AUDIO: You Still Hold Them (Ex. 9:1-7)

You all do this...remember.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians a warning concerning what we call “Communion” that stands as a call to examine ourselves before we take the cup and bread.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:27)

Rather than argue about how long the grape juice should sit in the vat before it is used, Mike Hyatt asks some great questions for us to reflect upon as we heed that warning in a post entitled, “Questions to ask as you prepare for the Lord’s Supper.”  Copy those five questions on a page and put it in your Bible.

How often do you ask yourself prior to drinking the cup, “Since I have last participated in the Lord’s Supper, how has the Lord worked in my life to make me more like Jesus? Am I gaining ground or sliding backwards?” Or, “Do I love others more? Am I more eager to serve and help others in the body of Christ?” This is focusing on the Me in “remembrance of Me” rather than the this of “Do this.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) That’s where we need to be.


I am pretty pitiful at instituting goals for the discipling of my children. I think this is an area fathers can take the lead on Saturday nights with their families prior to Communion on Sunday. Ask these questions of each member and then pray for each other. What a great way to teach our children to discern between what is common and holy and that what makes it so is Christ, not the type of elements used.

A word from the Nathans on the Conservative Resurgence and Calvinism in the SBC

Finn: Calvinism, Cooperation, and the Southern Baptist Convention

Akin: The Conservative Resurgence, Calvinism, and Plurality of Elders

AUDIO: Sylvania C&C Sunday - "Between My People and Your People" (Ex. 8:20-32)

After 1,232 days of imprisonment, released: Yang Xuan

Yang Xuan was released in April according to Voice of the Martyrs. Continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in China.

From the Twitterverse...

Paul David Tripp (@PaulTripp): You don't rest in the stability of your character, but in the unchanging holiness of the character of your Lord.

Classical Arminianism: Imputed Sin and Total Inability

Interesting article this morning on the Founders Ministries blog. Tom Hicks highlights a book by a Free Will Baptist on the agreements between Classical Arminianism and Calvinism. Specifically, there is overwhelming agreement on the issues that the sin of Adam was imputed to all mankind, condemning all mankind, and that the human race in total is totally unable to please God and cannot come to God without the drawing power of the Holy Spirit. (John 6:44; Romans 8:7-8; Ephesians 2:1-3)

Both Calvinism and Classical Arminianism start from an Augustinian framework and reject as heresy Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism.

According to classical Arminian theologian, Roger E. Olson, “In 431 A.D. Pelagianism was condemned in Ephesus by the third ecumenical council of Christianity because it affirmed natural and moral human ability to do God’s will apart from the special operation of divine grace. Arminius rejected this teaching, and so do all of his followers. Semi-Pelagianism was condemned by the Second Council of Orange in A.D. 529 because it affirmed human ability to exercise a good will toward God apart from special assistance of divine grace; it places the initiative on the human side, but Scripture places it on the divine side. Arminius also rejected semi-Pelagianism, as have all of his faithful followers. Arminians consider both Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism heresies.” Roger E. Olson, Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2006), 81

Of particular interest to me is where this leaves the so-called “Traditional/non-Calvinist” Southern Baptist.  Note Article Two of “A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist’s Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation” which says in relevant part:

We deny that Adam’s sin resulted in the incapacitation of any person’s free will or rendered any person guilty before he has personally sinned. While no sinner is remotely capable of achieving salvation through his own effort, we deny that any sinner is saved apart from a free response to the Holy Spirit’s drawing through the Gospel.

Perhaps I’m a little dense, but I’m not sure how those two sentences fit together logically. How can “free will” that is as free after the Fall as it ever was before the Fall leave no person “remotely capable of achieving salvation through his own effort”? If a will is free from all incapacity to do good and is neutral in its affections, why couldn’t a person’s free will choose to perfectly live a righteous life and achieve salvation through his own effort? If I flip a neutral coin, why wouldn’t it be remotely possible for the coin to show up heads again and again?

Mysteries abound in the reasoning of the “Traditional” Southern Baptist...

Light? Gosnell guilty

Kermit Gosnell Found Guilty on Three First-Degree Murder Charges

Look again: Mithras isn't a match

Those Pre-Christian Deities Aren’t Much Like Jesus After All

AUDIO: Sylvania C&C Sunday - "A heart fully set" (Ex. 8:1-19)

Well, I’ve pegged the time allowed on SoundCloud, so there are only two deep showing. I am trying to figure a cheap free way to put these online and am open to suggestions. Even so, here is our discussion from yesterday. I hope it is helpful.
 

In which Dan Phillips argues against the National Day of Prayer...and I think I agree with him

Dan updates a previous post from 2009 entitled: National Day of Prayer: in which I disagree with Shirley Dobson and everyone. Here are a few excerpts.

If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination (Proverbs 28:9) “Abomination,” it says. Something that — so far from pleasing God and bringing His blessing — repels, disgusts and offends God.

[On the call to “Acknowledge God”] When God says “God,” He certainly never means “However you define that word.” He always means “However I define that word.”

For us as a nation to pray, lifting up our bloody hands and asking God to pile yet more material blessings and protections on our openly defiant heads, is an atrocious insult to God.

I think Dan is right, and it bothers me because generally I look at these kinds of events as a reconfirming of our nation as being founded on Christian ideas. However, if we are given the ministry of reconciliation, and we are, then why would we encourage unbelievers to engage in duplicity that actually condemns them more?

What you believe about the end matters...

It has been rightly said that we are all theologians. We either do it well or we don’t.

Several months ago, some of the other Elders at Sylvania wanted us to present a series of talks on Eschatology, or what the Bible teaches about The End, and try to address why it matters. This is an issue to which I have not attended thoroughly, but I have formed some opinions.

I was a little hesitant to say the least. However, as these things generally follow, I thought it was a good series and certainly drove me to my Bible to study it more thoroughly.

Here are the topics covered with links to them in Sermon Audio. The last session was a round table discussion in which each of the Elders of Sylvania fielded questions submitted by members. It was a great set of questions.  I safely moderated...

1. Eschatology Part 1 (An Overview) - Phillip Dancy
2. Millennial Viewpoints of the Second Coming, Tribulation and Rapture - Dave Rowlett
3. Eschatology, An Overview of Perspectives on Israel - Kevin Rhyne
4. The 1,000 Year Reign of Christ - Len Teague
5. Worldview and the Clarity of Scripture - Kevin Rhyne
6. Eschatology & Politics - Phillip Dancy
7. Eschatology & Missions - Dave Rowlett
8. Eschatology - Round Table Discussion - Phillip Dancy, Paul McClung, Len Teague and Dave Rowlett

Tom Nettles explores why Adam sinned in the first place

The Positive Purity of the Original State of Man

Surprised?

Study: CNN Covered Collins Nine Times More in 24 Hours Than It Did Gosnell In One Week

Some are just more equal than others, I suppose...

AUDIO: Sylvania C&C Sunday - "Life to life, death to death" (Ex. 7:14-25)