Great Testimony of a 17-yr-old MK

Please check out this great testimony from a 17-yr-old missionary kid in Papua New Guinea, on Bob's Blog (Kids4Truth).

Take your Kid to Work Day

I took Adriana (11 yrs-old in June) to work with me on Thursday as part of the "Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work" program.

She got to meet some of my friends, take a few classes (on fitness, nutrition, and our company) , and mostly hang out with Dad and learn about what I do and what some of my co-workers do.

She tells me she had a blast.

For me the most entertaining was introducting Adriana to my friends in various departments (the attorneys, risk and compliance, trade processing, and trust operations) and getting to hear them explain what they do, trying to frame it in terms that a 10-year-old can grasp. They did a great job of giving the high level without "dumbing" it down. My favorite was the answer given by Travis, a project manager, "My job is to get other people to do work so I don't have to, but usually I end up doing their work." Travis was featured in our company newsletter so we got his autograph!

Here is Adriana at my desk. Yes, this is AFTER I straightened it up!

Here is my boss, Andy, seen here going over the "Risk Roadmap" with Adriana. She of course pointed out several gaping holes in the analysis which would cost our company millions!

Since Take Your Kid to Work fell on a Thursday, Adriana and a few other kids got to see what the Bible Study was like. We did our usual lesson, only with more role-playing and story-telling and cookies. Lest I be accused of "contextualization" I will say that the message was the same, it's just that we normally don't eat cookies ... something I intend to CHANGE pronto!

I'm very excited about the Bible Study Group (BSG), and so thankful that we are allowed to have this weekly time for sharing in prayer and encouragement around the Bible. Not only that, but next Thursday (on the National Day of Prayer) we are privileged to welcome Pastor Mike Summers of Countryside to come and share with us from God's Word.

I had to mail some papers so we visited the lower levels of Tower 1.

Here is what our mailroom looks like. As you can see, it's a far cry from the mailroom that appears in one of my favorite movies, Elf. Do you recall the part when Elf says, "This place reminds me of Santa's workshop. Except it smells like mushrooms and everyone looks like they want to hurt me."? It's right before this crazy scene...

With scenes of the movie Elf running through my mind, I just couldn't resist lighting up the elevator buttons like a Christmas tree!

Glad we only have 5 floors.

Needless to say, I wasn't the most productive that day. I even arranged to leave early so we could catch the movie, Expelled. Have I mentioned I like that movie???

More on Expelled: the Movie

I took my "11-in-June" year old daughter, Adriana, to see Expelled: The Movie Thursday.

I wrote about this in this post, but I just wanted to add a couple thoughts after having seen it for myself.

Even with high expectations, I was not disappointed. This movie was excellent! I wanted to stand up and clap when the closing credits rolled! Due to our 2:45 pm start-time, there were only three or four other humans in the theater, so I resisted making a scene so as not to embarrass Adriana.

What a fun Dad/Daughter time, though! Despite the fact that she was a little confused with the whole documentary format (she kept waiting for the commercial to get over and for the movie to start) ... she did enjoy the trip to Paris (which featured her beloved Eiffel Tower). I pray the jist of the film will leave a lasting impression on her, so that she will never be intimidated into thinking evolution/Darwinism is absolute truth.

This article, "Ben Stein Vs. Sputtering Atheists", offers a balanced review of the movie. Bozell talks briefly about my favorite part of the movie: when Ben Stein confronts the obnoxious atheistic scientists, pressing them to give their funny views on how life began. Before our eyes they become the "sputtering atheists that Bozell describes. Where did life come from? "On the backs of crystals", by a well-placed flash of lightning turning mud to a single-celled organism ... or as Dawkins himself proposes, life on earth was "seeded" by an intelligent life form from another planet. Aliens! I'm not kidding! They believe this stuff!

The climax of the film was the showdown with Dawkins, which I just referred to. He read from this excerpt from his blasphemous book, The God Delusion:

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

To this, Stein asked him what if he was wrong, and what would he say in his inevitable meeting with God after his death. Dawkins shrugged this off quoting Bertrand Russell, who when he was asked the same question said, "I would ask God why He had gone to such lengths to hide Himself."

