinthians chapter 14, which deals specifically with the church gathering, Paul writes in 14:40, "Let all things be done decently and in order." So the answer to how we are to gather is that we are to gather in a decent and orderly manner.

In this same chapter, Paul also answers the third of the above questions, "Why do we do it?"

Why do we gather together? This is a critical question, but one that rarely gets asked. Paul tells us the answer in two different verses:

I Corinthians 14:12, "Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel."

I Corinthians 14:26, "How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."

Paul's clear answer to why we gather is that we do so for the edification (building up) of the body of Christ. We gather in order to encourage the church to grow in maturity in Jesus Christ.

As we think about the church gathering, we should ask hard questions. It is important that we ask all the questions that need asking. There is much more to the gathering of the body than simply "what we do."

Seeing Providence in the Good and the Bad

I love God's providence.

Providence is God's controlling all things that occur for His glory and for our good. Providence is, quite simply, God's loving sovereignty in action. The verse that may best sum up providence is the well-known Romans 8:28, which tells us, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (ESV)

I will admit, however, that in my flesh I see providence very selectively. On a moment-by-moment basis, I see the good things that happen to me as providential, but the bad things as, well, non-providential. Of course, I'm mistakenly relying on my own rationality to tell me what I think is "good" and what is "bad." For example, if I drive through Savannah with no traffic problems, no accidents, no flat tires, no speeding tickets, and no breakdowns, I freely and thankfully admit that this is God's providence in action. However, if my car breaks down, I get a ticket, or I end up stuck in traffic, I rarely see this as God's providence. When "bad" things happen, I too often temporarily morph into some sort of functional atheist.

The bible tells us to view all of life as being part of God's providence. In particular, the scriptures exhort us to view our sufferings as being causes of joy. The reason for this is that suffering draws us closer to Christ and matures us in Christ. For a couple of examples:

Romans 5:3-5, "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

If bad things happening to us - some of which is real suffering and some of which probably is not - brings us closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, then we should correctly view these things as acts of providence on the part of God.

Since God is completely sovereign and completely good, this means that He providentially controls all of our activities. We should, therefore, consider all things that happen to us (good or bad) to be gifts of the providential hand of our Lord.

The "One Anothers" of Romans 12-16

In his epistle to the church in Rome, Paul discusses in much detail (chapters 1-11) what God has done for us in salvation. Paul concludes this section with a mini-doxology in 11:36, "For of Him and through him and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." (NKJV)

Paul then moves into the "application" section of his letter. Basically, he is saying that since God has saved us, we should live in a certain way. He begins chapters 12-16 with a very familiar couple of verses, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Paul goes on in this letter to emphasize that one of the primary ways we present our bodies as living sacrifices is by serving one another.

In reading these five application chapters, it is interesting just how much Paul emphasizes the concept of "one another." In fact, in the NKJV the phrase "one another" appears 10 times in chapters 12-16 (after having occurred just once in chapters 1-11):

Romans 12:5, "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

Romans 12:10, "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another."

Romans 12:16, "Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion."

Romans 13:8, "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."

Romans 14:13, "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way."

Romans 15:5, "Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus."

Romans 15:7, "Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God."

Romans 15:14, "Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another."

Romans 16:16, "Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you."

It is clear from Paul's writings that we do not please Christ and grow in Christ while living in a vacuum. We mature in Christ while serving others both within the church and out in the world.

If we want to grown in sanctification, we will be active in the life of the church by doing for one another. This does not mean being involved in numerous church programs. Rather, it means that we will get to know one another better by spending time together. We will challenge and exhort one another to live godly lives. We will encourage one another when we fail.

Paul is telling us in plain terms to be living sacrifices by serving others.

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism - and Unity

In Ephesians 4:1-6 Paul writes, "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (emphasis mine).

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, the apostle (to be simplistic about it) writes three chapters telling us what God has done for us, and then writes three chapters telling us how to live out our lives in Christ.

The above passage comes from the beginning of chapter four. Thus, this is the first thing Paul had to say to the Ephesians about how they were to live together after being saved. Interestingly, Paul chooses to emphasize the importance of unity. In the above passage he uses the word "one" eight different times. He also writes that they are to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit.

As there is one God, as we have one hope, as we have one faith, we also should be part of one body.

As the Trinity is united, we should be united (see John 17 for more on that).

Paul is clear: the church is to be united. There is no room for disharmony and division.

Another Helpful Bible Resource

I may be late to the game on this one, but I just stumbled across another helpful bible resource: Biblos.

Biblos is a useful site that is full of information. One of the best features is that when you select a verse (in the upper left-hand corner of the page), a great deal of information appears on the screen. This is what the page looks like for II Corinthians 5:21.

Enjoy.