This is a sermon I wrote this month. Church planting is a topic near and dear to my heart, and I am convinced that it is intrinsic to how the New Testament church went about fulfilling the Great Commission. The sermon studies the examples of Priscilla and Aquila, who helped to start the churches in Corinth and Ephesus, and also hosted a church in their house when they eventually moved back to Rome.
Last year, someone gave me the New Living Translation (NLT) Study Bible as a present and I've absolutely been loving it. This year, my wife and I decided to pass on the love and give some study bibles as gifts to other people. That led me to the Christian book store, a place of peril for my financial well-being. (Actually, I got a screamer of a deal, using my 30% off rewards punch-card on top of a 20%-off Bible sale going on that day. But it just meant I could buy Bibles for more people, so actually didn't save me any money.)
While I was at the store, the sales guy asked if I had seen the new English Standard Version (ESV) Study Bible, which just came out this year. I hadn't, but was pretty impressed with the layout, cross-reference, and commentary. It's pretty much aimed at a Reformed/Neo-Calvinist audience, though, and you can really tell when you head over to their Web site and check out the endorsements from people like John Piper.
I decided to stick with the NLT Study Bible to give as gifts, but bought an ESV Study Bible for my own use. (Thanks to wife for saying yes!) Having both of them at home, I can say with certainty that I still reach for the NLT more often. It's just a joy to read the New Living Translation. (I carry a slimline NIV from Zondervan in my bag and use that when not at home.) That readability, combined with the awesome notes, has really helped me to enjoy the Old Testament. I admit that reading the OT before seemed a bit of a drag.
To me, the ESV Study Bible seems more appropriate for hard-core study, not only because the commentary seems more theologically oriented, but also because the ESV translation is more literal and often uses technical Christian terms. I think it's useful and am glad to have it, but it's more of a reference book for me.
The NLT Study Bible combines the readability of the New Living Translation with a more scholarly approach in the study notes section that discusses alternative literal translations. This is a big plus, because I admit that the NLT does sacrifice some precision for the sake of being easy to understand. So, all in all, I heartily recommend the NLT Study Bible to anyone looking for a down-to-earth study Bible that combines excellent readability, good scholarship, and insightful study notes.
http://www.esvstudybible.org/
http://www.nltstudybible.com/
It’s been about 15 years now that I asked God what He wanted of my life and He answered, “No compromise.” I was still in high school and at our church’s summer retreat. Ps. Richard Holland was our guest speaker and introduced us to revival. I was on the floor, having been “slain in the Spirit,” and felt the presence of God over me. Because I felt He was near, I asked him what He wanted. I knew what I had wanted up to that point, but now I wanted whatever God wanted for my life. I lay quiet for a while, conscious that He was there and waiting for Him to speak, oblivious to the prayers, shouts, and songs around me.
“No compromise,” He answered, after what seemed like a long time. What He said—the exact words—was very clear to me, clearer than any “word” I’ve received directly from the Lord since then. Not only were the words clear, but the meaning was exactly clear as well. God unfolded what those two words meant for my Christian life: I was not to compromise His standard in any area of my life. He didn't want me to live up to what others thought was acceptable, but He wanted me to live up to His own perfect example. It was as Jesus said during His Sermon on the Mount, “Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Of course, I’ve failed many times to live up to the perfect standard of God. I’ve compromised many, many times. But, even with all my failures, I am glad those were the words God gave to me 15 years ago because I know that God has called me with the highest calling. God doesn’t want me to compromise in love. He doesn’t want me to compromise in holiness. He doesn’t want me to compromise in discipline, effort, conviction, and commitment to His work. He doesn’t want me “on fire” only on Sundays or only during our annual church camp, but He wants me on fire for Him and His work all the time. “Never be lacking in zeal,” as Paul wrote. Of course I fail to live up to His perfect standard; but He never does, and so as long as I refuse to give up, He will continue to finish the work He started in me.
Moreover, these words “no compromise” mean that God Himself is my standard and not other people. I am not called to follow in the footsteps of any man, except that those lead me further in the way of Christ. Paul wrote to his disciple Timothy for him to not let anyone look down on him because of his relative youth, but to “set an example for all the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” In other words, Paul told Timothy not to set his standards according to those who he naturally should have looked to (the elders in Ephesus), but to set his standards according to the calling of God in his life.
As I’ve matured spiritually (though I admit I still have so, so much to learn), I’ve come to understand that God doesn’t measure us relative to other people, but according to what He has called us to individually. If we compromise His calling in our life and excuse ourselves by comparing ourselves favorably to others, we will be surprised on that Last Day, because God will hold each one accountable for what He’s spoken to them individually and what He’s given them individually. To those who much had been given, much we will be demanded. So, don’t compromise.
I stumbled upon this Google Books version of Margaret Sanger's The Pivot of Civilization, in which she lays out her case for "family planning" as a way to implement eugenics on a broad scale. She's the founder of Planned Parenthood and writes some really scary stuff about eugenics. (Check out chapter four on "The Fertility of the Feeble-Minded," for example.) It's frightening to realize how much of her vision has come to reality with legalized abortion. And, if proposed health care reform includes subsidies for family planning, her vision will be even more true. It's scary stuff.
This is a sermon I wrote last year. I don't see the grace of God as simply a ticket to heaven or pass for our sins. Yes, it's relieved our fears, but also teaches our hearts to fear Him. I dare not let His grace go in vain (as Paul said) or miss the grace of God (as the writer of Hebrews said). At the same time, I know that if I do fail, then God gives us even more grace so that we can repent (as James said). The key is to truly humble ourselves before Him (as both James and Paul said). This is what I mean when I talk about the grace of God.
I've never been a texting guy or signed up for a mobile data plan, but I have to admit that the iPhone is a thing of singular beauty. I feel really bad about admiting this, but it's the truth. I'm supposed to be a PC guy, and really I still am at heart. But the iPhone has so many cool apps and just looks awesome.
