Category Archives: Current News

Thursday Round Up

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(1) Shortly before I called Dr. James White on his “Dividing Line” program on Tuesday (which I posted about James was interviewed on Chris Date’s podcast covering more than an hour on Roman Catholicism and its claims of authority. There is a fairly lengthy preamble and advertising for the first 5 minutes of the show (which you can skip) but the interview with James is outstanding and a refresher for all of us who reach out to our Roman Catholic friends. Do you know how to defend Sola Scriptura? Are you able to counter Roman Catholic claims regarding authority? We need to know what we believe, and why we believe it. Here’s the link to the podcast.

(2) One of the most frequent questions I get asked concerns which Study Bible I recommend. Let me try to answer this question in two phases. First of all, the translation of the Bible text.

TRANSLATION – Our generation is so blessed. In contrast to former periods in history where access to the word of God was very rare, there are many good Bible translations available to us in the English language today. How we thank God for this. It is simply a fact of history to say that many have paid the ultimate price (forfeiting their very lives) so that we would have access to the word of God in our native tongue.

Because there are so many translations available to us, if the version used from the pulpit is not the same one we have brought to the service it is often difficult to follow a preacher’s sermon. Personally, I mainly use the English Standard Version (ESV). I like it both for its diligent effort to be true to the original text (Hebrew in the Old Testament and koine Greek in the New) and for its great readability. Usually one of these things suffers in Bible translation, but this is not the case with the ESV. It is both highly accurate and easy to read, and these features make it a remarkable translation.

EXPLANATORY STUDY NOTES – Of course, it is the text of the Bible that is inspired not the notes we might find in the margins. This is an extremely important distinction that should always be remembered. However, it can be so helpful to have something of the historical background available to us at our fingertips, as well as useful and practical explanatory notes. Yet not every study Bible out there can be recommended. Some show very poor scholarship or else they have an agenda to articulate extreme views.

It is a high and holy calling to lead people in the things of God and great care is needed to help guide God’s people in the way of truth. This is certainly the case when it comes to providing study notes in a Bible. Because of this, for many years, I would never recommend a Bible with study notes. It is better to have no notes at all, than to be steered in the wrong direction. However, in recent years, the publishing of two study Bibles have excited me greatly and I would like to see at least one of these in the hands of every English speaking Christian. In terms of the two things that I believe to be most important features of a Study Bible – accurate translation and helpful and reliable (sure guide) study notes – in my opinion, the two which are outstanding are the ESV Study Bible and the Reformation Study Bible (ESV). Both are great resources. However in terms of sheer practicality, the ESV Study Bible is very bulky and a great weight to cart around (my mother said its too heavy to take to church with her, and who am I to argue?). Therefore if I could only recommend one, it would be the Reformation Study Bible in the ESV. Its also the one I use in my preaching. Right now, there is a 40% off sale on this Bible at Ligonier, so if you were interested in obtaining one (either in hardback or several different cover types) now would be a good time to do so. Save 40% on your Reformation Study Bible at Ligonier.org. Shop now!

(3) Apparantly, there is a time restriction for watching this youtube video. I am told it can only be viewed until March 31, 2011. This is rare footage of the man who was perhaps the greatest preacher of the 20th Century (Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones) producing a documentary about George Whitefield, the greatest preacher of the 18th Century. Though both of these men have left the stage of human history, the God who anointed them certainly has not and He is forever the same. May He raise up similar Holy Spirit filled gospel preachers in our day. Watch and be blessed:

Praying for Japan

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You have rejected us, O God, broken our defences and burst upon us. You have been angry with us; now restore us to Your favour. You have shaken our land and split it open. Now mend its fractures and seal the cracks, for the land is quaking. You have been very hard on us and shown Your people desperate times. – Psalm 62:1-3 combined NIV NLT translation

Last night Japan experienced the biggest earthquake in its recorded history. The enormous tsunami that followed (20 feet high and traveling at 500 mph) was extremely devastating, consuming all in its way. Authorities are saying that there are possibilities of additional earthquakes and tsunamis for the next month.

There is warning of a large radiation leak and many other huge issues facing the nation, even as they seek to rescue those still trapped in the wreckage. Japan has issued a state of emergency at a second nuclear power plant after its cooling system failed as thousands evacuate from the area near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant with radiation levels surging to 1,000 times their normal levels. THE NEXT FEW HOURS ARE ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL!! These power plants have to stabilize or else there will be further mayhem and disaster.

A mammoth relief mission is swinging into action in north-east Japan. Hundreds are already confirmed as dead with the number expected to rise dramatically as more information is gathered. Tens of thousands are still missing.

Please pray for the people in the Sendai area, and that God will use this to somehow point Japanese hearts to Christ. We know that He is sovereign, “sustaining all things with His powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). He has a plan in all of this to use it for His glory and the eternal joy of the Japanese – we need to be prayer warriors for this right now.

The best up to the minute coverage seems to be found at the bbc world news website here.

Back in 2004, after a major tsunami, Dr. John Piper wrote the following article entitled “Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy” which has great relevance to what is taking place here. It is only very slightly adjusted, as references to the specific 2004 disaster have been removed. Continue reading →

The Goodness of God

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“You won’t catch me speaking about such things.” The statement came from a minister who had just heard me preach.

“What things?” I asked.

“Judgment, wrath and the like” he said.

“Oh, so why is it that you will not speak of such things when the Bible clearly does?” I then asked.

I expected him to say something like, “well the Bible is a primitive book written in a primitive culture. People are more sophisticated in our day and need to hear a different kind of message – one that is affirming, and encouraging.” That’s what I expected the minister to say. I expected him to ridicule me for believing and preaching the Bible in the 21st century, but this would be a wrong assumption on my part.

From his response to my question I could readily see that this man was in fact a Bible believing Christian… a Bible believing minister, no less. Here’s what he said:

“Well brother, Romans 2:4 says that it is the goodness of God that leads to repentance, so I believe if we want to see people repent, we have to preach on the goodness of God, not these other attributes.”

I was stunned! Completely stunned! The man was totally sincere, but I could hardly believe how the text he mentioned in Romans 2 could be so badly mistreated. Continue reading →