The Good Tidings of Great Joy!

Merry Christmas and Joyous mirth to all!


Merry Christmas and joyous

Shepherd's Ministries

http://www.shepherdsministries.org/

A couple of years ago the choral group from Shepherd's Ministries sang at our church. We were blessed to have them spend the night on our farm. They touched our hearts and we have never been the same since.

End of the year is a time we think of those that are not with us or by God's grace need assistance. Shepherd's Ministries provide a safe secure home and independent living for adults with developmental disabilities.

If you have never heard of them, I caution you not to learn more about the program or get to know the people at Shepherd's. If you do you will be forever changed.

May God richly bless you all this Christmas. Mat 1:21

Are you prepared?

Mat 24: 32-36 Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Are you prepared for the days ahead? Matthew 24 tells as that no one but the Father knows when Christ may return. I pray you are prepared. I pray you repent and turn to Christ because only He can provide a way to heaven.

You may have noticed the National Debt Counter that was recently posted. For my fellow Americans we are in for some serious times ahead if our government is not able to stop the bleeding. For an individual American there is not much we can do to directly affect what our government does but you can spend some time to protect you and your family.

For that I highly recommend you check out http://www.survivalblog.com/. Jim Rawles, survival author and former Army Intelligence officer keeps a daily blog that recently celebrated their 30 millionith unique visitor with updated information on all issues survival.

The blog won't save you from every man's final end but it just may give you pause to think and prepare for you and your family.

Godspeed to all of us.

The U.S. National Debt

The Gross National Debt

Never forget

Have you seen Jesus lately? - - by Charles Spurgeon

"But they did not know who He was." Luke 24:16

The disciples ought to have recognized Jesus, they had heard His voice so often, and gazed upon that marred face so frequently, that it is amazing that they did not know Him. Yet is it not so with you also? Have you seen Jesus lately? You have been to His table--and you have not met Him there. You are in a dark trouble, and though He plainly says, "It is I--do not be afraid," yet you do not recognize Him. Alas! our eyes are blinded! We know His voice; we have looked into His face; we have leaned our head upon His bosom--and yet, though Christ is very near us, we are saying, "O that I knew where I might find Him!"

We should know Jesus, for we have the Scriptures to reflect His image. Yet how frequently we open that precious book--and have no glimpse of our Well-beloved! Dear child of God, are you in that state? Jesus walks through the glades of Scripture, and desires to commune with His people. Yet you are in the garden of Scripture--but cannot see Him, though He is always there!

Make it your prayer, "Lord, open my eyes--that I may see my Savior present with me!" It is a blessed thing to desire to see Him. But oh! it is better far to gaze upon Him! To those who seek Him--He is kind; but to those who find Him--He is precious beyond expression!

Truth War Conference Notes: Part One

I am starting a series on the blog that will be made up of notes that I took from the Truth War Conference that Dad and I attended last November. (You can read an overview of our trip here.) The group of posts will consist of five sets of notes that I took from each session of the conference. The series is going to start off with Phil Johnson's session titled: 
Can Truth Survive in a Postmodern Society?

_________________________________________________________________________________

Truth requires us to acknowledge God.

1. 2 Timothy 3:1-7
2. 2 Corinthians 10

Society believes Truth can't be known, so Truth does not matter.

Modernism began in 1850 and lasted until 1980. Modernism is opposed to anything supernatural. Postmodernism is the death of modernism and began in the 80's.


Progress of Western Thought:

1. Premodern

• Covers a span of 2500 years
• There is an objective ultimate truth.
• Supernatural; Reality is not just what is visible
• Authority is from God; Along with ultimate truth there is an ultimate authority.

2. Modern 

• Spans 250 years
• There is still an objective ultimate truth
• Anti-supernatural; Supernatural is irrelevant in the search for truth
• Authority is from science and human reason
• Thomas Payne helped bring forth modernity
• All socialist experiments have their roots in modernism

3. Postmodern

• Postmodernism began in 1980 and is still going today
• Objective ultimate truth is unknowable 
• Mystical supernatural; People go by feelings. Reality is a subjective perception of ones mind
• There is no ultimate truth. God is without authority.  

Christianity is not premodern, modern, or postmodern. 

Secular philosophy always gets worse. As a result, western thought is becoming more hostile to Christianity.


