Our Greatest Need

According to Thabiti Anyabwile:

The greatest need in the world today is the gospel.  It is the greatest need of the world because men, women, and children are perishing without a vital knowledge of God through the good news of our Savior and his Son, Jesus. [I would also add, that the gospel is our greatest need because it is the solution to our greatest problem: sin]

The greatest need in the church today is the gospel. The gospel is not only news for a perishing world, it is the message that forms, sustains, and animates the church. Apart from the gospel, the church has nothing to say - that is, nothing to say that cannot be said by some other human agency. The gospel distinguishes the church from the world, defines her message and mission in the world, and steels her people against the fiery darts of the evil one and the false allurements of sin. The gospel is absolutely vital to a vibrant, joyous, persevering, hopeful, and healthy Christian and Christian church. So essential is the gospel to the Christian life that we need to be saturated in it in order to be healthy church members.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is literally "good news." As news it contains statements of fact and truths derived from those facts. As good news the gospel holds out hope based upon promises of God and grounded in the historical facts and truths that vindicate those promises.

The gospel or good news of Jesus Christ is that God the Father, who is holy and righteous in all his ways, is angry with sinners and will punish sin. Man, who disobeys the rule of God, is alienated from the love of God and is in danger of an eternal and agonizing condemnation at the hands of God. But God, who is also rich in mercy, because of his great love, sent his eternal Son born by the Virgin Mary, to die as a ransom and a substitute for the sins of rebellious people. And now, through the perfect obedience of the Son of God and his willing death on the cross as payment for our sins, all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ, following him as Savior and Lord, will be saved from the wrath of God to come, be declared just in his sight, have eternal life, and receive the Spirit of God as a foretaste of the glories of heaven with God himself.

We must cultivate and protect a ravenous desire for this message. Regularly hearing and plumbing the depths of the gospel increases our knowledge of the message, our affection for the Savior, and our skill in sharing the message.

As church members, our aim is to understand the gospel so deeply, so intimately, that it animates every area of our lives. We want the gospel central to our communication with others, central to how we encourage and correct, central to individual career and relationship decisions, central to the decisions the church makes corporately, and central to all our habits of life. We want the gospel, the God of the gospel, to take priority in every area of life.

This discourse about the Gospel is taken from Thabiti's book, What is a Healthy Church Member. This book is short and concise, but the content is so important for the church today. As D. A. Carson stated, this book "is simultaneously simple and profound." I believe this book should be required reading for every Christian. I would recommend this book for every new members' class. If you church doesn't have a new members' class, then your church members probably need this book even more than the average church member.

If you don't have this book, then you can order it from amazon by clicking here.  

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Galatians 3:1-14 - Three Purposes of Justification (Part 1)

It was another convicting Sunday at Remedy Church. As always, you can subscribe to the sermon podcast on iTunes by searching for Remedy Church or you can visit the website and look under media for a link. 

This is the first of a two-part sermon.  Galatians 3:1-14 contains three purposes of justification. This week, phud only covered the first purpose, which is found in verses 1-5. The first purpose of justification is so that we can receive and live by the Spirit. After initially showing how this first point is evident in these five verses, he then examined some key sections of John 14-16, in order to teach us what is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Here are my notes:

1) Justification is so we can receive the Spirit and live by the Spirit (3:1-5) 

• Remember, the second and third purposes won’t be covered this week
  
• These verses contain five rhetorical questions filled with sarcasm and rebuke
  
• These rhetorical questions prove that Paul is absolutely right regarding justification by faith alone and the Judaizers are completely wrong
  
• Paul is using the personal experience of the Galatians to prove his argument
  
• You do not receive the Holy Spirit until after Justification; so, he asks them when they received the Holy Spirit (brilliant strategy)
  
• It is understood by all Christians at this time, because it was the teaching of the Apostles, that you receive the Holy Spirit after and because you are justified.
  

What is the ministry of the Holy Spirit?

There are 7 primary ministries found in John 14-16

1. He will teach us all things and will guide us into all truth (14:26a; 16:13)

• These two go hand in hand
  
• Everything the Holy Spirit teaches us is true
  
• We have the greatest commentator of the Bible living within us; which would seem to indicate that if you can’t seem to understand the Bible very well, then you either aren’t actually putting in effort to study it or you are not a Christian
  
• Doctrine of perspicuity – we can understand Scripture
  

2. He will bring to remembrance what Jesus said in his Word (14:26b)

• This was first to the biblical authors and the Apostles, regarding Jesus’ ministry and teachings
  
• This is also true for us regarding Scripture (apply to the tasks of evangelism and the mortification of sin)
  

3. He will bear witness about Jesus (15:26)

• This means that the Holy Spirit bears witness through me (because he lives in me) and into the ears of those he is calling
  
• Application for preaching and other evangelism (because, yes, preaching is evangelism)
  

4. He will convict the world concerning sin (16:7-8)

• In this ministry, He is a counselor in the sense of a prosecuting attorney
  
• He points to our guilt, makes our sin known, ad leads us to repentance
  
• No conviction means the Holy Spirit is not present; no Holy Spirit means you haven’t been justified; no justification means you are still the object of God’s wrath (conviction suddenly seems more appealing, doesn’t it)
  

5. He only speaks what Jesus tells him to (16:13)

• As part of the triune God, he know the mind of the Father and Son fully
  
• He never communicates anything new or original; He never contradicts previous revelation
  

6. He will declare the things that are to come (16:13c)

• True of the biblical authors (especially John)
  
• For us, this primarily indicates that He will show us the whole Christian way; guide our steps
  
• He also makes eschatology discernable
  

7. He will glorify Jesus; He always points to Jesus (16:14)

• His ministry is based on nothing else but the completed work of Christ
  
• This means our worship, our life, and our ministry is radically Christ-centered
  
• The Holy Spirit exists for the same reason as the rest of the Trinity and all of creation: to glorify God (particularly Christ)
  

IMPLICATIONS

• An unbeliever trying to find purpose in his life is like a baby trying to grab hold of a wet bar of soap; we can only find purpose in Christ, and he has to make that happen

• For a believer, we can see 3 characteristics that should be present – 3x in Acts that someone is said to be full of the Holy Spirit
  

1. Service (choosing deacons in Acts 6:5)

2. Suffering (Stephen being martyred in Acts 7:55)

3. Conversions occurring around you (describing Barnabas in Acts )

• These things should will characterize you (your life and ministry) if you are full of and living by the Spirit
  

Endnote: It is better for us to have the Holy Spirit in us than it would be for us to have Christ with us

• John 16:5-7
  
• Peter and the other disciples (excluding the non-regenerate one, Judas) lived bolder and holier lives with the Holy Spirit in them than they did when they were ministering alongside Jesus Christ
  

PRAISE GOD for this mighty comforter, counselor, teacher, and guide.

