THE SIXTH DAY OF DECEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. The Jewish leaders sitting before me were in Houston from several states, guests of B'Nai B'rith for a week of continuing education and self-improvement. Waiting to teach, advise and encourage them were a physician, a psychologist, a financial planner, a personal trainer, and a rabbi. My assignment was to explain in one hour the Christian understanding of the Old Testament. I did as asked, and ended by urging these Jewish men to consider with an open mind the claim of Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah foretold … [Read more...]
Family Notes 03/12/2015
THE THIRD DAY OF DECEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. THANKS FOR THE THANKS! A few years ago, a surgeon who treated me asked if I minded if he prayed for me and that began a wonderful conversation that lasted until he discharged me. This week, I received an email thanks and update from the surgeon, to whom I now offer my thanks in return. Following is a portion of his email. "I have been enjoying your gracEmails for sometime since I saw you several years ago in my office. Your unbridled enthusiasm for God's Word and His wisdom continues to inspire and encourage me. … [Read more...]
Family Notes 02/12/2015
THE SECOND DAY OF DECEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. HUH??? I was reading a blog article recently about the use of evangelistic tools. At the end of the article were comments by readers. The first comment, obviously a spoof and not based in fact, said: Did you hear that Billy Graham Ministries has abandoned the Sinner's Prayer? They wanted a fresh slogan to appeal to nonbelievers. Here is what they decided on... "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Below which the commenting reader added his … [Read more...]
RETHINKING ‘THE SINNER’S PRAYER’
THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. It's a staple of conservative Protestant evangelism, so familiar that most evangelicals take it for granted. A bit odd perhaps, since neither Jesus nor his apostles nor any New Testament writer ever specifically mentions it. "It" is the so-called Sinner's Prayer, a verbal template that new converts are regularly instructed to paraphrase or repeat in order to "make a decision for Christ," "invite Jesus into (your) heart," and "accept Christ as Savior." The three clauses in quotes are not found in the Bible … [Read more...]
GOSPEL (WHAT) AND THEORY (HOW)
THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. A gracEmail subscriber asks: "What is penal substitutionary atonement? is it the same thing as the gospel? Do you see any problems with it? * * * The New Testament word "gospel" means "good news." Specifically, the gospel is the good news that by the doing, dying, and rising again of Jesus of Nazareth, God has fulfilled his promises to his people Israel, and in the process he has atoned for sin, reconciled sinners to himself, defeated death, and brought about immortality. The gospel tells us WHAT God … [Read more...]
Family Notes 18/11/2015
THE EIGHTEENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. HEAVEN ISN'T ENOUGH (By Gregory Crofford. Excerpted and condensed.) Why did Jesus die on the cross? The tendency has been to say that it was so we could go to heaven. However, that has always seemed incomplete to those coming from a Wesleyan-Holiness perspective. In the "Great Commission," Jesus outlined our mission as a call for people to follow Jesus in the here-and-now: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and … [Read more...]
CHORTLE, CHORTLE, MORTAL-PORTAL
THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. The past two or three weeks have felt uncommonly filled with reminders that humans eventually die, and that, as one of those humans, I will share that common fate. Such reflections call for prudence and not panic, and they certainly take no one by surprise. That the present life is limited rather than boundless actually enhances its meaning. We can live but one day and one moment at a time, be present at only one place at a time and, in any meaningful sense, do only one activity at a time. These restrictions … [Read more...]
BOOK NOTES BY DAVID MATTHEW
THE ELEVENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. David Matthew is a British Bible teacher, Christian leader, blogger, and long-time gracEmail subscriber with whom I frequently share identical theological perspectives and a common approach to reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible. David's website is located at: www.davidmatthew.org.uk Below are David's own lead-ins and links to some of his recent book reviews, which I commend to you most heartily for your enjoyment and edification. Concerning The Life You've Always Wanted, by John Ortberg, … [Read more...]
Family Notes 04/11/2015
THE FOURTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. Extraordinary honor elicits special thanks God willing, in a small, private ceremony scheduled to occur later this month, the Foundation for Evangelical Dialogue, sponsor of the Rethinking Hell Project, will formally present to the world a new volume titled A Consuming Passion: Essays on Hell and Immortality in Honor of Edward Fudge (Pickwick Publications: Wipf and Stock, 2015, 430 pages). Technically referrred to as a Festschrift (German for "feast of knowledge"), such a book brings together a variety of … [Read more...]
TO THE SOVEREIGN GOD
THE FIRST DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. Beginning about the last quarter of the 20th century, self-styled evangelicals in America enjoyed unprecedented attention, opportunities and esteem. Many Christians served Christ faithfully and "made the most of the times" (Eph. 5:8-16). However, many others wasted their opportunities, copied the world's power-model instead of Jesus' model of service, and bogged down in culture wars to the neglect of proclaiming and living the gospel. The result was a new climate of distrust, indifference and undisguised … [Read more...]
