What do you think about the Bible?

This morning I noticed this video posted in a couple of places. It is a video displaying the reaction of a group of people who were receiving the entire New Testament in their language for the first time. Wow, their tears, their joy and excitement, their incredible gratitude. It was humbling to watch, but also challenging. What do I think about the Bible. Do I see the incredible privilege I have to hold in my hands the complete revelation of God's Word to us in a language I can understand and read? Do I treasure the fact that I have multiple copies and version? That I have paper copies and copies on my computer and phone? May we learn to treasure God's Word and be thrilled and excited every time we read it and listen to it being read. Please watch the video below.

http://vimeo.com/17025038

Thinking About Hell

Over the last few days I have been thinking a little bit about the subject of hell. I cannot say that it is a subject that I like thinking about, yet that does not mean I should avoid it. This morning I read a quote from R. C. Sproul that challenged me about how I should think about hell. On page 12 of his book Chosen by God, Sproul wrote, "You are required to believe, to preach, and to teach what the Bible says is true, not what you want the Bible to say is true." His words words hit me with considerable force. If I say that the Bible is God's Word, then I need to believe it and not what I like. That is easy to say, but it is harder to actually do. Believing God and His Word implicitly and explicitly means that I will have to change and conform to it, instead of trying to get it to fit into my life and thinking. That can be painful, but necessary.

Further on the subject of hell, I also read an article this morning by Timothy Keller entitled, "The Importance of Hell." I have inserted the link below. I think the article can help us think more clearly in line with the Bible about hell.

http://www.redeemer.com/news_and_events/articles/the_importance_of_hell.html

It does feel right to say enjoy reading an article about hell, but I do pray that it will edify you and help us have a better grasp on a subject that was very important to Jesus. And if I am going to live as a follower of Jesus, I need to have the same values as Jesus.

More on Fasting

On Sunday, we briefly talked about fasting. in Matthew 6:16-18, the Lord Jesus communicates the expectation that we will fast as followers of Christ. The concept of fasting is something that many of us know very little about. If you would like to know more about fasting, below is a link to a free ebook on fasting and prayer by John Piper. I thought it might be helpful if you want to learn more about fasting and how fasting may be a useful discipline as you seek to deepen your relationship with God.

http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/free-resources-pastors/148739-free-ebook-a-hunger-for-god.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Update

Hope Even in the Storm

Life here on earth will not always be easy or without challenges. This week is the anniversary of Kerri's grandmother's death. When a loved one dies it is never easy. I have done too many funerals and looked into the eyes of people who are, at that moment, feeling an ache that can seems crushing. Part of the reason it feels crushing is that God did not create us to experience physical death. When someone dies, it is a powerful reminder that we sin and sin does terrible stuff to us. But, God is bigger than terrible stuff from sin, and God is bigger than sin. Even in the face of tragedy, God is still good and God still brings hope. Please watch this video and ponder the hope God offers us in the Lord Jesus.

http://www.vimeo.com/19644172

What is the Gospel?

Please take a look at this short video. I think it a compact way it provides a great explanation of the good news the Bible shares with us and we are to share with others.

http://www.sbts.edu/resources/special-topics/what-is-the-gospel-2/

A Video to Watch

Please take a few moments, actually 4 minutes and 4 seconds to watch the video found at the link below. The words of the song are to me a great prayer. They are a clarion call to the ultimate focal point of life: Jesus. I pray that what you and I desire is the beloved Savior. The One who loves us.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/02/10/give-me-jesus-2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+between2worlds+(Between+Two+Worlds)

Haiti: A Year Later

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. We have all seen or heard of its destruction and the devastation that has followed it. Just last week I read an article about how a number of women living in the tent cities are now pregnant as a result of being raped by gangs of men. Many of these women lost their husbands in the earthquake, were struggling to make a new life for their children, only to raped by men who clearly have no grasp of what it means to be a man at all. Please pray for the people of Haiti. I am grateful that our church, Central, is sending a team of people to Haiti in February to partner with Mission of Hope to be part of bringing relief, recovery and rebirth to the people of Haiti. Please pray for the gospel to be shared, the compassion of Christ to be expressed and the hope of God given away in abundance.