Words & Their Importance

To ensure my status as a ‘Grumpy Old Man’ I offer the following:

The majority of people succumb to what I label as the ‘lemming syndrome’. Lemmings are those creatures that run as a crowd. What one does, they all do. Your children come home from school. They say ‘I need a pair of X shoes because “everyone” has them’. That means 2 or 3 other people. Suddenly, the entire class room is shod with that particular foot wear.

This same principle applies in the speech patterns for our culture. This is also true of those who claim to be Christians. People seek acceptance and so they adopt the cultural and behavior patterns of those around them. The text of Scripture warns about this scrum. Words and their relationships give meaning to language. Of all people, those who claim the Name of Christ should exercise a high degree of integrity in their speech patterns. Scripture has much to say about our words, speech. This is so regarding both the content and substance of what we say.

With this as a brief context I offer the following. Examine the following words thoughtfully. Are you a ‘Lemming’?

Peep – When I was a young man ‘peeps’ were little chickens that the mail man delivered in a card board box. They often provided eggs or even ‘chicken dinners’ depending on the purpose for which they were purchased. I am NOT a ‘peep’.

Chill – We have a gas log fire place in our living room. With the push of a button we have a toasty warm fire that takes ‘the chill’ off the temperature in that room. This is a great place to read a book with a steaming hot cup of coffee. I do NOT ‘chill’.

Hang – Hanging was abolished decades ago. This practice tends to truncate your longevity. The intended meaning is almost always a deleterious waste of time. Not an acceptable investment for believers to engage on any consistent basis. I do NOT ‘hang’.

OK – enough already. You get the drift. Try abandoning the ‘lemming syndrome’ and introduce your friends and associates to the language of redemption; sin, salvation, Savior, and eternity. Those words have substance and real meaning. Your speech reveals your heart. What are your words telling people about who you are?

How To Choose A Seminary

This post was written by Kevin DeYoung and is very beneficial in answering the question 'Where should I go to Seminary?'

Here are seven questions to ask before choosing a seminary.

1. What do I want to do with a seminary degree? I am a firm believer in the value of a seminary education. But I don’t encourage Christians to jump into seminary simply because they are eager to learn the Bible. It’s an expensive way to study the Scriptures if you don’t have a definite end goal in mind. So think to yourself, and talk to other people, and try to determine if you need seminary? If so, what for? To be a pastor? To be a missionary? For some other kind of vocational ministry? To go into the academy? What you are looking for will help determine where you go.

2. Is the seminary fully committed to the authority of the Bible at every level of the institution? I suppose in rare instances you could make a case for going to a mainline school if your end goal is to get a PhD and serve in a secular environment (although there are many evangelical schools whose degree would not hurt your chances of getting into the best doctoral programs). But in almost all cases, you will do much better to go to a school firmly rooted in the inerrancy of Scripture and the doctrines of the Reformation. This is not the time for testing out new theories, especially if you are studying to be a pastor. Find a school whose theology you trust, from top to bottom.

3. Have you thought about the tradition you want to be a part of? Seminary does not set your trajectory for life, but it will immerse you in a certain culture and tradition. Southern is a good seminary, so is Westminster, so is Trinity. But one will put you in the middle of SBC life, another into the Presbyterian and Reformed world, and another more broadly into evangelicalism (and the Evangelical Free Church). Think about where you’re from and where you want to end up. The people you train with in seminary may be your ministerial traveling companions for life.

4. What is the community like? No seminary aims for lousy community, but some schools are largely commuter campuses while others have a dorm atmosphere that feels like an extension of college. Do you want to share meals with other students in a cafeteria? Do you want to go to chapel regularly? Would you prefer married housing? Are you fine living off campus and driving in for class three or four or five days a week? Know what you’re looking for.

