Great Quotes From TGC11

James MacDonald
"The surest antidote for the fear of man...is maximizing concern for what God thinks about you."

"Jesus isn't just the one in whom I trust, but He exemplifies how to trust."

Matt Chandler
"Everybody loves Pauline theology, but nobody wants Pauline pain."

"Remembering rightly will redeem your rejoicing."

Glorious Day - Happy Resurrection Day

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Joh 1:1 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Joh 1:14  

And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."  Isa 40:5  

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isa 7:14  

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph 5:2  

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 1Jn 4:9  

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, Eph 1:7  

But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah Psa 49:15  

Blessed Redeemer

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The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. Exo 15:2 

"For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. 2Sa 22:50 

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. Job 19:25

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psa 19:14

I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly. Psa 52:9 

whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. Rom 3:25

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2Co 5:21 

 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Eph 1:7-10 

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Col 2:13-15  

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

Heb 10:11  And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Heb 10:10-14  

My Sweet Girl

May the Lord watch over you, protect you and keep you.

May the God of Love and Peace be with you all the days of your life.

May you grow in the Grace and Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Gracie!  

You are such a joy and blessing to our family. 

 I love you.

God's Mercy

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Psa 6:2  Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled. 

Psa 30:2  O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 

Psa 116:1  I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 

Psa 147:3  He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 

Isa 57:18  I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, 

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1Ti 1:12-17

Theology Thursday

EXCLUSIVISM

‘The belief that salvation is exclusive to Christianity and that all other religious beliefs, no matter how seemingly noble, do not have a message that can bring about the needed redemption that is only found in Christ. Exclusivism can be further broken into two sub-categories: inclusivism and restrictivism. The inclusivist believes that salvation is only in Christ”s redeeming work, but that God can and may save people without their explicit knowledge of the Gospel. The restrictivist, on the other hand, believes that salvation comes only through Christ and the only way to Christ is through the Gospel message. Exclusivist reference much biblical support including Rom. 10:14-15 and John 4:6.

FIRST PRINCIPLES

Describes the basic rational foundation to all knowledge that cannot be reduced by logical methodology but are presupposed in order to form any conclusion. These are often referred to as universal axioms because knowledge of them is universal and because of their assumed validity. Among the first principles of logic are the law of non-contradiction (A cannot equal -A at the same time and the same relationship), the law of identity (A=A), and the law of excluded middle (something is either A or -A). It is argued that these basic principles are not laws created by God to create a rational universe, but are representative of the very character of God himself (i.e. he is rational therefore rational first principles exist). If one were to deny, for example, the law of non-contradiction, then he or she could not have a basis for trust in God as his revelation could sustain contradictory truths at the same time and in the same relationship (note the serpent”s deception “You shall not surely die” would be true). Therefore, to be a Christian, believing that God has revealed himself in an intelligible and faithful manner, presupposes the reality of a first principle.

CANON OF SCRIPTURE

(Greek kanon, “rule” or “measuring rod”)

In Christian theology, the term canon is used to describe the accepted books of the Old and New Testament. Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox all have the same twenty-seven book New Testament canon, but will differ with regard to the Old Testament canon. Catholics universally accept what are called the Deuterocanonical books (often called the Greek Canon or the Apocrypha) while Protestants have rejected it, accepting only the so-called proto-canonical books numbering thirty-nine. The Orthodox church is not settled as to the status of the Deuterocanonical books.

HEURISTIC THEOLOGY

[hyoo-ris''-tik] (Greek heuriskein, “to discover”)

A theological method that seeks to learn truth in a non-dogmatic fashion. In heuristics, learners are encouraged to explore ideas without the use of a set formula that will necessarily lead to presupposed conclusions. It will often involve a setting aside of traditional understanding in order to think “outside the box.” Heuristic theology is not anti-presuppositional or anti-traditional, but a method of discovery in which pupils are given the tools to learn for themselves even if they are lead back to their prior convictions. More technically, heuristic theology is used to describe a theology of ideas, discussing new metaphors for truth that open the conversation up more broadly.

MOLINISM

Named after Luis de Molina, a 16th century Jesuit theologian, Molinism is a proposed reconciliation of the problems introduced in the tension between human freedom and divine sovereignty. Molinism seeks to retain both a true libertarian freedom without sacrificing divine providence or sovereignty by introducing the idea of “middle knowledge.” In this proposal God knows not only all actual situations, but all possible situations (middle knowledge). These possible situations are known as “possible worlds.” We live in the actual world, but there are countless other possibilities of how things could have turned out. God chose the possible world that allowed for libertarian freedom where people freely chose that which God ordained to occur. Therefore, libertarian freedom and sovereignty are reconciled. Those who object to Molinisism do so on the basis that middle knowledge has no metaphysical grounding and because such a philosophical solution is far too extensive. Also, many would argue that the introduction of libertarian freedom is an impossibility since libertarian freedom lacks the grounds for the choices it proposes to preserve. Alvin Plantinga and William Lane Craig are well-known Molistists today.

EXSURGE DOMINE

(Latin, “arise Lord”)

This refers to the papal bull written by Pope Leo X on June 15, 1520. The bull intended to bring an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther and his rebellion to a halt by the threat of excommunication from the Church. In it, the demand was made that Luther retract 41 errors within 60 days. From the first paragraph, “Arise, O Lord, and judge your own cause. Remember your reproaches to those who are filled with foolishness all through the day. . . . The wild boar [Luther] from the forest seeks to destroy it and every wild beast feeds upon it.” On December 10, 1520 Martin Luther burned the bull in front of his students at Wittenberg. It is reported that he uttered these words at the burning, “Because you have confounded the truth [or, the saints] of God, today the Lord confounds you. Into the fire with you!” Some would suggest that this is the formal day on which the Great Reformation began. On January 3, 1521, Leo excommunicated Luther issuing another bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.

HAGIOGRAPHY

[hag''-ee-aw''-gruh-fee, also hay''-jee-aw''-gruh-fee] (Greek hagio, “saint” + Greek graphe, “writing”)

Hagiography refers to a writing about a saint who is revered in the Christian community. The early centuries of the church saw glorified biographies written to honor those saints who had died a martyr”s death. The term also has a pejorative nuance describing those who write biased histories intent on glorifying their subjects at the expense of historic objectivity. The early hagiographies served as one of the many steps in the veneration of saints.

MEMORIALISM

The view of the Lord’s supper believing that the taking of the bread and wine represents a symbolic memorial or a remembrance of Christ’s redeeming work on the cross. This view has its most articulated foundation in the theology of Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531). Memorialism is in contrast to all forms of the ‘real presence’ view which hold that Christ is physically present in the taking of the bread and wine. Memorialism argues that when Christ said “this is my body . . .” that he was speaking symbolically. One of the primary arguments for this view would be that to take it literally would have to mean that the bread and wine were Christ’s body at the time of the first Lord’s Supper, while Christ was yet living, not only following the passion. Most Protestants hold to this view with the exception of Lutherans.

CREDIT: www.reclaimingthemind.org

Wonderful, Merciful Savior

Atonement ATO'NEMENT, n. 1. Agreement; concord; reconciliation, after enmity or controversy. Rom. 5. Between the Duke of Glo'ster and your brothers. 2. Expiation; satisfaction or reparation made by giving an equivalent for an injury, or by doing or suffering that which is received in satisfaction for an offense or injury; with for. And Moses said to Aaron, go to the altar, and offer thy sin-offering, and thy burnt-offering, and make an atonement for thyself and for the people. Lev. 9. When a man has been guilty of any vice, the best atonement he can make for it is, to warn others not to fall into the like. The Phocians behaved with so much gallantry, that they were thought to have made a sufficient atonement for their former offense. 3. In theology, the expiation of sin made by the obedience and personal sufferings of Christ. (Webster's Dictionary 1828)   http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/search/word,atonement It's the central message of the Bible, and it's one of the most important words in the whole Bible.  The word could be understood just by breaking it apart and pronouncing it a little differently.  Atonement.  Take it apart and say, "at-one-ment"...being in harmony with God.  Atonement...'at-one-ment" is how sinful humans can be reconciled to a holy God.  It requires first that reparation be made for our sins against Him.  In the Hebrew language, the word that is translated atonement, kaphar, the primary meaning of that root word is "to cover."  You may be more familiar with the verb form of that word, kippur--Yom Kippur, to cover, the day of atonement.  Nancy Leigh DeMoss http://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/roh/today.php?pid_10815

A Cheaper Way To Freeze Foods

I like to buy meats and cheeses in bulk because it is cheaper.  However, that is a lot of freezer bags and good  freezer bags aren't cheap.  Through trial and error, I have found a method that I really like.  I wrap 1 pound portions of meat or cheese in plastic wrap or bag it in a sandwich bag and fit as many as I can in to a one gallon freezer bag.  Plastic wrap and sandwich bags are MUCH cheaper than freezer bags and I can usually fit 4-5 pounds in a gallon freezer bag.  When the freezer bags are emptied, I store the in the freezer and re-use them.  I do have designated bags for each item.  However, this really didn't work well with chicken.  I tried it and all of the sandwich bags stuck together in the freezer bag.  I guess the chicken was too wet.  It may work if you patted it dry first.  Sorry, I didn't not try that, but think I will the next time I buy chicken.

Theology Thursday

GENERAL REVELATION

General revelation describes revelation from God that is given generally to all people, being mediated through creation. It is also general because it is indirect in its communication. Psalm 19 and Romans 1:18-20 speak specifically about the reality of general revelation. Paul specifically says that creation tells us enough about God’s nature and attributes so that people are without excuse when they do not believe in him. From the complexity of the human eye to the vastness of the expanse of heaven, general revelation has a voice of its own. This is in contrast to special revelation which is directly from God and is not readily available to all people.

LIBELLATICI

(From Latin liber, “book” or “document”)

The Libellatici were those Christians who, during the persecutions of Decius (A.D. 250-251), purchased certificates (libelli) which (falsely) indicated that they had made the proper sacrifice in order to avoid persecution and martyrdom. The Libellatici were admitted back into the church after repentance was made. The sacrificati were those who did offer a sacrifice to idols and the thurificati were those who had burnt incense on the altar of the gods.

JESUITS

(Society of Jesus)

Founded in the sixteenth century by Ignatius of Loyola, the Jesuits are a Roman Catholic monastic order that reports directly to the Pope. During the Reformation, the Jesuits were influential in responding to the Protestant movement. They distinguish themselves through their work in education, intellectual pursuits, cultural engagement, and missions as well as their military-like discipline.

OPUS PROPRITUM

(Latin, ‘the work [of God,] proper’)

The work of God which comes from his essential character that is not mediated through sin. These are works that are natural to who God is, such as creation, grace, love, providence, mercy, and justice. This is in contrast to the opus alienum (the work of God, alien) which are God’s works that are mediated through sin.

OPUS ALIENUM

(Latin, ‘the work [of God,] alien’ or ‘the work of another’)

The works of God that seem to militate against his proper character, but which are nevertheless an act of his decree as he uses secondary means. We see the opus alienum when God works through sin to accomplish his will (see 1 Kings 22:20-23). God is not the instrumental cause of the sin, but uses it to accomplish his will.

GRAMMATICO-HISTORICAL EXEGESIS

The hermeneutical method of interpretation which seeks to understand the Scriptures in their original grammatical and historical context. This is also known as ‘authorial intent’ hermeneutics since it seeks to discover the meaning that the original author intended for the original audience. This type of interpretation is in contrast to ‘reader-response’ hermeneutics which allow the reader to provide their own subjective meaning. It is also in contrast to allegorical, spiritualistic, and authoritative hermeneutics (which say the text means whatever the institutional authority says it means).

CREDIT:  www.reclaimingthemind.org

He Leadeth Me

He leadeth me! O blessed thought,

O words with heav'nly comfort fraught;

Whate'er I do, where'er I be,

Still 'tis Christ's hand that leadeth me. 

    He leadeth me! He leadeth me!

    By His own hand He leadeth me;

    His faithful follower I would be,

      For by His hand He leadeth me. 

Sometimes 'mid scenes of deepest gloom,

Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom,

By waters still, o'er troubled sea,

Still 'tis His hand that leadeth me. 

Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,

Nor ever murmur or repine;

Content, whatever lot I see,

Since it is Thou that leadest me. 

And when my task on earth is done,

When, by Thy grace, the vict'ry's won,

E'en death's cold wave I will not flee,

Since Thou in triumph leadest me. 

Theology Thursday

FOUNDATIONALISM

A form of philosophy or theology that affirms certain basic presuppositions as the foundation to systems of knowledge and belief. Examples of assumed foundational principles would be the Law of Non-contradiction or the Law of the Excluded Middle. These assumed truths, according to foundationalists, give epistemic justification to other truths. Most people throughout history have held to some form of foundationalism.

ABECEDARIANS

A 16th century German sect of Anabaptists led by Nicholas Storch who believed that all knowledge, even knowledge of the alphabet, prevents people from a true knowledge of God. Abecedarians believed that God would provide all necessary understanding through divine means such as visions and ecstatic experiences. According to them, all theology and academic learning amounted to an idolatrous abandonment of the Christian faith. Their name, Abecedarians, comes from their denial of the ABCs.

SANCTIFICATION

Taken from the Greek root meaning “holy” (hagios), sanctification is the doctrine in Christian soteriology (salvation) that is normally used to describe the growth process of a believer. To be sanctified literally means to be “set apart unto God.” Theologically, the force of the doctrine is less an idea of separation from sin, but a closeness to God that necessarily separates from sin. In this sense, sanctification is both a position and a process. The Christian has been sanctified, or set apart unto God (1 Cor. 6:11), but there is also a sense in which he or she is being sanctified, or working toward a realization of this reality in their spiritual walk (Rom. 6:22; Phil. 2:12).

ZENO’S PARADOX

Zeno’s paradox is a common name for a grouping of paradoxes that are believed to have been put forth by Zeno of Elea (ca. 490 BC – ca. 430 BC) in support of Parmenides’ belief in a certain type of philosophical monism (i.e. all is one). The paradox can be summed up this way. Motion is impossible. In order for anything in motion to get from point A to point B, it would first have to travel halfway. In order to get to the halfway point, it would have to travel halfway to the halfway. In order for it to get to this halfway, it would have to travel halfway to the halfway of the halfway, ad infinitum. Since it is impossible to traverse and infinite number of halfway points, motion does not really exist. It is an illusion. While mathematicians and engineers find this paradox solvable, philosophers are still puzzled about its ability to deny motion.

HYPER-CALVINISM

Hyper-Calvinism is a pejorative designation for those who are believed to go beyond historic Calvinism in their doctrine. Although there is no one way to designate a Calvinist as “hyper,” there are many extremes that might carry such a designation. Among these extremes: the belief that we do not need to evangelize, the belief that God is the author of evil and sin, the belief that God does not love the non-elect, the belief that God actively elected people to go to hell (the reprobate) before he created them (superlapsarianism), the belief in meticulous sovereignty (that God is the immediate cause of all things), and/or that true Christians will always be Calvinist. All of these are not defining characteristics of historic Calvinism.

THEOTOKOS

(Greek theos, “God” + Greek tokos, “parturition, childbirth”)

Theotokos is a historic designation given to Mary in relation to her role as the mother of Christ. Theotokos means “God bearer.” This designation was approved by the third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus in 431. Nestorius apposed the use of the term theotokos, preferring christotokos (“Christ-bearer), believing that Mary was the mother of the human nature of Christ, not the divine nature. Most, however, felt that this would divide Christ into two persons. Led by Cyril of Alexandria, the council chose theotokos to acknowledge a belief in the dual-nature of Christ. It is important to note that this designation was not meant to venerate Mary, but to make a theological statement about Christ. He must be fully God and fully man if man is to have redemption.

ASCETICISM

(Gk. ask?sis, “athlete”)

Describes the life of self-denial, primarily in the abstaining from life’s pleasures that might distract from a life of devotion to God. Vows of abstinence from sex, marriage, foods, alcohol, shelter, wealth, and many other “mundane” pleasures accompany the ascetic life. Monks and nuns are among those in the history of the Church who have vowed themselves to such lives. Many Christians, while advocating self-discipline and periods of abstinence, believe that the ascetic life is not only contrary to the will of God, but follows a dualistic worldview, believing the material pleasures of the world are evil. These Christians would say that all things are from God and can be enjoyed in their proper place and time so long as God is acknowledged and glorified (1 Cor. 10:31). Simeon Stylites (c. 390) was perhaps the most famous of the early Christian ascetics, living for 37 years on top of a pillar in the desert, abstaining from, among other things, the pleasure of any physical or visible contact with women. It is said that Simon would not even allow his own mother to come see him.

CREDIT:  Reclaiming The Mind

Andrew Murray Quotes

"Jesus Christ took the place and fulfilled the destiny of man by His life of perfect humility.  His humility is our salvation.  His salvation is our humility.  Therefore, study the humility of Jesus.  This is the secret, the hidden root of your redemption."

"Humility is the recognition that we owe everything to God...humility is to be nothing, so that God may be all...humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is the first duty and the highest virtue of man.  It is the root of every virtue."

"It is only by the indwelling of Christ in His divine humility that we become truly humble.  We have our pride from another, from Adam; we must have our humility from Another [capital A], too."