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The Daily Discovery (October 6, 2016)

ARTICLES I LIKE FROM AROUND THE WEB:

(Click title to go to full article)

Some Important Questions for Andy Stanley About the Bible – “In the midst of a multi-part preaching series, megachurch pastor Andy Stanley said, ‘So I need you to listen really carefully and the reason is this — perhaps you were taught, as I was taught, ‘Jesus love me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’ That is where our trouble began.’ What exactly did he mean? For Southern Baptist leader Dr. Al Mohler, these words were a cause for realconcern, stating, ‘If Scripture cannot be trusted, then we are doomed.'”

Dear Engaged Couple – “As you prepare to embark on this life-long journey together, I thought I would share a brief word of wisdom. As you know, getting married is serious business. Jesus says that marriage is the joining of two individuals by God (Mark 10:8-9). When you get married, you are entering a covenant with each other, and with God, pledging your lives to one another regardless of the circumstances that you will inevitably encounter.”

Does Porn Use Disqualify a Pastor? – “A number of listeners to this podcast listen with their children, which is great! But today, in this episode we are going to talk about pornography. This is a common question we get a lot of times in the inbox, and it’s a sobering one. Here it is. Should a pastor who uses pornography resign from his leadership role? It is also a question Barna researchers recently asked about 3,000 Christians, a study produced in partnership with Josh McDowell Ministry. Only 8% of pastors said yes, that a pastor using porn should resign. “

Church Plant Essentials – “A friend emails informing you he has met some families and wants to start a church. ‘We do not know where to really begin. We know a church is a body of people, not a building, but what five or six things should we focus on at first?’ Of course you know this blog will answer this question, but before reading ahead I encourage you to answer the question. Then compare notes. Our answers often reflect either biblical training or presuppositions. These presuppositions can come from culture, experience, or philosophies. Knowing how you answer this question can help evaluate and insure shaping a biblical mind-set regarding “What the church should do.”

What makes a great teacher? – “Caring and compassionate! Quite the caricature-smasher isn’t it. Of course, there has to be content as well; we don’t want teachers just to cuddle the little darlings all day. But I must admit, although my own elementary and high school education was a nightmare in many ways, the two teachers who do stand out in my mind, one man and one woman, were exactly as described in this poll.”

SERMON:

Michael Durham – Authentic Christianity

VIDEOS:

What Does It Mean to Be a Saint?

Martyn Lloyd-Jones Panel at the 2014 Together for The Gospel

“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus.  It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior.” – John MacArthur

The post The Daily Discovery (October 6, 2016) appeared first on Entreating Favor.

The Daily Discovery (October 5, 2016)

ARTICLES I LIKE FROM AROUND THE WEB:

(Click title to go to full article)

3 Nagging Problems with Andy Stanley’s Approach to the Bible – “Stanley has formally issued a response to the responses at Outreach Magazine. It’s this latter statement I want to spend some time interacting with, as I think his previous statements have been well-parsed and I find that—even after this attempted rebuttal and clarification—there are some glaring problems with Pastor Stanley’s approach to the Scriptures that not many are addressing. Certainly he isn’t addressing them himself. I am not certain he is even aware of them. Here, then, are three nagging problems I still have with Stanley’s use of the Bible…”

Andy Stanley, ‘The Bible Says’ is Enough in Every Generation – “I am thankful Andy Stanley recently reaffirmed his commitment to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. But the question remains, does his methodology treat God’s inerrant Word as sufficient? The doctrine of Scripture lies at the heart of all of our Christian faith commitments. The events of redemptive history are interpreted for us by the testimony of Scripture whether it be prospectively or retrospectively. If the Scripture is not authoritative, then we do not have a definitive understanding of the meaning of any event in redemptive history.”

What Andy Stanley Has Forgotten – “What Andy Stanley has forgotten is that conversion to Christianity involves a supernatural rebirth that requires the Word of God. Forgetting this essential truth has been the tendency of the seeker-sensitive church-growth movement. This vital truth is forgotten wherever sociology is given a higher priority in the church than theology–whether the church is Reformed or broadly evangelical. It is forgotten by pastoral search committees whenever they seek a charismatic personality in place of faithfulness to the ministry of the Word. And it is forgotten by churches that give the sacraments a higher place of priority than Bible preaching in the worship service. In reality, all of us forget that salvation takes place only by the grace of God through the Word of God when we neglect prayer as an essential component to our evangelism.”

Those Exquisite Forms of Love That Do Not Speak Your Language – “The book has been out for years, and by this time just about every Christian has been introduced to the ‘love language’ parlance. We know that love languages refer to the varied ways people give and receive love. Some feel loved when they receive affection, others when they receive gifts or affirming words. There are five of these languages and most of us have been taught to rank them in order of personal preference. Well and good. God has created us in different ways and vive la difference.”

Why I Love Being a Pastor – “I remember reading Iain Murray’s excellent biography of Jonathan Edwards. I found much to identify with, especially the personal heartaches Edwards endured as pastor of the same church for twenty-three years. After all that time his flock voted him out. Though I have never been expelled by a congregation like Edwards was, I know what it is to be the subject of controversy, both inside and outside the church. Yet, in spite of the challenges, there is no more-privileged calling than that of being a minister of Jesus Christ. Local church ministry can sometimes be difficult, but the rewards far outweigh the challenges. I can think of at least ten reasons to rejoice in the privilege of serving as a pastor of a local church.”

SERMON:

Heath Lambert – Brothers We Are Not Therapists Heath Lambert

VIDEOS:

Essential Doctrines?

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Proclaims September 25th “Muslim Parade Day”

“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus.  It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior.” – John MacArthur

The post The Daily Discovery (October 5, 2016) appeared first on Entreating Favor.

The Daily Discovery (October 4, 2016)

ARTICLES I LIKE FROM AROUND THE WEB:

(Click title to go to full article)

Jesus Always, the Sequel to Jesus Calling – “This book is going to be big. Huge, even. Its predecessor has sold well over 10 million copies and more than a decade after publication has no less than 6 editions on the list of Christian bestsellers. Today, at last, comes the long-awaited sequel, releasing to great fanfare—a million-copy first printing backed by a huge $300,000 marketing spend. One way or another you will come across this book and so will most of your friends and neighbors. You will see it on Amazon, in Costco, in airport bookshops, and perhaps even at your church’s book table. It’s Jesus Always, Sarah Young’s sequel to Jesus Calling.”

“The Bible Says So” Is Enough: a Response to Andy Stanley – “‘First, the elephant in the room,’ says Andy Stanley, beginning a 7,500 word apologetic argument published by Outreach Magazine on Friday. ‘I believe the Bible is without error in everything it affirms. I believe what the Bible says is true, is true.’ So there you have it. Stanley believes the Bible is inerrant. Only, not really.”

Make the Hyde Amendment permanent – “Even the majority of those who believe in abortion agree that taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for it. The Hyde Amendment, which was passed 40 years ago last week, prevents taxpayer dollars from paying for abortions. The problem is, it has to be approved every year.”

The Arrogance of Uncertainty – “A famous preacher recently recounted his experience on a major university campus. When addressing a large gathering of students, he was widely applauded for introducing himself as someone who had searched for the truth. But the cheers turned into wild booing when he told them that he’d found the truth. That episode encapsulates the postmodern world we now live in. Postmodernism—a way of thinking that denies absolutes and objectivity—now dominates our culture. The only thing those students were absolutely certain about was that you can’t be absolutely certain about anything. In their eyes, what began as a humble quest for truth had morphed into an arrogant assertion—one that was unacceptable to their postmodern worldview.”

4 Cultural Trends Leading to the Decline of Religious Liberty – “Religious liberty, America’s “first freedom,” has fallen on hard times lately. A few years ago, a survey showed that nearly 40 percent of Americans believed the First Amendment’s protections “go too far.” That number has decreased in later surveys (thankfully), but it’s still a troubling sign. Meanwhile, we are seeing more and more legal battles against religious people whose convictions are not in line with the ideology of the Sexual Revolution. What’s going on? What are the cultural trends leading to diminished religious liberty?”

SERMON:

David Prince – A Privileged People (Hebrews 1:1-4)

VIDEOS:

Bikinis and Modesty

A non-denominational spoof.

“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus.  It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior.” – John MacArthur

The post The Daily Discovery (October 4, 2016) appeared first on Entreating Favor.

The Daily Discovery (October 3, 2016)

ARTICLES I LIKE FROM AROUND THE WEB:

(Click title to go to full article)

3 Quick Questions Before Quitting Your Church – “We all know there are times and circumstances in which the only right course of action is to leave a church. If the church leadership has apostatized or proven themselves unqualified for ministry, if they are preaching a false gospel, if they have surrendered to the culture, we need to get out. We can leave these churches boldly and without looking back, shaking the dust from our feet.”

The Instagram Bible – “Beware the Instagram Bible, my daughters – those filtered frames festooned with feathered verses, adorned in all manner of loops and tails, bedecked with blossoms, saturated with sunsets, culled and curated just for you. Beware lest it become for you your source of daily bread. It is telling a partial truth. I saw in my vision by night, and behold, I dreamed of a world in which every copy of the Bible was gone, except those portions we had preserved on Instagram. Consider this Bible, my daughters, if you will: Its perfect squares are friend to the proverb, the promise, and the partial quote, leaving laws, lists, land-allotments, and long-stretching lessons to languish off-screen.”

The Hermeneutic of Humility – “Hermeneutics is a big word. You may be unfamiliar with it, but it’s a necessary part of all Bible study. Hermeneutics is the science of interpreting what an author has written. For Christians, it means following the appropriate rules for interpreting Scripture. And although the word ‘hermeneutics’ doesn’t appear in the Bible, its practice is clearly described: ‘Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth’ (2 Timothy 2:15).”

Portraits of Superstition: The Deal-Maker – “The negotiator, the deal-maker, the haggler, the bargainer, the gambler, the promise-breaker — all of these classifications went through my mind as I was preparing this article. All are appropriate, but the bottom line is this woman tries to make deals with God. Some of this deal-making is direct and intentional and some of it is (seemingly) subtle and manipulative. The deal-maker is afraid. She is afraid she is not going to get her way. She is afraid of going through suffering, grief, or turmoil. She is afraid she is not going to get what she wants temporally, and her mind spends little time pondering eternity. Maybe she only tried to make a deal with God once — that one scary time when she thought she had cancer. She promised God she would quit smoking or go to church more, she would make this life count, if He would just give her a clean bill of health. Since then, she has forgotten about the deal. She made an effort to change for a while there, but now the fear and anxiety have passed. She doesn’t need God anymore, and she has fallen back into her old ways.”

The Work of the Holy Spirit in Salvation – “Yesterday I preached from Ephesians 1:11-14. This was the final section in the lengthy sentence that extends from verses 3-14. It’s one brilliant thought that flows through the work of our Trinitarian God in saving rebel sinners. What a way to begin the letter to the church at Ephesus and surrounding regions. The final verses of this section are focused upon the work of the Holy Spirit in our salvation. Like the final stages of a masterpiece of art, the final layer of paint, the details are brought to life and it causes the overall painting to explode with brilliance — so does the work of salvation when we see the overlapping work of our Trinitarian God.”

SERMON:

Nate Pickowicz – Christian Believer vs. Old Nature (1 John 3:4-10)

VIDEOS:

Name It and Claim It?

C-3PO Crashes a Pentecostal Revival

“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus.  It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior.” – John MacArthur

The post The Daily Discovery (October 3, 2016) appeared first on Entreating Favor.