Politically Incorrect Guide To Politics

John Stossel lays out a convincing case against government intervention by showing why we should not expect our politicians to keep their promises, and also how their attempt at keeping their promises usually backfire on us.




Parts 2-6 can be found at the Campaign for Liberty website.

Bulls & Bears

I thought that these videos of Peter Schiff were sort of funny (in a sad way). Peter Schiff was the economic advisor for Ron Paul and both of them were laughed at and ridiculed by the "experts" for their gloomy predictions about the "invincible" American economy.

Some of these videos of Peter Schiff go back to 2006 and you would think that he was actually able to go to the future and then come back and report what he saw. I mean everything that he said would happen, as far as I can tell, has happened and everybody thought that he was Chicken Little just running around screaming "The sky is falling".








8/28/2006 - Peter Schiff Predicts the US Economic Collapse with Unbelievable Accuracy

Peter Schiff vs Steve Forbes - Part 1

Peter Schiff vs Steve Forbes - Part 2

"From the same mouth come blessing and cursing."

I have to admit that this describes me pretty well on some Sunday's.

James 3

Baptism Resources

After a long summer blog hiatus we are back in action with a new format for some of our Wednesday night meetings. This week we have chosen to host a discussion on Baptism and as a result everyone (hopefully) in the group who will do some research on the topic and check out some of the resources listed below so that each person will be able to add something valuable to the discussion. Since we have readers of our blog who aren't able to join us in our meetings we hope that you can refer back to these blog posts when confronted with the topic. If you can't make it to meeting you can also share your views or ask questions on the topic in the comment section. Also feel free to post any relevant resources you may know of as a comment.

Baptism Resources

Audio

Doctrine of Baptism in and Filling with the Holy Spirit mp3
Wayne Grudem

The Case for Infant Baptism
Gregg Strawbridge

The Case for Believer's Baptism
Tom Schreiner



Text

Wikipedia Article

BAPTISM
THIS RITE EXHIBITS UNION WITH CHRIST
by J. I. Packer

The Evangelical Doctrine of Baptism
John Stott (pdf)

United Methodist Church- Baptism Overview

Southern Baptist Convention & IMB- Baptism Overview




Compiled List of Other Resources

Credobaptism- Believer's Baptism

Paedobaptism- Covenant Infant Baptism

What is thy only comfort in life and death?

The following is taken from the first question in the Heidelberg Catechism.

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

As a door turns on its hinges, so does the lazy man on his bed

Laziness in todays society is often celebrated, even encouraged. Most of us can think of times when overachieving is discouraged and underachieving rewarded. I can think back to some of my engineering classes where everyone was discouraged from scoring well on a test for fear that we would mess up the "curve" for the rest. (and this is from the people who will be responsible for building our bridges, cars, power plants, etc.)

The Bible knows nothing of this glorification of laziness, in fact it speaks clearly about it being a sin as well as being shameful. Douglas Wilson over at Blog and Mablog has written a good post of this topic.

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We will find no real help in looking at the Hebrew word for lazy man, or sluggard. It means . . . well, it means lazy man or sluggard. Some things are so universal that they translate well into any language; we all understand what a shirker is. It would simplistic to say that poverty is always caused by laziness, period, as some believe. But it is equally simplistic to say that no poverty is caused by laziness -- as a number of others believe. The linkage we have in our minds between laziness and poverty is one that the Scriptures helped to create. How many times in Scripture do we find the two mentioned together in one breath?

But the Bible does not just say that laziness is an engine of poverty. There are other aspects of this sin. First, laziness is shameful. However common it might be, the Bible teaches that laziness remains a disgrace. "He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son; he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame" (Prov. 10:4-5). As a sin which brings shame, we should consider well some of its identifying characteristics. As we learn, we should remember that laziness has an obvious alternative. "Go to the ant, you sluggard! . . . " (Prov. 6:6-11). If we put these two truths together, we see that at least some poverty is shameful -- precisely because it was brought about by sinful choices. When the judgment is accurate, this is not "blaming the victim," but rather blaming the perpetrator. This does not mean that the honest, working poor are to be blamed -- the Scriptures never do that. But from the frequency of the warnings in Proverbs on the subject, we may conclude that a significant percentage of the poor are in that condition because of their own poor work ethic. So, for those in that condition, they ought to be ashamed. But instead, in our culture we try to shame the person who was inept enough to point out the obvious. Lazy bums don't have to feel ashamed. But you must feel ashamed if you use the phrase lazy bum.