5. Who will be teaching you? It’s hard for seminaries to be much better (or much worse) than the faculty they employ. Think about whom you respect and want to be with for 3-5 years. Find out not just who the big name scholars are, but who actually teaches the classes and whether they are accessible to students. If you can, try to talk to current students and find out whether the famous faculty are effective classroom instructors. Good scholarship, good writing, and good teaching are three different gifts that don’t always reside in the same person. If you are training for pastoral ministry, you’ll want to see how many of the professors have real world experience in the nitty-gritty of local church life.

6. What courses will you be required to take? Seminary catalogs don’t always make for scintillating (or simple) reading, but it’s well worth the effort to try to make sense of each school’s basic requirements. The curricula can vary widely, both in total credit hours and in emphases. I would look for a school that is strong in the original languages, can teach exegesis, doesn’t skimp on systematic theology, and knows how to translate academic preparation into ministry readiness.

7. What are their graduates like? Granted, no seminary can be responsible for the way in which every student turns out. But on the whole, you should be able to get an excellent idea of how well a school will train you for ministry by looking at those it has already trained. Are they men of character? Are they biblically sharp and theologically sound? Are they doctrinally balanced? Are they good with people? Can they preach? Can you think of several graduates you’d gladly have on staff at your church? The proof is, as they say, in the pudding. Or, in the case of seminaries, in the pastors.

Pastor Appreciation - LORD Help My Pastor

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Were I to have the opportunity I would designate Pastor Appreciation an expression to be acclaimed 365 days a year. Since I do not have that prerogative, I express those sentiments in this post. Pastor, you are appreciated. Your ministry is appreciated. Your wife and family are appreciated. Be encouraged. Rejoice that you labor in an area that produces an eternal reward – the Transformation of God’s people into the fullness of the image of Christ.

I recently read an anonymous post by a man who lamented his role as a pastor. It was filled with angst, sorrow, and struggles associated with that office. It is my conviction that he should relieve himself of this angst, step down and seek a role in which he finds satisfaction. He dishonors God, himself, his family, and the church by remaining. I have compassion for him and pray he soon resolves this horrible tension.

I began vocational ministry in March 1969. There have been hard times. There have been glorious times. God has taken me to 27 countries around the globe to equip and encourage other pastors. There is no greater honor.

If you are a pastor today who proclaims the whole counsel of God with integrity (Acts 20:27-28) then you are in my eyes worthy of honor and affirmation. Having stood, therefore STAND!!

Lord, help my Pastor, I pray
There are many obstacles in his way
Every burden help him to bear
Dear Lord, keep him in Your tender care
Give him strength and the ability
To care for the church and his family
Lord, there is so much he has to do
He can't do alone, he surely needs You
So shelter him in Your loving arms
Safe from all danger and unseen harm
Guard his mouth, his heart and mind
Remove every tittle of sin and pride
Keep him in the hour of temptation
May he not be moved by Satan's persuasion
Remove all fears, Lord, remove all doubt
By Your Spirit, Lord, be in his mouth
So that he will speak a word that is due
And bring Your dear people closer to You

In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Papal Visit & Truth

The vast majority of Roman Catholics have no idea what the Council of Trent sets forth. The Council of Trent was a formal structured attempt to deny and destroy every element of the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther. If you are a Protestant you must be aware of these issues. The Council of Trent declared and still maintains that anyone who embraces the postulates of the Reformation is Anathema, cursed. If you do not subscribe to Rome’s interpretation of Truth, Special Revelation, you are condemned. The following are just a few of these issues.

The first decision dealt with the matter of authority. The Council decreed that both Scripture and tradition were to be of equal authority. This was a denial of the position known as sola scriptura or the Bible alone possessing the supreme authority in the Church. In addition, the Latin Vulgate translation was declared the official Bible of the Church. As a result, a translation of the Scriptures was given more authority than the Scriptures in the source languages of Hebrew and Greek. In addition, the canon of Scripture was enlarged because the Vulgate contained additional books, called the Apocrypha, that the Protestants rejected as canonical Scripture.

