Great Lion of God – Paul, Ananias and Arabia

S. Lewis Johnson Message of the Week

Paul, Ananias and Arabia
Dr. S. Lewis Johnson discusses the ministry of the Antioch Christians to Paul after his conversion and the time he spent with the community.

Scripture Reference: Acts 9:10-19

Click here to listen: Paul, Ananias and Arabia

Transcript Excerpt:

Tonight we are looking at the subject of “Paul, Ananias, and Arabia,” the next step in the unfolding of the life of the Apostle Paul.  And so will you take your New Testaments and turn to Acts chapter 9, verse 10, and let me read a few verses here.  And then we will look at a passage in Galatians chapter 1 also for Scripture reading.  Acts chapter 9, verse 10 through verse 19.

“And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias.  And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.  And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.  Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.  And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.  And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.  And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.”

Now, you’ll notice that in the Lukan account, after saying, “And when he had received meat, he was strengthened,” the next sentence is “Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.  And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.”  Now, let’s turn to Galatians chapter 1, and read verse 15 through verse 17.  The apostle is going over, now, in the Epistle to the Galatians, some of the experiences that he had when he was converted.  And he is saying that the message that he is proclaiming is a message that he has received by divine revelation.  So after saying that he has profited in the Jews’ religion above many of his equals in his own nation, in verse 15 he writes, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen;” or the Gentiles, “immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.”  Now, notice he says that immediately he went into Arabia, but he returned to Damascus.

…. you can read the full transcript here.

What it Means to be a Slave of Christ

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:49 — 8.7MB)

Guest: Dr. John MacArthur, Author, Slave – The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants [slaves] for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

Being a slave conjures up very negative images … and for good reason.  Humans have enslaved each other for thousands of years and the treatment of slaves has often been deplorable.  No one wants to be a slave.  Except that is exactly how the Bible speaks about Christians, as being “slaves” of Christ.

A Greek word that appears almost 140 times in the New Testament — “doulos” — has been mainly mistranslated into English as “servant” rather than “slave”.  So what’s the big deal?  Well, the word “doulos” is used to describe the Christian’s relationship to Christ.  Christians are thus “slaves of Christ”, owned by Him, rather than mere hired servants.

Dr. John MacArthur, president of The Master’s College and pastor-teacher of the worldwide radio ministry Grace To You, will tell us this weekend on The Christian Worldview that nothing could be better than being a “slave of Christ”.  When we see our identity this way, it changes how we serve our “Master” and how we see ourselves.

Don’t miss Dr. John MacArthur, one of the stalwarts of the faith, this weekend on The Christian Worldview!

Boys Wrestling Girls — A Clash of Worlds and Worldviews

published with permission from Dr. Albert Mohler

The state of Iowa takes high school wrestling seriously. Iowans take wrestling so seriously, in fact, that the state wrestling champion among high school boys in Iowa is like “Mr. Basketball” in Indiana — a celebrity for life. Joel Northrup is only a sophomore, but the home-schooled student who wrestles for Linn-Mar High School went into the state wrestling tournament with a 35-4 record and high hopes.

Nevertheless, in his first match, he forfeited. Why? Because he could not by conviction wrestle against a girl.

In a statement released to the media, young Northrup said: “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Casey and Megan and their accomplishments. However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times. As a matter of conscience and my faith I do not believe that is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa.”

For the first time in history, girls competed in this year’s Iowa state wrestling tournament. Casey Herkelman and Megan Black became the first two girls to compete in the big event. Joel Northrup drew Casey Herkelman as his first-round opponent. As the Associated Press reported, Joel “refused to compete against a girl at the state tournament . . . relinquishing any chance of becoming a champion because he says wrestling with a girl would conflict with his religious beliefs.”

The debate erupted immediately. Casey’s father, Bill Herkelman spoke of his respect for the Joel and the Northrup family. “I sincerely respect the decision of the Northrup family especially since it was made on the biggest stage in wrestling. I have heard nothing but good things of the Northrup family and hope Joel does very well the remainder of the tourney.”

As it turned out, Joel did not fare well in the consolation rounds, and Casey lost a subsequent round as well. There was apparently more talk about the match that didn’t happen than about the many matches that were completed. The national media attention quickly focused on Joel’s decision not to wrestle a girl.

Writing at ESPN.com, columnist Sarah Spain offered her assessment:

If he felt some sort of need to protect Herkelman from the violence of the sport, he’s sorely misguided. She chose to compete, and she competed well enough to qualify for the state meet. The physical nature of sport is, by definition, what makes it sport, so no one would have complained had he beaten her fair and square in an athletic competition. The best way to show respect for Herkleman and her accomplishments would have been to compete against her.

Well, it may well be true that “no one would have complained” had Joel defeated Casey on the mat, but that does not mean that it would have been right for him to do so. Indeed, the idea of high school boys wrestling against high school girls is, to say the very least, a rather modern invention. Girls are demanding to wrestle, but a wrestling program for girls would require far more girls wanting to participate in the sport than have yet indicated such a willingness. So, state officials decided that girls can compete with the boys.

In forfeiting the match, Joel Northrup cited his concern that wrestling is a physical sport that often turns violent. When he said “I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner,” he was only expressing what would have been taken as common sense and common decency just a few years ago.

In response to Joel’s statement, Sarah Spain wondered aloud what many others were thinking: “It’s tough to tell whether Northrup is actually concerned about harming Herkelman or if he’s just worried about accidentally touching parts of her that he might never have touched on a girl before. If he or his parents were uncomfortable with the prolonged physical contact and the very high possibility that he might grab, for lack of a better term, a ‘lady part,’ then I suppose it’s tough to reprimand him for defaulting.”

Clearly. But the great unfairness is that this boy was put in such a position in the first place. His failure to cite the sexual nature of his concerns reflects a basic sense of decency and propriety. It would have embarrassed both Joel and the girls in the tournament for such a concern, though obvious, to be articulated. But, given the nature of the sport, there is no way that a boy and a girl wrestling as opponents in a competitive match would not have contact where boys and girls should not have contact. In fact, we are talking about contact of a nature that the boy would be in great and proper trouble if the contact happened anywhere else.

Rick Reilly, author of ESPN’s influential “Life of Reilly” column, offered no respect for Joel’s decision:

Remember, Northrup didn’t default on sexual grounds. Didn’t say anything about it being wrong to put his hands in awkward places. Both he and his father, Jamie, a minister in an independent Pentecostal faith called Believers in Grace Fellowship, cited the physical pounding of it.

“We believe in the elevation and respect of woman,” the father told the Des Moines Register, “and we don’t think that wrestling a woman is the right thing to do. Body slamming and takedowns — full contact sport is not how to do that.”

That’s where the Northrups are so wrong. Body slams and takedowns and gouges in the eye and elbows in the ribs are exactly how to respect Cassy Herkelman. This is what she lives for. She can elevate herself, thanks.

This is insanity masquerading as athletic competition. The controversy over the Iowa state wrestling tournament reveals the fact that this debate represents a clash of worlds and worldviews. In one world — the world the increasingly demands the total erasure of distinctions between men and women — Joel Northrup is considered to be a religious nut. In this world, it makes sense that girls wrestle against boys and that society should celebrate this new development as a milestone in the struggle to free ourselves from the limitations of all gender roles. As if to make this point impossible to miss, Bill Herkelman, Casey’s father, said: “She’s my son. She’s always been my son.”

In the other world, Joel Northrup is seen as a young man of brave and noble conscience — a boy who forfeited a match rather than violate his conscience. The statements offered by Joel and his father are seen as moments of temporary sanity in a world going increasingly mad. The chivalry demonstrated at great personal cost by this boy athlete is to be celebrated and affirmed, and acknowledged as being deeply rooted in his Christian convictions — convictions about gender, modesty, the treatment of girls and women, propriety, decorum, and sexual purity.

In Rick Reilly’s world, and in accord with his worldview, it makes sense to say, “Body slams and takedowns and gouges in the eye and elbows in the ribs are exactly how to respect Cassy Herkelman.”

In Joel Northrup’s world, and in accord with his worldview, that statement is nothing less than insanity.

I, for one, am proud to know of a boy and a family who refuse to consider girls and women as proper opponents on a wrestling mat — opponents to be bloodied, gouged, and slammed. Joel Northrup may have forfeited a match, but he refused to sacrifice his Christian conscience for a moment of earthly glory.

The general direction of the culture is clear: We are moving out of Joel Northrup’s world into Rick Reilly’s world. Along the way, something immeasurably more important than a wrestling match is about to be forfeited.

---

I am always glad to hear from readers. Write me at mail@albertmohler.com. Follow regular updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AlbertMohler.

“Rather than Face Girl, Wrestler Defaults,” The Associated Press, ESPN.com, Thursday, February 17, 2011.

Sarah Spain, “Iowa Athlete Wrestles with Tough Decision,” ESPN.com, Thursday, February 17, 2011.

Rick Reilly, “Wrestling with Conviction,” ESPN.com, Saturday, February 19, 2011.

Great Lion of God – The Conversion of Paul

S. Lewis Johnson Message of the Week

The Conversion of Paul
Dr. S. Lewis Johnson expounds the coversion of Paul on the road to Damascus. Dr. Johnson discusses how the event served to provide the apostle with a fundamental understanding of God’s election and process of salvation.

Scripture Reference: Acts 9:1-9

Click here to listen: The Conversion of Paul

Transcript Excerpt:

Outside of our Lord’s ministry, the most important event in the history of Christianity is Paul’s conversion, in the opinion of many.  It is surprising really to realize that more space is devoted to it than any other event in the New Testament, except the passion of our Lord, and so one can see the importance of it.  The cruciality of the event is seen also in the fact that humanly speaking, in the life of the apostle as he was persecuting the early church, something must be done about this man Saul, who was the chief of the Jewish Gestapo.

He is the individual of whom we read in chapter 8, verse 3, “As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.”  In chapter 22, in verse 19, in one of his other accounts of his conversion, he makes this comment about his preceding ministry, 22:19, “And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee.”  And in chapter 26 and verse 10, in the third of the accounts of his conversion testimony he said, “Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.”  So humanly speaking something must be done about the Apostle Paul.

…. you can read the full transcript here.

Ligonier National Conference Ticket Raffle WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Congratulations to The Christian Worldview listeners who have won this year’s Ligonier Ministries National Conference Ticket Raffle.

• Frank Arkfeld, Greensboro, NC
• Bill Jeffries, Wesley Chapel, FL
• Nora Jeffries, Wesley Chapel, FL
• Josh Jeffries, Wesley Chapel, FL
• Britney Deoliveira, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• David Manderson, Mobile, AL
• Dustin White, Graceville, FL
• Heather Brangwin, Winter Springs, FL
• Gerson Vega, Mexico City, Mexico
• John Rawls, Adrian, MI

Alternates in order (we will contact you if some winners can’t attend):

• Michael Hill, Newark, OH
• Robert Francis, Maplewood, MN

The Christians Worldview has 10 pairs of free tickets to give away for the Ligonier Ministries National Conference on March 24-26, 2011 in Orlando, Florida and YOU could be one of the fortunate winners!  The speaker lineup includes some of today’s most influential preachers:  Sinclair Ferguson, W. Robert Godfrey, Steven Lawson, John Piper, R.C. Sproul, and RC Sproul, Jr.  The theme of the conference is “Light & Heat: A Passion for the Holiness of God.”  See full conference information here or watch this promotional video:

Ligonier Ministries 2011 National Conference (March 24-26 in Orlando) from Ligonier on Vimeo.

Each pair of tickets will be given away by raffle drawing.  The value of a pair of tickets is $350!  All you must do to enter is send us your full name, mailing address, email address, and phone number (our contact info is below).  The deadline for entering your name is Friday, February 18, 2011.  We will be announcing the 10 winners on The Christian Worldview Radio Program on Saturday, February 19.  (The winners will also be contacted by phone or email as well.)

Before you enter your name, make sure:

1.  That you have a strong desire to attend the conference this March 24-26, 2011 in Orlando, FL.  Tickets can NOT be re-sold or exchanged for another year.
2.  That you are willing and able to pay for all other expenses to attend the conference like airfare, lodging, meals, etc.  (I.e. This raffle is to win free registration tickets, not free airfare and other expenses.)

To enter the raffle, send your full name, mailing address, email address, and phone number to The Christian Worldview via…

Email:
feedback@TheChristianWorldview.com

Mail:
The Christian Worldview
PO Box 401
Tonka Bay, MN 55331

Caring for Creation without Crossing God’s Line

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:49 — 8.7MB)

Guest: Cal Beisner, Founder, Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation

“For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:25).

The environmentalism so prevalent and popular around the world today, even within the church, is one that goes far beyond the stewardship of creation to which God called man in the first chapter of Genesis.

The worldview of this kind of environmentalism and its ramifications must be clearly understood by Christians so that we can protect ourselves and especially our children from the unbiblical brainwash that permeates our schools, media, popular culture, and yes, our churches.

The best organization that I know of that devotes itself to upholding a biblical worldview on environmental issues is the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation.  They have just produced a DVD series entitled “Resisting the Green Dragon” which is made up of twelve, 30-minute sessions covering all aspects of the environmental movement as well as the biblical framework for Christian stewardship of the earth.  This would be an excellent study series for your family, Christian school, Bible study group, or church.

Cal Beisner, the founder of Cornwall Alliance, will join us this weekend on The Christian Worldview to discuss the far-reaching tentacles of the environmental movement and how a Christian should think and act in response.

Read more

“Resisting the Green Dragon” DVD Study Series – $49.95 (FREE shipping)

“Resisting the Green Dragon” is made up of four DVDs featuring twelve, 30-minute sessions with discussion guide covering all aspects of the environmental movement as well as the biblical framework for Christian stewardship of the earth. This would be an excellent study series for your family, Christian school, Bible study group, or church.

Resisting the Green Dragon is particularly timely because it not only refutes the scientific case for dangerous man-made warming and other “crises,” but also exposes how environmental organizations use sophisticated media campaigns and even seek increased global governance to promote their agenda among policy makers, religious leaders, and youth.  The series brings a Biblical viewpoint on environmental issues and creation stewardship to evangelical churches, ministries, and schools.

“One of the greatest threats to society and the church today is the multifaceted environmentalist movement,” says Cornwall Alliance founder and national spokesman Dr. E. Calvin Beisner. “There isn’t an aspect of life that it doesn’t seek to force into its own mold.”

—————————————————————-

TO PLACE AN ORDER: Simply click on “Add to Cart” at which point the shopping cart will appear.  If you would like to change the number of copies you want to order simply change the quantity and hit “enter”.  When you are ready to check out, click on the button “Check out with PayPal” and you will be taken to the Paypal website (a secure, reliable web-based payment system).  You don’t have to have a Paypal account to make a payment.  Once you are on the Paypal site, either sign in with your Paypal username and password or click on “Don’t have a Paypal Account” and you will be able to make a payment with any major credit card.  If you have any questions or prefer to order over the phone, call us at 1-888-646-2233.

$49.95 (includes FREE shipping)

_____________________________________

DVD TRAILER:

Resisting the Green Dragon full promo from Cornwall Alliance on Vimeo.

THE 12 LECTURES INCLUDE:

• The False World View of the Green Movement with Cal Beisner
• Threats to Liberty and the Move toward a Global Government with Cal Beisner
• Rescuing People from the Cult of the Green Dragon with Dr. Peter Jones
• Advancing the Gospel in a World Permeated by Environmentalism with Dr. Peter Jones
• Logos vs. Mysticism: Environmentalism’s Flight from Reason with Dr. Vishal Mangalwadi
• From Captain Planet to Avatar: The Seduction of Our Youth with Dr. Michael Farris
• A Brief History of Environmental Exaggerations, Myths, and Downright Lies with Dr. Steven Hayward
• Putting Out the Dragon’s Fire on Global Warming with Dr. David R. Legates
• How ‘Going Green’ Impoverishes You, Your Church, and Your Society with Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop
• Ravaging the World’s Poor with Dr. James Tonkowich
• A Biblical Guide to Genuine Creation Stewardship with Dr. James Tonkowich
• The Green Face of the Pro-Death Agenda: Population Control, Abortion and Euthanasia with Dr. Charmaine Yoest.

SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY:

• Focus on the Family’s Tom Minnery
• Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins
• Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s Richard Land
• Concerned Women for America’s Wendy Wright
• Home School Legal Defense Association’s Michael Farris
• National Religious Broadcasters’ Frank Wright
• WallBuilders’ David Barton
• and radio talk-show host Janet Parshall

“Resisting the Green Dragon is the result of Cornwall’s efforts in studying the environmental movement, analyzing its errors and identifying expert speakers who could address them with outstanding authority and grace,” Beisner said. The 12-part DVD series, and bonus 33-minute documentary, unite an impressive array of respected evangelical experts in science, theology, economics, and the environment. It includes a discussion guide, practical suggestions for small group projects, and other print and broadcast resources.

The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation is a network of clergy, theologians, religious leaders, scientists, economists, and policy experts committed to bringing a balanced Biblical view of stewardship to the critical issues of environment and development.  Since 2005, the Cornwall Alliance has been the leading evangelical voice on environmental stewardship and development.

What Does Mubarak’s Downfall Mean for Christians in Egypt?

published with permission from Joel Rosenberg

What does the downfall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak mean for Christians in Egypt? That’s the question I’m being asked about again and again in TV and radio interviews over the past few days, so I thought I’d jot down a few thoughts this morning.

First, senior pastors and ministry leaders in Egypt estimate there are some 2.5 million followers of Jesus Christ in their country. Most of these are born again converts who were raised as nominal Christians inside the historic Coptic (Orthodox) church. There are about eight to ten million Coptics in the country, all told, and there is a significant revival going on among them. By God’s grace, a growing number of Egyptian Muslims are leaving Islam and turning to Jesus every year. Amen. May this accelerate in the weeks and months ahead.

Second, believers in Egypt face significant harassment, ostracization, and outright persecution. Both the Mubarak government and the Islamists have worked hard to intimidate the Church over the years. While there are wonderfully bold and courageous pastors and lay leaders, many have come to live in fear and anxiety as a result.

Third, this is the most dramatic moment in the history of the modern Middle East since the downfall of the Saddam regime and the capture of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The Reformers are boldly proclaiming their solutions for Egypt’s problems. Likewise, the Radicals are boldly proclaiming their solutions for Egypt’s ills. Now it is time for the Revivalists — followers of our Lord Jesus who want to revive what Egypt once had before Islam: First Century, New Testament, Biblical Christianity — to boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. True freedom and liberation — spiritually and socially — will only come when individuals choose to begin a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ His Son. Only then does the Lord offer us the free gift of life eternal and life abundant, as we read in John 3:16 and John 10:10.

Fourth, our job as believers around the world at this moment of turmoil, change and uncertainty is to stand with our brothers and sisters in Egypt, encourage them, pray for them, provide whatever training or resources they need, and provide some funding if possible to help them proclaim the gospel, make disciples, train new pastors, plant new churches, care for the poor and needy, and minister to the people in many other ways. We can’t do the work of the Church in Egypt for them, nor should we. But we can — and must — let them know that they are not alone. The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 12 that “you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.” He told us that “if one member [of the Body] suffers, all the members suffer with it.” In Philippians 2, he urged believers to be “of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” He encouraged us to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” In other words, we need to do a better job understanding the needs of the Egyptian Church and seek ways to stand with them and encourage them, not be selfish or prideful or focused merely on ourselves.

My wife, Lynn, our four sons, Lynn’s mom, and I had the joy of living in Egypt — in a suburb of Cairo, actually – for nearly three months in late 2005 and early 2006 when I was researching and writing a book. During that time, we had the opportunity to see the enormous surge of Christianity underway in the Middle East and North Africa firsthand. We met with Egyptian Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) and Nominal Christian Background Believers (NCBBs). We met believers engaged in satellite television ministry, in radio ministry, in Internet ministry, in gospel literature distribution, and in all manner of evangelism outreaches and discipleship programs. It was also a remarkable time to study the history and culture of Egypt. We visited the great museum in Cairo, climbed inside the pyramids, and traveled around the country to places like Alexandria and Sharm el-Sheikh. We learned so much, saw so much poverty, so much sadness, such stagnation, such political and spiritual stagnation.

We also made some dear friends and visited a variety of churches to better understand the challenges facing believers in that historic country. One of these was the famous “garbage church” in the caves above Cairo, located right next to the biggest “city” of trash and waste products I have ever seen in my life.

To get to the “garbage church,” you must first drive through this “city” of badly built brick and cement apartment buildings teeming with an estimated fifteen to thirty thousand “garbage people”—no one knows for sure, and the numbers are always changing—living amid literally thousands of tons of trash. Everywhere you look you see people picking through it, sorting it, rebagging it, looking for objects of value and hoping to sell plastic bottles and the like to recyclers. The stench is unbelievable.

But then you come through it to the other side, to a paved parking lot and a lovely little Christian chapel, nestled against huge cliffs. Carved into the cliffs are the most amazing scenes of Jesus walking on water, Jesus on the cross, Jesus ascending to heaven, and so forth, each with a Bible verse inscribed below it in Arabic and English, all done by a Polish artist. Inside the six caves are six chapels, the largest of which holds twenty thousand people.

Our guide that day was an MBB named Addel. He shared with us (by translation) how he was lost in drugs and alcohol and the depression of living in the garbage village. He also shared with us how he came to hear an audiocassette of one of the priests at the church and how God used that sermon to convict him of his sin and point him to what Jesus did on the cross to pay the penalty for his sins and offer him forgiveness. Now Addel greets visitors who come to see this extraordinary ministry and tells them the story of what God is doing there.

The church was planted, he said, in 1978 by a Coptic priest with a burden for reaching the people Paul called “the scum of the world, the dregs of all things” with the Good News that they could be adopted by the King of kings. So many people became Christians in the years that followed that in 1992 they had to covert the largest cave into a worship amphitheater. On an average weekend, some ten thousand new and growing believers from the garbage community come to sing and hear the message of the gospel and learn how to be true disciples of Jesus Christ. Services are held on Thursday nights (the most popular service), Friday mornings, and Sunday evenings. In May of 2005, more than twenty thousand Arab believers gathered at the garbage church for a day of prayer for their unsaved Muslim friends to become followers of Christ. The event was broadcast throughout the Middle East on a Christian satellite television network, allowing millions more to see God powerfully at work.

With our kids, Lynn and I have been watching events unfold in Egypt through the lenses of our own experiences there, but more importantly through the lenses of Scripture. We know through Isaiah 19 that the future of Egypt is going to get far worse in the last days before the return of Christ. We also know that eventually Egypt will experience a great national awakening. Millions of Egyptians will come to faith in Jesus Christ and worship Him during the Millennial Kingdom, when He reigns from His throne in Jerusalem. We are praying for the Lord to show us and The Joshua Fund team board and staff how we can be a blessing not only to Israel, but also to her neighbors, like the dear people of Egypt who have suffered so long and need to find hope and freedom in Jesus. We’d love for you to join us in these vital prayers, as well. Thanks so much, and may the Lord bless you as you bless Israel and Egypt at this critical hour.

HEADLINES TO TRACK:

• Reuters: Gaddafi tells Palestinians: revolt against Israel
• Haaretz: Palestinian cabinet to resign in wake of Mideast turmoil
• CNN: Egypt’s military dissolves parliament, suspends constitution
• AP: Egypt’s military rulers dissolve parliament
• NYT: As Egypt Calms Down, So Do Israeli Nerves
• AP: Egypt will maintain its peace treaty with Israel, military says
• Washington Post: Israeli prime minister welcomes Egyptian military’s pledge to honor peace accord
• Reuters: Chairman of Joint Chiefs visits Israel, Jordan amidst upheaval in the Mideast

————-

JUST POSTED: Here’s my interview on Fox News Channel on Sunday (Feb 13) with Shannon Bream, discussing the implications of the fall of the Mubarak regime for Israel, for followers of Jesus Christ in Egypt, and for the battle between Radicals and Reformers in Iran.

• —————————————
• Feb 11 interview on CBN News, includes analysis from Jerusalem bureau chief Chris Mitchell, and international correspondent George Thomas
• Feb 11  interview on the Chris Fabry show on the Moody Radio Network, includes the President’s statement to the nation about the fall of Mubarak and interviews with Ken Boa, an evangelical ministry leader who was in Egypt when the revolution began, and Dr. Charlie Dyer, a Mideast expert and professor of Biblical studies at the Moody Bible Institute ; my interview comes about 30 min into the one hour program
• Background on the Chris Fabry show
• Video blog on Isaiah 19 the future of Egypt from the perspective of Bible prophecy

Great Lion of God – Stephen: The Paul Before Paul

S. Lewis Johnson Message of the Week

Great Lion of God – Stephen: The Paul Before Paul
Dr. S. Lewis Johnson expounds the account of Stephen.  Dr. Johnson explains how the martyr’s testimony served God’s purpose in preparing Paul for his role in proclaiming the gospel.

Scripture Reference: Acts 6:1 – 7:60

Click here to listen: Great Lion of God – Stephen: The Paul Before Paul

Transcript Excerpt:

Tonight, our subject as we continue our study of the Apostle Paul is “Stephen:  The Paul Before Paul.”  And for those of you who have your New Testaments with you turn with me to the 6th chapter of the Book of Acts, and we will say the things that we want to say tonight against the background of chapters 6 and 7 of the Book of Acts.  I’d like to begin with a word of introduction, as usual, then we will talk about the encounter in the synagogue, the encounter that Stephen had before the Sanhedrin, and finally we’ll conclude with just a few comments in support of the lasting impression that Stephen had upon Paul.

Remember, in our previous studies we have considered the apostle as a man of Tarsus.  We dwelt a little bit upon his background, his early years, his training.  And then we looked at him as the man of Jerusalem, looking specifically at his training in spiritual things at the feet of Gamaliel, and some of the things that are related to that.  After the apostle’s training in the city of Jerusalem, evidently he went back to Tarsus, and he was there, it seems, during all of the time of our Lord’s ministry.  Or at least, so far as we know from Paul’s writings, he did not have any personal contact with our Lord before his encounter with him on the Damascus Road; so momentous events had been transpiring in the Holy Land during the apostle’s sojourn at Tarsus.

…. you can read the full transcript here.

10 Questions with John MacArthur

published with permission from Tim Challies

A couple of weeks ago I asked the readers of this site to help me interview John MacArthur. I collected several of the best questions, added in a few of my own, and sent them off. Dr. MacArthur was kind enough not just to answer them, but to answer them very thoroughly.

Questions revolve around his new book Slave, the best Bible translations, avoiding scandal, the challenges he has faced in ministry, and the advice he would give himself if he could go back to the early days of his ministry. He also talks about time management, critiquing people “in our camp,” about theological crises, about the Reformed Charismatics and about Christians who deny a literal 6-day creation.

Without further ado, here is the interview with Dr. MacArthur:

Slave. What is it about this word that merits a whole book?

Sometimes one word can make an enormous difference. For example, the Latin Vulgate’s translation of metanoia (repentance) as paenitentia (penance) in places like Acts 2:38 led to all sorts of problems in the Roman Catholic Church.

The slave concept is a major theme in Scripture. In fact, believers are referred to as “slaves” hundreds of times throughout the Old and New Testaments. Yet, the American church is blind to this critical theme because most English versions translate the word as “servant” instead.

While it is true that the duties of slave and servant may overlap to some degree, there is a key distinction between the two: servants are hired; slaves are owned. Servants have an element of freedom in choosing whom they work for and what they do. The idea of servanthood maintains some level of self-autonomy and personal rights. Slaves, on the other hand, have no freedom, autonomy, or rights. In the Greco-Roman world, slaves were considered property, to the point that, in the eyes of the law they were regarded as things rather than persons. To be someone’s slave was to be his possession, bound to obey his will without hesitation or argument.

This reality has major implications for our understanding of the gospel. Christ’s call to follow Him is not simply an invitation to become His associate, but a mandate to become His slave. That message is especially needed in American culture, where a man-centered, feel-good, cheap-grace gospel has become so popular. But nothing could be farther from the biblical reality—a reality which is brought to the forefront by rightly translating that one word: “slave.”

In the past I’ve written many books that focus on a right understanding of the gospel—The Gospel According to Jesus, The Gospel According to the Apostles, Hard to Believe, and so on. But, as I note in my preface to Slave, “I have no doubt that this perpetual hiding of an essential element of New Testament revelation has contributed to much of the confusion in evangelical teaching and practice. In fact, I wonder if it wasn’t the reason I felt the need to write so many books to clarify the gospel. If this one reality had been known, would any of those books have been necessary?”

So, I see this as a vitally-important issue with far-reaching implications for how the gospel ought to be understood, preached, and lived.

In light of what you write in Slave regarding the proper translation of doulos, what is your preferred Bible translation? Is the correct translation of that word significant enough that it ought to impact the translation we choose?

I am thankful for excellent English translations like the NASB, NKJV, and ESV. But I do wish they had done a better job translating both ebed (in the OT) and doulos (in the NT) as slave. And I am glad that some new versions like the Holman Christian Standard Bible are doing this.

I have had some discussions with one major publishing company about updating their version to reflect the truth about doulos in the NT. They have told me that they will discuss it further with their translation committee. But I don’t know what will happen there.

While I don’t expect many churches to change their Bible versions over this issue, I do hope that pastors—when they preach through a text that includes doulos—will take the time to instruct their people as to what that word really means. I certainly hope they are doing their homework in the Greek, and not just relying on the English text. Lord willing, the Slave book will serve as a resource for them in that endeavor.

How does a minister in a prominent position manage to stay free from scandal and ruin in a culture of selfism and selfishness? What protections do you have in place that might help other ministers?

The key to avoiding scandal is living with integrity. If you live with integrity and a clear conscience, you never have to worry about potential scandal—because there are no skeletons hidden in your closet. Being above reproach in the eyes of others starts with being blameless before the Lord.

As important as it is to keep a good reputation in the community, it is a thousand times more important to safeguard your own personal character. The single most important battlefield in the struggle for integrity is your own mind. That’s where everything will actually be won or lost. And if you lose there, you have already ruined your character. Then it is only a matter of time before your reputation is spoiled, because a bad tree can’t bring forth good fruit.

Put simply, if you take care of the battle on the inside, you can trust God to take care of your reputation with the outside community.

While it is certainly helpful to seek accountability from other godly individuals (fellow elders, family members, etc.), it is even more helpful to remind yourself about the reality of divine accountability and future judgment. You can be surrounded by a lot of people to whom you are accountable. But if you lose the battle of accountability to God in your heart, you will never win it on the outside. The real battle is fought in the conscience and in the heart.

Looking back on those many years of ministry, what has been the greatest challenge you had to face, and how do you see God used it in your ministry?

My time at Grace Church has been a wonderful gift from God. Any difficulties I have faced have been far outweighed by the countless blessings and joys. Yet, ministry has not been without its challenges. For example, when I first came to Grace, there was an immediate need to identify and train up the godly men who would then make up our elder board. It was a long process, taking a number of years, but I knew it was a biblical priority; and it was an investment that has proven invaluable ever since.

Our elder team has faced other challenges in the years since. At times, there have been certain individuals in our congregation who have tried to cause division or who have left for unbiblical reasons. Things like that can be very painful and difficult, especially in the moment. But, in the end, we have always seen the hand of God’s faithfulness displayed. Moreover, those situations have deepened my love for my fellow elders, underscoring how important it is to have a plurality of godly men leading the church.

But to answer your question more directly, I think the greatest challenge any minister can face in ministry, especially in today’s world, is to maintain faithfulness to the Word of God over the long haul. There is always a temptation to tickle ears, follow trends, or grow lazy in weekly study. But since pastors are called to faithfully preach the Word, they must resist those temptations; and they must do so each and every week.

When a pastor maintains his commitment to the faithful study and preaching of God’s Word, nothing else will have a greater impact on his life and ministry. Not only will he be blessed, because his soul is continually being fed; but his people will also flourish, because there is nothing more relevant to their lives or necessary for their spiritual growth than the pure milk of the Word.

Sometimes pastors grow weary in the ministry, especially if they stay in the same place for a long time. But the key to avoiding debilitating weariness in ministry is personal spiritual renewal. If you fill up your own heart first so that your preaching is passionately alive to spiritual things, you can expect your congregation to be similarly alive to spiritual things. Such passion, of course, comes first and foremost through your own concentrated study of the Word of God. And here’s an important key: Don’t study to prepare sermons; study to know the truth, to rejoice in the glory and grace of God, and to be conformed to His will. Sermons should never be the primary goal of your Bible study; they should only be the overflow of it. When you study, seek an accurate understanding of who God is and what He expects—first and foremost, this is for your own devotion and holiness. And then, from the abundance, instruct your people, urging them to follow you as you follow after Christ.

If you could go back as the man you are now and offer one piece of advice to the man you were when you first accepted the pastorate at Grace, what would it be?

I would probably echo the words of wisdom my father shared with me many years ago.

Before I had even started my ministry here at Grace Community Church, my dad said to me, “I want you to remember a couple of things before you go into the ministry. One, the great preachers, the lasting preachers who left their mark on history, taught their people the Word of God. Two, they stayed in one place for a long time.” These were two good pieces of wisdom. When I first came to Grace Church, most people thought that I would only stay a year or two, because I had been an itinerant communicator to youth groups. But in my heart, I knew I wanted to do the two things my dad advised: one was to teach the Bible expositionally, especially to go through the whole New Testament, knowing, secondly, that such a goal would require staying in one place over the long term. I knew that was the only way I could continue to nourish my own soul, affect generations with God’s truth, and manifest integrity of life through long visibility.

You are obviously a busy man. What advice would you give to pastors on loving their wives and children amidst the many demands of the pastoral ministry?

It is critically important that the pastor give priority to his family. As Paul told Timothy regarding the qualification of an elder, “He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?” So, this is a priority that comes to us directly from the Scriptures.

The most important things a Christian father can do for his children are to love their mother in a Christ-like way (Ephesians 5) and to train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6). And the most important thing he can do for his wife is to pursue Christ, and then to love and lead her out of the overflow of his devotion for the Savior. Thus, the fundamental key for being both a good husband and father is to be a godly man—one who fervently loves the Lord and is shepherding his own heart and mind with the Word of God. And that is intensely practical. To be an effective parent and a model husband, you must be faithful in your walk with Christ. Everything else in life flows out of that. Then your leadership in the home will be marked by an attitude of humble sacrifice and selfless service. As the Spirit uses His Word to sanctify your heart, you will be able to shepherd and care for your family.

There are other important things that fathers must do, of course—such as praying for their children, correcting them with patience and gentleness, instilling within them a love for the church, spending time with them, encouraging them, befriending them, and helping them make wise friendships of their own. But the heart of Christian parenting is being a faithful Christian.

That kind of genuine Christianity, daily lived out before those who know him best, brings great credibility to the pastor’s preaching and leadership in the church.

How can we best critique people who are “in our camp” and yet believe things different from us? Or behave in ways we do not appreciate? How can we know where to draw those lines?

Part of the responsibility of an elder is not only to teach and preach the truth, but also to warn the flock about error. We see this modeled by Christ and the apostles in the New Testament. When the gospel is at stake, and even when a core aspect of pastoral ministry or church life is at stake, it is important for us to warn people about falsehood and potential dangers.

When we disagree with people “in our camp” (which I understand to mean those who affirm a biblical gospel but differ with us on secondary issues), we have to respond on a case-by-case basis. And my response depends on the level of danger I believe that particular issue poses to those under my spiritual care. If an issue arises that could potentially threaten the congregation of Grace Church or the student body at The Master’s College & Seminary, I might say something to the congregation. If the issue is significant and far-reaching, I might write an article, a series of blog-posts, or even a book about it.

I don’t aspire to be a full-time all-round critic. The few well-known times when I have criticized people whom you might say are “in our camp,” my concerns have been motivated by a deep concern for those under my spiritual care. I feel a heavy weight of responsibility for them, knowing that one day I will give an account to the Lord for my stewardship of them; and I’m willing to be unpopular within the larger evangelical community if that’s what it costs to say what Scripture compels me to say.

One final thought to add is this: I believe that it is appropriate to respond publicly to that which has been taught publicly. If someone has published something in a book or on a blog or preached it in a sermon (which has then been made available online), it is now subject to public critique. I certainly believe this is true with regard to my own teachings. Anything I have preached or published (and therefore made public) is consequently subject to public criticism. And I don’t consider my critics to necessarily be unloving just because they disagree with me. In fact, I welcome their feedback, because it is part of the sharpening process.

