Tag Archives: Entertainment

An Evaluation of the Open View of God

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Introduction The traditional Christian view of God says that He knows all things. This refers to knowledge of things that have occurred, that are occurring, and that will occur, and includes the future free choices of every human being. It also includes certain knowledge of everything that would have occurred under any set of circumstances (The Moody Handbook of Theology, Paul Enns, editor, 194–195). This all-encompassing knowledge, when referring to everything that has happened or that will happen, is sometimes described as God’s decree.

What Constitutes Worthy Worship?

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There is a great deal of confusion today about what constitutes appropriate worship, whether we are talking about personal or corporate worship of God. Some expect worship to make them feel good and therefore want church services by which they feel affirmed and satisfied. Others link worship with entertainment, and church services are planned accordingly. These views mistakenly assume that worship is intended to enhance the personal pleasure of the worshipper. This is not true. What does the Bible have to say about appropriate worship?

Resources For Preaching

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Those who have listened to preaching for at least a generation are likely to observe that it is not what it was. On the basis of both anecdote and memory, it is on balance neither as interesting nor as compelling as it was within living memory. Furthermore, the results are not the same. First-time adult decisions for salvation used to be relatively common in many churches every Sunday. Now such decisions have to be programmed, usually after inducing people to make decisions in their own homes and then persuading them to come to church to go forward.

A Church Worth Choosing

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“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). It is an old truism that if you ever find the perfect church, don’t join it, or you will spoil it. Families in this country move once in about five or six years, and usually the believers among them will face the concern of finding a church to join. Of the standards they observe in making their choice, all the doctrines and practices might be summed up by asking, Is this a place where they feel comfortable?

Worship That Pleases God

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Genesis 4:3–8 describes this first act of worship recorded in human history. Two brothers, Cain and Abel, brought an offering to the Lord. Each worshipper brought something of his own as an offering to Jehovah. Cain brought some fruit or grain from the ground. Abel brought some lambs from his fold. The Lord respected Abel and his offering, but the Lord did not respect Cain and his offering. Bible commentators have voiced several opinions as to why Abel’s offering was more excellent than Cain’s.

Third Generation Christians

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“And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel” Joshua 2:10. Regarding those who may be described as third generation Christians, they appear that way not so much by numerical succession as by attitude. A fifth generation believer may maintain the freshness of his salvation and discovery. A second generation believer may leave the convictions of his parents, take everything for granted, and thereby compress decades of Christian experience into a fraction of a lifetime.

Three Principles for Biblical Church Growth, Part 2

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Dr. Luke’s account of the church in Antioch (Acts 11:19–30) yields three principles for Biblical church growth. The previous issue of the Faith Pulpit explained the first principle: “Reach Out To The Lost” (11:19–21). The believers in Antioch shared the good news of Christ with their neighbors, “and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord” (11:21). Reports of church growth reached the believers in Jerusalem. Earlier they had sent Peter and John to Samaria (8:14). This time they sent Barnabas to Antioch (11:22).

Elements of Balanced Preaching

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Preaching is one of my favorite subjects to read about, think about, and talk about. In fact, it is one of my priorities in my personal ministry. How great is the priority of preaching for you? Whereas some preachers say that they hold to a high view of Scripture, they seem to have lowered their confidence in God’s Word when they preach it. In general there seems to be a decreasing confidence in the pulpit ministry. Preachers who experience a crisis in personal identity and who have no clear and bold conviction about preaching often seem to lack a Biblical focus in other aspects of ministry.