Monday, October 27, 2008
The Other Doctrine of Election
Last Sunday my friend Kirk Welch preached an excellent sermon on the upcoming election. Kirk not only tackles issues regarding the election, but also tackles the bigger question regarding our responsibilities as believers who live in a fallen world. If you are interested in hearing what Kirk has to say follow this link http://www.centennialbiblechurch.org/CBC_Sermons_Sunday_School_c92983.html and click on the title "The other doctrine of election." I think it will help you think about some important issues you may not have considered as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Christ of Scripture
"In Jesus Christ we are liberated from speculation and are granted revelation." - Mark Driscoll
In our Sunday evening times as a student ministry we are contrasting the Bible and its view of Jesus Christ with other religions, their bibles, and their views of Jesus. I have known for a long time and believed that we cannot all be right. If there is "one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (I Timothy 2:5)" and the Bible (Genesis - Revelation) is the sole authority from which we get our understanding of Jesus Christ (see 2 Timothy 3:16) then it becomes apparent very quickly that the Bible and its Jesus is different from other Jesus's of other religions. It is comforting in one sense to know I am not alone in this battle as a pastor, namely to present the true Jesus.
Evidently, one New Testament church was entertaining wrong views of Jesus and were even proud about it. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:4, "For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you received a different spirit than the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough." That was not a good thing. Paul wasn't encouraging the Corinthians to "keep an open mind" when it comes to Jesus, but to "close their minds" on the Jesus he had taught them as an apostle.
As a pastor I have to "contend for the faith which was once for all given to the saints (Jude 3)" not only for this ministry but for my own soul. Making sure the Jesus I know and worship and serve is the Jesus of the Bible is critical. God is showing me just how critical it is when I begin to consider other religions and the way satan so often masks himself as an angel of light. Satan will twist one definite article in the New World Translation (The bible of the Jehovah's Witnesses) of John 1:1 and say Jesus is "a god" and lead millions astray. Contending for the faith and for the historical-biblical Jesus is not an option for any believer and so how are you doing in making sure the Jesus you believe in is the Jesus of the Bible?
In our Sunday evening times as a student ministry we are contrasting the Bible and its view of Jesus Christ with other religions, their bibles, and their views of Jesus. I have known for a long time and believed that we cannot all be right. If there is "one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (I Timothy 2:5)" and the Bible (Genesis - Revelation) is the sole authority from which we get our understanding of Jesus Christ (see 2 Timothy 3:16) then it becomes apparent very quickly that the Bible and its Jesus is different from other Jesus's of other religions. It is comforting in one sense to know I am not alone in this battle as a pastor, namely to present the true Jesus.
Evidently, one New Testament church was entertaining wrong views of Jesus and were even proud about it. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:4, "For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you received a different spirit than the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough." That was not a good thing. Paul wasn't encouraging the Corinthians to "keep an open mind" when it comes to Jesus, but to "close their minds" on the Jesus he had taught them as an apostle.
As a pastor I have to "contend for the faith which was once for all given to the saints (Jude 3)" not only for this ministry but for my own soul. Making sure the Jesus I know and worship and serve is the Jesus of the Bible is critical. God is showing me just how critical it is when I begin to consider other religions and the way satan so often masks himself as an angel of light. Satan will twist one definite article in the New World Translation (The bible of the Jehovah's Witnesses) of John 1:1 and say Jesus is "a god" and lead millions astray. Contending for the faith and for the historical-biblical Jesus is not an option for any believer and so how are you doing in making sure the Jesus you believe in is the Jesus of the Bible?
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