Are We There Yet?

Wow.  Couldn’t pass up relating this James Montgomery Boice quote given on the Ligonier Blog.  We pray and speak of being a healthy church at HLPC and this cuts to the heart of it:

Many things are talked about as necessary for the health and growth of the church today. People talk about certain programs as essential. It is true that they are important. We have such a diversified culture that people have their own individual problems. The family is fragmented, and the kind of reinforcement along Christian lines that ought to take place in homes does not always take place. The church is trying to minister specifically at these points through programs. Still, if you think back to the time of the Great Awakening in this country, you will realize that churches at that time had hardly any programs at all, at least nothing that we would recognize as programs. There were no youth groups, no graded Sunday schools, no bowling leagues, no baseball teams. But those churches were healthy. Why? Because they had the faithful preaching of the Word.

Quoted in Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching. 2nd edition, 2008 by Reformation Trust Publishing, an imprint of Ligonier Ministries. Available here.

(HT:  Ligonier)

Last night I caught bits of an interview on Fox News they did with Mosab Hassan Yousef- the son of one the leaders of Hamas.  He tells of his coming to faith in Christ out of Islam.  I was amazed to see his willingness to be interviewed on camera concerning his faith.  He reportedly has a death sentence issued by Al Quaeda.  You can read more about him HERE as well as see video clips.  Let’s pray for his safety and growth in grace.

HERE’S another online reading tool.  This one is for reading through the Westminster Confession and Catechisms!

(HT:  Kim Riddlebarger)

Happy New Year!  This year marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of arguably the most influentional Reformer of them all, John Calvin.  Princeton Theological Seminary (whose theology I don’t care to endorse) is providing a great service to us all.  You can read Calvin’s greatest work, his Institutes of the Christian Religion, during the upcoming year through this online guide PTS provides HERE.   Why not add a daily reading to your routine in 2009?  I plan to.

Shamelessly stolen from my brother’s blog :

Al Mohler (president of Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY) gives some helpful advice on “how to use a Study Bible” that you can read HERE - this should come in handy as I’m sure some of you will be unwrapping a study Bible this Christmas.  Good stuff though I differ a little on his recommended study Bibles.  While I wholeheartedly concur on his ESV Study Bible recommendation, I would give the next nod to the Reformation Study Bible published by Ligonier Ministries.  I’ve not yet used the MacArthur or Apologetics Study Bibles that Mohler recommends so I’ll refrain from comment.

not according to R.C. Sproul who writes:

What about putting Christ back into Christmas? It is simply not necessary. Christ has never left Christmas. “Jingle Bells” will never replace “Silent Night.” Our holiday once known as Thanksgiving is rapidly becoming known simply as “Turkey Day.” But Christmas is still called Christmas. It is not called “Gift Day.” Christ is still in Christmas, and for one brief season the secular world broadcasts the message of Christ over every radio station and television channel in the land. Never does the church get as much free air time as during the Christmas season.

You can read this excellent article HERE.

It’s amazing how much conflict can be avoided in our lives if we simply learn to overlook certain offenses.  Too often we allow small things to become matters of principle- the proverbial hills upon which we will die.  The following was received in an e-mail from the Peacemakers Ministry that I found very helpful:

The Glory of Overlooking an Offense

Overlooking offenses is appropriate under two conditions. First, the offense should not have created a wall between you and the other person or caused you to feel different toward him or her for more than a short period of time. Second, the offense should not be causing serious harm to God’s reputation, to others, or to the offender.

Overlooking is not a passive process in which you simply remain silent for the moment but file away the offense for later use against someone. That is actually a form of denial that can easily lead to brooding over the offense and building up internal bitterness and resentment that will eventually explode in anger. Instead, overlooking is an active process that is inspired by God’s mercy through the gospel. To truly overlook an offense means to deliberately decide not to talk about it, dwell on it, or let it grow into pent-up bitterness. If you cannot let go of an offense in this way, if it is too serious to overlook, or if it continues as part of a pattern in the other person’s life, then you will need to go and talk to the other person about it in a loving and constructive manner.

Taken from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict
by Ken Sande, Updated Edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2003) p. 83.

Food for Thought

Overlooking an offense is deeper than we like to believe. It is so much more than giving lip service because it seems the right thing to do. It is truly a heart issue. In a society where letting people off the hook is seen as a weakness, we have great opportunity to show God’s love and forgiveness in the midst of our conflicts. Ken provides excellent criteria to help decide if it is appropriate to overlook an offense. In light of God’s mercy, is there an offense you can truly overlook today?

Proverbs 19:11 says “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” The first step to resolving a conflict is to think seriously about whether it is appropriate to overlook an offense. If it is, then put the matter to rest and commit, with God’s help, not to dwell on the issue. If not, then it is appropriate to go to your brother and discuss it between the two of you.

Ligon Duncan, one of my former seminary professors, offers some great insights on promoting a “gospel culture” with a heart for those who are lost.  Very thought provoking.

(HT:  Between Two Worlds)

For those with a good sense of humor:

(HT:  The Riddleblog)