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Pastor Voddie Baucham teaches how we ought to ask the age-old question on why bad things happen.
On a separate note — looking back, I thank God I didn’t get into the course I wanted at University because I did want to major in Philosophy!
I am currently listening to some of Pastor Voddie’s sermons, after having just ‘discovered’ him and his church, Grace Family Baptist Church, thanks to a great list of his sermons on MP3 compiled by Reforming My Mind.
HT: The Contemporary Calvinist [via].
The shortest verse in the Bible — John 11:35 — has always intrigued me. To me, it is this verse that fully captures and reflects His humanity (for Christ was fully man too during His ministry on earth), more than what the temptations in the desert, the hunger our Lord experienced (Matthew 4:2, Matthew 21:18, Mark 11:12), and the thirst and weariness (John 4:6-7) did.
It also speaks volumes of the compassionate nature of the Lord our God whom we serve.
With regards to understanding this particular verse in the context of the account of Lazarus’ death and subsequent raising by our Lord as recorded in John 11:1-44, I love what Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary [Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible (mhcc.xxxv.xi)]:
Some say I am harsh, unloving, and even having a “profound self-righteousness in my own denomination” as one comment puts it on another blog. I am not concerned with these brickbats though on many occasions I do re-examine to see if I was indeed being self-righteous, so please accept my thanks for those reminders.
Initially, I did get riled by the comments, but since reminding myself constantly that I don’t labor for the applause of man but of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and that I must never seek gratification for my flesh, but the honor and glory of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I strive on leaning on His strength.
So, to those who wonder why I am such a Christian, seemingly harsh and unloving, please take some time to watch this sermon (104 minutes) that turned my Christian life 180 degrees away from carnality. I’ve never, prior to hearing this sermon by brother Paul, understood the holiness, love and mercy of God thus. It broke me and had me in tears the first time I heard it, and hearing it again and again never fails to break me and spur me on to seek the face of my Lord.
I pray that you, too, shall be broken, and come to live a life acceptable to God, and that even if you have to appear harsh and even be ostracized, you seek that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be honored and praised and glorified above all for He alone, and only He, is worthy.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
Romans 3:23-25
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever
He’s a faithful God to all generations
For the Lord is good and His mercies will not fail us
They are new each day
O lift your voice and say the Lord is good
Great is Your faithfulness O Lord
Your loving kindness fills our hearts to overflowing
Songs of rejoicing and sweet praise
They fill our hearts
They fill our days
Mike at Still A Night Owl tagged me with this meme to list at least two posts from blogs I read that have resonated with me.
Rules:
Without further ado:
Mike Ratliff’s blog, Possessing The Treasure, is one that warrants a daily visit if you are into good, Biblical insights on the Christian life.
In The Righteousness That Exceeds That of the Scribes and Pharisees, Mike talks about how most Christians today have never experienced real Christianity because they are not regenerate and languish in the “Religion of Do“.
What is the Religion of Do? Mike sums it up succinctly to mean those who those who “… being full of unbelief, are in the process of developing their own righteousness and are working to be conformed to it.”
It’s a great reminder to us who seek to become matured, Spirit-filled believers that our lives must be “… saturated by the Word of God…” and our obedience to God includes our “… relationships with others.”
Ray Comfort’s Comfort Food is another must-visit-daily blog.
Though short, Christians Get Mercy And Grace is a lovely reminder.
I kid not when I say that I do need to re-reference my dictionary on occasion when I read Daniel’s blog Reformata Et Semper Reformanda. That’s not to say that he doesn’t write well nor clearly, but that I like how sometimes I learn new terms whenever I visit his blog.
Why We Shouldn’t Work for the World’s Applause isn’t one of those posts that requires checking the dictionary, but a direct look at how as Christians we are susceptible to succumb to peer pressure and group-think in church.
We are to work for the applause of One — God — only.
I was particularly encouraged by how Justin at Awesome Purpose stood for righteousness at work in his account. Mostly, we just keep quiet and mind our own business when faced with ungodly speech or behavior because we don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.
In the process, we become tolerant of ungodliness and that, if I might take the hypothesis a little further here, could translate into allowing the same forms of ungodliness creeping into our own lives. Just as how churches have invited heresy and worldliness in, bit by bit.
Finally, this topic of which day the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ fell on is amply and well-addressed by King’s Kid at her blog Just the WORD - Please!.
I have always maintained that the Lord’s Day is not Sunday, but that there’s Biblical evidence to indicate that the Resurrection was on the Sabbath instead of Easter Sunday. This post will help you with the math and see for yourself that there’s no new day or days that need be observed besides what God had ordained.
And now I tag:
Have a great week ahead!
Shalom Aleichem.
Has the pastor and his congregation lost their minds?
Listen up, Mr. Fred Phelps, our Lord Jesus Christ came to save the lost, not condemn them! And you are there with your daughters and the congregation that you lead doing exactly the opposite — condemning those who actually needs His forgiveness, comfort, and love most.
Did you think that by doing this that you are the light and salt of the earth?
Have you ever faced or imagined this scenario where you stand before a judge in court, and they read out all the charges to you and you stand in trepidation wondering what sort of punishment will be meted out against you?
I have.
Now I have never been to court to answer a charge prior to a few months’ back, but I was served summons to appear in court for non-payment of some fees I owe to the Town Council during the time when I was desperately unemployed for more than 6 months.
How often we hear this phrase uttered by those who seek to discredit Yahweh and throw a spanner into the cogs of our faith?
How often do we hear that if Yahweh were indeed merciful, then He would have allowed for this or that, or even for non-believers to enter into heaven?
I am sure that for many Christians who have tried sharing the Good News, the common answer would be “too many times”.
Thoughts on faith and the Christian life of a Calvinist addicted to coffee and who loves to cook on his days off. This blog is rated “R” for REFORMED.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.
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