Recently, I began preaching through the book of Philippians. What an awesome word from God to us! For my first sermon, I focused in on v1:6, For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. That verse is one of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture! As I was preparing, I wanted to illustrate how God molds us and makes us into a work of beauty in the image of Jesus Christ. So, my mind immediately went to the potter with clay illustration that we often hear about. I searched YouTube for a video of a potter … [Read more...] about Is the Bible Clay in Our Hands?: The Importance of Authorial Intent
Archives for 2014
Fat Pastor, Fit Pastor Final Weigh-In
My two weeks on vacation have been great. Lord willing, we are home by supper time tonight. But one thing is for sure, it ruined any chance I had of bragging about the success of my weight loss efforts. Christmas...Vacation...eating out...FAIL. I'm wondering how the rest of you made out. Any great success stories? How did you do it? Why do you think we can't lose weight, though we know we should? Let's talk about it. … [Read more...] about Fat Pastor, Fit Pastor Final Weigh-In
The Potency of Proclamations
According to this story, Mayor Tom Hayden of Flower Mound, TX, has proclaimed 2014 to be the Year of the Bible in Flower Mound (complete with website that is performing about as well as healthcare.gov under the increased load that accompanies media attention). Hayden collaborated with area churches in making the proclamation, and he hopes that his community will "connect through the Bible" (those are the reporter's words, not necessarily Hayden's). If you are a Bible-believing Christian, this kind of thing FEELS good. In an environment of heavy-handed government oppression of the … [Read more...] about The Potency of Proclamations
A Biblical Evaluation of the Homogeneous Unit Principle, Part 2
Editor: This is a continuation of the first post in what promises to be an excellent series. The first post can be found here. Criticism of McGavran’s Understanding of the Great Commission Various critics, however, have found elements of McGavran’s exegesis of the Great Commission to be seriously flawed. The Meaning of Ethne First of all, while it is undeniable that ethne as an isolated word refers to ethnic groups and not to nation-states, it is not so clear that matheteusate panta ta ethne implies discipling each and every ethnic group on a one-by-one basis. New Testament scholar … [Read more...] about A Biblical Evaluation of the Homogeneous Unit Principle, Part 2