Passage: John 15:12-15
The King’s Friends & Slaves
Reply
Look and Live
Can we talk about that word ‘catholic’?
The word ‘catholic’ simply means universal. It is actually a good word rather than a bad word. The Reformers did not see themselves as separate from the catholic (universal) faith. In fact, they saw themselves as the true proclaimers of the historic faith of the Bible, embraced by all orthodox Christians throughout the ages of the Church. They were more than happy to align themselves with the ancient creeds of the Church and recited them in the Reformed worship services. These creeds affirmed the great essential doctrines of Christianity, including the Bible as the word of God, the Holy Trinity, the full deity and humanity of Christ, His sinless life and atoning, substitutionary death, as well as His physical resurrection from the dead. Though vehemently opposed to Rome’s aberrant doctrines they would describe themselves as truly catholic, though not of the Roman variety.
When Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformers opposed the Roman Catholic Church, what was being proclaimed was not some new doctrine never seen before. Instead, justification by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone was something the Bible proclaimed in both the Old and the New Testaments, and affirmed by many in the early Church fathers, even to men like Augustine (who was often quoted in the Reformers’ writings). The Reformation was a back to the Bible movement and marked a return to, and a recovery of, the one true biblical gospel embraced by all true believers in Christ. There was nothing new; nothing novel at all! This was the universal faith once for all delivered to the saints.
– John Samson
Is the Reformation Over?
Dr. Leonardo de Chirico has spoken at a number of Ligonier Conferences in recent years. Italian himself, and pastoring a Protestant Church in the heart of Rome, Italy, he has a strong desire to reach those entrapped in Roman Catholic doctrine. Leonardo recently traveled to Munich, Germany (September 25-27, 2020), and while there, taught two public lectures on the theme “Is the Reformation Over?” The talks were captured on video and include a German translation.
Lecture1:
Lecture 2:
Highway To Joy Filled Holiness
John 15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
The Will of God: Found!
“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” – Eph. 5:17
How do you and I find the will of God? Is God’s will something hard to find? Has God left us in the dark? Has He left us hints – clues that He expects us to find if we are spiritually mature enough to work out? Or is finding the will of God a much more simple process than that?
What the Bible teaches about this SETS US FREE to live a life of God-glorifying obedience. And that is the point of the teaching.
Decision Making
Its been a blessing to read Pastor Jim Osman’s new book “God Doesn’t Whisper”. Its an outstanding book dealing with a problem prevalent in the church of our day. Pastor Jim was recently interviewed about his book on a podcast (found here: https://podcasts.strivingforeternity.org/programs/rapp-report/god-doesnt-whisper-with-jim-osman/) and I made a transcript of a brief segment of the interchange. Once the illegitimate and dangerous decision making models have been thrown out (from Scripture) the question then becomes, so how are we as Christians to make God-honoring decisions. Here’s the relevant discussion:
Interviewer: How then do we make decisions?
Jim Osman: Well, I would say we make decisions in the same way that the Apostles made decisions. That is if we have an opportunity to choose between two options, A and B, we need to ask two questions.
What does the moral will of God reveal concerning this decision? And that is His will in Scripture. The thing that He has said. That I need to flee from immorality, and that I need to do all things for the glory of God. The scripture lays out the moral parameters in which we are to live as believers. It is a big circle, but it leaves a lot of options when we are choosing between A and B.
It still leaves probably most options open to us.
Then the second question we need to ask is what does wisdom say? What does God’s word reveal that would be the wise thing to do? Are there warnings of foolishness that I need to avoid here?
And once we have answered those two questions, and we found that there is nothing about this decision for these options that violates God’s clearly revealed moral will or the wisdom that is given to us in Scripture, then we are free to make, and this is going to sound shocking to some people, we are free to make either decision with God’s blessing. We are free to decide to do anything we want, so long as it does not violate scripture, and it does not violate God’s sound wisdom.
That leaves the option open to us. We are free to marry any woman we want, if it does not violate God’s moral will or violate God’s wisdom. We are free to take any job we want or to buy any house we want, as long as it does not violate God’s moral will revealed in Scripture or sound wisdom. It is not that God does not care which choice we make, as if he is apathetic. It is that God is not intent on revealing to us which choice to make. We are free to make that choice with the firm conviction that in doing so, we are not violating God’s will, and we can make that decision with the conviction that he will bless or use whatever decision it is that we end up making.
… If you read Paul in the book of Romans, he talks about wanting to go to the city of Rome and eventually to visit them. He talks about his strong desire to do so, and then he said, “Maybe, perhaps, at last in the will of God, I will be able to make this trip to come and see you.”
He does not say, “The Lord is revealing to me that this is what my travel plans should be,” or “The Lord gave me a vision of Rome.” or “The Lord laid Rome on my heart,” or “The Lord has whispered to my heart ‘Rome’ over and over again.”
He did not use any of that language. He just says, “I have a desire to come see you. There is a spiritual benefit to this. I am called to be the apostle to the Gentiles. So, it makes sense that this is within God’s moral will. There is nothing non-wise about it, and maybe the Lord will open up the door to do so, and then I will be able to come and do it.”
Basically, the apostle Paul was not waiting to hear a word from God. He was just making a decision that was in keeping with what God had revealed in scripture and in keeping with what he desired ultimately to do. I start the book by talking about that crisis at college on whether I should go back to the second year or not. The end of the book tells you exactly how it is that I made that decision. I ended up doing exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to go study Scripture.
That was what I wanted to do. So, I decided to do that. I did not hear the voice of God in deciding to do that. God did not speak to me and tell me which woman to marry or which city to live in or which church to pastor or which house to buy or what to name my kids. None of that. I do not need anything from God. He has given to me everything in Scripture to make God-glorifying decisions. And so, if I am making it within the parameters of what God has revealed in Scripture in terms of his moral will and his wisdom, then I am free to make any of those decisions with the promise, or the full confidence, that I am not violating God’s will in doing so.
Was that You Lord?
I was delighted to see that this resource has been made where Pastor Jim Osman (of Kootenai Community Church) is interviewed regarding his new book “God doesn’t whisper.” The interview focuses on the common thought that Christians are hearing the voice of God as a regular occurrence or at least, it should be common. Along the way, the following themes are addressed:
1) Do we need to hear from God outside Scripture.
2) Should we expect to hear from God outside of Scripture.
3) Must we learn to hear from God outside of Scripture?
Then Jim addresses some of the most common arguments for hearing the voice of God and then explains how to make decisions as a Christian without hearing the voice of God.
Here is the link: