mynameisrush.com
A Theistic Weblog

Today, we opened the Hobson Auditorium to the public for the purpose of praying for our national, current leaders, and future elections. After we shared a brief devotional from 1 Timothy 2:1-2, we opened a time of prayer. In accord with Paul’s exhortation for Timothy to pray for kings and all in authority in order that the gospel might be freely published and all men might be saved, the 6 of us prayed together.

As we silently sat in prayer, a young man named Victor walked in off the street with his 20 month old daughter and a diaper bag. As I glanced up, Victor said he was looking for the pastor. I told him I was not the pastor, but I could help him. Victor explained to me that he wanted to be baptized along with his daughter. We walked to the back of the auditorium and enjoyed a lengthy conversation about believer’s baptism and the true gospel of salvation. To make a long story slightly shorter, Victor shared with me the conviction that his life was not right before God. On the testimony of others, Victor had wrongly concluded that baptism could bring about the change he desperately needed. So I did my best to share with him the way of salvation as set forth in the Scriptures. I pressed and questioned Victor in hopes of making the gospel crystal clear to him so that he might not misunderstand and be sorely disappointed on the Day of Judgment because of false assurance. I explained to Victor that the next logical question for him to answer was “Are you ready and willing to forsake your rebellious sin and become the subject of King Jesus?” As best he could, Victor sincerely expressed to God the depth of his sin, his need for a Savior, and a belief that Jesus was mighty to save those who believe the gospel.

I encouraged Victor toward foundational discipleship within a local Bible-preaching body of believers and committed our faithful help to him in all the days to come. Now we will pray and wait for the genuine fruit of salvation, followed by believer’s baptism.

Please pray for Victor to work out his salvation with fear and trembling.

Thanks.

As last night’s OT class was closing down, I made some final announcements, gathered my things, and prepared to head out the door. Just then, an older African American man walked in off the street. His name was Earl and he was carrying some books and a folder or two. I greeted the man and he explained that some people in the park told him that if he were to walk down to the church, someone would give him a Bible. So, I told him I would be glad to give him a Bible and asked him to walk with me to my office. As we walked, I started in on him with the gospel. After some chit chat about the times I said, “Can I ask you an unusual question?” He replied, “I bet you are going to ask me the same question they asked me in the park. That is, if I were to die tonight do I know…” I said, “No. That is a foundational question, but not the question I was going to ask. My question is, do you know you are a sinner?” Earl admitted that he was a sinner and our gospel conversation continued. He also expressed to me his belief that favor with God was possible through a “good life.”

As we reached my office, I proceeded to preach the entire gospel to him. Toward the end, he confirmed for me that he had yet to repent of his sin and become a subject of King Jesus. Though he said he had confessed some sin to God in the past, I explained to him the difference between admitting a few sins and embracing Jesus for salvation. I proposed that the logical next question was “Having heard the gospel, are you ready and willing to repent and believe?” He convincingly answered, even after I gently challenged the seriousness of his response. In the moments that followed, it was my great joy to hear Earl express to God in prayer his sorrow for sin and need for Christ. Now we will rejoice with Earl, pray to the Lord, and wait for the fruitful evidence of genuine salvation.

After Earl began following Christ, I gave him a Bible, explained the importance of joining a theologically sound Bible preaching church, and expressed our commitment to either disciple him or help him plug into a suitable church near his home. When I spoke of our commitment to help him faithfully love Jesus, Earl looked me in the eye, raised his index finger, and said with in a tone of humble certainty, “That is what I want.”

Please be in prayer for Earl as I believe he has begun following Christ from the heart. We will be having lunch with Earl soon and continuing his discipleship.

Finally, you may be wondering who spoke with Earl earlier that night. It turns out that some students from the high school ministry of our church were handing out bottles of water in an effort to evangelize those attending the Art Walk. In fact, 2 of these students were the very people who inquired of Earl’s standing before God and directed him to ask the church for a Bible, that he might come to love Jesus. In the end, not only did Earl receive a Bible, but met Christ along the way as well. O, the riches of the glory of this mystery!