If he continues in unbelief, of course, he will not get a chance to have a leisurely talk with the Almighty God when he stands before His holy throne. If he is not sent immediately to Hell, he will surely be flat on his face, undone, ruined (see Isaiah 6:1-5) ... awaiting his eternal sentence to hell, a sentence secured by his rejection of the God of the Bible. He will not be able to blame God.

Anyone without Christ faces this prospect, even the lovable Ben Stein who I admire deeply for doing this movie. If, as a Jew, he continues to reject Jesus Christ as the Messiah, he is without the righteousness of Christ, which alone can save him.

This sounds very harsh and judgmental, but I am simply saying what the Bible already says: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36)" I am a saint and assured of salvation not because I'm better than anyone or because of anything I have done (Eph 2:8-9), but only because the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the truth that Christ is my only hope!

As John Piper points out in "Let the Nations Be Glad", "Eternal life, therefore, comes only to those who hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow him. 'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life' (John 10:27-28). This hearing is through the messengers of the Shepherd. This is what Jesus means in John 14:6 when he says, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' 'Through me' does not mean that people in other religions can get to God because Jesus died for them, though they don't know about it. The 'through me' must be defined in the context of John's Gospel as believing in Jesus through the word of his disciples (John 6:35; 7:38; 11:25; 12:46: 17:20)."

So while we pray for those who are lost without Christ, be sure to engage them in conversation about the big questions in life. Watch this movie! Talk about this movie. And in doing so look for opportunities to move the conversation to the fact that there is only one answer to this world's problems (caused by Sin), and that is for humans to get right with their Intelligent Designer.
And how does one do that?

It all starts with your view of Christ. Was He a bad man (liar), a madman (crazy) or the God Man? Read this article on how to discover the Christ of the Bible.

Happy Earth Day 2008!

I'd heard this quote by MacArthur some time ago, and it seems quite fitting since today is Earth Day. It really puts things in perspective!

I want to do my duty to take care of my yards so that it reflects the beauty of God's creation. But I can't get in to this environmental thing of "save the planet...save the planet...save the planet." This is a disposable planet. It's the way it was designed. Sin is catapulting this planet toward destruction. And as I have said before, if you think we're messing up the planet, wait till you see what Jesus does to it. This is a passing world. All this action, all this fury, all this media attention for all of this stuff has nothing to do with anybody's eternal soul. People go to colleges and universities and get Ph.D.s to rearrange these deck chairs. It's all stuff that's raised up against the knowledge of God. and Paul says, "When I came to Christ, I died to it and it to me. It has no part with me, I have no part with it."

From "Deliverance: From the Temporal World to the Eternal Kingdom" by John MacArthur

Robert Schuller – the Humpty Dumpty of Evangelicalism

A Christian friend of mine has this "coffee-table" book full of breath-taking photos of all 50 states in America. The pictures are great, but the book includes "inspirational quotes" from Dr. Robert S. Schuller. I had never heard of Schuller. Or had I? The name had a vague familiarity but I feared it was in a negative light. Who is Dr. Robert S. Schuller?

I learned that Schuller is televangelist on the Hour of Power and is one of the pioneers if not the founder of the seeker-sensitive movement. And as this article explains, Schuller is all about "self-esteem". He uses evangelical words like "hell" and "sin" and the "gospel" but pours his own meaning into them. The world loves him as he is viewed as "focusing on the positive aspects of Christianity". Translation: He's a humanist who uses theological terms to package his false gospel.

Check out this article by Gary Gilley to see how Schuller is compared to Humpty Dumpty.

Here is a very telling interview of Schuller by Michael Horton of the White Horse Inn. You can hear his heretical ideas from his own mouth.

Be wary of Schuller's teaching.

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. (2 Cor 11:13-15)"

Severe mercies in the heart of Uganda

Take a short trip to Uganda to hear how a young man lost his leg and nearly his life, but was saved physically and eternally through the ministry of TMS alumnus Shannon Hurley (SOS Ministries).

From: The Master's Dividend

Ten things to Teach Your Children

Pulpit online magazine has put together from the wisdom of of the book of Proverbs, ten truths to teach your children.

1. To have a healthy fear of God (1:7; 9:10; 10:27; 14:26-27; 15:16; 16:6; 19:23)

2. To guard their minds (4:23; 23:7)

3. To obey you (1:8; 4:1-4; 6:20-23; 30:17)

4. To carefully select their companions (1:11-18; 2:10-15; 13:20)

5. To control their sinful desires (2:16-19; 5:3-5; 6:23-33; 7:6-27)

6. To enjoy sexual fidelity (5:15-20)

7. To watch their words (4:24; 10:11, 19-21, 32; 12:18, 22; 15:1-2; 16:23; 20:15)

8. To pursue their work (6:6-11; 10:4-5; 22:29)

9. To manage their money (3:9-10; 11:24-26; 19:17; 22:9)

10. To love their neighbors (3:27-29; 25:21-22)

From this 4/17 post on Pulpit Magazine (online).

Pray for Lost Loved Ones!

"There are some I know who cannot get down to hell, though they seem to try to do so, for whichever way they move, there is somebody or other praying for them. And they are conscious that at this very moment they are the subject of some loved one's prayer. Surely God has an eye of love on those whom he has encompassed with his own dear servants who day and night are praying for them." - C.H. Spurgeon

Expelled: The Movie

A couple of blogs that I read have posted good reviews of the new documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, now in theaters. I'm excited about this movie as well and thus am promoting it here.

Here is the who/what/when/where/why of Expelled, from the website:

WHO - Ben Stein, in the new film EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed
WHAT - His heroic and, at times, shocking journey confronting the world’s top scientists, educators and philosophers, regarding the persecution of the many by an elite few.
WHEN - In theaters now!
WHERE - Ben travels the world on his quest, and learns an awe-inspiring truth…that bewilders him, then angers him…and then spurs him to action!
WHY Ben realizes that he has been “Expelled,” and that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired – for the “crime” of merely believing that there might be evidence of “design” in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance.

I'm looking forward to catching it when we can make sitting arrangements (please send your resume with references if you can watch our kids for us!) ... I think the last movie we saw was Ferris Bueller's Day Off (just kidding).

Here are the blog posts I've seen so about this movie so far...

From Pulpit Magazine
From Sing to Jesus
From Camp On This

Finally, enjoy this fascinating video of RC Sproul interviewing Ben Stein.

Great McCheyenne Quote

Do not forget the culture of the inner man—I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God’s sword, His instrument—I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.

Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Myles gets a haircut!

Haircuts are not uncommon. And Myles has had several already now. But I never get over seeing him go from a bushy headed kid to a short-haired kid. I love the transformation that takes place!

This morning, Myles's "fro" was the first order of business. It had been a month or two, and he needed a trim in a bad way! So while Mom got out the trimmers, I grabbed the camera for some "before and after" pictures. I failed to get any "during" pics since I was out tending to our lawn during this transformation.

Here is a shot of Myles just before the trim, mellow and quite "foofy" as you can see.


When Myles saw the hair flying he was mildly concerned. This was intensified by the dramatic and emotion-filled faces of Mom and sister Sophia. So thinking things were much worse than they appeared, Myles became upset and tears were shed.

After the haircut, the minor trauma turned quickly to silly joy as Myles learned how much attention he got after a haircut! This is a great time to get pictures, of course ...

The girls soon departed for garage sales and we had a chance to spend some man-to-man time. It was during this time that Myles realized the extent of the haircut he just had. His shock was obvious.

When I asked Myles where all his hair went he repeatedly exclaimed ...

"All gone! All gone!"

Being a male, he doesn't think too much about how he looks. So despite the ordeal and the fact that Mom seems to regret trimming him so short, he could care less. He was more concerned about pushing his things around in a laundry basket.



Lord willing, Myles will grow to have hundreds more haircuts for Aimee and I to delight in. Our prayer for Myles, though, is that God would someday transform his heart, so he can respond in faith to the offer of salvation found only in Christ.

Unlike any haircut, that radical change will be rejoiced in for all eternity, to the glory and praise of our great and merciful Savior Jesus Christ!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Cor 5:17)"

If you'd like to see the whole 12 picture album, click here.

Mohler on the Pope's visit to the US

Click here for Al Mohler, Jr's balanced thoughts on Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the US and the issues at stake which divide the Roman Catholic Church and Evangelicals (i.e. "biblical authority, the Gospel, and a host of other essential theological questions").

Mohler is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.


This is a picture of the Pope-mobile. I'll be kind to my Catholic friends and leave the punchlines unspoken.

New ESV Study Bible Website

I was told this new Study Bible is in the "hizz-ouse". Not sure what that means exactly, but I think despite his out-of-character joy-induced use of urban slang, my buddy is on to something. This looks like a really good Study Bible, and the release date is set for October, 2008. Coincidentally my birthday falls on 10/17 so mark your calendars now!

Check out the features, contributors, included online study Bible feature and more on the new website.

http://www.esvstudybible.org/

You'll be saying great things about it too. I just hope you can find a better way to express yourself than my friend did.

T4G Downloads

Let me set the stage with this fantastic quote:

As never before in our day has the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ been under such attack as it is right now. The difference between today and in times past, is that the theological liberals and unregenerate pundits were "out there"; distant from the inner orthodox circles of evangelicalism. They were bold and they were obvious; they would objurgate the gospel with every breath in their lungs and without hesitation. However, today, the enemy approaches with a cunning subtlety; a covert hellish seduction. As an angel of light masquerading the gospel of grace with their doctrines of demons and satanic righteousness. I often have said here that Satan doesn't want to fight the church as much as he wants to join the church. And he is doing so today with pastors and laity alike are embracing with an eery, undiscerning, unguarded, enthusiastic acceptance. (from Steven J Camp's blog, Camp on This)

Enter T4G: "Together for the Gospel (T4G) began as a friendship between four pastors. These friends differed on a number of theological issues, like baptism and the charismatic gifts. But they were committed to standing together for the main thing—the gospel of Jesus Christ.."

You can get free downloads of the speakers in this April's Together for the Gospel Conference in Louisville, KY. Check out this all-star line-up...

• 1 Ligon Duncan - Sound Doctrine – Essential to Faithful Pastoral Ministry
• 2 Thabiti Anyabwile - Bearing the Image: Identity, the Work of Christ, and the Church
• 3 John MacArthur - The Sinner Neither Able Nor Willing: The Doctrine of Absolute Inability
• 4 Mark Dever - Improving the Gospel: Exercises in Unbiblical Theology
• 5 RC Sproul - The Curse Motif of the Atonement
• 6 Albert Mohler - Why Do They Hate It So? The Doctrine of Substitution
• 7 John Piper - How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice
• 8 CJ Mahaney - Sustaining a Pastor's Soul

Steve Camp posts a summary of each session here.

Enjoy!

Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones on OnePlace.com

Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones

Please read this notice ...

http://thelifeword.blogspot.com/2008/04/dr-martyn-lloyd-jones-now-on.html

If you have a spiritual heartbeat, you will be blessed by this new resource!

Tom in the Box

Came across a very funny blog site recently and it has been quickly added to my "blogroll"!

From the website: "Team Tominthebox News Network® is a satirical online blog written by Tom Slawson, V. Carlos Slawson Jr. and Eric Carpenter. … The purpose of this blog is to make a point through the use of satire. Soli Deo Gloria!"

Last year they did a laugh-out-loud parody of the SuperBowl called SuperBox. Instead of football the teams were conducting a theological debate. The teams? James White's A&O Calvinists vs Dave Hunt's Berean Call. No matter what side you fall on the Calvinist/Arminian debate, you will laugh when you hear this!



SuperBox I - First Half with Commercials (including one for Finney.net a web-filter that blocks Calvinist sites)
http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2007/02/superbox-i-first-half-with-commercials.html

Super Box I - Halftime Show and 2nd Half
http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2007/02/superbox-i-halftime-bonus.html

This post that has the words to "Sons of Israel" performed at the halftime show (silliness!)
http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2008/04/musical-interlude.html

Here are some other funny articles to check out...

Album Covers
http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2008/02/christian-musicians-revive-tacky-album.html

http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2008/02/bonus-tbnn-uncovers-more-albums.html

Calvinism
http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2007/07/so-easy-calvinist-can-do-it.html

Prosperity Gospel
http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2008/03/lakewood-church-announces-new-slogan.html

Man's Birthright fetches $49.95 on eBay
http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2007/11/mans-birthright-fetches-4995-on-ebay.html

New Study Reveals Good Looks = Bad Theology (this one cracks me up!)
http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2007/10/new-study-reveals-good-looks-bad.html

Response to "Don't Leave it on the Table"

Not too long ago, someone forwarded me an email with the phrase "Don't Leave it on the Table" in the subject line. It included a lengthy story (I won't quote it but you can read it here.)

My “short" version of the story is this: A professor who teaches a required course in Christianity at a small US college shows up with donuts on the last day of the semester, determined to communicate the Gospel through an object lesson. In the class was a star student-athlete (Steve), with perfect grades and perfect attendance. Without the rest of the class knowing, the prof arranged for Steve to do hundreds of pushups on this day, 10 for each individual in the class. As the students came in the Prof would ask them if they wanted a donut. If they said yes, he would turn to Steve and ask him if he would do 10 pushups so that student could have a donut. Some students objected and wanted to do their own pushups, but the Prof stuck to it that only Steve could earn them a donut. If the student said no (hoping Steve wouldn't have to do pushups), the prof would turn to Steve and asked if he would do pushups so that the person could have a donut he/she doesn't want? Steve of course sacrificially performed the pushups no matter what and the donut was placed on the table for each student, regardless of their acceptance of the donut. The story builds in intensity and drama as Steve gets increasingly tired, the students get increasingly agitated (plus more students enter from the outside, forcing Steve to do even more pushups!) Eventually Steve collapsed in exhaustion after each and every person had received their donut.

Early on I caught the point of the story. What is being communicated is that Christ died for everyone and that it is up to each person to accept His gift of salvation, or if not, to ...“leave it on the table”. It’s a neat idea, but it is not Biblical.

This story is very clear example of what theologians call “general atonement”, the idea that Christ died for every single individual who ever lived and ever will, and that it is up to each fallen human to do what is impossible for him to do, to choose to have faith in Christ and accept this gift.

I find this story offensive for several reasons, but especially that the salvation that Christ bought for us in His own precious blood is compared to something as insignificant as a donut, something one can add to their already fulfilled life to make it "that much sweeter".

I feel strongly (along with the backing of great men of the faith from Augustine to Luther to Calvin to Spurgeon) that the Biblical view of atonement is expressed clearly in the doctrine of "limited atonement". So what is "limited atonement”, exactly? Here is a definition from www.monergism.com:

Christ's redeeming work was intended to save the elect only and actually secured salvation for them. His death was a substitutionary endurance of the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners. In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ's redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith which united them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, thereby guaranteeing their salvation. (Matthew 1:21, Romans 5:12-21, Romans 3:21-26, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5-6, Philippians 1:6, John 10:11-30, John 17:6-12, Romans 8:28-30, John 6:44, Acts 20:28)

The late Dr Greg Bahnsen clearly communicates the “limited atonement” view in the following article. I will post it in it’s entirety here.

"Limited Atonement" By Dr. Greg Bahnsen

A very unhealthy notion that plagues the fundamentalist church is the idea that Christ laid down his life for each and every individual; that he went to the cross to save all men without exception. Such a view is not consistent with Biblical Christianity. Sometimes a person will acknowledge the total depravity of man, unconditional election of God the Father, prevenient grace of the Spirit and yet deny the particular redemption of Christ; such a position is known as "fourpoint Calvinism" and is as inconsistent as it is unorthodox.

If it be said that before creation the Father singled out in election those whom He destined to save and that the Spirit's activity of bringing men to repentance and faith is operative (to that extent) only in the lives of God's elect and yet that Christ offered up His life for the purpose of saving every single individual, then the unity of the Trinity has been forsaken. For in such a case Christ clearly sets out to accomplish what God the Father and Spirit do not intend to do; Christ here would be out of harmony with the will and purpose of the other two persons of the Trinity. Hence anyone who expounds "four-point Calvinism" has inadvertently destroyed the doctrine of the Trinity (by dissolving its unity) and is logically committed to a polytheistic position.

It should also be noted that the doctrine of particular redemption is necessary to the orthodox view of Christ's substitutionary atonement; the only alternatives to it are universal salvation or salvation by works (both are unbiblical). If Christ atoned for the sins of all men then all men will be saved, for a righteous God cannot condemn a man twice; if the man's sins have been atoned, he cannot be sent to Hell on the basis of them. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that Christ through his sacrifice made a full and actual (no potential) redemption; "who gave himself to us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a peculiar (chosen) people" (Titus 2:14); "he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21; "he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking ... his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12).

It is clear that Christ presented an actual and not potential redemption on the cross; the gospel is good news, not good advice, it tells us what has been accomplished, not what might come about. Upon the cross Christ cried out "It is finished"; nothing was left to be done, for full atonement had been made. Hence, if Christ (as it is suggested) died for every man, all men shall be saved without exception; yet scripture clearly does not teach universal salvation. And if (contrary to scripture) it is responded that Christ's redemption is only potential, to be made actual when the sinner believes, then salvation is said to depend finally on something the sinner does. And that is tantamount to salvation by works (as well as being based on an erroneous view of Christ's atonement.

Isaiah prophesied that Christ would "see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied"; yet if Christ went to the cross with the intention of saving every individual, he certainly has been defeated and cannot be satisfied. But our Lord is not defeated; all power has been given to him in heaven and earth. His sufferings do accomplish what he intends, for the salvation he provides is not abstract and universal, it is particular and personal. Christ died for his people, the elect (Matthew 1:21). "All that the Father gives me will come to me ... for I came down from heaven to ... do the will of him who sent me" (John 6:37, 38); "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (not the goats) ... I know my own ... and I lay down my life for the sheep" (John 10:11, 14-18); "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish (John 10:24-29); "glorify the son ... since thou hast given him power over all flesh, so that he might give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. I (have) accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do" (John 17:1-4); "feed the church of the Lord which he obtained for himself with his own blood" (Acts 20:28); Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her' (Ephesians 5:25-27); "who gave himself ... to purify for himself a chosen people of his own" (Titus 2:14).

Those holding to the indefinite atonement of Christ will often appeal to scriptural passages which speak of salvation in terms of "the world," or "all men," "all nations, etc." However, in most instances these words were used by the N.T. writers to emphatically correct the mistaken Jewish notion that full salvation was not for the Gentiles. These expressions are intended to show that Christ died for all men without distinction (not all men without exception). If the referent of "world" in 2 Cor. 5:19 ("God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself") were taken to be every single individual, then that verse teaches that Christ's work was to the effect of reconciling every man to God (i.e. universal salvation) -- which is clearly unscriptural. The general evangelistic call goes out to all men in our preaching, while it is only the elect who are moved by the Holy sp8irit to respond with repentance and faith to that redemption accomplished for them by Christ.

If redemption were indefinite and potential, then none would be saved. For man, who is dead in sin and unable to receive the things of the Spirit of God (cf. Eph. 2:1; I Cor. 2:14), would never be able to appropriate that potential redemption for himself. No man is able to come to Christ except that Father draw him (John 6:44). The sinner drinks iniquity like water and does not seek God (Job 15:16; Rom. 3:11), so he can no more choose to come to Christ and gain for himself the benefits of the atonement than a leopard can change his spots (Jer. 13:23). Praise be to God who did not make only partial atonement for the sins of his people, who did not allow the salvation of His elect to be thwarted by leaving it up to them to respond, who fully saved us by having His Son actually obtain salvation for His sheep!

Particular redemption is the only triune, monotheistic, substitutionary, personal, effectual, and biblical (hence, orthodox) doctrine of Christ's atonement; all else (including fundamentalism's redemption for every individual) are doctrines pleasing to men but unsatisfactory in their Theology, anthropology, and soteriology. Sola Scriptura!

You can find this article and many other articles at Monergism.com.

I will close with this great quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon:

We hold—we are not afraid to say that we believe—that Christ came into this world with the intention of saving "a multitude which no man can number;" and we believe that as the result of this, every person for whom He died must, beyond the shadow of a doubt, be cleansed from sin, and stand, washed in blood, before the Father's throne. We do not believe that Christ made any effectual atonement for those who are for ever damned; we dare not think that the blood of Christ was ever shed with the intention of saving those whom God foreknew never could be saved, and some of whom were even in Hell when Christ, according to some men's account, died to save them.

Sermon Jams

I added a new favorite to my Favorites Sites to the left. Now you can click "Sermon Jams" and go to a website to download “Sermon Jams”.

According to the site, this is an "audio project that mixes sermon tracks with catchy orchestral riffs and sturdy beats."

While I can't vouch for all the things on this site ("Relevant Revolution"), I love what they have done with these "Sermon Jams". They take already powerful content from audio sermons by John Piper, Allistair Begg, Ravi Zacharias and put a beat to them. These aren't for everyone, but I'm excited about the evangelistic possibilities of these free downloads.

Tom Ascol, Exec Director of the Founders Ministries, gives his thoughts on Sermon Jams here.

http://www.founders.org/blog/2007/06/sermon-jams.html

Here are links to some of my favorites:

• Ravi Zacharias's salvation testimony http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/testimony4.mp3
• Piper on America and the Sovereignty of God http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/john-suffer.mp3
• Piper on the glory of God (God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him) http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/piper-glory.mp3
• Allistair Begg preaching on the Kingdom of God http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/begg-kingdom.mp3
• Allistair Begg on objective truth and asks, “Was Christ a bad man, a madman, or the God man?” http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/alistair-christ.mp3
• Ravi Zacharias and Allistair Begg team up on this one http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/r&a-follow.mp3
• Ray Comfort with his parachute illustration of trust in Christ http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/ray.mp3
• Paul Washer - Go! http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/go.mp3
• For fun, … “John Piper is BAD” http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/piperisbad.mp3
  

Forsaken by the Father?

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46 - ESV)

This unusual cry is one of seven final sayings of Jesus on the cross.

Seven sayings from the cross
1. “Father, forgive them” Luke 23:34
2. “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” Luke 23:43
3. “Woman, behold your son” John 19:26
4. “My God, My God” Matt. 27:46
5. “I thirst” John 19:28
6. “It is finished” John 19:30
7. “Father, into Your hands” Luke 23:46[1]

MacArthur's study Bible tells us “this cry is a fulfillment of Psalm 22:1, one of many striking parallels between that psalm and the specific events of the crucifixion … Christ at that moment was experiencing the abandonment and despair that resulted from the outpouring of divine wrath on Him as sin-bearer.”

MacArthur explains how Christ, in the Garden of Gethsemene, said “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. (Matthew 26:39 – ESV)” Of this “cup” MacArthur notes, “A cup is often the symbol of divine wrath against sin in the OT (Is. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15–17, 27–29; Lam. 4:21, 22; Ezek. 23:31–34; Hab. 2:16). The next day Christ would “bear the sins of many” (Heb. 9:28)—and the fullness of divine wrath would fall on Him (Is. 53:10, 11; 2 Cor. 5:21). This was the price of the sin He bore, and He paid it in full. His cry of anguish in 27:46 reflects the extreme bitterness of the cup of wrath He was given.”

I have been wanting to do a post on this since the end of March, but the Lord has hindered me from it until now. God’s timing is always perfect, however, and since I waited I can now include this great by Chris Anderson (My Two Cents).

Enjoy...
Forsaken ... Finished ... Father

I praise the Lord for Anderson's wrestling with this idea of what it meant for Christ to be “forsaken” by the Father. And I'm delighted I didn't get a chance to post this until today!

Much more has been written on this topic, of course. I had at least a couple of other quotes lined up from other commentators. I welcome other comments/quotes that readers would add on this great verse in Scripture!

Max MacLean on the Bible Answer Man

You can catch Max MacLean's appearances on the Bible Answer Man* last week (thursday 4/3 and Friday 4/4) by downloading the show for FREE on Oneplace.com! Just follow the link and click on Hank's striking mug...

... then listen online or download the mp3 which is free with registration.

If you have never heard Max MacLean narrate the Bible or C.S.Lewis works or anything else, you need to check him out! I have the audio Bible on ESV (mp3) and it's been a huge blessing!

Max is on BAM promoting his Classics of the Christian Faith, a 9-CD set in which he narrates using his golden voice, the most famous works of Augustine, Martin Luther, John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitfield.

Here is the promo from that website link ...

