God is not a "To-Do" List

A quote from A.W.Tozer (get ready for a kick in the stomach)

A generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals. We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our short devotions, and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar. The tragic results of this spirit are all about us. Shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit; these and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul.

It's Greek To Me

Why is the New Testament written in Greek? Is it just by coincidence? I don’t think so.

I read something that was I thought was fascinating the other day. ( I know that many things I think are fascinating others think are boring or weird. That’s o.k. You can get your own blog:)) It was from a book by F.F. Bruce called “The Books and Parchments”.

Why was the NT written in Greek? During the era of Christ’s life on earth up and through the times of the apostles, most writing was done in Greek. There are many reasons for this that I find not only fascinating but evidence of the amazing, providential, hand of God.

Historically, this time period was dominated by the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire ruled the world in that day and that rule extended all the way throughout Israel. The common language of the Roman empire was Greek. The military and some officials used Latin, but the language of the people was Greek. When the Romans ruled over another land, they brought to that area their language. The conquered people would be required to adopt the Romans language.

The conquered nations did not have to give up their language, and most nations spoke a variety of languages. They were multilingual. Much like a lot of Europe today. Most Europeans speak more than one language and can probably speak more than two. That is very similar to the case of the Israelite people in the times of the New Testament.

The common language for Jesus and the apostles was Aramaic. Aramaic is a cousin of ancient Hebrew. They still understood and occasionally spoke Hebrew as their scriptures were written in that language. But, the Israelites also spoke and new Greek. To conduct business, pay taxes, and not get in trouble with the Roman authorities required a knowledge of Greek.

As this was true for Israel, it was also true for the known world at that time. All the known world from the time of about 30 A.D. to 150 A.D. (which covers the life of Christ and the writing of the New Testament, give or take a few) knew the common Greek language.

Here is where it get’s providential. In Luke 24:45-47 Jesus says "Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to ALL NATIONS, beginning from Jerusalem."

F.F. Bruce writes this, “The language most appropriate for the propagation of this message would naturally be one that was most widely known throughout all the nations, and this language lay ready to hand. It was the Greek language, which at that time when the Gospel began to be proclaimed among all nations, was a thoroughly international language, spoken not only around the Aegean shores but all over the Eastern Mediterranean and in other areas too.” (p. 57)

The message of Christ was intended to go to all nations, and God, in his His supreme wisdom, arranged for the situation to be such that the language for the spread of that wonderful message was thoroughly international. It is not a coincidence that the New Testament scriptures are written in Greek

How To Juggle Cats - Or Your Schedule

With the coming fall and the new school year, our schedule has become a great challenge. This always seems to be the case. Having plenty of time seems to be a rarity.

This fall we seem to be like most people, trying to figure out how to juggle our schedule. Our kids are at two different schools with two different start times, and pick up times. That's a challenge.

We also have activities. We try to find a balance between being involved in good activities and not being over committed to the point that other areas suffer. This year we have diving lessons, diving team, volleyball, our Wed. night church responsibilities and the general school calendar of activities. Michelle is a wonderful mother who has great stamina and discipline to make sure the girls are where they need to be.

There are other areas of our life that deserve some time and attention as well. We have to juggle in times for exercise, rest, family time, devotional time with God, and other things.

I'm sure you have the same struggles. It is not easy.

I can actually juggle. When you are juggling something it is always about making adjustments. One toss might be out of line, and you have to adjust the catch and figure out how to get the next toss where it needs to be.

We are not perfect in juggling schedules, but we know that we have to work hard to be disciplined in making adjustments.

The key to adjusting while juggling is priorities. Protect the most important priorities. Spending time in God's Word and in fellowship with Him is a priority. I have to be disciplined to make sure that this area of my life doesn't suffer because it gets dropped in our busy schedule.

The next key is sacrifice. Something is going to be sacrificed because of busyness. If your priorities are set straight, then you will only sacrifice those things on the bottom of the list.

To juggle well, takes priorities, sacrifice, and discipline. These are all things that I need constantly to work on in my own life, but I trust in God and seek His strength and wisdom to be disciplined.

1 Timothy 4:7 "Be disciplined for godliness."

Don't Just Be A Good Boy

Be a good person. Be a better person. Be a better man. Be a better husband. Be a better father.

For many, that is the goal in life and that is what they hear the church preaching. The message is one of morality. Jesus can make you a better person.

The problem with that type of moralism is that it is a false gospel. It is not what being a Christ follower is all about. Jesus did not die so you could be more moral and behave better.

I read a blog article by Dr. Al Mohler on this subject that is a must read. This moral gospel is what drives so many people, preachers, and churches. It is the reason why there are so many “how to sermons”. You’ve seen them. How to have a better marriage, family, career, sex life, etc., etc., ad naseum.

It is absolutely true that there are moral requirements to walking with Christ. And, there are plenty of passages of scripture that address those various issues that we face. But that is not the heart of the gospel. The heart of the gospel is that we have sinned against a holy God. That Jesus died as our substitute taking the punishment for our sins. If we repent and fully trust in Jesus then He bestows His grace and forgiveness. That doesn’t make us better people, it makes us new people. It doesn’t just clean up the rough edges, it is a whole new start. Jesus didn’t die so we could be better, He died so we could be saved.

Dr. Mohler writes, “The theological temptation of moralism is one many Christians and churches find it difficult to resist. The danger is that the church will communicate by both direct and indirect means that what God expects of fallen humanity is moral improvement. In so doing, the church subverts the Gospel and communicates a false gospel to a fallen world.”

Bible Translations Part 2

So which bible translations are best?

It depends on a couple of factors, but the best translation method/philosophy is the Essentially Literal method. The reason for this is important. I believe that the 66 books of the Bible are the inspired, infallible, inerrant, Holy Word of God in the originals. I believe that every word, not just every thought, was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. That means that any translation that leaves out words is leaving out something that God intended to be in there. I have a problem with that.
So let me give you a ranking in reverse order.

Avoid all paraphrases as your bible translation for your normal reading and studying. A paraphrase is not the Bible. Now, it is o.k. to have and use paraphrases as a supplement in your studying of scripture, but it shouldn’t be what you read on a daily basis. That means avoid the Living Bible, Message, Good News Bible and other paraphrases.

Next, I would caution against using Dynamic Equivalent bibles like the NIV (New International Version). This type of translation is not quite a paraphrase but it does leave out some of God’s inspired words and that is problem. I do have a caveat for the NIV.

NIV Caveat. People have different reading abilities. If I come across someone whose reading level is not that high, I might start them off with the NIV. The readability of the NIV makes it a good starting place for adults, and teens whose reading ability is not too strong. But, I would also have the goal of graduating them from the NIV to the NAS(New American Standard) or ESV (English Standard Version).

Best Category: Essentially Literal is the best choice of Bibles because they attempt to stick as closely to the originals in a word for word fashion. The versions I recommend the most are the New American Standard(NAS) and the English Standard Version (ESV). They are not perfect, but I think they are the best choices out there. I think overall, the ESV is slightly better.

What about the King James? This is a touchy subject. There are some people out there who think that it is the KJV or nothing at all. “If it was good enough for Paul, it is good enough for me?”(Paul did not speak King James English, by the way) Some people just prefer the KJV, that is fine. But, if you are a KJV only person, I will not post your comments.

I do not recommend the KJV, unless you have grown up with it and understand the language. There are several reasons why I do not recommend the KJV. One is simple. Most people do not speak, read, or understand the Shakespearean type language that the KJV is written in. There are also some translations issues that I won’t go into.

What do I use?
For my everyday Bible reading I generally use the ESV. I will occasionally use other translations and my Greek and Hebrew Bibles.
For preaching. I always start with the original languages. As I have been preaching through Mark I start with the Greek new testament. I take an ESV onto the stage with me, but as I read it I will modify it based upon my own study of the Greek original.

Conclusion:
Read your Bible. Study your Bible. Believe your Bible. Use a good translation and get into God’s Word!

Bible Translations Part 1

What’s The Deal With Bible Translations

I get asked about Bible translations frequently. People want to know which one I use, which one I preach from. People want to know which one they should use.

First of all, this is a big issue, but it’s not one to stress about. Read the Bible, whatever you’ve got. That is the starting place. Our society, and churches, are becoming more and more biblically illiterate. People don’t know the Bible. I want to encourage people to read the Bible. Start reading it, read it consistently, and then investigate translations.

Here is a primer on Biblical translations. It is not an exhaustive discussion, but a starting point.

Original Bible
The 66 books of the Bible were written in ancient Hebrew, koine Greek, and some Aramaic. So, unless you know those languages you need a translation. If you go to a bookstore in Mexico and buy a book that is written in Spanish, you will either need to learn Spanish or have a translation of that book.

The best option is to learn the original languages. I have studied Hebrew and Greek for the purpose of being able to study the scriptures in their original language. I am not as proficient in those languages as I would like to be, and need lots of help from good resources, but that is the place that I start all of my sermon preparation. I would encourage anyone to learn the original languages.

Until you ( and I) are fully proficient in the original languages we need a translation. There are a seeming plethora to choose from. So, how do you choose the right one?

Although there are so many, they can all be put in 3 basic categories. These categories are methods/philosophy of translation. The method or philosophy used to translate makes a big difference. And, there are no perfect translations. All of them have pros and cons. Some of them are better than others.
Here are the categories with a brief explanation and some examples.

Essentially Literal

This philosophy is to translate attempting to stick as close to the original wording as possible. It is a word for word translation. If there is a word in the original, then that word will be in the translation.

Examples: the most common types are King James, New King James, New American Standard, and the English Standard Version


Dynamic Equivalent

This philosophy translates in a thought for thought process. The translation might leave out a word or two in order to keep a more dynamic flow to the English. This translation is more concerned with making the English translation more readable based on common English grammar.

Examples: The New International Version


Paraphrase

This philosophy does not concern itself with the original wording. It is more interested in producing a bible that reflects the common vernacular. This translation is not a real Bible. It is purely someone’s interpretation of the Bible.

Examples: The Living Bible, The Message



Coming Up In The Next Blog: The answer to the question, “which is best?”

Atheistic Ads

I came across this statistc and thought I would share it.

In 1990 the national organations of American Atheists spent $200,000 on an advertising campaign to recruit new members. The results: 34 new names. That is $5,882 spent for each new name.

"The fool says in his heart, 'there is no god'." Psalm 14:1

Jesus, Son of David

Check this out!

I have been intensely studying the book of 2 Chronicles all summer. I have been doing this for my DMIN classes at Southwestern. I have learned some remarkable things, let me share one.

Have you ever read those genealogy passages? Few things are harder to find relevance in than those passages. There are even some genealogies in the New Testament, the Gospels. In our culture genealogies don’t really peak our interest that much. But, they are in scripture and a part of God’s inspired Holy Word, and therefore, we need to take them seriously.

Here was a light bulb moment for me?

In the Hebrew Bible the last book of the Old Testament is Chronicles. It is not in our English translation.(I won’t take the time to explain why here). But, in the original languages Chronicles is the last book of the OT and Matthew is the first of the new.

Stay with me.
Chronicles is all about the Davidic Covenant – the promise that an heir of David would reign on the throne forever. Chronicles is written to the people of Israel that had returned from exile. Remember that Jerusalem had been taken and the temple destroyed in 586 B.C. as a result of the infidelity of God’s people.

Chapter 36 of 2 Chronicles concludes with the exiles be allowed to return. Keep up, it’s about to get real good. Cyrus the king of Persia sent them back. They would return to their land (the promised land of the covenant). They were permitted and instructed to rebuild the temple. Everything is back in order. Land, Jerusalem, Temple, People – all part of God’s great covenant. But, at the end of Chronicles something striking is missing. The author of the book is writing a “chronicle” of the kings of Judah. He gives detailed information about these kings. But, when the exiles are returned the only thing that is not mentioned is a king. What about the Davidic covenant? What about the promise of God that an heir of David would reign on the throne forever? Nothing is mentioned about the king at the end of Chronicles. The people would have been filled with expectation and hope for the promised king.

That is where Chronicles ends.

That is where Matthew starts.

Matthew 1:1 " The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." (Matthew 1:1, ESV)
Amazing! Marvelous!

Jesus is the long expected King who would reign forever!
Does He reign in your life?

Enjoy - The Word

I was reflecting recently on my career as a student of the Bible. My reflection reminded me how much I truly enjoy God’s Word. This does not mean that there have not been dry times. There have been many times when reading the scriptures was a chore. Have you ever been reading something and thinking about something else? There have been numerous times like that. But even those seemingly fruitless attempts have not been in vain.

I can remember starting to read the Bible before I was even saved. At the age of 15 or 16 (I can’t remember exactly it was so long ago), I remember having this longing in my heart and turning to the Bible for answers. My first attempts at reading scripture weren’t that great. I tried to read straight through. Genesis wasn’t too difficult, but at 15/16 years old, I bogged down rather rapidly.

I know for a fact that my salvation was initiated and fostered by the Holy Spirit using the Word of God in my life. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

The moment the Lord redeemed me I poured myself into His Word. I desired God and the things of God, so I gave my life to Him and the study of His Word.

When I first went to college I was voracious in learning all I could about God’s Word. I went to many different Christian organizations that had Bible Studies. I went to Bible studies with the following; Bapist Student Union, Campus Crusade For Christ, Navigators, Central Baptist Church, Intervarsity, independent groups studying the bible, even my own bible study in my dorm room. In fact, I went to so many of these things, that I neglected my classes and class work and my grades suffered. That is not the way that I should have done it.

Now don’t think that I am puffing myself up in telling you all of this. In fact, it demonstrates a great failure in my life. It is to my shame that I have spent so much time in the scriptures and don’t know it better than I do. If anything, this recollection convicts me of my need to step up my dedication to the study of God’s Word.

Back to my title, in all of that time in the scriptures, I have greatly enjoyed the Word. I don’t just mean that it has been fun. There have been moments of fun and even hilarity that I can recall in the study of God’s Word. But, what I mean by enjoy is something deeper than just a “funny-ha-ha” moment. It has enriched my life beyond measure. It has filled me up in a way nothing else has or can. And do you know why? Because God uses His Word to fellowship with us. His Word has led me to encounters with Him. That is what you and I are created for. That is true enjoyment.

My prayer is that enjoyment will increase and that I will have an ever growing desire to study the Holy Scriptures that I may know Him more and more.

Parents, Kids, Alcohol

“It’s just a beer.” Is that the message that our kids receive. Look at these statistics.

* On an average day 8000 adolescents 12-17 drank alcohol for the first time.

* The primary source that supplies adolescents with alcohol is their parents. Whether they know it or not.

* Of those who took their first drink before age 14, half become dependent at some point.

* 18% of 8th graders admit to being drunk at least once.

* 34% of 9th graders report that they have consumed alcohol before they were 13 years old.

My commentary on the above statistics:
* Thinking that your kids are too young to know and learn about alcohol is a gamble not worth the risk.

* The primary influence in a child’s life is their parents. What they see you do weighs more heavily upon their perceptions than what you say. For example, if you tell your child not to drink alcohol, but they see you do it – the message they learn is that alcohol is o.k.

* 1 out of 6 people have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. For these people, one drink, just one drink, may be all that it takes to start them down the road of a lifetime of addiction. You cannot know if your children have that predisposition.

Don’t be a stumbling block.