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Time Well Spent, Or Not?

This is a sobering quote from Shaun Groves:

On your first day on the other side of the grave, do you think you’ll look back on this life and be flooded with gratitude for hours spent watching episodes of American Idol and Lost? Do you think you’ll look back fondly on the effort and money spent remodeling the kitchen? Do you think you’ll be glad you were up-to-date on the juicy details of celebrity lives? Will you be thankful for the hours, days, weeks, years you lived feeling victimized and sorry for yourself? Will you regret not spending more time at the office? Will you wish you had been more of a people pleaser? Will you miss your caffeine, porn or Facebook?

Me neither

I think that most of us should be convicted by this statement. If you’re not, then I either need to share the gospel with you or be discipled by you. Also, I found it interesting that he put Facebook and caffeine in the same category as porn. 

Tim Challies also has a good post that deals with our television consumption, primarily regarding retirees. 

Joseph Gleason has also recently posted about "ditching your television." Here is a brief excerpt:

Television works in much the same way [as breathing Carbon Monoxide]. It doesn't necessarily hurt you directly. You can watch nothing but "Little House on the Prairie" and "Leave it to Beaver" and go months without seeing sex or violence. So how could TV be bad?

The real question is, "What else could I do with my time if I wasn't sitting in front of the TV?" We only have 24 hours in a day. And two hours spent watching TV equals two hours spent not reading, not hiking, not having a conversation with neighbors, not romping with the children, not baking a cake, not playing a musical instrument and not making love to your spouse.

If you're like me, then this is the point at which you begin making excuses for yourself. Go ahead. 

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Going My Own Way

A couple of weeks ago on the Whitehorse Inn, Michael Horton stated, "If you think that you have the right to live however you want to live and believe whatever you want to believe, then you are not a Christian." I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Christianity is about dying to self, which includes your rights, plans, and beliefs. In order for there to be new birth, the old me has to be put to death. Being a Christian means being born AGAIN.

Within the Christian Church, there is a never-ending debate regarding deeds versus creeds. What is more important, practice or theology? Horton's statement addresses both sides of this coin. In truth, both sides are necessary and essential; however, the point of Horton's statement is that both sides must be brought into submission to authority. We must submit our way of living and believing to the authority of God, who has revealed himself in the Bible, and the leadership of our local church (although the authority of the church is only a derived authority).

In today's culture, the idea of submitting ourselves to any authority is unappealing. Sermons discussing submission to church authority or wives submitting to husbands are never popular and rarely heard at any of the mega churches. For instance, you will never hear Joel Osteen preach about church discipline, except maybe in opposite world.  In fact, few churches even practice church discipline anymore, which is an indication that the church leaders care more about being liked by the congregation than they do about loving and shepherding the congregation.

The ideas of "going my own way" or "choosing my own path" cannot coexist with Christianity. As Christians, we are a chosen people, a body, and a family. This is true of the global church, and also has application on the local church level. God never intended for a Christian to be a loner, which means that we must submit to those in authority over us. This is true in a family: children are under the authority and guidance of the parents, with the husband as the head. This is true in any form of national government: citizens must obey the laws created by whatever authority is in place. Why do we think the church should be different from the rest of God's created order? In fact, God is the one who created authority.

Furthermore, a wise man will not only accept, but embrace this authority and guidance. I need to daily look to the Scriptures as my guide for what to believe and how to live. I also need to look to the Christian leaders, especially the appointed leadership of my local church (elders/pastors), for guidance. The bottom line is that God obviously knows what I should believe and how I should live; he created me and everything else. God knows what is true; he is the standard for truth. It would be stupid for me to think that I don't need to study the Scriptures to determine my theology and practice.

Also, there are many men who are much wiser and have studied more than me. They can help me to understand what the Bible says to be true in the areas of both theology and practice. Why do you think seminary students read books written by much older and wiser men? I've yet to have a seminary professor assign a book written by myself or one of my classmates.

The idea that I am the best judge and authority for what is true and right is one of the most damaging lies that Satan has ever told. It is sad and frustrating that so many professing Christians believe this lie, especially when they could believe and live according to the truth of Scripture. We have got to stop following the lead of people like Oprah and Deepak Chopra. Any spiritual guide who tells you that you should be your own spiritual authority is an instrument of Satan. Anybody who claims there are multiple paths you can take to get to God or enlightenment is a tool of Satan. Anyone who points you to anyone other than (or in addition to) Christ is wrong, and is being used as a pawn by Satan.

The authority for the life and belief of a Christian is the triune God, as revealed in Scripture, as conveyed in a heritage, as made real in experience; both corporate and personal (the order is crucial). This order of authority lists itself out in this way: at the top is God, then the Bible, Christian heritage, the local Church, and at the bottom is the individual.

(1) God is the ultimate authority.

(2) We know about God, because he chose to reveal himself to mankind through his Words: the spoken Word to the prophets, the living Word in the person of Jesus Christ, and the written Word of Scripture. Practically, for the church today, this means we look to the Bible as the recorded revelation of the prophets, Jesus, and Scripture.

(3) We look to the Godly heritage of those men who have come before us. This means that we believe that there is something to be learned from great Christian leaders throughout church history.

(4) The authority of corporate experience means that we seek guidance form our local church, primarily the elders/pastors.

(5) Finally, we look to our own experience and opinions. Notice that our own expertise comes last in the line of authority. This is because we are all idiots, at least some of the time, if not most of the time. As Matt Chandler has stated, we all look back at ourselves from ten years ago, and think that we were dumb.  Why do we think that we will draw different conclusions of our current selves ten years from now?

In conclusion, authority is from God. It is a means of grace for the believer. Structured authority is for God’s glory and our benefit. Trying to “go your own way” is walking down the path of destruction. God may allow you to proceed down that path, but you probably won’t like where it leads.

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Do your Christian friends drink? Should they?

If you enjoy laughing, then check out this post discussing how to find out if another Christian drinks or not.  If you don't enjoy laughing, then I have nothing else to say to you. Seriously. Stop reading, turn off your computer, and go into the other room.

Now, for those of you who enjoy laughing, here are a few quotes from the post.  I would have just copied the entire post and pretended that it was mine, but that would have been dishonest (and it is too long).

I don't have all the right answers. I wish I did, because I would grind them up and make a spray called "Cool Answer Cologne." Then when your friend was confused about something you could just squirt them in the face until they understood.

 

There are people that will leg drop you if they find out you drink. People that will say things like, "I really think all the bad things that happened to you are God punishing you for starting to drink wine." (Real quote from a friend)

 

One of my favorite places on the planet is the Garage Cafe & Bar in Birmingham, Alabama. Tell a story about a place you've visited and see if the first reaction is, "A bar? You went to a bar? Do you think you'll get a fold out couch bed in hell or a bunk bed when you go?"

I thought I would try to use this as an opportunity to invite discussion about drinking as a Christian. If I drink a few beers or a glass of wine, do I have a cot reserved for me in Hell, or am I just joining the Apostle Paul at the bar? 

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What can the Church learn from Dunkin Donuts?

What can we learn from Dunkin Donuts? Michael Kelley thinks we can learn alot, and I agree with him. Here is his intro paragraph and two concluding paragraphs.

Dunkin Donuts is creaming Starbucks right now. Dunkin won the taste test, it’s 3 times cheaper, and the company is actually expanding whereas Starbucks is closing stores every day. Dunkin is about to roll out a $100 million marketing campaign to trumpet the results of the taste test and try and put the dagger into the heart of Seattle. Some people are saying that Starbucks has seen its better days, and that this is just the beginning of the downhill slide.

Seems like there’s a lesson in there for us as Christ-followers somewhere. Now hear me say this - I’m all for contextualizing the gospel. But I’m also for simply proclaiming what we have to “sell” rather than trying too hard at it.

And you know what else? The thing that we have? It actually tastes good. Maybe the problem is that we don’t really believe the gospel tastes good. We don’t believe it tastes good, so we feel the need to pile alot of stuff ontop of it to make it more palpable. Maybe if we really believed it tasted good, we would have the courage to let it speak for itself, like Dunkin did, rather than trying to help out the product so much.

Read the entire post HERE.

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A Break from Galatians

This past Sunday, at Remedy Church, Phud (the teaching pastor) detoured from the book of Galatians to continue discussing the doctrine of Justification.  I don't think it is possible to overstate or spend too much time on this doctrine. Therefore, I stayed in my seat and listened to the Word preached.  

He preached Luke 7:36-50 and identified five correct responses to a proper understanding of Justification.  Here is the outline:

----- 5 Responses to Justification (Luke 7:36-50) -----

1) A believer who understands God's forgiveness loves "sinners" (37-39)

• If you understand forgiveness and justification, then you know that you were, and still are, a dirty, rotten sinner
• A proper response is that we will want to be around nonbelievers (1 Cor. 9:19-23)
• We are all sinners; Christ loved sinners

2) A believer who understands God's forgiveness stops trying to repay God for being forgiven (41-43) 

• We could not earn salvation, we cannot repay justification, and it is an insult to God when we try to do either
• We must accept the free gift of forgiveness 
• A  response of obedience out of gratitude is different than trying to earn or repay
• The proper response isn't repayment, but worship

3) A believer who understands God's forgiveness will become a servant (44-46)

• The opposite of selfishness
• This applicable to every area of our lives
• A proper response is giving our time, money, and everything else to Christ and Christlike service of others

4) A believer who understands God's forgiveness will love God much (47)

• Compare the Pharisee and the Prostitute
• We are all the 500; there is no 50
• There aren't good, average, and bad men; Christ is the one good man, and the rest of us are bad
• We are all Gomer, and Christ is our Hosea
• If you don't understand the depth/extent of your sin, then you won't have a proper affection for Christ
• We must understand God's holiness and our sin/depravity in order to understand properly the cross of Christ and have proper affection for God

5) A believer who understands God's forgiveness must [or has] put their faith in Christ, because only he can forgive sin (48-50)

• We must preach the Gospel to ourselves daily
• Jesus was re-preaching the Gospel to this woman; he was reminding her of God's forgiveness
• We should never grow tired of hearing the Gospel, and we cannot let ourselves go a day without hearing it

Read Romans 8:31-39 for a final thought.

Like I already stated, it is impossible to give too much attention to the work Christ did on the cross and continues to do in the lives of his elect. We should praise God that each one of these responses is possible because of that atoning work. The application of the Gospel to our lives is never ending, and we should never grow tired of hearing it.

I would like to also include the lyrics to my favorite hymn. The words are very relevant:

BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD ABOVE

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love, 
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands, 
My name is written on his heart; 
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair, 
And tells me of the guilt within, 
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because a sinless Savior died, 
My sinful soul is counted free; 
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness, 
The great unchangeable I am, 
The King of glory and of grace! 

One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high, 
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

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A Theology of Struggling

As a part of his series on Repentance, Matt Chandler's most recent sermon was entitled "A Theology of Struggle."  Everyone should download this sermon, and probably this entire series. Some of the highlights of this sermon include his summary of what the Bible says is the "right way" and "wrong way" to struggle with sin; he calls this later category "the cycle of doom."

He basically defines "the cycle of doom" as giving in to the temptation that constantly attacks us, experiencing ungodly grief over our sin in this area of struggle, trying to fix ourselves, working hard to avoid this sin, eventually falling back into the same sin again, and then repeating this pattern for thirty years. He says that this is the wrong response to the wrong motive. Unfortunately, this pattern defines the majority of evangelicalism. It is a repeating of two unbiblical practices: feeling ungodly guilt over our sin and attempting to overcome the temptation by our own willpower. This "cycle of doom" can only lead to depression and angst whenever we fail, and even if we are successful for a season, it will only lead to pharisaism. This pattern cannot lead to godliness.

The alternative option that he offers to his listeners is to essentially trash this mindset of being able to fix ourselves. Instead we need to embrace the biblical teaching that we don't stand a chance at sanctifying ourselves without God's grace.  Justification and Sanctification are equally reliant upon God's grace. We should spend more time pleading with the Father to change us into a more Christlike version of ourselves by the working of the Spiritm and then repeat that for thirty years. One important clarification: this "right way" of struggling with temptation does not negate our responsibility for sin; rather, it puts our ability to fix ourselves into proper perspective.

Another important point that he makes is that we often convince ourselves that we are doing everything we can to combat the recurring sin in our lives. However, if no one else knows about this sin, then you haven't done everything.  In reality, you haven't even begun to fight because we are supposed to be fighting together as an army against sin, temptation, and evil. Christians are meant to do life together in community. We need prayer, accountability, and counsel. Overcoming sin requires community.

Godly guilt and repentance can only be birthed out of a proper understanding of our depravity and God's holiness.  Whenever we sin, we offend God. However, Christ atoned for all of our offenses on the cross.  Therefore, we should live obediently out of gratitude, not guilt. We trust in God to provide the grace for both our right standing and right conduct. The wrong mode is not white-knuckled discipline, but reliance upon God. Because, no matter how aggressively or sincerely we try to avoid temptation, we cannot stop sinning unless God trains us in righteousness. This training, our sanctification, is a process that relies completely upon God's grace. Also, don't become impatient; part of sanctification involves waiting on the Lord.

What do we do while we wait on the Lord? We try to "position ourselves under the waterfall of God's grace." This includes putting ourselves under biblical teaching, positioning ourselves in accountable community, seeking opportunities for training in righteousness, and trying to walk in obedience while we wait. We all struggle, the goal is to struggle well while we are moving forward towards godliness.

The best quote of the sermon: "I am constantly perplexed at the belief that you're going to stumble into godliness."

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Catholicism: Weighed and Measured

Kevin DeYoung has a great post entitled Is the Reformation Over?, in which he, among other things, lists some of the primary differences between Protestant and Catholic theology.  I am reproducing the majority of that post, because I think it is an excellent summary:

For the most part, I'll just point out the difference rather than mount a case for the Protestant understanding of things. The questions I get as a pastor in a Reformed church are not usually along the lines of "Why is Catholicism wrong?" but "How is it different?"

The Church
Since Vatican II, the Catholic church has softened its stance toward Protestants, calling them “estranged brothers.” Nevertheless, to be a part of the church in its fullness one must be immersed in the Roman Catholic system of sacraments, orders, and under the authority of the Pope. “Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who...are joined in the visible structure of the Church of Christ, who rules here through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops.” Further, the Pope is considered infallible when he speaks ex cathedra (from the chair); that is, when he makes official doctrinal pronouncements. The Catholic church also has seven sacraments instead of two–Eucharist (or Lord’s Supper) and baptism like Protestants, and then penance, holy orders, marriage, confirmation, and last rites.

Scripture
Catholics have a larger biblical canon. In addition to the 66 books in the Protestant Bible, Catholic Bibles include the Apocrypha, with books like Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccebees, Sirach, and Baruch. Catholic teaching also elevates Tradition more than Protestants do. Granted, many evangelicals suffer from ignoring tradition and the wisdom of the past. But Catholic theology goes beyond just respecting the past; it sacralizes it. “Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence,” states the Catechism. Likewise, the Magisterium has the authority to make definitive interpretations. “The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living, teaching, office of the Church alone...to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.”

Lord’s Supper
Central to the Catholic faith is the Mass (their worship service). Central to the Mass is the celebration of the Eucharist. Catholics believe that bread and wine are transubstantiated into the actual, physical body and blood of Jesus Christ. The elements are offered as a sacrifice from the church and a sacrifice of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross. This is not simply a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice, but the same atoning work: “The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice...the sacrifice [of the Eucharist] is truly propitiatory.”

Baptism
Catholics teach that “justification is conferred in Baptism.” The waters of baptism wash away original sin and join us with Christ. Baptism is not merely a sign and seal of grace, but actually confers saving grace.

Mary
Mary is not only the Mother of Christ, but the Mother of the Church. She was conceived without original sin (the immaculate conception) and at the end of her earthly life “was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over al things” (assumption). She intercedes for the church, “continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation,” and is “a mother to us in the order of grace.” Mary was more than just the faith-filled mother of Jesus: “The Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.”

Purgatory
Those who die in God’s grace, but still imperfectly purified, are assured of eternal life, but must first undergo purification in purgatory. Because of the presence of this intermediate state, the Catholic church has developed the practice of prayer for the dead. “The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead.” Concerning the salvation of those who do not hear the gospel, the Catholic Catechism states “Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience–those too may achieve eternal salvation.”

Merit
It is not really fair to say “Catholics teach that you can earn your salvation.” That may be what many Catholics believe, but the official teaching of Rome is more nuanced, but still troubling. The Catechism summarizes: “Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no once can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life.”

Justification
Catholic teaching rejects the Protestant understanding of imputed righteousness. The question is this: is the righteousness whereby we are forgiven and made right with God a righteousness working in us or a righteousness reckoned to our account? Catholics say the former, Protestants the latter. The difference is between infused and imputed righteousness–infused righteousness is like having $100 in cold hard cash in your actual possession, imputed righteousness is like having $100 wired to your account. According to Catholic teaching, justification is more than God’s declaration of our righteousness based on Christ’s work, it is also a renewal of the inner man and reconciliation with God. Of course, these are good things too, but Catholics make them present in and through justification, rather than by faith alone. The Council of Trent, from the 16th century Catholic counter-reformation, declares: “If anyone says, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of grace and charity that is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace, whereby we are justified, is only the favor of God: let him be anathema.”

Can Catholics and Protestants be friends? Sure. Are they brothers and sisters in Christ? Often. Are they still divided by significant doctrinal distinctives? Absolutely.

I agree with DeYoung that it is great that Protestants and Catholics are at peace, for the most part. However, we do need to remain aware of the doctrinal distinctives that keep us separate from that church, and we need to pray that God would correct both the Roman Catholic doctrine and our own doctrine anywhere that it doesn't accurately represent God and Scripture. 

Also, if you are reading this post, then you probably have an opinion about these matters.  Do you agree with DeYoung on all of the above matters? Do you think that the Protestants are correct in each area mentioned?  Or, do you think that we have something to learn from the Catholic Church in one or more of these areas?

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Our Greatest Need

I saw this quote on the Vitamin Z blog. Understanding our greatest need is essential to understanding the gospel. This quote expresses a core truth that I wish all Christians would grasp. Also, it is particularly applicable in our current economic climate. I had to post it:

“If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.”

 - D.A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation

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The John Calvin is Awesome Conference + The Church is for Training

The 2009 Ligonier National Conference was preceded by a “John Calvin” Mini-Conference. If you ask me, these addresses were part of the conference. The only reason they label them separately is because they probably didn't want to be forced into changing the name of the conference to The Holiness of God + John Calvin is Awesome 2009. This series of four addresses was wrapped up with a Q&A session featuring the four men who had delivered addresses. Here are the answers to one of the questions that Tim Challies live blogged - LEAVE US WITH SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT YOU’VE LEARNED FROM CALVIN’S LIFE OR WRITING: 

Ferguson - He has been the model of what a gospel minister in a local congregation should be.

Lawson - To understand Calvin is to understand Calvin the preacher. He was many things, but primarily a preacher. This is what is so desperately needed in churches today.

Mohler - I am in agreement with the other two so will just add this. Calvin was also a teacher and he understood the necessity of the church to be a school. We want the churches to again be the schools of Christ. I want to die like Calvin died, studying and teaching and preaching to the end. Calvin didn’t retire; he died. (emphasis mine)

Duncan - Calvin taught me that the fundamental problem we face as human beings is idolatry. There are true worshippers of God and idolaters; that is all. The doctrine of the atonement—Calvin gave the best biblical explanation of the atonement that had been given in 1560 years. There have been great ones since, but none before.

There is so much that we can learn from Calvin, and the one point that Mohler made is crucial. Our churches are supposed to be schools of theology. Why have we forgotten this fact?  Jesus wants disciples, not converts. Furthermore, the Bible clearly teaches that if someone is truly converted, then God is going to finish the process of turning him into a disciple. Yet, the church has decided to be almost completely hands off in this process.  

When someone begins the process to become a doctor, lawyer, or carpenter, we don't accept him into the school or hire him for the job and then assume that he will figure it out by only attending one brief seminar each Sunday morning.  In every area of the professional world, we want people to be well trained. We prefer to know who a person was trained by, how much time he has put into learning a trade, and what is his current skill level.  We are constantly assessing and reassessing everyone's knowledge and/or ability. However, when someone becomes a Christian, all we do is encourage them to read the Bible some on their own and come to church each week. If a church is really zealous, then the leaders will suggest that everyone attend a small group for an additional couple of hours each week.  Is this sufficient? I don't think so. However, I also don't think that pastors should start preaching six nights each week. 

I have two suggestions.  First, most churches need to improve the content of the material their members receive during those view hours each week. Please, if you are a teacher/preacher, then preach exegetically from the Bible. Also, stop giving your small groups Beth Moore and Max Lucado. Second, we need to create discipleship plans for our congregations.  This plan could be a ministry training program, similar to a less intense Bible college. Or, this plan could just be a well thought out offering of classes, studies, and other educational opportunities at the church.  In the end, we cannot force feed the sheep, but many pastors and church staffs are doing a pathetic job of even preparing a meal and setting the table.

The average Christian needs to be challenged (notice I didn't write "the average church member").  If someone is truly regenerate, then God is in the process of changing their passions and priorities.  The local church needs to begin training them in correct thought and deed.  Most Churches are quick to give a new believer a list of things they have to stop doing, but they usually don't hand them the a copy of the Apostle's Creed to memorize with that list of actions they need to correct. God wants our head, heart, and hands.  Believers are to pursue pure deeds and affections, but they should also strive for orthodox theology.  The church is supposed to be the place that teaches them orthodoxy, not Oprah, a Television Pastor, or a book they buy in Wal-Mart.

Also, to be fair, some churches are already doing everything I am proposing. Some churches are training their members better than most seminaries are training their students. I actually stole my ideas from those churches, and they have proven how effective a local church can be at training its members.

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Live Webcast: Ligonier National Conference

The Ligonier National Conference began this morning with a mini preconference on the Legacy of John Calvin.  The entire conference is being webcast on the Ligonier website and live blogged by Tim Challies.

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What Mark Dever CAN and CANNOT Live With as a Pastor

Mark Dever has put together a list of “What I CAN and CANNOT Live With as a Pastor," over at the 9marks blog.  You may be surprised by some of his evaluations.  Here is a preview to wet your appetite:

 “Let me throw out a bunch of different examples that are relevant to my particular situation: organs, female elders, universalism, altar calls, humor, multi-site campuses, drums, the KJV, stained glass, racism, infant baptism, no formal membership, sermons limited to 10 minutes, large and high pulpits, TV studio-like acoustics. My goal in what follows is not to give you a sacrosanct playbook, but to illustrate how I go about thinking through practical matters.”

This post is worth the short time it will take to read, because it will force you to think through these issues.  Also, I was very surprised that he put both female elders and no formal membership in his CAN list.  He does make some clarifications regarding those and almost every other issue on either list, so you will have to read the post to get his full opinion.

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Lyrics I Can Relate To

Okay, I will rarely mention contemporary music on this blog. First, because I am out of the loop regarding new music.  I usually stay about five years behind the curve.  Second, I truly believe that little, if any, of today's music can compare lyrically with the great hymns of the church.  The content in the hymns of Martin Luther and many others is in an entirely different category.  My favorite hymn is Before the Throne of God Above.  

Nonetheless, I recently discovered a song that I can definitely relate to.  I don't think it is a very recent release, but it is new to me.  Here are the lyrics:

Addison Road - What Do I Know Of Holy

 

 

 

 

 

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all, No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You? 

 

 

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?

Are you fire? Are you fury?

Are you sacred? Are you beautiful?

What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
But, those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

I can definitely relate to growing up in a "Christian" environment, without the presence of Christ. When I first caught a glimpse of who God is, at the age of seventeen, I was brought down to my knees.  And, I still struggle with making God too small.  I think myself, Job (after his interactions with God), and every other Christian can relate to the main question: What do I know of Holy? What can we know of Holy?  Only what the Bible communicates to us, and most of us are struggling to grasp that.  

If you ever think you have the Holy God of the universe figured out, then go back and read the book of Job again.  I think Job should be required reading for every Christian, at least once a year. What do we know of Holy?  

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IDOL of Comfort for Parents

A recent post at LifeTogether summarizes two idols for our reflection taken from Paul Tripp’s book Age of Opportunity.  These are potential idols for every parent to guard against.  Here is the summary of one of those idols that pierced my soul:

Idol of Comfort:  

Secretly in our heart, many of us want our life to be a resort. A resort is a place where we are the one who is served. Our needs come first, we have paid our money and we have the right to expect certain things. Many of us bring this entitlement mentality to our parenting. We reason that we have the right to quiet, harmony, peace and respect, and we respond in anger when we do not get it. Life is a war. If we demand comfort, regularity, peace, space, harmony, we will begin to see our child as the enemy. We will begin to fight with them rather than for them. (emphasis mine)

As a parent to two boys, one of which is a very hyper and exhausting three-year-old, it was very difficult to read these words.  May we never make our children the enemies.  Rather, we should follow the advice of another post on the LifeTogether blog and treat our children as missionaries in training.

If you haven’t visited the LifeTogether blog, then you are missing some great insights.  If you are married with children, then you cannot afford to avoid this blog.

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Driscoll on Athanasius

Over at the Resurgence, Driscoll has begun posting what appears to be a series of posts which briefly discuss some the great church leaders throughout history. He appropriately posted about Saint Patrick today, or actually yesterday now. He also posted about Augustine and Athanasius, two of the greatest theologians of the early church. Here is a link to his post on Athanasius. I am linking to that post, because he is my favorite Early Church Father.

If you don't understand how anyone could be such a huge fan of this lesser known figure in church history (less known than Luther, Calvin, or Augustine), then you obviously haven't read On the Incarnation. Do yourself a favor, download this writing from Google books and set aside several hours to work through it. This work will change your life. If you want more information about Athanasius, then check out Desiring God. Piper has a great audio resource on the life and ministry of Athansius, and he also has a book, Contending For Our All, which discusses the impact of this great theologian.

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Galatians 2:15-21 - Justification (Part 2)

Remedy Church Sermon Summary – 03/15/2009
Galatians 2:15-21 (Part 2)

1) (From last week) We are not justified by works, but through the gift of faith in Jesus Christ alone, which only comes form God (15-16)

2) When we are justified, we are declared NOT to be sinners, so that Jesus is not a minister of sin (17-18)

• Read Job 1; Jam. 1:13 to gain some insight regarding God's relationship to evil/temptation
• "Christ [like the law] did not bring sin, but unveiled it." - Calvin
• We cannot charge Jesus as the author of evil - this would be unbiblical and would result in a God who we would not want to worship or serve

3) We are justified so that we can live to God (19)

• There should be a change in the life of a believer (1 Jn. 1:5-8)
• Our first spouse (the Law) is dead [we have died to the Law], so that we can be married to Christ [alive to Christ] in order to bear fruit/serve in the new way (Rom. 7:1-4, 6)
• Justification is supposed to effect the way we live - You are living for something/someone, if it isn't Christ, then you are practicing idolatry
• To hate sin, means to love and live for Christ - We are trading one master for another
• see 1 Thes. 5:23-24
  

Questions:

1. How comfortable are you with your sin?
2. How often do you confess your sin?
3. How carefully do you plan your spending?

4) Justification means counting Jesus' death as our own (20-21)

• Christ is living in us by the Holy Spirit (regeneration) and through our partaking in the benefits of the atonement (justification)
• Calvin said that we have to experience the consequences of Christ's atoning death and claim the benefits for ourselves
• Faith is not just an agreement that Jesus exists or that he died for our sins or that he is the only way to salvation - Faith means giving all of ourselves to Christ

As always, you can listen to the full sermon by searching for Remedy Church on iTunes or by visiting the Remedy Church website.

I think it is worth spending some more time discussing the second point, due to nature of this subject. It seems that there is a fine line to walk that affirms God's complete sovereignty while denying his ability to sin, tempt, or create evil. At the very least, it is clear that God knowingly created the possibility for evil; otherwise, we have to deny his omniscience or his lone creative ability. It is also clear that he uses the evil in the world to accomplish his purposes.

There are no good analogies or catchy slogans for explaining how God created the possibility of evil and even uses evil for his purposes and his glory without being responsible for the evil or temptation which ensued. The Bible clearly indicates that God is sovereign over all things, but not capable of evil. We cannot simply dismiss one claim or the other.

For example, let's look at the first chapter of Job's story. God clearly initiated the conversation with Satan regarding Job. There is no indication that Satan had any intention of mentioning Job. God also allows Satan to perform evil deeds and tempt Job with anything except death. Verse 16 even states that "The fire of God fell from the sky and consumed Job's sheep and servants." God was definitely sovereign in this situation.

The most interesting aspect of this whole situation is Job's words in this chapter. In verse 21, Job exclaims "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away." Then, in verse 22, the narrator states that "Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." So, Job was able to attribute his loss to God without charging God with wrongdoing. How is this possible? I do not pretend to fully understand God, his creation, or the relationship between the two. Nonetheless, I do know that God is both fully sovereign and unable to do evil or tempt mankind (Jam. 1:13).

I often find myself mistakenly trying to justify God's words or actions, as if he needs my defense. Nonetheless, it is difficult to discuss certain passages of Scripture without immediately going to God's defense: Lam. 1-3 (particularly 3:38), Isa. 45:7, Amos 3:6; 1 Kings 22:23; Job). If I defend God out of a desire to see people rightly understand my sovereign Lord, then such explanation could be profitable. However, we cannot defend God as if he has done something wrong which needs to be sugar coated. He may have done some things that we do not like or understand, but he has done no wrong.

In the end, I do not think we can fully understand this relationship until we receive glorified minds. God's dominion and sovereignty over his creation is not able to be explained or analogized, because we are not able to comprehend what it is to create. We cannot create something from nothing. Yes, humans do resemble God in the fact that we are creative, but we do not actually create anything. At best, we assemble something using God's creation. We cannot understand true dominion, because it is not possible for us to experience it. Nor is it possible for us to experience sovereignty.

Likewise, we cannot fully comprehend the holiness of God. The concept of complete inability to sin has probably only been even vaguely realized by those men and women who followed Christ during his ministry. They were able to see holiness and the complete absence of sin or depravity, but even they were viewing Christ and his life and works through depraved eyes. For the average American, holiness could not be further from our comprehension, much less our attributes or practice. God alone is holy.

Because of our inferiority to God, in every possible way, we are probably not capable of understanding how God can be sovereign in certain situations; yet, no evil can be attributed to him. Nonetheless, the Bible makes both of these facts clear.

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Advance Conference 2009

This should be a great conference. The speakers include John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, and Ed Stetzer. If you live within a few hours of Durham and you don't have unalterable plans for June 4-6, then you should definitely consider attending.

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Sanctification Through Podcasts

I don't know a lot about God's means of sanctification. I do know that he uses whomever and whatever he chooses to accomplish his purposes in all of creation, and this includes my personal sanctification. A couple of guaranteed means of sanctification are wives and children. My wife and children challenge, encourage, and inspire me on a daily basis. They are also the best method of accountability, because they see the places in your life that are less than perfect (or less than average). Anyway, moving on to the point of this post.

I can't be sure of exactly of how or when my sanctification will be furthered. What I do know is that prayer and reading Scripture are two activities that the Bible indicates as being part of the Christian life. These also seem to be to definite methods of doing your part to attempt to become more Christlike. However, if you are like me, then these two activities are easier described than accomplished. I truly have a desire to pray and study the Bible daily, but sometimes life gets in the way. Most of the time, my life is far more hectic than I would prefer, and this makes is easy for my flesh to make excuses for my lake of diligence.

One method I have found for giving myself time in prayer and the Scriptures is to take advantage of my commute each morning and evening. It takes me about 35-40 minutes each way, so this is a great time to spend praying. However, I find it distracting to read the Bible while driving (I hope you do to). Nonetheless, I did find a way to feed myself a steady diet of Scripture while driving. I started downloading sermons and podcasts. This is a great way to fill your mind with Scripture and exegesis of that Scripture. This is also a great way to redeem your commute, which most of us do not enjoy.

Here is a list of the podcasts (some are sermoncasts) that I subscribe to

John Piper's Weekly Sermon (Bethlehem Baptist)

Mark Driscoll's Weekly Sermon (Mars Hill)


Matt Chandler's Weekly Sermon (Village Church)

The White Horse Inn (Michael Horton and friends)

Christ the Center (some PCA guys from Westminster)

Ask Pastor John (bitesize Piper)

Renewing Your Mind - R C Sproul


Let My People Think - Ravi Zacharias

The Albert Mohler Program

The first four are my favorites, but the rest are definitely worth your time. If you have any other podcasts to recommend, then please leave a comment. I am always on the lookout for something new.

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Piper on the Recession

Five of God’s Purposes in this Recession (according to John Piper)

1) God intends in this recession to expose hidden sin and to bring us to repentance and cleansing

2) God intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world, where they are always in recession

3) God intends to relocate the roots of our joy in His grace and not in our goods, in His mercy and not in our money, and in His worth and not in our wealth

4) God intends to advance his saving mission in the world and spread the Gospel like wild fire and grow His church precisely at a time when they have the least resources to do it

5) God intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love so that no one is in need in the church of Jesus Christ, period

Piper actually said that "God has graciously brought this recession upon us." This is a very different way of looking at our nation’s present circumstances; yet, considering his list of five things that God is doing during this time, he may be right. If God is using this time to even do any one of these five things in our church (locally or globally), then we should praise God for this recession. Any one of these outcomes would far out weigh any amount of money, possessions, or job security.

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Religion Vs. Christianity: Then and Now

I am partaking in Tim Challies most recent Reading the Classics project. Basically, Tim picks a book that he considers to be a classic of Christian literature, everyone reads a chapter each week, and we all discuss it via comments on his weekly blog post. The book we are reading this time is William Wilberforce's A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Higher and Middle Classes in this country, contrasted with Real Christianity.

This book is more commonly known as Real Christianity or sometimes A Practical View, but I support the full title. If I ever publish a book (which is doubtful), I would like to follow this paradigm for choosing a title. In fact, I wish all books were required to have the thesis of the book as the title, this practice would simplify the process of explaining to someone else the content of the book your reading or deciding which book to read next. Honestly, who had a clue what Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis was about before opening the book?

Wilberforce's book, although written a long time ago in a far away land, already appears to have much application for the contemporary American church. It is discouraging how close the initial assessment of the local churches in his day mirrors American Christianity. Many recent publications, such as Michael Horton's Christless Christianity or Ronald Sider's Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience seem to have much of the same purpose. Wilberforce clearly communicates his intention in the Introduction:

"The main object he has in view is, not to convince the skeptic, or to answer the arguments of persons who avowedly oppose the fundamental doctrines of our religion; but to point out the scanty and erroneous system of the bulk of those who belong to the class of orthodox Christians, and to contrast their defective scheme with a presentation of what the author apprehends to be real Christianity."

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the first chapter, in which Wilberforce assesses the contemporary Christian mindset of his day regarding the importance of Christianity in general:

"How different, nay, in many respects, how contradictory, would be the two systems of mere morals, of which the one should be formed from the commonly received maxims of the Christian world, and the other from the study of the Holy Scriptures."

"… no one expects to attain to the height of learning, or arts, or power, or wealth, or military glory, without vigorous resolution, and strenuous diligence, and steady perseverance. Yet we expect to be Christians without labour, study, or inquiry!"

"Yet, is it not undeniable that with the Bible in our houses, we are ignorant of its contents; and that hence, in a great measure, it arises, that the bulk of the Christian world know so little, and mistake so greatly, in what regards the religion which they profess?"

This book is going to be convicting; I just have this feeling. It seems ludicrous whenever we consider how much Christianity appears to have changed since Wilberforce's time, yet it hasn't really changed at all. We have fancier buildings, shinier suits (or ripped jeans), sophisticated technology, entertaining media, talented praise bands, and seminary educated pastors; nonetheless, we still have a ridiculously low view of the Gospel's importance in our everyday life. If we refuse to give Christ the position of authoritarian dictator over our lives, then we are committing idolatry. Christ cannot be lowered to the office of a democratic president who occasionally vetoes a decision to commit a very consequential or public sin. Christ is LORD; nothing else will do. Anything else cannot adequately be assigned the label of Christianity.

Furthermore, and this should be obvious, there are some applications if Christ is Lord of your life, which is comparable to him being your authoritarian dictator (except for the fact that Christ loves us infinitely and most dictators do not love their people at all). If Christ is Lord, then he is Lord over your time, your habits, your finances, your hobbies, your job, your relationships, your family, your words, your thoughts, your priorities, your goals, your dreams, and any other aspect of your life.

How do we respond to a proper understanding of Christ's Lordship? Three actions come immediately to mind: confession, repentance, and praise. Confession and Repentance because we are all trying to hold back some area of our lives from his Lordship. He either is Lord or he is not; there is no democracy in Christianity. However, this understanding should not drive us to anger over his Lordship or anxiety over our attempts to withhold areas of our lives. Christ's Lordship should drive us to Praise. We don't suffer under his Lordship; we are blessed to be allowed under his Lordship. He satisfied the wrath of God in order to bring us into his kingdom. Praise God for being both just and the Justifier. Praise Christ as our Lord and Redeemer.

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Gal. 2:15-21 - Justification (Part 1)

This post should have went up yesterday, but there were some technical difficulties.

Remedy Church Sermon Summary – 03/08/2009
Galatians 2:15-21 (Part 1)

This week at Remedy Church, Phud continued preaching through Paul’s letter to the Galatians (Yes, the teaching Pastor’s name is Phud), and we have reached Galatians 2:15-21. This is an exciting passage, because Paul directly discusses the doctrine of justification. Also, verse sixteen is considered by many scholars to be the theme verse for this epistle. In order to teach through the passage with any depth, he had to split this sermon into two weeks, so this week was Part 1. Here’s a basic outline:

________________________________________

Justification: What does it mean to be declared righteous in Christ?

2 GOALS
1. To gain a better understanding of justification, especially the distinction between justification an sanctification, so that we will not become discouraged trying to earn or deserve justification.
2. Worship – this should be our response to the fact that something is being declared of us that simply isn’t true, namely our imputed righteousness.

Overview of the Doctrine of Justification
“Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight.” (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 723)

Justification is the opposite of condemnation

“If justification is confused is confused with regeneration or sanctification, then the door is opened for perversion of the gospel at its center.” (John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, 121)

“It is essential to the heart of of the gospel to insist that God declares us to be just or righteous not on the basis of our actual condition of righteousness or holiness, but rather on the basis of Christ’s perfect righteousness, which he thinks of as belonging to us." (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 727)

The First Insight into the Doctrine of Justification (1 of 4, but the other three will be next week)

1) We are not justified by works, but through the gift of faith in Jesus Christ alone, which only comes from God (15-16)

• Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 3:21-31
• Paul’s primary purpose for writing to these Galatian Christians is to straiten them out on this issue
  
  Romans 3:21-31
  a. Justification is a gift of God’s grace (24)
  - He did not have to justify anyone
  - God would have been justified condemning everyone, yet he decided to save some
  b. Our justification can only come from God (25-26)
  - Only God had stored up wrath against our sin, so only he could let us off the hook
  c. Justification should not cause boasting, but worship (27)
  - We did nothing, God did everything
• - The only right response to this doctrine is praise and thanksgiving
  d. Justification comes to us by our faith being put in Christ (29-30)
  - not by obeying; not by the law
  - There is only one way to salvation, and it is through Christ

Assessment

Do I live as one who has been declared to be righteous?

How does/can a person live like a justified sinner?

________________________________________

At this point, I did not want Phud to stop preaching. I was hoping that he would decide to just stay until the afternoon to finish teaching the entire passage. But, that didn’t happen, and my three-year-old son was glad it didn’t happen.

I can’t wait for next week.

You can subscribe to Phud's sermons on itunes by searching for Remedy Church, or you can go to the media section of the Remedy Church website.

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