But Proverbs won't give up this point. Laziness has no follow through. A lazy man may have bursts of activity, and he may even get something done during one of them. But he does not maintain; he does not persevere. "The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man's precious possession" (Prov. 12:27). Sometimes the lack of follow-through is extraordinary—a very simple thing could be done to bring a project to completion, but he does not do it. "A lazy man buries his hand in the bowl, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again. Strike a scoffer, and the simple will become wary; rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge" (Prov. 19:24-25). The solution to laziness is seen in this passage as well—the lazy must be permitted to eat their own cooking (or not, as the case may be). As St. Paul put it, a man not willing to work shouldn't eat.

Laziness if full to the brim of excuses. "The lazy man says, There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!" (Prov. 22:13). Sometimes the excuses are unreasonable—the ancient Hebrew equivalent of "the dog ate my homework," or "aliens kidnapped me . . . what year is it?" Other times the excuses may seem more plausible and hence reasonable, but the results are still the same. "The lazy man will not plow because of winter; he will beg during harvest and have nothing" (Prov. 20:4).

Laziness is full of "wisdom." "In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty. The crown of the wise is their riches, but the foolishness of fools is folly" (Prov. 14:23-24). The lazy man wears his foolish talk like a crown. He may be full of proverbial wisdom concerning work, but his wisdom is like the legs of a lame man (Prov. 26:7).

"The lazy man says, 'There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!' As a door turns on its hinges, so does the lazy man on his bed. The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly" (Prov. 26:13-17). Even though the lifestyle is ludicrous, and the folly is apparent to all around, the lazy man has it all figured out. He has more wisdom (in his own eyes) than seven wise men.

Not surprisingly, laziness is an irritation to others. "As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy man to those who send him" (Prov. 10:26). This is not surprising. If one of them is lazy, two men will have very different ideas of what constitutes diligence.

Laziness, like many other things in the world, compounds with interest. "Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger" (Prov. 19:15). "The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich" (Prov. 13:4). Laziness is not rest; it does not prepare for work. It only prepares for more laziness. The laziness grows, along with frustrated desire. Unwillingness to work for something is not the same thing as a willingness to not have it.

Laziness provokes hastiness and deceit. "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty. Getting treasures by a lying tongue is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death" (Prov. 21:5-6).It is a set up for boneheadedness and lies.

For a man who loves the easy way, laziness is hard to explain, because laziness is hard. "The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, but the way of the upright is a highway" (Prov. 15:19). Proverbs teaches us that laziness is counterproductive; it does not accomplish its desired end. "The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor" (Prov. 12:24).

And last, laziness is an object lesson, one to be pointed out to your boys. "I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding . . ." (Prov. 24:30). If we are not allowed to talk about it, we cannot teach our sons. And so it must be noted that, at a certain level, laziness is a public event and not a private matter.

Walt Rumfelt Testimony

We had the privilege of having Walt Rumfelt share his testimony with us last Wednesday night and now have that recording available for download here. Walt was a longtime athletic trainer at Crest High School and recently became terribly ill with an unknown infection after returning from a mission trip to Nepal. Walt spent a couple weeks in the Baptist Hospital and is now home recovering and regaining strength daily. His testimony is a powerful example of the results of prayer, faith, and a divine work of our Lord. His testimony is encouraging for those in the toughest of times and a simple reminder that our God is always with us. Be sure to listen to the testimony, share it with others, and keep updated with Walt's story on his website.

Foundation Box Update-James Series

The Foundation Box has been updated with study notes from our current James Series. Feel free to download and share.

Jesus and Navy Seals

Here is an amazing story of a Navy Seal laying down his life to save his fellow soldiers by taking the full force of a grenade blast. Faced with the decision to save his life by escaping before the explosion, he chose instead to sacrifice his own life for the sake of the other Seals. It truly is a heroic act and is one I don't think many would make.

