MissionsOutlook

How to Read the Bible

2012-01-21T14:00:00.001-05:00

The Bible study last night was awesome. We had eleven adults—much more than what I was expecting. We talked about the gospel, so the non-believers had the opportunity ot hear about the heart of our faith.

One thing that we are trying to do is study Mark compared with the other Gospels. They have many stories in common and there are enough differences that you can see more clearly Mark’s emphasis. What we want to do is discover the main point of Mark. Why did he share this story? Why did he put it here? How would he finish this sentence: I, Mark, have written this so that…?

We look for the main point because there are many things that can be learned from a passage in the Bible, but not everying is primary. There are many secondary ideas in the narrative. Also, there are many ideas that have nothing to do with the passage—they originate elsewhere (another Bible passage or in my mind). For example, when Jesus calms the storm in Mark 4, the main point has nothing to do with “Jesus can calm the storms in your life.” At best this is secondary, but I believe it falls into the third category.

Looking for the main point is very important because it affects our conclusions and applications that we draw out of the text. “Jesus can calm the storms in your life” seems innocent, but consider a passage that we all should know is an essential foundation of our faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Suppose a pastor says, “God and revive your life’s dreams,” after reading about the resurrection in the Bible (cf. Rom. 5:6-11). Yes, it’s correct that God can revive your life’s dreams. He’s God Almighty. But this has nothing to do with the death and resurrection of Christ. The death and resurrection of Christ was so that God could punish sin in the body of Jesus and transmit His righteousness to all who believe in Him. The death and resurrection mean life and salvation for us, not life and salvation for our dreams. The focus is off base. If it isn’t acceptable to do that with the resurrection, why would we do it with other passages?

When we study the Bible and look for the main point, we are in a better position to apply the secondary truths to our lives. Then we can find an application that deals with our “storms” in a way that respects and proceeds from the passage, not just our minds.

Originally published on my Spanish blog as “Cómo Leer la Biblia” on January 20, 2012.

Facing Dark Spiritual Opposition

2012-01-20T11:59:00.001-05:00

We're reading through Mark 1-8 in our Bible Study at Enfoque. One of the unique characteristics of Mark is his emphasis on Jesus casting out demons. I think that we in America tend to de-emphasize the dark spiritual forces at work in our world. C.S. Lewis wrote in his introduction to The Screwtape Letters,

"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight."

I've known missionaries in Latin America who've encountered dark spiritual opposition to their work. I've experienced some of it myself on a trip to Peru some years ago. Please pray for the Ar people of Colombia, that they would find liberty in Christ from their spiritual bondage.

AR OF COLOMBIA (ahr). Pray for the R family, asking that the Lord will remove the yoke of darkness, fear and slavery to the evil one and that they will give control of their lives to the God of Scriptures and learn to depend upon Him. Pray also that they will realize that God is more powerful than the spiritual leaders (witchdoctors) and spirit world.

Shipwrecks, Italian or Not

2012-01-19T11:59:00.004-05:00

I've been thinking about shipwrecks lately.

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. (1 Tim 1:18-20)

When People Don't Trust You

2012-01-18T11:59:00.006-05:00

I’ve written before about the crime in Colombia (another article). One of the nation’s leading newspapers even had tips for avoiding con men and thieves, including people who pose as priests or nuns in order to rob you.

As you would expect, this can inhibit the ability of foreign and local missionaries to reach people with the good news. Please pray for our missionaries, not only that they would be safe, but that they would be able to make inroads into the lives of others to share their faith.

COLOMBIA. Due to the size of a megacity in Colombia and security concerns throughout the country, the people are often suspicious and wary of others. In addition, work and school schedules require that people leave home early, get home late, and have very little free time. Often people do not know their neighbors and have little or no social contact with those outside their family, work, or personal social circles. For these and other reasons, it is often hard to make personal contacts and invite others to participate in a Bible study, a cell group, or a church. Pray that the people of that city will sense the urgency of their need to find their security in Christ. Pray that Christians and churches there will be willing and able to cross barriers that man often constructs that prohibit the sharing of the Good News of Christ. Pray that many Bible study/cell groups will be started, that non-Christians will be invited and willing to participate, and that many will come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.

An 83-year-old Sister in Christ

2012-01-17T11:59:00.001-05:00

I did some chronological Bible storying last year with a couple that Hannah and I know. The basic premise is this: most of the Bible is narrative. We teach our children primarily through stories because... it's natural. It work well. It's memorable for those little guys and gals who can't read and don't have much in the way of education. If that works so well for kids, why not try it with adults. After all, if my post here is just a couple of paragraphs, the odds of someone reading it through is rather slim. People are not normally big on reading.

Chronological Bible storying is good because parents can do it with their children. Jesus taught largely through parables, and His methods have been quite effective over the centuries. More and more missionaries are using this method with primarily oral learners, people who don't read or write, either by preference, or by education. Please pray for this 83-year-old sister in Christ who is using stories to share the gospel in a non-threatening way.

May God be glorified.

PA OF COLOMBIA (pah). C is an 83-year-old woman who has been attending chronological Bible storying times with H and D over the past few months. She was recently admitted to the hospital with a ruptured appendix. This woman's seven children and grandchildren (who were previously opposed to her studying the Bible with H and D) asked H to come to the hospital to begin telling the stories to them. He has been praying with and ministering to C and her family. Pray that C will make a decision to give control of her life to Christ and that the family will also be open to the Gospel message. (HT)

"For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s." (Rom. 14:8, ESV)

A Couple Book Giveaways!

2012-01-12T15:00:00.001-05:00

It’s here! The January edition of Credo Magazine is available for viewing and downloading. And to celebrate, the blog is offering a cool book giveaway: three books from InterVarsity Press.

· Reading Scripture with the Reformers, by Timothy George

· Justification: Five Views, Contributors: Michael Horton, Michael Bird, James Dunn, Veli-Matti Kaerkkaeine, Gerald O’Collins and Oliver Rafferty

· Galatians, Ephesians, by Gerald Bray

I never used to win anything in giveaways, but there’s something special about blog giveaways—the chances of winning are much better than just about anywhere else. I’ve even won a giveaway from CredoMag in the past—a pretty impressive volume, The Christian Faith, by Michael Horton.

So check it out. Leave a comment. Tweet. Write a blog post. The chances of winning only go up.

While you’re at it, there’s another giveaway of three books from Crossway on the Take Your Vitamin Z blog. Don’t miss out on either of these opportunities!

Reaching the Nu

2012-01-12T10:30:00.000-05:00

Missionaries with the IMB are blessed in that they don’t have to go around seeking financial support from multiple churches. Southern Baptist Churches give money to the IMB through various channels, not to individual missionaries, so we know that our missionaries are being taken care of so that “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” (2 Cor. 8:15)

Few churches have that kind of cooperation for missions and many missionaries have to raise funds from multiple churches. Praise God that some Colombian missionaries were able to raise the support they needed to reach and spend several weeks with the Nu people.

NU OF COLOMBIA (noo). National missionaries L and J and their two girls were able to return in December and spend several weeks with the Nu people who live in a village two hours up-river from the CK community. Praise God, who provided all the resources for this trip through their national churches and supporters.

Newsboys and the Problem of Evil

2012-01-11T11:59:00.008-05:00

I’ve been a big fan of the Newsboys since I discovered them back in the late nineties. I believe I have John Nawrot, my now-brother-in-law, to thank for sharing some of his music with me. I’ve enjoyed listening to the Newsboys since then and have gotten quite a few of their CDs (though now I’m going digital).

This morning I saw that the Newsboys just released the music video for their new song, “God’s Not Dead.” The song is good, and their music video certainly reflects the challenge we face today as Christians in Western society.

At one point the video shows a news reporter on a tablet computer with the large headline “How Can A Good God Allow Evil?” on display beside her.

The band member swipes his hand to show a second page with the headline “God Gave Us Freedom To Choose: Man Chose To Do Evil.”

This question is not only posed by secularists. Many Christians today struggle with how God can allow evil. It only takes one accident, one illness, one death for us to struggle with this question. Christians in the past have wrestled with this question, including Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and others. It even has its own special title in the study of theology: The Problem of Evil.

I’ve known many people who attempt to answer this question just like the Newsboys in their music video. The free choice of man is their answer. They attempt to take the focus and blame off of God and place it squarely on the shoulders of humanity. God’s love for us is so great that He chose to give us our own volition independent of Him and His will. Some assert that God knew what would happen, but others believe only an ignorant God is exempt from blame in a world full of evil.

I disagree with the headline in the music video and similar attempts to get God off the hook. The question, How can a good God allow evil? is not merely an exercise of logic. It is always personal. If I had never experienced evil in my life, I might be able to wrestle with the question only in the realm of logic, but we’ve all experienced it. There’s no escape. Rather than try to deny that we have some stake in this question, we should fully accept that we are going to be somewhat biased here.

The answer that God gave us freedom and we chose evil is not satisfactory because God still allowed it (and allows it) to happen. It doesn’t answer the question. Just because we chose to do something of our own free will doesn’t mean that God is now powerless to change or correct it. Virtually every story in the Bible chronicles God working in this world over and against the choices man has made or intends to make. If God granting human beings freedom is the highest good (that is, it is better to have free will with evil than a lack of free will with a lack of evil), then why does God work to counteract any of man’s choices, since man’s will would not be truly free?

The freedom of man’s will cannot be viewed as the highest good because God regularly acts to oppose and diminish it—most visibly in the cross. If free will is not the highest good, then we are still left with the question of how God can allow evil in the world.

I believe the answer is in the Bible. As interesting as philosophy can be, a man-made philosophy built on human logic apart from the Bible isn’t going to give us the Biblical answer to this question. Starting with human freedom as the supreme good fails to account for God’s breaching of this freedom throughout the Bible. We must start with the Bible, not with a neat little slogan that fits on a bumper sticker (or faux headline).

The answer that “God gave us freedom, we chose to do evil” makes God a distant, uninvolved deity when it comes to evil and the bad things that happen in the world. It fails to account for verses like these:

Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? (Lam. 3:37-38)

I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things. (Isa. 45:7)

Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it? (Amos 3:6)

Click here for an article in which I discuss items relating to the question, How can a good God allow evil?

The Kindle Touch and a Taste of Fiction

2012-01-10T11:59:00.003-05:00

My wife did the unthinkable and got me a Kindle Touch for Christmas. Everyone in my family knows that I like to have my laptop with me wherever I go. In fact, I made a point of not touching my laptop over Christmas vacation, which they all noticed and commented on. I need a few more fences in place before I ever get a smart phone or tablet.

My wife caved in and got me a Kindle Touch because it is a lot cheaper than a tablet, has limited use as an internet device, and is primarily dedicated to reading. I now use it for my daily Bible reading, reading books for review, and studying the Gospel of Mark for an upcoming class I’m teaching.

Fortunately, my wife doesn’t believe I’m spending too much time on the device. I’ve been reading more, that’s true, but she doesn’t find that to be a problem, and I’ve actually been doing more with her like playing card games and making her a fan of the show M.A.S.H.

If you don’t own an ereader, I think it’s a worthwhile investment. Although you can find a lot of cheap ones out there, I couldn’t recommend anything but a Kindle or Nook device. The Kindle and Nook stores are the ones with content, and that’s what you want with an ereader.

Crossway currently has a deal (but not for much longer) on all their ebooks in formats that work on both the Kindle and Nook devices. I highly recommend the fiction book The Sword, and its sequel, The Gift. They form part of the Chiveis trilogy (the third book, The Kingdom, comes out June 30). In the story Europe has reverted to a somewhat medieval existence hundreds of years after wars and disasters reduced humanity to almost nothing and most of our advanced technologies have been forgotten. The kingdom of Chiveis, rising from the ashes of a lost civilization, has become closed off from the outside world and is ruled by a king under the strong-armed influence of a pagan priestess. It is in this environment that a young soldier discovers a long-forgotten book about a long-forgotten God. If you liked the Chronicles of Narnia as a kid, you’ll probably like the Chiveis trilogy at a teenager/adult.

Book Review: Work Matters

2012-01-09T11:59:00.000-05:00

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Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship with Monday Work by Tom Nelson is a welcome addition to my digital bookshelf. I have a pretty good job, but sometimes, either due to deadlines, interpersonal relationships, or other factors, Monday mornings can weigh heavy on me after a weekend doing some of my favorite things.

Nelson, a pastor, believes it’s time for us to develop a good theology of work, reminding readers that it should be an act of worship, not a four-letter word we mutter under our breath when the alarm clock sounds on Monday morning.

I once teased my wife when she was asking me about my plans for after the weekend and said, “Don’t talk about Monday as if it’s already a foregone conclusion.” The truth is, work already is a foregone conclusion, for her as a stay-at-home mom, and for me as an employee of a very large accounting organization.

In chapter one, Nelson takes us all the way back to Genesis to point out that God created Adam to work in a garden. Work is part of God’s purpose for our lives, one that is wholesome and good. When we work, we have to opportunity to worship God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength—our whole being.

Lest we assume the author must have a cushy job and no conception of how draining and frustrating our jobs can be, his second chapter deals with Genesis 3, the fall. Sin introduced a curse for us, bringing frustration and futility to our work. Yet the writer of Ecclesiastes, in all his talk on futility, says work should be something we delight in (Ecc. 3:12-13).

Though our work may be subjected to futility now, it was not always so and will not always be so. Just as Christ has redeemed us and is coming again, so too He will redeem our work. All creation groans in anticipation of His coming. That happens with our work too. But just the servant with ten talents received greater reward for his faithfulness, so we too our work on earth prepares us for greater—and more meaningful—work in eternity.

This is only the first four chapters. The book goes on to discuss the meaningfulness of our work and attacks the view that being a missionary or pastor is a high calling and other forms of work must somehow be a “low calling.” It discusses the value of our work developing Christ-likeness in us and how “common grace” and promoting the common good should be communicated by our work. Nelson’s concluding chapters address some of the challenges we face in our work, from temptations to sin to periods of unemployment. He rounds it out with a call to the reader to plug in and participate in the church and her work in the world.

Overall, the book was a helpful reminder of the value inherent in my work and the challenge to live by the axiom “The only Christian work is good work well done.” I type this in the minutes before I get ready for work on a Monday morning. I’m going to worship God through my work today. Will you?

The opinions expressed are my own. I received a digital copy of this work from the publisher via NetGalley.

Praying for Colombian Student Believers

2012-01-09T09:35:00.000-05:00

While most of us students are returning to school this week, college students in Colombia are heading home for break. Please pray for the new believers to be rooted and established in their faith, especially those who are going home to families and friends without Christ.

CAFE (ColombiA's Forgotten Ethnos) PEOPLES (cah-FAY). As students travel to their home communities for the semester break, pray that those who have made decisions to follow Christ will remain firm in their faith. They are returning to non-Christian families and environments often hostile to the Gospel.

Movie Review: The Eagle

2012-01-08T12:00:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while Santa gets me something for Christmas without telling my wife. He’s usually good at not spending very much, and this year he got me the movie The Eagle.

The movie is based on a book that was written in the 1950s that creates a fictional backstory to the 9th Roman Legion that apparently disappears from the history books sometime around the construction of Hadrian’s Wall on Britannia. In the film, the unit is believed to have been obliterated by the northern Scottish tribes. Its emblem, a gold eagle, is believed to be lost or captured.

The son of the unit’s commander grows up to become a legionnaire himself, and after an injury that secures his discharge, he decides to take along a slave from the highlands to cross over Hadrian’s wall into the land of the barbarians to recover the lost eagle and restore honor to his family name and to Rome.

The PG-13 rating is definitely a good determination of age appropriateness. The film is definitely too dark and violent for younger audiences who think pirates and gladiators are the good guys. Although the film lacks much of the gore and graphic images that we’ve come to expect from movies like Gladiator and Apocalypto, there are plenty of violent killings and throats being slit (including that of a young boy).

The main character, Maximus, played by Channing Tatum, was not portrayed as well as the supporting character, Esca, played by Jamie Bell, who I liked much better. Esca had personality, whereas Maximus never seems to develop beyond the tough-guy/soldier stereotype.

Still the movie had some high points, such as Maximus’ compassion for his men and Esca’s loyalty to Maximus. The movie also highlights hypocrisy in both the Roman and tribal concepts of barbarianism and reminds viewers that our culture may be just as barbarous as those we consider to be barbarians.

Thoughts on Learning Greek

2012-01-07T12:00:00.004-05:00

I’m taking my first seminary Greek class this semester. This isn’t my first dabbling in Greek. Some time ago while I was still in high school (or was it middle school?) I studied the language with my pastor and a deacon from church. It went well up until school started up and I dropped it just as we were getting to the Aorist and Future Passive Indicative tenses in Mounce’s Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar (chapter 24).

Now that I am bilingual in English and Spanish, I have a somewhat better understanding of language learning than I did when I first took Greek. Here are my thoughts as I go into this semester:

1. I will know very little Greek after this semester. After four years of Spanish I aced the A.P. Final and tested out of a Spanish minor in college. I had an awesome teacher, had spent over three months overseas, and lived with a Spaniard for a year. That kind of helped. Many of the people I met in college who’d taken four years of Spanish could barely order food at the local Mexican restaurant. I shouldn’t pretend to know much Greek after this semester.

2. One semester is too short to learn Greek. Not only will I not know much, I will be expected to learn about as much Greek after one semester as I knew Spanish after two years. This won’t stop me from trying, but it will stop me from doing many of my favorite activities including blogging, reading books, watching M*A*S*H, and doing a host of other things that I enjoy. Hopefully it will also prevent me from doing things I don’t enjoy, like cleaning the bathroom.

3. I’m not a linguist. This is related to the first point. A lot of students think that taking a semester or two of systematic theology makes them experts on good doctrine. Likewise, a lot of Greek students think that they are experts on translation. It’s easy to criticize the ESV for being too wooden or the NIV for compromising the integrity of Paul’s argument. After one semester of Greek, the only thing I should really know about translating the ESV and the NIV is that the scholars who worked on those translations had a little bit more Greek instruction than myself.

Pray for me this semester. I’m not sure how often I’ll be posting.

Book Review: The Apostle

2012-01-06T12:00:00.006-05:00

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The Apostle: A Life of Paul by John Pollock is a biography of the apostle Paul written at the popular level. The author traveled through the areas where Paul lived and served and adds additional historical, geographical, and cultural details you usually have to read a commentary to find. As a whole, the book is extremely accessible and a quick read, despite its length (304 pages or 10.7 hours).

Since the New Testament only gives so much information about the life of Paul, the author made inferences and assumptions about the apostle that you may or may not agree with, but the background details on the places bring an extra layer of cognizance to readers that are unfamiliar with the eastern Mediterranean (like myself).

The narrator is clear and understandable, though I would have appreciated a little more emotion and dramatic emphasis, but it’s an audio book, not radio theater. Clarity and flow are the most important things.

In short, I’d consider this book to be on par with a professional Hollywood film like The Passion of the Christ or The Nativity Story: there’s a certain degree of artistic license, but you recognize the story well enough.

To buy the book (print), click here.
To buy the audio book, click here.

I received this book free from Christian Audio as part of their audio book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

Where's Your Treasure?

2012-01-05T11:59:00.002-05:00

Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21). I’ve heard a lot of pastors and teachers say, “So guard your heart.” While guarding our heart from materialism, vanity, and avarice is a good thing and is commanded elsewhere, this passage doesn’t urge us to guard our hearts.

The sentence is split in two parts, much like an if/then statement. If Jesus was telling us to guard our hearts from greed, He’d have said “For where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.” But He didn’t. Jesus started with our treasure. Why is this? Before we can answer that, we have to find out what that “For” is there for.

The preceding two verses quote Jesus as saying, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Jesus isn’t telling us what to do with our hearts. He’s telling us what to do with our treasure. I’m a lot more comfortable talking about guarding hearts from greed because that’s not something you can easily check on. I may be poor. I may be rich. But you can’t tell the condition of my heart just by looking at my bank account. But you can tell the condition of my treasure by where I’m storing it. That is, you can tell where I’m spending my money.

In these verses Jesus is telling me to invest in God’s Kingdom. That means more than just money, but it doesn’t mean less than that. That means giving of my time, my efforts, and my money. It means reaching people around me, practicing hospitality, and giving generously to my local church and other needs both within and without the household of faith.

That’s not easy to do. If you’re like me, you’d rather work on your heart first and then see how it affects your wallet. But Jesus begins with just the opposite. Don’t store up treasure on earth. Store up treasure in heaven. Apart from describing the durability of such treasures, he gives us the primary reason in verse 21:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

By relating my treasure to God’s Kingdom, I relocate my heart there too. By giving of my time and money to my local church, I begin to develop a love for it and a desire to do so. By spending my time and money on hospitality, I begin to develop a love for my neighbors and a desire to know them. In this case, Jesus is telling us that our outward behavior can change our inner desires.

If you are concerned about your commitment to the Kingdom, try giving more of yourself to it. Read a book about it later.

Christ the Creator, the Wisdom of God

2012-01-04T12:00:00.003-05:00

Where was the Son during the creation? Genesis begins with God [the Father] and the [Holy] Spirit, but the Son is conspicuously absent. God’s statement “let us make man in our image,” may give us a little more of a showing of the Son, but is that sufficient evidence to support these New Testament passages?

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. (John 1:10)

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col. 1:16-17)

Does Christ get any kind of shout out in the Old Testament that would justify these statements, or did the New Testament authors deduce that since Christ was God, He must have been involved in the creation?

While I believe the second option would be an appropriate argument for His involvement in creation, I think the New Testament authors saw plainly that Christ was creator based on strong Old Testament passages.

A minor argument comes from John’s paralleling the beginning of Genesis. He begins his Gospel with, “In the beginning was the Word…” Genesis starts with, “In the beginning God…” Although much has been written on John’s use of Word (logos), one implication of its use is that John is making a link between God the Father speaking in Genesis and Jesus being the Word.

But a much stronger argument comes from Proverbs 8:22-31.

“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.”

This passage from Proverbs is a poetic speech from Wisdom. Yet the early church recognized this personification of Wisdom as Christ. Is there any evidence of that in the New Testament? I think there is.

First, consider a few other short statements from the Old Testament:

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. (Psa. 104:24)

The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. (Prov. 3:19-20)

It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. (Jer. 10:12)

I think the last verse helps bridge the gap, showing Christ indeed is Wisdom personified, especially in Proverbs 8 above. Paul seems to make an allusion to this verses in Jeremiah when writing to the church at Corinth. The believers there faced difficulty in sharing the gospel with their non-believing neighbors because the gospel was not what they expected. He says,

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor. 1:22-24)

Notice anything in common between Paul’s and Jeremiah’s writing? Jeremiah says God made the earth by His power and established the world by wisdom. Paul says Christ is God’s power and His wisdom. The New Testament authors recognized the personification of Wisdom in the Old Testament was none other than Jesus Christ, God the Son. Because of this, they are fully right to ascribe the great creation act to Him. He was there. He did it. And “He upholds the universe by the word of His power” (cf. Heb. 1:3).

Book Review: Give Them Grace

2012-01-03T19:47:00.000-05:00

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Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Children with the Love of Jesus by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson asks a very important question: What makes my parenting distinctively Christian? We all hope that our children will turn out well and get along in society, but if we are Christians, we know that isn’t what it’s all about.

Fitzpatrick and Thompson don’t just ask the question, though; they bring the answer in all its dazzling wonder: the gospel. Unfortunately, many of us default to teaching Law and morality instead of the gospel. But with a firm palate of Scripture, the authors paint a vibrant picture of how the gospel should impact our parenting, using specific examples, from what we teach our children about God to how we correct and discipline them. The narrator’s voice really gives life to the words of the book.

Give Them Grace is written primarily to moms, but I benefitted from it too. I was reminded that I need grace too, and this has helped me even in my interactions with my wife. If they turn appendix one (a fairytale-esque presentation of the gospel) into a children’s book, I will probably get it for my daughter.

At the risk of oversimplification, I’d say the book teaches us to love, discipline, and tell our kids about Jesus. And that is just what they need.

For the audio book, click here.

For a print copy, click here.

I received this book free from Christian Audio as part of their audio book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

“Pleased as man with men to dwell”

2012-01-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

This line from the song “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” is one of my favorites from all Christmas songs. This line, from a later verse of the song, speaks of Christ in a rather poetic (and memorable) fashion that makes the ear tingle and the heart raise.

I think one of the reasons why hymns have been losing their edge in public worship, besides the style of music itself, is the work it takes to understand them. Just singing the words “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see” is impossible to understand without a thinking brain rearranging the words to get:

“See the Godhead veiled in flesh.”

Even that may take some people a few seconds to draw out exactly what it means.

But I like some of the old hymns, and an electric guitar and talented drummer can liven up even the slowest and oldest of tunes. Christmas time is the one time of the year when even contemporary churches hearken back to the old hymns. And that gives me an opportunity to look at this special line from this old, old song.

“Pleased”
If I’ve learned one thing from John Piper’s books, articles, and sermons, it is that God pursues His own joy. The incarnation was not a bit of drudgery that the Son was obligated to perform. He did it willingly, joyfully, for our sake and ultimately for His glory. The self-humiliation of God in the incarnation was merely a precursor to the self-humiliation of God on the cross. At the onset, the outset was understood, yet Christ still went through with it all.

The author of Hebrews tells us in 12:2 that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before him.” And Isaiah tells us in 53:10, according to the NASB, that “the Lord was pleased to crush Him.”

“As Man”
“In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh.” The eternal Son condescended to become man. Galatians 4:4-5 tells us “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Christ was born as a man at just the right time in history to complete the righteous requirements of the Law for us and thus make our adoption possible. Paul gives an even greater emphasis on the lowliness of Christ’s condescension in Romans 8:3-4, which says, “By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us…” Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh.

“With Men to Dwell”
The incarnation is made even more wonderful by the fact that the Son was pleased to dwell with men. The holiness of God requires that sin be punished. It was precisely for that reason that Christ came. But in order to bear our punishment, He chose to live among us—sinners wallowing in our own retched filth. His indignation at sin was apparent from His interactions with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, but He summarized His mission early on: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:7).

This is only one small line from one hymn many of us know by heart. It is good to take time to study and know these songs with our heart as well.

Stop Playing Christmas Music

2011-12-29T17:30:00.002-05:00

I listen to my local Christian radio station a lot. When December finally rolled around, I got excited because I was hoping to hear some good Christmas music. But listen as I might, they never seemed to play any.

I was about to lose hope of the station ever playing any Christmas music until the week before Christmas. That’s when I heard my first Christmas song on the radio, and I was sorely disappointed. They played a Christmas song from Christina Aguilera, I think. Just this morning, on December 29, I heard more Christmas music from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

I’m making two formal requests of Christian radio stations:

1. Christian radio stations have enough Christmas music from bands and singers they already have playing on their stations that they don’t have to play music from groups they would NEVER have during the rest of the year. Please lay off singers and groups who appear in People and Entertainment Tonight more often than they do in Christianity Today.

2. Wal-Mart and other retailers have Christmas displays up beginning October 30. On December 26, these displays are all marked 50% off. Though these stores start way too early, they at least recognize that Christmas is over on December 26. Please play Christmas music early in December and move back to your regular programming after Christmas is over.

