Contemporary Preaching

I was visiting with a friend today and he mentioned a well known preacher. This preacher is typically topical, not verse-by-verse. I told my friend I don't prefer him but that he wasn't "bad" (like Osteen's preaching).

My friend said, "He's just meeting them where they're at."

Out of reflex I replied, "No, he's keeping them where they're at."

A church whose pastor normally teaches topically, not expositionally, will never mature past their pastor. He will only ever teach out of what he already knows. Teaching verse by verse stretches the pastor and makes a congregation face questions they never would have otherwise. Not only that, the pastor will tend to avoid uncomfortable or unfamiliar topics presented by God in His word. He will likely return to his hobby-horse subjects or simply people please.

Consider this as you teach and as you select a church.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving!

I realize it's a week early, but Carrie's Mom is coming and we don't want to forget to post a little Thanksgiving cheer.

When we found out my Mom was coming to visit, we started our Thanksgiving turkey. Each day, a different family member wrote something they were thankful for and added it to our turkey. Now we've got a beautiful plume that displays God's goodness to our family.



It has been a crazy, crazy year. Adoption, moving, new schools, new callings. But God has remained consistent throughout the whole thing. He never changes and is always good.




Here's our sponge painting rendition of fall. Hope you all have a Thanksgiving filled with remembrances of what the Lord has done!

"Osteen Said What?"

Don't watch if you just ate. You might lose your lunch.

My little Scabies Poem

Scabies oh, scabies from where did you come?
We're itching all over, toes to our thumbs.

They are small and pesky, those tiny white mites
With no discretion, our bodies they bite.

The doctors so 'nah, it just looks rashy'
For THAT diagnosis I paid you my cashy?

Oh doctors, oh doctors, you misdiagnosed,
Apparently, you didn't look very close.

The couch has been vaccuumed,
The bathroom's been scrubed
Three days of smearing medicine
Then we're jumpin in the tub.

The sheets are all washed,
The floors have been swept.
Bleach is abounding
And Mommy has wept.

It's been a long week, scabies my friends
But your stay at my house must come to an end.

You see, this week, my husband's been gone
Babies are sick and I've been up til dawn.

So I'm afraid you'll have to take your bags and get packing.
I'm tired of your games and your late night attacking.

I'm tired of your presense, your marks, and your stay
It's zai jian, man zou, good bye and good day!

Why All Christians Are Calvinists (and don't know it)--Last Part

Eternal Security

If you believe in eternal security (which the majority of evangelicals do), then you will need to believe in election. Why? Because if you still have “free will” in the absolute, self-determinative sense, then you could also “change your mind” after you get saved.

[Keep in mind my previous posts---by free will, we’re not merely talking about the ability to choose to do what you want. Everyone agrees with that. That’s not questioned. However, people who use Free Will to resist individual election necessarily/logically mean “libertarian freedom”—which means they can equally choose their WANTS, not just their actions. I think the Bible and logic contradicts this]

If you believe in free will and eternal security, then you are saying that a person could get saved, change their mind, hate God, reject Jesus, and still live forever in heaven with him. OTHERWISE, the believer in free-will has to say that after conversion, God takes away from will such that you can’t change your mind and hate Him. If you believe in free-will (the way most people talk about it), then you can’t say, “True faith won’t change your mind” Why? Because a free will by definition would always be able to choose all options.

Again, one more generally accepted doctrine leads us to accept individual election.

My new found love for history

I have found a new love for history as I have been teaching my children. We are actually studying history chronologically, starting with creation. We're talking way back. But as things come up ie., Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's Day, an interesting story, a question, or a curiousity, we just dig right into that portion of history. Well, I will tell you that the freeing of African American slaves in American history has captured my heart like I've never experienced in any other study of history.

I'm writing this blog not to recount the amazing men and women involved in the LONG process of getting slavery abolished, but to implore you to research it yourselves. There are some amazing people involved in this journey. A few of our favorites:


William Wilberforce. (I linked his name to 'desiringgod.org' because they have a ton of sermons and resources to look at on his life.) We have tried and tried to figure out how to get the name 'Wilberforce' into one of our kids names because we so deeply admire and want to emmulate the life of William Wilberforce. But unless our child is destined to become an NFL linebacker, 'Wilberforce Vaughn' might be a little intense.

Wilberforce was also an amazing man of God. The illnesses that he struggled with and yet the way he continue to push people to realize the injustices of slavery. If you haven't seen the movie "Amazing Grace", you need to see it. It will give you a glimpse at his life and his struggles. Brad and I have seen it more than a few times.






Malachi and I just got finished studying the underground railroad, where people like Harriet Tubman helped free tons of slaves. The 'underground railroad' link above will send you to this amazing sight where you can travel as a slave would have as he/she was escaping to Canada. It's narrated, with picture slideshows, pop up info., historical tidbits and more.



Living not long after the abolition of slavery (he was actually born, right at the tailend of slavery, some speculate), came George Washington Carver. This man will cook your noodle. The gifts that God gave him in the area of ingenuity and imagination are incredible. Over a hundred inventions using the peanut. He taught the poverty striken South how to more effectively grow crops and make use of their 'trash' to pull themselves out of poverty. Many attibute him with 'saving' the Civil War torn South. While his fame grew, he remained receiving the same income. He wanted to live simply and continue to serve the poor, desperate farmers of the South. When we read a short biography on him, we were blown away. So find a library, today, and find a book on George Washington Carver. Sit down with your kids and thank God for men like him.

Reminding myself of my depravity

One of the things that I try and constantly remind myself is that I am a depraved, sinful woman, desperately in need of the Cross. Am I redeemed? Yes, and for that I give much victory to Jesus. Because before Christ, I was "dead in the trespasses of sins." (Eph. 2:1)

Not able to 'pick myself up by my boot straps;' not able to do lots of good things. I was dead.

After you walk with Christ for awhile, you forget that you were once dead. You begin to feel like you have a grasp on this thing called 'Christianity'. Honestly, there are days that I take much credit for good responses to my children, a good time of Bible study in the morning, getting to minister to my neighbors, etc. I think, 'wow, I did a great job today.' It's easy to just say "oh, I have a prideful heart." But as I've been meditating on this, if we don't see ourselves as depraved and desperate, apart from the cross, there are several things that can happen (this list is not exhaustive for sure).

1. You will not want to forgive. "If you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions" Mt. 6:15

"What gives so much force to the impulse of anger in such cases is the overwhelming sense that the offender does not deserve forgiveness." -"Faith in Future Grace"

As if whatever that person has done or said is more heinous that any of the sins I have committed in my head. And besides the fact that a lot of the time that I feel someone is beyond my forgiveness, it is directed towards non-believers who are still "enemies of God."

2. I will gossip and put down those around me. Why? Because I only see the righteous in myself and the unrighteous in others. If I am reminded of the failings in my own heart, I will be slow to judgement and quick to distribute grace to those around me.

3. I will continue in my anger and impatience. When I see Christians floundering in their faith. When I see these students that I worked with in youth ministry now living lives of complete abandonment. When I hear of women getting assaulted and beaten inside theirs homes. And even things as trivial as getting cut in front of in line...again! It is in these times that I grow even more angry and impatient. Is some of this righteous anger? Probably. But some of it is also anger that wants revenge. I feel the need to 'go New England' on people. (that is my affectionate term for wanting to beat the snot out of someone instead of letting the Holy Spirit settle things). I need to remember that there have been times where I have looked away from the Lord. I've allowed doubt to guide my path.

4. I will forget to long for heaven. If I feel like my life is plugging onlong quite nicely here on earth, I will forget that my real home is in heaven. I will invest my time in trivial things. I will be too concerned with my reputation. I will put my time and energies into things that will perish. If I remind myself of my depravity, I remind my self of the cross. And in the cross is hope . Hope that will be fulfilled when I get to see Jesus eye to eye.


I think there are a million others. But I'll leave it at that for now.

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."

Why All Christians Are Calvinists (and don't know it)--Part 9

Miracles

Do you believe in Jesus’ miracles? Jesus’ raising people from the dead? Healing the sick? Giving sight to the blind? Here’s my point? Do you think these physical miracles are greater than the miracles of spiritual conversion? Honestly ask that question. Which are you most amazed at?

Our amazement will be in proportion to the difficulty of the challenge overcome. Obviously raising the dead is a more amazing miracle than passing some math test.

Matthew 19:25-26 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Do you think God’s changing your heart is far “more” impossible than healing blind and crippled people? OR, do you think that “free will” makes us ultimately able to control our salvation [i.e. He gives the means, but we have to actually make it happen]. The physical equivalent to “free will” relevant to resurrection and healing would be something like this: Actually, a nerve was out of place in the person’s head and Jesus simply slapped it into place; OR, Lazarus was not actually dead, so he ultimately was able to obey Jesus’ command to come forth. Or, the man crippled his whole life was not actually crippled,…he simply had never tried his whole like to walk. Really? In that case, it was not a miracle at all.

In fact, if we believe in free will, we are logically claiming that those physical miracles are great that God’s changing of our heart. But in fact, freewill says ultimately we change our own hearts. Therefore, the person who believes free-will thinks blind eyes and lame legs are bigger challenges that the sinful heart. After all, according to some, we have free-will. In that logic, Jesus’ simply suggests and urges, not commands in an effectual way.

By “effectual”, I mean commanding so as to MAKE IT HAPPEN, like when he raised Lazarus from the dead or made the demons leave people (apparently denying demons’ freewill). So, God, when he saves us, gives us efficacious grace!! Praise God.

If you believe in miracles, weshould inevitably accept God’s sovereignty in election.

Why All Christians Are Calvinists (and don't kow it)--Part 8

Prophetic Events

All prophetic fulfillment requires God’s have ultimate sovereignty and control over human hearts. If an Arminian says God can promise to do something in the future (and not merely foretell it like a fortune teller), then God has to be able to overcome “free will”.

