Head-dibs

If you’ve never read Richard Baxter, you are missing out on clear, concise and biblical logic. In his great work “Against Sinful Desire and Discontent” he defines “worldliness” as “sinful love.” Baxter exposes wordliness, or sinful love, as: “When you desire that which is forbidden you. Or that which will do you no good, upon a misconceit that it is better or more needful than it is. Or when you desire it too eagerly, and must needs have it, or else you will be impatient or discontented, and cannot quietly be ruled and disposed of by God, but are murmuring at his providence and your lot. Or when you desire it too hastily, and cannot stay God’s time. Or else too greedily as to the measure, being not content with God’s allowance, but must needs have more than he thinks fit for you. Or specially when your desires are perverse, preferring lesser things before greater; desiring bodily and transitory things more than the mercies for your souls which will be everlasting. When you desir...

By Jim Elliff The believer in Christ is a lifelong repenter. He begins with repentance and continues in repentance. (Rom. 8:12-13) David sinned giant sins but fell without a stone at the mere finger of the prophet because he was a repenter at heart (2 Sam. 12:7-13). Peter denied Christ three times but suffered three times the remorse until he repented with bitter tears (Mt. 26:75). Every Christian is called a repenter, but he must be a repenting repenter. The Bible assumes the repentant nature of all true believers in its instruction on church discipline. A man unwilling to repent at the loving rebuke of the church can be considered nothing more than "a heathen and a tax collector." (Mt. 18:15-17) What Is Repentance? Repentance is a change of mind regarding sin and God, an inward turning from sin to God, which is known by its fruit—obedience. (Mt. 3:8; Acts 26:20; Lk. 13:5-9) It is hating what you once loved and loving what you once hated, exchanging irresistible sin for an ...

GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP)--Messengers offered more than 25 motions during the opening day of the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting, proposing actions related to young Christian leaders, the planning and conducting of future SBC meetings and the initiation of possible studies by the SBC Executive Committee. Read the rest here .

“Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Also Sprach Benjamin Franklin . At one point in my life, I saw Franklin as the wisest person who ever lived—his contributions to mankind were so numerous that in my eyes, none but the most wisest could perform so many noble acts. Franklin’s inventions include water-wings, bi-focals, the lightening rod. He made contributions to the fields of medicine, agriculture, banking, printing, heating and air. He was an educator, a politician, founded libraries, published, and was the first to go postal. Ironically, when it came to personal and spiritual development he made many failed attempts at morality and sought to arrive at perfection by his own means, admitting at last that he could not. Regardless, Franklin was a leader. When we look for leaders, two facts come to the surface: first, we should strive to see wise people in leadership positions. I say, “should” because when I think of something grand like the Presidential ...

I did not want to do this Bible study I had to do on James 3:1-12 on “Taming the Tongue.” Why? Because I am inclined to talk back, brag, lie, shade the truth, argue, yell, make sarcastic or cutting remarks . . . stuff like that. My tongue betrays who I really am, angry or not, like it or not. “In Scripture, the tongue is variously described as wicked, deceitful, perverse, filthy, corrupt, flattering, slanderous, gossiping, blasphemous, foolish, boasting, complaining, cursing, contentious, sensual, and vile. And that list is not exhaustive. No wonder God put the tongue in a cage behind the teeth, walled in by the mouth! Not surprisingly, the tongue is of great concern to James, being mentioned in every chapter of his letter (see 1:19, 26; 2:12; 3:5, 6, 8; 4:11; 5:12).” [i] “ My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment ” (3:1). Suddenly the teacher becomes the student! Adam Clark provides some insight, “There are multitudes, whom Go...

The first principle a student learns in English 101 is that one does not define a word by itself. A good dictionary will not report the meaning of “definition” as “the action or process of defining.” One does not have a more clear understanding of “definition” than he did before. On the other hand, to say that “definition” means “the action of determining or identifying the essential qualities or meaning of; to discover the meaning of; to fix or mark the limits of” helps the reader understand fully the meaning of the word. Good theology is wrecked by inadequate definitions. When we search for the meaning of “sin” we most often hear Rom. 3:23 roll from our tongues, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This is correct, but incomplete. Romans 3:23 actually tells us what the state of mankind is, not what “sin” is except that sinful mankind and the glory of God do not coincide. What is sin? It would be helpful to identify those passages that state plainly, “sin is” and ...

Friends, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am preparing to teach a class this fall and could you YOUR help. Would you please take a moment and answer the following questions in the "Comments" section below this post, please? This is NOT a joke. (You should be able to post anonymously if you wish.) 1. Do you share your faith regularly? 2. Why or why not? 3. What's the main reason why you don't? Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

The fellowship or sharing of faith is not uni-directional. In this context, Philemon is admonished and exhorted by Paul concerning his relationship with Onesimus, so in one sense we understand that the fellowship or sharing of the faith includes the relationship believers have with one another. “Real faith and love will inevitably result in a concern for fellowship. There is no place in the Body of Christ for an individualism that does not care about others. That concern for fellowship was also motivation for Philemon to forgive Onesimus. Failing to do so would lead to a rift in the fellowship since Onesimus was now also a believer. By forgiving Onesimus, Philemon would maintain the harmony, peace, and unity of the Colossian church. Koinōnia (fellowship) is difficult to render precisely in English. It is usually translated “fellowship,” but it means much more than merely enjoying each other’s company. It refers to a mutual sharing of all life, and could be translated “belonging.” B...

Philemon 6 Paul writes, “ I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ .” What’s this fear many have about sharing their faith? I believe there are three primary reasons: first, many maintain wrong thinking about God and His Great Commission; second, many have not understood what is available to them in Christ Jesus; third, many are more concerned about preserving themselves against rejection. Jeremiah received word from the Lord that he was ordained to be God’s prophet. God said, “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations .” (Jer. 1:5) It seems that all Jeremiah heard was the last phrase, “ I have appointed you a prophet to the nations ” and his response was anything but enthusiastic. He said, “ Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth .” (Jer. 1:6). He missed the ...

A counselor at church camp told of his experience with a nine-year-old boy who started to cry when they turned out the cabin lights the first night. "Was he afraid of the dark?" the counselor asked. "No," the boy replied; "he just didn't want to be attacked by the 'killer rabbits.'" Some older kids at home had told him that there were "killer rabbits" that would come out at night and attack the campers. Jesus was constantly reassuring the disciples with the words, " Fear not ." Their fears betrayed their lack of faith. When one traces these words and their usage throughout the Bible, it seems that one of man's constant needs is to be reassured of the presence and comfort of God almighty. Christians can draw on this presence to find comfort and destroy their fears. The problem is that when many have gotten into the habit of “whistling through the cemetery,” trying to be brave and do whatever it takes to get through. Many ...

Pastor Mark Dever ( 9 Marks Ministries ) on Way of the Master Radio !

Scenario: my house is on fire ! So I ask myself: "what would I want to happen?" First, I would want an alarm or two to go off warning us to wake up and get out of the house. I would want a speedy response by people who are well trained, who know what they are doing and will accomplish their task with the attitude that they would rather be doing nothing else. I want professionals on the scene; Second, I would want to know that my family is safe, present and accounted for; Third, I would want caring people to genuinely show concern for my family and help us get back "on our feet" again with our new life after being rescued. Scenario: people are going to hell ! Someone's "spiritual house" is burning. So I ask myself: "what would I want to happen?" First, I would want to sound an alarm or two, warning those who are sleeping to wake up and get out of "the house." I would want a speedy response by people who are well trained, ...

Last time we thought together about how loneliness is rooted in one’s relationship with God and we examined what God has done to restore the relationship. Once one enters the new life by faith in Christ Jesus, suddenly we find ourselves inheritors of Christ Jesus Himself! We gain a person, not a thing! God promised Joshua that the basis of his courage on forth-going was the very presence of God Himself (Joshua 1:9). God’s presence (“for you are with me”) is the very heart of the 23rd psalm! The Lord is my shepherd (“for you are with me”) I shall not want (“for you are with me”) He makes my lie down in green pastures (“for you are with me”) He leads my beside quiet waters (“for you are with me”) He restores my soul (“for you are with me”) He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (“for you are with me”) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (“for you are with me”) I will fear no evil, for you are with me Your rod and your staff comfort me (“fo...