Archive for June, 2007
God is the Remote Control and we are the televisions.
What?
God is the Remote Control and we are the televisions. He’s in control of everything we do.
Ah. But what about when you’re bad?
God is still the Remote Control.
But Sy, you’re responsible when you do bad. You are responsible. Laura, why am I having a conversation about divine sovereignty and human responsibility with my five year old?
I don’t know.
You know what happens when we’re bad?
What Sy?
God turns off the TV.
Posted in personal, stump | Comments (0)
The Measure of Faith comes to the aid in our daily lives under the governing bodies as well. For if our object of faith took advantage of the ruling powers and orchestrated events so that through them the Gospel actually was brought into effect then there is no reason why a Christian should be raising his fists against those governing bodies. If anything the Christian should know, with a definite assurance who exactly is in control of those ruling bodies.
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From
Jeremy :
For those who are interested, here is the list of upcoming hosts for the Christian Carnival:
Update: Be Informed
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Post submission form
- Post submission email: christiancarnivalsubmissions shift-2 gmail dotte com
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The Forum
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Christian Carnival Google Groups Part Deux
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Hosting Schedule
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Past Carnivals over at Matt’s site.
- NEW: Past Carnivals (that you can RSS) via
Christian Carnival Dot Com (via
Minor Prophet)
Posted in blogspotting | Comments (0)
This Measure of Faith also becomes useful in dealing with the enemies (be they Christian or Non) of a believer. For when a person understands that they were a God Hating Idolater for whom Christ died and God justified and promised to glorify then a believer can become an advertisement of mercy for anyone.
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Posted in acts, human, romans | Comments (0)
That measure of faith is inherently pointing at the object which the believers have put their faith and thus performs a complete leveling influence to Christian living. Note how aptly Paul draws the Measure of Faith in the area of the Church Body.
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Posted in church, romans | Comments (0)
God’s Gospel should result in radical action and in such a manner that it will keep Christians reexamining themselves and acknowledging God’s grace and mercy. For it is at this point, right at the hinge of the book (Rom 12:1,2) that Paul illustrates the practical application of the Gospel.
Not one Christian is to think more highly of himself than he ought to think says the verse and I’ve often heard it said that it means that the individual has a proper understanding of where he or she stands. Such as: a gifted teacher is to understand where his gift is over that of other teachers yet below others so that he doesn’t think above his gift.
I’m sorry, that is way off base because it is open to a person judging themselves more highly than someone else which is completely contrary to what Paul is saying If we take it as a whole, understanding the mercies of God then we have to understand that Paul isn’t telling Christians who stand on that equal ground of mercy to up and decide who is higher and who is lower—especially of their own estimation!
The grace was given to Paul to allow him to say what he’s saying, and allows Christians to understand where they stand, with the understanding that God has given the equal measuring rule of faith to the saints.
This measure of faith is not a bit of faith here and a bit more faith there reflecting a group of people thinking “I have more faith than him” or “man, he definitely has more faith than me!” Rather it’s the Christians standing on the object of their faith and seeing how completely dependant on that object they are.
Understanding that allows a Christian to really respect his fellow believers and makes him or her completely given over to the preaching of the Gospel.
Posted in church, romans, salvation | Comments (1)
I hate that I’m embedding this video and I abhor how it’s defaming the name of Christ in what it’s doing but it has to be addressed: it’s wrong and a defamation of God’s Gospel. The video consists of a certain group of professing Christians who publicly protest funerals by raising banners and saying “This Person Has Gone To Hell” or the sort—even if the persons were professing believers like the case of the Amish girls who were killed in Lancaster County. This is the same group that raises signs like “God Hates Fags” and the sort but I think they’re actually making a blight of the Gospel and causing the name of Christ to be blasphemed.
For example, John would state that God loved the world in a specific manner. John doesn’t use world to mean the elect or even to mean the whole expansive planet and all the creatures on it but John uses world (very often) to mean the corrupt and immoral system. Yet these so-called Christians say God Hates The World because they are sinners: contrary to the words of John. Paul will add to John’s argument by showing that the sin in the world is actually God’s systematic judgment—not the cause for His supreme judgment. Then Paul will say that God demonstrated His love in the death of Jesus Christ which these professing Christians reserve solely for there elitist group.
In fact their wrong is akin to that of the Pharisee in Jesus’ illustration who prays in the public saying “Thank you God that I’m not like this filthy sinful tax collector” while the tax collector beats on his chest saying “God forgive me a sinner.” What’s so utterly wrong about this is that the Pharisee (and these professing Christians) are forgetting (or denying) that they are sinners just as bad as the Hitlers in the world and it was God’s love, mercy, and grace that offered a salvation to them as well as the Hitler’s in the world.
God’s righteous Gospel is glorious, is far-reaching, is patient, forbearing and for the worst of the worst sinners for whom Christ died. The fact that these Christians profess the exact opposite leaves me thinking that they don’t understand or really know who Christ is and what He is like. Video after the jump. Remember: I think it is evil.
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Posted in apologetics, salvation | Comments (0)
This post is home to my study in Romans.
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Posted in romans, study | Comments (0)
Ruth Graham, wife of Billy Graham, passed on
yesterday.
Posted in current affairs | Comments (0)
This all is a radical difference from our previous lives and Paul makes a point to set up the truly transforming nature of his gospel. We’re not to simply fall into the habits of this world around us by doing those things we previous did—we must be transformed in our minds.
Here some Christians will raise a banner that we need new thinking, chaste thinking: Christian Thinking. And in so doing a plethora of marketing merchandise comes out like wrist bands asking us What Jesus Would Do or fish bumper icons or a crown of thorn tattoo with the words.
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Posted in acts, church, romans, sin, spirit, study | Comments (0)
Present your bodies not someone else’s body. And the whole entire body, not just the grumbling part or the angry part, but all of it to be offered as a sacrifice.
I’m reminded of two examples from the Old Testament. One is from Leviticus 1 where the offering is brought to the Lord and consumed on the altar as a well-pleasing sacrifice: a soothing aroma to the Lord. The entire thing is consumed in the fire and is pleasing to the Lord but that’s easy for a dead animal: after all, the thing is alive till it gets to the tabernacle then someone slits its throat and has its corpse on the altar. Living Sacrifices have a problem with staying on hot altars, or so the saying goes.
But then we have the second example of Numbers chapter 8 where the Levites are chosen by God to do special work. They remember their past: they’ve been rescued from the bondage of Egypt and delivered from the power of Pharaoh. They have crossed the great divide of the Sea and passed from one side through the other and they were being led to an inheritance and here they stood: a people freed by God and now His. They were cleansed, they were reminded of their salvation and they were told to serve Him in the tent of meeting.
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Posted in acts, church, romans, study, worship | Comments (0)
What mercies of God is he holding up as the logical progression that he can hold a “therefore” next to?
Well, chapters 9 through 11 of Romans reflect God’s right to show mercy to whoever He wills—both to the believers and to the unbelievers alike. Paul concerned about the salvation of Israel shows how Israel has been set apart so that God could show them that they are not believers and thus show mercy to the whole lot of them. God’s incomprehensible yet awesome wisdom that he would show mercy to a people—who were not His people (namely us old Gentiles) so that He could show mercy to His actual people who were being stiff necked and disobedient.
And there’s God shouting out to stubborn Israel “All the day long I have stretched out my arms to a disobedient and obstinate people!” Can you see the picture? God like a Father stretching His arms out to His stubborn child waiting to show mercy and forgiveness!
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Posted in romans, salvation, study | Comments (0)
They’ve gone and let me do the Christian Carnival again and this time I went all
Trekkie on it; go
check it out.
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Posted in blogspotting, metas & memes | Comments (0)
I beseech you says some Bibles. Others say I urge you. In Greek the word can be used to earnestly appeal, invite or even summon together: but in context it is an action word set in the present pointed at a person and demanding something.
Two things here; firstly you usually don’t ask (or urge) for something that isn’t happening. For example I no one has ever told me “Rey, I urge you—I beseech you. No, I beg you—please have some pizza!” You don’t need to ask; I will eat it.
I’ve spent many a superbowl Sunday with friends with no knowledge of the game but there in thanksgiving of God for enabling men to design. And I would happily cheer for both teams raising my pizza-greasy hands: touchdown!
So Paul is urging for something that isn’t being done.
Secondly, sometimes requests questions (especially the urging ones) sound as if they’re coming from a position of weakness. Like when I kept asking my wife if I could get an iPod—I urged, I beseeched but I had no power over the situation: she wouldn’t yield.
But Paul isn’t some poor Hebrew soul, begging esteemed Roman gentiles citizens who look down their classical noses . This is not the beggarly urgings of a weaker individual—this is the strong, demanded, request of the one set apart as an apostle, the servant of Jesus Christ (Head of Creation ), to carry the Gospel of the Eternal, Omnipotent, Righteous, Merciful and Living God. Snap to attention and listen!
So therefore, by the mercies of God Paul the apostle strongly demands for this thing to be done.
Romans Series
Posted in acts, church, romans, salvation | Comments (0)
Sometimes verses like Romans 12:1 fall into the Christian canyon of sanctified bumper-sticker sayings. Sometimes it’s a call to arms for hormone-crazed teens (or so youth teachers have often taught): in light of God being a good God, present your bodies to him—undefiled by immorality. Other times it’s phrased in such a way as if it were obligatory payback; kind of how you treat a good boss.
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Posted in acts, study, text/language | Comments (0)
