DOCSLIB.ORG

Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church 10050 Ferguson Avenue ❖ Savannah, Georgia 31406

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church 10050 Ferguson Avenue ❖ Savannah, Georgia 31406 February 28, 2021 Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church 10050 Ferguson Avenue ❖ Savannah, Georgia 31406 Where Christ Is Exalted and the Fellowship Is Exciting Announcements Elders’ Meeting Elders meet on Tuesday, March 2, at 7:00 p.m. Please respond to any emails you re- ceive if you would like them to pray for you. Your requests are kept among the elders only, unless you want them shared with the church body. Live Stream Bible Study Check out YouTube and/or Facebook on Wednesday, March 3, at 7:00 p.m. as Bob Dimmitt continues teaching through Romans. Links to both platforms are found at www.fabchurch.com/live-stream Senior Saints’ Bible Study Join Tom Keller for the Thursday Morning Bible Study in the Fellowship Hall on Thursday, March 4. Coffee will be provided. This study should also be streamed live on YouTube. Monthly Fellowship Lunch is March 16. Signup coming soon. Evening Worship Evening worship is scheduled for Sunday, March 7, at 6:00 p.m. Join us! Deacons’ Meeting Tuesday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m. Save the Dates! Justin Kron from Chosen People Ministries will present The Passover Experience on Sun- day, March 21, at 6:00 p.m. Good News Jail & Prison Ministry International will host a Coffee and Dessert reception to catch their local supporting churches up on what they’re doing on Monday, March 22, at 7:00 p.m. here in our Fellowship Hall. Details to come on both of these events! Masks Only in Overflow Rooms The overflow rooms are reserved for those wearing masks who also prefer to maintain social distancing. If you would like to sit in the overflow room, you must wear a mask. If you do not have a mask, there are extras in the foyer. If you are not wearing a mask, do not sit in the overflow rooms and do not use the overflow rooms as a pass through. No exceptions. Thank you! FABC Elders Bob Dimmitt Tom Keller Steve Posner Church Phone: Senior Pastor Assoc. Pastor/ Elder 912-355-0949 912-398-4363 Senior Adults 912-704-5617 [email protected] [email protected] 912-308-3767 [email protected] www.fabchurch.com [email protected] February 28, 2021 10:30 a.m. Welcome and Announcements Call to Worship Hebrews 13:6 Hymn #268, bulletin p. 5 “How Firm a Foundation” Prayer of General Confession Tom Keller John 1:29 Hymn, bulletin p. 6-7 “Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder” Scripture Reading Mark 8:31-38 Shawn Champion Hymn, bulletin p. 8-9 “And Can It Be that I Should Gain?” Message Bob Dimmitt WOL (Way of Living), Part 9 1 Corinthians 13:13, 1 Corinthians #92 Hymn, below “Doxology” Old Hundred Tune Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen 2 A.M. Notes WOL (Way of Living), Part 9 1 Corinthians #92 1 Corinthians 13:13 Many believe that true religion is a quest for inner peace. In Christianity, true reli- gion is a witness—to what God has already done for us and for the whole world in the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. “God loves us, but we too love in the power of God’s love. Our love, our agape love, corresponds with God’s love. Our love is an echo of His love, a mirror of His love.” – J Adams Our love for both God and neighbor is a sign of God’s love for us. There is nothing that motivates God to love us. That is how we are to love others (we are motivated by our love for God and His love for us; however there should be nothing in the other that motivates us to love them). There is joy in God’s love for us, and there is joy in our love for God. There is joy in service to our neighbor as well. But we should not and do not serve our neighbor in order to find joy and happiness. Continued on p. 4 3 If you marry to find happiness or to be happy, if you have children to find happi- ness or to be happy they will always disappoint, your love for them will be frail, fragile and unsatisfying and you will not find the happiness you are looking for. In 1 John the word love appears 36 times between chapters 2-5 1 John 3:11 and 14 1 John 3:17 and 23 1 John 4:8, 11 and 21 Agape love proceeds outward, whether the other person responds or not. 4 5 6 7 8 9 Articles Critical Race Theory: Is it Christian? First Principles (Part 4) By Owen Strachan Fifth, CRT destabilizes truth, making it narratival rather than absolute. We see the postmodern dimension of CRT here. While CRT advocates embrace stand- point epistemology and thus honor absolute truth conceptually, CRT emphasizes that our access to social location will shape our handling of truth. This can lead easily to the promotion of “my truth,” which when possessed by an unprivileged person becomes a weaponized tool of cultural change. CRT, like postmodernity, is not “soft” truth, though; it is actually “hard” truth, very hard indeed. Yet there is no deeper ontological grounding for postmodern truth, and for CRT; rather, CRT simply asserts its commitments without foundation beyond the personal. It is difficult to underplay how significant this point is. If in practice we make truth narratival and relative rather than theistic and absolute, we lose truth. If we lose truth—true truth, normative and norming truth—then we lose the super- structure of the gospel and the Christian faith. Christianity depends upon truthful- ness; truthfulness is grounded in the character and identity of God. To personalize and relativize truth according to social