Wednesday's Words of Wisdom...Heidelberg Catechism Question 1

Q.  What is thy only comfort in life and death?


A.  That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

^{Heidelberg Catechism, Question #1}

You Are Not the Lone Ranger!

As Americans, our default tendency is to be fiercely independent.  Our history has essentially written it into our DNA.

Dr. James White has some interesting thoughts below though, on how this can not only be detrimental to our ministries, but is actually downright unbiblical.  Listen as Dr. White contends that apologists (and all of us, for that matter) need to be in the local church, and under its authority, as opposed to making our ministry simply about "Jesus and me."



(HT: Blogergism)

You Don't ALWAYS Have To Correct Them

I am person who holds very strongly to certain convictions (especially those of a theological nature).  Beyond this, I have always been of such a personality that I truly enjoy a good debate.  If you are anything like me, then Michael Patton has some really good advice for us both.

In this blog post, he wisely points out that there is no biblical mandate to ALWAYS correct people when they are wrong.  Sometimes we are far better off to let others' theological errors go uncontested (at the very least for the time being) and simply listen to what they have to say.

Isn’t this the apologist’s mandate? Be ready . . . to give an answer . . . to everyone . . . who asks you. . . with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). Many of us lack the gentleness and respect part, but I am beginning to think that what we lack even more is the waiting for someone to ask!

Ninety-five percent of the time, people don’t really care what you have to say. It is during this time that we sit, listen, and love the person. If we do, then the five percent of the time that opportunity is truly present, we will be ready.

This is why I tell young theologians who are so passionate about theology to be passionate, yet calm down. Let about ninety-five percent of what you hear roll off your back.

Is it any coincidence that on the same day that I am preparing a Sunday school lesson on Jesus' words from Matthew 5:7, ("Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."), I came across this blog entry? Perhaps the Lord is trying to teach me something.

Can God Make a Rock So Big That He Can't Move It?

It's a terribly flawed question, but Jared Wilson gives the best answer I've heard right here.