So, yet again I am reminded that instead of pursuing modern philosophies, new monastics, emerging personalities, or seeker-sensitivities, let us (the Church) just pray with hope, cling to the Scriptures, and preach the Christ? He is enough.

When it comes to evangelism, I am not interested in gimmicks or specialized “methods.” To say that one style of presentation is better than another does an injustice to the power of the message of the gospel. After all, the gospel itself “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”¹ Though rapport is helpful, the proof is in the pudding and the pudding is the content of the message.

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1. Romans 1:16 [↩]

As selfishness and pride mounts, the result is a greater disapproval of suffering. Unfortunately, the Church is evermore adopting an anti-suffering approach to life, ministry, and worship. In this third sermon in a series from the book of Colossians, consider the Apostle Paul’s perspective on The Life of the Church on Earth.

A Little Primer on Humble Apologetics by James W. Sire

First of all, in writing this brief review, I would like it clear that I am in no way qualified to critique this work, among many others. How can someone who is merely a pistol do justice to the work of a Panzer? So, rather than critique, I merely commend to this new short piece.

In A Little Primer on Humble Apologetics, Sire sets for the basics of Christian apologetics. Majoring on the reader’s responsibility to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you…”¹ As a “primer,” this work does just what it should: warm up the reader for the work of apologetics. The book is composed of 6 chapters which cover the basics of nature, value, scope, contexts, arguments, and call of apologetics. Interspersed throughout are what Sire calls snapshots. These snapshots provide real-life pictures of where, when, and how the art of apologetics is most effectively undertaken.

While I found every page robust, encouraging, and substantial, I believe the end was most beneficial to me. In the final chapter, Sire presents a compelling charge to those of his readership who are considering the very serious and urgent work of an apologist. Therein, he dispels the rumors of what a true and faithful apologist is and is not.

This book is a wonderful introduction for the most unlearned on the subject and a profound heart-stirring reminder to the veterans.

1. 1 Peter 3:15 [↩]

In our post-modern, “anything goes” culture, the challenge to find the real Jesus is becoming increasingly difficult. A diminished concern for sound doctrine is allowing heresy to remain alive and unchecked. In this, the second message in a series through the book of Colossians, we attempt to drill the depths of Paul’s powerfully Christological hymn, proclaiming Jesus to be the Beloved Son of God, the King of Creation, and the King of Redemption. Join us as we consider The Supremacy of Jesus Christ.

WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL SPOIL THE STORYLINE AND ENDING.
To preserve your suspense, read everything except “The General Story.”

Every so often a “Christian” book emerges from the shadows of obscurity, causing major waves in the literary market. Over the past few months, The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by William P. Young has acquired a place in the spotlight. Self-published by the author, The Shack has 800,000 copies in print and 750,000 out for distribution. With a movie deal in the works, the book is currently #8 the Amazon.com Top 100 List, well within the USA TODAY’s top 10, and a front-page feature on Christianbook.com. The Shack is quite the Cinderella story as Young’s first publication which he did not originally envision publishing, but wrote only for the enjoyment of his children. Since the first of its seven printings in 2007, The Shack has enjoyed raving reviews, an enormously successful reception among Christians, and a most recent printing in hardcover. As a result, I have decided to read and review The Shack.

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A few weeks ago, we were discussing the intelligent design movie by Ben Stein titled Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. This weekend I caught an interview with Wolf Blitzer and Ben Stein which was aired in light of the movie’s release this past Friday. To not bore you with the details, the end of the interview went like this:

WB: So Ben - just to clarify - you believe in Evolution.
BS: Yes.
WB: You believe in Intelligent Design.
BS: Yes.
WB: You DO NOT believe in Creationism.
BS: No. Though there may be a higher power, I do not hold to Creationism.

WB: Ben, thanks for joining us…

It appears as though the movie is not receiving many good ratings. However, now that it is out, we may start to hear more and more about it. Hopefully this will help us engage our communities for sake of our Creator and His gospel.

