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​Every Sphere

Understanding the Times, Part 4: The Framework of History

11/29/2022

 
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Understanding the Times: Part 4
The Framework of History
by T.M. Moore at The Fellowship of Ailbe 
We cannot understand our times, or know what we should do in them, unless we see our times in the larger framework of history. There is a framework of history, and Christians can know it. Jesus reveals it to us in the parable of the wheat and the tares, and this is the subject of our study.

The field is the world, where the Son of Man goes forth daily, sowing seeds of the Kingdom. The enemy seeks to thwart His work, but to no avail. On the final day of harvest at the end of the age, the Lord returns not to a weed field, ready to be burned, but to a glorious wheat field, infested with weeds, but brimming with fruit for the Kingdom and glory of God.

Is this our understanding of history? If so, then we will order our lives accordingly. If not, then we are probably allowing our under-the-sun contemporaries to tell us how we ought to live, while our under-the-heavens calling to the Kingdom and glory of God languishes without fruit.

Men and brethren, these things ought not be.

​ReVision studies are designed as brief introductions to the subject under consideration. We hope they will enlarge your worldview, help you to become more firmly rooted in Scripture, equip you to minister to others, and stimulate you to want to learn more about the Word of God and the Biblical worldview.
Click here to read the whole study and/or download this resource.

Understanding the Times, Part 3: The Religion of Secularism

11/17/2022

 
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Understanding the Times: Part 3
The Religion of Secularism
by T.M. Moore at The Fellowship of Ailbe 

The Fellowship of Ailbe is a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic tradition. At the Fellowship of Ailbe website, you can find many helpful resources to grow deeper and wider in your faith in Christ.

This post contains Part 2, in a series by T.M. Moore on Understanding the Times. Here's T.M.'s introduction to Part 3...
Our friends and neighbors who have chosen to live under the sun rather than under the heavens congratulate themselves for having outgrown what they consider the childish and futile practices of religion.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

Our secular friends are as seriously religious as we are. They’ve simply chosen to follow a religion other than that of the Bible.

Secularism is a belief system and, therefore, merely another form of religion. But what does it worship? How does it counsel us to live? And how’s it doing as a religious faith?

These are some of the questions we will explore in this study as we continue seeking to understand the times in which we live, so that we as Christ’s witnesses might know what we should do.

​ReVision studies are designed as brief introductions to the subject under consideration. We hope they will enlarge your worldview, help you to become more firmly rooted in Scripture, equip you to minister to others, and stimulate you to want to learn more about the Word of God and the Biblical worldview. 
Click here to read the whole study and/or download this resource.

What Is Truth?

11/12/2022

 
What Is Truth?
by R.C. Sproul at Ligonier Ministries

Why Study Doctrine?

11/11/2022

 
Foundations of Christian Doctrine: Part 1
Why Study Doctrine?
by William Lane Craig at Reasonable Faith

Pursuing Scriptural Holiness

11/8/2022

 
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​All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Our True Rule
 
The United Methodist Church, by way of its denominational standard, addresses the sufficiency of Scripture. The 2008 Book of Discipline reminds us, Scripture is “necessary for salvation” and is “the true rule and guide for faith and practice.”
 
The "practice" referenced is the practice of our faith, the exercise of living this life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and preparing for the next. We believe God expects us to live such a life in accordance with Scripture’s direction, rules, laws, commands, examples, teachings, principles, and all the rest. That covers a great deal of ground.
 
Scriptural Holiness
 
United Methodists believe that what John Wesley called scriptural holiness relates to both our inward walk with Christ and the outward expression of that relationship with our neighbors. Our Doctrinal Statements, General Rules, and Social Principles cover an enormous variety of topics, such as God, the Church, the Bible, discipleship, economics, environment, bioethics, justice, marriage, parenting, politics, poverty, and yes, our precious Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that comes through him. In all these spheres and more, Scripture is our “true rule and guide for faith and practice.”
 
The 2008 Discipline says this about scriptural holiness,
 
We insist that personal salvation always involves Christian mission and service to the world. By joining heart and hand, we assert that personal religion, evangelical witness, and Christian social action are reciprocal and mutually reinforcing.
 
Scriptural holiness entails more than personal piety; love of God is always linked with love of neighbor, a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world.
 
Every Sphere
 
In other words, Scripture is sufficient for every sphere of life. This is what our Discipline means when it reminds us that Scripture is “necessary for salvation” and is “the true rule and guide for faith and practice.”
 
So, while the Bible doesn’t, for example, teach me how to change the oil in my car, it still directs and guides me to do even something as mundane (and as important) as that to God’s glory. It teaches me to be a good steward of what God has provided. And caring for my car in such a manner shows my love for my closest neighbors - my family.
 
The Apostle Paul teaches us,
 
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
 
Scripture is profitable for every area of your life. He doesn’t use the same language here, but Paul is saying Scripture is sufficient for every sphere of life. Bishop Mack Stokes addressed this by writing,
 
Immediately following the “General Rules,” Wesley wrote, ‘These are the General Rules of our society; all which are taught of God to observe, even in his written Word, which is the only rule, and the sufficient rule, both of our faith and practice.’ (The Bible in the Wesleyan Heritage, p. 21)
 
Understanding that Scripture is sufficient for faith and practice is not the same as saying the Bible is a science textbook, a political constitution, or a manual for how to care for your car. But the Bible clearly does have something (and something important) to say about those areas of life and far more.
 
Wayne Grudem, (who is not a United Methodist), shares this definition for the sufficiency of Scripture, which I believe is helpful. He writes,
 
The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly. (Systematic Theology, p. 127)
 
God commands us to submit to our Lord in every sphere of life and he guides us in that quest in and through his Word. It is sufficient for such a grand pursuit.
 
Walking Points

  • We rightly think of Scripture’s sufficiency for things like salvation, doctrinal belief, prayer, and worship. But consider the list below and discuss with your Christian brothers how the Bible is sufficient for topics such as these:
 
  • Art
  • Music
  • The Environment
  • Your Workplace
  • Caring for Your Car
  • Your Finances
  • Entertainment and Leisure
 
  • What are some ways you can start expanding your view of Scripture’s relevance in your life?
 

A Long Surrender: A Scientist’s Path from Atheism to Christian Theism

11/5/2022

 
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A Long Surrender: A Scientist’s Path from Atheism to Christian Theism
by Gunter Bechley of The Discovery Institute
Featured at Salvo
​When atheists hear conversion stories that begin with, “I was a staunch atheist and then  . . . ”, they tend to roll their eyes and doubt the claim. However, this is exactly what happened to me. I had been a 150-percent atheist and materialist for almost forty years before I embarked on a spiritual journey that ultimately, after many twists and turns, led me to belief in God and Christianity. I had no life crisis, no epiphany, and no spiritual experiences at all. It was the result of purely rational, scientific, philosophical, and historical arguments that gradually changed my mind as a scientist. Here is my story.
Read the Bechley's whole story by clicking here.

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