location is to take truth out of God and ground it in us. Doing so means that truth claims are merely the opinions of one group; CRT oddly makes the claims of a single person representative of their entire ethnic or racial group, eliding the fact that people of different ethnicities differ wild- ly in their viewpoints. This general viewpoint means that reading theology, for example, can become little more than a matter of identifying a given author’s background and ethnicity. Theology and biblical interpretation thus morphs into sociology. This is deeply damaging to the pursuit and adjudication of truth. Can we bring our biases and background into our work to its detriment? We surely can. Is it healthy to read a wide range of voices? It definitely is. Does this possibility of bias, however, under- mine the very nature of our theological work, rendering our sermons and writings and claims merely the words of one representative of an ethnic group? It does not. A statement or claim or proposition or story is not true because of our background and cultural standing and lack of privilege; our teaching is true because it accords with truth, with the Word of God above all. CRT epistemology begins by saying something realistic—that everybody has their own perspective. But it loses sight of the fact that God’s truth is true for everyone, regardless of their background or past experience. God’s truth is true at all times and in all places. We do not want a system of truth that molds to us; if we are in Christ, we want a system of truth that molds us. In biblical epistemology, we have such a system, one that makes sense of us and of our world. Indeed, only in Chris- tian epistemology anchored in God himself do the one and the many cohere, and only in this divine system do we have unity in diversity. CRT, however, gives us 10 only diversity, for its dependence upon standpoint epistemology ends up collapsing the world into multi-perspectivalism and the resulting contest for power. Instead of unity in diversity, we are consigned to estrangement, eternal subjects of hostility. Sixth, CRT is uncritically associated with (or susceptible to) various move- ments that are not consonant with Christianity. CRT makes common cause with “underprivileged” groups, including “sexual minorities” who find their place in the LGBT movement (as one example). This term shows how CRT and related systems recast movements in terms of power dynamics, not categories of truth. Scripture knows nothing of the language of “sexual minorities,” and Christians should steer clear of such speech to the full. Scripture knows of godly sexuality which God loves, and ungodly sexuality which God despises and will judge. CRT effectively makes virtuous most any movement that is in a minority position in society irrespective of its views. This is a key part of how “transgenderism” has become a civil right, when in truth it is no such thing; it is sin, not worthy of appro- bation, and should in no way be classed as a disability or a righteous cause. We are already seeing how pedophilia is traveling the same path; the logic behind its rise is inevitable given the dynamics behind CRT and intersectionality. Nor can we fail to note that our culture’s predominantly therapeutic worldview speeds this ascent. Since there is no such thing as sin in the traditional sense, and since everyone needs affirmation as they are, there is no depravity, no perversity, that a godless order will fail to elevate as a noble cause. Rising support for pedophilia aside, CRT takes complex issues and makes them deceptively simple.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Fall of Satan in the Thought of St. Ephrem and John Milton
    Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies, Vol. 3.1, 3–27 © 2000 [2010] by Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute and Gorgias Press THE FALL OF SATAN IN THE THOUGHT OF ST. EPHREM AND JOHN MILTON GARY A. ANDERSON HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL CAMBRIDGE, MA USA ABSTRACT In the Life of Adam and Eve, Satan “the first-born” refused to venerate Adam, the “latter-born.” Later writers had difficulty with the tale because it granted Adam honors that were proper to Christ (Philippians 2:10, “at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend.”) The tale of Satan’s fall was then altered to reflect this Christological sensibility. Milton created a story of Christ’s elevation prior to the creation of man. Ephrem, on the other hand, moved the story to Holy Saturday. In Hades, Death acknowledged Christ as the true first- born whereas Satan rejected any such acclamation. [1] For some time I have pondered the problem of Satan’s fall in early Jewish and Christian sources. My point of origin has been the justly famous account found in the Life of Adam and Eve (hereafter: Life).1 1 See G. Anderson, “The Exaltation of Adam and the Fall of Satan,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, 6 (1997): 105–34. 3 4 Gary A. Anderson I say justly famous because the Life itself existed in six versions- Greek, Latin, Armenian, Georgian, Slavonic, and Coptic (now extant only in fragments)-yet the tradition that the Life drew on is present in numerous other documents from Late Antiquity.2 And one should mention its surprising prominence in Islam-the story was told and retold some seven times in the Koran and was subsequently subject to further elaboration among Muslim exegetes and storytellers.3 My purpose in this essay is to carry forward work I have already done on this text to the figures of St.
