Be Reminded of Your Assurance

"Whoever comes to me I will never cast out."
John 6:37

There is no expiration date on this promise. It does not merely say, "I will not cast out a sinner at his first coming," but "I will never cast him out." The original reads, "I will not, not cast out," or "I will never, never cast out." The text means that Christ will not at first reject a believer, and that as He will not do it at first, so He will not to the last.

But suppose the believer sins after coming? "If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John 2:1 But believers may fall under temptation! "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 But the believer may fall into sin as David did! Yes, but He will "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7

Once in Christ, in Christ forever, Nothing from His love can sever.

Jesus said, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." John 10:28 What do you say to this, O trembling, feeble mind? This is a precious mercy. Coming to Christ, you do not come to One who will treat you well for a little while and then send you about your business, but He will receive you and make you His bride, and you shall be His forever! Live no longer in the spirit of bondage to fear, but in the spirit of adoption, which cries, "Abba, Father!" Oh, the grace of these words: "I will never cast out."

- Spurgeon, Morning and Evening

(HT: STR Blog)

AmazonMP3 Daily Deal

Greatest Hits

by James Taylor

Price: $4.99

Anne Rice Hasn’t Betrayed You

Russell Moore continually blesses me with his writing and careful thinking. Today he writes about the Anne Rice announcement via her Facebook page that she is renouncing Christianity.

He writes:

Anne’s case is a little unique because she’s a national celebrity. She has a Facebook page that people pay attention to. But she’s really not all that different to the ex-prisoner, now following Christ, who told me not long ago that he’s contemplating giving it all up and going back to cocaine and prostitutes. Of course he is. We are walking through a time of temptation and wilderness, in which there’s a struggle in the air for every Christ-branded psyche.

But the church cannot see rejection of Christ as some kind of personal reproach or, worse yet, an ideological declaration of war. We have to love our prodigal sons and daughters so that if and when the dark night of the soul is over they have a place to come home to.

Anne says she still loves Jesus but she doesn’t love Christianity. Yes, I know that it is impossible to love Jesus without loving his church. I’ve preached that for years, and I still believe it. But can’t you see how someone could wrestle against that? I am thankful that I had been a Christian long enough to have gained some kind of maturity before I saw just how vicious “Christianity” can be.

Read the rest.  

24 Rooms In 330 Square Feet

This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  Wow.

Don't Like It? Don't Have One!

Life Training Institute Blog:

I came across a doozy of an article in the Birmingham Atheism Examiner. The article, “Against Abortion? Then don’t have one…,” takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of the (atheist) abortion advocate’s argument — from dependency of the fetus and women’s autonomy to the theological nature of the pro-life argument and “huge difference between something being human and an actual living, breathing human being.” And more.

As is often the case, if you’re able to strip away some of the fancy wordage, the claims are fairly easy to debunk if you’re familiar with LTI’s training material:

1.   The author writes, “The fetus may be life, but it is not independent life, and for that reason alone, the mother reserves the right to terminate her pregnancy” (emphasis mine). Hidden in this sentence and the paragraph in which it’s embedded are a couple of things — the assumption that the unborn is not a human being (we call this “begging the question”), and the assertion that the unborn’s degree of dependency is what makes him/her less valuable than a newborn. This is where the “D” in the “SLED” acronym comes in handy. The response straight from LTI’s The SLED Test card reads, “If viability makes us human, then all those who depend on insulin or kidney medication are not valuable and we may kill them. Conjoined twins who share blood type and bodily systems also have no right to life.” This argument by the author ultimately fails because when applied elsewhere, it leads to absurd conclusions.

2.      Later, the author makes a separate claim following several paragraphs that describe the unborn’s early development (which I will address later). He writes, “So, to say that the termination of a human zygote, blastocyst, embryo, or a fetus before viability (there’s that “degree of dependency” thrown back in the mix) is a human being with a right to life is scientifically unfounded and rightfully illegal. (That’s quite a claim. If someone said this in conversation, it would be appropriate to ask how he or she reached such a conclusion.) There is a huge difference between something being human and an actual living, breathing human being. Even a fetus that is prematurely born or removed from a sick or dying mother is not a human being until it is actually apart from the mother,” (parenthetical additions mine). Now the author has combined the “D” from “SLED” with the “E,” “Environment.” The “huge difference” he seems to be referring to is the length of the birth canal — inches. But as we teach at LTI, “where you are” has no bearing on “who you are.” A change in location does not affect one’s value. Not to mention the fact that the author fails to explain why separation from the mother suddenly makes a non-human human.

More to come…

One of The Ways That The Gospel Sanctifies Believers

From Paul Tripp:

Grace will take control out of your hands, while it blesses you with the care of One whose plan is unshakable and perfect in every way. 

Jason had some kind of distant belief in the sovereignty of God, but it was almost completely separate from his everyday experience. He lived like he had no idea that Jesus was ruling over all things for his sake (Ephesians 1:20-23). So Jason was constantly dealing with the frustration of trying to control people and things which he had little power to control. 

He spent way too much time calculating the “what ifs” and regretting the “if onlys.” He seemed like he did not know that his security and rest were not to be found in his ability to predict the future and control the present, but in the faithful love and expansive wisdom of his sovereign Savior, Jesus, so his living always was more anxious than restful. 