Five Classics that Still Ignite Hearts and Minds.
Here in one collection, these five classics – each in an easy-to-listen-to narration with an introduction to set up its moment in history – are vividly brought to life by master storyteller, Max McLean. Next to the Bible, these classics have had the most impact on the Christian faith.

I'm not getting paid to endorse this (I should be, I'm that good!). But this is simply a product I'm very excited about and therefore expect you to be as well! As soon as I get my hands on it I'll post an update to give you my humble opinion, though to be honest Ben Stein with a sinus infection reading these works would still excite my spiritual affections for the Lord! Let alone someone with a trained, theatrical voice like Max!

*Disclaimer: this is not an endorsement of Hank. I'm not the big BAM fan I used to be. His show is way too "commercial" if you ask me and I disagree with him on some (secondary) doctrinal issues. I do, however, praise God for this brother and his apologetic efforts, and have benefited spiritually from his ministry.

Pray for Oprah

Eye-opening video. I never considered Oprah a source of good theology anyway, but this is a good call to discernment in what we bring into our living room.

Reformed Bible Conference with Dr. Rich Gamble

Allow me to plug something I'm very excited about. Yesterday a buddy at work gave me a flyer for a Reformed Bible Conference to be held at his church. Here are the details:

• Who: The conference features Dr Richard Gamble, an "internationally-renowned Calvin scholar and Professor of Systematic Theology" at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in Pittsburgh, PA.

Read more about Dr Gamble here.

• What: The Nature & Effects of our Union with Christ
  
• When: Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
  
• Where: Reformed Presbyterian Church of Shawnee, 6835 Pflumm Road, Shawnee KS 66216

Here's the conference schedule:
9:00 Welcome
9:15 Session 1: The Nature of Union with Christ
10:15 Break (Refreshments)
10:45 Session 2: Union with Christ: Lordship & Sanctification
11:45 Lunch to be provided
1:00 Question & Answer session
1:30 Session 3: Living as Men & Women in Union with Christ
2:30 Dismissal

They are requesting registration prior to April 28th. If you would like a flyer with more info, let me know and I'll email that to you!

Mike

In the aftermath of April Fool's Day!

My daughters are pranksters and love April Fool's Day!

• I went to put on my tennis shoes and there were plastic frogs in them.
• Sophia had hung a plastic frog in the inside of the freezer at eye level.
• Adriana got into the act and was more elaborate: She wrote a letter to me stating that a former bank owed me money and enclosed was a fake check for $20. I found this letter in my dresser drawer!
• There were also plastic frogs in my bed!!!
• Sophia told Ana they didn't have school today.
• Earlier in the day, she had put fishing line on her door so everyone would trip when entering and did the same on Myles room and in the basement.
• My favorite: the rubber band around the kitchen sprayer so when you turn on the water you get sprayed!

I think Sophia likes this day so much because she was born a few days before it (3/29). It's like the chicks that imprint to the first thing they see, usually their mother! Sophia's first and favorite holiday is April Fool's Day! :o)

Rolf Family To Perform Sat, April 12th in Paola

"The LORD will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the LORD. (Isaiah 38:20)"

This is the life verse of the Rolf family from Paola, KS.

I had a chance to hear Devon Rolf's testimony several years back at a men's breakfast. I love how Devon (formerly of Garmin) and Rebecca (formerly a corporate attorney) have made wholesale changes to their lives, including walking away from lucrative careers, in order to follow the Lord's leading for their family. And not only is their testimony a powerful witness to Christ, but their music is as well.

The Rolf's entire family ... Dad, Mom, Emma, Annie, Abby, Heidi, Gabriel and Lydia all play bluegrass (ok Lydia just turned one last month, but you get the idea!) My family has had several opportunites to watch the Rolfs perform and it always brings smiles. They are truly talented and use their talents for the Lord.

So I'm writing this to encourage one and all to get tickets to the Misty Mountain Revival Bluegrass Concert April 12th at the Paola Community Center. The Rolfs open for MMR at this historic venue.



Get your tickets now! Tell your friends! It is my aim to get as many people as possible to come out for an enjoyable evening of bluegrass.

Doors open at 6 pm, the Rolfs kick things off at 7 pm!

Call (913) 259-3650 for more information or email me and I'll send you a flyer in pdf format.