Week One Reading Summary and Week 2 Assignment

What is systematic theology? A study that answers the question, “What does the Bible teach us today about any given topic?” The emphasis in this type of study will be on what God wants us to believe and know about particular doctrines as they are taught in the Bible at large, including both Old and New Testaments. The purpose of this type of study will be to strengthen the believer and make the Christian life richer.

The study will be systematic in that it has been carefully organized by Mr. Grudem to prevent imbalanced emphasis and wrong conclusions. Summaries of biblical teachings will be made that will use precise language to prevent misunderstands and false teachings.

It is important that as you study you remained committed to the authority of the Scripture and open to correcting any false ideas that you have embraced as a result of culture or false teaching. However, it must be the Scripture that convinces you that you are incorrect, not the writer of the text or the writer of any text for that matter.

A doctrine is what the Bible teaches us today about some particular topic. We will be studying major and minor doctrines.

Summary of pages 17 – 21 in Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem

Week Two Assignment: P. 21 beginning at section B – p. 26 stop at top of page just before subtopic 5.

Memory Verses: Matthew 28: 18-20

Be sober-minded

This week I’ve been mulling over the admonition in 1 Peter 1:13. It says this, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

This verse was the topic of discussion last Sunday, then on Tuesday night I watched a great debate between an atheist and a Christian, and on Wednesday we discussed Sunday’s sermon in a group of 16 people….I might add one of my very favorite things to do.

For the most part I have been thinking about the admonition to be “sober-minded.” What does that mean? The opposite of sober is intoxicated, but the context of the verse is not dealing with alcohol intoxication. The context is concerning your thinking. What could I be intoxicated with that would prevent me from using my mind well? In a nutshell, me and my passions.

The gift I have been given in being able to believe God’s word is not for me and my comfort and my selfish ambitions. It’s for God’s glory and His service and that plays out in living for Him in an otherness ethic.

So to be sober-minded I should fill my mind with understanding of His ways. Some of the ways I do this is by reading…..reading some difficult and sound doctrine and really dealing with the meat of the word. I am ashamed to say that I have not read Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis. I have not read The Reason for God nor the book that it was written in a response to. There are times that I am not prepared to give a sound reason for why I think a particular way because I have not done my homework.

And the reason for a sound mind, one that is prepared to discuss the meat of the word, is not so I am be “intelligent” or even respected but so that I can serve. I can serve God by serving my brothers and sisters in Christ with love and compassion (as opposed to selfish motivation….you know a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” mentality) and I can serve those who don’t believe by lovingly and gently pointing to the cross as the way of peace of with God (as opposed to being haughty, embarrassed, or simply unconcerned). Though I might add, even when the convictions that come from God’s Word are said with love and with concern for the individual, they are not always welcomed by the listener.

Why does a sober mind promote this type of living? Because a sober mind works as a result of the principles of God’s word. I loved watching the demeanor of Douglas Wilson when Christopher Hitchens ridiculed his belief in an ancient text. He was not rattled at all. He answered with the quiet assurance of a man whose mind is sober.

I do not think that I live up to Scripture’s admonition because I am not exercising my mind enough and I want to improve. So……anyone want to start a “book club” with me? I am thinking..meet once a month to discuss a “book of the month.” I know everyone is busy….me too….but I think it will help me to actually read if I know I get to talk to someone about it!!!

Collision

Last night I was watched the documentary Collision with my husband and a whole host of college students. (Lots of fun!)

The movie is a documentary of a discussion concerning whether Christianity is good for the world. The debate is between anti-theist Christopher Hitchens and well-respected Christian Douglas Wilson. It was well-done for the most part. (My main criticism is in the actual filming….sound quality is poor in some scenes and camera movement is too busy at times.) Both men are well-educated and able to speak at a philosophical level that was intellectually invigorating. Neither was afraid to poke a little fun at the other’s beliefs which added some great comic relief. They spoke in different venues which provided an opportunity to see more of their personalities.

Things I liked about the debate:
1. I enjoyed the hard questions that were put to Douglas Wilson. I loved to hear him answer, not with an “all the answers” attitude but with factual discrepancies in the presupposition of the actual question and in the axioms from which the question was asked. In other words, the anti-theist has some holes in his logic!
2. I really like the demeanor of both men….very professional, very knowledgeable, very kind even when difficult things were said.
3. I loved that the Bible can stand the “heat” of criticism. The Bible is a complex set of literature. It cannot be easily tossed aside as an ancient “fairy tale” book. It can stand up under literary criticism. Douglas Wilson on more than one account was able to point out how quickly Hitchens dismissed a particular passage but in so doing missed the point altogether.
4. I loved that I was challenged to think better, to read more, to study harder, and to engage more. I really do enjoy learning and I love it when I am highly motivated to learn. I totally plan to read Hitchens’ books, some more C.S. Lewis, and some more of Wilson but most of all, I plan to study my Bible more!
5. I liked the last remarks!

www.bondedtogether.wordpress.com

Conversation to Consider

As usual I met with a great group of ladies last Thursday night for some great conversation about the book, Don’t Waste Your Life.

We are almost finished reading it and will only have one more discussion time…it has been so much better to discuss this book with others than to read it alone. (Though the first time that I read it alone I got alot out of it too!)

The chapter that we read was titled “Glorifying God 8 to 5″ and he could have added “Monday – Friday” because he is actually talking about glorifying God at the work place.  I think a subtitle could be “Don’t Waste an Opportunity” because really our inability to live for Christ as opposed to ourselves is what gets in the way of being a wittness at work.

The following is a summary of what we talked about:

The majority of Christians will not be vocational ministers and/or missionaries.  They will work in the secular workplace.  So much of our witnessing will actually be people witnessing who we are, what makes us tick, how we care, and how we think about life….we set Christ on display or we make light of the gospel in how we LIVE each day. Do we blend in to the culture or do we stick out?   And if we stick out, is it because we are compassionate people of godly character or because we are loud-mouths who don’t live what we believe?

We make much of Christ at the workplace by trusting His promises at work.  We trust that He will help us to discern how to do our work to the best of our ability.  We trust that He gave us this job and therefore do not complain that we have a job and that we have to work.  We trust that the money that it provides is from Him and spend it on things that are honoring to Him, helpful to our families, helpful to others in need etc.

We make much of Christ at the workplace by being a person of Godly character.  We do not gossip about our co-workers.  We care about those that are hurting.  We are willing to overlook offense for the betterment of a situation.  We clean up after ourselves.  We show compassion, gentleness, knowledge of what we believe without being angry at those who can’t see things the way we do.  In other words we earn the right to speak the name of Jesus by first being an obedient follower of Jesus.

We make much of Christ at the workplace by being a great employee.  We apply the God-given talents that we have in order to do the best that we can.  We complete work in a manner that shows we have integrity.  We accept criticism, learn from it and then improve.  We do not lie to, cheat or steal from our employer; not in the little things and not in the big things.  Ultimately, it is the Lord Jesus Christ that we desire is honored in our work.

Even in the most difficult of work situations the Bible says…” ….they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” Titus 2

There are other points in the chapter but we ran out of time!  If you are interested, read chapter 8!

Thanks ladies for an invigorating, convicting conversation!

www.bondedtogether.wordpress.com

Book List

To start things off, I would like to begin a book list that I will add as a page on the blog. My primary reason for doing this is that Lynn Eddy has asked for a list for over a year now and we have not put one together yet. I only want books that will aid us in the race. In other words, while some of you may read for the pleasure of a good story, (like I absolutely love to read Jane Austen), we will not add those kinds of books to our list. We want to be very specific…books that press us toward bearing fruit. My favorite type of reading is Christian biography because I like to read about Christians who have finished well!  What is your favorit e?  Have you been challeneged by a book this year?  Currently I am reading The Pastor’s Wife which is a biography about Sabina Wurmbrand.  It is shaming me for complaining about anything ever!