incomparable God
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I’ll have an order of Christianity hold the religion.
When I hear the word religion, I automatically think of the Pharisees. Jesus spoke very boldly to them. Matthew 23:27-28″Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (ESV)
The Pharisees were very religious. They were all talk and no show. There are so many “so-called” Christians that would fall into this category. They are religious, but what does that mean? Is that a bad thing? To be labeled as religious? We tell our agnostic, atheist, genius friends that Christianity is not a religion. I would have once said that, but is it accurate?
Dr. Chad Brand made a great point in class, that Christianity is indeed a religion, because of it’s structure and organization. So why is there a struggle if both are true. Well scripture has a great answer. God defines religion quiet nicely. We see it in James 1:26-27 “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” What sets Christianity from all other religions? There are many things, mainly Jesus and his resurrection. But James describes that our religion, if we chose to use that word, should be “pure.”
God Revealed
What is general revelation?
General revelation is general revelation of God. The beauty of sunrises and sunsets, the majesty of oceans, the magnificence of overpowering mountains down to the delicacy of the flowers and even the complexity of the human body. All of these things point to and reveal things about God and who he is. This revelation has left no one without excuse. We see this clearly in the Book of Romans.
Romans 1:19-23 “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things .” (ESV)
I am convinced atheists know there is a God; agnostics know there is a God deep down. Scripture clearly states that they are without excuse, but because they have rejected his goodness and instead of worshiping Him they worshiped His creation. Their hearts became darkened because of their pride.
This revelation is obvious however it is not salvific. Paul shares with us in Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” It is clear and urgent that the Gospel of Jesus Christ needs to be proclaimed.
Parents Watch This!
I’m pretty sure you’re going to cry, just not for sure what part!
TGC: 2011 Audio and Video Live
TG
This is from Justin Taylor’s blog.
“Everything on the main stage at The Gospel Coalition will be simulcast live—including the two concerts. The video and audio will all appear on this page.
I was especially excited to learn that the goal is to have all the audio online within an hour of the session, and that they will also be translated into French, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish. I’m very grateful for TGC investing this extra effort to serve more and more folks.
Michael Gungor – Doxology
Nothing like a little acoustic diddy.
Fully Human, Fully God
The skit guys do it again. Check out this video we showed Sunday.
Will Ferrell, baby Jesus and Our Lord
Last Sunday our lesson in small group was the gracious gift God gave to us through Jesus to express his love for humanity. The Christmas story is a beautiful story. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. However today is the first day in February and no one is singing Christmas songs anymore. No more lights, no more parties, no more Christmas. The Christmas spirit has left me, but why? It’s a season, but to the believer it’s much more than a season, it’s our life. We should celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior all year long. Let’s not forget the baby Jesus was and is God. He died on the cross, rose from the grave and is Lord forever.
I have not watched the entire movie of Talladega Nights but I have seen the prayer to little tiny infant baby Jesus. All I can say is, “Hillarious.”
I’m not advocating the movie but this clip is worth watching…
This is another video from the SkitGuys . In this funny video we are reminded that God had a purpose in sending his Son.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas in February!
Starbucks, Skit Guys and Worship
When Mary found out she was to give birth to Christ, she began to worship. Her life became a song of worship. What would life be like to have a song playing in the background?
Here’s what that might look like:
The Skinny on Worship
About
Brian is the student pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Glasgow, KY. He is a husband and father of 3 children.
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