Going Door-to-Door: An Interesting Article

God has placed our church in the midst of a community that is very needy at both a spiritual and material level. This offers us many opportunities as followers of Jesus Christ to reach out to those around us.

I have challenged our church family to give out a New Testament at each door in our community in 2009 (click here for inexpensive NTs). We hope this will show the people who reside near the church building that we care about them. We also hope this leads to more concrete opportunities for service. The ultimate goal is that God will be glorified through the salvation of many sinners.

Since we will be knocking on many doors in the community, this article by Ed Stetzer interested me. One of the main findings is that people tend to be significantly more open to an invitation to a church gathering than they are to a gospel witness. This makes sense since an invitation to attend is much less threatening to a person's worldview and belief system than is a discussion of Jesus Christ. Despite this, I certainly hope that we will have opportunities to share about Christ and the cross.

The article is worth the few minutes it will take to read.

Rights for Plants in Switzerland? - It's No Joke

It appears that plants are now being granted rights in Switzerland. For more on this lunacy, read here.

John Piper on Why Everything Exists

Why does everything in the universe exist? Why are we even here? What is the point of it all?

These are deep, important questions to ask. John Piper, one of my favorite authors and preachers, answers these questions here. Enjoy.

Dr. Mohler on Population Decline due to Lack of Babies

To follow-up on my last post about the decline of children being born in this country, I'd like to point you to several excellent articles written by Dr. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, on this topic. To read these, click here, here, and here.

What does it mean to be "Baptist"?

If you attend a Baptist church, it would be very good to know what it means to be Baptist.

Nathan Finn, assistant professor of church history at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (where I attended from 2002-2006), has written an excellent article entitled Christian Identity and Baptist Distinctives. In his article, Finn articulates what Baptists have in common with most other Christians, what Baptists have in common with most other Protestant Christians, and what makes Baptists unique. I highly encourage you to read this article if you have connection with or interest in what it means to be Baptist.

John Piper on "How to Hear the Word of God"

As followers of Jesus, we all know that the Word of God is critical to our lives. If we want to know who God is and what He expects of us, we must be very familiar with the bible. As we study scripture, we may wonder how we ought to go about hearing God's Word. How do we hear it and how should we respond? John Piper addresses this topic in a short blog entry that is well worth the few minutes it will take to read. Click here and enjoy.

I'm Glad to See This

A few weeks ago I posted about a great new book for teenagers, by teenagers. It is entitled Do Hard Things.

I'm glad to see that my 14-year-old daughter, Caroline, is also enjoying this book. In fact, she posted about it on her blog. You can read her thoughts here.

Funny

For a good laugh, look at the cartoon here.

Helpful Links - Part VI - Books

In this final installment of the "Helpful Links" series, I'm listing several good places for searching for, finding, and ordering books. You'll see my Reformed preferences coming through loud and clear.

Banner of Truth - This is an excellent place to find historic Christian books, especially those from the Reformation and Puritan eras. A great place to start is the Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers.

Crossway - Go here to find a wide variety of Christian books, tracts, and ESV bibles.

CVBBS - Click on Cumberland Valley for various Reformed-perspective Christian books.

Monergism Books - Closely related to the Monergism website, the bookstore offers many different Reformed selections including commentaries, church history, apologetics, etc.

RHB - The purpose of RHB is to "glorify God and strengthen His church through the publication and distribution of Puritan and Reformed Literature." My favorite RHB selection is entitled "Meet the Puritans, With a Guide to Modern Reprints."

Westminster - At the bookstore for Westminster Theological Seminary, you will find exactly what you would expect from this excellent theological school - solid Christian books of all kinds.

Excellent Post on the Purpose of Marriage

Please read this excellent post by Dr. Al Mohler on the purpose of marriage.

Helpful Links - Part V - Family

Answers in Genesis - Since I believe in a young earth and a literal interpretation of Genesis chapters 1-2, I like this site a great deal. You'll find all kinds of information about creation. I recommend clicking on the "Get Answers" button.

CBMW - It is refreshing to read articles from a biblical perspective on the roles of men and women. The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood's mission is "to set forth the teachings of the Bible about the complementary differences between men and women, created equally in the image of God, because these teachings are essential for obedience to Scripture and for the health of the family and the church." Well said.

Family Research Council - The focus of the FRC is to promote marriage and family issues in the political arena. The sanctity of life is also a core value. If you want to stay up-to-date on what is affecting the family in the political realm, this is a good place to go.

Grace Family Baptist Church - This is the website for Voddie Baucham's church. GFBC is a Reformed, Family-Integrated, Baptist church in Texas. This site offers many ideas that would be valuable for family-integrated and age-segregated churches alike. If you want to promote family discipleship within your church, look here. Buy this book!

Vision Forum - Click here to see all kinds of resources for the Christian family. Go to the "Issues" button to find various family-related articles. You can also visit the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches.

HSLDA - Home School Legal Defense Association offers varied information about, obviously, homeschooling. Check it out to find out about political issues, helpful education tools, and homeschool speakers. Know your constitutional rights regarding education your own children.

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - This site is close to our hearts because of Bobby's lymphoma. You can find out all about these cancers by clicking here.

Helpful Links - Part IV - Church History

CCEL - At Christian Classics Ethereal Library you can find just about anything related to church history. For example, there is good information about both the Church Fathers and hymns.

Hall of Church History - If you want to look at writings from across the spectrum of Christian history (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Reformer, Puritan, Arminian, etc.), this is the place.

John Owen - This is pretty straightforward. This site offers many of Owen's works and information about him.

Jonathan Edwards - Similar to Owen's site, you can find both information about Edwards and many of his works at this location.

Monergism - The best aspect of this site is the wide variety of theological articles and essays from a Reformed perspective.

Reformed Reader - As a Baptist, I love this site. It offers just about any important statement of faith from the history of the Baptists.

Spurgeon Archive - If you have an interest in the "Prince of Preachers," click on this site to find out about him and read his writings.

Helpful Links - Part III - Missions and Evangelism

IMB - My family and I served with the International Mission Board (SBC) while we were in South Asia. What I like best about the IMB is the emphasis on church-planting. The goal is rapidly-reproducing local house churches, which are led by national pastors. This model has the potential to reach millions of people because it does not rely on outside financial investment or buildings.

Joshua Project - This site is an excellent source for all kinds of information about unreached people groups. It is stunning to think about the fact that 42% of the people groups in the world remain unreached. If you have a blog or other type of webpage, consider posting the "Unreached People of the Day."

Matthias Media - At this location, you can find one of the best tracts that I have seen. Why is it good? Because it begins with God, not man.

New Tribes Mission - NTM is a missions-sending agency that we have not been directly connected with. However, we have heard good things about them. Their focus is the unreached, which is where our churches need to be looking. Speaking of that, also take a look at Christar and YWAM. While in South Asia, we met several very solid evangelical folks serving with these agencies.

Operation World - You can find enormous amounts of information about just about any country in the world at this location. This is a great help for churches interested in praying for certain countries.

People Groups - Somewhat similar to Joshua Project, this site lets you look for specific people groups all around the world. You can search by location, religion, language, etc. Click here to begin to look at India's people groups.

People Groups (North America) - Yes, there are unreached people groups in North America. Go here to find them. Some may live in your own village, suburb, or city.

Worldmap.org - I've recently discussed this site, so I won't say much about it here. The best part is the maps - check out India.

Voice of the Martyrs - VOM does an excellent job of reminding us about the millions of persecuted Christians around the world. They have a good bookstore.

Excellent Post on Integrity in Church Membership

Integrity in church membership statistics is something that is lacking in many churches. Within my own convention, the number of "inactive members" (it seems like that term should be an oxymoron) is staggering. For example, we claim 16 million members, but on any given Sunday morning we don't know where over 50% of them are. If you are interested in reading an excellent article on restoring integrity to church membership, click here.

Helpful Links - Part II - Bible Study

We can probably all use more bible study tools. I hope these help. Again, I do not necessarily agree with all that is said, but I do find them helpful.

Bible Centre - The reason I like this site is that it is British. Therefore, it offers different resources than we might find on American sites. The commentaries are a good place to begin.

Bible Gateway - The best aspect of this site is that you can look up bible passages in a wide variety of translations. If you are multi-lingual, you will be able to compare passages across various languages.

e-Sword - Go here to download all sorts of bible helps. I use this program all the time.

4 Truth - I find this apologetics site helpful because it offers information about arguing for the basic doctrines of the Christian faith, and it also discusses various world religions and cults.

Precept Austin - This site offers commentaries, bible dictionaries, Greek word study tools, and a large listing of Christian biographies, etc.

Song of the Lamb - If you want to begin learning the original languages or want to improve what you already know, this is a good place to go.

Study Light - This location contains various bibles, commentaries, encyclopedias, etc.

Do you know of any more sites to add to this list?

Helpful Links - Part I - Theology

As I have looked around the internet, I have stumbled across various websites that have been helpful to me. I'm going to be posting about these sites in the hopes that some of them will help you also. I do not necessarily agree with all that is said at these sites, but in general I like what I see.

The sites range across a variety of topics. Today's focus on theology. You may know about all of these already; if any are of assistance to you, then I'll be pleased.

The first seven I mention here are the ministry sites of seven current-day heroes of mine:

Desiring God - This is essentially John Piper's ministry site. One of the best aspects of this particular site is the essays written by Dr. Piper about various life issues. Click here for the DG blog.

Grace to You - John MacArthur's website offers a variety of resources. The best part is probably his sermons.

