Finished with Chapter One

Due to the Norco ladies retreat, I did not blog about the end of chapter one on Friday so I am today!

Page 26 instructs us how to proceed with studying systematic theology after we are done with this book. Grudem tells us that it basically involves gathering all the Scripture about an idea/doctrine and analyzing/summarizing them together. The use of a concordance to find all the passages will be necessary. The final step in that is to make some summary statements about the doctrine that are firmly supported by all the verses.

Point six on page 27 is one of my favorites. We will study systematic theology with rejoicing and praise. Here is my favorite quote, “It is a study of the living God and of the wonders of all his works in creation and redemption. We cannot study this subject as if our hearts and lives are uninvolved! We must love ALL that God is, ALL that he says, and ALL that he does.” Amen!

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen. Rom. 11: 33-36

Next Assignment: Chapter two pages 33 – 37 (point 4)

Week Two Summary and why it’s been two weeks…

Dear ladies that are reading Bible Doctrine with me,
I apologize for the length of time it has taken me to write the week two summary. For the past two weeks we have had out-of-town company. We have had some good times, but much of what we normally do has been set aside. Our guests have traveled back to their respective areas of the country and we are slowly getting back to our routines!

My take on pages 21-26:
This book, Bible Doctrine, is written to people who already believe the Bible to be Truth and who already believe that the God revealed in it is the Creator of the Universe.

We study theology so that we can obey the commandment given by Jesus to “teach all that He commanded us.” This, of course, includes teaching ourselves with the aid of the Holy Spirit and those He has gifted to teach. We also study because because it helps us to overcome wrong ideas about God (which are prolific in our culture), helps us to make better decisions as we desire to live lives that glorify God, and also because it makes us grow.

How will we proceed? We will proceed with a commitment to prayer. With the Psalmist we say, “Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” We will proceed with humility. There is nothing more disturbing than a proud believer; one that uses the Word of God just to win an argument forgetting that while God’s Word is useful for correction, it must be delivered with the hope of good for the listener. We will proceed with our reasoning skills but will submit them to the Truth of God’s Word, knowing at times there will be opportunity to believe doctrines based on faith….like the Trinity and the Incarnation. We will also proceed with help from others…..each other, commentaries, our pastor etc.

Third Assignment: Finish chapter one. Read through all the questions.

Today is the Beginning!!

Today is the beginning of a read together group of women who want to spend some time studying doctrine. Last night at our accountablility group I talked about why this is important. Often times when you speak of studying doctrine, you get a rather dull look from people. After all, doesn’t doctrine just divide Christians and make them “argue” about things when they should be loving and caring and just sharing the gospel? Well, maybe. The truth is that doctrine does cause Christians to “agree to disagree” and sometimes that is painful. However, they still should be loving and caring and sharing the gospel…absolutely. Another arguement is, “isn’t doctrine dry?” My answer to that is, “Well it could be at times, I suppose, but so are some of the foods I choose to eat because they are nutritious and not sweet and gooey like I really like!!”

So why study doctrine? Doctrine is the meat of what we as Christians believe. The fruit of studying doctrine will bring about strength in the Christian’s life. The timeless truths that are instilled in our hearts as we study doctrine will carry us when the difficult storms of life come. Storms that could rock our worlds if we did not know God according to His Word. We can cling to Truth when the earth beneath us is trembling and we can not focus.

My friends, this week’s assignment is pages 17-21. Stop on page 21 when you get to the subheading B. (Of course, you can read further if you want, but the idea is to keep the goal small and “doable” so that we continue in a steady pace and finish eventually!)

When you read you can comment here that you finished and if you want to write something about what you read, please feel free!

Excited to read with you!

If you do not have the book yet, you can read at google reader here.

Book Club Update

A few weeks ago I announced that I would be starting a book club. I love reading and I love to discuss what I am reading with other people. I have wanted to be a part of a reading club for years; however, there were several red flags to starting one right now. (I was in denial of that for a while but as the date approached, I realized that I was not going to be able to add it to my plate.) It was not going to be wise for me to facilitate another monthly meeting. In addition to that I found out that my husband’s leadership team is beginning some type of reading event as well so that will be an opportunity for reading too.

In the meantime I have morphed my own reading club into a blogging exercise. This blog was originally created to encourage the women that I meet with on a monthly basis for accountability. We are going to start a reading project inspired by the sermon series at FBC, Norco. The sermon series is based on Titus. Consistently we have been exhorted to think about the necessity of sound doctrine in our lives. Sound doctrine keeps us from making decisions based on our culture, our emotions, pressure from others, our own selfish flesh etc., but instead gives us the ability to live life and make decisions based on the safety and strength afforded by God’s Word.

With that in mind we are going to be reading Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem and responding to it on my blog. Our goal will be attainable which might make it look like a small goal but it will be definitely better than nothing! We will read 5 pages a week.

This reading exercise will start on February 19. On that day the pages for the next week will be assigned as a post for which anyone who is reading can comment on during that week. I will write at the end of the week and then will assign the pages for the next week! Thanks to all who commented at our last meeting that they were excited about doing this. I think it will be fun and challenging at points.

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!!!

Accountability

On September 3, my friends to whom I am accountable for spiritual disciplines, (and who were the inspiration for this blog) met again. As always the meeting was filled with laughter, a few tears, joy, serious conversations, contemplation about God’s work in our lives, goal-setting, and most of all encouragement.  I am amazed at how much these women press me to live what I profess to believe.  It’s not a “checklist” mentality but a “putting yourself in the path of His commands” mentality in order to live for Him.  And it’s not easy. 

It’s not easy for a couple of reasons.  I don’t like to set a goal and not meet it.  And if I don’t meet my goals, I don’t like to admit it, but if I don’t, then I excuse myself quietly and I don’t repent of unwise choices/attitudes/etc. AND THEN, it’s not easy because the “mechanics” of the goal could be met but not the spirit of the goal…..learning from God’s Word and being changed by Him. 

So accountability is difficult because it requires vulnerability, repentance, and true growth, but the benefits outweigh the difficulty.  I have been reminded of my frailty.  I have been checked on attitudes like self-pity, self-indulgence, discontentment, and “light-headed living.”  (“Light-headed living” is my term for not taking life seriously!   These things weigh me down and keep me from enjoying what God has richly blessed me with….HIMSELF!! 

So when these precious ladies gather with their smiles, their lives, their pain, their goals, they bless me and they bless each other.  Accountability is beautiful.  Conviction and repentance are the things of life!!!

Sisters in Christ Pacing Together

This past Thursday was time again for my friends and I to gather and encourage each other in our pursuits of Christ. It is always a sweet time. I was so encouraged by my sisters as they shared their new goals and how their previous goals had placed them in position to hear from God. All of us are working on being diligent in daily Bible reading, in Bible study, memorization and meditation. We are also all trying to be intentional about how we hear the word and how we share the word. We all come with some shortcoming, things that we have been convicted of and things we need to repent from, but even when we have to speak of those things, it is not without hope, without desire to keep running, to find refreshment in the strength afforded to us by the grace given by what was accomplished at the cross.

We only get so many times around the sun, and then we are headed to eternity. God help us to accomplish things that are eternally valuable.

www.bondedtogether.wordpress.com

Wasting Life By Not Risking For the Sake of the Gospel

Last night the ladies to whom I am accountable for spiritual disciplines and who are seeking accountability for discipline met again to encourage each other, “check in,” and discuss Piper’s book, Don’t Waste Your Life. As usual it was an uplifting time for me and I hope for them.  I really like having to answer to them because it reminds me constantly of how important it is for me to walk in the things that I believe to be important and worthy of time.  It amazes me how easy it can be to get distracted from eternal things….even doing mundane things like cleaning house, which while is important, is not more important than time in the Word.

My favorite thought for reflection last night was the idea that sometimes I can blend in to the values of the world if I am not taking risks that set me apart for Christ.  The risk we were talking about is the risk to invest in people, to give to the poor, to spend time caring and noticing that there are people around me that I can serve and that serving them with the love that Christ has rather than out of selfish ambition stands out because that’s not exactly “natural.”  There are kind people in the world that do not love Christ, but the motivation for their kindness is what sets them apart.  How much will I give to make someone else happy, happy in such a way that they look to CHRIST, not me as the source of the blessings?  And at the same time, how much am I willing to serve others by speaking the truth even if it means rejection of me…something I am not fond of at all.  It’s challenging and it’s so good for me to be urged to seek Christ in cleansing my heart and helping me to think Biblically, eternally.

“Object of Scorn” or Object of Life

Yesterday one of the leaders in our church taught and encouraged us from this verse:

“……behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it.”

This verse is describing people who say they are followers of the teachings of God. We know that unbelievers do not cherish the Bible and in fact hate it at times because it “interferes” with their desires.

Darren went on to encourage us to consider three reasons that we, as believers, may not value (take pleasure in) the Word.
1. We don’t spend time reading it. The Bible says of itself that it is “living and active, it engages the heart.” In fact, the Bible gives courage to the heart to do things that bring glory to God. Not spending time reading it in an  intentional way as opposed to a “I need to feel good about myself today” way…. is foundational for it to become less valuable and less instrumental in shaping us.
2. We might not value the Bible because we forget the infinite value of the Author. He gave tons of references here for us to consider about the power and might of God. The invitation to engage God is through the Bible.
3. And thirdly, we might not value the Bible because we really are not following the Author. We could read the Bible for academic reasons only or for self-righteous reasons. Or we could never read the Bible because we have no true interest in what it has to say.

The value of God’s Word in our lives is directly linked to the vitality of our relationship with Him. A Soul-satisfying, God-glorifying, joyful pursuit of God is not possible apart from His Word!!!!

Thanks, Darren!

Looking for the Lull

This week something occurred to me that I wish had occurred to me years ago! I have tried so many times to have a consistent time each day that I have a “quiet time.” (It has not been truly quiet for years.) I am not a morning person so trying to get up before the kids was difficult because I was barely cognitive of what I was reading/studying. Since I am so heavily involved with schooling right now, waiting until the kids went to bed wasn’t working out for me either because I am exhausted at the end of the day. So, I’ve spent way too much time feeling frustrated if I do get up and one of kids does too (bet you know which one that is) or falling asleep as I was trying to read at night.

So, the solution that has really been working for me lately is what I call “the lull.” When I pull out in traffic sometimes I have to sit there for a while but eventually there is a lull. The realization I have come to is that I have to watch for the lull in my activities. There is some point in my day that everybody is working on something and I can sit with minimal interruption. The greatest part of this plan is that it’s working! I have been able to find the “lull” for 23 days, with only one exception! And the second greatest part of the plan is that I am looking forward every day to finding the lull!

So, if you are in the midst of raising kids, maybe it will help you to find the “lull” in your day to read the Bible, study, work on memory verses, journal, pray, and in general feed your soul!!