R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 570

The Faces of Ministry at Ligonier: David Theriault

In the beginning of 2007, David Theriault came to Ligonier as the Video Producer and Director, becoming the Event & Production Manager late in 2010. Now his primary tasks relate to Ligonier Conferences, and secondarily managing the video production process.

Born in San Francisco, Dave is a graduate of the Radio-Television & Film program at California State University in Long Beach. He has worked in film, television, and live entertainment for many years, working mostly behind the camera but occasionally finding a role on the screen.

He spent 15 years as a singer with the ‘Ray Conniff Singers & Orchestra’, mixing concert tours and recording between various production jobs, then gave up his freelance life in 2000 to take a staff position in feature film publicity at Warner Brothers.

When he left Hollywood for Ligonier he was afforded one of those rare opportunities to use his professional experience in a way that helps strengthen God’s Kingdom in a tangible way. He was excited to be working with a Christian ministry but Dave observes, “I have been regularly and pleasantly surprised by the benefits I did not consider would come as a result of working here — from the regular staff devotional sessions, to the ongoing theological education that comes just by ‘doing my job’.”

Dave met his lovely wife, Erin, while singing together in a choir in college. He readily acknowledges that his wife is a far more talented singer than he is, and so far no one has argued that point with him. He is just happy that she lets him sing with her whenever the time and circumstances allow it. They are both still active in music ministry at their church.

Dave and Erin live in Sanford, Florida, about a half a mile away from the beautiful Ligonier campus, with their two homeschooled sons, Jake, 17, and Sam, 14. In his spare time, Dave enjoys basketball and music, and can be seen riding his bike to work as long as it’s not raining too heavily.

Great Quotes from When Worlds Collide

I recently had the opportunity to read through almost all of the books of R.C. Sproul. Along the way I built a collection of some of the best quotes from each one of them. Here are several of the best from When Worlds Collide.

The events of 9/11 were a mortal blow to relativism, because the response of Americans and the response of people the world over, after looking at this heinous attack on human life, was the very “unrelativistic” declaration that “This is evil.”

One cannot have such a shocking encounter with pure evil and walk away, saying, “Well, it’s a relative thing.”

If we look carefully at the biblical understanding of God and construct our worldview on this basis, we see that God in His providence is a sovereign God, who not only governs nature and the laws of nature but who raises nations up and brings nations low. Within His providence come both blessing and calamity.

I do not know why God ordained 9/11, but I know that He did ordain it because if He did not ordain it, it would not have happened. Since it happened, I know for certain that God ordained it in some sense. That is one of the most difficult concepts even for devout Christians to deal with. Yet the concept is found on almost every page of sacred Scripture. It is at the very heart of the Christian faith.

The word “tragedy” presupposes some kind of order or purpose in the world. If the world has purpose and order, then all that occurs in it is meaningful in some respect. The idea of a “senseless tragedy” represents a worldview that is completely incompatible with Christian thought. It assumes that something happens without purpose or without meaning.

We often see the wrath of God as somehow being an impediment to our view of God’s character. That’s because, in present-day America, our view of God’s character is an idol. It is an idol of a God who has been stripped of His true attributes. He’s a God who is defined in terms of love and mercy and grace, but we have thrown out any idea of His being just and holy and wrathful. If we are going to be faithful to the biblical understanding of God, we have to understand that He is, among other things, a God of wrath.

If God were to examine my life, He would find enough ungodliness and unrighteousness to be inclined to pick me up, use His sickle to cut me from the earth, and throw me into the winepress of His wrath. That would be completely consistent with His perfection, His holiness, and His glory. But thanks be to God that He has given us a way of salvation by which we can escape His fury.

$5 Friday: Cross, Marriage & Christ

Find $5 Friday resources today on the cross, marriage, Christ, Scripture and music. Sale starts Friday at 8 a.m. and ends Saturday at 8 a.m. EST.

View today's $5 Friday sale.

Has God Done Enough For This World?

Our culture gets angry when Christians say that Jesus is the only way to God. In their minds a loving God would have surely provided a banquet of ways to come to Him so that the whole world could feast upon His mercy. Jesus is simply too narrow of a message. If Jesus is all God has provided this world, then He hasn't done enough.

How would you respond to such attitudes?

In R.C. Sproul's commentary on John he offers a heart-warming biblical response. As he puts the gospel into perspective, he shows that it's actually the wrong question to ask, "Why is there only one way to God?" The real question is, "Why is there even one way?"

Suppose there actually is a God in heaven, and suppose this God created the world and everything in it. Suppose that, in the process of making myriad species of birds, fish, and animals, He formed human beings in His image and gave them the most exalted position in all of creation. Suppose He said, "You will be holy, even as I am holy," and gave them only one command to obey--but fifteen minutes after He made them, these human beings revolted against Him by doing the very thing he had commanded them not to do. Suppose God then said, "I'm going to provide a way for you to escape My judgment," and He then called Abraham out of paganism, brought him to Himself, and said, "I'm going to make you the father of a great nation." Suppose that He blessed all the descendants of Abraham, expanded them into a whole nation, and said, "Through this nation I'm going to bless the whole world"--but this nation repeatedly turned against Him. Suppose God sent prophets to these people to tell them to come back to Him, just as an unfaithful spouse returns to his or her partner--but the people killed the prophets. Suppose God finally said, "I love you so much, even though you are a stiff-necked people, that I'm going to send My eternal, only begotten Son to you"--but the people rose up against His Son and crucified Him. Suppose that God loved the people enough in all of this that while they were in the very act of killing His Son, He transferred the sins of His people to His Son and said: "If you'll put your trust in Him, if you'll confess your sins and believe in Him, if you'll turn your gaze upon Jesus, you will not experience death. I'm going to give you eternal life with no pain, no tears, no evil, and no darkness." If God were to do all that, would you have the insolence to say to Him, "God, You haven't done enough for this world that hates You"?

How humbling it is to consider the great love and mercy of our God. All praise to the One who has not only done enough for this world, but has done immeasurably more than we deserve.

Pre-Order R.C. Sproul's Newest Children's Book

Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther penned A Simple Way to Pray, a 34-page booklet of which R.C. Sproul has said, "No book has done more to revolutionize my personal prayer life than this little book. I would recommend it for every Christian’s library.”

Now this true story is available in the form of a new children's book, The Barber Who Wanted to Pray. This imaginative tale from R.C. Sproul begins one evening with Mr. McFarland leading family devotions. When his daughter asks him how she should pray, Mr. McFarland shares the story about a barber and his famous customer.

Master Peter is a barber well-known to all in his village. One day, when Martin Luther the Reformer walks into his shop, the barber musters up the courage to ask the outlawed monk how to pray. Luther responds by writing a letter to the barber. The barber’s life and many others’ are changed as they encounter a model for prayer by using the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostles’ Creed.

Dr. Sproul’s story, beautifully illustrated by T. Lively Fluharty, will delight children and help them learn to pray according to the Bible. The full text of the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostles’ Creed will make this a treasured book to be returned to time after time.

Pre-Order for a Special Limited Time Price

Hardcover | $12.06 (Retail $18)

Preview the Book

 

Great Quotes from 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow

I recently had the opportunity to read through almost all of the books of R.C. Sproul. Along the way I built a collection of some of the best quotes from each one of them. Here are several of the best from 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow.

Being a Christian is not an acquired skill or discipline like diving or ice skating. It is a living, vital relationship with the God of the universe, a relationship that begins when a person becomes a new creation in Him and receives Jesus as Lord by faith.

It is fashionable in some academic circles to exercise scholarly criticism of the Bible. In so doing, scholars place themselves above the Bible and seek to correct it. If indeed the Bible is the Word of God, nothing could be more arrogant. It is God who corrects us; we don’t correct Him. We do not stand over God but under Him.

I think one of the reasons many Christians never get to the meat of the Word but remain at the milk level is because they never really learned how to drink the milk. There is a reason why scales are important to the piano player and the grip to the golfer. We must master these basics if we are to reach higher levels of proficiency.

I don’t think there is any area of the Christian life in which people are more weighed down by guilt than in the area of their prayer lives. Most Christians will readily confess that their prayer lives are not what they should be. And one major reason for this problem is that Christians don’t really know how to pray effectively.

How can someone say he loves God but not care about truth? I hear people say, “Doctrine divides.” Of course doctrine divides, but it also unites. It unites the ones who love God’s truth and are willing to worship Him according to that truth. God wants people to worship Him from the heart and from a mind that is informed of who He is by His Word.

If we really understand who God is and that we’re in His presence, we will be on our faces before Him, giving Him the honor and the praise that He deserves.

Every believer is called to ministry. We’re called to see that all of the tasks of the kingdom take place—that the poor are ministered to, the gospel is proclaimed, the Word of God is taught, and worship takes place. But that doesn’t mean that everyone is called to be an evangelist, a preacher, or a teacher. The New Testament tells us that God gives every Christian a gift to be used for the service of Christ. If your gift is teaching, then you had better teach; if it’s preaching, you should preach; if it’s evangelism, you had better evangelize. If your role is to be a caregiver to shut-ins, then be a caregiver to shut-ins. But each one of us is called to do our part, thus ensuring that all the ministry is fulfilled.

Reflecting on 9/11 Ten Years Later (Free Tabletalk Download)

The world changed forever on September 11, 2001. The events of that day are burned into our memories. Ten years later people are still asking the question “Where was God on 9/11?” What has been the church’s response? How are the people of God to answer this and many other questions about the pain and suffering of that day?

As we reflect on 9/11 on this tenth anniversary, we would like to offer a complimentary copy of the special September edition of Tabletalk magazine entitled 9/11 Ten Years Later. In addition to the daily Bible studies and feature columns, this issue contains articles such as “The Gospel for Muslims” by Thabiti Anyabwile, “A Pastor’s Reflection” by Rev. Charles Drew, “Can God Bless America?” by Dr. John MacArthur, “Ten Years Later” by Dr. R.C. Sproul, and more.

The world changed that day, but the God of the Bible has not.

Get a complimentary copy of the special September edition of @Tabletalk

Click the links below to download the digital version to your computer or digital reader, or call 800-435-4343 to receive your free copy of the print edition. While supplies last.

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2011 Study Cruise Update - I

The 2011 Study Cruise to the cradle of Christianity is underway as we explore Italy, Israel, Ephesus and Greece. The cradle in which the infant church was nurtured was the Mediterranean world of antiquity. At the beginning of our trip, we spent some time in Rome learning of the historical culture, history, and biblical events that occurred there. Dr. R.C. Sproul took some time to reflect at various locations, including the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, and the Mamertine Prison where the apostles Peter and Paul were once prisoners.

We will begin our tour of Israel today, experiencing the sacred space where our redemption was accomplished. You can follow the trip by looking for blog updates and viewing photos here.

 

Ten Years Later

"The world has changed. We are not the same people we were on September 10, 2001. The events of September 11, 2001, and the events that followed in ensuing years have not only changed America but nations and peoples throughout the world. People are more afraid and less naïve. People are more aware of the differences between world religions and of the different cultures of those world religions. People are either more antagonistic towards the religion of their fathers or they are more committed adherents. There are fewer and fewer merely nominal religious bystanders and more and more radical adherents. In ten short years, we have emerged a changed human race — a race of people with a few different norms and many different perspectives, different words and different definitions of words. Those things that once seemed foreign are now familiar, and those things we thought we would never see are now boldly marching down Main Street and entering our homes in ways we never dreamed possible. It has been a rapidly changing ten years, and most people are still trying to figure out what to make of our brave new world."

Continue reading Burk Parson's editorial introduction to this month's issue of Tabletalk at Ten Years Later.

Get Dr. Sproul's Book on Calamity for a Donation of Any Amount

Name any catastrophic event in the course of history, and it seems as if God has abandoned the human race. Where was He while the Israelites groaned in oppressive slavery for 400 years? Where was He during the Holocaust? Where was He on 9/11? It sometimes seems that God is silent, watching the horrors of life on earth without pity or concern. R.C. Sproul discusses this very issue—the role of God when the ideas of men collide and wreak havoc

This week you can get this paperback book for a donation of any amount. Chapters include:

A War of Ideas
Peace and Calamity
Purpose in Suffering
The Grapes of Wrath
Finding Peace

Offer valid through September 9th. Donate Now .