Chris Sanchez Blogs

Tonight's Dinner - Domino's Pizza

2012-01-27T20:08:00.007-05:00

This is the state of our pizza delivered earlier by Domino's. Needless to say it was in pretty sad condition piled in the box! This is getting some comments on the Facebook pages of Domino's, Papa John's, and Pizza Hut. I have even received feedback on Twitter! I sure didn't appreciate the manager of the local store being rude on the phone with Melisa. Now to be fair, the District Manager called

John's Call to Faith and Understanding: 1 John 5:13-21 Part 5

2012-01-15T05:30:00.000-05:00

Conclusion In the nine verses studies in this passage of Scripture, a great deal of theological truth has been unpacked. Of course, there commentaries that focuses on slightly different aspects of this passage. There is general agreement among scholars as to the meaning intended by John in this epistle. The lack of controversy with regard to authorship has certainly proven

John's Call to Faith and Understanding: 1 John 5:13-21 Part 4

2012-01-12T05:30:00.000-05:00

Application for the Modern Christian The Apostle John said a great deal to his readers in this short passage of Scripture. Surely his audience was grateful and put the wisdom John imparted upon them into practice. How then can modern Christians do the same? Here three principals were addressed that speak directly into the lives of Christians of the twenty-first century. These

John's Call to Faith and Understanding: 1 John 5:13-21 Part 3

2012-01-09T05:30:00.000-05:00

Verses 18 – 21: Faith Provides Understanding “18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may

John's Call to Faith and Understanding: 1 John 5:13-21 Part 2

2012-01-06T05:30:00.000-05:00

Verses 14 – 17: Faith Enables Prayer “14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will

John's Call to Faith and Understanding: 1 John 5:13-21 Part 1

2012-01-02T11:15:00.002-05:00

**This series originated as an assignment for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** Without actually breaking from the preceding line of thought, John moves into the concluding remarks of the epistle. In the closing verses, John essentially calls on his audience to be confident in the Gospel they previously received. John states clearly that he writes to a group of

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone blessings in the New Year!

Johnny Hunt Men's Conference 2012

2011-12-29T11:11:00.002-05:00

I am very excited about the upcoming Johnny Hunt Men's Conference! A small group from Northside Baptist Church will be attending. I hope to see some friends there!Chris

Recapping 2011: Thank You!

2011-12-27T09:06:00.001-05:00

I am completely amazed at just how quickly 2011 has come and gone! I spent a rather significant amount of time writing on the Apostle Paul at the beginning of the year before moving on to the topic of conflict in the church. I was blown away when I received a request from a church in Texas desiring to use some of that material for a training class they were conducting. I have thought of those

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T10:03:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Context of the First Epistle of John

2011-12-17T07:31:00.000-05:00

One of the cornerstones of sound hermeneutics is to understand the context of a passage of Scripture. To better understand the passage this monograph focuses on, it will be helpful to understand the historical-cultural context of 1 John. It will also be beneficial to have a clear view of who John was, who is audience was, and what the world in which they lived was like. The

Rethinking the Blog

2011-12-11T08:54:00.006-05:00

My regular readers may have noticed that all but one of my October posts have disappeared. Sadly, a professor from my school asked me to take those posts down. It would seem that some of the material from my blog has turned up in the papers of other students at LBTS. Though unfortunate, there is little one who publishes material to the internet can do about such behavior. One of the analogies

The Inerrancy of Scripture - Part Two

2011-11-27T08:05:00.000-05:00

So the follow up question in this discussion was whether or not Jesus implies that all Scripture is inerrant. I believe that Jesus does imply that all Scripture is inerrant. Jesus rebukes the Sadducees when they ask the silly question about the resurrection in Matthew 22:23-33. He tells them they are wrong because they do not know the Scriptures. Jesus goes on to remind them of what is written

The Inerrancy of Scripture - Part One

2011-11-25T08:17:00.001-05:00

Recently I was involved in an online discussion about the inerrancy of Scripture. An interesting question was posed when I used Scripture to support the inerrancy of Scripture: is doing so a circular argument? If you are not familiar with the term, a circular argument is simply an argument that assumes the very point it is supposed to be arguing in support of. I don't find the use of

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T05:30:00.001-05:00

The Lord has poured our His many blessings on me and my family this year including the readers of my humble blog. The number of visitors who have come to the blog continues to amaze me as does the number of you who choose to take a moment of your time to leave your feedback. For all of you I say and grateful THANK YOU! I pray for traveling mercies for those of you who will be traveling to be

Book Review: How To Read the Bible For All Its Worth

2011-11-22T05:30:00.004-05:00

Introduction Originally published in 1981 and now in its third edition, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All its Worth asserts that the Bible is meant to be read by everyone and not simply scholars, seminarians, and professional clergy. Rather, the Bible is accessible to scholar and layperson alike who would seek to spend time in the Scriptures and

Four Points of Anabaptist Theology: Part 6 Conclusion

2011-11-19T05:30:00.000-05:00

Conclusion There is much that the Anabaptists have contributed to the Free Church movement over the years. As a Southern Baptist, the author clearly sees much in common with these Anabaptist cousins and, of course, there are distinct differences. Concerning the ordinance of baptism, rejecting paedobaptism wholesale is a direct result of simply reading the Scriptures. There can be

Four Points of Anabaptist Theology: Part 5 Pacifism

2011-11-16T05:30:00.000-05:00

Pacifism Pacifism is a term derived from the Latin word for peacemaking and is defined as the belief that disputes should be settled by peaceful means and that war and violence are unjustifiable.[1] The early church was clearly pacifist and until A.D. 170-80 there are no records of Christian soldiers in the Roman army. After that time however, there

Four Points of Anabaptist Theology: Part 4 Economic Sharing

2011-11-13T08:10:00.000-05:00

Economic Sharing The Anabaptists came to be in the earliest days of the German Reformation. The German Reformation was essentially a revolt of the laity against the Roman Catholic Church and the sacramentalism and sacerdotalism it represented.[1] Martin Luther may have started the Reformation through his break with Rome but the popular

Four Points of Anabaptist Theology: Part 3 Communion

2011-11-11T05:30:00.000-05:00

Communion As with baptism, virtually the all Christian churches have some observance of Communion or the Lord’s Supper. The Greek word κοινωνία, transliterated koinonia, meaning communion is the term used by the Apostle Paul to describe the Lord’s Supper.[1] It is from this usage that many churches have come to use the term to refer to

Four Points of Anabaptist Theology: Part 2 Baptism

2011-11-08T05:30:00.000-05:00

Baptism Virtually all Christian churches perform the rite of baptism. As such, baptism is an important part in the life of the local church. There are three basic views maintained by various groups of Christians concerning baptism. The first holds that salvation comes through baptism and that baptism is a sacrament that can be applied to infants. This is the traditional view held

Four Points of Anabaptist Theology: Part 1 Introduction

2011-11-05T07:45:00.002-04:00

**This series originated as an assignment for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary** INTRODUCTION Baptist history is far more complex than one might imagine without having studied the subject. The many facets of Baptist history are second only to the cast of characters associated with the Baptists over the years. The particular history of the Anabaptists has affected

The Passing of Steve Jobs

2011-10-09T09:17:00.004-04:00

Several days ago Steve Jobs passed away into eternity. The accomplishments he made during his 56 years on Earth will impact generations to come in ways we have yet to realize. I must admit I am a fan of Apple products (I own an iPod, iPhone 4, and an iPad2) and have no plans to switch to another company's products until such time as a better gadget comes along that performs as well and costs me

Ten Years Later: A Few Thoughts on 9/11

2011-09-11T07:52:00.011-04:00

Like so many others, ten years ago this morning I watched the second jet liner slam into the second of the Twin Towers in New York City stunned by the realization that this impact along with the first we not accidents. The unthinkable was happening for the whole world to see; America was under attack. That morning I knew life in the America I loved would never be the same. It would be some

Church Government - Part 6 The Plural-Elder-Led Church

2011-08-30T05:30:00.000-04:00

The Plural-Elder-Led Church As with the single-elder-led church, there is ample biblical evidence to support a plurality of elders in the local church. Also like the single-elder-led church and Congregationalism, the plural-elder-led church is independent and autonomous meaning that it is not governed by any denominational authority. In addition to leadership, decisions about

Church Government - Part 5 The Bishop-Led Church

2011-08-27T11:30:00.002-04:00

The Bishop-Led Church The Bishop-led church exhibits a loose hierarchy system where the decisions of the church made by its leader are observed throughout the denominational structure. An example of this is the United Methodist Church with the diocese operations.[1] Methodists, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans, including

Church Government - Part 4 The Congregation-Led Church

2011-08-25T05:30:00.000-04:00

The Congregation-Led Church At the center of congregationalism is the firm belief that Christ is the head of his church (Col. 1:18) and that there is a priesthood of all believers (1 Pet. 2:9). Further, it is fundamental in New Testament teaching that Christ is the living Lord among his people.[1] The church is under divine authority

Church Government - Part 3 The Presbytery-Led Church

2011-08-20T05:30:00.000-04:00

The Presbytery-Led Church Presbyterianism emphasizes the importance of elders, or presbyters, though adherents do not generally hold this polity is the only one in the New Testament.[1] Among the Sanhedrin were elders who supervised the observance of the law (Matt. 21:23) and the traditions (Matt. 15:2). The early Christian church followed

Church Government - Part 2 The Single-Elder-Led Church

2011-08-15T05:30:00.000-04:00

The Single-Elder-Led Church Akin spends thirty-eight of his forty-nine pages describing congregationalism before arriving at a place where he begins to discuss the single-elder-led church, or as he puts it, a senior pastor who is first among equals among other elders.[1] Akin rightly reminds his readers that Scripture is silent in terms of

Church Government - Part 1 Introduction

2011-08-11T05:30:00.003-04:00

**This series began as an assignment for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary**INTRODUCTION Church government should be a topic of interest to every Christian yet in the experience of the author a rather small percentage of congregations actually understand different models of governance much less the model their own church utilizes. At first glance, there would seem

REVIEW: The Necessity of Prayer

2011-08-06T20:36:00.001-04:00

Bounds, E. M. The Necessity of Prayer. Baker Book House (1976), ISBN 0-8010-0659-7. Digitized by Harry Platinga, 1994. Available: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bounds/necessity.toc.html. Elwell and Comfort define prayer as the addressing and petitioning of God and describe it as a feature of many, if not all religions.[1] E. M. Bounds[1] Gangel rightly states that walking away from a problem or pretending it does not

Conflict: Part 4 - Resolution in the Secular World

2011-03-28T04:56:00.000-04:00

Resolution As stated previously, not all conflict is negative. In fact, some conflict and tension is actually desirable if it is positive. If an organization, including a church, do not regularly and thoroughly challenge what they are doing then it is unlikely they will keep up with a changing world.[1] This failure to adapt is one of the

Conflict: Part 3 - Different Types of Conflict

2011-03-25T05:30:00.000-04:00

Different Types of Conflict There is more than one type of conflict. It also bears mentioning that conflict need not always be a negative occurrence. Functional conflict actually serves to support the goals of the group and improve its performance.[1] In the case of church world this can translate into reaching better decisions about how to

Conflict: Part 2 - Definitions

2011-03-23T05:30:00.000-04:00

Conflict Exactly what is conflict? According to Oxford Dictionary, conflict is a serious disagreement or argument, a prolonged armed struggle, or an incompatibility between opinions, principles, et cetera.[1] The noun is via Latin conflictus meaning a contest.[2] Dictionary definitions are fine as a starting

Conflict: Part 1 - Introduction

2011-03-19T05:30:00.001-04:00

**This series originated as an assignment for my studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary**INTRODUCTION The topic at hand is something close to the heart of the author. Having been party to a significant conflict that is still fresh in this seminarian’s memory, it seemed a topic in need of a thorough examination. The opportunity to do so academically employing previous education along

Visitors to Chris Sanchez Blogs

2011-03-13T15:05:00.002-04:00

I have just finished up my most recent class and wanted to let my readers know I am working on some new posts. You should see them in the coming days as I get back on track with the blog. Please forgive my lack of attention these last few weeks!I wanted to share something with you all. Over the last 30 days there have been over 800 visitors to the site from 34 countries around the world! I

Paul's Letter to the Phillipians

2011-03-08T05:30:00.000-05:00

Paul’s relationship with the church at Philippi was always close and cordial. Paul established the church at Philippi during his second missionary journey. This church had on at least two occasions helped Paul financially before Philippians was written[1] and having heard of his confinement in Rome, the church sent Epaphroditus with another gift.

Mannington Let's Make Some Noise

2011-03-03T20:36:00.002-05:00

Persecution and the Early Church

2011-02-26T09:24:00.002-05:00

There were many reasons given for the persecution of the early church which included social, political economic, and religious. There were varying degrees of persecution well into the third century which helped to shape the church. Some early Christians abandoned their faith all together. Others stood firm for a time but acquiesced once brought before the Roman authorities and offered the

Between the Old and New Testaments

2011-02-14T05:30:00.001-05:00

So just how do we know about the period between the Old and New Testaments? If you are like me, you have heard at least one pastor say in a a sermon that "the prophets fell silent" or something to that effect. While true, there obviously is still some record of the four hundred years between testaments. As you would expect, I have had a class that discusses this very topic! Some of the major

Thoughts on the Federal Budget

2011-02-12T09:36:00.003-05:00

There is a lot of talk in the media these days about the federal budget and the cuts that the newly empowered GOP will attempt to make. Whether or not they are successful this time around in cutting what they campaigned on, one thing is certain, deep cuts will have to be made. Consider this: the Congressional Budget Office is projecting this year’s spending to be around $3.7 trillion. $35

John Calvin's Geneva

2011-02-10T05:43:00.001-05:00

Calvin and Feral first attempted to reform the church in Geneva in 1536.[1] Not everyone was ready to follow Calvin and Feral in their efforts at reform. The main sticking point was excommunication of unrepentant sinners. The bourgeoisie who then controlled the local government refused to allow this stating it was unnecessary rigorism.[1]. In answering this question, we must also consider whether or not Luke was the author of the Gospel that bears his name. It is believed that Acts

Family Update 30 January 2011

2011-01-30T05:30:00.000-05:00

It’s hard to believe that January is already coming to an end. Each month seems to pass more quickly than the last...WOW! I am beginning to understand what my parents meant when they said this would happen. Anyway, I promised a family update so here goes... Joshua and Hannah are both doing exceedingly well in school and Melisa and I couldn’t be more proud of the students they have become.

Paul: Judaism & the Law

2011-01-24T05:30:00.000-05:00

Paul on many occasions mentions his Jewish background and upbringing. Until his death, Paul remained proud of the fact that he had been a good Pharisee.[1] In fact, the very way Paul reasoned and wrote using the Hebrew Scriptures to “prove” his theological points was taken directly from his training as a Pharisee.[2][1]. Paul’s view was that salvation was found “in Christ” and the church is the body of Christ. This likely stems from his conversion experience on the Damascus road when Jesus asked Paul why he was persecuting Him? Of course, Paul had been persecuting Christians and was taken aback when

Paul's Gospel: Tradition and Revelation

2011-01-18T05:30:00.000-05:00

It is apparent that Paul realized that he both “received” the Gospel through revelation and through the tradition imparted to him from his time with Peter. While this may seem like a contradiction, this is hardly the case. At the heart of Paul’s gospel is his own conversion experience. Obviously, we cannot know exactly what Christ said to Paul during that encounter on the Damascus

Is Christ the goal or the end of the Law?

2011-01-15T05:30:00.000-05:00

Paul believed that careful observance of the Law was critically important as a faithful response to God’s love. It is Paul’s loyalty to the Law that gave him such a difficult time with the entire notion that Jesus was the Messiah. ‘Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God’s curse’ (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13). Since Jesus had been crucified on a cross, then by definition he could not

Paul's Occasion and Purpose For Writing Ephesians

2011-01-11T05:30:00.000-05:00

Ephesians is among Paul’s letters referred to as the Prison Epistles. It is generally assumed that Paul wrote these epistles during his imprisonment in Rome though there is some evidence to support the suggestion that Paul may have also been imprisoned in Ephesus and wrote one or two of the Prison Epistles during that period. If that is the case, then the dating of the early 60’s is drawn into

Johnny Hunt Men's Conference

2011-01-10T05:30:00.000-05:00

If you don't already have tickets, there is still time to get them before the 19th Annual Johnny Hunt Men's Conference. This year's theme is The Distraction of AttractionYou can choose to attend January 28th - 29th or February 4th - 5th. The conferences I have attended in the past have been a tremendous blessing and I am sure this year will be as well. For me, Johnny's lessons are always the

Paul's Occasion and Purpose For Writing 1 & 2 Thessalonians

2011-01-08T05:30:00.000-05:00

Both 1 & 2 Thessalonians were written by Paul and also include Timothy and Silas. Timothy was a young man Paul led to Christ and we know that Silas was Paul’s primary associate on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:40). Perhaps Silas served as Paul’s amanuensis.[1] Paul had a number of reasons for writing these epistles: clearing up any

Paul's Occasion and Purpose For Writing Galatians

2011-01-05T05:30:00.001-05:00

From Acts 13-14 we have learned that Paul and Barnabas evangelized the southern part of Galatia[1] during their first missionary journey. Their practice was to first go to the synagogues and preach to Jews and God-fearing gentiles. Shortly after their arrival in each city, Jews raised opposition to Paul and Barnabas causing them to turn to

Paul's Interactions with the Corinthian Church

2011-01-02T05:30:00.000-05:00

According to Acts 18, Paul first preached the Gospel in Corinth during his second missionary journey.[1] Corinth was an ancient Greek city that had been rebuilt as a Roman colony in 46 B.C. Corinth had a unique location, at the narrowest point in the mainland of Greece, and therefore provided easy access to the Aegean Sea on the east and the

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome 2011!

Coming Up In January 2011

2010-12-29T08:50:00.000-05:00

The New Year is upon us and I am excited about the coming year! 2011 begins much differently than 2010 did. Our family has been so richly blessed in 2010 and we are so eager to see how God will continue to work in our lives. 2010 has been a banner year here at the blog. A lot of topics were discussed and I expect more of the same in 2011. I must admit to being a bit surprised at the number

Solutions To The Problem of Evil

2010-12-28T10:17:00.000-05:00

Erickson describes two types of evil: natural evil that does not involve human willing or acting and moral evil that does involve the choice and action of free moral agents.[1] The problem of evil, as Dr. Mitchell points out in the video lecture for lesson 19, has keep many a person from believing in God. Before discussing three common solutions to the

Is Man Free or God Sovereign?

2010-12-27T08:50:00.000-05:00

Is man free or is God sovereign? My answer is yes! For me, this continues to be one of the great mysteries of God. Of course God is sovereign and knows all. However, evil does exist in the world. In order for man to have free will, the possibility of evil must exist though we know God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). This is a question I have pondered for many, many years.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-23T05:30:00.000-05:00

Joshua and Hannah had their annual photo with Santa taken and my son has made it quite clear that he thinks he is too old for this! It is a tradition my wife started when Joshua was just 6 months old. My mother-in-law receives an ornament with the photo on it each year. It's actually very cool to see how much they grow and change each year.We have never told our kids that Santa Claus was real

Finished with classes for 2010!

2010-12-21T23:30:00.001-05:00

A number of milestones here at the blog. This is my 100th post this year and I wanted to make sure it was something special (at least to me!) so here goes. The journey I began in the fall of 2008 has reached a milestone. With the completion of my most recent class I have reached the halfway point in my degree program. My regular readers know I am pursuing a Master of Religious Education. It

How Did We Get The Bible?

2010-12-19T10:04:00.000-05:00

Adams points out students of the Bible should remember that the Bible we read today is not its original form.[1] The books contained in the Bible were written in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. What Christians today refer to as the Old Testament was formed by the Jews, likely about 400 years before the Incarnation.[2][1]. In the case of the Synoptic Gospels, much of the material found in one of the Gospels is found in the others. Still, without each of the four Gospels, the

Washington DC Just Doesn't Get It

2010-12-04T09:44:00.003-05:00

My regular readers know I don't hit politics very often but I have a brief rant I need to get out of my system. Please indulge me! The recent election cycle having just ended, you would think we would be free from the constant barrage from the politicians in the media. Alas, even the holiday season cannot stop the partisanship and jockeying for position in the public consciousness. Christmas

Book Critique: Share Jesus Without Fear

2010-11-27T07:30:00.001-05:00

Bibliographical Entry Fay, William and Linda Evans Shepherd. Share Jesus Without Fear. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1999. Author Information William (Bill) Fay was once the CEO of a large corporation with ties to organized crime before life-changing events turned him towards Jesus Christ. Fay once owned a house of prostitution and other illegal businesses. To say that Fay

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T05:30:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

A Matter of Trust: Part 4

2010-11-15T05:30:00.001-05:00

Application/Conclusion When it comes to placing our trust in men or in wealth, we see in this Old Testament Scripture that neither is to be trusted in. Now we’re back to what I’ll call the “duh” question but I have to ask: who can we place our trust in? Of course we will all say God! That is the obvious answer but for so many people it isn’t obvious at all! Why is that? Many

A Matter of Trust: Part 3

2010-11-12T05:30:00.000-05:00

What gets answered in this passage? So now you’re wondering where I am going with this, right. Of course, we all know to trust in our Lord, don’t we? We have read these verses and know what they mean, or do we? In a world that seems to be moving farther and farther away from God, who can we trust? Our own country, in my opinion, has entered into a post-Christian period where the

A Matter of Trust: Part 2

2010-11-09T05:30:00.002-05:00

Scripture Verses Now that we have a little background information, let’s move on to our text. Our study passage is Psalm 62:9-12 and is below (from the King James Version): 9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether[1] lighter than vanity. 10 Trust not in

A Matter of Trust: Part 1

2010-11-06T05:30:00.000-04:00

**This study originated as one of my school projects**Introduction Before I get into this four part study of Psalm 62, I thought it would be a good idea to have a little background information on the psalms. The psalms are divided into five books with each book ending with a benediction: Ps. 1 – 41; 42 – 72; 73 – 89; 90 – 106; 107 – 150. The division probably follows the pattern of the

November Elections 2010 - Humor

2010-10-29T20:37:00.002-04:00

In a few more days all of those annoying political commercials will be over! Don't forget to vote next Tuesday!!!

Discipleship Graphics 2

2010-10-20T06:13:00.001-04:00

Discipleship Graphics

2010-10-19T21:46:00.004-04:00

For my most recent project in school, I had to come up with some graphics. Let's just say a graphic artist I'm not! Anyway, I thought I would share them with you and see what the consensus is. I haven't received the final grade for the project or class yet but am excited to be moving on to my 10 class of 20! The halfway point of this journey is in sight!The idea with this one is to illustrate

Kids Earn Straight A's

2010-10-15T20:25:00.004-04:00

Joshua and Hannah both brought home straight A's today! Melisa and I are so very proud of both of them and their efforts. Both kids are developing excellent study habits and are coming to understand the importance of education in their lives. This picture of Hannah was taken at Outback Steakhouse where we had dinner to celebrate their accomplishment. We had a great dinner followed by a family

How God Organizes People For Effective Action - Part 4

2010-10-11T05:30:00.000-04:00

Conclusion The vast majority of modern churches would look far different today if the Biblical model described were adhered to today. Learning objectives would be clearly defined and people with the appropriate gifts selected for carrying out discipleship ministry. That is not to say that other ministries that are not directly related to discipleship are not an important part of

How God Organizes People For Effective Action - Part 3

2010-10-09T05:30:00.000-04:00

Examples for Others to See In the NT we examine four passages of Scripture beginning with Mark 3:14. Here we note that Jesus appoints the twelve that would become the nucleus of his church. The number twelve recalls the twelve tribes of Israel and symbolizes the new or restored people of God.[1] We also see that they were with Jesus and that He planned to send them out into the

How God Organizes People For Effective Action - Part 2

2010-10-07T05:30:00.000-04:00

Job Design Honesty must prevail and a hint of excitement confessed when discussing job design. Previous graduate studies that touched on this area immediately came to mind when considering the approach I might take in linking job design to the Scriptures. However, it quickly became obvious that link had already been established by our Lord in His word. There is nothing fancy here

November Elections 2010 - Voter Turnout

2010-10-06T05:30:00.000-04:00

Here in the county I live in, a recent news article quoted a county official's belief that voter turnout would be about 50%. Nationally I would be surprised if turnout numbers differ from that percentage very much. With so many people unhappy with the current direction of the country (Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike), I am amazed that only about half of those eligible to vote

How God Organizes People For Effective Action - Part 1

2010-10-04T05:30:00.000-04:00

**This series began as an assignment for Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary**INTRODUCTION Throughout the Scriptures, regardless of the situation being used by our Lord, we clearly see that there is a purpose and a structure to the approach taken by God when dealing with His people. The Biblical model for discipleship is certainly included. Here this seminarian’s understanding

Family Update 10 October 2010

2010-10-01T05:30:00.000-04:00

It’s hard to believe that fall is upon us and we are preparing for the holiday season once again. Believe it or not the kids have already had their Fall Break at school and are eagerly looking forward to the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. Melisa and I have repeated wondered aloud “where did 2010 go”? I wish I knew! What a year it has been so far!With my limited vacation time this year,

The Essential Activity of Christian Ministry: Part 4

2010-09-28T05:30:00.001-04:00

Connection to Worship If Christian education, discipleship, and spiritual formation are all interrelated and the primary focus of church ministries should be on the goal of creating disciples then a brief discussion of the largest ministry of the church must ensue. The image of a funnel in the Dempsey class note is quite appropriate in this discussion.[1] The largest of church

The Essential Activity of Christian Ministry: Part 3

2010-09-25T05:30:00.000-04:00

Focus of Ministry If the ultimate goal is the creation of true disciple of Jesus, then this should be the focus of every ministry in the church. As this relates to education, discipleship, and spiritual formation, which specific area should be the focus? Previously it was asserted that each of these areas is interrelated to one another thus it is not possible, in the view of the