Beholding the Glory of Christ-2011 Fall Bible Conference

Here is the info for Founders Baptist Church's 2011 Fall Bible Conference. Dr. Thomas Schreiner and Dr. Bruce Ware will be preaching through the book of Colossians concerning The Glory of Christ as Eternal Word, Incarnate Son, and Risen King. The conference is free and all are welcome.


Dr. Thomas Schreiner - Professor of New Testament Interpretation-Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville Kentucky

Dr. Bruce Ware - Professor of Christian Theology- Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville Kentucky

Friday:      October 21, 6:30 PM
Saturday:  October 22, 6:30 PM
Sunday:    October 23, 9:00 PM
Sunday:    October 23, 6:30 PM

A map to Founders Baptist Church can be found here. Bring some cash as there will be a book table with great selections from Ware and Schreiner, along with other authors.


On a side note, T.D. Jakes will be in town on the same weekend at Lakewood Church. I think there's an elephant in Houston.

The God Sin-Shaped Hole in Our Hearts

 Ephesians 2: ¹ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

In light of this verse, I have a question for Christians who tell sinners that they have a "God-shaped hole in their heart that only Jesus can fill". And only until they fill this hole by "accepting Jesus", they will never be satisfied.

Doesn't this verse say otherwise? Paul says that prior to conversion, we were actually satisfied because we filled that "hole in our heart' with what we truly loved and desired...sin. Before God changed our hearts, we were fine without Jesus...we had ourselves and all the desires of our flesh to please.

I'm just not sure if we're being completely honest when we tell unregenerate people that the Bible says we are sinful by nature and in love with our sin then turnaround and say that Jesus is the only one that can really satisfy us.

I'm just sayin'...

Should the Christian Pray for the Destruction of God's Enemies?

Here was some interesting commentary from the ESV Study Bible regarding imprecatory prayers. There has been a lot of talk about whether a Christian should pray for the destruction of the enemies of God and many quickly scoff at the idea. I mean really, who would really pray for harm to come to those who oppose the gospel?

Psalm 35 with an emphasis on vs. 4-8

"4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life!
Let them be d turned back and disappointed
who devise evil against me!
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!
7 For without cause they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug i a pit for my life.
8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it—to his destruction!"

ESV Online Study Bible Crossway: Let Them Be Ashamed
The faithful pray that the schemes of the pursuers would fail, and that the pursuers themselves would suffer disappointment and humiliation, and finally destruction. There are many reasons that such a prayer is proper for God's people to pray.

1. It is realistic; God's protection of the faithful means that he must thwart the schemes of those who would harm them.
2. It is just, since the pursuers devise evil (v. 4), and without cause they hid their net for me (v. 7). (Observe the repetition of “without cause,” in vv. 7, 19.) Third, it takes God at his word (cf. v. 5 with 1:4).
3. From all of this it is plain that the prayer is not a vindictive response to personal injury but an appeal based on faith."

Ultimately, the world will scoff at the idea that God will punish sin and all those who practice it...they love evil and hate righteousness. Sadly, even in the church we make a god who is not just and will simply turn a blind eye to evil.

Whether or not we should pray imprecatory prayers is up for debate but one thing is certain-God will bring destruction upon those who are without Christ so it is important that we are preaching the gospel and warning sinners of the wrath that is to come.

More Than Conquerors (Romans 8:37)

Whether it’s the local mega church prosperity pastor promising that we can overcome any obstacles in life or a head coach of a football team boasting that his players will defeat their rivals, we often hear Romans 8:37 contextualized to fit modern day America. Do a quick search of this text on Google and you'll see ministries and churches slapping the first half of the verse on their URL or church building with the second half out, "...through Him who loved us." I think this sums up our poor use of this popular passage.

But let me take you back to the days when Paul wrote this letter. What were his intentions when he told the church in Rome that we are “more than conquerors?”

Here were these precious Romans that came to faith in Jesus Christ. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul knew that his readers would eventually face a horrible and painful death under the oppressive arm of the Emperor Nero. Many would burn at the stake or be mangled and torn to pieces by lions because of their confession of faith.

So what did Paul do? He encouraged his readers that God loved them with an eternal love. And because of this eternal love, their salvation is secure. Although they were to face some of the hardest circumstances a Christian can face, nothing would be able to sever the love that God has towards them. Why? Because it was God who, before the foundations of the world, chose in His sovereignty to graciously work out a divine plan of salvation for His children that would ultimately bring us into His glory. God, being the author and perfector of this divine plan, will not change His mind (Romans 8:29-30). This is why at the end of verse 30, Paul speaks of the believer already glorified (past tense).

And then in verse 31 he asks, “What then shall we say to these things?” In other words, what should be our response in the midst of suffering and in light of the everlasting and unbreakable love that God shows toward us? He then lays out his response and conclusion that despite the opposition we may receive from Satan and the world, we will be able to endure only because God is for us. We were once alienated and enemies of God as seen in Romans 1 but now he has justified us and reconciled us to Himself through the demonstration of His love on the cross. It is within this conclusion that Paul says,

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Notice how Paul says “in all these things” and think back to the list of “things” he wrote of in verse 35...the tribulation (outward opposition), distress (inward opposition), persecution (opposition from enemies of the gospel), famine (being utterly deprived), nakedness (poor and destitute), danger (peril), and finally, the sword (death). So in these things, and not in spite of these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. And all these sufferings are nothing new to those who have faith in God. Ever since the time of David, God’s people have been led like sheep to the slaughter…and all for His sake (Romans 8:36).


Now compare Paul’s list to the list of the prosperity preacher or football coach…more than conquerors in our finances or at our jobs or more than conquerors in regards to next Sunday’s match-up. We turn this verse into a motivational cliché and use it like fortune cookie theology. Forget suffering and overcoming for His sake, it’s all about conquering petty circumstances for my sake. Tell that to our Christian brothers and sisters who are facing extreme persecution in Korea, China, and all the other countries where it is illegal to worship Christ.

American or not, there is no justification for the twisting of Scripture. When prosperity teachers, and any preachers for that matter, abuse this particular passage, they rob God of His glory in salvation and consequently rob the congregation from realizing this wonderful truth of God’s saving and loving nature. And the truth being that because God, who is the author and perfecter of our faith, loved us with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3, Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 12:12). And it is through this eternal love that while our faith is in the midst of trial and tribulation, we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.

The Abundant Life (John 10:10)

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

This verse of Scripture is frequently cited by televangelists and popular preachers to support their view that a Christian should be living a life of prosperity and bountiful blessings from God...including health and material wealth.

But is Jesus merely referring to an abundant life full of material blessings?

In order to understand this particular verse, we must understand the context.

In the chapter preceding John 10:10 , Jesus, speaking to the same people, tells of the false shepherds (the Pharisees and prior spiritual leaders of Israel) who maligned and misused God’s word and thus were unable to see Jesus as the true Messiah (John 9:39-41).

In chapter 10, Jesus is using a theme of the sheep and shepherd. Though many thieves and robbers come to kill, steal, and destroy the sheep (John 10:1, 10), Christ came to give life and keep the sheep from destruction. This is why Jesus declares Himself to be the “Good Shepherd” who lays down his life for the sake of the sheep (John 10:11). And only through Him, will the sheep find pasture (John 10:7, 9). While other false teachers come with selfish intentions (Ezekiel 34:2-4) and could care less about God’s people, Christ gave His life for His sheep as a substitutionary atonement for sinners on the cross.

Nowhere in this context does this verse speak of an extended physical life or a life full of material blessings. The abundant life comes when Christ saves us, protects us, feeds us with His word and ultimately leads us into our full salvation. Christ did not lay His life down to simply give us our best life now…the price He paid was to give us something much more valuable, knowledge of the only true God (John 18:3). Simply viewing this Scripture in a shallow way that leads to a better life demeans this eternal purpose that Christ had in mind when he laid down His life for His sheep.

The Top 8 Most Misinterpreted Scriptures

I stumbled across an article on Yahoo in which the writer took the reader through 8 commonly misinterpreted songs. She explained that many of us mistakenly bring our own personal experiences into the lyrics of a song and consequently twist the author's intended meaning.

This reminded me of how we sometimes interpret the Scriptures. We approach the Bible with a subjective and “what does it mean to me” mindset that makes the Scriptures susceptible to misinterpretation. Rather then examining the data and coming to a conclusion and applying the verse appropriately, we bring our own experiences and conclusions into the text.

Understanding what the text is saying and what the author intended it to say is key in interpreting Scripture. Part of this is knowing a verse's context in its literary form. As we read, we should as ourselves, "Why is this particular passage located in a particular book? What is the context of this passage in light of the entire book?"

