Flash mob sings the Hallelujah Chorus in a mall

This is an amazing video and what a picture of how the glories of Christ will one day be the song of all peoples- that is of those who believe.

See What Steve Saint is up to now- literally "up" to.

Steve Saint is the son of Nate Saint who was one of the 5 missionaries who were killed in Ecuador. Check out his new venture- mainly aimed at use in missions, but pretty cool anywhere. I want one for Christmas! May God use it for the cause of the Gospel.

He blinded me with science

Steven Hawking has settled the question of the origin of the universe and has declared that God is not needed. Physics is all we need, or so says Hawking. We can all go home now.

What is the source of the origin of the universe? Gravity. Yep, that's right, plain old fashioned, things fall down, gravity. Who'd a thunk it? Why didn't we look there before? What...... you don't get it? You're a rube, a naif, a man who clings to the opiate of the idea of God. You are a poorly educated, anti-science fool. So there, and if you come back again I shall taunt you a second time.

Hawking is the mystical sage of the science world who gives pronouncements like the Buddha. He says that "Spontaneous creation is the reason why there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist" and that gravity is the reason behind all of this. Get it?

He is playing the part of the grand magician who can pull the universe out of the hat of gravity. What is amazing is that so many smart people are fooled by a cheap trick.

The Bible has seen many Hawkings' come and go and has said in no uncertain terms that no matter how many physics equations one can breakdown, a fool says in his heart "There is no God" (Psalm 14:1,53:1). Smart people can say the most foolish thing possible.

**to "blind with science" means to deliberately confuse someone by giving the impression of highly complex knowledge.

5 Big Myths About Calvinism- or as a Calvinist named John Newton termed it- Amazing Grace

Here is a great article looking at 5 common myths about Biblical Calvinism, sometimes referred to as the Doctrines of Grace or Reformed theology.

Here are the five big myths:

1. CALVINISM DESTROYS EVANGELISM

2. CALVINISM APPEALS TO THE PRIDE OF MAN

3. CALVINISM STUNTS HOLINESS

4. CALVINISM TEACHES THAT MEN ARE MERELY ROBOTS

5. CALVINISM DIMINISHES THE GOD OF LOVE

Here is a money quote from the article from Charles Spurgeon....

“I do not come into this pulpit hoping that perhaps somebody will of his own free will return to Christ. My hope lies in another quarter. I hope that my Master will lay hold of some of them and say, "You are mine, and you shall be mine. I claim you for myself." My hope arises from the freeness of grace, and not from the freedom of the will. Free will carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven.”

3 Things You Should Know About Islam

Here is a view of Islam that you won't find in many places. One caveat- the makers of the video have a weak view of Scripture, because Scripture gives more than advice and does not genuinely contradict itself according to the law of non-contradiction.

Nevertheless, it could open many an eye to the lie of Islam- especially so-called moderate Islam. (HT: Newsbusters)

PRAY FOR CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

Christopher Hitchens is a well known atheist (author of "God is not Great") who has debated numerous Christians including Doug Wilson and intended to debate James White. However he has just been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He describes the beginning of this ordeal with a prose that gives one the feeling that death has begun to shake his foundations.... I have more than once in my time woken up feeling like death. But nothing prepared me for the early morning last June when I came to consciousness feeling as if I were actually shackled to my own corpse. The whole cave of my chest and thorax seemed to have been hollowed out and then refilled with slow-drying cement. I could faintly hear myself breathe but could not manage to inflate my lungs. My heart was beating either much too much or much too little. Any movement, however slight, required forethought and planning. It took strenuous effort for me to cross the room of my New York hotel and summon the emergency services.

Hitchens writes that there are an astonishing number of prayer groups on his side, for which he seems appreciative.

His own brother has become a believer in Christ and no doubt is among those praying.

Add yourself to that number, and may God be gracious to bring Mr. Hitchens out of his spiritual death and into the forgiveness and eternal life that comes by faith in Christ alone.

Glen Beck may be a patriot, but he's no theologian

Glen Beck is a fine patriot and a terrible theologian. His patriotism is welcome, but his understanding of God is absolutely wicked.

Pray that his eyes might be open to the true freedom that is found in the Gospel.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound teaching

The time has come....

Do you think Paul would ride the bull for the big prize money? He could have taken this show on the road and really turned the world upside down! Oh, wait he did that by just preaching the Word without any "bulls or whistles."

May God give grace to fight the good fight of faith with a certain "meanness"

Here is a great quote from Christian counselor and author Ed Welch. You can find his books here.

“There is a mean streak to authentic self-control. Self-control is not for the timid. When we want to grow in it, not only do we nurture an exuberance for Jesus Christ, we also demand of ourselves a hatred for sin. The only possible attitude toward out-of-control desire is a declaration of all-out war. There is something about war that sharpens the senses. You hear a twig snap or the rustling of leaves and you are in attack mode. Someone coughs and you are ready to pull the trigger. Even after days of little or no sleep, war keeps us vigilant.”

Christian vs. Apollyon- Pilgrim's Progress. Frank Cheyne Papé, 'Christian Slaying Apollyon', 1910. Museum no. E.488-1981

(HT:Tony Reinke)

The Providential Grace of Freedom and its cost

Pop church

Here is a great video on the "cool"church movement.

The church is often chasing pop culture for its message and it methods. This video is a wonderful parody on the current state of the pop church. The problem with "cool" is that it is always moving target and today's "cool" is tomorrow's "dork".

The church should not adopt a pop culture for its style- whether it is a 50's pop culture or a 2010 pop culture. Relevance comes from the Word preached in the the power of the Spirit not from hipster types aping the culture. Watch and enjoy.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Hubble declares the glory of God

The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1.

The creation is but a taste of the glory of the Creator. Just consider then what Paul says of God's glory that is to be revealed in I Cor. 6:2-10.

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;

but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;

the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,

And which have not entered the heart of man,

All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

God has revealed more glory in the person of Jesus Christ and in the pages of Scripture than He has painted in the heavens. Let the glory of the heavens cause you to see the greater glory of the Savior.

(note: the picture is of the Orion Nebula. See more at www.Hubblesite.org)

PHIL JOHNSON ON THE SISSIFICATION OF THE CHURCH

Why are so many churches filled with women more than men? Phil Johnson gives a good take on this here in a post called "Man Up".
Here is an excerpt:
In my judgment, the typical evangelical church of this generation has become weak and womanly. Churchgoers demand that preachers be soft and dainty—especially when they are dealing with hard-edged truths. If you don't sufficiently tone down every severe text or hard-to-receive doctrine in the Bible, the tone police will write you up for an infraction before you can get from the pulpit to the front door. All the rough edges of every truth must be carefully sanded smooth and painted in pastel tones. We've traded up to cushy seats instead of hard-bench pews and we expect our preachers to fashion their message accordingly. None of this sinners-in-the-hands-of-an-angry-God stuff.

Phil does not argue for some childish expression of manhood (e.g. the book "Wild at Heart" by Eldridge), or for a knuckle dragging, knuckle head image, but for a fully Biblical look at what it means to be a true man in God's eyes. Buckle up and read (but no bike helmets allowed!).


Here also is a good message Phil gave to a men's group.

THE MYTH OF A PRO-LIFE DEMOCRAT

Listen to Bart Stupak from September 2009 declare in advance how he was going to "fold like a cheap suit" on the abortion issue in the Health Care bill. The truth is there are no pro-life Democrats in Congress right now. As you will see for Stupak, life is not the supreme issue-political power is. Woe to those who issue unjust decrees (Isaiah 10:1, cf. Isaiah 5:20).

HOW GREAT IS YOUR GOD?

Tiger's Hopeless Search

Today Tiger Woods vowed to return to his Buddhist faith saying....
"Buddhism teaches that a craving of things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught."

Tiger will never find in Buddhism the power to stop following every impulse. That can only be found in the Gospel that teaches that the problem is not a lack of learning restraint. The problem is that of a sinful heart that can never know restraint.

This is why the only solution is not something we must learn, but something we must become- we must become born again by the Spirit of God under the preaching of the Gospel.

Tiger will never find what he is looking for outside of the Person of Jesus Christ- dying in his place, giving him a new heart, and a perfect righteousness.

Tiger looking to Buddhism to supply his deliverance is like a man with gaping chest wound looking to cup of tea to make him feel better.

That's going to leave a mark

Here is an excerpt from a conversation between Unitarian minister Marilyn Sewell and atheist Christopher Hitchens, author of "God is not Great. How Religion Poisons Everything."

Sewell:

The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens:

I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

Ouch! An atheist correctly rebukes a liberal "Christian". That's gotta hurt.

The Gospel is such better news than this......

A new book on Pope John Paul II entitled Why He's a Saint written by Vatican Official Monsignor Slawomir Oder reveals that John Paul "frequently spent the night on the bare floor," messing up his bed in the morning so he wouldn't draw attention to his act of penitence.

"But it wasn't limited to this. As some members of his close entourage in Poland and in the Vatican were able to hear with their own ears, John Paul flagellated himself. In his armoire, amid all the vestments and hanging on a hanger, was a belt which he used as a whip and which he always brought to Castel Gandolfo," the papal retreat where John Paul vacationed each summer.(AP Tues., Jan. 26, 2010)

Just one question. Where in the Scriptures do we find anyone punishing themselves to become a better Christian? When the Apostle Paul said that "I discipline my body, making it my slave lest after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified" (I Cor.9:27) he was not speaking of self punishment, but self discipline.

Paul warned about these things saying that this kind of severe treatment of the body has an appearance of wisdom but is of no value against fleshly indulgence (Colossians 2:23)

The Gospel is such better news because it says that Jesus has already borne all the needed punishment. As the old hymn goes, "tis mine but to believe".

PRAY FOR HAITI

News reports of the damage and death toll from the earthquake in Haiti are horrific. The death toll could be in the hundreds of thousands.

Pray for God's mercy upon this nation and pray that God might use this shaking of the Haitian world to turn many to the gospel. Haiti is mostly Roman Catholic and about half the population practices voodoo. Haiti desperately needs the gospel.

UPDATE: The Jacksonville Baptist Association has connections in Haiti and have this site where you can donate and find out more info: http://jbahaiti.org/blog/haiti-earthquake-response/

Also here are a number of organizations you can donate to: http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/2188_11_charities_collecting_donations_for_haiti/

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD OVER FOOTBALL

Living in 2010 as an alien and a stranger

Here is a quote from Harry Smith of the CBS Early Show broadcast this morning as he reflects on 2009...

"Politics, and patriotism and the presidency: it is the place where the secular and the religious merge. One of the sacraments of our national religion is the inauguration. So it was that as many as two million pilgrims made their way to Washington and the Mall to witness this most sacred event."

The unbelieving world has nothing but the unbelieving world to put its hope and faith in, hence the worship of the current president.

Let's live 2010 as those who are looking forward to a better country, a heavenly one (Hebrews 11:16).



P.S. About the above picture:

Statue of the Emperor Octavian Augustus

This statue was created after the death of Octavian (reigned 31st BC-14 th AD), during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius. The worship of the emperor began even during the lifetime of Octavian (in 27 BC the Senate awarded him the title Augustus: the Holy, divine Son, father of the native land, descendant of Venus and Aeneas), and under his successors this became an official cult. Here the emperor is represented as Jupiter, the supreme God of the Roman pantheon, and this statue is a typical example of Roman sculpture from the time of the Empire. The composition was adapted from the celebrated sculpture of Zeus by Phidias, which allowed the placing of the appropriate attributes in Augustus's hands: a Nike and a sceptre. The sculptor preserved the emperor's portrait features, but idealized them to create a formal cult statue.

(info from the State Hermitage Museum)