What are the two or three most urgent theological crises that you see in the North American Church at present?

Two of my primary concerns are addressed in the next two questions. So I’ll save my responses to them for later. A third major issue that I see is the Arminian methodology that seems to characterize many in the Young Restless Reformed crowd in contradiction to their Reformed credo.

It is sadly ironic to me that those who claim to hold to a Reformed soteriology would simultaneously embrace ecclesiological and evangelistic methods that depend so heavily on current fashion, clever techniques, and human ingenuity. When pastors work so hard to be “cool” or “hip” or “trendy,” thinking that the way they talk or dress will make the gospel message more appealing to the lost, they betray an intrinsically Arminian perspective. Words like “relevance,” “innovation,” and “contextualization” have become buzzwords, even in Reformed circles, for reaching the “unchurched.” But these words expose a man-centered perspective that, I believe, is completely unbiblical.

How much better it would be to adopt the perspective of Jonathan Edwards during the Great Awakening. Edwards was surprised by the response to his preaching. He did not manipulate revival (like Finney did a century later). Rather, he focused on preaching the truth and trusted the Holy Spirit to do the work. If we are going to be Reformed in our soteriology, we should at least be consistent with how that works itself out in our practical ecclesiology—and particularly in our evangelistic srategy.

Since you wrote Charismatic Chaos we have seen the unexpected confluence of Reformed theology with charismatic beliefs (such as in the Sovereign Grace family of churches). If you were to write the book today, how would you affirm both love and critique for today’s Reformed Charismatics?

I would affirm my love and appreciation for C. J. Mahaney, Wayne Grudem, John Piper, and other conservatives in the continuationist camp. I consider these men to be friends and allies for the sake of the gospel. Charismatic Chaos was primarily written against the excesses of the broader Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. And those excesses are not what these men are best known for.

But, I would still challenge these men to reconsider their position on the charismatic gifts. I am convinced that the charismatic movement opened the door to more theological error than perhaps any other factor in the twentieth century (including liberalism, psychology, and ecumenism). That’s a bold statement, I know. But once you allow experientialism to gain a foothold, the results are disastrous.

Moreover, I am thoroughly convinced that the biblical description of the charismatic gifts is incompatible with the charismatic gifts practiced in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches today. For example, Acts 2 is explicit in describing the gift of tongues as the ability to speak previously unlearned foreign languages. The rest of the New Testament affirms this same understanding (as does the testimony of the church fathers). But that is the very opposite of the nonsensical gibberish that characterizes modern glossolalia.

So I would challenge them to explain why they hold on to a modern practice that, in reality, has no biblical precedent—especially when that modern practice is the gateway to all sorts of theological error.

One pressing issue in the church today is that of creation and evolution. Do you believe that a person can be genuinely saved and believe in some kind of theistic evolution? How serious a theological error is it to reject a literal 6-day creation?

It’s a very serious error in my estimation, because it attacks the authority of Scripture at the Bible’s very starting point. It employs a special hermeneutic in order to make the Bible mean quite the opposite of what it plainly states. And once you open that door, absolutely nothing is safe from the assaults of rationalism, skepticism, and rank unbelief.

I watch the propaganda being published by organizations like Biologos, and it’s hard to resist the conclusion that many of the people who are involved in that project don’t seem to be believers at all, given the large portions of Scripture they regularly have to explain away in order to justify their convoluted worldview.

As a matter of fact, the history of modernist rationalism is littered with vivid examples of why it is unsafe and spiritually destructive to subject Scripture to naturalistic presuppositions. I wrote on this topic in detail at the very beginning of my book The Battle for the Beginning.

But in answer to your specific question: I do think it is possible for a genuine believer to be confused or befuddled by scientific arguments regarding evolution and the age of the earth. (It is certainly possible for believers to be inconsistent in their beliefs—to hold all kinds of errors in varying degrees. That’s called cognitive dissonance.)

Well-meaning evangelicals have experimented with several ways to reconcile old-earth theories with Scripture. One of the more popular ideas (until Henry Morris exploded it) was that there’s a gap in the white space between Genesis 1:1 and verse 2, and (so the theory goes) that silent gap might accommodate countless ages of change and chaos in the universe. Spurgeon held to a version of the gap theory, and the original Scofield Bible embraced both the gap theory and old-earth cosmology with blithe enthusiasm. Of course we would not consign everyone who ever held such an opinion to the ranks of unbelief.

Nevertheless, as evolutionary theory has developed and devolved into untouchable dogma—a favorite weapon for the current generation of angry atheists—I don’t see how any sober-minded, well-grounded, fully-committed Christian who truly believes what the Bible teaches can long maintain faith in the various and ever-changing theories evolutionary scientists keep proposing. Biblical cosmology, the Genesis account of how the human race was created and subsequently fell, and the important parallels between Adam and Christ in the story of redemption—these are essential beliefs of Christianity; they have never changed; and they are diametrically opposed to every purely naturalistic theory about life’s origins.

Anyone who takes seriously the authority of Scripture must ultimately set the opinions of men aside and simply trust what Scripture says. The earlier we do that, the better. Frankly, I have never understood why someone who believes in the literal bodily resurrection of Christ would balk at believing all of Scripture, starting with Genesis 1:1.

---

Many thanks to Dr. MacArthur for his willingness to do this interview.

Next Page »