Sunday, December 27, 2009

The Skinny on Redemptive Historical Preaching

There seems to be much misunderstanding down here in the deep south about RH preaching. It appears that few here consider this method of preaching worthwhile. I find that unfortunate because it appears that the reaction against this Biblical preaching method leads to some very suspect sermons.

First let me set the record straight, RH preaching is not against application. This comes from a small, vocal minority from the pacific north west that is against any type of application. I do not support this and most Biblical Theologians do not either. There are plenty of imperative verbs in the NT, that is undeniable, the only point of contention I have is that they flow naturally out of the indicatives. It is only in light of what Christ has done for us that we are able to do what the Lord commands.

Second let me say I have heard some very moralistic sermons here that encourage believers to "Dare to be a David" or "Don't be like Moses." The problem with these kind of sermons are that these historical characters are types of Christ's we are not to emulate. To be sure there are examples we should identify with, we just need to make sure we identify with the proper ones. We are not to see ourselves as David defeating Goliath, we should see ourselves as the Israelites who stood by and did nothing to defeat this foe but were delivered by the type of Christ David was.

I write this in light of a comment I received from a local pastor who seems very opposed to the RH method. He has offered to come have lunch with me and I look forward to this. I have come to respect this particular pastor from interaction I have had with him on a yahoo newsgroup I have been involved with since before I began attending seminary. That being said, Ken I look forward to spending time with you and learning from your years in the pulpit.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Logos is giving away Bibles!!!

Logos is giving away 12 Bibles during the month of August and I just entered to win. Logos is the best Bible software on the market and they also have the best customer relations of any company I have ever dealt with, period.

Bible Search

Verse:
John 3:16; Jn 3:16; John 3

Keyword:
Salvation, Jesus, Gospel

With Operators:
AND, OR, NOT, “ ”

Add this to your site!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Some Quotes

"My mom said she learned how to swim. Someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. That's how she learned how to swim. I said,
'Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.' "
--Paula Poundstone

"Sometimes I think war is God's way of teaching us geography."
--Paul Rodriguez

"I'm always amazed to hear of air crash victims so badly mutilated that they have to be identified by their dental records. What I can't understand is, if they don't know who you are, how do they know who your dentist is?"
Paul Merton.

"I put instant coffee in a microwave oven and almost went back in time."
Steven Wright

Monday, May 18, 2009

Something Fun

Ok, summer is here and I survived my first year of seminary. I hope to publish a few things this summer, some insights from seminary, things I have learned or whatever strikes my fancy. I thought I would share this video because deep inside me there is an artist struggling to get out. I played guitar in a couple of bands as a young pagan and always thought I wanted to be a rock star. This inner artist has never left me and I am always looking for interesting videos on the net and this is one. I know I probably don't have many readers left after taking nearly a year off but at least I can use this as a forum for speaking my mind and if anyone reads this I hope it will be enjoyed. I know I usually am hunting heretics or speaking on the finer points of divergence between the infralapsarian and the supralapsarian but just sit back for a few minutes and enjoy this. Btw, SG, did you catch the sample in there, if you did let me know.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Quote of the Day

Once a man makes the conversion of sinners his prime design and all-consuming end and NOT THE GLORY OF GOD, he is exceedingly apt to adopt a wrong course. Instead of striving to preach the Truth in all its purity, he will tone it down so as to make it more palatable to the unregenerate. Impelled by a single force, moving in one fixed direction, his object is to make conversion easy; and therefore, favorite passages (like John 3:16) are dwelt upon incessantly, while others are ignored or pared away. It inevitably reacts upon his own theology; and various verses in the Word are shunned, if not repudiated. What place will he give in his thoughts to such declarations as, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?" (Jer. 13:23); "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw Him" (John 6:44); "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:14)?
He will be sorely tempted to modify the truth of God's sovereign election, of Christ's particular redemption, of the imperative necessity for the super-natural operations of the Holy Spirit.

Arthur W. Pink

Monday, May 11, 2009

Covenant Theology Final Tomorrow

What is Covenant Theology?

Covenant Theology is the Gospel set in the context of God's eternal plan of communion with his people, and its historical outworking in the covenants of works and grace. Covenant Theology explains the meaning of the death of Christ in light of the fullness of the biblical teaching on the divine covenants, undergirds our understanding of the nature and use of the sacraments, and provides the fullest possible explanation of the grounds of our assurance.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Quote of the Day

I found this on monergism.com, I am not sure who it is but it is very true!

"If we are not in covenant with God, we will never know him at all. And if we do not understand the importance of the covenants, we will not be able to make much sense of vast portions of the bible. What was it, in the simplest mode of expression, that Jesus shed his blood to accomplish? According to his own words at the last Supper, the significance of his death was summed up in one term, “New Covenant” (Matthew 26:28). If we do not understand covenant terminology, this will leave us at best with a very fuzzy understanding of the benefits of Christ's death; and if we do not understand the unity and organic connectedness of the divine covenants, we will miss the coherence of the bible, the unity of God's redemptive design, and the centrality of the Christ of the covenants, who is the bible's great hero."

Friday, May 8, 2009

Paul Washer

I pray that one day I have half this mans boldness.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Another Quote

"Have you ever noticed that most conferences on evangelism concentrate on methods and not on the message content?"
"There is too much moralizing in evangelical preaching and not enough magnifying of grace in Jesus."
--Will Metzger in "Tell the Truth."

Quotes Of The Day

“It is my conviction that many who are presently disposed toward Dispensationalism would not be victims of the system if they were better acquainted and informed about the system and its history - its theological roots and the doctrinal errors it has spawned.”
--The Late Ernest Reisinger, Pastor Emeritus, Grace Baptist Church, Coral Springs, FL

"Dispensationalism has thrown down the gauntlet; and it is high time that covenant theologians take up the challenge and respond to them Biblically."
--Dr. Robert L. Reymond, author, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith

“The flawed system of theology known as Dispensationalism has had a negative influence on the Christian church over the last 150 years or so. The debilitating results of this errant theology needs to be corrected for the church of Christ to be about her work of fulfilling the Great Commission given to her by her Lord (Matthew 28:18-20).
--Dr. W. Gary Crampton, author, Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism & Arminianism

Friday, April 17, 2009

Seminary vs. The Blog

I have discovered something as my first year of seminary comes to an end, those who are in seminary and still blog are letting something in their studies slip. I am not kidding, so many people tell me you can't do ALL the reading, yes you can, if you stop blogging. I may be a bit obsessive here but it can be done and since it is in the syllabus probably should be done. I hope to post a few over the summer but we shall see.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Logos Has A Cool Giveaway

I know I have not posted in quite some time, Greek and Hebrew are keeping me very busy, but this is a great offer from Logos I just had to pass on. Not to mention it gets me another entry into the drawing:)

Bible Study Magazine and Mars Hill are giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Church. Not only that, but they are also giving away five subscriptions to Bible Study Magazine and a copy of their Bible Study Library software! Enter to win on the Bible Study Magazine Mark Driscoll page, then take a look at all the cool tools they have to take your Bible study to the next level!