If you were to be stranded on a deserted island and could only have five Old Testament Books and five New Testament books, which would you choose?
My ten (in order of appearance) would be:
OLD TESTAMENT
Genesis
Exodus
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Jonah
NEW TESTAMENT
John
Romans
Galatians
Hebrews
1 John
I just finished watching this movie. A gentle but forceful examination of the government school system in our country, revealing why it can not be reconciled with a Christian worldview.
WACO, Texas, Oct. 12, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ — As the 2012 presidential race begins to draw public attention, a new film seeks to bring education to the forefront of public debate. ‘IndoctriNation: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America,’ a documentary that explores the origins and social impact of America’s public school system, will be released on DVD October 18, followed by public screenings in select cities across the US. The controversial film has sparked debate among Christians and atheists over the roles of faith, and government in education.
Recent news coverage has highlighted the controversy of several presidential candidates who will seek to dismantle the US Department of Education if elected, a goal shared by Ronald Reagan but abandoned by the Republican Party in recent years.
“People are starting to wake up to the damaging effects of a government controlled education monopoly,” says ‘IndoctriNation‘ co-director, Colin Gunn, a Scotland-born filmmaker living in Texas. He continues, “We now are facing all these problems in America – high taxation, welfare dependency, government debt – and as Christians and conservatives we have to see we can’t solve those problems until we solve the public schooling problem.”
Gunn, a homeschool father of eight, asserts that school problems go much deeper than Federal involvement in education. Last summer, he took a road trip across the USA in a yellow school bus, along with co-director Joaquin Fernandez and the Gunn family, recording interviews for ‘IndoctriNation.’ He spoke with teachers, administrators, parents, evangelical leaders, and other whistleblowers who gave insight into the complex political, economic, and moral problems with America’s educational system.
‘IndoctriNation‘ has garnered support from Christian ministries and influential leaders. MOVIEGUIDE® founder, Dr. Ted Baehr, gives his endorsement, saying, “‘IndoctriNation‘ is an extremely important movie. Every church in America should show [it].”
“Every Christian parent with a child in a government school should see this,” says Cal Thomas, syndicated columnist and FOX News contributor.
John Taylor Gatto, former New York City and New York State Teacher of the Year, has long been an outspoken critic of government schools and is featured in the film. Gatto asks candidly, “Is there an idea more radical in the history of the human race than turning your children over to total strangers who you know nothing about, and having those strangers work on your child’s mind?”
Since a large majority of Christian children attend a public school, Gunn will seek to reach their families when the film is shown at screenings sponsored by churches and individuals who are concerned about the effects of public education on today’s youth.
Colin Gunn is an award-winning producer, director, and accomplished animator. Originally from Hamilton, Scotland, Gunn is now a US citizen and lives in Waco, Texas with his wife and eight children.
More information about the ‘IndoctriNation‘ film and public screenings can be found at www.indoctrinationmovie.com.
A lesson for all of us to consider from the puritan Joseph Meade:
I once walked into a garden with a lady to gather some flowers. There was one large bush whose branches were bending under the weight of the most beautiful roses. We both gazed upon it with admiration. There was one flower on it which seemed to outshine all the rest in beauty. This lady pressed forward into the thick bush, and reached far over to pluck it. As she did this, a black snake, which was hid in the bush, wrapped itself round her arm. She was alarmed beyond all description; she ran from the garden, screaming, and almost in convulsions. During all that day she suffered very much with fear. Her whole body trembled, and it was a long time before she could be calmed. That lady is still alive. Such is her hatred now of the whole serpent race, that she has never since been able to look at a snake, even a dead one. No one could ever persuade her to venture again into a cluster of bushes, even to pluck a beautiful rose.
Now this is the way the sinner acts who truly repents of his sins. He thinks of sin as the serpent that once coiled itself around him. He hates it. He dreads it. He flees from it. He fears the places where it inhabits. He does not willingly go into the haunts. He will no more play with sin than this lady would afterwards have fondled snakes.