Ligonier Ministries - Is a Baptist allowed to have a Presbyterian hero? You bet. The best aspect of R. C. Sproul's ministry is his view of the absolute sovereignty of God. Check out the new Ligonier blog by clicking here.

IX Marks - Mark Dever is one of those rare guys who is Reformed, Baptist, and a pastor. Thank God for the few who exist in the SBC (although the number is growing). The IX Marks Ministry offers many good resources related to the church.

Ravi Zacharias - Since he is one of the leading apologists in the United States, it is no surprise that this is the theme of this site. The radio broadcasts are particularly worth listening to.

Sovereign Grace - C.J. Mahaney leads this ministry. The Sovereign Grace website says, "Sovereign Grace Ministries is a family of churches passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are devoted to planting and supporting local churches, with a strong doctrinal basis that is evangelical, Reformed, and charismatic." That sounds good to me. Click here for their blog.

Truth for Life - Alistair Begg may be my favorite preacher in the world. Go to this site to be blessed by Pastor Begg's excellent exposition of the word.


Although not ministries of current heroes of mine, these sites still offer helpful theological information:

Monergism - The best aspect of this site is the wide variety of theological articles and essays from a Reformed perspective.

Oneplace.com - This site is the best location I have found for downloading sermons from many great preachers.

Puritan's Mind - You'll find a wealth of Reformation/Presbyterian resources at this location.


If you know about other helpful theology-related sites, please share with us.

Life Where We Were

Most of you know that we served in India from October 2006 until February 2007. We planned to stay there for many years, but God had other plans. We returned to the U.S. so that Bobby could get treatment for his Lymphoma.

Life in India is so different that it is often difficult to describe. However, the doctor who first treated Bobby in India is good at describing things in our particular city. This doctor, who is also our friend, has a knack for using humor on his blog to illustrate what life is like in India. What he says here is right on target.

Check out Worldmap

I love maps, especially when they are connected to the spread of the gospel around the globe. One of my favorite websites to visit is worldmap.org. This site, which is part of the World Missions Atlas Project, contains a great deal of resources, statistics, and maps.

Part of the problem in the Western church when it comes to missions is not knowing where to begin. The task seems so incredibly vast. Clearly, only God can do it. However, He has called upon us to be involved (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8). My suggestion to local churches is to research various parts of the world, pray about it, and then get involved where the Holy Spirit leads.

Why not begin where the need is largest? If you look on the main page of the worldmap website, you will see an interactive globe with faces surrounding it from various parts of the world. Run your mouse arrow over the different faces to see statistics for the different regions of the world. You'll quickly notice that East Asia (which is basically code-speak for China) and South Asia (dominated by India) have by far the most people in the world. However, while East Asia has "only" 400 unreached people groups, South Asia has 1100 that have never been reached.

So if you want to be involved in international missions, but do not know what to do, let me suggest that you begin by praying for South Asia. Second, please give financially to international missions. Your denomination, if you are part of one, should be able to help with this. Third, consider making a short-term trip overseas to assist and encourage missionaries who are already there. Finally, consider being a full-time missionary. I can think of about 1100 people groups in South Asia who need you right now.

One additional way to spur your church's interest in international missions is to put some maps up around your building. You can order various maps at the worldmap site. The map below shows the status of evangelization (or lack thereof) in South Asia. It is difficult to see, but any red area has almost no Christian witness (click directly on the map for a close-up view).

Homeschooling Comes Under Fire in California

A court ruling in California states that parents do not have a constitutional right to teach their own children at home. The state has said that parents must have state-approved teaching credentials in order to educate their kids. This is a stunning and troublesome ruling because it both targets parental rights in general and also is a direct attack on homeschooling. To see much more about this, click here to read Dr. Mohler's blog.

On a related topic, if your child attends public school, will they be observing the nation-wide homosexual-sponsored "Day of Silence"?

Will Christians Remain on Earth During the Tribulation?

Some of the questions that we hear discussed regarding eschatology, or the study of the end times, may not seem relevant to many people. However, there is certainly one question that will affect Christians some day. That question is: Will Christians remain on earth during the tribulation?

I hold to a Historic Pre-millenialist position. That's a fancy way of saying that I believe Christians will remain on earth during the tribulation. I believe the bible indicates that Jesus Christ's return will occur all at once, after the tribulation, when He comes to rule literally for 1000 years on earth.

My view is certainly not the dominant one in evangelicalism today. I have found that most Christians in the USA, whether they know the term or not, hold to a Pre-tribulation Pre-millenialist position. This position states that Jesus' return will occur in two parts. First, He will return just before the tribulation to rapture (catch-up) all Christians. Then, seven years later, at the end of the tribulation, Christ will come to earth to set up His millennial reign.

I encourage you to click here to read an excellent discussion of this topic. Although we can't be certain about this particular issue, we should at least be able to support our positions with scripture. Read and enjoy the discussion - and also read the comments (the views vary quite a bit).