Rockstanding

UPDATE: The person who posted this online did so illegally. Like others who linked, I was unaware of this. My apologies. Rather, go here to see this awesome book.

What this book is about:

The Christian church has a long tradition of systematic theology, that is, studying theology and doctrine organized around fairly standard categories such as the Word of God, redemption, and Jesus Christ. This introduction to systematic theology has several distinctive features:
- A strong emphasis on the scriptural basis for each doctrine and teaching
- Clear writing, with technical terms kept to a minimum
- A contemporary approach, treating subjects of special interest to the church today
- A friendly tone, appealing to the emotions and the spirit as well as the intellect
- Frequent application to life - Resources for worship with each chapter
- Bibliographies with each chapter that cross-reference subjects to a wide range of other systematic theologies.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. — I Timothy 6:12

John Piper spoke at New Attitude over the weekend in Louisville, Ky. His two messages were Fighting for Faith with God’s Word and William Tyndale: A Life Transformed by God’s Word. New Attitude is a conference that has been going on for a few years, promoting something called humble orthodoxy. Of particular interest — and benefit — is his how-to for studying your Bible regularly.

From OnePlace.com:

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899 – 1981) has been described as ‘a great pillar of the 20th century Evangelical Church’. Born in Wales, and educated in London, he was a brilliant student who embarked upon a short, but successful, career as a medical doctor at the famous St Bartholemew’s Hospital. However, the call of Gospel ministry was so strong that he left medicine in order to become minister of a mission hall in Port Talbot, South Wales. Eventually he was called to Westminster Chapel in London, where thousands flocked to hear his ‘full-blooded’ Gospel preaching, described by one hearer as ‘logic on fire’. With some 1600 of his sermons recorded and digitally restored, this has left a legacy which is now available for the blessing of another generation of Christians around the world – ‘Though being dead he still speaks’.

You can hear sermons from this great preacher for free! at OnePlace.com (with registration). If you own an iPod or an MP3 player, this is a great way to fill it with awesome encouragement, teaching and counsel. If you don’t you can still listen online for free.

As I continue to think about the recent series of sermons being preached at my church, Berean Bible Church, I dwell on the image of the battleship and what that means for my life. Today, I have been thinking about Jonathan Edwards and his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

A few weeks ago in Sunday school we were talking and it came up in discussion that Edwards’ sermon was something that everyone should read. We are fortunate in this age of the Internet that things like that are only a click away. If you are unfamiliar with Edwards, you can always go to Wikipedia, where you can learn about him. About his famous sermon, you’ll find:

This sermon was the very embodiment of a traditional “Hellfire and Brimstone” sermon of the Great Awakening. Edwards’ invoked horrific imagery with the intention of persuading his audience through fear of their own damnation. This sense of fear was apparently so great that during the sermon, according to Stephen Williams (a witness who recorded the events of the sermon), Edwards had to ask for silence from the overwhelmed crowd so that he could finish. When performing this sermon, Edwards would read it in a quiet, calm voice that commanded silence from the audience. Any disturbance would have been noticed, making it easier to gauge the reaction of the congregation as a whole. The subject matter of this sermon was not uncommon for Edwards. Invoking Hellish images was part of a greater arsenal of Gospel topics that Edwards commonly used throughout his catalog of sermons.

But in this day and age, “Hellfire and Brimstone” doesn’t go over well. We are told to love people, not scare them. But if you read through “Sinners,” you will see that making people aware of the existence and the clear path to it we all face is ultimately a loving act. How?

In his message “Two Motives for Missions, Or One?” John Piper explains that compassion pursues the rescue of perishing sinners. If we are truly loving, we cannot go about us each day with blinders on as people are perched on the precipice of hell.

We are battling sin and Satan and hell not just for ourselves, but for the glory of God. When we, out of compassion, work to rescue perishing sinners we bring glory to God by not by just warning them away from the punishment of hell but by luring them to the pleasure of Christ.

Go to battle. Do it for love and the supreme satisfaction of knowing Christ.

For a great talk about Jonathan Edwards and his life, go here.

I came across a post from Dan Phillips over at Pyromaniacs detailing his receiving this card at home and which church sent it. I think we can all relate to the situation, so I think his way of dealing with it is challenging, convicting and thought-provoking for all of us who call ourselves Christians.

Read all these posts, they’re right on.

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2008/01/preaching-good-news-part-one.html
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2008/01/preaching-good-news-part-two.html
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2008/01/preaching-good-news-part-three.html

Tags: Evangelism, The Gospel

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. — I Thessalonians 5:16-18.

We are told to “pray without ceasing” in the Bible. John MacArthur, in Pulpit Magazine, explores this question:

Unceasing, incessant prayer is essential to the vitality of your relationship to the Lord and your ability to function in the world. But exactly what does it mean to pray without ceasing?

The first time someone hears about the concept of praying without ceasing it may conjure up the image of Christians walking around with their hands folded, heads bowed, and eyes closed, bumping into things. While certain postures and specific times set aside for prayer have an important bearing on our communication with God, to “pray at all times” obviously does not mean we are to pray in formal or noticeable ways every waking moment. And it does not mean you’re supposed to devote yourself to reciting ritualistic patterns and forms of prayer.

To “pray without ceasing” refers to recurring prayer, not nonstop talking. Prayer is to be a way of life — you’re to be continually in an attitude of prayer. It is living in continual God-consciousness, where everything you see and experience becomes a kind of prayer, lived in deep awareness of and surrender to Him. It should be instant and intimate communication — not unlike that which we enjoy with our best friend.

read more here

    When I was younger, I lived and died sports. I mean, if I wasn’t out in the back yard throwing the ball around to some imaginary receiver or seeing how far I could throw a baseball, I was down at empty lot behind the Lutheran Church playing whatever sport was in season with my neighborhood buddies.
    That was all before we had sports on television every possible minute. There was no ESPN, no Internet and the local sports pages of the Daily Globe were my window to the “world” of sports. I could hardly imagine a thing as “too much sports.”
    Yet that is exactly the kind of thing I think about these days. It used to be you talked about the weather when you didn’t know what else to converse about. Now it’s sports because it’s everywhere. I know and hear more than I care to know about the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, Alex Rodriguez, Tom Brady and on and on. There is no mystery.
    Even in a simple state like Nebraska, we have created our own obsession — Nebraska football. This season’s woeful team has become an all-encompassing drama to be dissected, analyzed, mulled over, debated, meditated on and digested like it is the very meaning of existence for people in this state. What may have once been an enjoyable distraction (remember, that’s what sports were once at one time a long time ago?) has become main stage.
    I refuse to yield, however. I want my life back. Sports are fun, but they’re not everything. Remember when you could enjoy the company of someone without calculating what time you will need to be back to listen to a radio, watch a TV or check the Internet for a score or report? Remember conversations that were more than a handful of words?
    Remember when Sundays were for worshiping and not for recounting what happened the previous afternoon? Do you think God is amused? Do you think He cares to share the spotlight with our ridiculously unsatisfying deity? Perhaps He’s sad. Or angry.
    Maybe we could spare a few moments of our time to think about him. Turn off the TV.

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Tags: football, Nebraska, Huskers