The Necessity of an Enemy by Ron Carpenter Jr.

             Most people view their enemies as, well, enemies. Given the fact that enemies normally come to do us harm and not good, this is an easy evaluation for anyone to make. However, as Pastor Ron Carpenter Jr. writes in his book The Necessity of an Enemy, perhaps we should see our enemies less as obstacles and more as opportunities.
             Pastor Carpenter writes early in his book, an enemy can be defined as "the people, weaknesses and situations in your life that try to destroy the passion you have for God's purpose and plans for you" (pg. 8). He quickly distinguishes that it is not necessarily the person who is your enemy but the spiritual force behind the person who is endeavoring to keep you from what God has created you to be and what He has created you to do. But he firmly establishes the fact that enemies come with many weapons that are designed to thwart us from our destiny.
              The book is divided into eight parts. Though the material builds on the previous segments, each one has valuable insights and scriptural truths which can be used to strengthen a person spiritually and to better equip them for the inevitable conflict they will encounter in life. Each "chapter" (though not marked as a chapter) is only a few pages and can be read even by a person with limited time available.
              One unique feature of the book is the study guide included at the end. The guide is designed for small group use, including instructions on how to structure each meeting. I found this to be a valuable help, and can easily see how such a precious resource could be an invaluable tool for a church, Bible study or even personal devotional time. I would encourage anyone who reads this book to take the time to use the study guide to explore the material thoroughly.
             In the Acknowledgements page at the end of the book, Ron carpenter writes "After over four decades of life with over twenty years in ministry, this first book is long overdue." If what I have read is any indication of the reservoir of spiritual riches inside the author, then I agree with his assessment. I only hope the wait is not as long for his second book. I received this book for free from "WaterBrook/Multnomah Publishing Group" for this review. I am glad I had the privilege of reading it. You may read an excerpt of the first chapter  at Read Chapter One.

Twelve Unlikely Heroes by John MacArthur

              
                                                           
                Dr. John MacArthur is no stranger in the world of Christian preachers, nor is he in the world of Christian authors. In one of his newest books, Twelve Unlikely Heroes, he again writes as an experienced minister and established author to challenge his readers to grow more into the image of Jesus Christ by examining the lives of those some would call heroes and recognizing the Godly traits in their lives which earned their place in the historical Biblical record.
                The book does as it's title suggests, it looks at twelve unlikely heroes. The characters chosen to be examined by MacArthur include women like Esther, prophets like John the Baptist, and runaway slaves like Onesimus. Pastor Macarthur establishes early on that what ultimately made the individuals great was not just their achievements, but the God who was behind them and enabling them to do great exploits for Him.
                You may or may not find yourself agreeing with the author's choice of Biblical characters to review. I, for one, found Jonah and Miriam in particular not quite the image I had in mind when I think of a hero. But perhaprs this simply further establishes the writer's point in his introduction to the book that "And these true heroes who make an eternal impact are invariably the most unexpected and ordinary people - God makes unlikely heroes" (introduction - pg. x).
                The chapters are simple enough and short enough that one can easily read a chapter at a time and gain much from each seperate segmment. One thing Dr. MacArthur consistently does in all of his sermons and writings is provide a rich amount of background about the lives of those he explores, and he does not disappoint in this book either.
                This book was given to me complimentary as a part of the book review program for bloggers at www.booksneeze.com. I am thankful that I made it my choice and would recommend it to those who desire more knowledge of the Biblical characters they frequently read about but sometimes overlook. And if one point can be made from Dr. MacArthur's treatise, it is that the men and women God uses are ordinary people, just like you and me. If we will yield ourselves to God and His word, though we may be overlooked and unrecognized in the eyes of the world, we, too, can be unlikely heroes to our father in heaven.

Tithing by Douglas Leblanc

   

        The question of tithing as a valid practice in the Christian church today is a hotly debated subject among many. But the book Tithing:Test Me in This by Douglas Leblanc never attempts to tackle the issue of the validity of the practice in our century. Instead, Mr. Leblanc invites the reader to meet 12 different families who have practiced this discipline and to learn how it has affected each of their lives. The book is one of eight volunmes found in the Ancient Practices series that explore eight different disciplines of faith.
         I was not particularly looking for another theology lesson on tithing when I approached this book and I was not disappointed. Instead, what I discovered was an intriguing look into the lives of each family the author interviewed, individuals who consider tithing both scriptural and necessary for their personal lives. Their stories consistently abound with the lessons they learned, such as putting God first, trusting Him when it looked as if they would not survive by giving and doing more than they ever thought they could. It challenged me to reexamine the Biblical principle of tithing that I have believed and practiced for over 20 years, and in doing so made me recognize it again not as a mere ritual, but as a response to a love relationship with a God who loves the world and wants to change people's lives, including the way they approach their finances.
         The author purposely does not espouse one group of beliefs as the standard of the tithing practice. But what he does is talk about the rich and the poor, Christian writers and Jewish Rabbis, the young and the old, Episcopalians, Adventists, Church of God Pastors and others. The range of tithers is so wide that it leaves no room for criticism that the author may have been trying to focus on one specific people group. Doug Leblanc has done an excellent job by including those from all walks of life.
          This book was given to me complimentary as a part of the book review program for bloggers at www.booksneeze.com. I am thankful that I made it my choice and would recommend it to those who are not looking for more theological arguments, but would like to hear the personal experiences and results of those who practice what has already been preached many times before.

Grace - The End

Revelation 22:21 - "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

The Bible is a multi faceted book, with a variety of topics and issues thtat it addresses throughout it's pages. It is 66 books, 1,189 chapters and 31,102 verses. While the book is obviously about God (and His relationship to man), in choosing a statement to summarize the message it attempts to convey, it can be a bit cahllenging until we come to the last verse of the Bible, Revelation 22:21.

This last statement utterred in scripture pronounces to us God's desire for all of us on the planet. It is His desire that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of us. In those individual words are a plethora of concepts which explore the limitless measure of God's love for mankind.

Grace - The unmerited, unearned favor and empowerment of God (which brings salvation - Titus 2)
Lord - The one who rules over and governs the course of our lives.
Jesus - God in human flesh who dies for our sins
Christ - The anointed one
Be - Have a permanent state of residence in our lives
all - This is for everybody
amen - so be it

When God wanted to finish the book that he penned through the hands of men, he summarizes it's contents in one sentence by saying "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." Grace is the end.

So quit striving, working, laboring and toiling to earn God's favor. Receive by faith the grace which will enable you to stand to rest in the presence of God.

The end.

Happy Reformation Day!

Perhaps the title of the blog may throw you, with much attention going to Halloween today. But, please, let's not forget the significance of this day...dating back to many ages gone by. On October 31, 1517 an Augustinian monk by the name of Martin Luther nailed a proclamation "95 Theses on the Power of Indulgences" to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. This was the normal practice in that age for those who wished to announce a public debate. Yet, little did Martin Luther realize the impact his actions would have not only on him, but on the entire world for hundreds of years to come.

The thesis directly confronted the misuse of practices such as indulgences in the Catholic Church. It challenged the authority of the Pope and would eventually be remembered as the start of the Protestant Reformation. Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic church, lived amidst constant threat of death and even remained hidden for a season, during which some of his most popular writings were penned.

For everyone who worships in any branch of the Protestant church today throughout the world, it is because of this one man that we may thank God for the knowledge we have of our priesthood as believers, of our ability to approach God without fear and most of all for the revelation that salvation is by grace through faith. None of those truths previously mentioned were the commonly accepted norms of the day and age Luther lived in.

For those so inclined to read the 95 theses, it is available at www.blueletterbible.org/study/95theses.cfm. Recommended reading about Luther and his life may be found in the book Here I Stand by Roland Bainton (online versions are available).

So, Happy Reformation Day! May we not take for granted the freedom we have to worship God and may we remember those like Luther who stood against all opposition to hold firm to the truth that "the just shall live by faith".

The Fatherless

James 1:27 - "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (KJV)

It's Father's Day weekend and I'm a daddy, so I enjoy the Holiday. My kids (with my wife's assistance) are taking me out somewhere on Sunday and I'm looking forward to it. But, let's face it, Father's Day is not pleasant for a lot of people, for a lot of reasons.

Some have grown up in sexually and/or physically abusive households. Others have grown up not knowing their real father. Even more were devasted by the divorce of their parents as they grew up. And then there are those whose father died years earlier. No, it's not a joyous occasion for many people.

Several years ago, I preached a message called "Are You My Father" from the scripture above (and modifying the title from a Dr. Seuss book called "Are You My Mother"?). The bottom line was this, scripture exhorts us to take care of the fatherless and widows and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. Visit means more than just 'drop by the house'. Combining Thayer and Strong's definitions, it implies 'to inspect, examine with the eyes, to look upon in order to help or benefit'. It is an action word. You don't just pity them. You do something to help them.

The amount of single mothers in our country is staggering. And the amount of boys that grow up not having any male role models is equally unencouraging. But that's where all of us can be a blessing. Start to visit the fatherless (and widows) and ask yourself 'what CAN I do to help'. Then go out and do it. And especially if you are someone who grew up with an absentee or ungodly father, don't allow your past to dictate your future. Be the blessing to someone else that you always wanted someone to be for you.

I pray that on this Father's Day all of us will open our eyes and examine the need around us. We truly live in a fatherless generation. But for us there is one God and Father of all, who is above all and in all and through all. And it is Him that everyone needs to know as their very own heavenly father.

Now, I once again have to go and kick myself for writing yet another blog that I will now be forced to apply in my own life. Perhaps next time I'll choose a more personally advantageous topic, like 'The God Who Rewards Openly" or "10 Bible Reasons Why Bloggers Need Government Grants (or Bailouts)". God bless everyone and Happy Father's Day.

Striving To Get Some Rest

Hebrews 4:11, 3 (ESV) - "Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience." V. 3 - "For we which have believed do enter into rest."

I am an extremely light sleeper. I can hear a leaf blow in the back yard, and all of my conspiracy theory studies make me confident that it is surely an attack from a group of neo-nazi satanists, intent on infiltrating my peaceful domain and disrupting the order of the space-time continuum. Well, maybe not. But, it means I only get a few hours of sleep a night.

Rest naturally can sometimes be hard for people to obtain. But rest 'spiritually' seems next to impossible for some to achieve. The difference in obtaining spiritual rest is found in this passage, and yet it seems very paradoxical. We are to strive to enter into rest. Huh?

Other translations of this verse say we are to labour, to be diligent and to do our best to enter into rest. So, obtaining rest is not automatic. It takes effort. And what is the primary ingredient in this rest? That answer is found in verse 3, where it states "For we which have believed do enter into rest." If you want to rest spiritually, you have to believe God.

You might ask, 'what exactly are we to believe?' (go ahead...ask). In the context of this passage in Hebrews 4, we are to believe His promise. Which one? A promise of rest (Hebrews 4:9). You must not be slack in trusting God. You must guard your faith and quiet your heart before Him. If you never fully trust God with your life, you will never be at rest. And, consequentially, you will strive after the WRONG things to give you peace and rest. Our rest is found in Him. Christ is our refuge.

So if you're gonna work on something, work on rest. Believe God is who He said He is, will do what He said He will do and that He is faithful to watch over His word to perform it. You won't have to strive after everything else to give you confidence and assurance. You will be at rest in Him.

May God guide your steps to enter into rest. Now...if you'll excuse me...I think I need a nap.