Barack Obama Joins Yasser Arafat as Nobel Peace Prize Winner

My Dream Question and a Seeker Sensitive Pastor

In Acts 16 we read about the ministry of Paul in Philippi.

While in Philippi a demon possessed slave girl became a hindrance to the ministry. Finally, “...Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour” (Acts 16:18 ESV).

This was a great blessing for the slave girl, but “her owners” were not pleased because the demon was a “spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling” (Acts 16:16 ESV). “They seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers” (Acts 16:19 ESV). They falsely accused Paul and Sillas before the magistrates who had them beaten with rods and thrown in prison. After Paul and Silas were beaten they were placed in stocks in the deepest part of the prison.

(Acts 16:25-29 ESV) 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.

The next verse records, in the words of the Philippian jailer, my dream question.

(Acts 16:30 ESV) 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

In all my years as a Christian I have never had anyone ask me a question like that. (Just as an aside, I think most Christians are waiting for such a question before they will ever proclaim the gospel.) But I can tell you this. If someone ever asks me that question I will have an answer for them. I say that with confidence because I do not wait for someone to ask may dream question before I proclaim to them the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Having said all that, let me tell you a story.

A few days ago I was with my family at a farmer’s market/street fair passing out tracts and talking to people about the gospel. Occupying one of the booths at the street fair was a church that is a new plant from a local seeker sensitive mega church. So I decided to see what they were all about. I asked them what kind of church they were. They said, “We are a Christian church...evangelical Christian. Our pastor preaches messages that are relevant to life and they come from the Bible. We are not a seeker church.”

As we talked they introduced themselves. One of them was the children’s ministry director, one was the worship pastor, and the other two were also involved in the ministry. They said that they were half of the leadership of the church.

That’s when I decided to ask my dream question. What must I do to be saved? Only I wanted to ask it in a way that was still a question about their church.

So I looked at the worship pastor (after all he’s a pastor) and said, “What does your church teach about the nature of the gospel?”

His mouth opened as he visibly inhaled. He looked at the children’s ministry director and said, “Uh.” He looked back at me and said, “Uh, the nature of the gospel? Jesus died for our sins.”

Okay, that’s true. That Jesus died in the place of sinners is essential to the gospel message. But half the unbelievers I talk to tell me that Jesus died for our sins. I gave a pastor the opportunity to expound the gospel of Jesus Christ and that was all he could come up with.

For all he knew I could have been a Mormon, a JW, or an irreligious pagan asking him to explain the gospel.

He continued, “We preach the whole gospel, not a watered down message. Uh, I’m new at the church. I’m still learning.” Then the others chimed in to tell me about the great programs they had at the church.

As we were walking away my wife heard the worship pastor say, “Well, that was a really broad question.” I said, “That’s my dream question.”

The Bible commands Christians to be prepared to answer that question:

(First Peter 3:15 ESV) 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Below I have linked to a couple ministries that help Christians to be prepared to proclaim the gospel.

The Way of the Master

Evangelism Explosion

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

The ESV Study Bible

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 will mark the publication of the ESV Study Bible.

I’ve been reading the English Standard Version for almost two years now and I am very pleased with it. I’m also excited to see the publication of this new study Bible based on the ESV.

“The ESV is a dream come true for me. The rightful heir to a great line of historic translations, it provides the continuity and modern accuracy I longed for. Now the scope and theological faithfulness of the ESV Study Bible study notes is breathtaking. Oh how precious is the written Word of God.” John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Justification Before God Apart from Human Effort

When Paul said,

(Romans 3:20 ESV) “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight”

he eliminated all human effort as the way to justification.

5 minute video:

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Spurgeon on the Love of God for the Justified Sinner

The doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone is essential to the Gospel. Lately, I've been reading a number of thing on the doctrine. The following is a quote from a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon.

The moment the man believes in Christ, he ceases to be guilty in God’s esteem, but what is more, he becomes righteous, he becomes meritorious, for, in the moment when Christ takes his sins he takes Christ’s righteousness, so that, when God looks upon the sinner who but an hour ago was dead in sins, he looks upon him with as much love and affection as he ever looked upon his Son. He himself has said it — “As the Father loved me, so have I loved you.” He loves us as much as his Father loved him. Can you believe such a doctrine as that? Does it not pass all thought? Well, it is a doctrine of the Holy Spirit, the doctrine whereby we must hope to be saved. (Justification By Grace, A Sermon [#126] Delivered on April 5, 1857)

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Bicycle Crash

This is my first attempt at putting a video on the blog.

What's the Point?

There are those who, while affirming the Deity of Jesus, deny the doctrine of the Trinity. They are called modalists, since they believe that the Father Son and Holy Spirit are mere modes of the unitarian God. They teach that Jesus is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

I have found in defending the biblical doctrine of the Trinity against this heresy, its adherents will not argue the point in dispute. They will accuse me either of tritheism or Arianism. But I affirm both monotheism and the Deity of Jesus Christ (as does the doctrine of the Trinity).

The real point to be argued is this, “Does the Bible teach that there are personal distinctions between the Father Son and Holy Spirit?” Since Trinitarians and modalist both affirm monotheism and the Deity of Christ, there is no reason to argue these points. But modalist almost universally want to argue these very points. This is because for them to argue the real point of difference (personal distinctions in the Deity) is a loosing battle.

So, they will argue, one God cannot be three gods. I agree! But that is not what the Bible teaches and it is not what Trinitarians believe. The Bible teaches that there is One God who is three Persons. If they want to say that One God cannot be three divine Persons, or, if there are three divine Persons that must mean that there are three gods, then they are arguing philosophically - not biblically.

For if the Bible teaches that there is only one God (and it does), and that there are three divine Persons (it does), then the three divine Persons must be the one God.

Therefore, the debate, to be of any use, must ask the question, “Does the Bible teach that there are Personal distinctions between the Father Son and Holy Spirit?”

Now tell me, doth this offend you?