    [Show full text]
  • Order for the Worship of God
    ORDER FOR THE WORSHIP OF GOD PRELUDE An Easter Celebration arr. Rayney I Know That My Redeemer Liveth Handel Victoria Provost, soprano WELCOME (Please sign and pass the Friendship Pad in your pew.) Jon Frost CHORAL INTROIT An Easter Symphony arr. Raush Joy dawns again on Easter Day, the sun shines out with brighter ray. Alleluia! All praise, O risen Lord, we give to Thee, who now again dost live; all praise. Alleluia. And God is All our own! CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels. Exult, all creation around God’s throne! Jesus Christ, our King is risen! People: Sound the trumpet of salvation! Rejoice O earth in shining splendor, radiant in the brightness of your King. Leader: Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Darkness vanishes forever! Rejoice, O Church, Exult in glory! People: The Risen Savior shines upon us! Let this place resound with joy, echoing the mighty song of all God’s people. Leader: Christ is Risen! People: He is Risen indeed! HYMN (please stand if able) Jesus Christ is Risen Today Easter Hymn Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss, Alleluia! Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia! Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia! Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia! Sinners to redeem and save, Alleluia! But the pains which He endured, Alleluia! Our salvation have procured; Alleluia! Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia! Where the angels ever sing, Alleluia! Sing we to our God above, Alleluia! Praise eternal as God’s love, Alleluia! Praise our God, ye heavenly host, Alleluia! Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Alleluia! UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION Jennie Clark Almighty God, in raising Jesus from the grave, You shattered the power of sin and death.
    [Show full text]
  • May 30, 2021 | 6:00 Pm Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
    MAY 30, 2021 | 6:00 PM FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY SCHOLA FROM CATHEDRAL ENSEMBLE page 2 THE INTRODUCTORY RITES Introit Blessed be the Holy Trinity, God in undivided Unity; we thank our God for evermore, the one abundant source of mercy. (to Processional Hymn) Processional Hymn: Holy, holy, holy page 3 Greeting Priest: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. People: And with your spirit. Penitential Act A: I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, And, striking their breast, they say: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; Then they continue: therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. People: Amen. Lord/Christ have mercy or Kyrie/Christe eleison ~ or ~ B: Priest: Have mercy on us, O Lord People: For we have sinned against you Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy. People: And grant us your salvation. Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. People: Amen. Lord/Christ have mercy or Kyrie/Christe eleison page 4 Gloria from Mass of St.
    [Show full text]
  • The High-Priestly Christology of the Letter to the Hebrews: a Fusion of Late Second Temple Theology and Early Christian Tradition”
    “THE HIGH-PRIESTLY CHRISTOLOGY OF THE LETTER TO THE HEBREWS: A FUSION OF LATE SECOND TEMPLE THEOLOGY AND EARLY CHRISTIAN TRADITION” NADINE BRAUNDA FISHBECK Thesis is under the direction of Dr. Paul Holloway and Dr. James Dunkly The high-priestly Christology of the Letter to the Hebrews is unique in the New Testament canon. As an early Christian writing, this letter may help us in our understanding of what ideas, concepts, and traditions of late second temple Judaism influenced the development of early Christian theology and Christology. The author of Hebrews inherited the apocalyptic world view of second temple Judaism and of the early Christian church. The author’s theology also has antecedents within the second temple priestly tradition. One of these antecedents included the hope of a savior figure as seen in the expectation of a priestly messiah. The author also believed in the efficacy of the temple cult and drew from the cultic tradition as he developed his high-priestly Christology. The author fused elements from the Jewish priestly theology with the early Christian tradition that he had received to argue that the exalted Jesus Christ was Son of God as well as the heavenly high priest of the heavenly sanctuary. Approved:__________________________________ Date:_______________ First Reader Approved:__________________________________ Date:_______________ Second Reader The High-Priestly Christology of the Letter to the Hebrews: A Fusion of Late Second Temple Theology and Early Christian Tradition by Nadine Braunda Fishbeck Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology of the University of the South in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts May, 2012 Sewanee, Tennessee Approved:_____________________________ Date:________________ Approved:_____________________________ Date:________________ CONTENTS Abstract............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • A New Explanation of Christological Origins a Review of the Work of Larry W
    A NEW EXPLANATION OF CHRISTOLOGICAL ORIGINS A REVIEW OF THE WORK OF LARRY W. HURTADO Crispin Fletcher-Louis Summary Prof. Larry Hurtado’s three-volume work on christological origins has advanced understanding in several key respects and his account is simpler than that of his predecessors. However, it remains an evolutionary, multi-stage model and it is historically problematic. He overstates the case for Jewish opposition to Christ-devotion, minimises the ethical particularity of earliest Christianity and the model suffers some serious internal tensions. His claim that religious experiences gave the decisive impetus to Christ-devotion does not reckon adequately with the implications of social-science study, is not supported by the primary texts and conflicts with the important evidence that visionary and mystical practices were frowned upon in some early Christian quarters. Hurtado presents his work as theologically disinterested. However, he endorses Lessing’s radical separation of theology and history and this theologically loaded judgement seems to be reflected in the non-incarnational character of the Christology Hurtado describes. 1. Introduction Over the last thirty years Prof. Larry Hurtado has worked tirelessly on the nature and origins of early Christology. In the last few years that work has culminated in the publication of two lengthy monographs that develop the thesis first presented in a book published in 1988.1 Each of 1 L. W. Hurtado, One God, One Lord: Early Christian Devotion and Ancient Jewish Monotheism (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1988); idem, Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus 162 TYNDALE BULLETIN 60.2 (2009) Hurtado’s three book-length contributions to this subject has been reviewed by others.2 My purpose here is to offer an appreciative critique of the cumulative case Hurtado has now made for his understanding of christological origins.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Monotheism, Principal Angels, and the Background of Christology L. W
    Monotheism, Principal Angels, and the Background of Christology 1 L. W. Hurtado, University of Edinburgh In recent decades there has been an intensively renewed interest in the origins and development of ‘christology’, or, to use a broader term intended to take into account religious practices as well as ideas/beliefs, earliest ‘devotion’ to Jesus. In general, this newer work has emphasized the early period and Jewish religious setting in which this remarkable devotion to Jesus first emerged (e.g., Newman, Davila, Lewis 1999), and scholars have thus explored in what ways Jesus-devotion may have drawn upon Jewish tradition and how it may have represented something innovative. In particular, there are questions about how the early believers shaped by Jewish tradition with its concern for the uniqueness of God may have accommodated devotion to Jesus as in some way bearing divine significance. The Qumran texts comprise a major and unique cache of material giving us access to second-temple Jewish religious tradition, and are, thus, integral in all of this investigation. ‘Jewish Monotheism’ For the study of earliest devotion to Jesus, indeed, and for Jewish religion of the second-temple period as well, perhaps the most important topic is the uniqueness typically ascribed to the God of the biblical tradition. Both Jewish and non-Jewish sources of the second-temple period portray Jews as holding a distinctive religious stance and practice that involve reserving a unique status to the God of Israel, and a firm refusal to give worship to any other deity (e.g., Tacitus, Hist. 5.3; Let.
    [Show full text]
  • “Angels: Proclaimers of Peace!” (Luke 2:1-20) Additional Resources Dr
    Message #3: “Angels: Proclaimers of Peace!” (Luke 2:1-20) Additional Resources Dr. David Jeremiah’s Answers to Your Questions about Heaven Each angel has his own job description and carries out God’s will. To find out about the varied types and tasks of the angels, let’s take a look at a few of the terms the Bible uses to reference angels. Hosts: Throughout the Bible, angels are called “the hosts of the Lord.” The word “host” comes from the Old Testament Hebrew word tsaba and the New Testament Greek word stratia. Both terms mean “a well-trained army”—one that is prepared for war. God’s angels are organized and ready to respond to His every desire and command. Seraphim: This term, which literally means “burning ones,” is only mentioned in the book of Isaiah. These angels dwell so close to the presence of God that they burn with a holy brilliance. According to Isaiah chapter 6, the seraphim have six wings. Two wings cover their faces in reverence, two wings cover the seraphim’s feet in humility, and two wings are for flying. The seraphim also have human features such as feet, hands, and voices. Cherubim: Cherubim are angels that stand close to God’s throne (and they don’t even vaguely resemble the winged infants we usually think of as cherubs). The description in Ezekiel 10 suggests that cherubim have a more human appearance than the seraphim. Each cherub has four faces: the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face of an ox, and the face of an eagle.
    [Show full text]
  • Revelation Sunday Evening / April 9, 2006 - Continued to Wednesday Evening / April 12, 2006 Chapters 8 - 12
    THE BOOK OF Revelation Sunday Evening / April 9, 2006 - continued to Wednesday Evening / April 12, 2006 Chapters 8 - 12 CHAPTER EIGHT ! Seal # 7 Silence in heaven – Rev. 8:1-6. Here we read of the intercessory prayers of believers. Although God may not answer all our prayers immediately, He does not throw them aside, but keeps them for the proper time of fulfillment. NOW WE COME TO THE TRUMPET JUDGMENTS 1. The 7th seal brought a half hour of silence in heaven. Why? I believe all the heavenly host have learned what is about to hit Planet Earth and they are silenced by its terrible implications. ! First Trumpet: Rev. 8:7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down upon the earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire so that one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass. These are literal judgments on the earth that are devastating. ! Second Trumpet: Rev. 8:8-9 Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and what appeared to be a huge burning mountain was thrown into the sea, [9] destroying a third of all the ships; and a third of the sea turned red as blood; and a third of the fish were killed. The sea is probably the Mediterranean Sea. The burning mountain could be virtually anything God decided to use, including a meteor. ! Third Trumpet: Rev. 8:10-11 The third angel blew, and a great flaming star fell from heaven upon a third of the rivers and springs.
    [Show full text]
  • Endings Prayers at Time of Death
    ENDINGS PRAYERS AT TIME OF DEATH Almighty God, The minister speaks first to the dying person, using these Father of all mercies and giver of all comfort: or other suitable words Your mighty power brings joy out of grief and life out of death. N, go forth from this world: Look in mercy on all who mourn. in the love of God the Father who created you, Give them patient faith in times of darkness. in the mercy of Jesus Christ who redeemed you, Strengthen them with the knowledge of your love, in the power of the Holy Spirit who strengthens you. through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. May the heavenly host sustain you and the company of heaven enfold you. Heavenly Father, In communion with all the faithful, our refuge and strength in every time of need: may you dwell this day in peace. Amen. help and comfort us today. Increase our faith, dispel our fears, revive our hope; The minister says the prayer of commendation and lift us from the darkness of our grief to the light of your presence; Gracious God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen nothing in death or life, nothing in the world as it is, nothing in the world as it shall be, Our Father, who art in heaven, nothing in all creation hallowed be thy name; can separate us from your love. thy kingdom come; Jesus commended his spirit into your hands thy will be done; at his last hour. on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
    [Show full text]
  • The 144000 Why That Number Is Exactly the Same Company As We Saw in the 7Th Chapter of Our Book
    Beast and False prophet; The 144,000; Part1 By Charles Feinberg This is the fifth in a series on the book of the revelation by Dr. Charles lee Feinberg, dean of Talbot theological seminary in La Mirada, California. We come now to the 13th chapter of the book of the revelation and we entitle it the roman beast and the antichrist. The apostle john in this chapter continues his portrayal of the chief actors, the chief participants in the end time. And he adds two more to the ones that we have already seen in chapter 12. Chapter 12 it was the woman and the man child, the dragon Michael and his angels, and the devil and his angels. A study of Daniel chapter 7, 9, and 11 is absolutely essential to the understanding of this very important chapter of revelation. Therefore we have made tapes on the book of Daniel. We have 6 tapes on that wonderful book as well. And we do well to study that as the background for the book of the revelation. With the teaching of Daniel in mind then, the additional truth of here given will be readily understood. The chapter has a twofold division. The first 10 verses deal with the beast. Verses 11-18 deal with the antichrist. There’s a simple enough division outline of the chapter. 1-10 the beast; 11-18 the antichrist. And I stood upon the sand of the sea says john and saw a beast rise up out of the sea having 7 heads and 10 horns and upon his horns 10 crowns and upon his heads the name of blasphemy and the beast which I saw was like a leopard and his feet were like the feet of a bear and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.
    [Show full text]
  • “Suddenly a Great Company of the Heavenly Host Appeared with The
    December 2018 Dear Ministry Partner, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:13-14) HEAVEN’S FIRST BROADCAST STATION! You might think this is a stretch to say – but Heaven’s First broadcast station began right here on earth! It’s true! Come with me for a moment to a place so wonDrous anD so crackling with meaning that it eDgeD out every other story that has yet been tolD! The story is so Deep anD astounDing it will thrill anD re-ignite your passion for the glory we’ve been given the chance to tune into at this moment in history. Step outsiDe for a moment, if you will, of that neat, little pre-packageD box of unDerstanDing of the Christmas story – stuck perhaps in some Dusty closet, or captureD in Christmas carD form in your minD’s eye … to a larger, far more wonDrous dimension! When you think about it…what father Doesn’t want to louDly announce … yes to proclaim joyfully John and Heather Otis Tayloe rejoicing in from the rooftops … the birth of His son? In fact, knowing that God’s powerful Word is being broadcast worldwide over VOICE OF HOPE! what Father, knowing this will be His only Son coming at just the right time … woulDn’t want to Do so? The Heavenly Father most certainly made use of His Creation as a magnificent megaphone to Declare far anD wiDe, though we can all agree, through unique means -- His Son’s momentous arrival here on earth! In Luke’s account we’re told, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
    [Show full text]
  • By Whose Authority?
    By Whose Authority Text 9/28/06 3:37 PM Page 1 BY WHOSE AUTHORITY? Elders in Baptist Life Mark Dever By Whose Authority Text 9/28/06 3:37 PM Page 2 ©2006 by 9Marks ISBN 0-9701252-3-2 Al rights reserved Cover Design: Pete Artemenko All scripture quotations from The New International Version By Whose Authority Text 9/28/06 3:37 PM Page 3 IX MARKS God intends to display the glory of His beauty, perfection, and love through the church. Imagine what this would look like in our local congregations: • God’s name exalted in song and sermon. • Relationships tied together by love and service. • Marriages and families built for endurance. • Christ’s sacrifice pictured in the lives of sinful but repenting people! At 9Marks, we believe that there is no better evangelistic tool, missions strategy, or counseling program than the image of God displayed through His gathering of imperfect but trans- forming people. As we learn more about Him, we look more and more like Him. Neighborhoods and nations will look with wonder. As will the heavenly host! Church leaders do not need another innovative method or engaging metaphor for growing their churches. They need to (get to!) embrace the biblical theology and priorities that God Himself designed for cultivating health and holiness in the local congregation. Scripture actually teaches church leaders how to build churches that display God’s glory. At 9Marks, we seek to answer the "how-to" question and develop a biblical vision for your congregation. • Media: downloadable web resources, audio interviews, e-newsletters, educational curriculum.
    [Show full text]