What To Do With Books I Own In Multiple Formats?

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

I have been moving to ebooks.  I have made this move not necessarily out of a greater love for the electronic format, but out of the convenience of being able to have access to so much information (my entire library) all the time.  It is nice not having to lug around books any longer.

However, now I have a small question.  What do I do with books I own hard copies and electronic copies of?  I am a little worried about getting rid of hard copies when there is no guarantee that my electronic version will continue to work 10 or 20 years from now.  After all, who knows if the software I use will still be around then?

So, what do you think?  Answer in the poll below.

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Are You “Filled” with the Spirit?, Part 2 – A Question

Posted on November 8, 2011 by

In my last post, I said that the Holy Spirit is a person.  One question I have received regarding this is what I mean by this statement.

Well, let me clarify.  When we say that the Father, Son and Spirit are one God who eternally exists as three persons, we do not mean that God the Father or God the Spirit became human beings as God the Son did.  It simply means that each member of the Trinity, which includes the Spirit, thinks, acts, feels, speaks, and relates because they are persons, not impersonal forces.  This is why the Spirit is a “he” and not an “it”.

So, as I stated earlier, because the Spirit is a person, you either have him or you do not.  You cannot divide him up into parts and only have a piece of him.  So whatever, “be filled with the Spirit” means, it does not mean that you need to have more of the actual presence of the Spirit.  If you are a believer, you already have all of him all of the time.

Posted in Bible Study, Holy Spirit | 4 Comments

Are You “Filled” with the Spirit?, Part 1

Posted on November 3, 2011 by
fresco at the Karlskirche in vienna (by Johann...

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There is a great deal of debate, and what I believe is confusion, about the Holy Spirit’s role in the life of the believer.  Probably one of the central verses in any discussion of the Spirit is Ephesians 5:18.  Paul writes:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…

There is a good deal of confusion over what this passage actually means.  Some have said that we are like empty vessels that need to be filled with more and more of the Holy Spirit.  Others make a case that it is more the idea of letting the Spirit of God take control of our lives.  Still others say that being filled with the Spirit is similar to being filled with joy or peace or anger.  It is a way of saying that you are characterized in a certain way, in this case by life in the Spirit.

In this post, I want to start by stating what I think we can quickly conclude “being filled with the Spirit” is not.  It is not getting more of the Holy Spirit.

Why do I believe this?  Because the Holy Spirit is a person, not an object.  You either have him or you do not.  You cannot divide him up into pieces (e.g. first you get his arm, then his leg, now his foot, etc.).

Also, Scripture tells us that when a person is born again, he/she receives the Holy Spirit.  Paul just finished saying as much earlier in Ephesians in 1:13-14:

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Paul also tells us in Romans 8:9 that anyone who does not have the Spirit does not belong to Christ.

To be saved (i.e. born again) is to have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, who is a person, not an object.  You either have him or you do not.

So, whatever “be filled with the Spirit” means, it does not mean that you get more of the Holy Spirit in your life.  It must mean something else.  I will get to that in my next post.  Stay with me…

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A Thought on Politics and Christianity

Posted on March 18, 2011 by

I am studying for a sermon from Luke 19:28-44 and ran across a quote from Darrell Bock that has me thinking.  The quote comes from The NIV Application Commentary on Luke:

Society certainly runs better when it is conducted on a high moral plane; and in democracies like those in the Western world, we should share in the public square.  But we should not confuse the church with government, or vice versa.  To transform humanity, a change in the heart is needed.  That is not the business of government, nor can it be achieved by laws; rather, it is a part of the church’s prophetic call and the work of God’s Spirit.

It seems to me that we, as Christians, are often quick to point out how our world is falling apart because our governments have let us down.  I think Bock’s statement is insightful because it reminds us that the the responsibility to “change hearts” is not our government’s.  It is the church’s.  Only the power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit change people from the inside out.  Laws do not change hearts.

Maybe the church should stop placing the blame on others and take a long look in the mirror and ask if we are doing what we have been called to do.  What do you think?

Posted in Church, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sermon Files Back Online

Posted on March 8, 2011 by

Well, I have finally gotten around to making my sermons available online via an audio player. This means you can listen to them without the necessity of downloading the files to your computer. Of course, if you prefer to download that is still a possibility as well.

We just finished a study of the book of Esther at our church. If you would like to hear any of the sermons, you will find them at http://sermon.net/bdalechurch . This link will open in another page with an audio player. I am still in the process of uploading older files, so check back soon. There will be sermons from the Parables of Christ and 2 Timothy added over the next few days. Also, I am beginning a series on Christ’s Passion Week this Sunday, which will lead up to Easter.  The new sermons will be added each Monday.

If you would like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do so by placing the following URL into your podcast software (e.g. iTunes): http://sermon.net/bdalechurch/rss .  By subscribing to the podcast, your computer will automatically download new sermon files as they become available.

If you listen, I would love to hear your feedback.  Feel free to leave a comment here or in the audio player under the “Comment” tab.  I hope you enjoy.

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Avoiding the Phrase ‘Son of God’

Posted on February 24, 2011 by

I just received this month’s copy of Christianity Today in the mail.  I have only had time to read the cover story, but it is quite interesting.  It seems that some Bible translators and missionaries to Muslim countries are rethinking the phrase ‘Son of God’ found in the Bible.

The concern is that the title, one of Scripture’s most repeated for Jesus, can be very offensive to Muslims and make it nearly impossible to talk them about the gospel.  So, newer translations are replacing ‘Son of God’ with “the Beloved Son who comes (or originates) from God”, “the One who is like a Son to the living God”, or “the Christ, the Beloved One of the Living God” (notice that this last option makes ‘Son of God’ and ‘Christ’ synonyms).

As you can imagine, there are those not too happy about such a change.  Read the entire article here and then let me know what you think in the comments.

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A Great Way to Read Through the Bible

Posted on January 27, 2011 by

I have read through the Bible many times over the years using many different plans: cover-to-cover, chronological, both Old and New Testament readings each day, etc.  However, I have found one thing to be true about all of the reading plans I have tried.  I would read, read, read, but I never consistently found myself actually applying what I had just read to my life.  I was reading for information, not application.  I was able to check a box at the end of the day signifying completion of the task, but it seemed a bit hollow.

Well, this year, our church came across a new resource that I am very excited about.  It is called LifeWalk.  It comes in a magazine format and is published monthly.  Like every Bible reading plan, each day, LifeWalk asks you to read a few chapters from the Bible.  However, it does not stop there.  The guide has a daily overview to help you understand what you just read plus a daily devotional thought that helps the reader apply a key part of the day’s reading to his/her life.

We have nearly 100 people reading through their Bibles this year using LifeWalk and many of them have shared with me how much they are enjoying the journey this time.  Like me, many of them have shared that moving from information to application has always been a huge struggle.  LifeWalk has helped to bridge that gap.

Have you ever used LifeWalk to read through the Bible?  What are your thoughts?

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Journibles – What a Concept!

Posted on September 30, 2010 by

Early this week, I returned from a pastors’ conference here in Michigan.  Conferences are always a great place to pick up free books and/or deep discounts on resources from the bookstores and publishers present.

At this conference, I was given a new product that has really gotten me excited.  It is called a “Journible”.  At first glance, it looks like any other pre-packaged, hardbound journal.  But Journibles are not ordinary journals.

Journibles are focused on getting their owners to hand-write the Bible.  The idea comes from Deuteronomy 17:18, which is where we find Moses saying that the king should obtain a copy of the Law of God and hand write a copy for himself when he becomes king.  The idea is that he would have his own copy and that he would know what it contained because he had taken the time to write it out.  What an amazing concept!  Even today, it is recognized by many educators that writing things down helps a person remember them far longer than just listening to or reading material.

With that in mind, the idea of the Journible was born.  The pages are pre-set with chapter and verse numbers for specific books of the Bible.  The writer simply copies the text from whatever Bible version he/she chooses into the correct place.  The way the Journibles are laid out, the Bible text is copied only onto the right-hand page, while the left-hand page is left for notes or other thoughts.

So far, Journibles are available for Proverbs, John, Romans, Galatians through 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy through Hebrews, and James through Jude.  If you are interested, the can be purchased here.

What do you think?  Is this a product you would be interested in?  Is there value in hand-writing our own copies of scripture?

Posted in Bible Study | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Audio Files Are Being Re-Organized

Posted on September 21, 2010 by

If you are looking for my “Audio Files” page, which contained many of my old sermons, please note that I am currently working on a new version of that page.  I was never pleased with the number of steps involved with downloading a file.  Plus, I have reworked several of the sermons as I have had a chance to preach the same passages again.

In the next few days I will determine the best way to organize and distribute these files.  I am not sure if I should just put all the files up (including multiple sermons from the same passage), or just the latest.  Just know, the audio files will return in some form.  If you have any thoughts or suggestions, feel free to comment.

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Can Anything Be A Religion?

Posted on September 16, 2010 by

I read a very interesting article today that I came across on Yahoo’s homepage.  The title of the article is “NC Teen: Nose Ring More Than Fashion, It’s Faith”.

Apparently, a high school girl in North Carolina has been suspended for wearing a nose ring against school dress code.  At issue is the girl’s (and her mother’s) claim that she has the right to wear her nose ring because it is a part of her religion.  She and her mother belong to the “Church of Body Modification”.  They argue that this issue falls under protections offered by the First Amendment.

The Church of Body Modification has “a clergy, a statement of beliefs and a formal process for accepting new members.”  I guess this is the primary argument that this is a real religion.  One of the church’s own clergy defines the church as “a non-theistic faith that draws people who see tattoos, piercings and other physical alterations as ways of experiencing the divine.”

This is an interesting case.  It has really raised the question about what qualifies as a true religion.  Who decides if a religion is authentic or just a clever way for a group of people to beat the system?

One interesting thing that the article brings up is the fact that the courts have dealt with the Church of Body Modification in the past.  “…a woman was fired from her job at a Costco store over her eyebrow ring. The woman was also a member of the Church of Body Modification, but the courts eventually ruled that her religious beliefs did not require her to always wear her jewelry.”

This decision does not seem to bode well for the high school girl in this case.

Here are some of the comments posted by Yahoo! users (there are many more):

Stuart wrote: hmmmm, this gives me an idea. Can I go ahead and start my own religion and set up a clergy, get a statement of beliefs etc? My main tenent is going to be that it is against my religious beliefs to pay any taxes. What do you bet I could get more converts than this just as made up and just as phony religion?

JeanetteP wrote: nobody is forcing her to go to that school . she has freedom to choose a different school. “oh im so oppressed”. Really?! why are we wasting time on this ridiculous topic. if i join the church of violent crusades at school (not a real organization) do i get to be violent at school in the name of religion. We couldnt pray at our high school graduation because of the separation of church and state yet she gets to wear a stinkin nose ring? If i cant pray at school why should she get to wear that thing. im tired of double standards.

Lorain wrote:  Ok, this is ridiculous. First off I have 3 piercings on my face (nose, lip and micro dermal) and am SHOCKED this is getting this far. The “Church of body modification” is a joke, invented EXACTLY for this purpose. I’m sorry but some random 14 year old girl with a nose ring should NOT be tolerated in school. End of subject. We have rules and guidelines for a reason and whats next? All the kids in school, just make up a religion (or “join” this pre fabricated one!) and dress and act like you want! Please, school is for learning and building an education.  Obviously this girl and her mother are more interested in a fashion statement than an education which is sad. The “mother” should stop wasting time and just put the girl on the streets, which is where she is headed with this kind of attitude and disregard for education. Good job!

So, what do you think?  About this particular situation?  About how to determine if a religion is legitimate or simply a way for people to get their own wishes?

Posted in Church Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment