The Old Mission Field - Gene Veith

I came across this article from an old copy of Tabletalk.  Particularly I love how Dr. Veith closes the article, in terms of revising our perspective on international missions:

But we would do well to think of ourselves in the same way we used to think about the lost people of the mission field. We have become the new heathen. We Americans are the ones now in thrall to primitive superstitions, such as believing in the power of positive thinking and having faith in ourselves. We are the ones held back by a materialistic worldview that has little conception of the supernatural. We are the ones with brutal customs, such as aborting our infants, neglecting our children, and abandoning and sometimes euthanizing our elders. We have simple, pounding music, and we are uneducated about the realities outside of our tribe. With our limited mind-set, we have trouble grasping the truths of Scripture.
But the grace of God brings the light of Jesus Christ into heathen darkness — even into our heathen darkness.

Free Audio Bible Download | Faith Comes By Hearing

Free Audio Bible Download | Faith Comes By Hearing

Romans 8:38 and Eternal Security

Here's a link to a message by Phil Johnson on eternal security. I will admit that the fifth point of Calvinism - the perseverance of the saints - remains the one of the five that I have the most trouble with. Even election I'm fine with, but the teaching that no genuine believer can ever leave the faith is one I do find myself wrestling with from time to time, especially when you know of people who, once vibrant in the faith, have let it lapse. Maybe the genuine faith wasn't there to begin with (1 John 2:19) but it still remains one of those I toss around in my head. Can one be a 4.5-point Calvinist? :)

Another fun description for Paedobaptists (from W. R. Downing of Free Grace Baptist Church)

I was listening to an excellent message W. R. Downing on a sermonaudio message from Free Grace Baptist, on the subject of Zacchaeus, but somewhat off-topic, the opening of the sermon (I'm guessing this was some sort of bridge conversation from the previous class) has Pastor Downing describing a term for paedobaptists as "Paedokefalosrhantizo" (forgive the spelling - still learning some of the Greek nuinaces):

paedo - infant
kefalos - the head
rhantizo - sprinkles

I like this. I need to remember this next time I chat with one of my Presbyterian friends... :)

Dr. Michael Oh and "Why I Didn't Go to Westminster Theological Seminary"

A brief yet convicting message delivered by Dr. Michael Oh at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, PA, in which he challenges WTS to be more globally focused, particularly in light of the "1040 window", a term new to me, that refers to the area across Africa and Asia from 10 degrees latitude north of the equator to 40 degrees latitude north of the equator, an area of the 55 least evangelized countries, with 97% of their population lives within this area.

Dr. Oh's message addresses the need for theological training and Christian ministry with a focus towards this area, even urging the listeners to consider giving a tithe of years of service to this under-evangelized area.

Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls

Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls resource page maintained by Tyler F. Williams

I Kings 18: 36-37

The following is a devotional I wrote years ago for Alpha-Omega:

Prayer is foundational in the life of a believer. It is our means of communicating directly with our creator. Throughout the Bible we read many examples of the power and importance of prayer. A notable example
from the Old Testament is that of the life of Elijah. In I Kings we read about how Elijah was able to perform incredible miracles such as calling down fire from heaven and restoring a widow's child to life again, all accomplished by God's power through prayer. Elijah trusted in God and called on Him during time
of trial, such as when he faced off against the fifty prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Even in a very frightening situation in which he was alone and seriously outnumbered, Elijah's prayer was one of complete and total devotion to God, in which he asked of God for a display of His power before the false prophets, wicked King Ahab and the multitudes of Israel:

“O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so there people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again” (I Kings 18: 36-37)

God responded to Elijah's prayer, displayed His might to the assembly, and brought about change in the heart of Israel (vs. 39). And just as Elijah was consistent in his prayer throughout his ministry, we too should continue to be persistent in our own prayers (I Thes. 5:17), knowing that God hears our
prayers and knows all of our needs and wants.  And while not all prayers are answered, we know that sometimes God does not answer our prayers for a specific reason, the reason not always known to us. This can be difficult to understand sometimes, especially when the unanswered prayer is in regards to needs of a friend or family member. But we understand that as we faithfully bring our petitions to God, we ask that “God's will be done” over that of our own wants and desires, and by doing so we fully put our faith in God to provide for our needs.  So continue to pray fervently, both privately and with one another, and when you bring your petitions to God, rely on Him totally for all of your needs. Remember that God speaks to us through his Word, the Bible, and we respond to that message to God through our prayers. It's an awesome two-way communication that we get to share with the sovereign Creator of the universe.