Thursday, June 09, 2011

We Cannot Ignore the Subject of Sin...And Still Have the Gospel!

“From start to finish, Jesus’ life and ministry were aimed at dealing with our sin. The angel who announced His birth told Joseph, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21b). This is why Jesus was born into obscure poverty, His infant body placed not on a royal bed but in an animal’s feeding trough. Though very God of very God, He was born into humiliation so as to take up the cause of sinners. This is why Jesus insisted on receiving the baptism of repentance. John the Baptist tried to refuse, saying, “`I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, `Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented” (Matt. 3:14b-15). This is why Jesus associated with sinners, a practice that drew the criticism of the Pharisees. They complained to His disciples: “`Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when [Jesus] heard it, he said, `Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick…. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners”‘ (Matt. 9:11b-13).

“Above all, this is why Jesus meekly submitted when He was unjustly convicted, even though Pontius Pilate had declared Him completely innocent. This was why Jesus accepted the dreadful lash of the Roman scourge, when He might have called down legions of angels to His defense. This is why He permitted Himself to be abused, allowed His body to be draped with a mock purple robe, and submitted His head to be pierced with a bloody crown of thorns-that He might be presented before history as the very picture of sinful mankind judged, condemned, and punished. And this is why the Son of God willingly took up the cross, forsaken by God and man, and died for sins He did not commit. Jesus Himself summed up the purpose of His whole saving work: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).

“Do you see why, therefore, we not only can but must bring up the issue of sin in our offer of God’s salvation? If sin was so important to God that He sent His only beloved Son into the world to deal specifically with it; if sin is so great a barrier between God and man that only the precious blood of Christ could remove it; and if Jesus was so committed to the salvation of sinners that He was willing to go to this horrific length to achieve it, how dare we cover up the topic of sin as some embarrassment to us or an impediment to the success of Christ’s church! Do you see why we must be willing to ask people to confess their sins in worship that is offered up in Christ’s name? Do you see why we must preach a gospel not just of cheery sentimentality but of the true and bad news of sin for which Christ paid so great a cost?”

Richard D. Phillips, Jesus the Evangelist (Kindle Edition)

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

The BIG Truth

Sunday, June 12, 2011, begins "The BIG Truth" project for our children's ministry (LKC). We will be invaded every Sunday by all kinds of dinosaurs. LOOK OUT...there's one flying around the lower lobby already so duck if you see him coming toward you!!

If you want your children to learn "The BIG Truth" about God's creation I encourage you to see to it that they don't miss ANY of these upcoming lessons.

Nearly every day your kids are bombarded with the message of evolution (i.e., the big lie). If parents and our churches don't give them biblical, scientific, and reasoned answers and explanations about God's creation, there will be a vacuum in their lives that the evolutionists will be glad to fill.

About 500 hours of work has gone into preparing for this project that will conclude with our VBS program called, "The BIG Dig." Your kids will actually be able to dig for fossils during VBS week along with a BUNCH (!!) of other exciting and fun creation stuff.

This is BIG...REALLY BIG!! And, it starts Sunday, June 12, 2011, at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, June 05, 2011

Ten Things You Should Ask God To Do for Your Children

There were several things that my wife and I prayed (regularly) for our children as we were raising them. This is not an exhaustive list, but it reflects the things we felt were important during their formative years. Whatever you do, make sure that you pray for these precious gifts God has entrusted to you. Our kids need us to intercede for them every day of their lives.

We Should Pray...
  1. That our children will trust Christ as their Savior at the earliest possible age. (2 Timothy 3:15; Psalm 63:1)
  2. That our children will be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. (Romans 12:1,2)
  3. That our children will have a godly hatred for sin. (Psalm 97:10)
  4. That our children will be caught whenever they do wrong. (Psalm 119:71; cf. 119:67; 94:12)
  5. That our children will be protected from the evil one in every area of their lives: spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially. (John 17:15)
  6. That our children will always respect the authority over them. (Romans 13:1)
  7. That our children will desire the right kind of friends and be protected from the wrong ones. (1 Corinthians 15:33)
  8. That our children will be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one. (1 Corinthians 6:15)
  9. That our children, as well as the ones they will ultimately marry, will be kept pure until their wedding day. (1 Corinthians 6:13-20)
  10. That God will teach our children the virtue of true humility. (James 4:6)

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Four New Testament Manuscript Discoveries

The article below was written by one of the men that was on the trip to Athens, Greece, with our son to photograph ancient New Testament manuscripts. On this expedition there were four new manuscripts of the New Testament discovered, in addition to the ones they originally traveled to document. This article references our son several times and describes the kind of work he and the team do when they take these international excursions. I think you will find it interesting and informative in understanding the work of The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts.