The Council of Trent also reiterated the Church's sole authority to interpret the Scriptures. This reinforced the position of the Magisterum or the teaching office of the Church. The exclusive right of the Church to interpret Scripture was one of the positions that Luther had attacked in his tract An Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation. Luther taught that the doctrine of the priesthood of believer meant that the individual Christian possessed the ability to interpret the Scriptures accurately. Although the Church did not officially condemn vernacular translations of the Bible, this canon effectively accomplished the same result.

Trent upheld the validity of the seven sacraments. Again, this was the subject of another tract by Luther: The Babylonian Captivity of the Church. Luther demonstrated that only Baptism and the Eucharist were valid sacraments because the Lord Himself had ordained them. Now the Church officially denied what Luther had written nearly twenty-five years before. According to Trent, the Church was to be a sacramental church. The grace of God was to be distributed to its faithful members via the sacraments. This was a denial of the ministry of the Holy Spirit Who distributed grace in His own power. In addition, the doctors of Trent forbade "communion in both kinds," meaning that they only allowed the laity to partake of the bread, but not the cup. Luther had previously protested against the practice of withholding the cup from the laity, citing the words of the Lord Jesus in which he declared that believers were to partake of both the bread and the cup.

However, the severest condemnation of Protestant doctrine was reserved for the doctrine of justification by faith. If the doctrine of sola scriptura had been rejected by assigning authority to both the Scriptures and tradition, the doctrine of sola fide or by faith alone was decisively spurned by the canons of Trent respecting justification. The nature of justification was broadened to include moral renovation as well as the forgiveness of sins. The Reformers taught that justification was God's act of declaring the sinner righteous upon the imputation of Christ's righteousness. Justification was, therefore, a change of one's legal status before God. They used the phrase alien righteousness to stress that the righteousness that justifies an individual originated totally outside of the person. In contrast, Rome declared that justification, while including the forgiveness of sins, also included a change of moral nature. As a result, justification was defined as a process whereby a baptized individual co-operated with the infused righteousness of Christ more and more until they became morally renovated. The Church made justification dependent upon the sacrament of baptism and the person's co-operation with infused grace and not on faith alone.
 
The Reformers also taught the doctrine of solus Christus whereby it was Christ's righteousness alone that was imputed to the believer. The position adopted at the Council of Trent impugned the sole sufficiency of Christ to save a person from their sin and made salvation to be a cooperative effort of Christ and the person.

Attached to its dogmatic teachings concerning the doctrine of justification were a number of anathemas or damnations on those who held opposing positions. Without question, the Council's pronouncements on this vital doctrine (and whether it was an imputed or an infused righteousness that justifies the person) remain the major impediments to any reunion between the Protestants and Roman Catholics. While both parties would agree that righteousness is required for justification, the questions regarding its nature (Christ's righteousness alone or a combination of Christ's righteousness and the individidual's) and how one receives it (by faith alone or by the sacrament of baptism) have never been agreed upon by the two sides.

The link takes the reader to the article from which this material is taken.

http://www.solagroup.org/articles/historyofthebible/hotb_0010.html

Read The Fine Print

In December we will have been married 55 years. Over that half-century plus we have benefited in numerous ways because of a habit my wife has practiced with great faithfulness. What is that practice? She reads the fine print.

When I read the news paper I pass over 95% of what I regard as gibberish. I do not read advertisements. I read the last paragraph of editorial articles. I speed read much of what is foisted upon us and labeled as news. I consume less than 1/3 of a cup of coffee in the entire exercise.

When my wife read that same news paper she reads every line. She consumes two full cups of coffee in the span of time in which she reads that same paper. She reads the advertisements. She reads the social page and discovers who is marrying whom. She reads the obituaries and knows who dies, who is related to whom, etc. She knows what is in that paper when she finishes.

Application – When it comes to God’s Word we would all benefit from adopting my wife’s life long habit. She reads through the Bible twice each year. She reads while listening to the Scripture on DVD’s. She knows what God’s Word says. She is equipped to live in obedience because she has ‘Read The Fine Print!’

We have saved significant sums of money because she reads the fine print. My riding mower is 15 years old. We purchased that piece of equipment one Father’s Day because she read the fine print. We purchased that mower at a 30% savings. We are able to enjoy fine dining at greatly reduced prices because she reads the fine print. Our grand children receive wonderful gifts for their birthdays because she reads the fine print.

Let me encourage you to adopt and embrace her habit. Read the fine print. Life will be greatly enriched and enjoyable when you do so.

Read the Word of God Prayerfully, Carefully and in precise and express detail. Then apply Truth to Life and know God’s richest blessing and the power of Truth lived out with consistency!

What Is The Gospel?

I recently participated in a Men's Bible Study, about 20 men on a Wednesday evening. The study was on the Book of Galatians. The gentleman leading the study began by asking the following question:

'What is the Gospel?'

There were two very feeble and incomplete attempts to answer that question. Then lots of blank stares and silence. This raises the issue of Biblical Literacy. If there is not a clear and focused understanding of the basic premise - - 'What is the Gospel?' imagine the depth of deficiency on such topics as:

**Imputation

**Reconciliation

**Wrath

**Justification

**Sanctification

**Election

**Redemption

Remember, this is a men's class. Men are charged with leading their homes and families. If they cannot answer this most basic question 'What is the Gospel?', the next generation is wide open to every form of heresy and False Doctrine that is rapidly escalating and flooding in our land.

A return to Catechism that begins at the earliest age (2) would be a great place to begin. Dad will learn as he teaches and that is a very good thing. ((SELAH)!!

Today's The Day

In the mid 90's Peggy & I went to the Florida Keys. Our visit was in the off season so it was a very relaxed and unhurried time. The weather was unusually cool for Key West so we spent a good bit of time inside.

One of the places I enjoyed was the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum. Mel Fisher became famous for his discovery of the Spanish Galleon the Atocha. 

I share this bit of nostalgia from our life for a purpose. Mel Fisher (cf. the paragraph below for a summary of his roots) was focused. He invested 20 years treasure hunting for the ship he finally did find. He began each and every day at sea by going to the crew at sun up with the words - "Today's The Day" meaning the day we will finally find what we are looking for. He suffered incredible set backs, the loss of a son and many other tragic events in his quest to find Spanish Gold.

Fisher was an Indiana-born former chicken farmer who eventually moved to California and opened the first diving shop in the state. He attended Purdue University and was a member of The Delta Chi Fraternity. In 1953, he married Dolores (Deo) Horton who became his business partner. She was one of the first women to learn how to dive and set a women's record by staying underwater for 50 hours. Mel and Deo had five children: sons Terry, Dirk, Kim and Kane, and daughter Taffi. On July 13, 1975 Mel's oldest son Dirk, his wife Angel, and diver Rick Gage died after their boat sank due to bilge pump failure during their quest for treasure. Mel struggled through decades of hard times treasure hunting in the Florida Keys with the motto Today's the Day.^[3]

 I had followed Fisher's quest on the History Channel for years (very few commercials and interesting). As I browsed through the museum I noticed Mel was sitting in his office. He invited me in. In the next hour I was privileged to get a first hand account from Mel Fisher of all the history I had watched unfold over the years on the History Channel. Mel was a chain smoker and died of lung cancer in December of 1998.

Application

Mel Fisher had focus. He endured tragedy in his pursuit of gold that perishes. Like the Prophet Amos, a Shepherd and Fruit Farmer, he had an unlikely set of credentials to pursue what he did, Treasure Hunting. He persisted.

As a Pastor we lead people on a quest for a city where the streets are pure gold. That city is eternal not temporal.

Hebrews 11:8-10  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 

Pastor, if Mel Fisher was relentless in his pursuit of gold that perishes, should we not be ever more so relentless in our quest to lead people to that city where Christ is The Light? Today May Be The Day!!