Female Bible Teachers, Carl Trueman, and 1 Timothy 2:9-15

Beth Moore: Photo Credit- Christianitytoday

Can female bible teachers instruct men so long as it is not during the worship service (as Carl Trueman recently argued)? What does 1 Timothy 2:9-15 actually prohibit? What about female worship leaders? What can Christian ladies in Christ's Church do today?   

What is Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and why does it matter? Should Bible-believing Christians jettison CBMW?

I believe this is the most practical and important video-cast to date; (click to listen to it here).

Are MacArthurites All Theological Clones? Setting the Record Straight.

Are MacArthurites simply theological clones who lack the necessary skills to think critically? Is the Master's Seminary a "monolithic" training center where legitimate discussion and reasonable dissent over tertiary matters is stifled among the student body? In this regard, are TMS' professors much different than say the faculty at RTS? 

Today's brief "Diversity within Boundaries" video-cast provides five personal examples that dispel a common myth about The Master's Seminary and the indebted and loyal students of Pastor John MacArthur and the TMS faculty.

(Video Summary): During my time at TMS I wrote five papers (out of hundreds of assignments) wherein I respectfully disagreed with my teachers; (all of whom I indebted to). I was never discouraged from doing this- nor was I ever graded unfairly.  Those disagreements included the following issues: 1) Dr. Snider's position on the active obedience of Christ (Matt. 3:15; Gal. 4:4). 2) Dr. MacArthur's interpretation of Titus 1:6 (faithful or believing children). 3) Dr. Grisanti's view of Deuteronomy 34, Numbers 12:3 and 'inspired textual redactors.' 4) Dr. Barrick's view on why King David was not allowed to build the Jerusalem Temple? (Holy War or Adultery) & 5) Professor Jim Stitzinger's interpretation of 1 Peter 3:18-20 (bound spirits and the victory sermon of Jesus).

After posting these videos to Facebook they are eventually saved on YouTube.  You can view this videocast here.

Police, Pastoral Ministry, and CONTEXT: Where You Work Impacts More Than You Know

    Photo Credit: mscutie817.tumblr.com

Police work, Pastoring, and Context. WHERE one works or serves as a Christian is often far more significant than many realize. 

Today's video sheds light on this neglected aspect of Christian vocation. With specific insights from police in Los Angeles and Indianapolis.  How has the BlackLivesMatter narrative impacted law enforcement serving in different cities across America?

I trust my latest video-cast will encourage many people; whether you serve in Philippi or in Corinth (1 Cor. 15:58; Gal. 6:9).  

Click to watch Videocast 

Faith VS Science

"The WAR on SCIENCE." If you dispute the theory of evolution you are as ignorant as those fruit cake moon landing deniers" so says National Geographic and Bill Nye the science guy.  Bill Nye also condemned the Creation Museum's new "Ark Encounter" saying after his visit that it was far worse than he imagined it would be.

Today's video asks the question, "Whose ideology is really blinded to reality and truth? Christian's should have no trouble turning the tables as we interact with the world. The unbelieving world mocked Noah for building an ark way back when and they scoffed at Ken Ham for doing so now.

Everyone places their faith in something or someone.  Who or what are you resting your faith in?  After posting these videos on Facebook I eventually transfer them over to YouTube- You can view this video-cast here.

"Bright Days, Dark Nights." Depression and Sorrow in Service to Christ

2 Corinthians is such a paradox, isn't it? On one hand Paul is so down (2 Cor. 1:8-9a, 4:8-10a) he cannot even return to Corinth (without knowing if they have first received his admonitions). Paul was certainly no wimp; perish the thought. Outside of Christ, Paul may have suffered more for the gospel and the Church than any other minister (2 Cor. 11:23-33). 

And yet Paul also talks in 2 Corinthians about the unparalleled joys/privileges of being a minister of the New Covenant (note 2 Cor 3-4). Life and ministry is sometimes both/and rather than either/or. I remember John MacArthur saying that he was so glad he did not preach 2 Corinthians early in his ministry because one cannot really capture the pathos of Paul unless they have first suffered deeply in ministry. "In the deepest pains we learn life's greatest lessons and the deepest pains in life are often inflicted by those who are closest to our heart." (2 Cor. 12:8-10). Paul's painful experiences shepherding the flock at Corinth is so much a part of the rubric of these inspired letters (1-2 Cor.). 

If the Bible was not inspired blog writers would certainly edit and critique large portions of Scripture. Consider Moses' burden of leading the stiff-necked wilderness generation. Or King David's lament as he talks about the deep, deep pains of personal betrayal (Psalm 55:12-14); or his deep sorrow over the guilt of his own sin (Ps. 32, 51). Israel's hymnbook (the Psalter) includes many psalms of lament. Or the weeping prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 1-2, 20; Lam. 3). I often think about the positive and negative implications of Hebrews 13:17. As with parenting it can be grievous to the soul when attempting to shepherd unruly souls over months and years... 1 Thess. 5:12-13 is an inspired mandate as much as 1 Peter 5:1-4 is. "Let them do this with joy and not grief..."

Maintaining Doctrinal Standards and Revising Church Constitutions

On maintaining core Doctrinal Distinctives  and the careful process of revising the Constitution and Statement of Faith without splitting the church.

By the grace of God we are a Word-driven, Christ-exalting, doctrinally-minded local church (per 1 Tim. 3:15; Jude 3; Col. 1:28-29). In all things we seek to be biblically balanced and to be a body committed to grace and truth. Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is of course the Greatest Commandment of them all (Matt. 22:36-40; Rev. 2:1-7).  We are sinners saved by grace who long to please the Lord in all of our ways.

Though all biblical truth is important we embrace a theological triage approach to Christian ministry. In other words, some theological matters are of “first rate” importance. This is the inspired language the Apostle Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

“The word triage comes from the French word trier, which means ‘to sort.’ Thus, the triage officer in the medical context is the front-line agent for deciding which patients need the most urgent treatment. Without such a process, the scraped knee would receive the same urgency of consideration as a gunshot wound to the chest. The same discipline that brings order to the hectic arena of the Emergency Room can also offer great assistance to Christians defending truth in the present age.”

Fundamental doctrines would include things like penal substitution, justification by grace through faith in Christ alone, the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection of Christ, the Deity of Christ, the humanity of Christ, the Trinity of Persons within the One true God, etc. To deny any of these gospel truths is to be outside orthodox Christianity (see 1-3 John, 2 Peter).

“The set of second-order doctrines is distinguished from the first-order set by the fact that believing Christians may disagree on the second-order issues, though this disagreement will create certain boundaries between believers. When Christians organize themselves into congregations and denominational forms, these boundaries become evident.”

The Bible does not establish an definitive list of second and third order doctrines, therefore, each congregation will establish their own theological identity. Some embrace a “big tent” approach to local church ministry, while others, (like FBC) are more precise in their philosophy of ministry and in their theological distinctives.

Reformed Premillenialism and Horatius Bonar

"In the nineteenth century Horatius Bonar published his Prophetic Landmarks: Containing Data for helping to Determine the Question of Christ’ Premillenial Advent, which is a solid and judicious premillennial apology.  This upholder of the doctrines of sovereign grace considered the pivotal issue regarding a right perception of prophetic revelation to be the primacy of the nature and destiny of the Jewish people in the whole eschatological scheme of things.  He wrote,

The prophesies concerning Israel are the key to all the rest.  True principles of interpretation, in regard to them, will aid us in disentangling and illustrating all prophecy together.  False principles as to them will most thoroughly perplex and overcloud the whole Word of God. (3)

This significant point will be recommended quite frequently throughout this book. Indeed at this juncture we coin the term “Judeo-centric Eschatology” since it offers such a cohesive basis for the integration of various elements of biblical prophecy, and even more so than the common premillennial resource to Revelation 20.  Given a right understanding of Israel in relation to the Christian Church, an eschatology will nevertheless result that incorporates an essentially premillennial understanding of Revelation 20."

(3) H. Bonar, Prophetical Landmaks: Containing Data for helping to Determine the Question of Christ’s Pre-millenial Advent (5^th ed.; London: J. Nisbet, 1876), 228. 

Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must Be Challenged (Barry Horner)

Those who have embraced unconditional election and the doctrines of sovereign grace should also welcome Text-driven Premillennialism. In his pot stirring series, Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist John MacArthur mentions an insightful new book titled, Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must Be Challenged.   This book is part of the NAC Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology.

As I mentioned last time the introduction of Future Israel is worth the price of the book.  Today's article is the second part of a series of articles on the subject of Biblical eschatology (see part one).   Dr. Horner describes his theological journey with these helpful insights:  "More recently, a closer study of four books of the Bible has led me now to more firmly assert that the basic premillennial model of biblical prophesy, and especially as it relates to ethnic and national Israel, is closest to the truth of Scripture.  First, there was a study of Zechariah, so permeated with the ultimate triumph of the Messiah and the nation of Israel.  The prophet speaks of God’s vindication on earth when He “will become king over all the earth- Yahweh alone, and His name alone” (Zech 14:9).1  I will never forget the study of David Baron’scommentary on this book, which seemed so much more illuminating to the text than Calvin’s.

Then a close study of Romans over several years, and particularly chaps. 9-11, resulted in an indelible impression that for Paul, the converted Hebrew rabbi, Israel has n ongoing national identity, its unbelief notwithstanding.  On the other hand, it seemed as if Reformed exegesis, at least on a prima facie reading of the text, was attempting to avoid the obvious.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING CHRISTIAN SERMONS

photo credit: rookiepreacher.com

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING CHRISTIAN SERMONS

 (By Art Azurdia)

1) Exegetical accuracy 

2) Doctrinal substance

3) Clear structure

4) Vivid illustrations

5) Pointed textual application

6) Helpful delivery

7) Supernatural authority (Spirit-filled Preaching)