March 30, 2015
Tonight, four Thompson households signed a copy of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
Signers:
Renee Thompson (upper left)
Bianca Thompson (middle left)
Silas Thompson (lower left)
David Thompson (lower right)
Emily Thompson (middle right)
Shirley Thompson (upper right)
Paul Thompson (photographer)
My column in the Times News this week:
Has Holy Week Become Anything but Holy?
Full column:
Has Holy Week Become Anything but Holy?
The cross in the first century of the church was certainly no piece of jewelry, a logo on a church sign, a screen printed design on a t-shirt, a studded outline on a back pocket, or anything, for that matter, related to something that the world would somehow be impressed with. It always represented shame and death.
Everyone sentenced to death on a cross died on the cross, dead!
The cross beams were not sent home for family members to memorialize or cherish. They were most likely used again by the Roman government to bring shame upon another.
I doubt there were human rights activist groups assigned to make sure the cross beams were cleaned and sanitary for the next user; why would there be? the next user would soon be dead.
Not everyone who goes forth using the name Jesus Christ is speaking of the biblical Jesus. Be sure of this, be very sure.
Some love the appearance of being holy while holding on to all forms of ungodliness. Some think God is just like they are and don’t even know of what kind of idolatry they are enslaved to. Some hate Jesus so much that they mock him by misusing his name as they defend their lifestyles of sin.
The true followers of Christ
“must be willing to make Christ the one supreme Lord and ruler in their lives. They must surrender their whole being to the destructive power of the cross, to die not only to their sins but to their righteousness as well as to everything in which they formerly prided themselves.
If this should seem like a heavy sacrifice for anyone to make, let it be remembered that Christ is Lord and can make any demands upon us that He chooses, even to the point of requiring that we deny ourselves and bear the cross daily.
Those who have known the sweetness of it (the cross) will never complain about what they have lost. They will be too well pleased with what they have gained.” A.W. Tozer
There is great confusion about the biblical Jesus, such confusion that it seems like anyone who uses the name of Jesus is assumed to be speaking with authority of who He is.
Can movie goers trust that a movie based on the bible is a trustworthy representation of God? I hope you know this; the theatre is no trustworthy source.
Can someone who prayed a prayer at a vacation bible school when they were 10 years old but hasn’t gathered with other believers in a bible preaching church in 20 years because he thinks church is for weak minded people be trusted as a reliable source of describing who God is?
I was 12 years old, living in Colorado when the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy was and signed by brave defenders of the Bible boldly by drafting 19 articles of affirmation and denial of Biblical Inerrancy. The summary statement describes Scripture (the Holy Bible) as “God’s witness of Himself”, “God’s own Word”, being “wholly and verbally God-given.”
Article I.
We affirm that the Holy Scriptures are to be received as the authoritative Word of God.
We deny that the Scriptures receive their authority from the Church, tradition, or any other human source.
Full statement HERE
1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy: Original Signers 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy: Original Document
Join All the Glorious Names
Isaac Watts
Join all the glorious names
Of wisdom, love, and power,
That ever mortals knew,
That angels ever bore:
All are too mean to speak His worth,
Too mean to set my Savior forth.
But O what gentle terms,
What condescending ways,
Doth our Redeemer use
To teach his heav’nly grace!
Mine eyes with joy and wonder see
What forms of love He bears for me.
Arrayed in mortal flesh,
He like an angel stands,
And holds the promises
And pardons in His hands;
Commissioned from His Father’s throne
To make His grace to mortals known.
Great prophet of my God,
My tongue would bless Thy name,
By Thee the joyful news
Of our salvation came,
The joyful news of sin forgiv’n
Of hell subdued, and peace with Heav’n.
Be Thou my counselor,
My pattern, and my guide,
And through this desert land
Still keep me near thy side:
Nor let my feet e’er run astray
Nor rove nor seek the crooked way.
I love my Shepherd’s voice,
His watchful eyes shall keep
My wand’ring soul among
The thousands of His sheep:
He feeds His flock, He calls their names,
His bosom bears the tender lambs.
To this dear surety’s hand
Will I commit my cause;
He answers and fulfils
His Father’s broken laws:
Behold my soul at freedom set!
My surety paid the dreadful debt.
Jesus, my great high priest,
Offered His blood, and died;
My guilty conscience seeks
No sacrifice beside:
His powerful blood did once atone,
And now it pleads before the throne.
My advocate appears
For my defense on high;
The Father bows His ears,
And lays His thunder by:
Not all that hell or sin can say
Shall turn His heart, His love away.
My dear almighty Lord,
My conqueror and my King,
Thy scepter and Thy sword,
Thy reigning grace I sing:
Thine is the power; behold I sit
In willing bonds beneath Thy feet.
Now let my soul arise,
And tread the tempter down;
My captain leads me forth
To conquest and a crown:
A feeble saint shall win the day,
Though death and hell obstruct the way.
Should all the hosts of death,
And powers of hell unknown,
Put their most dreadful forms
Of rage and mischief on,
I shall be safe, for Christ displays
Superior power, and guardian grace.
Last Sunday I finished the last sermon in a 46-sermon series in the book of 1 Corinthians by reading the entirety of the letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth.
Here are all 46 sermons from the 1 Corinthians Series. (A few sermons did not make it to the audio version due to technical complications.)
This is over 1,300 photos taken with time-lapse photography. The photos were taken at 1 minute intervals during a 48 hour period of time in my dining room.
I’ll have to work on controlling the light and focus as the daffodil opens.
The subject of the daffodil was of interest because of the contrast of colors.
Matthew 6:25-34 (Phillips) – “That is why I say to you, don’t worry about living – wondering what you are going to eat or drink, or what you are going to wear. Surely life is more important than food, and the body more important than the clothes you wear. Look at the birds in the sky. They never sow nor reap nor store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you much more valuable to him than they are? Can any of you, however much he worries, make himself an inch taller? And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the wild flowers grow. They neither work nor weave, but I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was never arrayed like one of these! Now if God so clothes the flowers of the field, which are alive today and burnt in the stove tomorrow, is he not much more likely to clothe you, you ‘little-faiths’?
“So don’t worry and don’t keep saying, ‘What shall we eat, what shall we drink or what shall we wear?! That is what pagans are always looking for; your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your heart on the kingdom and his goodness, and all these things will come to you as a matter of course.
“Don’t worry at all then about tomorrow. Tomorrow can take care of itself! One day’s trouble is enough for one day.”
The best thing about a first round NCAA tournament in a small market like Boise, Idaho is that you get two games for the price of one and then if there are empty seats mid way through the game you get to move out of the “nose bleed” seats to “eye level with the basket” seats. I always pull for an underdog.
Let the madness begin!
Time-stamp:
March, 2001 Boise, Idaho
(15) Hampton vs (2) Iowa State
Final score 58-57
“When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10)
My church, Eastside Baptist Church, was kind to send me to the Shepherds’ Conference at Grace Community Church in the Sun Valley, CA area. I consider this no small thing. It is my expectation that my life and ministry will look at this mile post as leaving lasting marks on my mind and spirit.
It was a blessing to meet many new friends, to be surprised by seeing friends I didn’t know would be there, hear powerful messages, and receive/buy new books. I traveled with my friends at Magic Valley Bible Church in Twin Falls, and encouraged by the faithfulness of this significant church in the Magic Valley.
Eastside Baptist Church, thank you for this kindness. May you be recipients of the blessing it has been upon me.
You can watch and listen online to all of the main conference speakers. All sessions were significant in content and quality, here are a few observations and links to the sessions as they still lingering on my mind since returning home.
John MacArthur: (watch session one HERE) John MacArthur spoke twice, the opening session and the closing session. Both Messages were, as expected, fueled from Scripture and seasoned with God ordained wisdom. The opening session set the stage for the entire week. MacArthur gave four reasons why they held this “Inerrancy Summit”;
“There are many books that can change your thinking, but only one book can change your destiny.” John MacArthur
Alistair Begg: (watch session two HERE) This was a first time for me to here Alistair Begg preach in person. His boldness and clarity from the authority of Scripture is as consistent with every message I’ve listened to on the radio. His assignment was to preach from 2 Timothy 4:1-5. The best way to summarize Alistair Begg is to tell you to listen, that English accent is easy on the ears. To summarize in short; he argued that Timothy’s charge from the apostle Paul was
R.C. Sproul: (watch session three HERE) He gave a compelling argument for the defense of Scripture
Stephen Nichols: (watch session four HERE) 1 Thess. 2:13
Ligon Duncan: (watch session five HERE)
“Ungodliness leads to heresy. Heresy leads to ungodliness.”
“the apostle Paul tells us what the Bible is… what the Bible is for… what the Bible does.”
Miguel Nunez: (watch session six HERE)
“If the missionary does not fully understand the inerrancy of Scripture they will not endure to the end when faced with hardship.”
“We do not preach on top of the Bible, we preach under the Bible, under the authority of the Bible.”
Carl Trueman: (watch session seven HERE)
“the understanding of Scripture is most important for understanding God.”
“The principle duty of a pastor is to feed the flock by diligent preaching of the word.” John Owen
Ian Hamilton: (watch session eight HERE)
“When you hold to the inerrancy of Scripture you are made aware of your smallness.”
Mark Dever: (watch session nine HERE) In this session Mark Dever read the entirety of Psalm 119. (most verses of all chapters in the bible.) The value of doing so was profound and helpful in capturing the whole of what is said.
“Prayer is more important than any commentary in your library”
Steven Lawson: (watch session ten HERE) If you are limited on time, I recommend this one sermon as a must listen to, especially to my pastor friends. In this message Steven Lawson shows seven illustrations from Scripture of what the word of God is like…
Gregory Beal: (watch session eleven HERE) Examination of the appearance of conflict in Scripture. Helpful examination of Hosea 11:1 with Matthew 2:15
Q & A: (watch session twelve HERE) this gives a helpful timeline of the inerrancy argument from 1978 that brought about the 1978 Chicago Statement. Very helpful
Derek Thomas: (watch session thirteen HERE)
Albert Mohler: (watch session fourteen HERE) You must be prepared to pay close attention to Dr. Mohler. Not because he’s smarter than the rest of us. But because the truths that await you here will be most helpful.
“We are in an intellectual crisis”
Sinclair Ferguson: (watch session fifteen HERE)
“The Bible is a gift from the Holy Triune God.”
“Only the Father can be praise for sending the Son,
Only the Son can be praised for dying for our sins,
Only the Holy Spirit can be praised tutoring us…”
Iain Murray: (watch session sixteen HERE) Iain Murray gives a helpful argument for the inspiration of the New Testament and its place in the history of the church.
“We used to say, “What does the Bible say?” Now it is said, “What part of the Bible is the word of God?”
Kevin DeYoung: (watch session seventeen HERE)
“Is the bible…
How we answer this question explains why we are as we are.
John MacArthur: (watch session eighteen HERE) This concluding message was, in my opinion, was likely the lest in human efforts but surly endowed with power from the Holy Spirit. His preaching text was Matthew 22.
“An inerrant word demands expository preaching.”
“This culture now participates more in Halloween than Easter.”