Our world culture is quickly advancing in many aspects. From technology to religion, masses of people are searching for something new and exciting. As a result, many Christians are following suit in a quest for cutting edge religion and theology. Perhaps a return to the basics will help put street-level Christian life back in perspective. In this first of a series of messages on the book of Colossians, listen and consider how you may return to The Basics of Christian Life.

In an effort to address my own embarrassing illiteracy and the illiteracy of other Christians, I am working with two close brothers to create a series of reading lists. Eventually, I hope to put them into the form of a small booklet for those desiring to read long and well.

As you read this post, it may take you a moment to get your bearings, so let me try to clarify on the front end. First, notice that the list follows a rotation through some key categories and sub-categories. In this project, we started by choosing some basic and overarching genres. Then, we broke each genre into sub-topics. So, the reading schedule rotates through repeatedly, creating a well-rounded diet. This format makes for an engaging, varied, enjoyable, and productive reading experience. Keep reading - the first two schedules are below.
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Rotation of Categories:
1. Aged-Christian (prior to 1970)
-Theology
-Personal Devotional
-Biblical Studies/Hermeneutics/Biography
2. Non-Christian (contains perspectives other than Christian)
-Culture/Worldview
-Anti-Christian
3. Recent-Christian (1970 to present)
-Biblical Studies/Hermeneutics/Biography
-Culture/Worldview
-Theology
4. Literature
-Classic (prior to 19th century)
-Modern (19th century to present)
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Each reading session is composed of 12 works. Therefore, readers can use the lists as monthly schedules or merely as guides to follow at one’s own pace, faster or slower. Since even a handful of lists will not sufficiently contain all the works that contribute to becoming a “well-read Christian,” I will continue to post new lists as time goes on. In addition, each work is linked to more book and price information. Also, there is also a companion bookmark containing The Basics of Marking a Book as You Read is now available on the Resources Page.

——————————————-

Reading Schedule - Session 1
1. Aged-C. - Theology: Your God is Too Small: A Guide for Believers and Skeptics Alike by J.B. Phillips
2. Non-C. - Culture/Worldview: The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century by Thomas L. Friedman
3. Recent-C. - Biblical Studies/Hermeneutics/Biography: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee
4. Lit. - Classic: Frankenstein by Mary Wollestonecraft Shelley
5. Aged-C. - Personal Devotional: The Moritification of Sin by John Owen
6. Non-C. - Anti-Christian: The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
7. Recent-C. - Culture/Worldview: The Universe Next Door by James W. Sire
8. Reader’s Choice: You Choose!
9. Aged-C. - Biblical Studies/Hermeneutics/Biography: The Life of William Carey, Shoemaker and Missionary by George Smith
10. Non-C. - Culture/Worldview: Ideas Have Consequences by Richard Weaver
11. Recent-C. – Theology: The Cross of Christ by John Stott
12. Lit. - Modern: Night by Elie Wiesel

Reading Schedule - Session 2
1. Aged-C. - Theology: On the Incarnation by Athanasius
2. Non-C. - Anti-Christian: God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens
3. Recent-C. - Biblical Studies/Hermeneutics/Biography: The Lord and His Prayer by N.T. Wright¹
4. Lit. - Classic: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
5. Aged-C. - Personal Devotional: Heaven Taken by Storm by Thomas Watson
6. Non-C. - Culture/Worldview: Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions by Winfried Corduan
7. New-C. - Culture/Worldview: The Reason for God: Belief in God in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller²
8. Reader’s Choice: You Choose!
9. Aged-C. - Biblical Studies/Hermeneutics/Biography: Humility: The Journey Toward Holiness by Andrew Murray
10. Non-C. - Anti-Christian: The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Non-Believer by Christopher Hitchens
11. Recent-C. - Theology: Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin by Cornelius Plantinga Jr.
12. Lit. - Modern: The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers

(Credits: WP and TT)

There you have it. If you decide to begin reading through this list, please make note of your participation in a comment below. Also feel free to express your thoughts on these reading as you progress.

1. wives may prefer to substitute The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace [↩]
2. mothers may prefer to substitute Don’t Make Me Count to 3: A Mom’s Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline by Ginger Plowman [↩]