Why? All human events, whether wars, births, marriages, migrations, etc…. involve humans choices. If God wanted Israel to defeat another nation, or if he assures that he will save all nations, or says he will send the Messiah, all these things require simple human decisions like, a king deciding to fight and use such-and-such a strategy, various men and women having sex so as to make sure a descendant of David is born (Jesus), and that people actually go to all nations to share the good news. These are promises of God.

If God is not ultimately decisive over human decisions, God cannot actually DO these things, thus can’t promise them. He can only predict them. This is not the sort of God we see in Scripture. That kind of thinking inches closer and closer to deism, if it is not indeed deism. All Christians believe God gives promises, not merely predictions

If you believe in prophecy, you must inevitably accept God’s sovereignty over individual wills, which thus leads us to accept the doctrine of individual election.

Reformation Day-Charles Spurgeon

I am going to interject in the "Why all Christian's are Calvinists (and don't know it)" series to talk a little about Charles Spurgeon. We celebrated Reformation Day last week and had a great time celebrating this man's life and contribution to Christian history.

"The greatest enemy to human souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation. "

-Charles Spurgeon

We've already written a little bit about Spurgeon in the previous posts, but I wanted to give a very brief bio. on him here. My two oldest kids each did a report on Spurgeon on the week preceeding Reformation Day.

He became a believer at the age of 15, when he was walking to a scheduled appointment a huge snow storm hit. He ducked into a Methodist Chapel, where he says "God opened his heart to the salvation message." The text that moved him was Isaiah 45:22 - "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else."

Shortly after marrying his wife, Susannah and he gave birth to their twin sons, Charles and Thomas. Both he and his wife struggled with illness. She often missed hearing him preach because she was sick and in bed. Charles Spurgeon also suffered from depression. One day, while preaching, somebody yelled "FIRE!" and in the stampede, several people were killed. This was a heavy burden for him. But he went on to pastor churches and preach the truth. And until the day of his death, he was faithful to Christ.

After my kids did their research, they gave us a brief presentation on what they learned.

Then we played "pin the glasses on Charles Spurgeon". Ya know, just like the Puritans used to play.





Then we sat down for a traditional British meal with stew, honey butter rolls and an apple pie.



There is so much on Spurgeon that we didn't include here. Our family is spending the next year getting to know Spurgeon's life, ministry and death.

"I take it that the highest proof of Christ’s power is not that he offers salvation, not that he bids you take it if you will, but that when you reject it, when you hate it, when you despise it, he has a power whereby he can change your mind, make you think differently from your former thoughts, and turn you from the error of your ways. "

-C.S.

Why All Christians Are Calvinists (and don't know it)--Part 7

The Law

All Arminians affirm that NO ONE can not sin. No one is able to be perfect. However, Arminians also say that human inability would imply that we are not responsible

[Normally, they apply this to election and total depravity, saying, people can’t be held responsible is they don’t have the “ability” to independently (of God’s irresistible grace) choose him.]

However, God does command us to obey Him. Furthermore, Galatians and Romans makes clear that NO ONE can be justified by the law. No one is perfect. This certainly implies some sort of inability since NO ONE is able. This is a moral INability.

[One major reason why people make up the philosophical notion of Free Will is because they assume, contra Scripture, that inability alleviates responsibility]

Therefore, Arminians affirm the same principle that undergirds Calvinism: INABILITY does NOT take away responsibility. In fact, our moral inability actually makes us blameworthy. With respect to our hearts’ condition, our having moral inability, we cannot obey God [ie. Romans 8:7-8]. Apparently, our will is not all that "free" after all.

If you disavow perfectionism, then inevitable you have to affirm total depravity and the need to irresistible, electing grace.

Why All Christians Are Calvinists (and don't know it) -- Part 6

Personal Awareness of Sin and Salvation

Simply ask yourself, if God gives everyone the same grace to enable all people according to their free-will to receive Christ, then what made YOU different? Why does one brother accept Christ and get saved, while another sibling in the same environment remains heart hearted? Is it because you and I were smarter, more determined, or are more moral? As for me, no way!

The only thing that distinguishes me from others is grace. The only thing I have EVER contributed to my salvation is SIN.



If you humbly believe in grace, you must inevitably accept God’s sovereignty in election.

Confusing yet Convicting Quote

"Even the unchurched know 2 things: Jesus loved the poor & the sick, so they're confused when they don't see us doing either."

Why All Christians Are Calvinists (and don't know it)--Part 5

Bible’s Inspiration

Do you believe the Bible is God’s word, perfect in every way? We all know that God inspired every single word through human authors. Otherwise, if the Bible is not infallible (without mistake), then we don’t know what is or is not trustworthy. Each letter and book expresses the authors’ own personality yet is kept from error.

However, if God will not overcome human free will (the Arminian idea), then how can we be assured that God protected the perfection of His word? An author might want to say one thing, but God wants something else. According to Arminian assumptions, God cannot overcome the author’s free will to write what he wants. At least, there’s no guarantee of perfection.

If you believe in the Bible’s inspiration, you must inevitably accept God’s sovereignty in election.