John3Thirty

I was dumbfounded. For Wednesday Bible Study one older woman was dropped off weekly by her daughter. Bible study night, like most churches, is very informal and having moved to South Texas from colder climes I adopted the practice of wearing shorts and sandals for such times. I wear regular pants if the day includes a meeting or something where shorts are inappropriate, but I encourage those who come for Bible Study to make themselves comfortable, and I am a firm believer in doing what I encourage others to do. Read the rest of this entry »

The titles we give to God—Eternal God, Uncaused Cause, Unmoved First Mover, Loving Father—attempt to scratch the surface of an infinitesimally complex subject. Often they are the very cause of problems in our discussions. Because of nuance defining God in human words is bound to fail. We describe Him, but only in part. We speak of Him and his attributes but he escapes definition. The greatest barrier to defining God is transcendence. Regardless of being formed in His image, God is so different from us that our greatest efforts and deepest thoughts prove inadequate. Read the rest of this entry »

This week in my devotional times I’ve had a recurring theme. Starting in 1 Peter 2:16 I was struck by the command to: “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” In discussions, especially about politics, the idea of freedom is often the subject. As a free people who have never experienced slavery and as partisans who drove out the foreign tyrant over two hundred years ago, we often take our freedom for granted and misidentify what freedom means. To many freedom is the power to decide at all time and on all subjects. It is often seen as freedom from all outward direction. It is often assumed that when one’s life is lived truly free then it is lived for the individual alone, but this is the antithesis of biblical freedom. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the years I have noticed that weird questions come up when discussing house church. There is a new article posted here on John3Thirty.net about one such questions and where we draw the line Between the Kingdom of Christ and Wacky Land. Check it out under pages.

The scene spreading out before us is one of palpable emotion; hatred, fear, anger and disappointment hold sway. When these take control, especially in a crowd, the first victim is often justice. The scene is Jesus before Pontius Pilate as the religious leaders inspire the mob to demand the crucifixion of him, who had healed, delivered and even raised the dead. The crowd, the same one placing palm fronds in his path and praising him as the deliverer, was now clamoring for his blood. What could turn a crowd from ecstatic worship to blood lust? How could one who had helped so many be the object of such rage? Read the rest of this entry »

The lives of past saints can be very inspiring, so reading biographies is a thrill. Whether we are reading about a recent saint, like Nate Saint, Jim Elliot and their partners killed trying to reach a stone age tribe, or those of the early church like Polycarp or Ignatius, we are inspired to handle adversity, to stand against persecution and to sacrifice all in service to our King. The danger comes when we take these stories that should empower and unfairly condemn ourselves, seeing these people as more endowed or having more of the Spirit, greater potential or ability than us. One example is Paul. What church planter has not looked at Paul planting churches, over an area of several hundred miles from diverse cultural and linguistic groups, and concluded that he was a sort of Über-Christian—fascinating but impossible to emulate? Read the rest of this entry »

During my devotional time I was reading 1 Peter and came across a passage that I have read and studied thousands of times. This time it especially stood out to me because of an experience last week with a young man who was questioning his salvation and fearful that he might be lost. I was able through talking to him and praying with him to see his faith and hear what he was trusting in so that I could show him several passages that help with assurance. He left feeling much relieved, but I guess it tuned my ear to other passages of assurance. When I read a certain passage I had to stop and chew on it. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I took part in one of my favorite activities—browsing a bookstore. I went into a Christian bookstore to see if there was anything interesting by a particular author that I enjoy. I seldom go in stores looking for Christian books. Instead I find and order them through Amazon. Don’t get me wrong, as a Christian who loves to read I wish more believers would support these stores. But Christian bookstore shelves are too filled with claptrap. Three quarters of the book racks are filled with fiction and what I call touch-me-bless-me books. Since I don’t read fiction unless it is at least a century old and I steer clear of the other because they contain little more than pablum, there is seldom anything for me to read. Little did I know what I would find. Read the rest of this entry »

The balance between law and grace is precarious. Some insist that the law must remain in effect in the New Testament to restrain licentiousness. They insist on the place of the law and reinterpret it to work in line with Christ. Others look at morality itself and see it as a bane of humanity and would declare believers free to live as they please, excess and all. Neither position is supported by scripture. Like most issues, the truth of scripture is a middle way: the law was fulfilled in Christ. We are, by grace, now equipped to live a truly holy life—not fearful of the law but animated by the Spirit. Read the rest of this entry »

This last week I found myself thinking about forgiveness. This subject had come up in a conversation with a young woman who had recognized within herself an unwillingness to forgive. I assured her that forgiveness can be one of the hardest things we as Christians are called to do. During the discussion she made a very profound admission that if she forgives it feels as if the persons who hurt her are getting away with it. This is natural, and it was this side of the issue that got me chewing on the subject. Read the rest of this entry »