Equip the People

1. Knowing about the End Times gives us greater confidence in our beliefs and greater depth in our understanding of the Bible (2 Tim. 2:15).
2. Knowing the issues surrounding the End Times will protect us from false claims of the end and help us dialogue with society when they come (Mt. 24:4-5).
3. Knowing about Christ’s return helps us give people an answer about the hope that we have (1 Pet. 3:15).
4. Knowing the views of the End Times helps us dialogue with those believers who ask questions and encourages us to stay strong in community (Heb. 10:24-25).
5. Knowing about the end helps us understand the goal of what God is doing in history and helps us live motivated by the principles of the age to come (Col 3:1-4).
6. Knowing that Jesus is coming helps us eagerly await Christ and purify ourselves as he is pure (1 Jn. 3:3).
7. Knowing how Jesus will accomplish his victory gives us confidence that our labors for his kingdom are not in vain (1 Cor 15:58).
8. Knowing how and when Jesus will come helps us place our hope in him—in his deliverance (Lk. 21:28).
9. Knowing that Christ is coming, but not knowing the day or hour or exactly how the events will transpire—motivates us to always be ready for his return (Mt. 24:44).
10. Knowing that in the end Jesus will assign roles and rewards according to our stewardship of his resources on earth motivates us to stay diligent in serving God (Rom. 14:10).

Psalm 19 is a rich blend of vivid poetry and deep theology.  Recently, one of our groups went through this Psalm inductively.  It was fun to see everyone seeking to uncover the truths of this passage and apply them to their lives.  Here are my notes from our time.  On here I have background information, word studies, themes, cross-references, and application questions.  Enjoy!

Psalm 19

Also, here is the inductive study on the Psalms that we used:

Psalms Inductive Study

Here are the notes for a class on Salvation that I am teaching.  It goes all the way from predestination to glorification.  I hit topics such as depravity, atonement, election, conversion, justification, perseverance, and glorification.  Most of what I used to write this were thoughts from David Platt, Wayne Grudem, and Millard Erickson.

Salvation

For those of you interested in the Cross and Suffering Study Guide in an electronic format (Secret Church April 6), here it is:

The Cross and Suffering Study Guide… with blanks

The Cross and Suffering Study Guide 2 … with the blanks filled in!

I have completed my ordination paper.  The task was to take the E-Free Church of America’s statement of faith and back up its statements with Scripture.  I was also charged with writing about my positions on issues such as the age of the earth, the atonement, the end times, and various social issues.

What I Believe

All, here are my notes from a class I am teaching on Salvation on the doctrine of Regeneration, how God changes our hearts!  Enjoy.

Regeneration

Here are my notes from  my talk on the Doctrine of Election.  I go through the verses and arguments for unconditional and conditional election.  I also give reasons why I think election is unconditional.

Election

Here are my teaching notes explaining the two sides.

God’s Plan and Human Choices

Respectable Sins are those sins that we may overlook or that have become so commonplace that we don’t even realize they are there; such as ungodliness, unthankfulness, and pride.   Jerry Bridges has coined this term and written a great book about it called Respectable Sins.  In this book, Bridges goes through these in a way that is God-centered, theologically sound, encouraging, and yet deeply challenging.  In one of our young adult groups this past year we went through this material and we were greatly challenged to go deeper into our lives to find areas where we could improve for the sake of Christ.  The following resource is a list of diagnostic questions using the themes in Respectable Sins.  Use this resource prayerfully as you seek to grow deeper in your relationship with Christ.

Respectable Sins Diagnostic Questions

This weekend we gathered to watch the Secret Church Simulcast.  It was a good reminder for us to be lifting up our brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted for Christ.  We spent time praying for them.  To remember them, we also listened to David Platt open the Scriptures to us just like he does when he goes over to teach the leaders of the persecuted church–simply, biblically… and FAST!  He went through many issues such as; marriage, roles of men and women, singleness, divorce, widows, orphans, homosexuality, sex, and abortion.  Below is an excellent resource on these issues from secretchurch.org.  Enjoy!

Secret Church Study Guide–Marriage, Family, Sex and the Gospel