So my daughter and I were waiting to see the surgeon and just idly chatting, and somehow the topic of “fools” came up. She asked, “Doesn’t the bible say that God hates fools?” I couldn’t remember such a verse, but I do have e-Sword on my cell phone, so I quickly did a search for “fool” in the old testament. One verse we particularly enjoyed was Proverbs 18:6, which she will now use as a comeback on her friend when they are pretending to argue. As in, “Oh yeah? Well, Proverbs 18:6!” After we got control of ourselves and stopped giggling like idiots, we continued down the list and found this gem:
A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.
(Ecclesiastes 10:2)
That’s right, liberals! Even the bible says you’re idiots! You’re “progressing” right into the fiery pit! Bwahahahaha!!! [High fives all around at the Pachyderm Club!]
So that’s the [read this in an Alastair Cook voice] Out of Context Verse Of The Day. I may make it a series. (For a serious unpacking of Ecclesiastes 10:2 by John Gill, click to read the rest of the post.) And if God does hate fools, I didn’t find an OT verse to indicate it. Continue reading »
written by Laura
We celebrated the birth of Jesus yesterday, so this Christianity Timeline seems especially relevant. The source is Wikipedia so take it with a grain of salt, but it’s extremely interesting to see the layout of when various gospels were written in conjunction with certain events. It may enhance your bible study with a bit more context.
written by Laura
Notes
Shallow conversions, the breakdown between believing and receiving, and being an ineffective witness for Christ… what does it take to be an effective witness?
written by Laura
Here is the third sermon in the Gospel of John series, and here are the sermon notes.
The two previous sermons were prepatory - this one begins with how John chose to start off his gospel. It covers the “table of contents,” vocabulary, and key concepts - it’s a great kickoff. I’ve really been enjoying getting back to the basics. When I was first saved, I read John repeatedly, and ended up writing out a three page, single spaced list of questions that my pastor at the time was kind enough to sit down with me and answer. In spite of that, I’m learning far more from this series than I expected. Like onions, like Shrek, like parfait… John has layers. Dig in and enjoy!
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written by Laura
If you’re following along with the Gospel of John series being taught at my church, here’s the second in the series. The first is here.
Here are the notes.
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This is especially timely for me, as I’m reading Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ
and The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World. It’s very postmodern to focus on the journey - the pursuit of holiness - and what we must do to run the race, and not think on why we run the race, or the prize. The truth is that it’s all about God’s glory. How does (or should!) Jesus’ deity affect our lives? A very dear friend of mine who was recently saved said (before she was saved) that if it could be proved to her that Jesus really is who Christians say he is, then it would change everything. Everything about how she thinks and about how she lives her life. As she put it, “It would have to, wouldn’t it? Or I’d be a liar, because how can you believe this and NOT have it completely change your life? If you don’t change, you don’t believe.”
Although she didn’t intend them to be so, those were very convicting words. Am I living like I really believe what I say? Sometimes… and other days… not so much. In my case, it’s often a matter of garbage in, garbage out. When I turn off the news I usually listen to while I work and replace it with praise music, when I put down the Tom Clancy/Harry Potter/whatever other timewasters I’m reading and select something educational or edifying instead, it makes a huge difference.
Please don’t misunderstand - I don’t think my salvation is dependent upon any action I take, and in fact I’m Calvinistic enough to believe that I was plucked out of the fire, and that I didn’t “come to Jesus” based on any good impulse of my own. Nor is the sanctification process something for which I should receive credit. At most, I’m cooperating with what the Holy Spirit is doing, and often enough actively hindering that work. But I’ve been pondering my friend’s words on several levels as I listen to this sermon series.
If you don’t change, you don’t believe.
written by Laura
We started a sermon series on the gospel of John last month. They are impacting me profoundly. This is the first in the series - I’ll be posting the rest, at least one a week. Here are the notes. What’s the difference between studying the bible and reading it? What’s the benefit of studying it? Isn’t it enough to go to church once a week?
I do several miles on the treadmill (ideally, three, although about half the time it’s between two and three) every day, and lately I’ve started listening to sermon CDs while I do it. It’s not a replacement for a bible study, but it’s certainly more edifying than CSPAN, Fox News and CNN, which is what I used to toggle between. I’m finding that it’s a great way to get the day started, and it’s enabling me to get more out of my bible study time. That long, dry time I’ve been going through is officially over.
About a month into this study, things are getting intense. I fully expect that some families will leave the church over this teaching, even though it should shock no one. If you’re feeling bold, and if you’re ready to have your assumptions challenged, you may board the rollercoaster now.
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[Added for clarification - while I'm posting this about a month behind when we actually did it, I did not mean to imply that it's a month long series. On the contrary. We started on 10/14 and we're 6 sermons into it. We're going to be in this book for a while.]
written by Laura
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