New Orleans Prayer Meeting

Come pray with us!

Sunday, July 29th

Simmons' House

4:00pm


Our team leaves for New Orleans this coming Wednesday, please pray for us!

Is the Roman Catholic Church the only true Church?

That shouldn't sound like anything new, that is the age old claim that the Reformers repeatedly denied, and a claim which we deny today as well. The Vatican just released a new document declaring the RCC to be the only true church, and that any church which denies the papacy is not a true church.

Dr. Al Mohler has a good post on the topic so check it out and let me know what you think.

Update for New Orleans trip

"We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom,so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." Col. 1:28-29

In two weeks our team will be in New Orleans! Please be praying for the people we will meet and ask the Lord to reveal Himself the the people there through our team.

For anyone who can and would like to- we're going to meet out in front of Walmart at 2:00 on Sunday, July 22. We're going to be getting supplies to pass out to the homeless.

Our next meeting will be at Kesha's house (let someone know if you need directions) after our Walmart adventure- we'll meet atKesha's house at 4pm that same Sunday.

Please remember that all the money due for the trip ($200) will be due on Sunday, July 29, but you can pay at any time before that.

News on the trip:

**We have a van to ride in!** Double Springs is letting us use their van- praise God!

**We need to each be getting ready to share our testimonies, so we'll talk about that at our next meeting.

FYI- I'll pass out a packing list at our next meeting.

Let me know if you have any questions,
Stephanie

New Orleans

New Orleans Meeting
Tuesday, July 10th
Johnny and Mary's House
6:00 PM

Come ready to talk about our team's plans and such! Also, if you're going with us, $50 is due by Wed, July 11th

If you're not going to New Orleans, please pray for our team and the people we will be able to minister to.

Morning and Evening: July 6th

This post from Spurgeon rings just as loud and true now, as it did when he wrote it. It is common place today to try and interpret scripture in light of our society, experiences, and agendas. We use arguments such as, "Our society is different from the society back then, so...(fill in the blank). When the authority of scripture to govern and sanctify our lives through the spirit takes a back seat to what we want or think scripture should say or mean, it is not long before as Spurgeon says, "an error in judgement becomes an error in practice". Scripture as the reformers said is, norma normans non normata, "The norm of norms which cannot be normed." Scripture is the final authority on all matters, it is above our experiences, opinions, and theological systems. Scripture is not interpreted in light of our experiences, our experiences are interpreted in light of Scripture. When Scripture is subject to our society, agendas, models, fads, or techniques it is not long before you are selling indulgences, ordaining homosexual bishops, pushing for gender neutral paraphrased bibles, changing the name of the trinity to something crazy like "Compassionate Mother, Beloved Child, Live-Giving Womb", denying the exclusive claims of Jesus, denying his substitutionary atonement for sins, adopting a righteousness obtained by works + faith. I could give example after example of problems that have been directly caused or set into motion by rejecting Scripture as the norm of all norms. This also plays out on an individual level as well. Everyone, believe it or not has a theology, something they believe about God or Jesus that shapes their view of him and which affects all aspects of their lives: worship, prayer, actions, etc. As Christians we are commanded to live by the truth, worship in truth, proclaim the truth, and to do that we first need to know the truth. We have to let the Holy Spirit through the gospel teach and shape us into the image of Christ. As a Christian, you never have it figured out, you never reach a point where you can say, "I don't need to read scripture because I have a good grasp of what it says." The gospel is the avenue through which the Spirit moves and works. The Spirit never reveals or acts contrary to scripture. The primary way the Spirit sanctifies us is through the Word(Gospel), so I urge you to read and meditate on the truths found in the Bible, because they are living and active able to teach, encourage, rebuke, and prepare you for every good work.


'Sanctify them through Thy truth.'-John 17:17

Sanctification begins in regeneration. The Spirit of God infuses into man that new living principle by which he becomes 'a new creature' in Christ Jesus. This work, which begins in the new birth, is carried on in two ways-mortification, whereby the lusts of the flesh are subdued and kept under; and vivification, by which the life which God has put within us is made to be a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. This is carried on every day in what is called 'perseverance,' by which the Christian is preserved and continued in a gracious state, and is made to abound in good works unto the praise and glory of God; and it culminates or comes to perfection, in 'glory,' when the soul, being thoroughly purged, is caught up to dwell with holy beings at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

But while the Spirit of God is thus the author of sanctification, yet there is a visible agency employed which must not be forgotten. 'Sanctify them,' said Jesus, 'through thy truth: thy word is truth.' The passages of Scripture which prove that the instrument of our sanctification is the Word of God are very many. The Spirit of God brings to our minds the precepts and doctrines of truth, and applies them with power. These are heard in the ear, and being received in the heart, they work in us to will and to do of God's good pleasure. The truth is the sanctifier, and if we do not hear or read the truth, we shall not grow in sanctification. We only progress in sound living as we progress in sound understanding. 'Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.' Do not say of any error, 'It is a mere matter of opinion.' No man indulges an error of judgment, without sooner or later tolerating an error in practice. Hold fast the truth, for by so holding the truth shall you be sanctified by the Spirit of God.

The Faithful Pastor and the Faithful Church: an interview with Mark Dever

Here is an interview with Mark Dever that is pretty good and covers a few different topics.

Mark is a pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Chruch in D.C., and is also part of the Together for the Gospel crew, and started 9 Marks ministries.

NEW ORLEANS HERE WE COME!

Wednesday, June 27th
7:00 PM
Johnny and Mary Walker's house
(let someone know if you need directions)

We're going to New Orleans on a mission trip August 1-5!! Anyone who is interested in going on the trip can and should come to this meeting. We need to nail down who's going to be going on the trip. We also need to talk about some more details and fundraising options.

If you have any questions or ideas about the trip/fundraising, bring them to the meeting on Wednesday and we'll talk about them.

If you can't make it to this meeting, leave a comment here and I'll fill you in on the details later.

See you there!

British Girl Sues for Right to Wear a Purity Ring

I ran across this article over on the New York Times about a British girl who was punished in school for wearing a "purity ring" because it violated school dress codes. The student claims that the ring is an expression of her Christian faith and that she is being discriminated against. Since when can you not wear rings to school? Anyways, if you are familiar with "True Love Waits" or in her case the organization is called "Silver Ring Thing" then you get the basic gist of why she was wearing the ring. But is that really an expression of her faith? Is the government suppressing her Christian beliefs? The article raises some interesting questions...so if you have a minute check it out:

British Girl Sues for Right to Wear Chastity Ring: New York Times

Jesus Found in a Tree

Evidently some members of a Memphis church claim to have seen Jesus in a trunk of a tree. Don't believe me? Check out the article for yourself.

UMC State of the Church

The United Methodist Church has released their annual State of the Church Report. The UMC site reports:

"The annual State of the Church Report provides a detailed look at The United Methodist Church today. It encompasses the issues and concerns on the minds of the church's members and their hopes for the denomination in the future.

The report is sponsored by the United Methodist Connectional Table as a way to:

• Encourage conversation and visioning across the church.
• Identify signs of strength and weakness in the life and ministries of the church.
• Recognize the church's heritage and work."

Interested in the data? Below is a link to the research data which I found to be pretty interesting. It's crazy how much the values and beliefs vary among clergy and laity across the different regions of the US. Check it out.

2006 UMC Quantitative Research

Cookout & Pool Party

The ladies are throwing a pool party/cookout on Wednesday night for anyone who wants to come. The party will be held at Kesha Allen's house and will last from 6:30 until whenever. Hamburgers and hotdogs will be served. Bring your swimsuit and invite a friend to come out for a good time. And in case you didn't know...these ladies know how to put on a shindig...especially when it comes to food!

Click Here for directions.

Any Questions? Contact Us.

Religion as Ice Cream

Some more sad news from the Episcopal Church. It seems now that Christianity can be mixed with other religions to find the flavor of ice cream that you like. What else would make a good flavor? Christianity and Daoism? Hey, if it works for you why not? Maybe the more toppings the better. Riddleblog article. Stand to Reason article.

Excuse my sarcasm, but I do not have the mental capacity to understand this type of thinking, and it saddens me to see the Gospel of the Living God substituted for an idol. It saddens me to see people confessing to be Christians when they do not treasure Jesus. It's not saying a prayer or reciting a few doctrines that saves a person, Jesus must be your treasure, like the parable in Matthew 13, the kingdom of God is like a man finding a treasure hidden in a field and then he sells everything to buy that field so he can have the treasure. From this article, it would be the equivalent of selling everything to buy the field but then setting up an altar and worshiping Allah, at best it’s an insult to God, at worst it treats lightly the blood of Jesus, trampling it underfoot (Heb 10), and strips from the only person worthy of worship, the glory and honor that is due Him. That might be a little dramatic, but it makes me angry, and I think it makes God angry as well.

This also applies to everyone, myself included. Jesus must be treasured, and not as a means to some other treasure such as money, power, social reasons, or heaven (that could make you think). To confess to be a Christian, yet treasure the gifts rather than the giver of all things, is a contradiction in terms. Is Jesus your treasure? Or have you replaced Jesus with worldly treasures? Eternal life is not something you bargain with, you don’t get to go to heaven in exchange for one Sunday a week, you can’t say to God, “I’ll let you forgive me of my sins if you let me still treasure this over you.” Galatians 6 says, do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for what you sow you also will reap. You can’t have it both ways.

I think as Christians we always have to examine ourselves and our lives to see if our actions line up with what we treasure. If you have replaced Jesus as your treasure with something else, repent, ask for forgiveness, and begin to treasure and praise Him who has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

The next 3M Club meeting will be this Saturday, June 16th. All of those reading Wild at Heart should finish chapters 5 and 6. A detailed agenda for Saturday's meeting is listed below.



Agenda:

5:00-6:00: Book discussion at Chance and Ian's

6:00-8:00: Go out to eat at restaurant in Shelby

8:00-10:00 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer at the theater.



Any guys of any age are welcome to come to all or part of the 3M Club meeting. If you are not reading the book feel welcome to come and sit in on the discussion anyway...otherwise meet at Chance and Ian's house at 6:00 to go out to eat. If you have any questions contact us.

Start inviting new guys to join the club!

Determinism, Chance and Freedom

Here is an excellent article by John Frame on the issue of free will and human responsibility. Frame is a brilliant reformed theologian, apologist and philosopher. Frame does a good job of presenting each side in a way that is understandable, and also does a good job (in my opinion) of pointing out the flaws in the “libertarian” view of freedom.

Determinists believe that every event (or every event in a certain category) has a cause that makes it happen exactly as it happens. Among the varieties of determinism are the views of (1) Plato, who held that one’s ethical choices are determined by his view of what is good, (2) B. F. Skinner, who believed that stimuli, dispositions and motives govern all human behavior. (3) Democritus, Hobbes, Spinoza, and many others, who have held that every event in the universe is determined by a physical cause. Of special interest to us are (4) theological determinists, who hold that all events occur exactly as God has foreordained them. These would include Calvin and others in his tradition. The classic exposition of theological determinism is Jonathan Edwards’ Freedom of the Will. Note that it is possible to be a determinist in sense (4) without being a determinist in sense (3). That seems to be the position of the Westminster Confession of Faith, which says in 3.1 that “God did… ordain whatsoever comes to pass,” but also says in 9.1 that man’s will “is neither forced, nor, by any absolute necessity of nature, determined to good, or evil” (compare 5.2).

William James, in his article “The Dilemma of Determinism,” distinguished between “hard” and “soft” determinism. On his view, soft determinists hold that all events, including human decisions, are determined, but that some kind of freedom and moral responsibility also exists. Hard determinists hold (what James thought was the more consistent position) that the determination of human decisions requires us to reject the concept of moral responsibility. Other writers, however, have used the hard/soft distinction differently, defining soft determinism as a view that is largely deterministic but that allows for some uncaused or self-caused human choices

Chance can refer (1) to uncaused events, or (2) to events of which the causes are uncertain and normally uncontrollable. When we throw dice, we often say that the result is “by chance;” but we then don’t usually mean that the result is uncaused, only that the causes are hard to ascertain or control. Laws of probability enable us to predict the results of such chance events over the long term (for example, 50% of coin flips come out tails), but not in individual cases. Chance can also be (3) a synonym of fate, conceived as an impersonal force that makes everything happen as it happens. In the first sense, chance is incompatible with determinism. In the second sense, it is compatible with determinism. In the third sense, it presupposes determinism.

Freedom is a more complicated notion. Generally speaking, a person is free when (1) he has the ability to do something, (2) there is some obstacle or barrier that might have prevented him from exercising that ability but is not now preventing him. Someone is “set free” from prison, for example, when he can go where he likes without the barriers of prison walls, bars, guards, etc. People have political freedom when they are able publish political opinions, organize political parties, etc., without government interference. So freedom is always “freedom to” and “freedom from:” freedom to do something, and freedom from some obstacle.

On this account, there are many different kinds of freedom, since there are many different things we can be free to do, and many obstacles we can be free from. So we speak of economic freedom, political freedom, religious freedom, freedom from illness, and many others.

The following kinds of freedom are of particular interest to theologians and apologists: (1) Moral freedom, or the ability to do good, despite the barrier of our sinful condition. God gives us this freedom by his grace (John 8:32-36, Rom. 6:7, 18-23, 8:2). When Scripture speaks of human freedom, it is almost always in this sense.

(2) The freedom to act according to our own desires. This kind of freedom is sometimes called compatibilism, because it is compatible with determinism. Scripture doesn’t describe this capacity as “freedom,” but it does ascribe this capacity to all human beings. Jesus teaches, for example, that the good person acts out of the desires of his good heart, the wicked person out of his wicked heart (Matt. 12:35). There are times, of course, when we are unable to do what we “want” to do, at some level of wanting (as Rom. 7:15). But in most of the decisions of life, we do what we want, in the face of potential obstacles.

(3) Freedom from natural necessity, the freedom to act without the constraint of natural causes. This is the freedom mentioned in my earlier reference to the Westminster Confession. Its theological importance is its implication that human choice is not necessarily or always the result of natural causes. As image of God, we have dominion over the earth and in some ways transcend the world process. And we may not excuse our sins by saying that they were forced upon us by heredity or environment.

(4) Freedom from all causation, sometimes called libertarianism. I have freedom in the libertarian sense when, no matter what I choose to do, I might equally have chosen the opposite. So my choices are not only free from natural causes (as in (3)) but also from divine causation. Indeed, my libertarian choices are also free from myself in a way, for they are not determined by my character, dispositions, or desires. These inner motives may influence a free decision in this sense, but they never determine it. So a libertarian free decision is entirely indeterminate, uncaused. Thus libertarianism is sometimes called incompatibilism, since it is incompatible with determinism.

Libertarianism has been taught by a number of philosophers from ancient Greece (Epicurus) to the present (Alvin Plantinga). It was the position of some church Fathers including Justin Martyr and Tertullian, Pelagius, the opponent of Augustine, the Jesuit Luis Molina, Fausto and Lelio Socinus, Jacob Arminius, and present-day Arminians, open theists and process theologians.
Libertarians argue that we must have this kind of freedom because (1) our intuition reveals that we have it, and (2) it is necessary for moral responsibility, for we cannot be held responsible for anything we are determined to do.

Opponents of libertarianism, however, reply that (1) Human intuition reveals that we choose among various alternatives, but it never reveals to us that any of our choices are absolutely uncaused. Intuition cannot prove a universal negative. (2) Far from teaching that libertarian freedom is essential to moral responsibility, Scripture never mentions libertarian freedom. (3) This doctrine would make it impossible for us to judge anyone’s guilt in a court of law. For to prove someone responsible for a crime and therefore guilty, the prosecution would have to take on the impossible burden of proof of showing that the decision of the accused had no cause whatsoever. (4) Law courts, indeed, assume the opposite of libertarianism, namely that people are responsible only for actions that they are sufficiently motivated to perform. If it could be shown that an accused person committed a crime without any sufficient cause or motivation at all he would most likely be judged insane rather than guilty. (5) Scripture contradicts libertarianism, by ascribing divine causes to human decisions (Exod. 34:24, Is. 44:28, Dan. 1:9, John 19:24, Acts 13:48, 16:14), even sinful ones (Gen. 45:5-8, Ps. 105:24, Luke 22:22, Acts 2:23-24, 3:18, 4:27-28, Rom. 9:17). In none of these (or many other) cases does divine causation eliminate human responsibility. In fact, these texts often mention human responsibility in the same context. (6) Scripture also contradicts libertarianism by teaching that human decisions are governed by the heart (Luke 6:45), and by teaching that the human heart itself is under God’s control (Ps. 33:15, Prov. 21:1). (7) In Scripture, the basis of human responsibility is not libertarian freedom, but (a) God’s sovereign right to evaluate the conduct of his creatures (Rom. 9:19-21), and (b) the knowledge (Luke 12:47-48, Rom. 1:18-32) and resources (Matt. 25:14-29) God has given to each person. (b) shows that in Scripture there is an important relation between responsibility and ability, but the abilities in view here do not include the absolute ability to choose opposite courses of action.

These considerations lead to the conclusion that the Bible teaches theistic determinism, one that is “soft” in James’s sense. Scripture renounces chance in the first and third senses above, but not in the second. And it teaches that human beings sometimes have moral freedom, usually have compatibilist freedom, never have libertarian freedom. Scripture may imply that we have freedom from natural causation as well. Certainly it doesn’t deny that, but I don’t know of any passage that clearly affirms it.

The Foundation @ DSBC Sunday

We will be leading the worship service over at Double Springs Baptist Church this Sunday(10th) at 10:50am. Justin Webb will be preaching and Jonny's House will be playing in full force. Aaron and the gang will be doing some remixes of good hymns which will definitely rock as well as a couple new songs...so don't miss out.

If you need directions to DSBC click here.
If you have questions contact us.