Bob reminds us that the most important thing as a Church is to be sure and steadfast, not to seek to be relevant, cool etc at the expense of the gospel which saves us.
21 Oct
Suffering according to the will of God
“Let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” 1 Peter 4:19:
John Bunyan had a pretty miserable life in many ways, yet he has some of the best things to say about God’s sovereignty in suffering and its ultimate fruitfulness. In his book Seasonable Counsel or Advice to Sufferers he says:
It is not what enemies will, nor what they are resolved upon, but what God will and what God appoints, that shall be done… and as no enemy can bring suffering upon a man when the will of God is otherwise, so no man can save himself out of their hands when God will deliver him up for his glory… Suffering comes not by chance or by the will of man, but by the will and appointment of God…
How kindly, therefore doth God deal with us, when he chooses to afflict us but for a little, that with everlasting kindness he may have mercy upon us. Isaiah 54:7-8.
21 Oct
Wilson: poor quality atheism
Found this on the Huffingdon Post today in the run-up to the release of the Collision documentary:
The atheistic worldview is nothing if not inherently reductionistic, whether this is admitted or not. Everything that happens is a chance-driven rattle-jattle jumble in the great concourse of atoms that we call time. Time and chance acting on matter have brought about, in equally aimless fashion, the 1927 New York Yankees, yesterday’s foam on a New Jersey beach, Princess Di, the arrangement of pebbles on the back side of the moon, the music of John Cage, the Fourth Crusade, and the current gaggle representing us all in Congress…
If the atheist is right, then I am not a Christian because I have mistaken beliefs, but am rather a Christian because that is what these chemicals would always do in this arrangement and at this temperature. The problem is that this atheistic assumption does the very same thing to the atheist’s case for atheism. The atheist gives us an account of all things which makes it impossible for us to believe that any account of all things could possibly be true. But no account of things can be tenable unless it provides us with the preconditions that make it possible for our “accounting” to represent genuine insight. Atheism fails to do this, and the failure is a spectacular one. Nor does atheism allow us to have any fixed ethical standard, or the possibility of beauty.
Read more here
3 Oct
Death by Love
Driscoll and Breshears give us a solid biblical treatment of issues facing many today. In terms of content, I find little to complain about. The introduction to penal substitution is brilliant. Nevertheless, the idea of reading letters meant to confront someone else’s stuggles with sin and/or dispair does seem a little wierd, even if the advice is good. Driscoll doesn’t pull any punches and I’m left feeling quite uncomfortable in places. Maybe that’s a good thing; after all, sin is a big deal and it should be dealt with seriously.
Driscoll’s explanation of modern biblical relevance is worth taking note of:
The gospel message comes from God to the culture but does not eminate in any way from the culture, though it must be effectively communicated to all cultures. Because of this, the truth of the gospel of Scripture is binding on all peoples, times, and places.
30 Sep
Alcohol in Mongolia: A Gospel Opportunity
Alcoholism is widely recognised as a huge problem in Mongolia, particularlly as there is little social stigma attached to drunkenness. Bernie Anderson, missionary in Mongolia, writes for DG Blog today:
Our dream to is to see men and women who love Jesus more than alcoholic euphoria. We want to see the church in Mongolia grow strong in the Word and deep in the Gospel so that this culture will ultimately transformed for the Glory of Jesus, and the glory of the Lord will fill the earth as the water fills the seas (Habakkuk 2:14).
Read more here.
