Do You Allow Your Kids To Do Sleepovers?

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Tim Farley

I have young daughters and am thinking more and more about how to handle different situations that will eventually arise as they get older. One of those situations is the desire/request to have a sleepover at the home of a friend.

Here is what Tim Challies has to say about this issue and the decision he and his wife came to. Challies also quotes James Dobson in his blog post on this topic.

What do you think? Are sleepovers worth the risks? Are kids in more danger today than they were twenty or thirty years ago? What will (or would) you decide to do with your own children?

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New Sermon Series in the Works

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Tim Farley

I am currently in the middle of a sermon series on the book of 1 Peter. I will be in this series for several more weeks, but I am already beginning to do some groundwork on the next series. The problem is, I have a few ideas and want to get some input.

Here are some options that I am pondering:

1. A series on heaven, since the recent movie (based on the fast-selling book) Heaven Is For Real has people talking and confused about this topic.

2. A series on The Sermon on the Mount. I have been wanting to do a series on this for a couple of years, but the timing has never seemed quite right.

3. Something from the Old Testament since I have been in the New for the last two series. Perhaps Ruth.

Let me know what you think.

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Supreme Court Says Prayer OK

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Tim Farley

The Supreme Court has concluded that prayer at council meetings is constitutional.  I guess Martin will not have to un-invite me from their Memorial Day program.

You can find reports here and here.

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How Should Christians Think About the Violence of Football?

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Tim Farley

Protective sports equipment such as helmets ca...American football is a violent sport.  There is no secret to the number of injuries that happen on a regular basis.  Over the last few years the concerns of many have focused on the long-term impact of concussions on players, but other injuries are frequent and some even more serious.

I am and always have been a big fan of the sport.  I love the Cleveland Browns and Ohio State Buckeyes.  I hardly ever miss a chance to take in a game when they are televised.  However, given the violence of the sport, I am beginning to think more about how I should think in a Christian way about the sport.  Below are a couple of articles dealing with this topic.  The first is an article discussing the same question I am posing.  The second is the story of a child who was killed in a helmet-to-helmet hit during a game.  Read the articles and let me know what you think.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/mobile/article/tgc/debatable-is-football-too-violent-for-christians

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/york-prep-football-team-cancels-season-following-game-145922121.html

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Culture, religion, Worldview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It Has Always Been About Grace

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Tim Farley

Amazing Grace is a song that everyone knows.  I bet even your unbelieving family and friends know at least some of the words.  What amazes me is that most people, even non-Christians, like the song.

Well, it is a good song.  It is also a song that summarizes the Christian message very well.  After all, it does seem to restate the key elements of the gospel.  First, we humans are lost.  Romans 3:23 tells us this is true for all of us.  Secondly, we can only be saved by grace.  This is the heart of the New Testament.  Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  This is why we sing the gospel when we sing “I once was lost, but now am found.  Was blind, but now I see.”  This truly is amazing grace!

What about Old Testament believers?  Would they have liked the song Amazing Grace?  Would it have resonated with them like it does with us?

I often talk to people who think that grace is unique to the time after Jesus’ life on earth.  While Scripture clearly states that no one is justified through keeping the law (Galatians 2:15-16), it is sometimes incorrectly believed that people had to earn their salvation through works in the Old Testament, while believers today have it easy under grace.

God is, and always has been, saving people by grace through faith.  Ephesians 2:8-9 was as true for Adam, Noah, and Abraham as it is for us today.  When we trust God and his word he promises to save us.  He does not do this because we deserve it.  God is under no obligation to save us.  He does it simply because he chooses to do so as a show of his patient love and his grace.

In fact, the Old Testament law was about grace.  It was God’s gracious way of providing a way for lost sinners who trusted his word to be reconciled to him.  It was not the keeping of the law that saved the people.  It was their trust in God’s word that saved them.

Today, we place our trust in God’s word that tells us that a final sacrifice has been made that is sufficient to save us all.  Jesus Christ was crucified so that our sins could be atoned for.  Faith is trusting God that this is true.  When we place our faith in God’s word, he is gracious to save us.  And this is how God has been saving lost people since the beginning.

Amazing Grace resonates with us because it is true.  It would also resonate with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and every other Old Testament believer.  Of course, this assumes they like hymns.

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Logos Bible Software Church Curriculum

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Tim Farley

Abraham studyI am currently reviewing curriculum put together by Logos Bible Software as part of their Studies in Faithful Living series.  The curriculum I am exploring is Abraham: Following God’s Promise.

I love the concept of this series from Logos.  The curriculum gives you everything you need to launch a church-wide campaign: videos, slides, bulleting inserts, sermon ideas, and discussion guides.  There are also print editions of the book available for participants to take home.  I hope the quality of the material is as great as the idea behind it.

Check back in a few days for my complete review of this curriculum.  I will let you know what I think of the quality and the depth of this study on Abraham.

Have you used this study or any of the others in the Studies in Faithful Living series?  If so, let me know what you thought in the comments below.  If not, what do you think of this idea coming from Logos Bible Software?

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The Bible in Context: 1 Corinthians 2:9

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Tim Farley

1 Corinthians 2:9 is a favorite verse for those who like to talk about the future joys of heaven.  It sounds great:

What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him –

When read all by itself, it sounds like our future eternal home is going to be something that is otherworldly.  It is going to be something that we cannot even imagine.

When we stop to really look at the verse in its biblical context, it really says little, if anything, about heaven.

The context for this verse begins back in 1 Corinthians 1:18 where Paul says that the “word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing.”  The world listens to the Christian message and laughs it off as foolishness.  Jewish folks, who read their Old Testament Scriptures, cannot accept the Christian message of a crucified Messiah because it does not fit their understanding of the Scriptures and their expectations of the Messiah.  Greeks (all non-Jews) cannot accept a crucified and resurrected Savior because it makes no sense.  Dead people do not come back to life.  It is foolishness.

Paul goes on in chapter 2 to make the point that we do not come to a saving understanding of the gospel through manmade wisdom because natural wisdom rejects the gospel as nonsense.  In our verse, 1 Corinthians 2:9 Paul argues that the gospel message is beyond our natural wisdom.  This is Paul’s point when he says that “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined”.  The eye, the ear, and the heart (the inner person) are the natural means of gaining wisdom.  But these means do not bring us to the truth of the Christian gospel.  We need something more.

In 1 Corinthians 2:10, Paul tells us what it is that we need.

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

We need to work of the Spirit within us to reveal the truth and beauty of the Christian gospel.  Paul goes on later in 2:14:

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Paul’s concern in 1 Corinthians 1-2 has little or nothing to say about our eternal home.  He is concerned to speak of the folly of the cross of Christ; the Christian gospel.  The world says it is foolishness.  The Spirit convinces us of its saving power.

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The Bible in Context: Philippians 4:8

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Tim Farley

Quoting Scripture from memory can be a wonderful thing.  But, as with most things, there are also dangers.  How often have you heard someone recite a verse in an effort to offer biblical wisdom to a situation only to realize that the verse has been taken completely out of context?  Below is an example of such a text, which is often quoted (and mostly misquoted):

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

This verse is often quoted as if Paul wrote it as a general command for what Christians should have on their minds at all times.  I have seen this verse on the back of many youth group T-shirts.  This sounds good.  It sounds like the holy thing to do.  But it is not what the verse is really about if we look at the rest of the verses around it.

The context begins all the way back in Philippians 4:2 where Paul mentions that there are two women, Euodia and Syntyche, who are having a disagreement.  He encourages them to get past their disagreement and get along.  Paul then goes on to urge others in the church to help these women get along.  He tells them in verse 5 that they (the church in Philippi) should be known for their reasonableness.  What better way to be known for reasonableness than being able to work through disagreements and get along?  In verse 6, Paul instructs them to not be anxious, but instead seek God’s leading in prayer as they work through the problem with these women.  As a result, Paul says that the peace of God will guard their hearts (v. 7).

Here is where we get to our verse.  So far we have been reading Paul’s words to the church in Philippi about how they should handle this disagreement between Euodia and Syntyche.  When we get to verse 8, the context has not changed!  Paul says in verse 8 that when two people are at odds, they should not do what comes natural to us, which is to think about how worthless and terrible the other person is.  Instead, we should think about all of their best characteristics: what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy.  By doing this, it promotes peace rather than division.  In fact, Paul says that by doing these things, the God of peace will be with you.

So, Philippians 4:8 is not a general statement about what Christians should be thinking about all of the time.  It is the Bible’s instruction to us concerning how we should think about the person we have a disagreement with.  It is instruction concerning how to promote peace within the church rather than division.  Let us memorize it and recall it when we need it most.

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What To Do With Books I Own In Multiple Formats?

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Tim Farley

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 Tim Farley

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