You see, Jason didn’t need more grace. No, he needed to understand and live in light of the grace he had already been given. Jason was a grace amnesiac and so he lived like he was poor, when grace had made him exotically rich. He lived like he was weak, when grace had made him strong. He lived like life had no plan, when, in fact, he had been included in the unalterable plans of the God of redeeming grace.

(HT:  Justin Buzzard)

Dever & Wallis on Justice and the Gospel (Part 1)

Why Teenagers Are Not Excited About The Gospel

My work with teenagers has convinced me that one of the main reasons teenagers are not excited by the gospel is that they do not think they need it.  Many parents have successfully raised self-righteous little Pharisees.  When they look at themselves, they do not see a sinner in desperate need, so they are not grateful for a Savior.  Sadly, the same is true of many of their parents.  

- Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp, How People Change, p. 5

Wrap Your Mind Around The Digital Revolution

Here.

The world will never be the same.  What power.  What potential.  May we be wise.

(HT:  @AlbertMohler)

To Change The World - A Review

Bob Thune just posted a review of James Davidson Hunter's book, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World.

Here is his closing challenge:

For those who will be called to lead the church either now or in the future: it would be wise not to say or write anything about cultural engagement until you’ve read this book. Why? Because according to Hunter, Christians need to “abandon altogether talk of ‘redeeming the culture,’ ‘advancing the kingdom,’ ‘building the kingdom,’ ‘transforming the world,’ ‘reclaiming the culture,’ ‘reforming the culture,’ and ‘changing the world.’” You may end up disagreeing with Hunter on this point. But you shouldn’t do so until you’ve weighed his argument.

Read the rest.

Z Music - Blues Riff

Speaking of Keith Green... he might dig this.

I got a new piano on Craigslist for $100.  It really needs to be tuned but it feels good and looks pretty good too.  I thought I would play a little bluesy thing that I made up and have been messing around with lately.  Don't mind my kids chirping and playing Legos in the background.

The Next HUGE Hit in Kidz Praise Music

Uh...



(HT: The Scanner)

Keith Green - Anniversary of His Death

Twenty-eight years ago today Keith Green died in a plane crash. His music and message still resonate with many. I do have some theological issues with this song, but generally speaking, I love it.

If only I could rock the red, white-man afro and beard like Keith had... God would be sure to use it to explode the ministry here in Madison.

Does God Care How We Do What We Do on Sunday Morning?

Tullian Tchividjian:

During the Protestant Reformation, two views emerged regarding how Sola Scriptura ought to be understood when it comes to worship practices. Martin Luther believed we could do anything we want in worship as long as the Bible doesn’t say “no”—whatever is not prohibited is permitted. John Calvin believed we can’t do anything in worship unless the Bible says “yes”—only those elements that are appointed by God in Scripture are permissible.

Because Scripture is the all-sufficient Word of God, I believe with Calvin that everything we do in worship must be prescribed in the Bible. But the application of the regulative principle does not need to be narrow, as is often assumed. Because the Bible instructs us with its methods as much as it does its material, our scope regarding what God commands in worship is deep and wide. For instance, recognizing the various literary genres of Scripture—history, story, poetry, prophecy, epistle, and so on—should demonstrate that stylistic diversity is something God himself employs and enjoys. Therefore, shouldn’t stylistic diversity be something we celebrate in worship? In other words, God is telling us something about how to worship him by the way he communicates, not just what he communicates—both style and substance are prescriptive. Understood this way, the regulative principle allows for much more variety in worship than some have concluded.

Read the rest.

No Pain Before 24 Weeks?

Study says fetus can feel no pain before 24 weeks.

Who cares?

Why is "feeling pain" a basis on which we decide whether we can kill a human being or not?  Seems like a poor category for personhood.  For example, what about those with leprosy?  Or what if technological advance allows us to discover a fail proof way to kill toddlers without having them feel any pain.  Should we then allow parents to murder their toddlers?  Obviously this is ludicrous, but if "feeling pain" is the basis on which we decide what persons should be protected and what persons shouldn't it is actually not too mark off the mark.

This type of argumentation is a complete red herring.  THE issue with abortion is personhood.  Let's not be distracted by studies like this.

Uh... Luke Can't Fly the X-Wing Fighter While Holding That Thing

Kind of takes the mystic out of it, doesn't it?

(HT:  John Mayer)

The Essential Edwards Collection

Denny Burk:

For a limited time, Westminster Books is selling all five volumes of The Essential Edwards Collection for a 50% discount from the cover price ($44.95).  For one week, from Tuesday, July 27th through Monday, August 2nd, they will sell the books for $22.50, the equivalent of one free book relative to the current Amazon price. If you haven’t purchased the series yet, looks like now is the time to do it.

We Need To Start Doing This With Our Kids

Giving Video Series - #2 from The Summit Church on Vimeo.

Interview with Andrew Peterson

A great interview of Andrew Peterson by Robbie Sagers.

Justin Taylor links to info about his new record.

Normal Christianity

"I love Christ, therefore I love missions. Healthy churches are churches that are gripped by the urgency of the task to take the gospel to those who have not heard. Clearly, this must start in our own neighborhoods and towns, but it cannot stop there, nor should it be called “missions.” That should be called “normal Christianity.” The local church has a responsibility to look to areas of the world that are unreached and pray how they might be involved in the task." 

- Jeff Brewer

(HT:  Mark Wolter)