Note To Self: Be Humble In Your Theology

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

1 PETER 5:5

Dear Self,
A good theologian is humble. You may be known as a theologian, or at least want to be known as one, but are you also known as being humble? These two things should be inseparable.

The more robust, the more detailed your theology, the more humble you should become. Why? Because you did not figure God out; he revealed himself to you. Don’t you remember the words of Jesus to Peter when the disciple correctly acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah? “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 16:17) The theologian owes his knowledge to God himself, who has not only made himself known in creation and Scripture but has also opened our eyes to understand and embrace the truth.

The proud theologian has somehow convinced himself, or at least acts as if, he discovered God. But you understand that you did not uncover the truth of God like some kind of rock star archeologist. He sought you, caught you, and gave you sight, knowledge, and life. Humility should be borne out of your theology because you are so entirely dependent on God for it.

You must also remember that your theology is not your own. Rather you are following in the steps of generations before you who have worked hard at knowing and making known the one true God. If you are a good theologian, part of that is because good theologians have gone before you and made a path for you to walk.

It’s possible to be technically accurate in your theology and yet miss the mark of humility. Be passionate for God, fight for truth, contend for the faith, but be humble. Your knowledge is a cause to be humble, not a reason to boast in your insight or tradition.

Thorn, Joe (2011). Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself (pp. 54-55). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

 

Everybody Wants to Be Free - Desiring God

via desiringgod.org

Everybody wants to be free. Really? Don't we love our addictions more than freedom? John Piper explains in this two minute video.

Note to Self: Suffer Well

Below is an excerpt from Joe Thorn’s new book, Note to Self. This is from chapter 44 on suffering well. I REALLY recommend this book. I will post some other great nuggets in the days and weeks to come.

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

ROMANS 5:3–5

Dear Self,
God does not promise to rid your life of affliction and difficulty. He does, however, offer to give you the grace needed to suffer well, and through grace to discover the riches and beauty of the gospel.

When the world strips away your comfort and confidence in things temporal, when friends become enemies and attack you, when in the providence of God suffering enters your life like a flash flood, you are given an opportunity to see very clearly where your ultimate dependence lies and where you find your identity. And it’s not just something that reveals truth about yourself; it is also something God uses to sanctify you.

Thorn, Joe (2011). Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself (p. 128). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

Apathy

Who is Jesus Christ? - Mark Driscoll Sermon Jam

What Should You Drink? A Flowchart.

This is funny!

(via 22 Words)

Monday Is For Music - The Avett Brothers

Today’s pick is Emotionalism by The Avett Brothers. Amazon currently has this album for $3.99. This is probably one of my favorite albums from The Avett Brothers. You can also get The Gleam for $5.94 right now on Amazon.

Kindle Deals: The Holman Christian Standard Bible ($0.00)

The Holman Christian Standard Bible
Author(s): N/A
Publisher: Holman Reference
Price: FREE

This text edition of the HCSB has been optimized for easy reading on digital devices. Free from the visual clutter of footnotes, cross reference, and other links, this edition is fast to navigate and easy to use.

The HCSB was developed by 100 scholars and English stylists from 17 denominations, who prayerfully translated what is one of the most significant Bible translations available today. The HCSB reflects linguistic advances in vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and formatting while it retains meaningful theological terms. In the HCSB you’ll find God’s personal name (Yahweh), the use of “Messiah” in the New Testament, and the use of “slave” in the New Testament, just to name a few examples. Also, you’ll notice the contemporary speech patterns in the HCSB mean that words like “behold” and “shall” are not used. Instead, words or phrases that are common today can be found in their place.

The HCSB employs a first-of-its kind translation philosophy known as Optimal Equivalence, which seeks to achieve an optimal balance of literary precision and emotive clarity through a comprehensive analysis of the text at every level. This process assures maximum transfer of both words and thoughts contained in the original.

Who Killed God?

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." -Mark 14:35-36

Good Friday is the day we celebrate the Good News—Jesus Christ died in our place for our sins. On Good Friday we remember that the cross is something done by us: we murdered God. Then on Easter Sunday we remember that the cross is something done for us: God died in our place to forgive our sins. Mars Hill has produced a 30-minute film that is essentially a word-for-word compilation of the four Gospels accounts of Jesus’ death. I highly recommend watching it this Good Friday. You can download it for free at http://whokilledgod.com/. Here is a preview.

The Tragedy of a Self-Centered Life

From Joe Thorn, on the dangers of living a self-centered life:

"The tragedy of a self-centered life is that in centering on ourselves we ultimately wind up alone; isolated from others and God. Even if we have many possession, friends, and prestige, by exalting ourselves to the highest point possible we have no one else to look to for help, because we allow for no peers. No one is beside us for genuine fellowship. Even worse, there is no God above us in whom we find our redemption, purpose, and identity."

I was taken out at the knees when I read this paragraph, because I have seen this in my own life. Repent of living a self-centered life and run to Christ’s loving arms. You can read Joe’s whole post here.

Why Aren’t We Filled with the Spirit?

From Jonathan Dodson, Pastor of Austin City Life:

“The Holy Spirit is the bastard child of the Trinity for Evangelicals.” Crude but true. We’ve abandoned him, like a feral child, failing to realize the profound power and grace he wants to give us. There is so much confusion about what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, confusion we must clear away if we are to recover the power of God for gospel ministry and life."

Read the whole post here.

How Deep The Fathers Love For Us

I have been listening to the Mars Hill Good Friday Live Music album during this Holy Week. One song in particular that I wanted to point out is “How Deep The Fathers Love For Us.” The lyrics are amazing. I pray they weigh as heavy on your soul as they do mine as we approach Good Friday. You can stream and download the album for free here.

05_How_Deep_The_Fathers_Love_For_Us.mp3 Listen on Posterous

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocing voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Mumford & Sons - New Song: "Lover's Eyes"

A new awesome song from Mumford & Sons. I can't wait until their concert in Omaha in June.

Monday Is For Music - TGC Sing Them Again Hymn Sing

Last week, the 2011 Gospel Coalition Conference kicked off with none other than a hymn sing, gathering together and exposing before a new generation of eager, cross-denominational, Gospel-loving evangelicals some of the heavy-hitters in the hymns movement: Kevin Twit and Indelible Grace (Sandra McCracken, Matthew Smith); Mike Cosper and Sojourn Music. Noisetrade is now giving away a free sampler of these artists. It features a song from each artist performing at the Hymn Sing. The sampler also includes a PDF of the chord charts for the six songs. Just enter your email address & zipcode below for a free download from noisetrade.

 

Avett Brothers "Back Home Again"

The Avett Brothers covering John Denver's "Back Home Again" with a little backstage discussion beforehand. Unique view of one of the best bands in the world. This is just plain good for your ears and souls.

via (Reformissionary)

Monday Is For Music - TGC Sing Them Again Hymn Sing

Last week, the 2011 Gospel Coalition Conference kicked off with none other than a hymn sing, gathering together and exposing before a new generation of eager, cross-denominational, Gospel-loving evangelicals some of the heavy-hitters in the hymns movement: Kevin Twit and Indelible Grace (Sandra McCracken, Matthew Smith); Mike Cosper and Sojourn Music. Noisetrade is now giving away a free sampler of these artists. It features a song from each artist performing at the Hymn Sing. The sampler also includes a PDF of the chord charts for the six songs. Just enter your email address & zipcode below for a free download from noisetrade.

 

Kindle Deals: The NIV Gospel of John: With Devotional Notes ($0.00)

The NIV Gospel of John: With Devotional Notes
Author(s): N/A
Publisher: Zondervan eBooks
Kindle Price: $0.00

Product Description
John's Gospel sheds a unique light not only on the ministry of Jesus Christ, but also on the nature of his relationship with God the Father. This eBook also includes a special section of 'Subjects on the Theme of Salvation' that gives insight into 15 subjects of salvation. NIV 2011. The New International Version (NIV) translation of the Bible is the world's most popular modern-English Bible-easy to understand, yet rich with the detail found in the original languages.

Audiobook Deals: Churched by Matthew Paul Turner (Free)

Churched
One Kids Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess
Author: Matthew Paul Turner
Narrator: Matthew Paul Turner
Runtime: 4.8 hrs. - Unabridged
Publisher: Matthew Paul Turner
Downloads: ZIP, MP3 or M4B
Price: FREE

He spent his childhood trapped within the confines of countless bizarre, strict rules. And lived to tell about it. In this first-hand account, author Matthew Paul Turner shares amusing-sometimes cringe-worthy-and poignant stories about growing up in a fundamentalist household, where even well-intentioned contemporary Christian music was proclaimed to be "of the devil."

Churched is a collection of stories that detail an American boy's experiences growing up in a culture where men weren't allowed let their hair grow to touch their ears ("an abomination"), women wouldn't have been caught dead in a pair of pants (unless swimming), and the pastor couldn't preach a sermon without a healthy dose of hellfire and brimstone. Matthew grapples with the absurdity of a Sunday School Barbie burning, the passionate annual boxing match between the pastor and Satan, and the holiness of being baptized a fifth time-while growing into a young man who, amidst the chaotic mess of religion, falls in love with Jesus.

“WHAT THE?! A Christian man plays with his snake in a tub (to explain sin)”

I'm sorry!!!

via (jesusneedsnewpr.net)

Matt Chandler - TGC Session 7 "Youth"

Chandler began by sharing about trials at the Village Church and in his own walk through brain cancer. The Book of Ecclesiastes speaks into the reality of life and gives a message we need to hear.

God constantly calls us back to remember—remember who he is, what he’s done, and his commands intended for our joy. Remembering God’s work on our behalf rightly redeems our rejoicing in him.

Revisiting the Ecclesiastes 11:9 command to rejoice, Chandler explains that by remembering God, we get beneath our rejoicing in mere youth to rejoice in what God has done for us in Christ.

He concluded with three exhortations:

   1. Be regenerate: believe the gospel
   2. Live in constant meditation on the gospel
   3. Walk by spirit, not by flesh: marvel at the gospel

Listen to the audio of “Youth” by Matt Chandler.

(via desiringgod.org)

Kindle Deals: NIV Study Bible

Zondervan NIV Study Bible
Author(s): N/A
Publisher: Zondervan
Print List Price: $34.99
Kindle Price: $6.99
You Save: $28.00 (80%)

Product Description
Disclaimer: This eBook has been optimized for reading on color screens, but will still function effectively on other devices.The World's Bestselling Study Bible, Now Revised and Updated. Clearer. Stronger. Better. The Zondervan NIV Study Bible is the #1 bestselling study Bible in the bestselling NIV translation. Since its first release in 1985, the Gold Medallion Award-Winning NIV Study Bible has become the treasured and trusted companion of millions of avid Bible users. For 2008, the NIV Study Bible's 20,000-plus study notes and other features have been thoroughly edited, revised and improved. Unmatched in any other Study Bible, these notes have been crafted to reflect the most current conservative Bible scholarship. Other study features place at your fingertips a treasury of instant commentary from today's top evangelical scholars. Icons highlight notes of special interest in the areas of character study, archaeology, and personal application. Simply put, you won't find study notes as complete, up-to-date, helpful, and easy to use anywhere else. Referred to daily by millions of pastors, students, church leaders, and other Bible readers around the world, the renowned Zondervan NIV Study Bible notes are the crown jewel of the world's bestselling study Bible. The over-20,000 notes are the handiwork of the same translation team that produced this Bible's text, the New International Version. The same exacting, conservative scholarship that brought you today's most read, most trusted Bible translation went into creating the most celebrated, widely used Bible study notes in existence. Like no other Bible, the Zondervan NIV Study Bible places an entire resource library for Bible study in your hands. The most read, most trusted translation now has the most up-to-date study system available anywhere.

FEATURES:* Full text of the most read, most trusted New International Version * Over 20,000 study notes, thoroughly revised and updated by a team of NIV translators * 900 Character Profile icons * 425 Archaeology icons * Almost 3,000 Personal Application icons * Introductions and outlines provide valuable background information for each book of the Bible * Maps, charts, diagrams, and illustrations visually clarify the stories in the Bible * 16 pages of full-color maps plus timelines and presentation page * Words of Christ in red * NIV concordance plus subject and study notes indexes

Monday Is For Music - The Joy Eternal

This week is a new band called The Joy Eternal. They have just released their EP called "A Sweet and Bitter Providence." You can pick it up on Amazon for $5.94 and I highly recommend it.

“Pain and trouble are a very real part of life and no one is exempt from it and yet we invest our time, our energy, and our money trying to create a pain free existents but the truth is there is a day of adversity set on all of our calendars and rather than trying to escape or run away these songs recognize the reality of suffering and seek to offer real hope and real joy.”

 

 

THE PARODY YOU WERE WAITING FOR: ‘Sunday’ (or God’s ‘Friday’?)

Via (www.jesusneedsnewpr.net)

Get into bed with Google

Get into bed with Google: Top ranking search optimization techniques
Author(s): Jon Smith
Publisher: Infinite Ideas
Price: $0.00

Product Description
It's all very well having a stunning website, but what if browsers can't find you? What if you're not visible on the main search engines, and on Google in particular? Making your site Google friendly or employing SEO should be a priority because if you don't rank on those results you may as well not have a website at all - it's that serious. Get into bed with Google can help you optimise your website. The 52 brilliant ideas contained within are canny and quick fixes that should result in immediate benefits to your site. This second edition of the bestselling Get into bed with Google contains new material on social networks and Google analytics that will catapult readers' websites to the top of search results pages. Simply brilliant.

About the Author
Jon Smith was part of the start-up team for Amazon.co.uk, Kitbag.com and The Florist Exchange. As a consultant for the venture capital firm Chase Episode 1, he was tasked with improving and researching business plans submitted by companies looking for investment. Since 2003 Jon has been managing director of Inpress, an organisation set up to provide sales, marketing and technical support to independent publishers for which he received three years funding from Arts Council England. Jon is also the author of Smarter business start-ups (978 1 904902 26 3) and Web sites that work (978 1 904902 18 8) both available in the 52 Brilliant Ideas series.

A Desiring God Rap by Curt Allen, a.k.a. Voice

Listen to "Desiring God" by Curt Allen (a.k.a. "Voice")—

 

Yay though I walk through the valley of the death man, I wasn't killing sin it was taking my last breath man. I was more than stressed man wasn't living right and it was like I know what's right but my life would go left man. Death was my best man married to my sin and I was on my way to hell for the wedding reception. I was lost but some horizontal and vertical wood formed a cross, and placed upon it a man who was there and stood for the lost. Life is free but it cost the price of blood and this sacrifice is Christ who chose the right to be judged. Instead of me, over time I went from blind to now I better see, my problems began in Genesis 3 I'm God's enemy. I mean I was and it's all b'cuz the blood drops, so I'm thanking God that he didn't allow some clots. Blood flows and love shows where the buck stops is here, be clear at the cross all pride flops.

Hook
Everything I do and everything I pray,
Is all to worship Christ, so when I obey
I'm Desiring God, Desiring God

V2
You died fully and you would rise fully,
You are alive fully opened my eyes fully.

To see I'm responsible now to worship you, you brought me in from the dark into the light from my past life like a curfew. The pleasure of God, I willfully now pursue, no longer afraid being a chicken that's for Purdue. My spirit heard you, the joy I turn to, is being most satisfied knowing in that you're glorified. Them other stories lie, the foundation of my happiness is found in exactly this you were crucified. And now I worship in Spirit and truth, and pursue being glad and having others being glad in you. And making much of you, my joy does that, being most satisfied in you glorifies you plug that. Lord help us love that, nothing is above that, Christian Hedonism, We don't live just to believe in Him. We long to be with him, til then be satisfied knowing that when it's in him he is mostly glorified.

Hook
Everything I do and everything I pray,
Is all to worship Christ, so when I obey
I'm Desiring God, Desiring God

V3
You died fully and you would rise fully,
You are alive fully open my eyes fully.

To see the beauty of the gospel displayed, Jesus Christ He was raised so be amazed he went under for 3 days. Then he rose and ascended sinners are now amended that believe in Christ, that's right, judgment’s suspended. That for his own glory, now he brings us into his own story, Christ would atone leaving His throne on His own for me. The Bloodshed was his alone and it was not gory, but the most beautiful ending to end my glory. And live for His United in Christ, finding my joy in the Dangerous Duty of Delight. What Jesus Demands From the World's more than allegiance cuz God is the Gospel it's impossible not to see this. So Let the Nations Be Glad, Life as a Vapor, will end then we'll be Seeing and Savoring Christ the Savior. But for now the challenge is life is hard so I'm Battling Unbelief When I Don't Desire God.

Hook
Everything I do and everything I pray,
Is all to worship Christ, so when I obey
I'm Desiring God, Desiring God

Curt Allen (a.k.a. "Voice") serves as a pastor at Solid Rock Church. You can follow him @ayvoice and hear more of his music at ihearvoice.net.

via desiringgod.org

Curt Allen is at it again. A solid song about Desiring God. Hit the links and give it a listen.

Mumford & Sons - Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Here is one of my favorite hymns performed by one of my favorite bands. You’re welcome!

Robbed Hell - A Parody That Accomplishes Its Task

Robbed Hell - C.A.S.T. Pearls Presents from Canon Wired on Vimeo.

Monday Is For Music - God Of Victory

The Village Church released their long anticipated album God of Victory on April 1, 2011. I have been listening to it non-stop since than. It is one of the best albums I have ever bought and worth every penny. It debuted at and continues to hold on to the #2 position in the Christian & Gospel charts in iTunes and sits at #46 overall.

If you know anything about me than you know how much I love theology. Well this album is no exception; it just drips with rich theology. I love how each song is based on and is supported by different scriptures. This album and The Village Church is a great example for all churches and bands to follow.

Here is one of my favorite songs, You Are Faithful.

07_You_Are_Faithful.mp3 Listen on Posterous

The Village Church also provides chord charts, lyrics as well as background stories to all of the songs on the album on their website. You can purchase the album for $9.99 on iTunes or for $8.99 on Amazon.