The Boldness of Micah

2011-12-23T23:30:00.002-05:00

Micah was an unpopular prophet. Even in our day, as a member of the “Minor Prophets,” his book is often glossed over in favor of something more exciting and dramatic like Isaiah or Jeremiah. If it weren’t for Micah 5:2 in which Bethlehem is singled out as the birthplace of the Messiah, it is likely few of us would come into much contact with this book.

Micah’s unpopularity stemmed from his message. Although his detractors are nameless, even to this day, at the time they were the kings of cool. For a fee they would say the most wonderful things about their listeners—stating that their message was coming directly from God. Micah also claimed his message was from God. But unless God is guilty of doublespeak (Titus 1:2 says He’s not), that would mean that either Micah or his opponents were lying.

Micah’s message did not come with a price tag, and it didn’t contain the most positive words for his hearers. He recognized that his opponents were popular, but he argued their message was false—flattering compliments in exchange for a full belly and comfortable clothes. Micah’s message was entirely unflattering and he likely suffered for it. In comparison to the false prophets, he said,

As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord, with justice and courage, to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin. [Micah 3:8 HCSB]

In our day, a message about sin and rebellion is not popular. Instead preachers are encouraged to proclaim a message about the power of positive thinking. That kind of thinking will not lead to true repentance and faith that our righteous and holy God demands from us rebels and sinners.

We must stand firm to proclaim the gospel—all of it. Without recognition of our sinful condition, we can never trust in Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. There is no grace where there is no acknowledgment that it is needed.

The false prophets required food and drink, money and material things, before they would share their message. Micah required one thing—the Spirit of the Lord. It was the Spirit of God that gave him power, justice, and courage to stand firm with the message that Judah and Israel were under the condemnation of God for their sin.

Pornography is Not a Turnaround, Repentance is.

2011-12-22T11:30:00.019-05:00

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
—John 1:1-5; 3:19

I was looking at an article on CNN and then followed a link to an article on People Magazine’s website about Hugh Hefner and Lindsay Lohan. Apparently she posed nude for Hefner’s Playboy Magazine. I don’t read People Magazine, and rarely do I visit the website except to read a specific article mentioned on CNN. I figured any photos with the article wouldn’t be graphic, so I clicked through and read.

The gist of the article is this: Hefner was at first a little uncertain about having Lohan pose for his magazine given her personal issues that are all over the news media every few weeks, but is pleasantly surprised that the magazine issue is selling so well.

A few observations:

I find it ironic that the head of a company that specializes in the mass distribution of pornography and the objectification of women would be wary of controversy. Lest we attribute this uneasiness to a burdened conscience, we should remember that Hefner’s main purpose in having celebrities featured in his magazine is primarily to increase market share and make money. He was concerned about Lohan because her appearance could be bad for business.
Hefner stated that Lohan’s appearance in the magazine “is intended as a turnaround.” It may well be that Lohan again rises to stardom and makes millions of dollars, gets involved in a somewhat stable, cohabitating relationship, and maybe even has a few kids. But that is only a Hollywood turnaround. In relation to God, repentance and faith is the only turnaround that matters. Lohan’s most recent public act is merely one step further in the direction of depravity and despair.
Hugh Hefner also said “this is a born-again beginning for Lindsay.” Again, repentance and faith is what makes a man or woman born again. The cheap substitute experience that Hefner offers is merely a shadow and a perversion of the image of God present in every human being.

Prayer: Reaching the Lost Around Us

2011-12-21T11:30:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I learn a little about myself and my responsibilities from the prayer requests made for others. Today we’re called to pray for the Colombian Baptist Denomination. They are having an annual meeting in January, and the prayer is that they would feel a sense of urgency to reach the unreached people groups of their own country.

Do I have a sense of urgency to share the gospel with the unreached here in the U.S.? People from all over the world live right here in our backyard, but do we feel a sense of urgency? And does it matter whether a group is technically reached or not if they are within our capacity to reach them?

Pray for Colombia. Pray also for us, that we would not forget the people living amongst us without a Savior.

COLOMBIA. On several occasions, you have prayed for the Colombian Baptist Denomination, asking that their eyes and hearts will be open to the need to reach out to the indigenous of the country and to be obedient to God's call for laborers. Please continue to pray, asking that at the annual Baptist Assembly in January, churches and pastors will gather with hearts willing to hear and respond to God's call. Pray that there will be a new and compelling sense of urgency to share the Gospel with the unengaged unreached people groups of Colombia. Pray also that the leadership of the Colombian Baptist Denomination will be united in vision, purpose, and obedience to God's command to preach the Gospel to all nations.

Some Favorite Books from 2011

2011-12-20T11:00:00.001-05:00

As the year winds down and I finish a couple more books, I thought I’d highlight a few of my favorites from the last year that I’ve enjoyed:

Desiring God, Revised Edition—The cornerstone of the John Piper library, this book introduces you to a concept that holds implications for every part of your life, namely, glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.

40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible—This book answers some common questions I hear from believers of all ages. The most helpful questions I found dealt with interpreting specific genres (proverbs, narratives, letters, etc.). It’s not quite a reference book, but for the average believer, it is gold.

Dracula (free Kindle edition)—A classic horror-mystery story that introduced vampires to the broad masses. Twilight and other book series owe so much to this novel. If only they had take more cues from it.

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch—Set in medieval England, a young boy begins his training as a Spook, the person responsible for clearing out the things that go bump in the night. This children’s book is a little darker and scarier than Harry Potter and may give you a few nightmares.

Matar a Lutero—A fictional story about Martin Luther following the Diet of Worms leading up to the publication of the first German Bible. The book was fast-paced and gives a Spanish twist to the events of the Reformation.

The Laborers are Few... so Pray!

2011-12-19T11:00:00.001-05:00

I was speaking with a friend of mine about unreached people groups and he lamented that there weren’t any in South America because he wanted to do more mission work there, but had a strong desire to work with the unreached. Although Asia may be home to the highest number of unreached people groups, there are plenty of unreached peoples in South America.

Our current situation reflects what the evangelist recorded of Jesus’ words in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” And the solution has not changed either: “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

In Colombia it is difficult for Americans to travel about in unreached areas because of the constant threat from paramilitaries and narcotraffickers. Though still dangerous for national missionaries, Colombians draw less attention to themselves from these armed groups than foreigners. Pray for those who equip and those who go. And consider being one of those who sends by supporting the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, 100% of which goes directly to the field.

CHA AND TA OF COLOMBIA (chah; tah). Please continue to pray for laborers for the harvest for these two people groups. God is moving hearts towards indigenous mission work in this country, but local missionaries still need to be trained and sent. Intercede for this process, with the end being people called to work with the Cha and Ta people!

On Being a Parent

2011-12-16T21:49:00.000-05:00

Reposted from MyLife blog. By Hannah.

"So do you like being a parent?" The question caught me off guard. In our culture, too often children are a sticky, smelly interruption to life. Some couples put off having them for a decade or forgo the idea altogether. I constantly see studies that estimate the average cost of raising a child, as if parenting were measured in dollars and cents. Not everyone should have kids, not everyone can handle the same number of children, and no one should pursue the blessing of having children to an extreme (think 20 kids). But parenting IS a beautiful blessing, in spite of the sacrifice, for at least 5 reasons. They're why I like being a parent.

Being a parent is rewarding. Every morning I pick Abby up out of her crib, give her a kiss, and see her smile. Those moments are worth more than any amount of money. I've seen her change from a tiny newborn who can barely lift her head to a 2 month old who sits supported and almost rolls over. I can't wait to see her grow even more over the years. Knowing that I have the privilege and awesome responsibility to foster this growth is amazing.
Being a parent puts you in the spotlight. From the minute she was born, a little person is taking in my every word and action in her presence. The way she interacts with her future husband, her beliefs on everything from God to homosexuality, the way she talks, how much she reads, what she wears, and a million other aspects of her life will be influenced by me. She may not realize it, and as a teenager she may soundly deny it, but it's true nonetheless. Not only do I have God and a "host of witnesses", I have one very small little witness watching me.
Being a parent forces you to see life from a new perspective. When I traveled, I used to plan exactly what I would wear each day based on who I would see, what I was doing, etc. Now I carefully pack all the clothes that Abigail might possibly need. Then I grab underwear, a couple pairs of jeans, and some long sleeved shirts or sweaters for myself. I used to have a meticulously clean apartment, partially because it made me feel good about myself. Now I still keep it clean, but I do it for my husband and for Abby. I wouldn't want her playing on dirty carpet. I guess it's made me less selfish.
Being a parent connects you to other people, especially other parents. On a recent trip to Kroger, I noticed the old lady behind me in line smiling at Abigail in the cart. "She's precious," the lady commented. I probably never would've spoken to the lady if it wasn't for my baby. At church, I've gotten to know a lot more moms through the nursery and just by meeting them. My dad has Parkinson's disease, but one smile from Abigail can rouse him from his chair and have him smiling and talking like a boy on Christmas morning. Bring up the topic of childbirth, the cost of baby clothes, or crying and you instantly have a connection to other parents. Even older children seem less threatening to talk to than adults. Children break down our walls of self-absorption and timidity.
Being a parent is a huge ministry. Parenting is a picture of God's love for us as his children. God loves us unconditionally. God lovingly disciplines and corrects us. God protects and provides for us. God never leaves us. Although I'm not perfect (surprise!), I can attempt the same for my child. Together with her daddy, I can give her a small glimpse of God's love for her. And unlike church ministries where people can leave, she's a captive audience!

So do I like being a parent? Absolutely.

Stop what you're doing and PRAY!

2011-12-15T10:30:00.002-05:00

My silence is deafening. Virtual tumbleweeds are rolling across my blog. I thought that after my class life would get a little more slowed down. I was wrong. I’ve been a little busy lately.

But fear not faithful followers, I’ve got a new post on something important: prayer. I know, I know. I follow enough blogs to know what goes through my head when I see a prayer update, and maybe you’ve got as far to go as I do when it comes to growing into the image of Christ. When I see a prayer request from another country that I have little interest in, I’m liable to skip on over to the next news article about how the Republicans and Democrats can’t get along.

But prayer is supposed to be an integral part to the Christian life. It’s not just something we do on Sunday mornings, before meals and meetings, but an active communication with God. I’ll admit that many of my recent prayers have sounded more like the reading of a shopping list than any kind of pleading or praise to God.

Hannah and I were walking yesterday and we were talking about a friend we used to know who has really become alienated from friends, family, and God, walking down her own path. Hannah said, “The only thing we can really do is pray.” I said, “Then why don’t you, right now?” And she did. I think I probably talk about how this person needs prayer, or that situation needs prayer, but then I just move on with the conversation. But 1 John 3:17 says,

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”

If this is true of physically caring for others, what does that mean for spiritually caring for others through prayer? Can I really say, “He needs prayer” and then deny him what I know he needs?

Take a moment, right now, to read this request and pray to God.

PA OF COLOMBIA (pah). Believers are making firm decisions not to participate in the culturally accepted rituals of the traditional church and some of their traditional religious practices. They are learning to defend their position with the Word of God. They are suffering persecution for their decision. Pray for them to remain strong in the face of this persecution, which often comes from family members and close friends.

CAFE (ColombiA's Forgotten Ethnos) PEOPLES (cah-FAY). Team CAFE writes: "Several of our stronger believers are struggling with depression. Pray that God will reveal the issues behind their struggles and heal them. This is one of many strongholds that the evil one seems to have and use with these indigenous students. Also pray for the students who have just begun to ask serious spiritual questions and are open to beginning to study God's Word for the answers."

AR OF COLOMBIA (ahr). The Ar People Team recently had a time of praying and sharing about the worldview and cultural issues of this people group. God gave significant insight into some barriers and possible bridges that this team is now working on with the Ar people. Praise the Lord for His insight and wisdom in this area!

Deity-Neutral?

2011-12-06T19:30:00.001-05:00

“You can express appreciation for your good fortune and suggest that others contemplate their own good fortune in a deity-neutral fashion.”

A coworker wrote this. It is a generic you, I think, but I’m sure she’d have no problem saying the same to me personally.She wrote it in response to a Thanksgiving message that was sent out to our employees in which the writer said “blessings” three times and “give thanks” twice.

Here is my response:

“Deity-neutral is a new term for me. I'm not sure it is all that helpful. I don't find much of a difference between "express appreciation" and "give thanks", and even "good fortune" suggests either an unknown power or chance. The first could be offensive to some, such as atheists, and the second could be offensive to others, particularly those who believe in a sovereign God who controls everything that happens.

“Ultimately I think that a desire or expectation of "deity-neutral" language ultimately favors a non-theistic worldview over a theistic-worldview and would result in the censorship of "pro-deity" language.

“I find it similar to the gay marriage debate. Although the terms "partner" and "union" could be deemed "relationally neutral," in reality they clearly favor one side and oppose the other. There are already many people who consider "husband," "wife," and "marriage" as exclusive and offensive.”

Pray that I would be a faithful witness to her and others I come into contact with at work.

Giveaways this Week

2011-12-05T08:41:00.000-05:00

CredoMag, a new online Christian magazine, is offering up a book giveaway leading up to the publishing of their second issue in January. The book, Michael Horton’s The Christian Faith, is definitely a good reference work, since it basically outlines much of what constitutes orthodox Christian teaching. From the Bible as God’s word to teachings on the end times, it’s got it all. Also, I’m currently reading the book Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian to write a review that will be featured on the CredoMag website.

Enter the giveaway here!

The Baker Book House Church Connection is having a giveaway as well. Ever wonder why the New Testament quotes the Old Testament the way it does? Me too. Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament represents some very good analysis that should better help you understand why the NT authors say the things they do and may even help you better interpret the Bible.

Enter the giveaway here!

Update on the Nu and other Missions Stories

2011-11-30T09:02:00.000-05:00

National missionaries can sometimes gain access to people and places that foreign missionaries can’t. In Colombia, some of the most unreached peoples are located in areas where rebel groups and drug traffickers have control. It’s dangerous for Colombian nationals to venture there. It’s even more challenging for foreigners, especially Americans.

Some Colombian nationals have answered the call to reach out in these difficult areas. After battling malaria and a skin fungus, the national missionaries who had hoped to share the gospel with a new clan of Nu people were forced to return to a larger city for medical help. Please pray for the missionaries, both foreign and national, who are seeking to reach the lost with the precious gospel of peace.

NU OF COLOMBIA (noo). Last month you were asked to pray that Colombian missionaries L and J would be able to share Gospel stories with a new clan of Nu people before returning to their home in the city. That planned visit did not take place during this trip to the Nu communities. The national missionaries and their children were very sick with malaria and a skin fungus upon leaving the village, and were unable to travel. They returned to the city to get medical help. Please pray that their health will be restored and that they will have another opportunity to share with this new clan of Nu people.

Book Review: God Gave Us So Much

2011-11-29T08:59:00.000-05:00

From Hannah, three out of five stars:

«««

After reading two other God Gave Us books, I was excited to read the three-book collection called God Gave Us So Much. The stories have the same lovable bear illustrations and simple question-and-answer format, but they have some potential theological problems.

In God Gave Us Heaven, Papa bear explains how we get to heaven. He says, “God knew that our bad choices might keep us from him forever… So he sent his very own Son, Jesus, to be our bridge. All we have to do is walk across it to head toward our forever home.” There is no repentance and a child won't know what it means to “walk across” a bridge.

In God Gave Us Love, the Grandpa bear repeatedly brings up the idea that “God's love brings out the best in us.” He implies that all love shown is God’s love. The Bible teaches that we are all sinful and there is no ‘best’ in us. When God's love enters our lives through salvation, then we can show God's love.

I did thoroughly enjoy God Gave Us the World. We must be extremely careful how we teach children about God, and this collection needs parental explanation.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

Book Review: Commentary on Job 38-42

2011-11-28T22:44:00.000-05:00

3 out of 5 stars

David J.A. Clines is considered to be a top-notch biblical scholar and after some 20+ years his commentary set on the book of Job has been concluded in the Word Biblical Commentary18b: Job 38-42. To give a review of Clines work after considering this concluding piece would be like watching the final half hour of The Lord of the Rings and offering up comments. Yet even a cursory overview can shed some light on the overall weight and direction of this work, as well as its usefulness.

I would venture to say this concluding commentary speaks to the most interesting material in the book of Job, save perhaps for the first chapter which sets up the sorry state in which Job lives through most of the book. Clines shows his scholarship in his translation from the Hebrew of the chapters, along with translation notes that rival and may even surpass those of the NET Bible.

Although Clines is a scholar and this work is very thorough (the bibliography for the three-volume set on Job takes up half the book), he does stray from commonly-accepted understandings of the overall meaning and purpose of the book. I would say his excellent analysis of the “trees” has caused him to miss the “forest”. He summarizes the result of the discourse between God and Job this way:

Job is neither triumphant nor defeated. The divine speeches have in the end neither satisfied nor humiliated him. It is almost as if Yahweh had not spoken from the tempest, for Job has chosen not to hear in the divine speeches the sunny side of the world’s structure and management, and he has learned nothing except to have his worst fears confirmed that he will not get justice from God. No doubt he is better off knowing where he stands and having nothing left to hope for.

In the end, Clines argues that Job gives up his quest for an answer to suffering and evil and instead lives his life to the fullest. His conclusions miss the point, and goes to show that a scholarly work is definitely helpful for understanding, but is not our final authority on matters of faith and practice: Sola Scriptura!

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

Things have been pretty hectic and I haven't been able to post much. I recently preached at our Spanish service, finished my seminary class, and have been spending a lot of time at work. But now it's Thanksgiving, I'm surrounded by friends and family, and rejoicing in the blessings of God.

Expect new posts in December!

Book Review: This Little Prayer of Mine

2011-11-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

Four Stars, from Hannah:

This Little Prayer of Mine teaches children how to pray as they read a brother and sister's prayer. The book shows kids a variety of ways to pray as the characters thank God, ask forgiveness, express a desire to serve, and request protection from various problems in life. Although the prayer covers many topics, the author adds continuity by using the same phrases and wording throughout. When you read it aloud, the words flow together.

I have reviewed many children's prayer books, but this one stands out because it teaches more than one form of prayer. Most simply teach kids to say 'thank you' or to make requests. It is illustrated with realistic, detailed paintings. I enjoyed studying all the details on each page, from the teddy bear in the boy's bedroom to the grocery store ad for robot toys. The illustrations and quality text make this book a first choice for children ages 4 to 8 and would make a quality bedtime story.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

Faith without the Word?

2011-11-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

Saint Peter exhorts every faithful Christian to be prepared to give account of his Hope. And what account will he give of his Hope, or Faith, he who neither reads nor hears the word of God? Because you know, that like the wick does not burn in the oil lamp, or lamp, unless it has oil, so neither Faith lives, unless it has the word of God. He that doesn't read, doesn't hear, doesn't meditate on the word of God, what Faith can he have?

—Cipriano de Valera, Dos Tratados

San Pedro exhorta a todo fiel Cristiano que esté aparejado [es decir, preparado] a dar cuenta de su Esperanza. Y ¿qué cuenta dará de su Esperanza, o Fe, el que ni lee, ni oye palabra de Dios? Porque sabed, que como la mecha no arde en el candil, o lámpara, mas de cuanto tiene aceite, así tampoco la Fe vive, mas de cuanto tiene palabra de Dios. El que no lee, no oye, no medita la palabra de Dios, ¿qué Fe puede tener?

—Cipriano de Valera, Dos Tratados [ortografía actualizada]

Debating Calvinism in the SBC Just Got Serious

2011-11-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

I wrote an article on SBC Voices about a Southern Baptist church that was denied entry into their local Southern Baptist association of churches because of its Calvinism. Now things are getting hot! The founders of the SBC were originally mostly Calvinists. Over time, they lost the majority and are now a minority. The Baptist Faith and Message, a statement of beliefs that most Southern Baptists hold to, doesn't take a stance one way or the other on the whole Calvinism issue. That's why I find it a shame that an association would deny membership to a church merely because of the church's convictions about God's sovereignty, election, and how grace is imparted.

Whether you're SBC or not, this is an interesting article that gives a window into the biggest debate within the Southern Baptist Convention.

Two new books (not from Southern Baptists), speak both for and against Calvinism, aptly titled For Calvinism by Michael Horton and Against Calvinism by Roger Olson. I'd suggest checking one or both of them out.

Calvinism in the Ring

2011-11-08T10:12:00.000-05:00

Today is Calvinism day over at SBC Voices, the blog where I now contribute. That means contributors, including me, will have articles both for and against different aspects of Calvinism, as well as commentary on current issues regarding Calvinism. I anticipate a lot of comments in the comment stream and some good interaction over the whole debate.

Whether you’re for Calvinism, against it, somewhere in between, or totally unaware, there’ll be something for everyone. Consider this the “Black Tuesday” of theology on SBC Voices without the early wake up times, long lines, or insane people fighting over Care Bears. Well, maybe a few insane people.

Reaching Colombian College Students

2011-11-07T09:32:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I saw this update from Team CAFE.

CAFE (ColombiA's Forgotten Ethnos) PEOPLES (cah-FAY). “Last month we asked you to pray for J, a freshman, and other students who have been coming to the student center,” writes Team CAFE. “Although J and the other new students have not yet made decisions of faith, give thanks to God that they are very involved in the student center and are attending the Bible studies that are being offered at different times. They are making their second home in the student center and are open to hearing what is being shared.”

Praise God for the impact the team is having on these college students. Their openness and attendance is a good thing for the advance of the Kingdom!

Romans 8:18

2011-11-03T14:30:00.002-04:00

Romans 8:18 ESV

For I consider that

the sufferings	of this present time
are not worth comparing with
the glory	that is to be revealed.

Viva la Vida by Coldplay

2011-11-02T10:50:00.000-04:00

A Secular Song

I haven’t written about secular songs before, but they can be very interesting and touch on subjects pertinent to discussions on faith. One such song, which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening to, is Viva la Vida by Coldplay.

From what I know about Coldplay, the band is not “Christian” and the singers don’t profess faith in Christ. But this song is loaded down with biblical language and is somewhat cryptic when you only have a few minutes with it on the car radio.

I’d like to look at a few phrases at a time and then offer a few concluding thoughts on the song as a whole:

I used to rule the world; seas would rise when I gave the word. Now in the morning I sleep alone, sweep the streets I used to own.

The song indicates to the listener it is a reflection of a powerful world leader on his life. He says, “I used to rule the world.” He had it all. He was in charge. He gives a biblical allusion to emphasis the God-like power he had—“seas would rise when I gave the word.” This line, like the song, is poetry and should not be understood as an indication that the singer is Christ merely because he speaks of doing the miraculous. In actuality, the whole song is a comparison of this now-fallen leader and the once-fallen Christ.

I used to roll the dice, feel the fear in my enemy's eyes. Listened as the crowd would sing, “Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!” One minute I held the key, next the walls were closed on me. And I discovered that my castles stand upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand.

This leader took chances (“roll the dice”) and liked that others feared him. He reveled in the praise and adulation given him by the crowd. Yet the chant of the crowd gives an indication of their true fidelity. In one breath they rejoice that the old king is dead, and in the next they praise the new king. They have no loyalty to the person, just submission to current power broker. It wasn’t long before this new king found that out.

One minute he had the power over opportunity (“held the key”) and the next minute he had none. The use of “key” and “walls” contrasts the power he had with the helplessness he later experienced—a key is only good when a door is available.

When he lost his power he discovered, too late, that his source of comfort and security had a weak foundation. A pillar of salt, which is what Lot’s wife turned into, reflects the vanity of grasping at that which is perishing, just like the pillar of sand, which brings to mind Jesus’ parable about the wise and foolish man.

I hear Jerusalem, bells a-ringing, Roman cavalry, choirs are singing. Be my mirror, my sword and shield, my missionaries in a foreign field. For some reason I can't explain, once you'd gone there was never, never an honest word and that was when I ruled the world.

The chorus makes a strong allusion to the Passion. The singer is saying that as Christ was abandoned by His friends on His road of suffering, so he too has been abandoned. The Jerusalem crowd and Roman soldiers drown out all other noise and certainly do not support the broken and condemned leader. This king calls out to his friends to reflect him (“mirror”), to defend him(“sword”), protect him (“shield”), and advocate for him (“missionaries”).

When his friends left him he lost his ability to trust others (“once you’d gone there was never, never an honest word”). The element of suspicion and lack of trust led to his downfall.

It was a wicked and wild wind; blew down the doors to let me in. Shattered windows and the sound of drums. People couldn't believe what I'd become. Revolutionaries wait for my head on a silver plate. Just a puppet on a lonely string, oh who would ever want to be king?

He came to power very suddenly, assisted, seemingly, by divine power. The doors, which had been locked to him (the “old king” had the “key”), were knocked down and he took power. It was a violent takeover leaving behind “shattered windows” (lost aspirations, hope) and “the sound of drums” (violence, oppression).

He had been a revolutionary, but once he took power his oppression and lack of trust made him into the kind of autocrat he had overthrown. Now he is on the other side, as revolutionaries seek to take him down, asking for his “head on a silver plate.” The reference is to John the Baptist, not to show this king’s innocence, but the fact that the revolutionaries are as wicked as Herodias. He now realizes that he was enslaved to power (“a puppet”); power was not enslaved to him. He reflects on the sad state of affairs: “who would ever want to be king?”

I hear Jerusalem, bells a-ringing, Roman cavalry, choirs are singing. Be my mirror, my sword and shield, my missionaries in a foreign field. For some reason I can't explain, I know Saint Peter won’t call my name. Never an honest word and that was when I ruled the world.

In the last repetitions of the chorus, the singer changes one line. He says, “For some reason I can’t explain, I know Saint Peter won’t call my name.” This is the final comparison between himself and Jesus. For Saint Peter to call anyone's name first requires a resurrection. The singer doesn’t quite know why, but will not experience that kind of resurrection, politically or spiritually.

Concluding Thoughts

Christ’s fall from power was not motivated by His wickedness, but rather His submission to the will of God. He didn’t look for or find security in power. He didn’t violate God’s commands to stay in power. Because Christ was sinless His death was pleasing to God and paid for sin. Because Christ was humbled, God exalted Him. The king in the song sought his own glory and never humbled himself, so God humbled (humiliated) him.

This song is a reflection on the lust for power and what it does to those who get it. Though the artists don’t fully understand why, they know Christ is the best counter-example of that concept. I would hope, as Christians, we have a better understanding of the “why.” and it's found in Jesus.

What are You "Singing" about God?

2011-11-01T10:30:00.000-04:00

"As the church’s hymnbook often serves as the theology text for the average layperson, it is instructive how much robust theology we find in the hymnbook of the ancient Israelites."

"Why, then, are the psalms absent in many modern churches? Repetitive praise choruses are substituted for the reading or singing of the psalms. When psalms are used, only short selections are read. Difficult verses and entire psalms are ignored."

Plummer, Robert L. (2010-04-22). 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible. Kregel Pubn. Kindle Edition.

Book Review: When the Bottom Drops Out

2011-10-31T22:40:00.000-04:00

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Robert Bugh hopes to prepare readers for tough times. When the Bottom Drops Out is the result of years of heartache and healing, shaped by suffering and crafted by the hand of a shepherd. Pastor Bugh lost his wife after a difficult fight with cancer.

When books that tell us we can have our best life now and that everyday can be a Friday are on the bestsellers lists, a book about the tough times seems like it has no audience. Until we realize that sooner or later the bottom will drop out for all of us. Life happens, and in the midst of it all we will come face to face with mortality and weakness. When that happens, what kind of God do we expect to see there?

Through his personal story, character studies of Joseph, Abraham, and Jeremiah, and a resolute committment to knowing and embracing the teaching of the Bible, Bugh presents us with a rock solid view of reality and God that will prepare us for times when the bottom drops out.

Superbly narrated, this audio book is a great help to those who are suffering. But if you can read it before the bottom drops out, you’ll be better prepared, have a better perspective, and be ready to find comfort in the God of the Bible during your greatest time of need.

For the audio book, click here.
For a print copy, click here.

I received this book free from christianaudio as part of their audio book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

The Time is Short: University Missions

2011-10-31T10:30:00.001-04:00

University missions is tough. You only have a few short years to reach people before they leave your circle of influence and are gone. People who live and minister with other demographics can easily take for granted the amount of time they have to influence people for Christ, but the reality that time is short is always there for university missions.

Team CAFE in Colombia seeks to reach neglected people groups represented in the big cities. They may come due to violence in rural areas or because of economic factors. Others come for continuing education. Such is the case of J. Please pray for J that she would embrace the good news about Jesus. Pray also for the people ministering in the big cities with the “forgotten peoples”.

CAFE (ColombiA's Forgotten Ethnos) PEOPLES (cah-FAY). J is a freshman this semester. She is in a big city for the first time and is living far away from her family. The city is big and noisy and hard to navigate. College is big and noisy, and the academics are so much higher than she is used to. She has few resources and struggles to make ends meet. She doesn't know who to trust and who to believe, as so many are telling her different things.

Team CAFE writes: “This past week, J was invited by the Christian young women in the student center to join us in a new Bible study beginning on Tuesday mornings. She came, and as we went around the circle sharing who we were, what we were studying, etc., big tears began to stream down her cheeks. She could hardly talk but haltingly shared that she was feeling very alone. The Christian young women in the group embraced her.

She is finding a second home in the student center—and people who care. Pray for J and the new students in the student center. They are all in need of friends and a place to belong. Pray that they will find it in the student center and that they will be open to the Gospel and let God be the answer to the needs that they have.”

What Guides You: the Spirit or the Scriptures?

2011-10-29T11:50:00.001-04:00

Someone or something has the place of first importance. In the U.S., we have many laws. There are state laws and federal laws, but the law of first importance is nothing other than the Constitution. In my family, even though many times I let my wife decide, the authority and responsibility for the decisions is mine. But, what has the place of first importance regarding our practice and belief as Christians?

Some say that the Holy Spirit has the place of first importance. Others say that the Scriptures have the place of first importance. Who’s right?

At first I understand how people can think that it’s the Holy Spirit. After all, He’s God Himself! The Bible was given by Him. Certainly the Bible, which is a product of the Holy Spirit, cannot supersede His guidance.

But there’s a problem: how do we know if something proceeds from the Holy Spirit or not? For example, I know people who have said that God confirmed to them that a friend in the hospital would get better, but that friend died a few days later. Obviously that “word” that they received was not from the Spirit. But if the friend had recuperated, how would I know if it was the word of God or if the others person had a lucky guess?

Or what about matters of faith? A Christian in the ancient church said that the Spirit had commanded that widows and widowers could not marry again and that people shouldn’t escape persecution, but seek to be martyrs. Was that really a command of the Holy Spirit?

There’s one thing we should always remember: the Spirit gave us the Bible, and He does not lie. So He’s not going to guide us against what He’s already told us. Therefore, the Scriptures should have first importance regarding our practice and belief as Christians.

What we call the guidance of the Holy Spirit can be many things—a demon, carnal desires, subconscious suggestions, or our own heart. Jeremiah 17:9 warns us: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” There are many people who want to avoid giving account of their actions and they use the Holy Spirit as an excuse.

When we study the Bible, our slogan is “One Scripture never contradicts another Scripture.” When we look for the will of God and want His Spirit to guide us, our slogan should be “The Spirit never contradicts Scripture.” After all, He wrote it.

This article originally appeared in Spanish on my blog sanoeintachable on October 28, 2011.

Children's Book Review: Three Cups

2011-10-27T13:24:00.000-04:00

Reviewed by Hannah

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Three Cups by Tony Townsley with Mark St. Germain
gives children basic principles for handling money as they follow the first-person narrative of a little boy learning to manage his money. His parents give him three cups for his birthday to keep track of spending, saving, and giving money. As he grows, the cups lead to opportunity costs, savings accounts, and food drives.

I can see this book being useful for introducing money management principles to your children. A short parents’ guide in the back of the book gives ideas for putting the cups system into practice.

Some kids will find the story a little boring. It’s more informational than narrative at times, like the explanation of savings accounts. The illustrations almost make up for the lack of action with their gorgeous colors, vintage look, and almost Norman Rockwell-esque people.

Parents can use this book as a springboard for teaching about money, while children can enjoy the illustrations and the simple story.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 6

2011-10-27T10:30:00.002-04:00

This is the sixth and last post in a series. Access prior posts below:

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 1 published September 20, 2011

A Forgotten Reformer (sbcIMPACT!) published September 23, 2011

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 2 published September 27, 2011

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 3 published October 6, 2011

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 4 published October 12, 2011

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 5 published October 20, 2011

Here’s a section from the end of the short biography[1] on Cipriano de Valera:

Valera draws a flattering picture when he writes in the Exhortation addressed to the reader of his Bible: “There is no city nor is there, so to speak, any borough or any mansion in Spain that has not had, and has not even now, one or more persons whom God in his infinite mercy has enlightened with the light of his gospel. It has become proverbial in Spain when they speak of a learned man, to say: he is so learned that there is danger of his becoming a Lutheran [Protestant]. Our adversaries have done all that they could, to quench this light of the gospel, and then they have outraged many in Spain by the loss of property, of life and of honour. And it is to be observed that the more they outrage, the more they scourge, expose in sanbenitos, send to the galleys or to perpetual imprisonment and into the flames, so much the more do the evangelicals multiply, for ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.’” (157, brackets mine).

Valera truly believed the Reformation could catch on in Spain. He’d seen it in his own life and in the lives of many others he’d known through the years. Even now I’ve read stories of missionaries in Spain praying that believers would make themselves known and join a church. If it occurs in our day, it is likely that there were many believers during Valera’s time who managed to avoid persecution and death, but at the expense of an open gospel proclamation.

Today in most Muslim and some Asian countries the ability to speak openly about the gospel is limited. The danger is real. Yet for those who truly look into the claims of Christianity, there is hope. Just as in Spain, those who take the claims of the Bible for what they are run the risk of becoming a Christian.

The Reformation was not just an exercise in rhetoric and polemics—it cost “property, life, and honor”. Yet, for all the persecution, the church continued to grow. Valera was not alone in his faith. Many Spaniards preceded and followed after him. Today there is a surge of Evangelicalism amongst Hispanics in the U.S. and in former Spanish colonies. Perhaps revival will one day make its way back to Spain, as Valera hoped and prayed it would.

Where Christians are willing to die for their faith God is raising up new believers to take their place. After all, as Tertullian once said, and Valera has repeated, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

[1] Boehmer, Edward & Benjamin B. Wiffen. (1904). Bibliotheca Wiffeniana: Spanish Reformers of Two Centuries from 1520. Karl J. Trübner: Strassburg. Google Books. Digitized May 15, 2008.

Writing for a New Blog

2011-10-26T10:30:00.000-04:00

You'll notice there's a new tab on the blog today. It's a direct link to SBC Voices, a blog run by a good friend of mine, Dave Miller. This is because sbcIMPACT! is going on a hiatus and I will become a contributor to SBC Voices, which is quite an honor. It has become a sort-of one-stop-shop for all blogs Southern Baptist. But don't think that the posts and articles are limited to matters of importance only to Southern Baptists.

The theological views on a range of issues varies from contributor to contributor, and you'll see a lot of discussion about matters of church organization, Calvinism and Arminianism, mission, pastoral helps, and much, much more.

Check out the site. I'll definitely keep you informed when I have a new post up.

Reaching People in Their own Backyard

2011-10-25T10:30:00.000-04:00

I think sometimes we forget about national missionaries. Many churches, denominations, and church conventions support missions work right here in the U.S. From disaster relief to church planting, a lot is going on here. We tend not to think of it as missions because we’ve gotten used to the idea of missions as people leaving their country of origin to live in another country to reach people for Jesus.

Colombia has national missionaries too, which is just foreign enough for us to register. The Nu are a people group with very few believers who live in areas where it isn’t safe for foreigners to travel. It’s not very safe for nationals to travel either. But L and J, national missionaries, have spent the summer strengthening and encouraging the Nu believers. Praise God for that. And pray that He’ll use those strengthened believers to reach others for the advance of His Kingdom.

NU OF COLOMBIA (noo). Thank you for praying for the Nu believers. Give thanks to God that having Colombian missionaries L and J in the community for three months this summer was a great encouragement to the believers. They are now willing to stay in their community, having received help in some practical areas such as health and education.

To learn how your church can be involved in embracing an unreached people group through the IMB, click here.

To give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, click here.

Fleeing Violence, Finding Christ

2011-10-24T12:00:00.003-04:00

There are millions of internally displaced people in Colombia. This is largely due to armed drug traffickers and paramilitaries that control rural areas of the country. In recent years the Colombian government, with aid from American military and intelligence workers, has been able to curb some of the violence.

The effects of these armed groups, while slowed, still loom large over the country. According to one website on internally displaced persons, anywhere from 3.6 to 5.2 million Colombians are internally displaced, having had to flee their homes due to the violence.[1] I’ve read somewhere that around 1 million people in Bogotá alone are displaced.

Since these armed groups take refuge in the jungle, many native groups have been pulled into the conflict, threatened by the armed groups if they don’t grow drugs on their land for them. Some of them have left their villages to seek refuge in the city. That’s where the prayer request comes in today.

CHA AND TA OF COLOMBIA (chah; tah). There is an IMB family that has made contact with a group of Cha people in a major city who have been displaced because of the violence in the area where they lived. These Cha people came to the city hoping to find a new life, a job, food for their family, and rest from the violence. What awaited them however was more violence, poverty, hunger and a city that is cold and forbidding to them. Pray as these missionaries build relationships and share the Gospel with them. Pray that these Cha people will find the peace that only God can give. Pray that even though they now say they will never return to their communities, God will call some of them to take the Gospel back to their people.

It is hard to imagine something similar happening in America. But we should try to imagine it if only to soften our hearts to identify with these people, the hurt and rejected. Without Christ they face an even bleaker eternity than their present reality.

Through your prayers, you can make a difference. And the IMB is trying to connect churches in the U.S. with unreached and unengaged people groups around the world. If your church isn’t prepared to take that kind of step, you can still support the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, 100% of which goes directly to the field, not administrative costs. It isn’t for nothing that the International Mission Board has the lowest overall cost per missionary of any mission agency.[2]

[1] http://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/colombia

[2] $46,700 a year (average). Reported April 2011. Support includes housing, salary, children’s education, medical expenses, retirement and more. http://www.imb.org/main/give/page.asp?StoryID=5523&LanguageID=1709

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 5

2011-10-20T10:30:00.004-04:00

This is the fifth post in a series. Access prior posts below:

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 1 published September 20, 2011

A Forgotten Reformer (sbcIMPACT!) published September 23, 2011

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 2 published September 27, 2011

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 3 published October 6, 2011

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 4 published October 12, 2011

Cipriano de Valera, the great Spanish reformer and editor of the 1602 Reina-Valera translation of the Bible, made changes to Casiodoro de Reina’s 1559 translation regarding the apocrypha:

In relation to the order of the sacred books Valera introduced an improvement into Reina's Bible, for he distributed them again into two parts, those which had been translated from the Hebrew, and the apocryphal books, which had been translated out of Greek or Latin; whilst Reina following the Septuagint and the Vulgate had mingled the protocanonical with the deuterocanonical books… Nor did Valera admit marginal references to the apocrypha. (155).[1]

Early editions of various translations of the Bible into modern languages typically contained the apocrypha, which Roman Catholics prefer to call the deuterocanonical books since apocrypha doesn’t mean “hidden” so much anymore as it means “false”.

The apocrypha were never considered part of God’s inspired writings. When Jerome set about translating the Latin Vulgate he was at first hesitant to include them but was finally persuaded by Augustine. That’s not to say they believed the writings were inspired by God. Actually, Jerome noted that they were not, and Augustine criticized an opponent for having so poor an argument as to have to appeal to the apocrypha for support.

It wasn’t until the Council of Trent, partially as a response to Martin Luther and the growing Protestant Reformation, that the Roman Catholic Church officially added the apocrypha to the canon of Scripture. Some important Roman Catholic practices doctrines, such as purgatory and prayers for the dead, are founded on passages from the apocrypha.

Cipriano de Valera, like other Reformers, recognized the value of the apocrypha for historical and cultural information from the period between the Testaments leading up to the birth of Christ. But they also recognized that these works were not inspired by God. Valera intentionally kept these books distinct.

[1] Boehmer, Edward & Benjamin B. Wiffen. (1904). Bibliotheca Wiffeniana: Spanish Reformers of Two Centuries from 1520. Karl J. Trübner: Strassburg. Google Books. Digitized May 15, 2008.

"Embrace" an Unreached People Group

2011-10-20T08:00:00.014-04:00

Did you know that there are still thousands of people groups that have yet to hear the gospel? Did you know that not all of those groups are in Africa or Asia? Did you know that you can get involved in the effort to share the gospel with people who’ve never heard?

The International Mission Board has begun a program called “Embrace” to equip churches in the U.S. to pray for and engage unreached peoples with the gospel. The prayer request today highlights a very important opportunity for you to get involved.

If you are interested in the Embrace program, click the link above (or click here).

COLOMBIA. In August, a group of missionaries in Colombia met to identify the different unreached people groups (UPGs) and unengaged unreached people groups (UUPGs) in the country and to consider how these different groups could be engaged and come to know the God of the Bible. As a result of this meeting, eight different indigenous tribes were identified as priority people groups for the sending of missionaries and/or to become a part of IMB's "Embrace" emphasis: that every unengaged people group will have a local fellowship (churches in the United States and/or churches in Colombia) lifting them up to the Father, learning, strategizing and giving, with the ultimate goal of being on the ground among them to share the Good News.

(click for larger image)
A missionary couple arrived in the United States in September and will be there through January 2012. They hope to have many opportunities to present these eight indigenous people groups in churches and other meetings and challenge and invite U.S. churches, Sunday School groups, etc. to "embrace" one of these groups. Thank God for each of these people groups and for His desire that they come to know Him. Pray that God will go ahead and prepare the way so that this couple will have many opportunities to share His vision for each of these indigenous groups. Pray that those churches, groups and individuals that God is calling will hear and will accept the challenge to embrace the nations, and the one nation (indigenous people group) in particular, as He leads.

If you are interested in having the missionary couple speak at your church, make an inquiry here.

More Like Falling in Love (Jason Gray)

2011-10-19T10:40:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: For some reason, my blog has been chopping up my paragraphs and putting them in a different order when I save it. The article should make more sense now.

There’s a song that’s been playing on Christian radio a lot lately, and may be starting to wane, that’s been bothering me since the first time I heard it. It’s called “More Like Falling in Love” by Jason Gray.

If you’ve never heard it, you might guess from the title that it’s one of those “Jesus is my boyfriend” songs, but it’s not. Maybe I’ll write about “The Way You Hold Me” sometime, but this song isn’t along that line.

This song makes an unnecessary conflict between rightly loving God and right belief about God.

Here are the lyrics (boiled down without repeating choruses):

Give me rules, I will break them; show me lines, I will cross them.
I need more than a truth to believe, I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes.

To sweep me off my feet, it's gotta be more like falling in love than something to believe in, more like losing my heart than giving my allegiance.

Caught up, called out, come take a look at me now. It's like I'm falling, oh, it's like I'm falling in love.

Give me words, I'll misuse them; obligations, I'll misplace them.
'Cause all religion ever made of me was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet.

It never set me free, it's gotta be… [chorus]

It's like I'm falling in love, love, love, love, deeper and deeper—it was love that made me a believer in more than a name, a faith, a creed—falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me.

To the artist’s credit, he says in the end that “falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me.” To people raised in a church environment with Sunday School answers, catechisms, and verse memorization, it is easy to go through the motions and have the “right answers” without actually believing and knowing God. It isn’t knowledge about God that makes us “wise for salvation” (2 Tim. 3:15), but knowledge of God—knowing Him personally, experientially.

There’s a way to express this truth without denying or attacking the importance of truth in our faith and practice. This song, while trying to emphasize one truth, has crossed the line to the point of denying an equally important truth. The artist upholds emotional experience (e.g. losing my heart, falling in love) over correct belief and practice (e.g. truth to believe, something to believe in, giving my allegiance).

Like it or not, every day with Jesus doesn’t always feel like “falling in love.” Falling isn’t an unending experience. Eventually you land somewhere. If you’re unprepared, the landing will be hard and you’ll become jaded and move on. But if you are prepared, the landing will be a lot softer and you can continue the experience. That’s why I’m thankful for books like Battling Unbelief and When I Don’t Desire God (free PDF) by John Piper.

If I said my relationship with my wife had to be more like “falling in love than making a commitment” she’d rightly be offended. We have a daughter. If we haven’t landed somewhere by now, we’re in a lot of trouble.

Like the commitment of marriage, faith in Christ is not just a feeling, but an allegiance, as the song calls it. If our relationship with Christ is merely “losing our heart” and not “giving our allegiance,” as the song states, it leaves open the strong possibility that something else could come along and capture our heart.

My relationship with God depends more on my allegiance to Him than my feelings because the former is stronger and more stable than the latter. Further, my allegiance to Him is dependent on His saving work in my life, not my own volition, and that’s something I know from the Bible.

I did fall in love with Jesus. And while I continue to grow in my love for Him I seek to know Him more. To remain in a state of falling is merely superficial and lacks commitment—a.k.a. allegiance.

I don’t think we should pit our emotions against our knowledge of God. Without the latter, the former is a cloud without rain.

"Oo ee oo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang"

2011-10-18T10:00:00.002-04:00

With the birth of a child comes a disruption to “life as we know it.” As such, I haven’t been putting up the prayer requests I’ve been receiving from Colombia. Truth be told, I haven’t been praying much about Colombia due to all the distraction.

Maybe you haven’t been praying much either. Or maybe your prayers have been focused too much on yourself and issues in your immediate circle. Here’s an opportunity for both of us to pray for the Ar of Colombia:

AR OF COLOMBIA (ahr). The members of an Ar family that includes grandparents, married children, married grandchildren, etc. in community N are beginning to talk more freely about their personal and spiritual lives. They accept that God is the Creator and that He is all powerful. They believe, however, that He speaks through the witchdoctor and displays His power only through him. Pray that God will reveal Himself to them in a very real way. Pray that they will come to understand and accept a God who will talk to them and who wants to have a personal relationship with them. Pray for them to understand that God's power is manifested through His Spirit to all believers and followers of Him.

Bible Stories for Preschoolers: A Review by Hannah

2011-10-18T08:30:00.001-04:00

From Hannah:

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Bible Stories for Preschoolers is a collection of the most popular Bible stories in an easy-to-read format with plenty of cartoon illustrations. The stories seem sufficiently detailed for preschoolers and many include questions to keep children’s interest. I love the “family time” section after each story that gives ideas for talking about the story, activities to do as a family, and a verse to memorize.

It has a range of questions, from direct ones like, “Where did Jonah go?” to more complicated ones that require children to apply the stories’ message to their own lives. I think it would especially help parents who are new believers because they could read, discuss, and review the story with their kids without any prior knowledge of it.

The illustrations are sometimes silly-looking, which helps relieve suspense during tense moments like when Daniel is thrown in the lions’ den. I would highly recommend this Bible to parents of preschoolers.

(Also available in Spanish | También disponible en Español.)

I received this book free from Tyndale Publishers as part of their book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

Twilight Zone Morality Tales

2011-10-17T10:30:00.001-04:00

Hannah and I watched an episode of The Twilight Zone yesterday on Amazon. It comes free with Amazon Prime membership, so we thought we’d try to enjoy some of the free instant videos. I picked the episode “Living Doll” because I’ve heard my sister quote a line from it for the last few years or so and I hadn’t seen it.

The story revolves around a man, played by Telly Savalas, who recently became stepfather to a charming little girl. She even calls him “Daddy.” He hasn’t come around to enjoying his role as father and doesn’t like children in general. When mother brings home a new doll for the child to play with, he gets upset at spending such a large amount of money on the little girl.

The doll isn’t particularly interesting. She has a wind up key, which when turned makes the doll’s arms move up and down and she repeats the phrase, “I’m Talky Tina, and I love you very much!” But when the stepfather is alone with the doll, she says something different: “I’m Talky Tina, and you’d better be nice to me.”

As the stepfather gets angrier, thinking that his wife is playing a joke on him, he begins to take it out on the doll. He throws it against the wall, threatens it with fire, but her statements only get darker:

“I’m Talky Tina, and I don’t like you.”
“I’m Talky Tina, and I’m beginning to hate you.”
“I’m Talky Tina, and you’ll be sorry.”

Finally, he takes the doll and puts in the trash can, thinking he’s rid of her, but when the little girl can’t find it, he reluctantly goes back to get the doll, but she’s gone.

At this point the telephone rings and he answers. It’s the doll’s voice and she then says the line that my sister has quoted for a few years:

“I’m Talky Tina, and I’m going to kill you.”

I used to watch The Twilight Zone marathon over Christmas break, so I’ve seen quite a few episodes. This one, for one reason or another, has always escaped me until now. What I love about the show is that its stories almost always have a moral at the end. Writing like that is no longer in fashion, and I believe it’s because that kind of writing is hard to do.

In this case, the doll becomes a physical manifestation of a child’s inner reality. Her doll becomes a protector from her cold and unloving stepfather. Children in abusive homes or situations where they have little security or love will often find a stuffed animal, toy, or blanket that they hold onto for security, that invisible friend who loves them and provides them with an identity and a purpose.

As parents, it is our job to provide that identity, purpose, and security to our children. We are to love them. The man in this story discovered that the doll, representing the child’s psyche, didn’t forget or forgive after he did the right thing in returning the toy to the little girl. Likewise, one good deed can’t undo all of the damage we’ve caused when it has been consistently applied to someone as fragile as a child.

This episode of The Twilight Zone serves as a warning and a reminder to parents to love our children. If we are reconciled to God, are reading our Bibles, and praying daily, chances are we won’t need such a chilling and blunt warning from a television show. And we won’t have nightmares over it either.

Concern for the Churches of God

2011-10-15T12:00:00.014-04:00

And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 2 Cor. 11:28, ESV

This verse sticks out to me because of where it falls in the book of Second Corinthians. It’s the end of a list of trials and tribulations Paul has experienced on behalf of Christ. He’s been shipwrecked, whipped, beaten, stoned, in danger in all places, hungry, and cold. Then he basically says, “And, to top it all off, every day my concern for the churches of God weighs down on me.”

I haven’t experienced much of anything that Paul went through in his life. Compared to what he suffered, it’s been smooth sailing. The closest I come to experiencing any of Paul’s tribulations comes from this verse, and as such it has become very dear to me.

I’ve not been involved with multiple churches all at once, but I have experienced great anxiety for the well-being of the churches I’ve attended. This most often manifests itself through concern for individual members and families that worship alongside of me.

Recently I’ve been having trouble sleeping, and not just because of the new infant at home. Some very dear friends of Hannah and mine are going through some difficulties that, as of this writing, look to leave some permanent scars on them and others, quite possibly including Hannah and me. I can’t give any more details than that because of the sensitivity of the situation.

It has driven me almost to tears, and I know it has done the same to Hannah. I’m afraid that what the author of Hebrews warns against is happening here:

Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12, HCSB).

The seriousness of this warning cannot be overstated. The word here for "departs from" is also known in it's transliterated form: "apostatize". I pray that this will not happen because it would indicate that the person involved "was not of us" and we were deceived the whole time (cf. 1 John 2:19).

Yet this situation has also driven me to a firmer dependence on God. I’ve found comfort in 2 Timothy 2:11-13, which says,

…If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself. (ESV, emphasis mine).

The Angry Old Testament God

2011-10-13T10:30:00.002-04:00

This post is by my wife, Hannah.

In today’s society, our aversion to any kind of judgment tends to affect our view of God. Many people prefer to view God as a benevolent Santa Claus who smiles down on us. That view clashes heavily with the God we encounter in the Bible. When these people read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, they seem to find an angry, capriciously-judgmental God they want nothing to do with. Richard Dawkins, a famous atheist and critic of religion, said,

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; … capriciously malevolent bully.[1]

Even those who claim to be religious have similar concerns. One Roman Catholic recently wrote on a forum;

How does one reconcile the seemingly violent and angry God of the Old Testament with the merciful and loving God of the New Testament?[2]

My goal is not to reconcile God’s works in the Old Testament with the New. I want to address one question: Is the God of the Old Testament unjust and unloving?

Since January I’ve been reading through the Bible and recently I finished Isaiah. Like many Old Testament prophetic books, God pronounces judgment throughout. Most of the punishment falls on Israel, but he also talks about coming doom for Egypt, Cush (Ethiopia), Babylon, other nations—even the whole earth. But why?

The purpose of judgment

(1) God’s holiness. We know that God is holy, that He cannot leave sin unpunished. Yet so often we fail to see the magnitude of our sin. Isaiah points out that our righteous deeds are “filthy rags”. Although we can excuse our sin, God would be neither just nor truly loving to do so. Sin creates a separation between us and God that cannot be overlooked. Isaiah affirms that God’s judgment against Israel is righteous;

Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous. (Is. 10:22, emphasis mine)

(2) God’s glory. God’s overwhelming passion is for His own glory. At its basic root, sin is an affront to God’s glory, a rebellion as we try to take the glory for ourselves. As God declares judgment on Tyre, He offers an explanation;

The Lord of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth. (Is. 23:9)

In another passage, God explains His intolerance towards idolatry;

I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. (Is. 42:8)

The promise in the midst of judgment

God is just in His judgment, but what struck me most after reading Isaiah was the inconceivable depth of God’s mercy;

I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly; your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. (Is. 1:13-14)

God elaborates on their wickedness even more, but then He pleads with them to return to Him;

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. … Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. (Is. 1:16,18)

He offers hope in the midst of judgment, salvation in the face of sin. This hope is not only for Israel. Even in this Old Testament book we see God’s desire and purpose to draw all nations to Himself. It’s true that God pronounces punishment on Egypt, but He also promises to make himself known;

So the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the LORD. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the LORD and keep them. (Is. 19:21)

One of the judgments against Israel was that foreigners would inhabit their land. In turn, God would judge the foreigners for taking His chosen people’s land. But He offers a promise even to those outside of Israel;

Let no foreigner who is bound to the LORD say, “The LORD will surely exclude me from his people. …[T]hese I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer … for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. (Is. 56:6-7)

In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. (Is. 2:2, emphasis mine)

And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory. (Is. 66:18, emphasis mine)

The promise of JesusIsaiah contains prophecies about the end of time, and many of them have a vision for the nations. In fact, the book of Isaiah starts and ends with such a promise;

Of course the biggest hope God extends is the promise of His Son coming centuries after Isaiah was written. Besides the famous Isaiah 53 chapter, there are more references to Jesus, in total over 100;

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Is. 7:14)

What more could we ask for? God promised His greatest gift while proclaiming some of His greatest judgments. If that message is not the same proclamation of hope and forgiveness for all mankind found in the New Testament, I don’t know what is.

Conclusion

If we think God is mean or unfair in the Old Testament, we have not realized the gravity of our sins or we have completely missed God’s mercy. From one book alone, we can see evidence of God’s incredible love. Although I only examined Isaiah, I know the rest of the Old Testament contains similar themes of redemption.

I can read the Old Testament knowing without a doubt that the same God who judges the nations for their sins loves me immensely. He is rightly jealous for his glory, but inexplicably loving towards his people. He is justly angry at sin and idolatry, but mysteriously forgiving towards those who ask forgiveness. Instead of accusing God of unpredictable anger, we can thank Him for His righteous judgments and undeserved mercy.

[1] Richard Dawkins (2006). The God Delusion. London: Bantam. (31).

[2] http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=239792

Book Review: Just in Case You Ever Wonder

2011-10-12T13:30:00.004-04:00

A review by Hannah

««««

Just in Case You Ever Wonder by Max Lucado is a beautifully illustrated, creative book that tells children how special they are to their parents and to God. It tells children that God created them like no one else, which makes them special—an important lesson in today’s culture. As the child in the story grows, the parents promise to always love them and be there for them.

The book provides parents with the opportunity to express love and protection to their children. The words are simple and reassuring. The illustrations are done in comforting, muted colors with expressive people and fill the entire page spread.

My only concern was the ending discussion on heaven. The parent tells the child that “God wants me to make sure you know about heaven,” but does not explain how to get there or who goes to heaven. Without explanation from the reader, it could sound like a universal promise to all children. Still, the book is worth reading with some guidance because of the positive message paired with quality illustrations.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 4

2011-10-12T10:30:00.010-04:00

This is the fourth post in a series. Access prior posts below:

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 1 published September 20, 2011

A Forgotten Reformer (sbcIMPACT!) published September 23, 2011

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 2 published September 27, 2011

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 3 published October 6, 2011

The remainder of my series on Valera will focus on the 1602 Reina-Valera Bible and draws from the short biography[1] I found on GoogleBooks.

When seventy years of age, Valera edited in 1602 the whole Spanish Bible. … Reina was the first to publish the whole Bible in Spanish. His edition of 1569 was repeatedly re-read by Valera, who besides enriching it with fresh annotations, occasionally varied the text after consultation with learned and pious men. This process of revision extended over a period of twenty years before Valera committed the work to the press. … When he calls his Bible a second edition, he wishes thereby to state that the translation is on the whole the same in both editions, the second being a revision of the first. (154).

As I’ve stated before, Valera stood on the shoulders of giants. He was, however, somewhat of a contemporary of these giants. Reina did the real leg work of producing a Spanish translation of the Scriptures, but it was Valera who took it in, processed it, and edited it into the translation that would become the standard Spanish text.

Whereas the King James Version of the English Bible has largely seen its heyday as the English translation, being surpassed in sales volume by the NIV, the derivatives of the 1602 Reina-Valera Bible still exercise a strong majority control over the Spanish-speaking world over the more modern translations (such as the NIV and NASB Spanish equivalents).

One thing that stands out is that Valera was not 100% satisfied with Reina’s work. Through “consultation with learned and pious men” he made corrections and improvements to the Spanish translation of the Bible. The 1602 Reina-Valera version came out just before his death. There is nothing indicating he thought his revision was the end-all be-all. People make mistakes. Translations can be improved.

What I like best is that even with the changes, updates, and revisions, Valera still gave credit where credit was due, recognizing the work of Reina before him. No Spanish Bible translation can exist without first paying respects to Reina and Valera. To fail to continue their work, through textual criticism, updated and revised translations, and brand new translations, would be to disrespect and disregard their work to provide an accurate and accessible translation of the Bible in the language of the people.

[1] Boehmer, Edward & Benjamin B. Wiffen. (1904). Bibliotheca Wiffeniana: Spanish Reformers of Two Centuries from 1520. Karl J. Trübner: Strassburg. Google Books. Digitized May 15, 2008.

No Redemption in Fox's Terra Nova

2011-10-11T09:30:00.001-04:00

I’ve been watching the new show on Fox, Terra Nova. The two-hour season premier began in a dystopian future in Chicago around A.D. 2149. People need oxygen masks to breathe outside. Families are limited to four. The moon and stars are no longer visible. Really, it’s not much different from my picture of Chicago today. Some years prior scientists discovered time travel linking back to around 85 million B.C. In an effort to give a fresh start to humanity, a colony is started. One family of five manages to go back, themselves hoping for a fresh start.

Together they face challenges, from the scarcity affecting colony life, a renegade group of colonists known as “Sixers” (they came on the sixth wave of pilgrims), and various elements of the environment from strange diseases to, my favorite, dinosaurs.

The show is pretty engaging, with plenty of excitement in each episode. Hannah and I have been watching it since the show started, partly because of the premise and partly to maintain a sense of “Mom and Dad” time now that we have a wonderful baby girl who can disrupt our plans (usually during meals or sleep time).

We like to guess what some of the major plot points are going to be. We’ve figured out that the oldest daughter of the aforementioned family of five is going to figure out some complex mathematical symbols written out on rocks by some waterfalls, presumably by the commander’s long-missing son, at some point in the series.

But we also like to think about this show from a biblical standpoint.

Though the story goes against the traditional Christian view of the Genesis creation account, there are plenty of themes present in the TV series that relate to Biblical realities. One of the most obvious is that of man-made redemption. After mankind has ruined the planet, he finds his own salvation, a chance at redemption, by going back in time to make a fresh start.

The Bible is pretty clear that we are incapable of saving ourselves. And that is quite apparent from the colony in Terra Nova. Shortly after the sixth wave of pilgrims came through, we are told, they plot to overthrow the current colony leadership. When the plot was discovered, they left, taking over a mine and establishing it as their new colony. Man cannot live at harmony with nature, as dinosaurs mercilessly kill and eat a few people most every episode. People work hard to till the land and make it produce food. There is deception and disloyalty. Apart from pollution, it seems quite apparent that humanity has changed little in its quest for a new start.

The show doesn’t touch on God. I understand and expect that from secular television. The focus is more on human relationships and survival. Yet the underlying theme of redemption is what holds the whole story concept together. And that redemption cannot be found in a new time or a new way of living. Though the story will undoubtedly try to hold out hope for humanity, the truth is, we are broken and fallen, and so is the world we live in. To divorce that truth from the knowledge of God will only result in disillusionment and delusion.

The show is definitely fun to watch, and I can’t wait for the next episode to air. But we have to remember what should be apparent from the many conflicts and challenges these characters face: the solution to our problems is not within ourselves. The solution is from without. Only Jesus Christ can offer—and promise—true redemption for humanity.

Episodes are available for purchase on Amazon (all episodes) or with commercials on Fox's website (except the most recent episode).

Reposted from sbcIMPACT!.

Book Review: Thank You, God, For Loving Me

2011-10-10T21:10:00.000-04:00

Thank You, God, for Loving Me by Max Lucado follows the same pattern of short, cute rhymes paired with appealing watercolor pictures that Hermie books are known for. As fall arrives, Hermie remembers how God loves him by being near at night, watching Hermie, and guiding between what’s right and wrong. On one page, Hermie curls up at night with a Bible and the words say, “You’re with me when I am afraid”. It shows on a basic level how the Bible can comfort us.

The target audience of infants and young toddlers will not understand the message, but they will enjoy the sing-song sound of the words. The soft, durable cover and the beautiful nature pictures with irresistibly cute bugs are some of my favorite parts of the book. I only wish the book was longer. Even though children have short attention spans, most board books are longer than 10 pages.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 3

2011-10-06T10:30:00.004-04:00

This is the third post in a series. Access prior posts below:

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 1 published September 20, 2011

A Forgotten Reformer (sbcIMPACT!) published September 23, 2011

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 2 published September 28, 2011

To continue with our brief look at the life and work of Cipriano de Valera, here’re a few more quotations from the small biography[1] I found:

In 1596 Valera reedited the Spanish translation of the Geneva catechism according to the Spanish edition of 1559. From the same work he had already in the Two Treatises[2] of 1588 extracted the agenda of the Lord's Supper, which he repeated in the edition of 1599 of those Treatises.

In 1596 likewise he reproduced with some retouches the New Testament of Reina who had died in 1594.

In the succeeding year appeared Valera's Spanish translation of Calvin's Institutes. (153).

I briefly touched on one of Valera’s treatises in my previous post and my sbcIMPACT! article. I haven’t had time to pour over his translation of the Geneva catechism, his Two Treatises…, the 1594 New Testament, or Calvin’s Institutes, so I can’t comment directly on any of those works.

But may I draw your attention to something very important? Each of the works mentioned in that biography were all written in Spanish. Though at first this may seem obvious, it is important to remember that many of Valera’s contemporaries were penning their treatises in Latin. True, Valera was building on the foundations of others here (such as Casiodoro de Reina and Juan Pérez), but the point remains that virtually all of Valera’s works that I’ve encountered were written in Spanish.

I haven’t been able to adequately study all of what Valera has written. But I have been fortunate to have translated a small section of one of his works in my last post. His concern both for believers and his homeland is expressed in powerful language. His life of making available in Spanish the word of God and the works of the Reformers backs up that language.

In our day when information is instantaneous we’ve lost the value of the printed word. The Reformers, including Valera, went to great lengths to make the truth known at great cost to themselves personally.

Whether you are a Spanish-speaker or not, God has greatly blessed you with access to His word. You should read the works of the Reformers. But even if you don’t, you should read the Bible. It is so accessible to us now that we have no excuse before these men who sacrificed so much to make it available, much less before the Great God who used these men as a means to reach us with the gospel.

[1] Boehmer, Edward & Benjamin B. Wiffen. (1904). Bibliotheca Wiffeniana: Spanish Reformers of Two Centuries from 1520. Karl J. Trübner: Strassburg. Google Books. Digitized May 15, 2008.

[2] The work was called “Two Treatises on the Pope and on the Mass…” Neither was very flattering to its subject.

True Love Waits... But Temptation Doesn't

2011-10-05T10:30:00.015-04:00

CNN has proved once again that it doesn’t understand the Bible regarding premarital sex and temptation. Unfortunately, it seems most evangelicals don’t either.

The article in question, which I first saw on the CNN Religion Blog, points to an article from Relevant Magazine about how 80% of self-professed evangelicals between the ages of 18 and 29 have engaged in sex outside of marriage, just shy of the 88% that represents the general population.

Looking at the opposite figures, that 20% of self-professed evangelicals have not engaged in sex outside of marriage, is much better than the 12% that represents the general population. Still, 80% is still a problem.

The biggest factor for CNN, swayed by a quote from Scott McKnight, is that in biblical times people married a lot younger. The quote from McKnight is,

Sociologically speaking, the one big difference – and it’s monstrous – between the biblical teaching and our culture is the arranged marriages of very young people. If you get married when you’re 13, you don’t have 15 years of temptation.

We are getting married later and later. It’s not uncommon to know people in their thirties and even forties who are getting married for the first time. But abstinence is not just about age. And the example of people getting married at 13 is not an accurate portrayal of a typical marriage during Bible times.

Many girls got married during their teenage years, but 13 would be at the far end of the spectrum. Perpetua, a Christian martyr from around A.D. 203, was around 22 years old and had one child, recently born. If we assume that people typically had children within a few years time of getting married, this would place Perpetua’s marriage sometime around 19 years of age.[1] Men were typically older than the women they married.

Even if we pretend that there is a 15 year difference in temptation, does that really matter? Human beings are not just base animals, yielding to our natural sexual desires out of instinct. If we are truly Christ-followers, as we proclaim, we should be able to arrive at marriage (or remain single) celibate.

Why? Two reasons:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Cor. 10:13).

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15).

We don’t have to give in to temptation for two simple reasons: 1) God will provide us a way out, and 2) Christ is our example. Jesus never took a wife and never sinned. He was tempted like us and submitted to the will of God, even to the point of death. There have been many people in the Bible and throughout history who lived celibate lives. John Stott, who recently passed away, lived all 90 years of his life a celibate man.

The problem is not that we’re waiting longer to get married. The problem is we are not taking the way out and we are not getting our power from Christ. The verse immediately following Hebrews 4:15 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

We need to draw near to God both individually and in our relationships. We have to admit our dependence on Him and submit our lives to His plan. Maybe that means some people will get married younger because there’s little point in prolonging a serious relationship. Maybe that means some people will break up with their significant other because there’s little point in developing a serious relationship that’s going nowhere.

Whatever action we take, it all has to come from a proper understanding of temptation that is centered on the Bible and the person and work of Jesus Christ. Starting with human nature and sexual desires will only lead to failure. And so far it looks like 80% of us are focusing on the wrong thing.

[1] Although Perpetua’s husband is never mentioned in the account we have of her martyrdom, it is likely she was married at the time, possibly to Saturus, another martyr in the account. Source: Osiek, Carolyn. "Perpetua's Husband." Journal of Early Christian Studies 10.2 Jan. (2002): 287-90. Project MUSE. Web. 28 Sept. 2011.

Book Review: Thank You, God, For Blessing Me

2011-10-05T08:57:00.000-04:00

4 stars

Thank You, God, for Blessing Me by Max Lucado is a rhyming board book that teaches children to thank God for blessings from playtime to “eight little buggy feet”. The rhymes have a soft, almost sleepy rhythm that babies and young children will enjoy hearing even if they’re too young to understand the meaning. Soft watercolor illustrations with adorable bugs and nature scenes accompany the words. Another plus is the soft book cover and board-like pages. Although I realize how short young children’s attention spans are, I wish the book was slightly longer because it’s only 10 pages. If I were looking to buy a children's book, I might choose a book with more pages even if I can't finish reading it at once. Still, the rhymes and cute bugs with a positive message make the book worth looking into.

- from Hannah

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

Book Review: From Pearl Harbor to Calvary

2011-10-04T10:30:00.000-04:00

2 Stars

The book From PearlHarbor to Calvary is about Mitsuo Fuchida, the man who led the Japanese aerial assault on Pearl Harbor, and his testimony about how he became an ambassador for Christ. It is short and reads more like a 50s-era Christian missions propaganda piece than a personal testimony. The first part of the book was interesting but devoid of any depth or detail. In a few minutes the attack on Pearl Harbor is over, as is the war, and before you know it the story shifts to a glowing commendation of the Worldwide Christian Missionary Army of Sky Pilots.

If I were reading a biography of Billy Graham, I would be sorely disappointed if his early years of ministry were scarcely touched and the major emphasis of the book was on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and how it is a great organization.

This book fails to deliver anything substantial, which is a shame because Fuchida seems to have lived a very interesting life. The bonus interview at the end of the audio book with one of the men who flew the Doolittle Raid was the most interesting part of the book—and is likely not a part of the print edition.

I received this book free from Christian Audio as part of their book review program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.

Enter to Win from Credo Magazine

2011-09-30T10:30:00.008-04:00

Credo Magazine, a new digital periodical coming out this October, is offering a giveaway to highlight the new arrival. That means you and I have a chance to win some good books from Crossway:

The Pastor as Scholar and the Scholar as Pastor by John Piper and D. A. Carson

The Deity of Christ, edited by Chris Morgan and Robert Peterson

Preaching for God’s Glory by Alistair Begg

Am I Really a Christian? by Mike McKinley

I’m most interested in the book by Morgan and Peterson. Enter the giveaway and then browse around the site (it’s newly updated). It’s definitely worth looking into.

Can You Really Keep Your Religion Out of It?

2011-09-29T10:30:00.001-04:00

I recently got a year’s subscription to Time Magazine with my expiring airline miles. I listen regularly to Albert Mohler’s The Briefing program and noticed he comments a lot on articles in Time, and I thought it appropriate to make a comment about current events once in a while too.

I read an article by Lisa Randall, a professor at Harvard University. She’s a little concerned about politicians (read: republicans) “invoking God and religion [more] than… presenting facts or numbers.” She cites examples of Rick Perry defending teaching creationism in school and praying for the end of a drought (rather than worrying about man-made climate change). These examples, she says, “[are] not so much a clash between religion and science as a fundamental disregard for rational and scientific thinking.”

I can certainly grant that Ms. Randall is right to point out that disregarding science and rational thought would a major mistake for anyone, politician or not. But her examples betray her bias. It seems that what Randall is most concerned about is not the disregard of science (can you really envision any politician—democrat or republican—who disbelieves the value of the scientific method or rational thought processes?). She’s more concerned about the influence of religion and religious views in politicians’ policy decisions and public life. Religion apparently is neither rational nor scientific to her.

I don’t intend to comment on the religious beliefs of Rick Perry or other politicians. The principle is what's important. Christians cannot really divorce faith from life. The gospel is so life-changing that one cannot withdraw those beliefs from public life without denying the faith. The Bible reveals things to us about the earth’s and our origins. It teaches us to rely on God (while obeying Him and living justly). If God really exists and He really does listen to our prayers, going to Him first during times of trial is not disregarding science. It's rational.

Lisa Randall, “How Science Can Lead the Way: What we lose when we put faith over logic.” TIME Magazine, October 3, 2011.

New Kindle is Here!

2011-09-28T11:42:00.000-04:00

Today is the day it pays off to be a late adopter of technology. Wait no more. Amazon has just released their new Kindle Fire tablet for $199. That is insane. Additionally, they’ve got out a new $79 Kindle, a Kindle Touch for $99, and a Kindle Touch with Free 3G for $149.

I am definitely getting one of the above, I’m thinking either the Kindle Touch with 3G or the Kindle Fire tablet. I’m pretty sure these puppies are going to go into a backorder status quick, so make your decision fast!

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 2

2011-09-28T10:30:00.023-04:00

This is the second post in a series. Access prior posts below:

Cipriano de Valera: A Spanish Reformer, Part 1 published September 20, 2011

Apart from the Reina-Valera Bible (1602) and his one-volume work Two Treatises on the Pope and on the Mass (1588), it appears his third most popular work was A Treatise to Confirm the Captives of Barbary (1594). The short biography I found on Valera had this to say about it:

In 1594 he printed a treatise addressed to the Spanish prisoners in Berbery, among whom there had been an evangelical revival. Valera, wishing to strengthen their faith against Popery [Roman Catholicism] and Mahometanism [Islam], expounds to them the doctrine of the Bible, and also refers to the three œcumenical symbols. He exhorts them to show a model life to the heathens. And pray for Spain, he says at the end. (153).

During this time Spain was under constant threat both from the Ottoman Empire and from Barbary (or Berbery) Pirates. Some Spaniards had been captured by the Muslims and Valera heard of their plight. He wrote to them to encourage them in the midst of their current suffering at the hands of both the Papists and Islamists.

The three ecumenical symbols Valera refers to are the Apostles’ Creed (called simply “the Creed”), the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. This section of his letter deals with Trinitarian themes and he calls them to appropriate the faith as their own, unlike their enemies who simply state “we believe what the Church believes” without really knowing or holding to such doctrines.

As I looked for the reference about praying for Spain I became enamored with Valera’s writing. It reminds me of the language of Paul’s letters and Peter’s letters—due largely in part because it is dripping with Scripture. His language is both beautiful and surprisingly easy to translate. I’ve not found an English translation, so I translated it myself:

Pray for our Spain and principally for the king and for all those who have [charge over] the government of the republic, that God give them the grace to read and meditate on the Holy Scripture, without knowledge of which it is impossible for them (as by the same Scripture and by the ancient doctors we have already sufficiently covered) to do their duty, nor for their subjects to be well-governed in the true fear of God: pray also for me. …

I truly remember you in my prayers, asking the Father of mercies to add to your faith, give you patience in your afflictions and captivity, make you firm in the confession of His name, and enrich you with His spiritual gifts, so that when the Lord comes to judge the living and the dead He might find you as such, having made you as such, saying: Come, blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

To the one who, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns eternally, be glory and honor forever. Amen.

[translation, paragraphing, and minor punctuation mine]

Had the Reformation caught on in Spain I have no doubt that we would be reading his writings just as much as those of Calvin, Luther, and others. It is my hope that as more Hispanics come to faith in Christ they will develop a holy curiosity about their faith heritage. As they study and learn, they will write and share. And who knows? Perhaps in our day we may see the English speaking peoples introduced to these forgotten Reformers who were willing to lose everything for the sake of gaining Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Resources:

I have a longer section of the Valera’s treatise translated into English on sbcIMPACT!

Sources:

Boehmer, Edward & Benjamin B. Wiffen. (1904). Bibliotheca Wiffeniana: Spanish Reformers of Two Centuries from 1520. Karl J. Trübner: Strassburg. Google Books. Digitized May 15, 2008.

Cipriano de Valera. (1854). Tratado para Confirmar en la Fe Cristiana a los Cautivos de Berbería. Reformistas Antiguos Españoles, Tomo VIII. I.R. Baroja. Google Books. Digitized Jul 3, 2008.

Image credit.

Would Luther Find this Humorous?

2011-09-27T10:30:00.000-04:00

“The papists, it has been observed, reckon Luther the beast of the Apocalypse, and have seriously endeavoured to discover in his name the famous mystical number—666.”

Luther, Martin. (1862). The Life of Luther written by Himself. Trans. William Hazlitt. Ed. Jules Michelet. H.G. Bohn: London. Google Books. Digitized Oct 24, 2007. Pg. 4.

Reading Together: About Believers Baptism

2011-09-24T15:30:00.004-04:00

On Thursday our small group got together for our discussion of the book What Every Christian Ought to Know by Adrian Rogers. Here are a few highlights on chapter 6—Every Christian Ought to Know About Believers Baptism:

We began our get together looking at one of the quotes from the book that snagged my attention. Adrian Rogers says, “It’s not a Baptist doctrine. If Baptists have Baptist doctrine, they need to get rid of it” (112).

Rogers is a Baptist. So what is he saying here? Karina, one of our participants, was able to summarize it well—Roger’s believes it because he’s convinced it is biblical. That’s not to say that Baptists should think they’ve got it all together. But it does mean that we should only be Baptist if it is by conviction. That doesn’t mean we won’t (or don’t) err, but it does mean that the overriding principle of our faith and practice is that it must have biblical support, not merely support from our past practices and traditions.

That said, we dove into the doctrine of believers baptism by immersion. Fortunately, we didn’t have any disagreements about it. There were certainly some questions about children being baptized, but the necessity of faith was well understood.

Perhaps the most significant passages in the Bible that sheds light on both the meaning and the mode of baptism is Romans 6:4-7. It says,

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Baptism is a visual display of the gospel. Compare this passage with 1 Corinthians 15:3-4,

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures

*Romans 6*	*1 Corinthians 15*
…baptism into death… …united with him in a death like his… …our old self was crucified with him… …he who has died…	…Christ died for our sins…
…we were buried therefore with him…	…he was buried…
…just as Christ was raised… …we too might walk in newness of life… …united with him in a resurrection like his… …set free from sin…	…he was raised on the third day…

Immersion is the only “baptismal” practice that adequately portrays death, burial, and resurrection (the gospel). Every person who submits to believers baptism by immersion is proclaiming Christ and devotion to Him. The importance of the symbolism here should not be overlooked or minimized. But we ought not lose sight of the present reality either. It is the reality—death to sin and new life in Christ—that is the most important aspect to the believer.

To join us in our readings, get the book in English or Spanish and download the reader guide (in English or Spanish) to fill out for each chapter. I may have to cancel next week’s posting if my daughter is born soon. If not, stop by next week Saturday when we discuss chapter 7—Every Christian Ought to Know How to Discern the Will of God.

A Forgotten Reformer

2011-09-23T10:30:00.001-04:00

Luther. Calvin. Zwingli. These men and others dominate the discussion about the Reformation. And for good reason. Their work outlived them. They left an unmistakable legacy that the Pope couldn’t eradicate.

Yet there were others who don’t get as much press in the history books. Men and women from Italy, France, Spain, and other places that didn’t see as much fruit from their labors. But they left a legacy.

Cipriano de Valera, a Spaniard, was one Reformation voice of many to his people. Born just 15 years after Luther tacked his 95 theses to door the Wittenberg Cathedral, he stood on the shoulders of giants in his own day. He fled Spain as a young man and studied under Calvin. Shortly after Elizabeth I came to power he moved to England. It was there that he began editing and revising his late friend Casiodoro de Reina’s Spanish translation of the Bible. In 1602, at the age of 70, the first complete Reina-Valera Bibles began rolling off the press. Shortly thereafter, it is believed, he died, his magnum opus done.

Such a man should not be forgotten. Today on sbcIMPACT! I’ve published an article about the man, briefly translating the conclusion to one of his works. I pray that you read it, enjoy it, and learn something from the man known to his enemies as the Spanish Heretic.

Prayer Request: Taking a Stand for Christ

2011-09-22T10:30:00.001-04:00

I have a post coming out tomorrow on sbcIMPACT! about Cipriano de Valera and his treatise to believers who were suffering for their faith. Currently, in Colombia, at least one believer is suffering because she won’t submit to pagan practices. Please pray for V and other believers who really do suffer for their faithfulness to Christ.

AR OF COLOMBIA (ahr). V, an Ar believer from the area in which a group began to meet for weekly worship services in August, shared with missionaries that the indigenous leader had ordered a census to be taken. In order for someone to be considered a member of this indigenous community, they must: 1) Be baptized by an indigenous religious leader; 2) If they are married, the marriage must have been officiated according to indigenous religious rituals; 3) Every 15 days they will have to participate in community service according to the leadership of the local witchdoctor; and 4) Every 30 days they will have to present themselves before this witchdoctor for a ritualistic cleansing ceremony. V refused to be subjected to these requirements and was not included in the census. This decision will cause her to lose some of the privileges that the members of this community receive such as food for their children, community support, and possibly health coverage. Thank God for V's faithfulness and for the truth that He will supply all her needs according to His riches in glory. Pray that other Ar Christians will be bold and take a similar stand, and that God's blessing on these Christians will give Him glory before the other members of this people group.

Book Review: Night Night Blessings

2011-09-21T22:27:00.000-04:00

From Hannah:

5 STARS

Night Night Blessings by Amy Parker teaches children to thank God for people and everyday items from family members to bath bubbles. The author uses fun, vivid words such as "zipping" and "sprinkle" and the text rhymes. In our individualistic society, teaching children to thank God is especially important. Toddlers are notoriously selfish, and this book could help parents teach them to be grateful and to focus on others.

One of my favorite aspects of Amy Parker's books is the soft watercolor illustrations by Ramljak. This particular book brings out textures in the pictures like a fuzzy blanket or shaggy carpet, adding to the book's appeal as a bedtime story. Even the cover is slightly padded. The mother is blonde, but the rest of the family has dark hair and a generic color skin and features which allows children of various ethnic backgrounds to relate to the story. When my daughter is older, age 9 months to 3 years, I definitely want to read this book at night before she sleeps.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of their book review program, Booksneeze. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine.