Grow Up. Settle Down. Keep Reforming. Advice for the Young, Restless, Reformed

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

by John MacArthur

It has been five years since Christianity Today published Collin Hansen’s article titled “Young, Restless, Reformed.” Hansen later expanded the article into a book with the same title (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008). He has carefully documented a very encouraging trend: large numbers of young people (college age and younger) are discovering the doctrines of grace, embracing a more biblical and Christ-centered worldview, and beginning to delve more deeply into serious theology than most 20th-century evangelicals were prone to do.

In short, Calvinism, not postmodernism, seems to be capturing the hearts of Christian young people.

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Part 2 of Grow Up Advice for YYRs

Resource: www.gty.org/Blog

This is Why We Do Missions!

Kimyal New Testament launch in Indonesia from United Bible Societies on Vimeo.

The Shroud of Turin

by Petri Paavola

There are various opinions and researches of the shroud of Turin. Some people say that it is the genuine and some that it is the fake and the hoax. The fact is that the shroud of Turin doesn't present Jesus of the Bible. If we can find even one evidence, which disprove the shroud of Turin theory, so the whole story shall be invalidated. We can find a large number of evidence from the Bible, which show that the shroud of Turin cannot be the shroud of the Lord Jesus.

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Resource: koti.phnet.fi/petripaavola/shroudofturin

Love your Fellowmen

"Love your fellowmen, and cry about them if you cannot bring them to Christ. If you cannot save them, you can weep over them. If you cannot give them a drop of cold water in hell, you can give them your heart's tears while they are still in this body."

C.H. Spurgeon

Logical Fallacies in Argumentation

by Matt Slick

There are different kinds of logical fallacies that people make in presenting their positions. Below is a list of some of the major fallacies. It is a good idea to be familiar with them so you can point them out in a discussion, thereby focusing the issues where they belong while exposing error.

It is true that during a debate on an issue, if you simply point out to your "opponent" a logical fallacy that he/she has just made, it generally gives you the upper hand. But then, merely having the upper hand is not the goal: truth is. Nevertheless, logical fallacies hide the truth, so pointing them out is very useful.

The Lost Tomb of Jesus?

by Petri Paavola (Edited grammar for clarity)

We are living in a time when many Bible prophecies are being fulfilled. We also live in time, which is very near to Yeshua's (Jesus) second coming. For this reason, many people attack with all powers of evil against the Bible's message, and these attacks will increase. These false attacks also use modern technology as "help" in order to spread their lies. However, in vain the world tries to invalidate the depiction in the Bible of Yeshua as the Messiah. God has built the evidence of His word on the everlasting foundation, which will never fall, but will stand and is valid for ever. One attack against the word of God is a documentary film, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" (director James Cameron) and book The Jesus Family Tomb (written by Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino). The documentary and book tell about the same subject "The Jesus Family Tomb". But when we research this sensation closer, and we notice it is only a sensation, filled with assumptions and absolute lies, which try to negate the truth about Jesus Christ which is in the Bible.

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Resource: koti.phnet.fi/petripaavola/TheLostTombofJesus

Wretched Sarcasm

My Comment on Todd Friel on Craig Gross (XXX Church)
Please, Brothers. If we have a disagreement let's not call names or scold each other. This is a problem with our old selves. We must do away with our old selves; the quarrelling, pride and selfishness. We have our problems, so let's reason with each other with respect and love. Be merciful as our Lord!

This is not only for Todd Friel, but for you as well. I know Todd means well and he has a good heart. Maybe he misjudged. Forgive him. If you can't forgive, then how can the Lord forgive you? Matthew 18:33

A Comment from a viewer:
My heart breaks when I listen to Todd and his sarcasm. He has a heart for others to know Christ but it's hard for people to see past his pride. I listened to him a lot in Minnesota but his style eventually wore on people (including me). Todd - I forgive you.

Can We Do Anything to Deserve God's Blessings?

By Matt Slick (Anglicized)

The answer depends on how you define "Blessing" and in what context it is used. One on hand, we can do nothing to earn God's grace. Grace is the undeserved blessing of God. On the other end, God rewards us for being faithful to Him and this could be called a blessing as well. So, the answer very much depends on how the word is used, and in what context.

All the blessings that any of us receive from God are ultimately and only the result of the cross of Christ. There is nothing we can do to earn the favour of God in any way. God loves us and blesses us not because of who we are or what we can do, but because of who He is and how great His love is for us.

Once we are redeemed, we can honour God by being faithful to His word and by preaching the gospel. We are blessed by God in doing this, but the blessing is not a contributing factor towards salvation. Instead, this blessing is a result of our salvation and can also be a result of simply obeying God.


Resource: carm.org

Answers in Genesis - Dinosaurs "For Kids"

The following is copied from the AiG Youtube Channel

The Biggest Question

United Church of Canada Forces Civil Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage

Of Love and Justice: Toward the Civil Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage is a book developed by The United Church of Canada.

Of Love and Justice was developed by The United Church of Canada in response to resolutions passed by the 37th General Council that called on the church to affirm lesbian and gay partnerships, to work for their civil recognition, and to recognize them in church documentation and services of blessing. This resource offers four workshops to help a congregation or a group within the congregation to explore civil recognition of same-sex relationships from a faith and justice perspective. In addition, the resource offers a process for congregational decision making on same-sex covenanting.
- united-church.ca

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary (The Errors of Roman Catholic Theology)

by Mike Abendroth at NoCompromiseRadio.com

For False-Friday, Pastor Mike continues in the series continues on what Roman Catholics believe and how what they believe is incongruous with Scriptural truth. Today Mike focuses on Mary (the mother of Jesus) and how the 2 views of her vary radically.

The Roman Catholic church believes that Mary is a co-mediatrix/co-advocate with Christ. This is patent heresy - scripture clearly teaches that Christ is the sole mediator/advocate before God for believers:

1. Romans 8:34 - Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
2. 1 John 2:1 - My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
3. 1 Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus
4. Hebrews 9:15 - Therefore he [Christ] is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
5. listen in for other verses...

Study carefully what the Bible says - no matter what your religious beliefs are, you would be wise to adhere to 1 Thessalonians 5:21 "examine everything carefully". Don't trust what you've learned growing up. Trust in the truth found in God's Word.

Click here to listen

(you may also listen to part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4)

Does God Love His Enemies?

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Tommy Clayton
Content Developer and Broadcast Editor, GTY.org/Blog

I can still remember the chair I was sitting in years ago when I read a life-changing page in John MacArthur’s book The God Who Loves. In an economy of words, John exposed, confronted, and changed my thinking on one of the most critical areas of theology, the nature of God. My understanding of God’s love—specifically His love for the non-elect—was never the same.

For months, I had been wrestling with the question of whether God’s love extends beyond those He chose for salvation. “Does God love all humanity, even the Judas Iscariots and Adolf Hitlers of the world?” At the time, I couldn’t answer that question with any degree of certainty. And although I was sitting under sound biblical teaching, I had begun entertaining the idea that God’s elect have a monopoly on His love. I couldn't reconcile the idea of God loving His enemies with the following texts:

• Psalm 5:5, “You hate all workers of iniquity.”
• Psalm 7:11, “God is angry with the wicked every day.”
• Psalm 26:5, “I have hated the assembly of evil doers.”

Beyond those troubling texts, I was grappling with God’s explicit statements about hating Esau found in Romans 9 and Malachi 1. “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” You have to admit, that’s a hard verse to refute. God’s hatred was unrelated to Esau’s conduct or character. It was rooted in His eternal, sovereign purposes.

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Resource: www.gty.org/Blog/

Is Amway a Cult?

Written by Hoagland at cocs.com

The "cult of confession" refers to the idea that by confessing your sins you will become a stronger (or more spiritual) person. By confessing it, all of the "badness" inside you will be released. If you are a leader, this confession becomes a delivered, well-rehearsed, and well-practiced speech designed specifically to make you more relate-able to your audience. You are not really sharing a "dirty secret," but the audience believes you are. The more you "confess," the more "human" you become to the audience. Soon the audience begins to believe that, since the leader was once a "lowly person" like them, they too can achieve his position. On the other hand, when a new person is first introduced to the group, his confession "can and will be used against him" later. He will be shown that there is only one way to achieve his dreams and goals: becoming an active member of the group. "After all," the members say, "how have you achieved your goals so far? Our way is so much better than what you have."