Today the Gospel was explained to me. I will try to report it exactly as it happened … or as closely as possible.
I answered my door to two young men who wanted to talk with me about the gospel. I was gonna tell them to get lost, but then realized that Jesus would not have done that. So I listened to what they had to say. Basically, it was this:
The church that Jesus Christ established was perverted centuries ago. First they killed Jesus, then they killed the apostles, then they corrupted the church. They suppressed writings that did not agree with their doctrine. But fortunately, there were documents written and hidden in the western hemisphere which escaped their notice. The were found and translated and now everyone has access to the true gospel.
I told them that I knew where they were going with their presentation and that I did not accept their version, that there is only one book that is the Word of God and there is no other gospel. “No,” they said, “it is not a gospel, it is a testimony.”
“If you had studied,” they told me, “you would understand what scripture really says.” I was so done … and I said that I have not only studied, but am the mother of a pastor and feel pretty comfortable that I understand scripture. (You all know how well I respond to those kinds of put downs!)
So after a bit more persistence on their part and a few more of their misquotes of Scripture, I told them I would pray that their hearts and minds would be opened and bid them adieu. In addition to misquoting scripture, they told me the Bible was written by many authors and collected long after Jesus death. (Makes me wonder what scriptures they thought Jesus and the apostles were quoting.)
I tried, but got no where with them. *sigh* I meant to ask them who they thought the “they” were who killed Jesus, killed the apostles and suppressed the church. It would have been interesting to see where they were going with that, although I am not sure my equilibrium would survive the explanation.
Some follow up thoughts on my review of Thabiti Anyabwile’s book particularly in reference to point #2 – A healthy church member is a biblical theologian:
I’ve been asked why we should be expected to be Biblical theologians. My answer is simple … it’s a Biblical mandate. Paul, speaking about the Lord’s Supper, says “Let a person examine himself” (1 Corinthians 11.28) and in another context he says, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13.5). And John tells us “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4.1). I would ask you, how can you do those things if you are not versed in what Scripture says and what it means?
John says there are many false prophets and all we have to do is look around a little and we will see them. There is also a lot of very bad theology being preached by people who have not put in the time to be educated as to what Scripture really says. I get nervous when someone starts a sentence with “according to the Greek” because it has so often been a smokescreen for their bad theology. It’s what led me to start studying Greek … not that I know it, but I know enough to help me in those situations and I know how to check out what people claim is “from the Greek”.
Isn’t that the Pastor’s job? No, that excuse won’t fly. The Pastor will not be the one to answer for our failure to live according to Scripture. It is up to us to test ourselves and sometimes to test others. If you hear something that doesn’t accord with your understanding, you should respectfully ask the speaker to explain the basis for their comments. In my experience, this will not offend someone who has a correct understanding. It can clarify issues for you. On the other hand, someone whose understanding is flawed may be offended at your comment. Often they are parroting what they have heard someone else say and have no idea whether it is Scriptural or not. You may initially offend them, but you also may help them see clearly.
It helps if you have reliable and knowledgeable people you can discuss thoughts with. A small growth group can be invaluable in this regard. Your mentor may be a pastor, a friend or a reliable stranger. I have grown immensely from discussing things I read with Pastor Mark (a fellow bibliophile!) and with my sons. But even total strangers can be a source for information. I was discussing a subject with my son and said “I wonder what Dr. X would say.” Steve suggested I ask him. I’m not sure he thought I would be that bold! But I did send an e-mail and got a pretty rapid response. I was impressed! (Dr. X is a real person, a Biblical scholar, an author and professor, but I am not telling who he is cause I don’t want to start something. My point is simply that there are lots of reliable resources.)
So my answer is “yes, you should be a Biblical theologian” and “no, it isn’t just the Pastor’s job.”
Tim Challies has an interesting poll on his site. He asks how many books you anticipate reading in 2009. Categories range from zero to over a hundred. At first I was going to say over a hundred, but I thought that might seem extreme, so I went for 51 – 100. Looking back at my reading list this year, I think that is completely reasonable.
What surprised me were the numbers shown in the poll. As of this am, there were 571 votes. Of those votes, only 57 said they would read 51 – 100 books and only 27 would read more than 100. That’s about 15% of all respondents. What makes this number surprising is my assumption of the nature of Challies readers. It’s not what you would describe as a secular blog.
If you look at all the numbers, about 40% expect to read more than 21 books next year. Which means 60% will read 20 or less. Here is yet another validation of Al Gore’s contention that we don’t read and discover information for ourselves. If an admittedly interested group of people aren’t challenged to read and learn for themselves, where does that leave us? Scary thought.
It’s a good thing I lost my feminist hat. If I hadn’t, I’d have to burn it now. What we see going on in the political arena is the very reason women have struggled for equality. For we don’t want to see women treated equally in all things … only those women who argee with us. I am dismayed beyond words to see the comments from people like Gloria Steinem. When Joe Biden says that electing Sarah Palin would be a huge step backwards for women, I want to beat him over the head with my lost hat. And seeing Nancy Pelosi’s daughter mouth off was a sad experience.
Doesn’t equality mean we can all make our own decisions? Let’s face it … we are our own worst enemies. And in falling in line with the rhetoric of the Democratic party and their diatribes against Sarah Palin, we show that we are no where ready to lead. Forty years of clamoring for our equal rights has come down to this?
The new ESV Study Bible is coming on October 15th:
Oh yeah, I pre-ordered mine as a birthday present for myself. On another note, the final installment of the Apocalypse series that I have waited for and waited for has been delayed. It was due 9/15 and is now scheduled for 10/15.
It’s been reported on a number of sites. Here’s the gist of it:
I HAVE DECIDED TO BECOME A WRITE-IN CANDIDATE. HERE IS MY PLATFORM:
Press 1 for English is immediately banned. English is the official language; speak it or wait at the border until you can.
We will immediately go into a two year isolationist posture to straighten out the country’s attitude. NO imports, no exports. We will use the ‘Walmart’ policy, ‘If we ain’t got it, you don’t need it.’
When imports are allowed, there will be a 100% import tax on it.
All retired military personnel will be required to man one of our many observation towers on the southern border. (six month tour) They will be under strict orders not to fire on SOUTHBOUND aliens.
Social security will immediately return to its original state. If you didn’t put nuttin in, you ain’t gettin nuttin out. The president nor any other politician will not be able to touch it.
Welfare – Checks will be handed out on Fridays at the end of the 40 hour school week and the successful completion of urinalysis and a passing grade.
Professional Athletes –Steroids – The FIRST time you check positive you’re banned for life.
Crime – We will adopt the Turkish method, the first time you steal, you lose your right hand. There is no more life sentences. If convicted, you will be put to death by the same method you chose for your victim; gun, knife, strangulation, etc.
One export will be allowed; Wheat, The world needs to eat. A bushel of wheat will be the exact price of a barrel of oil.
All foreign aid using American taxpayer money will immediately cease, and the saved money will pay off the national debt and ultimately lower taxes. When disasters occur around the world, we’ll ask the American people if they want to donate to a disaster fund, and each citizen can make the decision whether it’s a worthy cause.
The Pledge of Allegiance will be said every day at school and every day in Congress.
The National Anthem will be played at all appropriate ceremonies, sporting events, outings, etc.
Sorry if I stepped on anyone’s toes but a vote for me will get you better than what you have, and better than what you’re gonna get. Thanks for listening, and remember to write in my name on the ballot in November.
Still, given the degree of mendacity in the current campaign, it would be refreshing to have a politician who spoke with no ambiguity and said what he/she meant.
I was flipping through channels and discovered that MSNBC is repeating coverage from 9/11/2001. Keith Olbermann, where are you and your outrage tonight?
Update: MSNBC repeated the NBC coverage a second time last night. The broadcast covered footage from the first reports of an incident at the north tower through the news of the crash of United 93 in Pennsylvania.
I have been generally contemptuous about the idea that any administration should govern with a concern for their legacy. I think that has it backwards. Imagine what would have happened if Washington, Jackson or Lincoln had made their decisions based on what they thought their legacy would be? That said, I think the best legacy is earned when an administration tries at all times to do what is best for the country.
It being 9/11, I couldn’t help but think of where I was when I heard what was happening seven years ago and how I felt that day and in the days that followed. I would submit that the best legacy George W. Bush will leave is that we have not had to suffer that fear for seven years.
I have been trying not to start the furnace, but I broke yesterday at 5:00 PM … it was under 65° in the house and only a few degrees colder outside. The sun was not out and it wasn’t going to get any warmer in here. I buckled … so much for being tough.
What is a Healthy Church Member? by Thabiti M. Anyabwile
I first heard of this book on a blog I regularly read: Between Two Worlds. What was said about the book made me want to read it, even though I had to wait almost a month until it became available. Most of us have some pretty clear expectations as to the role of pastors and teachers in the church. We don’t seem to have any expectations for ourselves. Thabiti shatters that concept with the first few paragraphs of the book. He asks what we are going to do about the state of the church. What are we prepared to do to become a better member and contribute to the health of God’s family in our local church? He says the health of the local church depends on the willingness of its members to inspect their hearts, correct their thinking and apply their hands to the work of ministry.
Each chapter of the book is devoted to exploring one of the marks of a healthy church member. A Healthy Church Member:
Is an Expositional Listener
Is a Biblical Theologian
Is Gospel Saturated
Is Genuinely Converted
Is a Biblical Evangelist
Is a Committed Member
Seeks Discipline
Is a Growing Disciple
Is a Humble Follower
Is a Prayer Warrior
We are called to lead gospel centered lives and the lessons of this book can help us in that goal. It would make an excellent study for a small group. Each chapter ends with questions for discussion and makes some recommendations for further reading. The book is only 128 pages, but each page contains vital truth for being a healthy church member.
Thabiti cautions that the counsel of this book is not offered as a prescription independent of God’s grace. He recommends that the best way to put the lessons of this book into practice is with the partnership, support and love of other Christians in your local church. He says: “Link arms with others who love the Lord and love his church and together grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen.
Thabiti M. Anyabwile is senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman Islands. He previously worked as an assistant pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC.
I think I am cured. Oh, I still long for the days of Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. I long for a day when news was news and not innuendo. I long for a time when anchors were selected for their journalism credentials. Those days are gone and I have stopped pretending that what passes for news today is trustworthy or believable.
What happened, you ask? Did they take away my computer? Block the news channels on my TV? None of the above. I watched coverage of two conventions and became increasingly aware of the bias being demonstrated in the commentary from various “news” outlets. The bias from the Corrupt News Network (CNN) finally pushed me over the edge. Oh, and MSNBC wasn’t much better. When he couldn’t find anything else nasty to say, Keith Olbermann took umbrage at the video coverage shown during a tribute to 9/11, calling it inappropriate and a subject of great pain. Sounds pretty hypocritical to me. After all, not long ago the news networks replayed the minute by minute coverage from 9/11. That, of course, was news and not inappropriate at all in their opinion.
Perhaps part of my distaste lies in a sense of pride in my city and my state and I resent the constant coverage of protests and the implication of inappropriate response on the part of the police. What would Wolf Blitzer have wanted them to do when these self styled anarchists decided to set fires and break windows? I don’t recall Blitzer getting worked up about protesters at the Democratic convention. I don’t even recall any mention of them. And I know they were there … in fact they complained that the Democrats and the media all ignored them.
It’s possible the final break point came in the regurgitating by the media of stories they picked up from that stellar source, DailyKos. And the Kos crowd are such cowards that they quickly took down their story when they got some backlash. If they weren’t willing to stand behind their words, they should never have been said. (Not to mention that they published a bunch of photos gleaned from web sources … isn’t that a violation of copyright, Kos?)
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:6, ESV)
