Puritan Devotional

A short five minute mp3 that could dramatically change your perspective on work.

Nothing which is done for Christ is lost!

Overview sermons of the bible

I've been listening to this guy, Mark Dever, who put together an overview of the entire bible, the OT, the NT and each book in the bible.

And as he puts it, there are some things you can get from a greater height that you don't necessarily see up close. Well worth the investment of time, if you ask me.

Click me for the OT sermons

Click me for the NT sermons

May the LORD bless you as you study.

Reclaiming the Mind ministries

An excellent theology resource. Got questions? They've answered 263 of 'em!

And here's the full length course, where the above questions were clipped from, that is a comprehensive and in-depth theological training program for lay people. Available in both streaming video and mp3 download.

Some fantastic material at this site! The webmaster, Michael Patton, also hosts a blog: Parchment and Pen. And if my children's pastor, Joel, ever reads this blog ... he's a Sooner. :)

Have a look!

Blessings

Fruit flies!

Ugg .. we've got fruit flies this season. Lots of em! You ever notice how these guys dive bomb your face? Like an inch away all the time, and you can't catch them! Man, that's annoying! So here's the practical way to get rid of them.

The soda bottle trap:

• Remove the lid and label from a clean, empty plastic two-liter soda bottle.
• Carefully remove the upper third of the bottle by cutting along its circumference at approximately where the top of the label used to be.
• Put an attractive liquid such as orange juice or cider vinegar in the cup-shaped part of the now-severed bottle.
• Turn the cone upside-down and insert it into the cup-shaped bottom part of the bottle. Seal the seam at the top of the bottle with duct tape.
• Fruit flies find their way into the bottle, but they can't get back out. After most flies are trapped inside, simply seal the bottle in a plastic shopping bag and throw out.

I know ... a very Christ centered post, huh? I'm practical, too. Sue me :)

AW Pink on 1 John 2:2

And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world - I John 2.2

I just love how Arthur Pink has addressed this verse! I think he makes it so obvious. He has several solid points. Each of which validate the limited scope of the atonement in and of themselves, but this has got to be BY FAR the most convincing (I'd say compelling, but it's more than compelling) argument he raises. He does the unthinkable - he interprets Scripture with Scripture. And not only that, but he lets John interpret John. Have a look:

...

In the fourth place, when John added, "And not for ours only, but also for the whole world", he signified that Christ was the propitiation for the sins of Gentile believers too, for, as previously shown, "the world" is a term contrasted from Israel. This interpretation is unequivocally established by a careful comparison of 1 John 2:2 with John 11:51,52, which is a strictly parallel passage: "And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad". Here Caiaphas, under inspiration, made known for whom Jesus should "die". Notice now the correspondency of his prophecy with this declaration of John’s

1 John 2:2	John 11:51, 52
"He is the propitiation for our (believing Israelites) sins".	"He prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation".
"And not for ours only".	"And not for that nation only".
"But also for the whole world"— That is, Gentile believers scattered throughout the earth.	"He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad".

Is that beautiful or what! Side by side we've got the precise interpretation right there! It is not the "whole world of every single individual ever" as if Christ's blood is some sort of magic potion you just apply as needed. John himself tells us that Christ is the propitiation for not only the Jewish children of God, but for the children of God in EVERY nation!

I urge you to read the entire article. It's perfect and pithy.

http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Sovereignty/appendix_04.htm

And if you like that, you'll LOVE the rest of that book -- The Sovereignty of God. It's a top read on my list.

This, for me, is the absolute end of the argument. What a comfort I take in the definite atonement our Lord has made for those who believe. It's such a surety that there is NOTHING that I can do to lose it, and on the flip side of that coin, there is nothing I can do to KEEP it. Think on that one for a second. It is solely because of the propitiation and advocation of Jesus Christ that I am accepted before a just and holy God.

Amen!

RefTagger

This is so cool! I just found this awesome script add on that takes any bible reference and not only links it to bible.logos.com, but brings a pop up window right above the verse when you hover over it! This is awesome! Check it out:

Romans 8:28

I didn't add a bit of html code to that reference. Not bad, eh?

Here's the link to add it to your blog:
http://blog.logos.com/archives/2008/06/adding_reftagger_to_a_blogger_blog.html

Here's the original location to add it to any website generally:
http://www.logos.com/reftagger

Scroll down to about the middle of the page for the instructions on how to put it into your webpage/blog.

Blessings