This is a priceless, funny conversation between a humble, inquisitive child (the sort of which 
Christ tells us His kingdom is made of) and his falsely assured pastor who has – no doubt – been trained at a Southern Baptist seminary.
Enjoy 🙂 From: http://thelightheartedcalvinist.com/
from The Trinity Review, July 1997
Billy: “Pastor, does God love everybody?”
Pastor: “Yes, Billy” (smiles, pats him on the head).
Billy: “How come it says in Romans 9 that he hated Esau?”
Pastor: “Been reading your Bible, huh, Billy?” (still smiles). “Well, the Bible also says that God hates, but that only is talking about God’s secret decree, and as far as we are concerned, he loves everybody.”
Billy: “Pastor?”
Pastor: “Yes, Billy.”
Billy: “If God tells us about his secret decree, is it still a secret?”
Pastor: “Er, well, I guess . . . not, Billy, but I meant that we should realize that there is a way the Bible talks about God’s love for everybody, and that’s what we should think about, not the one or two places where it says God hates.”
Billy: “Oh. How is it that God loves everybody?”
Pastor: “Well, he gives everybody rain and sunshine, and he blesses the people of the Earth with a conscience so they know right from wrong, and he has given them many gifts which they use to make the world a better and safer place to live.”
Billy: “Then he sends most of them to Hell?”
Pastor: “Yes, Billy.”
Billy: “Pastor?”
Pastor: “Yes, Billy.”
Billy: “Is it love for God to give people good things for a few years to make them feel comfortable and worthwhile, and then send them to Hell?”
Pastor: “Well, I . . . yes, it . . . is, I think because it would have been worse if, I mean it would be, um, well, it is, I guess, because he did not send them directly to Hell, but he allowed them to experience his goodness and his provision for his creatures. . . .”
Billy: “Is it love to let someone experience something good they will remember forever and always hate God for, because that good thing they loved more than forgiveness?”
Pastor: “Could we change the subject, Billy? I am not sure my answers are satisfying you.”
Billy: “O.K., Pastor. Did Jesus die for everybody?”
Pastor: “Why, sure, Billy.”
Billy: “Pastor?”
Pastor: “Yes, Billy.”
Billy: “If Jesus died for everybody, why isn’t everybody going to Heaven?”
Pastor: “Well, Billy, it’s because not everybody will accept him.”
Billy: “But, Pastor, I thought Jesus saved us. You are telling me that we save Jesus.”
Pastor (laughing nervously): “Of course not, Billy! I believe that Jesus saves us completely! However would you get the idea that I believed we save Jesus?”
Billy: “Well, Pastor, you told me that Jesus died for everybody, and that only those who accept him will be saved. So, this means Jesus’ death and resurrection, what Jesus does, cannot save us of itself, but something more is needed, and that something more is what we do by accepting him. For those who do not accept Jesus, they will perish. That means that Jesus’ dying for them cannot help them. In fact, it means that Jesus’ work for them was a miserable failure. On the other hand, those who accept him make his work effective by their acceptance—they save his work from being a failure. Without us, Jesus and his work of salvation would be doomed! If Jesus cannot save us without the permission we give of our own free will, then we are the real saviors, and Jesus is the one we save! Wow! What would he ever do without us?!”
Pastor: “Er . . . uh . . . that’s not what I mean. I mean if, it is , I said . . . no, I believe Jesus is the one who does the saving, Billy, it’s just that . . . God has made it so that we . . . are free to acc . . . meaning, we are, are . . . Billy, the Bible is mysterious. It seems to mean certain things, but it doesn’t really, like it says . . . you are using logic, Billy. The Bible is not logical and the truths are not something we can fit into our human minds.”
Billy: “Pastor?”
Pastor (now showing a slight frown): “Yes, Billy.”
Billy: “When you say the Bible is not logical, does that mean the Bible does not make sense? ‘Cause you made sense when you said the Bible wasn’t logical. I think it was because you used logic that you made sense.”
Pastor (now glowering at Billy): “No, Billy, I didn’t mean the Bible does not make sense. It does make sense, but just not our kind of sense.”
Billy: “Pastor?”
Pastor: “Yes, Billy.”
Billy: “Why would God give a Bible to us that did not make our kind of sense?”
Pastor: “Well, Billy, it’s not that . . . I think it’s . . . it makes sense, just does not give us the answers we like to hear, and says things that seem contradictory but really are not, to keep us from asking smart-aleck questions.”
Billy: “So, God doesn’t make our kind of sense to keep us humble?”
Pastor: “That’s right, Billy. God wants to keep us humble, so he does not let us think we can be absolutely certain about the things some proud people are certain about.”
Billy: “Pastor?”
Pastor: “Yes, Billy.”
Billy: “Are you certain about what you just said to me?”
Pastor (showing obvious irritation): “What do you think, Billy?”
Billy: “I think you just called yourself a proud person, but I don’t know why, ’cause you are so smart and know so much about God, and how much he needs us.”
Pastor: “Billy, why don’t you go out and play, like the other children?”
Billy: “Why should I go out and play, when I can stay in here with you and learn how to save God?”
Pastor: “You need to be careful, Billy. I never said we save God. You are the one who said that, remember. I simply believe our choices are significant, and God does not treat us like robots. He created us to have true human responsibility.”
Billy: “Pastor?”
Pastor (now looking quite angry): “This will have to be the last question, young man! I have important things to do and you should be outside playing.”
Billy: “When God put Abraham to sleep, was he telling him what he thought of his ‘human responsibility’?”
Pastor (seething): “I have a bad headache, Billy, and I can’t answer any more of your questions, but I can tell you this. Whoever has been teaching you has been telling you things a boy your age should not even be thinking about. It sounds like you have been learning some kind of hyper-Calvinism! You better be careful, young man!”
Billy: “I don’t know about hyper-Calintisim, but I have been reading these things in the Bible. Thanks for straightening me out. I will try to cut these bad parts out. Can I borrow some scissors?”
Pastor (rising from his chair): “Get out of here, you, you, you . . . !”
Billy: “That’s O.K., Pastor. I’ll ask Joey. He was using some good scissors when we were cutting out our ‘friends with Jesus’ pictures for Sunday school. Good-bye.”
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Several years ago, the news was full of stories of otherwise normal teenage girls who either didn’t eat enough to nourish their bodies (anorexia) or would consume massive quantities only to barf it up soon thereafter (bulimia). (Fine topics for a breakfast meeting, eh?) Although 
there’s not much news coverage of these two debilitating conditions, they are, in fact, running rampant throughout the body of Christ in the spiritual realm. How many Christian men, you and I included, are characterized by these?
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. – Prov. 23:4
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles. – Prov. 24:17
Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked. – Prov. 24:19
In his book, Point Man, Steve Farrar describes these conditions and the prescription for the cure: Anorexia nervosa is extreme body emaciation caused by aversion to food. Spiritual anorexia is an aversion to reading the Scriptures. Farrar interviewed more than one thousand church going, Bible believing Christian men and found that 45% failed to read the Bible at least weekly. He then observes, the enemy does not mind if you revere the Bible, just so long as you don’t feed from it. Why is it important that we read the Word of God?
Farrar gives us three reasons he starts his day in the Word:
God gives us another dose:
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” (Luke 4:1-4).
And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32:45-47).
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:12-14).
As dangerous as anorexia is, something else afflicting Christian men is even worse. It is spiritual bulimia. A young woman with bulimia will binge and take in a tremendous amount of food, only to quickly vomit, thus denying her body of the nutrients it needs. Spiritual bulimia is an aversion to applying the Scripture to my life. Without digestion, I cannot benefit from the nutrients in the food. Without meditation leading to application, there is no spiritual digestion, and I continue to lose strength. Lest we think knowledge of Scripture is the antidote to spiritual bulimia, he reminds us, in the Christian life the opposite of ignorance is not knowledge, but obedience. God does not want to take a new Christian and move him from ignorance to knowledge. He wants to move him from ignorance to obedience.
Are you feeling overwhelmed and discouraged in your walk with Christ? Are you defeated and spiritually ineffective? Have you lost your excitement and enthusiasm in following hard after Christ? Have you so given in to habitual sin that it now threatens to sink you? Have you been duped by the enemy into ignoring the Scripture? Has your schedule become so crowded that you haven’t picked up your Bible in weeks? My friend, you cannot live without the Bible. It is your life.
Back to the Word:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalms 1:1-2).
And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23).
As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:27-28).
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)
If you are spiritually anorexic, read your Bible. If you are spiritually bulimic, meditate on and obey your Bible. Develop the habit of reading the Word, reach out to another man who will help you walk in obedience. You and I are too weak and too wicked to trust ourselves to walk alone. That’s what the enemy wants you to do.
Rowland Croucher said, “Above all, desire to please Christ; dread his disapproval above everything else.” This one phrase, I believe, captures the essence of Christian life. How it concentrates the focus. Does it describe you? Far too often, I must confess, I find myself the object of my desires. Let each man who claims Christ dig into the Word and spend time in prayer – by these two activities, we will be drawn to know Him better and our desires and dreads will be rightly forged.
Let Christ be your motivation and your guide, everything else will fail you and lead you astray.
Based on Article http://www.reformation21.org/articles/what-is-a-true-christian.php by Jeremy Walker
2 Corinthians 5:17 is foundational in that it makes a clear declaration that one who is a Christian is one who has been changed! Read and consider it carefully: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Does this describe one who is in love with the sins of his flesh, one who cares not for the Word of God or the ways of God? Or does this describe one who should love the things of God and grow in his understanding of God’s Word and repentance of his sin?
But how can you tell if you really are a Christian? How can you know if you have been born again? What are the definite marks of a new creation in Christ?
An excellent book by Gardiner Spring called The Distinguishing Traits of Christian Character suggests seven things that are not, in themselves, conclusive marks that a professed work of grace is true or false (commentary on each of these points in Walker’s article).
While a Christian will display these in some degree, the mere presence of any or all of these does not prove one’s salvation.
There is almost nothing more dangerous than to imagine oneself saved and yet to remain unsaved. There is nothing more blessed than to know oneself a Christian grounded on a solid foundation.
From the Word of God, we gain a divine understanding of how we can be sure of our own standing in Christ – secure in His righteousness. 1 John gives us at least four indispensable indications of true Christianity (again, commentary on each of these points in Walker’s article).
Affection for and attachment to God’s redeemed people
These four marks will invariably be present in a true child of God. They will not be perfect until glory, but they will be present now.
We cannot afford to be fooled, imagining ourselves saved when we are not.
If these indispensable indications, these marks of a true believer, are not in your heart and life, then you are not a Christian, whatever you claim or imagine, and you should not fool yourself nor dishonour Christ by claiming his name without walking in his ways. You blaspheme Jesus and expose him to scorn by taking the label of a true believer but living apart from his gracious power and saving wisdom.
But if these things are present in you and true of you then you are a Christian, and you should not dishonour Christ by denying the source of grace in you. Some doubting and fearful saints are terrified that they will lay claim to God’s grace in Christ without having it, and so walk in shadow if not in darkness, robbed of joy and neither being blessed nor blessing others as they might.
Jeremy Walker is a pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church. He blogs at The Wanderer and is co-author of A Portrait of Paul: Identifying A True Minister of Christ (Reformation Heritage Books, 2010). My comment: This book on Paul is a most wonderful book that will benefit any Christian and every pastor.
Dr. James White has some pretty honest reasons why, if you are shopping for a local Christian fellowship, you may want to dismiss a Reformed Baptist Church. You tell ‘em Doc.
” Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thess 5:16 – 18
Little Sins from http://www.gracegems.org/
(J.R. Miller, “Daily Bible Readings in the Life of Christ” 1890)
“Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same–will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:19 
A great many people are careful about breaking large commandments and committing heinous sins–while they commit ‘little sins’ continually and without scruple.
They would not tell a direct lie for the world–but their speech is full of little falsehoods!
They would not steal money from the purse or drawer of another–and yet they continually commit small thefts! For example, by mistake the grocer gives them a penny too much change–and they do not think of returning it. Through the carelessness of a postal worker, the postage stamp on a letter is left uncancelled–and they take it off and use it a second time.
They would not purposely try to blacken a neighbor’s name or destroy his character–and yet they repeat to others the evil whispers about him which they have heard, and thus soil his reputation.
They would not swear or curse in the coarse way of the ungodly–but they are continually using such minced oaths such as, Gosh! Gees! Heck! and other mild, timid substitutes for overt swearing.
They would not do flagrant acts of wickedness to disgrace themselves–but their lives are honeycombed with all kinds of little meannesses, impurities, selfishnesses, and bad tempers.
We need to remember, that little disobediences–harm our witness for the kingdom of Heaven.
Little sins–mar the beauty of our character.
Then, little sins are sure to grow! The trickling leak in the dike–becomes a torrent deluging vast plains!
Ofttimes, too, little sins are infinite in their consequences.
We ought never to indulge even the smallest faults or evil habits–but should aim always at perfection of character, and perfection is made up of ‘littles’.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Editor’s note: Minced oaths are used to avoid swearing, when expressing surprise or annoyance.
Minced oaths are usually, although not exclusively, religious in nature, and date from the days when it was irreverent and unacceptable to use the name of God, Jesus, or other sacred words in everyday speech. To mince your words, means to choose words so as not to offend anyone–except for God, who sees them as sacrilege (the sin of profaning sacred things). Here are a few examples:
Bejabbers — By Jesus
By George — By God
By golly — By God
By gosh — By God
Chrissakes — For Christ’s sake
Christmas — Christ’s Mass
Criminy — Christ
Cripes — Christ
Dad gum — God damn
Dagnabbit — God damn it
Dagnammit — God damn it
Dang — Damn
Darn — Damn
Darnation — Damnation
Doggone — God damn
Gee whizz — Jesus
Good grief — Good God
Goodness gracious — Good God
Gosh — God
Gosh darned — God damned
Heck — Hell
Jeepers Creepers — Jesus Christ
Jeez — Jesus
Jiminy Christmas — Jesus Christ
My goodness — My God
My gosh — My God
Tarnation — Damnation
What Vine are you Abiding In? (Part 2)
Please take some time and read What Vine are you Abiding In? (Part 1). In Part 1, we looked at the context and background for our passage John 15:1-11 and Jesus’ teaching regarding the vine and the branches. We also had to face the tough question: “What vine are you abiding in? Jesus, the true vine? Or one that is untrue?
Now, in Part 2, we’ll ask another tough question: “What fruit are you bearing?”
BEARING FRUIT
Let’s jump back into our passage from John 15:
John 15:4 “…As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
So, what kind of fruit are you bearing? Are you bearing any fruit at all? Surely you are bearing fruit…its either good fruit or its bad fruit.
The purpose of the branch is to bear fruit. It is completely useless if it does not bear fruit. Notice how, from Part 1, the branches are pruned, cut off, and taken away, but the vine is never pruned or cutoff. There is no other purpose for the branch than to bear fruit. In order to bear fruit the branch must be fully connected to the vine. The branch gets all its sustenance from the vine. All the water and nutrients come from the roots to the vine to the branches in order to bear fruit. If the branch is disconnected or partially connected, it will NOT bear fruit…and we know what happens to that branch.
Jesus mentions “FRUIT” 6 times in this passage, do you think he is serious about it?
BAD FRUIT
Are you abiding in one of these unTRUE vines? One of these FALSE vines described earlier which makes you bear BAD FRUIT? False fruit? What does bad fruit look like? Let’s consider several passages from the Apostle Paul:
Romans 1:28-32
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Any of these sound familiar? Recognize any of those fruits in your life? How about these: Continue reading
The Stranger
(Author Unknown)
A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.
As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. Mom taught me to love the word of God, and dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spell-bound for hours each evening.
If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life like that I would often laugh or cry as I watched.
He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first football game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars.
The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn’ t seem to mind but sometimes mom would quietly get up while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places and go to her room, read her Bible and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.
You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house–not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four letter words that burned my ears and made dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My dad was a teetotaler who didn’t permit alcohol in his home–not even for cooking. But the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often.
He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (too much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were influenced by the stranger.
As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave.
More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with the young family on Morningside Drive. He is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was in those early years. But if I were to walk into my parents home today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.
His name?…..We always just called him…TV
See also The Stranger sermon by Pastor Tim Conway.
One of my favorite passages in scripture is Jesus’ teaching on the vine and the branches. Let’s look at what it means for Christ to be the vine and for the believer to be the branch.
John 15:1-11
15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Before we get into the meat of this passage we need to consider the context and set the stage a bit. Just two chapters previous to our passage, we see Jesus and the disciples entering the upper room to celebrate the Passover together. This was likely just a few hours before Jesus teaches on the vine and the branches. In the upper room, Christ knows he is on his way to the cross his time has come. While in the upper room during the Last Supper, we see Jesus teach his disciples these humongous truths:
(a) Jesus washes the feet of the disciples and introduces servant leadership – to love one another (John 13:1-17)
(b) Jesus tells of a disciple who will betray him. (John 13:18-30)
(c) Jesus introduces communion – (Mat 26:26-29)
(d) Jesus introduces the new covenant of his blood (Luke 22:20)
(e) Jesus introduces a new commandment – love one another (John 13:31-35)
(f) Jesus foretells of Peter’s denial (John 13:36-38)
(g) Jesus drops the deity bomb by declaring that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through him…and if you have seen him you have seen the father. (John 14:1-14)
(h) Jesus promises the coming of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16)
Christ, after casually dropping these huge topics on his unsuspecting disciples during this dinner, he says in John 14:31: “Rise and let us go from here!” The disciples, I’m sure, are sitting at the table looking at each other a bit shell shocked asking, “What did he say? Another is coming? A Helper? Who? What was that about eating his body? Blood what? Hey, what about the blood?” As Jesus gets up and moves on…probably leaving the disciples at the table scrambling to catch up with him.
I AM THE VINE AND YOU ARE THE BRANCHES
Christ and the disciples leave the upper room that evening, likely dark by then, and make their way towards the Garden of Gethsemane. It is sometime during this walk that Jesus teaches on the Vine and the Branches. According to various commentaries, there are a couple of possible reasons why Christ compares himself to a vine and defines himself as the TRUE Vine.
This last Saturday was a major blessing for our family as we had the privilege of meeting a brother and sister in Christ who live in Western Colorado. We met first at a restaurant and then were invited to their home where they unveiled to us a series of devices that will allow us to accomplish one of our long-term goals before we even get to Liberia.
Our goal was to see the New Testament put into audio format for the purpose of providing pastors/church-planters with the Word of God in their heart language. We were not aware that a major project has been made available to those working in the remote areas of the world.
In fact, New Testaments in audio format are available in several of the languages in Liberia on the above pictured device. This little device is solar-powered and on a full-charge can play up to 14 hours. It is simple to operate. I am including a link to Renew Outreach where these devices can be obtained.
The Lord is so good and we thank Him for allowing us to be directed to this 21st technology that will be used to the glory of God. What a blessing to these people who cannot read or pastors who struggle to read that they will be able to share that God’s Word is not just in English. Sometimes we have not because we ask not!
For the cost of a good leather Bible, this Renew Papyrus can put the audio Bible in English and a local Liberian dialect of the New Testament into the hands of nationals. Total cost with shipping is only $70!
Kind of an odd question, right? If you are a Christian, you worship God. Ministry is what you do in service to God. So how can you worship it? Let me explain by giving you a picture of my life, and how God has shown me where my worship lies.
I am a full time father and husband, as well as a full time employee. I am a part time evangelist, part time Sunday School teacher, and a part time Christian blogger. Now, if someone were to ask my friends and family what my full time work was, most would likely point to my “part time” work. That is because, were you to look at my life and what I am doing, that is what you would see. It is also constantly what I talk about and what is often posted by me in my social networking. In fact, while considering how to write this blog, I’ve been witnessing to a sixteen year old atheist on YouTube. It is a major part of my life. However, God began to show me something in the last year about how I view my part time ministries, as compared to my full time position as a husband and father.
If you are a Christian husband and father, your first and foremost ministry is your family. This is not even debatable. In fact, the standard for an elder in 1 Timothy 3: 2-5 tells us, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)”. In other words, a man should have his own house in order before even being considered to become an elder. Does this mean that every single person in every single ministry has to meet the standard of an elder? No. But as it is a good thing to desire the office of an elder, I believe this sets a reasonable measure that we should look at when we are involved in ministry. But, when I began to look at my home, I realized this was an area I was lacking in.
A few days ago I posted a link from Phil Johnson on the Pyromanics blog regarding Mark Driscoll’s self-proclaimed “gift of discernment”, which sounded more like a man with a dirty mind talking offensively to the sheep under his care. In the post on Driscoll’s madness found HERE , I call attention to why I believe Driscoll has fallen away from the basic pillars and qualifications of an elder/overseer of the church (I am assuming that he had these qualifications at one point). He is speaking on discernment while demonstrating the lack of discernment in what is appropriate for discussion from the pulpit…or, sadly, the stage as it is in his case.
I now want follow up on this story by sharing what real discernment looks like.
John MacArthur was asked in this video what he thinks may come about in the church in the years to come and MacArthur is quick to comment on the essential component missing from so many churches and pastors today in the reformed faith. In part one he talks about how having reformed soteriology doesn’t give you a pass in regard to the role as a shepherd or with the way you conduct yourself.
Part 1 – Reversal of the Reformed Revival
In part 2 of this interview, MacArthur again challenges us in a wonderful way. Are our pastors involved in the life of the church? Are you attending a church that has a video screen playing the sermon, which MacArthur calls “Flat Screen Preaching”? How can you tell if this man is qualified to be an elder and above reproach if he only exists on a video screen? What sort of church is that? We should not allow a rock-n-roll event on Sunday morning replace the shepherding care of our souls.
Part 2 – Reversal of the Reformed Revival
Let us not forget how Paul instructs Timothy regarding overseers of the church in his first letter to Timothy. These words are tragically ignored, forgotten, pushed aside, and downplayed way too much today:
1 Timothy 3:1-7
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
During the brief months since we returned from our mission trip to Liberia, West Africa, we have been blessed with the places we have visited and the people we have met. Each church has been more than generous even though we have never asked for a single penny in any of them, and the bulk of the gifts given have been sent directly to the work in Liberia. The Lord continues to meet our every need even going above and beyond what we ask for. This has been a great encouragement not only to us, but also the national pastors and teachers we have been seeking to help in Liberia.
In each church, we simply seek to share the desperate condition of the lost in West Africa. We do not show pretty pictures of lakes, rivers, and pristine white beaches for this is not what missionary work is ever about. Our goal is not to raise money to build “American” churches. It is not to raise awareness of needed vaccinations or mosquito nets, nor even of better food and water supplies. As we have written before, those things have their place, but without the gospel of Jesus Christ being preached boldly, these dear people will die and go straight to hell if they do not hear the gospel of the Savior.
However, there is one aspect of missionary ministry that still amazes me. In fact, it more than amazes me. It actually saddens me that after all the years of missionary work around the world, sometimes we seem to have learned very little. This is not for the purposes of those who are already convinced in their minds, but for those who may be considering work in the future. It also may be for some who struggle with what they see as a current trend in our American style of missionary endeavors.
There is so much error in the record of Christian history, due to various factors – not the least of which is the temporal supremacy of the Roman Catholic “Church” for many years. Yet truth will not be wiped off the face of the Earth any more than God’s remnant – for He preserves His people and their story. 
I highly recommend Andrew Miller’s Church History for an in-depth look at centuries of how God kept His people.
But I want to draw your attention to a quote from another on-line book of Christian history, this one looking at us who call ourselves Baptists. From Provident Baptist Ministries in my home state of Texas, comes this snippet from John T. Christian’s book A History of the Baptists. This paragraph, from chapter 2, gives all Christians many rich peeks into the lives of simple folk who had been redeemed by Christ and lived in a wicked country. May we consider how we live!
The Christians are not distinguished from other men by country, by language, nor by civil institutions. For they neither dwell in cities by themselves, nor use a peculiar tongue, nor lead a singular mode of life. They dwell in the Grecian or barbarian cities, as the case may be; they follow the usages of the country in dress, food, and the other affairs of life. Yet they present a wonderful and confessedly paradoxical conduct They dwell in their own native lands, but as strangers. They take part in all things, as citizens; and they suffer all things, as foreigners. Every foreign country is a fatherland to them, and every native land is a foreign. They marry, like all others; they have children; but they do not cast away their offsprings. They have the table in common, but not wives. They are in the flesh, but do not live after the flesh. They live upon the earth, but are citizens of heaven. They obey the existing laws, and excel the laws by their lives. They love all, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown, and yet they are condemned. They are killed and made alive. They are poor and make many rich. They lack all things, and in all things abound. They are reproached, and glory in their reproaches. They are calumniated, and are justified. They are cursed, and they bless. They receive scorn, and they give honor. They do good, and are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice, as being made alive. By the Jews they are attacked as aliens, and by the Greeks persecuted; and the cause of the enmity their enemies cannot tell. In short, what the soul is to the body, the Christians are in the world. The soul is diffused through all the members of the body, and the Christians are spread through the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body, but it is not of the body; so the Christians dwell in the world, but are not of the world. The soul, invisible, keeps watch in the visible body; so also the Christians are seen to live in the world, for their piety is invisible. The flesh hates and wars against the soul; suffering no wrong from it, but because it resists fleshly pleasures; and the world hates the Christians with no reason, but they resist its pleasures. The soul loves the flesh and members, by which it is hated; so the Christians love their haters. The soul is enclosed in the body. but holds the body together; so the Christians are detained in the world as in a prison; but they contain the world. Immortal, the soul dwells in the mortal body; so the Christians dwell in the corruptible, but look for incorruption in heaven. The soul is the better for restriction in food and drink; and the Christians increase, though daily punished. This lot God has assigned to the Christians in the world; and it cannot be taken from them (Epist. Ad Diognetum, C. 5 and 6 p.69 sq. Otto. Lips., 1852).
I was going to post this as a response to this: http://defendingcontending.com/2011/02/17/inner-promptings/ but decided it warrants its own post. 
 Many people have been misled by folk about how to find out the will of God – as if He’s hidden it from us and left us to our own devices. Throughout human history, folks have neglected the Word of God and relied on human wisdom to determine “god’s will” for things that the Bible tells us nothing about – where to live, where to work, whether to be a missionary to the Marshall Islands, and on and on.Listen to this message (preached by Voddie Baucham, taken from Romans 12:2) and see if you – like so many others – have been misled. Let us repent of none-sense and – by the Holy Spirit of the living God – pursue knowledge of Him and be content to let our future be in His capable hands.
There is another spirit operating among us and we must be able – and willing – to discern between the two and, if born again in Christ Jesus, choose that which is True.
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Christ Alone Wyoming 