Now try to picture that Navy Seal jumping on the grenade for an enemy, it would be unheard of! It is very rare that someone would die for their friends much less his enemies.

But this is what Christians believed happened in the Gospel. We believe that Jesus Christ the God/Man entered into space and time and gave himself up for his enemies. There was nothing in us that could have drove Christ to do this, we were hostile to God deserving nothing, it is only by grace that he would die for his enemies. I was an enemy of God, and Christ took upon himself the punishment that was rightly mine. This love, this grace, is unheard of, who would die for their enemies? But this is the glorious truth that Paul echos in Romans chapter 5.

6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11)

One of the main purposes and results from this act, is that we as enemies would be reconciled to God through Jesus. We would no longer be considered enemies of God deserving wrath but that God would look upon us as friends and we would receive adoption as sons because of what Christ has done.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/08/seal.medal/index.html

For God so loved the world

I was reading in a book by D.A. Carson the other day and he was talking about God’s salvific stance toward his fallen world. He was explaining John 3:16 and I don’t remember if this was the first time I had heard it explained like this or if I just forgot, but it sort of stood out to me.

He explained that “world” in John does not so much refer to bigness as to badness. Quoting Carson,

“In John’s vocabulary, “world” is primarily the moral order in willful and culpable rebellion against God. In John 3:16 God’s love in sending the Lord Jesus is to be admired not because it is extended to so big a thing as the world, but to so bad a thing; not to so many people, as to such wicked people. Nevertheless elsewhere John can speak of "the whole” (1 John 2:2), thus bringing bigness and badness together. More importantly, in Johannine theology the disciples themselves once belonged to the world but were drawn out of it(e.g., John 15:19). On this axis, God's love for the world cannot be collapsed into his love for the elect.

The same lesson is learned from many passages and themes in Scripture. However much God stands in judgment over the world, he also presents himself as the God who invites and commands all human beings to repent. He orders his people to carry the Gospel to the farthest corner of the world, proclaiming it to men and women everywhere. To rebels the sovereign Lord calls out,

As surely as I live ... I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil
ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel? - Ezek. 33:11

Every time I have heard or seen John 3:16 referred to it is always in the context of such a big a thing as the world instead of such a wicked thing as the world. That adds a whole other dimension. What you think? Am I the only one who has missed that?

Passion Week on Google Earth

I found this over at the Between Two Worlds blog. It uses Google Earth to map out the major events that occurred during Passion or Holy Week. It also references the Biblical passages and has short descriptions as well.



View Larger Map

It is almost incomprehensible that our Lord and Savior, through whom all things were created, would humble himself to the point that he would step into time and space and be made like his brothers in order that he might taste death for us.

As believers we can rest in the fact that we have a more perfect sacrifice than the blood of bulls and goats. Our substitute was in every way made like us, yet was without sin, perfectly qualified and able to represent us. His blood is of infinite worth able to ransom sinners from an infinite debt. Our substitute perfectly and fully exhausted the wrath of Father on our behalf.

We can also rest in the fact that we have a more perfect High Priest. As High Priest of his own sacrifice, Jesus entered “once and for all” into the true Most Holy Place, not a copy. He entered into the presence of God himself by his own blood to make atonement for the sins many. And just like the High Priest returning from the Holy of Holies was a sign to Israel that God had accepted the sacrifice, the return of our High Priest from the “true Holy of Holies”, otherwise known as the resurrection, is proof that God has accepted the sacrifice of his son on our behalf. It is proof that our debt has been paid in full and that we have been reconciled to God and can draw near to God with a clear conscience and full assurance of faith because of the work of our sin-bearing substitute.

"19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb 10:19-25)

Unlike the High Priest in the old covenant whose priesthood was temporary because of death, our Great High Priest was appointed to office by an oath of God himself, and since he lives forever, “he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb 7:25)

22This makes Jesus the guarantor of^(S) a better covenant. (Heb 7:22)

"to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:21)

Life After, Life After Death

I ran across this interview with N.T. Wright, who in my opinion is one of the best New Testament scholars on the planet and an outstanding author. In this interview on his new book, Suprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, Wright offers insight into some of the concepts discussed in the book. I found his thoughts on a "two-stage postmortem reality" to be especially interesting. Check out what N.T. had to say about life after death:

I put it this way for my audiences: "there is life after life after death." People are very puzzled by that, so I begin to explain it to them. There's life after death. That was Jesus between Good Friday and Easter. He was dead, but he was in whatever life after death is—in paradise without his resurrected body. But that wasn't his final destination. Here I introduce the idea of a two-stage postmortem reality. Most Western Christians have only heard about a two-stage postmortem reality in the Catholic idea of purgatory. That's wrong! A person goes to heaven first and then to the new heavens and new earth. People stare at you like you've just invented some odd heresy, but sorry—this is what the New Testament teaches. The New Testament doesn't have much to say about what happens to people immediately after they die. It's much more interested in the anticipation of the ultimate new world within this one. If you concentrate on preaching life after death, you devalue the present world. Life after life after death, however, reaffirms the value of this present world.

(Be sure to read the rest of the interview when you have time, and think about purchasing the book if you are interested in learning more about the Resurrection and Heaven.)

So what do yall think about these comments? Is it just me or has anyone else read this verse and wondered, "well, what is happening to these dead people until Christ comes back?" Then you flip over to this verse and realize that Jesus told the criminal that he would be with him in paradise that "same day". So what are we to make of these seemingly contrasting verses? Any thoughts? What about Wright's comments?

Can My Church Change?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Many of you have struggled deeply with this question because you are in leadership at the church where you serve. You realize that your church needs to change, and not just any change (like adding a contemporary service, or getting a full-time youth minister) but a major change. A change that not only will require a complete restructuring of the the leadership in your church, as well as the programs you offer, but a change that goes much deeper than that. Your church needs a change of heart. A change that occurs inside the hearts of every member in the church. A change that won't happen by adding an electric guitar and a LCD projector to a morning service and calling it contemporary worship...no, the type of change we need in some of our churches can only come from God. This type of change is much more than an a big transition. Can this type of change even happen?


I believe it can! I was truly inspired by this article, which is the story of Orchard Valley Community Church. It's a story of a pastor and his personal struggles with the change that needed to happen and ultimately the renewing of a whole church body. It's a story that will give hope to any pastor, leader or member that struggles with the feelings of change.

Sharpe Curve Ahead: Scott Hodge

Moses on Drugs? Was He 'High on the Mountain'?

One researcher seems to think so. Israeli researcher Benny Shanon claims that Moses was on psychedelic drugs when God spoke to him concerning the 10 Commandments. Supposedly these mind altering substances were common among early Israelites during biblical times. This theory would explain the "burning bush" incident and furthers the point that Moses evidently was a junkie. Shanon himself admits to having piddled around with such substances, so evidently the question shouldn't be "What was Moses Smoking?" but rather, "What in the heck is Shanon smoking?"


Read the article here.

How Do You Interpret Scripture? The Hermeneutics Quiz

Have you ever read or heard someone use the word Hermeneutics? Probably not, and yeah....I know, who cares about all those big-fancy Bible Professor words anyway? Well I think this is one word we should at the least be aware of, especially in how it relates to our own study of the Bible even if we never use the word hermeneutics again. In short, Hermeneutics refers to the process of scriptural interpretation. What does that mean to you? Everyone of us who read the Bible interpret it in some form or fashion. Do you read it literally? Do you read it for the major truths? Do you read it as God's infallible, inerrant word, or is it God's inspired word that needs interpretation and contextualization for today? Do you interpret some passages like those on homosexuality as having a literal meaning that is applicable for today or do you read passages like 1 Timothy regarding women as not being need in today's Church?


Well the good people over at Leadership Journal have created a Hermeneutics Quiz that you can take here. (Once you read a little about the quiz click- Take the Hermeneutics Quiz and then click- Take Assessment.)


Let us know what you scored, and what you think about your results. I scored a 52 which labels me as a Conservative Hermeneutic (borderline Moderate). I'm down with that...what are you?