Four New Testament Discoveries on My First Trip Abroad.
(written by Rory Crowly)

For the last two weeks of May, CSNTM’s Executive Director Dr. Daniel B. Wallace led a four-man team to Greece to photograph eight New Testament manuscripts at the Byzantine and Christian Museum (BXM) in Athens.

We had a stellar team. J. D. Lemming, a former CSNTM intern and seasoned expedition-vet, added some timely experience to the shoot. Paul Wheatley, another former intern of Dr. Wallace, also came with us. Because he and his wife lived in Athens from 2007 to 2009, he is fluent in modern Greek, is well versed when it comes to Athenian culture, got the four-man team cheap lodging, and knows all the great spots to get gyros. Having Paul with us was insightful and very important in terms of solidifying vital contacts for future expeditions, not just in Athens, but all across Greece. The expedition was undoubtedly significant for CSNTM in many respects, but for me it was the experience of a lifetime. This was my first time abroad and the first time to see the mission of CSNTM in action.

For the last year or so, I worked for the Center as a volunteer intern and have been recently hired as the new Intern Coordinator. I have been exposed to virtually all aspects of the organization, except for actually going on an expedition. With this incredible opportunity in Athens, I experienced the mission of CSNTM personally! Participating in the tedious, technical, and yet exciting digital preservation process, evaluating individual scribal habits, searching for significant textual variants, utilizing the very best in photographic and computer technology, developing new relationships with institutions for future expeditions, I was actually experiencing what CSNTM was all about!

From the moment we arrived in Athens, it was straight to work. We first went to the Greek Parliament, the Gennadios Library at the American School of Classical Studies, and then off to Athens University. At each one of these locations, we tried to do some front-end work for future expeditions. We evaluated and prepped some manuscripts, while gaining important contacts. Tuesday, it was off to the races with shooting. We arrived at the BXM bright and early to begin the shoot. All in all, we shot eight manuscripts consisting of just over 2,000 images in seven very full days of work. The last day of the shoot, J.D. and Paul stayed at the Byzantine to shoot the last manuscript while Dr. Wallace and I went back to some of the other locations to look at a few more manuscripts. During this time, we discovered a twelfth-century Gospels minuscule! After that, Wheatley and Wallace discovered another two Gospels manuscripts. Later, J.D. and Paul found fragments of a manuscript of Acts in the back of a Gospels manuscript. Altogether, this expedition yielded four New Testament manuscript discoveries!

Once we finished in Athens, we headed north to do some more front-end work. We first stopped off at Tirnavos, a little town off the beaten path. In the city library are hundreds of handwritten manuscripts, some New Testament manuscripts among them. (There aren’t too many city libraries in the States that have New Testament manuscripts, I imagine.) Then we headed to a place called Meteora. It was other-worldly, unlike anything I have ever seen before. Meteora, literally meaning, “suspended in air,” is one of the most beautiful landscapes in all of Greece. It is home to huge sandstone pillars that shoot straight up from the forest landscape below. Some of these pillars are home to centuries-old Greek Orthodox monasteries. At times, I felt like I was on a Hawaiian island; at other times, like I was back home in the Rocky Mountains of Utah. 

The greatest part about it though was the hospitality of the nuns at one of the monasteries we visited. One of our contacts at the Byzantine was able to call the Monastery of Agiou Stephanou (St. Stephen) and set up a time to look at their manuscript holdings. I have never experienced anything like this before. The monastery was impressive all around and from the very moment we arrived, the hospitality from the nuns was warm and unceasing. They offered us Greek coffee (which has the grounds in bottom of it!) and the best homemade baklava I have ever had. Additionally, they provided lunch for us. Their manuscripts were impressive too.

In addition to a very productive trip for CSNTM and discovering four manuscripts for the world of New Testament studies, our down time on the weekends included sight-seeing at the Acropolis and Aeropagos in Athens, a trip to the ancient city of Corinth, and on our way back from Meteora a brief stop at Thermopylae where the 300 Spartans fought off the million-man Persian army. Not bad for a kid who had never been outside the U.S., I think. All in all, the expedition was a huge success for CSNTM and an experience that I shall not soon forget.