When Science Masquerades As Philosophy

https://chab123.wordpress.com/2018/03/04/when-science-masquerades-as-philosophy/

The Missing Word in Our Modern Gospel

~ Kevin DeYoung

Every Christian loves the gospel. By definition, you cannot have a Christian who isn’t shaped by and saved by the gospel.

So three cheers for the gospel. Make that 3 million cheers.

But let’s preach the gospel the way Jesus and the apostles did. Theirs was not a message of unconditional affirmation. They showed no interest in helping people find the hidden and beautiful self deep inside. They did not herald the good news that God likes you just the way you are.

Too much “gospel” preaching sounds like a slightly spiritualized version of that old Christina Aguilera song:

You are beautiful no matter what they say.
Words can’t bring you down.
You are beautiful in every single way.
Yes, words can’t bring you down.
So don’t bring me down today.

 

I don’t doubt that many of us feel beat up and put down. We struggle with shame and self-loathing. We need to know we can be okay, even when we don’t feel okay. It is good news to hear, then, that God loves us in Christ and that we are precious in his sight.

But the gospel is more than positive self-talk, and the gospel Jesus and the apostles preached was more than a warm, “don’t let anybody tell you you’re not special” bear hug.

More: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/missing-word-modern-gospel/

What the Bible Actually Says About the Antichrist

The “Antichrist” is a subject that has been thrown around a lot in the past few decades, especially in America. When it’s mentioned, it is usually in the context of a political figure or organization. It seems as though it has become commonplace to simply attach the word Antichrist to someone we don’t like or an organization with whom we disagree. Obama was the Antichrist, and now Trump is the Antichrist. Putin is the Antichrist. The DNC is the Antichrist. The SBC is the Antichrist. You get the idea.

In 1 John 2:18-28, we have one of the extremely few times that “antichrist” is ever mentioned in the entire Bible. But, when John mentions it, notice that he doesn’t pinpoint one political figure or something like that. When he mentions it, John says that already “many antichrists have come” (2:18). When John brings up the concept of antichrists, he does so while talking about false teaching within the church community. What can we gain from this? Here are three things that I think are a lot more useful than stirring the proverbial apocalyptic pot with these sorts of verses.

1. Antichrist is a term that needs clarification.

Continue: https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/333631-what-the-bible-actually-says-about-the-antichrist-rusty-george.html

Why students lose their faith in college

https://www.cru.org/us/en/communities/campus/why-students-lose-faith-in-college.html

 

Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church

https://biologos.org/blogs/archive/six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church

 

Why Are So Many Young People Losing Their Faith in College?

https://www.christianheadlines.com/columnists/breakpoint/why-are-so-many-young-people-losing-their-faith-in-college.html

 

FactChecker: Does College Cause Young Adults to Lose Their Faith?

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/factchecker-does-college-cause-young-adults-to-lose-their-faith/

 

Does college cause students to lose their faith?

 

Why Students Abandon Their Faith: Lessons From William Wilberforce

https://cpyu.org/resource/why-students-abandon-their-faith-lessons-from-william-wilberforce/

 

Why are so many young people falling away from the faith?

https://cpyu.org/resource/why-students-abandon-their-faith-lessons-from-william-wilberforce/

 

8 Indicators Worship Music Is Not Good

Read the comments, too.

http://chucklawless.com/2018/08/8-indicators-worship-music-is-not-good/

What Is the Apostles’ Creed?

https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/apostles-creed/

6 Ways To Sing Better In Worship This Weekend

I’m not a musician, and I sing publicly only when a bunch of other people are singing with me – but I love to worship God through song. I grieve when those who gather for worship seem not to enjoy that time. From a non-singer who just enjoys worship, here are some ways to sing better this weekend:

Go to: http://chucklawless.com/2017/03/7-ways-to-sing-better-in-worship-this-weekend/

15 Things To Do If You Want To Lead Better

1. Read more. Set a leadership reading plan in place (perhaps at least one book per month) that includes spiritual books on character and practical books on competence.
2. Listen more. Many leaders have stopped learning because they can’t stop talking. Listen to other leaders around you. Learn from some podcasts.
3. Pray more. All of us need to pray more, but some leaders don’t pray much at all. They live on their charismatic personality.
4. Exercise more. God gave you a body, too. Take care of it.
5. Sleep more. This one’s tough for me, but I know what the doctors say: Get sufficient rest if you want to be at your best.
6. Think more. Like . . . before you speak. And before you tweet something. And before you send that angry email. And before you make that phone call.

Read them all at: http://chucklawless.com/2018/09/15-things-to-do-if-you-want-to-lead-better/

We Are Called to Pray for One Another

James 5:13-16 – ¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

From time-to-time – I feel compelled (obligated – duty-bound) to call us to pray for our church – for our pastor – for our leaders – for one another – not only in our local church – but also – to pray for our denomination. According to Scripture:

1 Peter 5:8-9 – ⁸ Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith.

The devil is out there and wants nothing more than to devour the church – the people of God! Part of standing firm is to stay in prayer together. How’s your prayer life?

We should pray that the devil not be given even a foothold in our lives and in the church. Scripture says;

Ephesians 4:25-28 – ²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

I urge all of our readers to pray for the following and more as the Spirit leads:

1. Pray for your pastor(s) and leaders to stand firm in their faith with Jesus.
2. Pray for a spirit of harmony in your local church – it is not necessary for us to always agree – we can even see some things differently – but we must be in harmony with the Word of God and with the essential purposes of the church. In order to reach the unchurched – the church needs to present a harmonious tune in the Spirit! No one will want to join a church that is making terrible noise (we aren’t as a whole but could go there if we don’t stand firm in our faith).
3. Pray against a spirit of bickering (internal strife). The battle is not against each other folks – it is against powers and principalities of evil. We should not shoot our own wounded – but rather – we should love each other in spite of our shortcomings. Ephesians 6:12 – For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
4. Pray against a spirit of pickiness. Some have been in negative mode for such a long season – it seems almost natural to look at what is wrong rather than what is right with the church or pastor. We should not let issues go unaddressed for sure but should handle them in love and not in attack mode!
5. Pray for the next few months (until February 2019 for example) – pray for the life of your church. The next few months will determine the course of our church in future years. As we discern a plan for the future and into the day-to-day life of the church – we should pray that we will be open to where God leads us. Pray also that the church will follow God’s lead.
6. Pray for the church’s daily devotion to Christ!

Just something for us to think about today as we go on our way!

 

Comment at Ray’s blog: https://raymcdonald.wordpress.com/2018/09/12/we-are-called-to-pray-for-one-another/

When Science Masquerades as Philosophy

~ chab123

In Alex Rosenberg’s The Atheist’s Guide to Reality, he attempts to demonstrate why science is “our exclusive guide to reality.” Here, Rosenberg attempts to provide a neat synopsis of life’s big questions, along with what he considers to be scientifically reliable answers. Here are some of life’s big questions that he thinks science can answer:

Is there a God? No. What is the nature of reality? What physics says it is. What is the purpose of the universe? There is none. What is the meaning of life? Ditto. Why am I here? Just dumb luck . . . Is there free will? Not a chance. What is the difference between right and wrong, good and bad? There is no moral difference between them. Why should I be moral? Because it makes you feel better than being immoral. Is abortion, euthanasia, suicide, paying taxes, foreign aid, or anything else you don’t like forbidden, permissible, or something obligatory? Anything goes.[1]

Here, Rosenberg makes the assumption that what science reveals to us is all that is real. But as Edward Feser points out, Rosenberg is guilty of a reductionist view of reality. Feser illustrates:

1. Metal detectors have had far greater success in finding coins and other metallic objects in more places than any other method has.
2. Therefore, what metal detectors reveal to us (coins and other metallic objects) is probably all that is real.[2]

Continue at: https://chab123.wordpress.com/2018/03/04/when-science-masquerades-as-philosophy/