Postmodernism is hostile to any worldview that makes a claim to truth.

Postmodernism is also known by deconstructionism. Where instead of wanting to know truth, they only want to eliminate certainty. Postmoderns thinks that certainty is intolerance.


Christianity has always been opposed to the wisdom of the world.

He who has deserved a hanging by Thomas Brooks

"The Lord disciplines the one He loves, and
 punishes every son whom He receives."
     Hebrews 12:6

"Why should any living man complain--when
 punished for his sins?" Lamentations 3:39
 
He who has deserved a hanging--has no
reason to charge the judge with cruelty--if
he escapes with a whipping!
 
And we who have deserved a damning--have
no reason to charge God for being too severe
--if we escape with a fatherly lashing!
 
"God disciplines us for our good---that we
 may share in His holiness." Hebrews 12:10

Book Review: In Christ Alone by Sinclair B. Ferguson

A couple months back, Ligonier Ministries gave me the privilege of reviewing one of their Reformation Trust titles. In Christ Alone is a study of Christ and how to live a Gospel centered life.



About the Author: Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson is senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., and a visiting professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Ferguson is a native of Scotland and has earned three degrees, including a P.h.D., from the University of Aberdeen. He has authored many books such as: The Holy Spirit and Grow in Grace.


When I read in the preface that this book is made up of fifty articles that Dr. Ferguson wrote many years ago for Tabletalk and Eternity Magazine, I was disappointed. I thought this book was going to be an assortment of articles with no relevance to one another. But after reading through the book I realized that I was wrong. In Christ Alone isn't disjointed or haphazardly thrown together at all. The articles are tied together by a very touching story about a friend of Dr. Ferguson who passed away. That story is what inspired him to compile these articles together. The way in which the articles are arranged seems to flow very well.

The fifty chapters are divided into six major parts.

1. The Word Became Flesh (Chapters 1-6)
2. The Heart of the Matter (Chapters 7-14)
3. The Spirit of Christ (Chapters 15-22)
4. The Privileges of Grace (Chapters 23-32)
5. A Life of Wisdom (Chapters 33-41)
6. Faithful to the End (Chapters 42-50)
   

I had high expectations for this book since it came from Dr. Ferguson, and they were surpassed. Each chapter is filled with deep theological truths that are brought out and shared in an excited and passionate way. He starts out by giving a thorough background and then delving into the truths he is going to explain. In chapter five Dr. Ferguson's knowledge of the truth shines through as he explains how Christ is the Archegos or Author of our faith. He gave this example in the book to explain what the Greek word Archegos means:

"Think of a troop of commandos operating in a jungle war. They find their way blocked by a deep ravine. The situation is too urgent to find a way around. Their commanding officer manages to throw a rope across and anchor it. He then risks his life by crossing first, hand over hand. He permanently secures the rope. He creates a bridge. The way is now open for his men to cross over to the other side.

This is a pale and inadequate reflection of what the author of Hebrews means by calling Jesus the Archegos or 'author of our salvation."

Christ is similar to the commanding officer. In that He conquered death. Death could not hold Him for He lived the perfect sinless life that we could not.
Christ paved the way so that we could have everlasting life through Him and share of His inheritance.

Dr. Ferguson explains Christ's immutability as His unchanging love and holiness, His eternal grace towards us. Whether we go through a season of battling unbelief or enjoy a time of love and obedience to Christ, He will still love us and show His grace towards us no matter what we may do. For no sin is greater than Christ's sacrifice.

Dr. Ferguson also explains that Christ is our Great High Priest because He met all the requirements. He had to share in our weakness. He had to be consecrated to God's service. As well as carry the names and needs of God's people. Christ fulfilled all these requirements and offered the perfect sacrifice for His people.

Chapter thirty-seven "Eating Black Pudding" caught my attention. It sounded like a very odd title, but after reading the chapter it makes sense. In this chapter Dr. Ferguson cleverly incorporates his title into the truths he is conveying by using a story. During his ministry in Scotland, a man approached Dr. Ferguson asking him if it is okay for Christians to eat black pudding. The reason for the man's question is because black pudding contains blood. Old Testament law commands that no one should eat blood. But Paul says that we can eat whatever is sold in the meat market.(1 Cor. 10:25) Dr. Ferguson explains that this is an issue of Christian liberty and then gives the following guidelines for how to exercise our liberties as a Christian:

1. Christian liberty must never be flaunted.
2. Christian liberty does not mean that you welcome fellow Christians only after you have sorted out their views on X and Y.
3. Christian liberty ought never be used in such a way that you become a stumbling block to other Christians.
4. We ought not please ourselves, for even Christ did not please Himself.
   

One thing that In Christ Alone has helped me to understand is that we are closely tied to Christ. In chapter twenty-three (Titled Our Union with Christ) Dr. Ferguson discusses this subject. The following quote helped me to grasp our union with Christ.

"In a nutshell, abiding with Christ means allowing His Word to fill our minds, direct our wills, and transform our affections."

Abiding in Christ means more to me now when I understand that our union with Him is as intimate as Christ's union with The Father or as close as a vine and its branches.

In Christ Alone is an excellent resource that has helped me to understand God's love more deeply. As well as "the Holy Spirit guides, teaches, counsels, and brings orphans into the home and heart of God".


You can buy In Christ Alone HERE.

John Piper's Christian Hedonism

Hedonism is the devotion to pleasure as a way of life. For a hedonist pleasure is the highest good and your goal in life is to seek happiness. I find it strange then that John Piper encourages people to be Christian Hedonists. The two terms seem kind of opposite to me, because Christians follow Christ, and hedonists follow pleasure. But John Piper says a Christian Hedonist is one who believes that their chief end is to "glorify God by enjoying Him forever". This is not a new concept that he just came out with. But a 20 year old idea that John Piper has been using since (or before) he began his ministry Desiring God.

I want to say before I begin that I like John Piper and his preaching. I believe that he is right on alot of issues. My purpose for writing this is not to bash or speak badly about him. My intent is to bring to light things that I find strange or peculiar in Piper's theology. The article that I'll be referring to is found here.

I'll start out with this quote:

"Christian Hedonism says more, namely, that we should pursue happiness, and pursue it with all our might. The desire to be happy is a proper motive for every good deed, and if you abandon the pursuit of your own joy you cannot love man or please God - that's what makes Christian Hedonism controversial."

What makes no sense to me is how we are called to take up our cross and follow Christ, as well as deny ourselves (Matt. 16:24) and do both only in the goal of seeking joy for ourselves. How is God glorified if we seek our own happiness through doing good deeds only for the rewards? Are we not supposed to obey God because He commanded us to do so? It seems to me that good deeds should flow out of a love and thankfulness to God because of Christ's sacrifice. (Titus 2:14) The promise of rewards should just be a bonus and not the goal.


"Sunday at 11 a.m., Hebrew 11:6 enters combat with Immanuel Kant. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." You cannot please God if you do not come to him as rewarder. Therefore, worship which pleases God is the hedonistic pursuit of God in whose presence is fullness of joy and in who hand are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16:11)."

I am very confused by this quote. Mainly in that John Piper says that we cannot please God unless we come to Him as a rewarder. A rewarder is to give a reward. I had to look that definition up to make sure that I understood this right. Even after looking it up I still don't understand what Piper means by it. What do we have to reward God with? I suppose we can offer Him praise or devote our lives to Him. But how is that a reward?

The main issue I have with Christian Hedonism is that it takes joy and puts it at the forefront of sanctification. Joy is not the only fruit of the Spirit. There is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, thankfulness, goodness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:22) As you can see, joy is not the only fruit that the Holy Spirit grows in us. If joy is given by God, then why should we seek joy over God? It is like putting the cart before the horse! I know that Piper says that we glorify God by enjoying Him forever. But when you read what his article says about Christian Hedonism, it is as though John Piper encourages you to only seek the joy that God provides.

That is the majority of what I find strange with John Piper's Christian Hedonism. If you are interested in this subject, you can also check out this article written by Dr. Peter Masters concerning Christian Hedonism. Dr. Masters is the pastor at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London.(For those of you who don't know, the Metropolitan Tabernacle is the church at which C.H. Spurgeon was the pastor.) Dr. Masters article is what got me thinking about this subject. This is an interesting quote from his article:

"When delight is everything, doctrine suffers a setback. When subjective emotions are unduly elevated, the proving and testing of all things become impossible. On charismatic matters, and on modern worship matters also, Dr. Piper is - to put it gently - an unsafe shepherd, and the fault lies not in his Bible, nor in his capacities, but in his system. As the better aspects of his ministry earn respect from his readers, so the poor guidance on potentially disastrous issues will mislead them."

I agree with him that Piper's emotion driven concept is dangerous. I believe that Dr. Masters' has a lot of good points in his article. But I would not go as far as saying that John Piper is an unsafe shepherd. I suggest that when we use any of John Piper's resources that we eat the meat and leave the bones.

All The Links of The Golden Chain of Salvaton by Thomas Brooks

"It is by grace you have been saved!" Ephesians 2:5

All the links of the golden chain of salvation are
made up of free grace! The people of God are . . .
  freely loved, Deuteronomy 7:6-8;
  freely chosen, John 15:16-19, Ephesians 1:4;
  freely accepted, Ephesians 1:6;
  freely adopted, Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 4:5-6;
  freely reconciled, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20;
  freely justified, Romans 3:24;
  freely saved, Ephesians 2:5, 8.

Free grace is the foundation of all spiritual and eternal
mercies. Free grace is the solid bottom and foundation
of all a Christian's comfort in this world. Were we to
measure the love of God to us by . . .
  our fruitfulness,
  our holiness,
  our humbleness,
  our spiritualness,
  our heavenly-mindedness, or
  our gracious behavior towards Him
--how would our hope and our confidence be
every moment staggered--if not vanquished!

But all is of grace--of free grace! O sirs! it is free grace . . .
  which will strengthen you in all your duties,
  which will sweeten all your mercies,
  which will support you under all your changes,
  which will arm you against all temptations!

"For it is by grace you have been saved!" Ephesians 2:8

Merry Christmas!

While visiting with family and opening presents tomorrow, do not lose sight of what we are celebrating. Christmas is not just about presents or getting together with family.If it were, then we might as well just call it xmas. But Christmas is not about those two things. Christmas is all about the birth of our Savior!

Christ didn't come just to be an example for how to live rightly. Even though Christ did lead a life that we should strive to follow. He came for a far more important reason. That reason is found in this passage in Isaiah.

Isaiah 53

"1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors."

That is why Christ came to earth. He came to be a substitute for us. He died so that we might have everlasting life.

1 Corinthians 5:21

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"

Tomorrow do not forget what we are celebrating and why.


Have a Merry Christmas!

"We shall see Him but in heaven"

Merry Christmas!

Once in Royal David's City



Hark the Herald Angels Sing



O Holy Night



O Little Town of Bethlehem

Genuine heart-driven Evangelism

The Great Commission commands believers to spread the gospel to all the nations. Believers have a duty to tell others the good news of the gospel. God has saved you and given you the responsibility to represent Him by participating in the Great Commission. The Word tells us the gospel is offensive yet we are commanded not to be offensive.

Over the years I have seen and pondered many approaches to evangelism especially how to tell someone the gospel without being offensive, or coming across as a "bible thumper". Approaches that are done by appealing to someone's conscious or intellect come across as shallow and most people see through them. People know when you are being real, people know when you are genuine and are concerned with them as a person. They can see through techniques and processes and find anything less than a straight forward approach to be insulting.

Listen to Penn Jillette of the famous Penn and Teller team tell you in his own words.





What can we learn from this:

People are smart and can tell when your are genuine.

Be believable, this Gideon was believable enough that Penn believed the man was credible in faith and practice.

Find a way to connect with the person you are talking to and be sincere about it. The Gideon complimented Penn on his show, use of language, honesty and stuff.

Tell them your purpose straight up. Don't spend time trying to develop a friendship or hey have you ever taken a test to see what kind of person you are.

Tell them who you are and that you are saved.

Look them in the eye.

Be yourself.

Be real.

Be honest.

Be kind.

Be sane.

Don't be defensive.

Treat them with respect by being straight forward and upfront.

Give them a sound gospel tract to read.

Provide them a next step to get together and discuss, you know, a phone number, an email, or a cell phone number.

By the way, say a prayer for Penn Jillette.

Go tell someone how much you love them by telling them the gospel.

Christmas Book Giveaway

I was going through my normal routine of blogs I read, when I saw on Challies.com that someone was giving away 10 books and an ESV Study Bible.
The link took me to TrevinWax.com where the site owner is giving away his top ten favorite books from this past year. I wanted to let you all know that you can sign up for a chance to win these books:

1. THE REASON FOR GOD by Tim Keller
2. CULTURE MAKING by Andy Crouch
3. SURPRISED BY HOPE by N.T. Wright
4. WHY WE’RE NOT EMERGENT by Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck
5. HOW PEOPLE CHANGE by Timothy Lane & Paul David Tripp
6. THE BIG PICTURE STORY BIBLE by David Helm & Gail Schoonmaker
7. JESUS MADE IN AMERICA by Stephen Nichols
8 RESIDENT ALIENS by Stanley Hauerwas & Will Willimon
9. WORSHIP MATTERS by Bob Kauflin
10. The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries by Jeffrey Greenman, Timothy Larsen, and Stephen Spencer

11. ESV Study Bible

The contest started December 15th and goes through the 25th. You can sign up for the contest here.

Don't Forget To Celebrate...

 TOSSMAS!!!

My Favorite Christmas Hymn

Just a brief history of this hymn:
The words to this hymn were penned by Johann Rist during the middle part of the 1600s. Around the same time that the words were written, Johann Schop composed the music. In 1734, J.S. Bach included it in his Christmas Oratorio and added the harmonization to it.In 1885 a man named John Troutbeck translated this hymn from German into English.

I searched all over youtube for a good recording of this hymn. But I could not find one that did justice to it. So instead, I'm posting the music with the words beneath it. Enjoy!


Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light

1.Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light,
And usher in the morning;

Ye shepherds shrink not with afright,

But hear the angels warning.

This Child now weak in infancy,

Our confidence and joy shall be.

The power of Satan breaking,

Our peace eternal making

2.Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light,

To herald our salvation;

He stoops to earth the God of might,

Our hope and expectation.

He comes in human flesh to dwell,

Our God with us, Immanuel,

The night of darkness ending,

Our fallen race befriending

Beglückt darf nun

Every time you pull up "The reformed thoughts of Doug", if your speakers are on, you are greeted by the music of Richard Wagner's Pilgrim's Chorus "Beglückt darf nun" from Tannhäuser . The music and the text were both written by Wagner.

The story centers on the struggle between sacred and profane love and redemption through love. It is not descriptive of Godly love or based on biblical text; Richard Wagner, a brilliant composer and librettist, was not a believing man yet he had enough depth of understanding of salvation to fairly accuretly pen a true meaning in the text of the Pilgrim's Chorus.

In Act III the scene takes place in the valley of the Wartburg castle. An autumn scene. Orchestral music describes the pilgrimage of Tannhäuser. Elizabeth, accompanied by Wolfram, falls on her knees in prayer. She asks the returning pilgrims for news of Tannhäuser, and the pilgrims answer her with the following text:

Once more with joy O my home I may meet
Once more ye fair, flowr'y meadows I greet
My Pilgrim's staff henceforth may rest
Since Heaven's sweet peace is within my breast.

The sinner's cry on high was heard
On high was heard and answered by the Lord
The tears I laid before His shrine
Are turned to hope and joy divine.

O Lord eternal praise be Thine!

The blessed source of Thy mercy overflowing
On souls repentant seek Ye, all-knowing
Of hell and death, I have no fear
O my Lord is ever near

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Forevermore

Wagner actually got it right. He understood that we are all sinners and are seeking the grace that only comes from forgiveness of our sins towards God. We have to repent in faith and ask for forgiveness. Even that will not save you, Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

May all pilgrim's rest in the divine source of overflowing mercy, and all those still caught in their sin, cry unto the Lord of hosts for forgiveness and seek repentance towards God and may God truly save you unto His eternal peace.

A Christian's Way and Words by Theodore Cuyler

Lately, I have noticed a fair amount of people coming to my blog in search of either information or quotes from Theodore Cuyler. As the title implies I will be posting another quote from him. But I'm also going to post some information on him.

"Theodore Cuyler graduated from Princeton Seminary in 1846, and after entering his first pastorate in Burlingham, New Jersey witnessed a remarkable revival. In 1853 Mr. Cuyler moved to New York City into the Market Street Dutch Reformed Church, where he was instrumental in another revival. Eventually, in 1860, Cuyler went to Brooklyn where he pastored and built what was then the largest Presbyterian Church in America. Mr. Cuyler was also well acquainted with many successful preachers, such as Horatius Bonar, C. H. Spurgeon, D. L. Moody and Charles G. Finney."
 (Information borrowed from http://www.evanwiggs.com/revival/prepare/pastor.html)

That is all that I know about Theodore Cuyler. If anyone has more information on him, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd share it with me. Or if anyone has a picture of him, I'd be grateful if you can send that to me as well.

________________________________________________________________
"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers

 and pilgrims--to abstain from fleshly lusts,
 which war against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11

Here on earth, I am but a pilgrim--a transient
lodger, for this world is not my rest. I am seeking
for and pressing towards, the magnificent city with
eternal foundations--a city designed and built by
Almighty God!

"Do not be conformed to this world; but
 be transformed by the renewing of your
 mind." Romans 12:2

The world around us has its unwritten code of
morals and of manners. It sets up its standards
and fixes its fashions to suit itself. But they are
no rule for the Christian. Jesus has "chosen us
out of the world," and given His own life to be
our standard and our pattern. "If you love Me,"
said our loving Redeemer, "keep My
commandments."

The first question of a Christian should be,
"What does my Master command? Would He
approve my style of living, my amusements,
my temper, my whole daily conduct? If so,
that is enough! I am not to copy the behavior
of this world--when sinful customs make their
claims, or worldly seductions offer their bribes.
I am Christ's servant!"

As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so much higher should a Christian's ways
and words and whole conduct--be above
the ways of the world!

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test
 me and know my thoughts. Point out anything
 in me that offends You, and lead me along the
 path of everlasting life." Psalm 139:23-24

Truth War Overview

The conference was held at Springs of Life Bible Church. Everyone at the church was very kind and welcoming. If you were wondering where The Infamous Turkey Pineapple came from, the mystery is now solved! It came from The Truth War Conference. They had a turkey pineapple set up at each table. And I most certainly cannot forget to mention that they provided meals for each attender of the conference. It was the best food I have ever had at a conference! 

Phil Johnson started off the conference. He was then followed by James White. And Andy Davis went third.
Phil Johnson's three sessions were:

• Can Truth Survive in a Postmodern Society?
• Truth and The Emerging Church
• Constrained into Conflict: Why We Must Fight For the Faith

James White's three sessions were:

• The Devastating Consequences of Contemporary Preaching
• The Cross and Islam
• Can We Trust the New Testament Documents?

I was not able to get Andy Davis' picture. (He was very busy.) And I failed once again, because I did not get to here the last session that he did. (Dad and I had to leave right after James White's last session in order to make it home before 10PM.) But here are Andy Davis' first two sessions:

• The Infinite Journey of Christian Growth
• The Old Perspective on Paul: The Doctrine of Imputation  

The Truth War Conference was a very humbling experience for me. Never before in my life have I been around so many men who knew so much about theology. I would occasionally eavesdrop on a conversation between pastors and had no idea what they were talking about! All the men there were very brilliant. They could all read Greek as if they were reading English! In one of James White's sessions, he put up a passage of Scripture in Greek and just started translating it into English!! I was amazed.


Even though it was very humbling and discouraging. At the same time I realized that these men had been trained and dedicated their lives to something they believed in. I realized that the level of knowledge and spiritual maturity that they had attained is actually possible for anyone who puts forth the effort. So in another sense it was also an encouraging experience as well.


Andy Davis' second session was my favorite session at the conference. His second session was about the doctrine of imputation. It also dealt with how the New Perspective on Paul movement essentially says that Paul didn't mean what he clearly says in Scripture. They also say that faith is a badge of our righteousness. The whole session was very good, but just the thought of these three things had to be my favorite part of his session:

1. The imputation of Adam's sin on us.
2. The imputation of our sins onto the Savior.
3. The imputation of Christ's righteousness into our account.

Like I said in the title, this is just an overview of the conference. I'm wanting to put together my notes and my Dad's notes and post them onto the blog. I would probably do a post for each session so that its not some uber post.But, I still have other things I'm working on. So that might not be for a while. Just to round off the post, I'm going to add some photos from our trip down to North Carolina. ENJOY!