Monthly Archive for September, 2010

Exuberant Joy

Published on September 30, 2010 in Jude. 0 Comments

True believers are promised exuberant joy.  Meditate on the benediction of the book of Jude if your joy meter is reading low.

Earlier this week I posted on the oft neglected book of Jude.  This book is a gold mine.  If nothing else read the beautiful benediction:

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.  Jude 24-25.

The benediction is addressed to God who is able to present His people into his glorious present with “great joy.”

The word translated “great joy” is αγαλλίασις / analliasis appears only 5 times in the New Testament so we can easily review each of the other four:

"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,(Lk 1:14)."

"For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.(Lk 1:44)."

"And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,(Ac 2:46)."

“You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”(Heb 1:9)."

Notice that two of the four uses reference the birth of our Lord.  The third is about the early church.

If you know Christ, then soon He will present you before His glorious presence and you will know exuberant joy.

And, why not read Jude?  It’s only 25 verses.

An amazing wealth of resources on the Internet

Published on September 29, 2010 in Preaching. 0 Comments

If you have access to the Internet, then there is so much how there to be blessed by.  Consider for instance this post by Justin Taylor (Click here).

I have NOT watched them, but I’ll bet they’re good.  Why not give up television for a night to watch one?

Would you take a few minutes to read Jude and then share one observation?

Published on September 28, 2010 in Jude. 2 Comments

When was the last time you read Jude?  You can read it in a few minutes.  Why not read it today and let us know if anything strikes you.  It might really encourage others who read this blog.

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One of the most neglected sections of Scripture is the book of Jude in the New Testament.  Even though it can be read in only a few minutes (25 verses total) and is incredibly rich, seldom do we hear much about Jude.

Joe Thorn is fixing to begin a new series on Jude and his team developed some cool artwork (see below).  Joe’s new series, along with a recent post and sermon by C.J. Mahaney, has me thinking in a renewed way about Jude.  (It’s about spiritual dryness – - you really should read the post or listen to the sermon).

Post image for New Sermon Series: Jude

More at Joe’s site here.

Update: See this excellent post by Patricia Hunter.  With concise words and photography, she zeros in on the central thought of Jude.

Are you counting on your “leaves” lasting?

Published on September 27, 2010 in Word of God. 0 Comments

The world and its desires pass away . . . (1 John 2:17)

A few years ago I faced a very busy Fall. I looked over what I could take off my plate and decided to hire the leaves removed from my yard. I found someone who would do it for a reasonable price and one night when I got home the leaves had disappeared. I drove into my garage with a smile.

My kids, however, weren’t smiling. The three oldest ones confronted me at the door. Through tears they lamented, “How could you? How could you destroy our leaf forts?” I hadn’t realized it, but they had gone to great efforts to make forts out of the leaves. The whole cul de sac had plans for their leaf forts well into the spring.

I tried to reason with them. Did you really think the leaves would last? How solid do you think of leaf fort could be.” But, they were having none of it. They know that their position is stronger with me if they make biblical connections, so one of them said, “We just feel like you have walked all over our creation.”

Aren’t kids silly? Don’t they know that oak leaves don’t last? The ones that we don’t rake into piles rattle away in the frozen winter. By June, we don’t remember last year’s leave. How long can anyone plan to keep dead leaves around?

Aren’t kids silly and don’t we do the same thing? Our leaf forts just cost more. We pile up our things and convince ourselves that our possessions will survive the winter. John reminds us

17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:15-17 (NIV))

Soon it will be winter. Our leaves will be gone. Now is the time to store up treasure in Heaven, where our treasure will never be raked into piles and burned.

*This post is repeated.

Stop by the Stillman Valley Fall Festival parade

Published on September 26, 2010 in Church. 1 Comment

Other than a blizzard of tootsie rolls, it was a beautiful day for a parade in the Valley.  If you couldn’t make the parade, you can watch a slide show as an alternative.

What do you do with a husband who will not lead?

Published on September 26, 2010 in Church and Marriage. 1 Comment

Brief, wise words from Mark Driscoll.

Collin Hansen: “Pay your taxes but trust in Christ”

Published on September 25, 2010 in Missions and Politics. 0 Comments

In what sense is the United States a Christian nation?

In what sense isn’t the United States a Christian nation?

Collin Hansen reflects on working on Capitol Hill and a sermon by Mark Dever in which he considers the role of Christians in the United States of America.

Enjoying a sunny fall day, I walked around the National Mall on Saturday afternoon. Before visiting any other favorite sites, I ascended the temple steps where Father Abraham presides on his throne over American civil religion. Designed to recall the Greek Parthenon, this memorial secures Lincoln’s place in the American pantheon. If you champion a social cause and want to leave your mark on America, you must at some point make the pilgrimage to this hallowed ground. All the better if you can deliver a speech that incorporates elements of Lincoln’s famed Gettysburg Address.

Only three weeks earlier self-appointed political prophet Glenn Beck claimed Lincoln’s imprimatur by packing these same steps for a rally. But religious nationalists who invoke America’s greatest president never seem to understand the irony of his memory. The man who saved the Union understood that God transcends and judges it. God’s ways often surpass our understanding. We cannot manipulate him to baptize our pet causes. Read Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, a stunningly moving model of public theology written by a man whose true beliefs elude historians still today. No, actually read the speech and marvel at this man’s magnanimity after four years of shockingly bloody killing. He captured in this speech a mature political philosophy that shamed the many warmongers masquerading as pastors in both the North and South. Even today, the church cries out to God for him to raise up more pastors and theologians who can help the evangelical public understand that for all this nation’s blessings, Jesus Christ didn’t robe himself in an American flag.

My concern stems from experience working on Capitol Hill in partisan roles. . .

The rest here.

Getting boys to read

Published on September 24, 2010 in Parenting. 2 Comments

Thomas Spence in the Wall Street Journal:

When I was a young boy, America’s elite schools and universities were almost entirely reserved for males. That seems incredible now, in an era when headlines suggest that boys are largely unfit for the classroom. In particular, they can’t read.

According to a recent report from the Center on Education Policy, for example, substantially more boys than girls score below the proficiency level on the annual National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test. This disparity goes back to 1992, and in some states the percentage of boys proficient in reading is now more than ten points below that of girls. The male-female reading gap is found in every socio-economic and ethnic category, including the children of white, college-educated parents.

The good news is that influential people have noticed this problem. The bad news is that many of them have perfectly awful ideas for solving it.

Read the rest here including a very good strategy for getting boys to read.

HT: A. Mohler

Listen to 2010 Peacemaker keynote messages online

Published on September 24, 2010 in Forgiveness. 1 Comment

On the Peacemaker site, you can listen to the 2010 keynote messages.  Speakers include: Josh Harris, Chris Brauns, Ken Sande, Thabite Anyabwile, and Bishop Efraim.

I noticed that they recommend listening to the messages in order because they build one another.  I was so blessed by Josh Harris’ sermon which is the first one.  It is a great place to begin.

Click here.

Do you feel spiritually dry?

Published on September 24, 2010 in Uncategorized. 2 Comments

C.J. Mahaney has a helpful post for those who feel as though they are only going through the motions of the faith:

Let me begin this post by asking you four direct questions about the condition of your soul right now:

  • Do you sense that your affections for the Savior have diminished recently?
  • Has your appetite for Scripture weakened?
  • Does your soul seem dry?
  • Does God seem distant from you?

If so, you are not alone. These struggles are common to even the most mature Christians—so common that Scripture anticipates them. But these are serious problems and must be addressed and not ignored. They don’t just go away over time.
So how should we respond?
Tucked away in the short (and often neglected) letter of Jude we find help and hope:

Read the rest here.

Notice there is a sermon link at the end of C.J.’s post.  Maybe consider listening to C.J.’s sermon this weekend?  It will take less time than watching the Packers beat up on the Bears Monday night!