We must also consider the historical form of a passage, which includes geography, economy, climate, agriculture, architecture, family life, morals, and social structure of the writers, characters, and readers.

Also take into consideration the Bible's uniqueness; 66 books were written over a 1,500-year-span containing poetry, songs, historical narratives and everything in between…written by more than 40 authors ranging from judges, kings, herdsmen, and fishermen…we’re not dealing with any ordinary book but the word of truth from God Himself. My point is if we desire to read and understand the Bible for ourselves, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we must approach the Scriptures carefully and rightly handle this word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Furthermore, the misinterpretation of Scripture can lead to all varieties of false teaching and heresy. Just turn on your television and watch any televangelist preaching and you’ll see what I mean.

With that said, I’ll be posting, in more detail, the top 8 most misinterpreted Scriptures in Christianity today (no pun intended) in the days to come. Usually when one verse of the Bible becomes popular, it typically gets taken out of context and stripped of its original meaning. You'll see it postedon calendars, mugs, and everything in between that you can find at your local Christian trinket shop. Hopefully my subsequent posts will bring some light to these verses.

And here is my list.

8. John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

7. Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

6. Revelation 3:16
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of
my mouth.

5. Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD,and he will give you the desires of your heart

4. Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

3. Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

2. Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

1. Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

What about you? Do you have any to add?

*UPDATE: I know I haven't followed through on this post but I will dedicate more posts to each individual verse.

The Voice of (Un)Reason

I'm not even sure where to begin with this one.

Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston, TX has teamed up with 11 "Bible scholars" and more then a dozen writers, including Greg Garrett, a secular fiction writer and emerging church leader Brian MaClaren to collaborate on a new translation called The Voice, which presents the Bible in a screenplay format.

If you are unfamiliar with Eccelsia Church, they are locally known for their Taft St. Coffee Shop. A coffee shop dedicated to the arts (i.e. music, art, books, coffee, etc.). According to their website, Ecclesia Church "oversees all aspects of Taft". I've visited Taft St. Coffee frequently in the past. This is the same coffee shop that wanted to create a "safe environment" by discouraging other Christians from holding Bible studies in their shop for fear of scaring off unbelieving customers; this is the same coffee shop that promotes and carries Skeptic Magazine, a publication that has often opposed and ridiculed any and everything Christian; and this is the same coffee shop that constantly features books from emerging leaders such as Brian MacLaren and Rob Bell.

AND according to the doctrinal statement on their website, they "embrace the mystery of faith"...sounds suspiciously postmodern and emergent to me.

Despite their belief that faith is a mystery, Chris Seay felt compelled that it was time for yet another loose Bible translation. According to David Capes, who was one of the scholars involved, a recent comment made by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards compelled the new translation, which reads like a movie script. Richards claimed he read the Bible sometimes but found it "deadly boring" and Capes responds with a sympathetic (or pathetic) "we understand." That's right...here we have a secular artist calling God's word boring, and then we have a "Bible scholar" agreeing with him. In fact, they even have an entire website shamelessly titled "dontgiveupkeith" dedicated to their cause.

Capes goes on to say that we must present Scripture in a brand new way if we are ever to bring people like Richards to the Bible. In other words, we change the presentation of God's word so it appeals to the carnal mind of a human being.

Capes and Seay also suggest that the "literary beauty" of the Bible is missed in today's translations. Rather than reading the Bible as "principles and prescriptions" they would rather have people view the Bible as "a story, a grand drama of redemption."

Capes then says, "Traditional Bibles with their black covers, abstruse notes, and page after page of dense type can be off-putting to them." He is referring to a younger generation that wants to approach worshipping God differently.

To make it even worse, the "translators" add words and phrases not found in the original translation. And they do this all in the name of being relevant.

"It's a way to get people reading the Bible", says Capes.

And what do they hope to accomplish?

"Our take is, if it's written beautifully and calls you into the narrative, that when you finish a chapter you really want to read the next chapter to see what's going to happen, then more people in their 20s and 30s will end up reading the Bible."

Did you get that-if it's written beautifully? Apparently God got it wrong the first time and needs a team of translators to come in and make His word more attractive to a younger generation.

According to Capes, they hoped to come up with something similar to what the King James Version captured, which was translated by scholars largely dependent upon translations by William Tyndale. But Tyndale had a far more noble cause,

"I had perceived by experience, how that it was impossible to establish the lay people in any truth, except the scripture were plainly laid before their eyes in their mother tongue, that they might see the process, order, and meaning of the text."

And.

"I defie the Pope and all his lawes. If God spare my life, ere many yeares I wyl cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scripture, than he doust. "

His laboring to translate God's word was driven by a passion to have the most common of all people to read and understand the meaning of the text...he had no interest in dressing it up so it would be more pleasing to the eyes of a sinful man.

The word of God is not merely a story to be read like a playwright or movie script! Have we such a low view of the Scriptures that we think we can make it look prettier or more attractive by changing and adding to the words? We should esteem the words of His mouth more than our necessary food and delight and desire it as a newborn baby desires the sincere milk of the word (Job 23:12, Psalm 119:35, 1 Peter 2:2). Why? Because we have a passion to know God more and grow daily in our salvation. Not simply to find out "what happens next".

And if Seay is so concerned with bringing people to know God's word, then do as the Scriptures say and teach and preach the word in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). Rather than changing the Bible to appear more attractive to the world, Seay should proclaim the word of the Lord, that is sharper than any two-edged sword that penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). And with this preaching, God promises that his Word will not return void. Let God's word change the hearts and minds of men rather than changing God's word for the minds of men. Only then will people like Keith Richards have a sincere desire for the truth of God and His word.

*all quotes taken from The Houston Chronicle's article Scripture gets a new Voice

In the News

Vatican to discuss role of Scripture for Catholics
In an effort to “take back the Bible for Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI will be reciting verses of the Bible on Italian national television. In the past, the church had discouraged nonclergy from familiarizing themselves with Scripture but with the recent rise and popularity of “fundamentalism”, as the Vatican calls it, or the literal interpretation of the Bible, Benedict is concerned that Catholics are actually reading their Bible and using this same interpretation method. Is he concerned that they will find that purgatory is a tradition made up by the Catholic Church and no where to be found in the Bible? Or maybe he’s worried that they will read Ephesians 2:8,9 and Romans 3:21-26 and realize that upon the free gift of God’s grace through Christ Jesus, free meaning not through our good works, we are justified in the sight of a Holy God.

Green Bible
Harper One is releasing a “green Bible” that promotes the growing trend of environmentalism and answers questions such as, “Is God green?” Did Jesus have anything to say about the environment? What role should faith play in caring for the earth? It also highlights more than 1,000 verses that supposedly speak on environmental issues. Here’s one for you; “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen.” (Romans 1:25) Maybe they forgot to recycle that verse…

Homosexual Christian?
In another effort to push the homosexual agenda into the Christian church, The Houston Chronicle highlighted a New York Times article featuring a church that accepts homosexuality as a appropriate lifestyle. Randy Keel, who was married to Jill Keel, confessed his homosexual desires to his now ex-wife. So not only did he give in to his sinful desires but his selfish gain consequently broke up the marriage and led to a divorce. And accoring to the Rev. Jack McKinney, who leads the congregation, this is reason to celebrate and even deems “these gay people” as “spiritual heroes” because “they held to their faith”. Well…at least the parts of their faith that suits themselves.

Pastors protest limits on pulpits and politics
Andy Cherry, a Houston pastor, was one of 33 pastors who participated in a national protest of limits on mixing politics and preaching. “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” was part of an effort by pastors to exercise their First Amendment Right.

“If we see a candidate and we believe that candidate is not in line with our biblical standards, we are told that we can’t preach about it, “Cherry said. “we say: ‘Yes, you can.’ We believe it’s unconstitutional to tell pastors that and to have threats coming from the IRS that you can lose your tax-exempt status.”

Hotels offering up “spiritual menu”
Nashville’s Hotel Preston, along with four other boutique hotels, will be offering a wide variety of religious texts to customers to satisfy requests other than the Bible. This seems to be the trend across America, especially in San Francisco, where hotel managers believe that they must offer up a spiritual menu that is keeping with the culture of their company. In other words, you can have a spiritual buffet of sorts right in your hotel room…you can pick and choose what parts of each text you like…sounds a lot like American Christianity.

Google to advertise pro-life groups
After a recent lawsuit by The Christian Institute, religious and pro-life organizations will be allowed to advertise on Google. You can watch the news video here: