Are you ready for some (more) football?

Congratulations to Mr. Tom Brady for his MVP season in which he broke Manning’s season TD record! I was sure glad to see Mannings record go down. Since I moved to Indy almost 3 years ago I have had some fun debates over “who is the top QB in the NFL.” The argument for a long time was Manning has better regular season numbers but no ring. Brady has very good regular season numbers and amazing postseason numbers (3 championship rings). This year Brady looked like Manning in the regular season (4000+ yards and 50 TD’s). Manning put up great numbers as well...

Won’t it be strange if Manning plays great this year in the postseason and if Brady does not? It will be like years past but vice versa of course. Tom Brady is the still the guy I’d pick to lead my team in any big game. He is the 2nd coming of Joe Montana. If only he were a Bear!

My Chicago Bears ended the season beating up on G.B. and New Orleans with a 3rd string Q.B. , GO figure?!? 2008 may be another great season for the Bears if we can find a reliable QB (McNabb), stay healthy, and get a consistent running attack. That's alot to wish for i know.

Since my favorite team is out of the playoffs here are the teams I will be pulling for (or against):

For
1. Titans
2. Chargers
3. Patriots
4. Jacksonville

Neutral
5. Washington
6. Packers
7. Tampa
8. Seahawks

Against
9. Dallas
10. New York Giants
11. Indianapolis
12. Pittsburgh


My little brother is a huge Titans fan. They are an overachieving team with an amazing coach. I doubt they will get by San Diego. The Jags are one team that could beat both Indy and New England. I really like their coach.

Obviously I can’t stand the Mannings (especially Manning the older). The Steelers franchise is one of the best (if not the best), but I don’t like them at all. I do like coach Tomlin much more than Bill Cower.

If any of teams listed above (1-8) win the championship I’d be content. I can’t believe Chicago is not playing in the postseason this year? How things can change in a year… Well for those of you who are TRUE team fans or NFL fans in general enjoy the postseason!

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks 4 years of marriage for my wife and I. Time has really flown by fast for us. When I married Andrea I received from the Lord a double portion of Divine blessings. She is a Proverbs 31 type woman and thus deserves to be honored at the gates (and on the blog-o-sphere). In 4 years the Lord has seen fit to double our family (size) as well. It is a wonderful privilege and joy to note that my wife is every bit as good in her role as mother as she is in her role as my covenant companion. It is a bit intimidating being married to your best friend, hero, and lover but welcome to my world! “He who finds a wife, finds a good thing.” I’m praising God today for the daily companionship of my wife. She is my greatest earthly treasure!

Here are some lyrics to a song that brings tears to my eyes as I think about my Andrea (baby love).

“Walking Her Home" (Lyrics by Mark Schultz)

Looking back He sees it all

It was her first date the night he came to call

Her dad said son

Have her home on time

And promise me you’ll never leave her side

He took her to a show in town

And he was ten feet off the ground

(Chorus)

He was walking her home

And holding her hand

Oh the way she smiled it stole the breath right out of him

Down that old road

With the stars up above

He remembers where he was the night he fell in love

He was walking her home

Five more years and a waiting room

At half past one

And the doctor said come in and meet your son

His knees went weak

When he saw his wife

She was smiling as she said he’s got your eyes

And as she slept he held her tight

His mind went back to that first night.

Chorus

He walked her through the best days of her life

Sixty years together and he never left her side

A nursing home

At eighty-five

And the doctor said it could be her last night

And the nurse said "Oh, Should we tell him now"
"Or should he wait until the morning to find out?"

But when they checked her room that night

He was laying by her side

Oh he was walking her home

And holding her hand

Oh the way she smiled when he said this is not the end

And just for a while they were eighteen

And she was still more beautiful to him than anything

He was walking her home

He was walking her home

Looking back

He sees it all

It was her first date the night he came to call

December Reading

1 Peter 2:2 says we should be like newborn infants in our desire for the Word of God. One of the dangers in reading lots of good Christian books is that they can take us away from the Word of God instead of doing what they are intended to do, in bringing us closer to it (and Him). If we spend time reading a book about the Bible instead of the Bible itself on a consistent basis somethings not right.

None the less, good Christian books can be very helpful in our pursuit of godliness...We should not throw the baby out with the bath water.

Here is the latest update of the stuff i am trying to read outside of Scripture... What have you guys been reading??? Did you ask for any good books for Christmas?

Books I am currently reading:
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Don Whitney)
Future Israel (Barry Horner)
The Exemplary Husband (Stuart Scott)
Shepherding a Child's Heart (Tedd Tripp)
Christian Living Beyond Belief (Cliff McManis)
The Message of the O.T. (by Mark Dever)
What Jesus Demands from the World (by John Piper)
Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 1 (John Calvin) (Book 1, Ch 17)
Numerous Jude commentaries (for sermon preperation/various authors)

Books I’ve finished in the last year or so:
Pages from Church History (Stephen J. Nichols)
Assured by God: Living in the Fullness of God's Grace (various authors)
The Reformation (Stephen J. Nichols)
Spurgeon VS Hyper-Calvinism (Iain Murray)
A Scottish Christian Heritage (Iain Murray)
Meetings that Work (A Strauch)
The Truth War (By John MacArthur)
No Place for the Truth (by David F. Wells).
The Cross and Christian Ministry (D.A. Carson).
Women's Ministry in the Local Church (Ligon Duncan/Susan Hunt)
The Holiness of God (by R.C. Sproul)
Growing Up Christian (by Paul Graustein)
How America Lost Her Innocence (By Steve Gallagher)
From Pride to Humility (pamphlet by Dr. Stuart Scott)
Humility: True Greatness (by C.J. Mahaney)
Biblical Eldership (by A. Strauch)
Expository Preaching With Word Pictures (Jack Hughes)
The Reformed Pastor (by Richard Baxter)
Legacy of Sovereign Joy (by John Piper)
Whose Money Is It Anyways (By John MacArthur)
The Treasure Principle (by Randy Alcorn)
Baptist Life and Thought (By William Brackney)
By His Grace and For His Glory (Dr. Nettles) large sections
Knowing God (J.I. Packer) through ch 19
Way of the Master: Evangelism Training (Ray Comfort)
Evangelical Feminism & Biblical Truth (Wayne Grudem) large sections
Girl Talk (Carolyn Mahaney)
Various articles and commentaries on 1 Cor 11:2-16
Various articles and commentaries on 1 Tim 2:8-15
Various articles and commentaries on Titus 2

Books i recently purchased:
Future Israel (Barry Horner)
Preaching and Preachers (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Commentary on the New Testament Use of the O.T. (D.A. Carson)
Resurrection and Redemption: A Study in Paul's Soteriology (Richard Gaffin)
By Faith, Not by Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation (Richard Gaffin)
The Future of Justification (John Piper)
Genesis: A Commentary (Bruce Waltke)
Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election (Sam Storms)
Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ (Tom Schreiner)

More pictures of Jude

Well we were hoping for a nice family picture for our Christmas cards but Evelyn and Jude decided they were not interested in pictures last night. :)

Our friend Chris posted these at
http://picasaweb.google.com/Chris.Laura.Micah/Kolstad?authkey=6V6eQW7X3ls


Merry Christmas,

Caleb

Should Christians go and see the Golden Compass?

Read one helpful Christian review here http://www.narnia3.com/mt/Blog/Archives/000149.html

What happened to the Bears this season?

What happened to the Bears this season?

1. Inconsistent Q.B. play has killed us.

I love Rex but Rex did not come through this season. Chicago has not had a good QB since Jim McMahon and a great QB since Sid Luckman.

2. Way too many injuries to key players.

I don't even want to start a list here because it makes my stomach turn. I know the Colt's have managed to win despite some key injuries...They have not had as many key injuries but the Colt's have been impressive this season despite those set backs. The Bears on the other hand have not...

3. A poor running attack for a run first team.

Cedric Benson has not been very good (he is out for the season of course). Thomas Jones was the team captain and a better running back (he's in NY because he and Benson did not get along). We were good when we had those guys carrying the ball 20 times (each) a game. Benson was a #4 pick bust.

4. Rex and Brian need guys who can catch the ball. The Bears lead the league in drops. Enough said!

5. The ball has clearly not bounced Chicago's way this season (bad luck/providence).

6. The NFC North got alot better this season. Green Bay is actually very good. The Vikings hit the jack pot with A Peterson. The Lions have been so bad for so long they have top 10 picks at every position (and they still are not great).

7. Not enough off season upgrades. We thought this team with most our returners would return to the Super Bowl. Why 31 teams did not go after Randy Moss is indeed a mystery?

Phil Johnson on God's Truth

Check out Phil Johnson's great post on the Emerging Church at Pyromaniacs (one of my favorite Bible blogs)

Here is a comment he made in his comments section...

Indeed. Patton is advocating a kind of self-doubt (really self-examination—2 Corinthians 13:5). I'm decrying the kind of doubt that is set against God's revealed truth. The first commenter under Patton's post does a pretty fair job of pointing out the necessary distinction. Given that simple distinction, I can wholeheartedly affirm what Michael Patton said in his post today, while standing by what I wrote.The difficulty comes when that necessary distinction is rubbed out by those who buy into postmodernism's anti-epistemology. They conflate self-doubt with doubt toward God's Word by insisting that "epistemic humility" requires us to believe we can't really ever know for sure what the Bible means. So we can't hold any truth with settled conviction, even if it's something the Bible plainly says—because at the end of the day, we can't really trust our own interpretation of the Bible.That's the position Drew is advocating.

It's also what underlies McLaren's trademark skepticism toward truth and certainty. And the reason Drew shouldn't be surprised to find McLaren channeling his very thoughts before Drew himself has even given expression to them is that practically everything in our culture tells us we ought to think that way. And apparently Drew and McLaren don't distrust the trends of the culture as much as they distrust the Bible. Drew and his famous mentor (and hordes of post-evangelicals along with them) have basically joined the greater portion of Western postmodern society in an act of collective epistemological suicide. While talking a lot about "engaging" the culture, they have actually been pressed into postmodern culture's mold. And that mold is a perfect coffin.

Would you vote for a Mormon President?

Mitt Romney made a broad appeal to voters in his speech on faith and politics Thursday, pledging to serve no one religion if he is elected, while at the same time stressing the importance of religious liberty and defending his right to worship as a Mormon.

Romney made the speech in an attempt to answer skepticism about his religion. But he only made brief specific references to Mormonism, underscoring instead what he called the "common creed of moral convictions” shared by Americans and the value of the nation's "symphony of faith."

“Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom,” Romney said. “Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.”

As John F. Kennedy did 47 years ago in a speech answering questions about his Catholic faith, Romney insisted that his religion would not dictate his duties in office if elected president. Romney referenced Kennedy in his opening lines.

"I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith ... I will put no doctrine of any church above the plain duties of the office and the sovereign authority of the law," Romney said. " If I am fortunate enough to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest ... A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.”

For full story go to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,315486,00.html

NFL

I am glad Rex is back with Chicago since Griese was no upgrade and has no future with the team... Rex has had 3 solid games in a row. The playoffs are probably not going to happen this year for Chicago but as i mentioned before does it really matter? Can anyone really beat New England in the playoffs?

Power Rankings
1. New England
drop off

2. Indy
drop off

3. Dallas
4. Green Bay
5. Pittsburgh

Rick Warren & Hillary Clinton join forces

For full story go to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,314023,00.html

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton used an appearance at one of the nation's largest evangelical churches Thursday to sketch a broad agenda to take on disease around the globe, calling it "the right thing to do."

The centerpiece of a speech laced with Biblical references and reflections on her own faith was a call to spend billions of dollars to combat HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases at home and abroad. She said she would try to stamp out malaria deaths in Africa within eight years.
Money and government alone cannot solve the problems, she said. AIDS "is a problem of our common humanity, and we are called to respond with love, with mercy and with urgency," she said.

With the presidential campaign intensifying in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Clinton was alone among leading candidates to fly to coastal California to appear at Saddleback Church in Orange County, where pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren convenes a conference each year to highlight the global threat posed by HIV/AIDS.

What's in the name?

Here are some of the reasons why we named our son Jude MacArthur Kolstad:

1. We liked the names. Let’s not get over-spiritual here.

2. When I get the chance to fill our Senior Pastor’s pulpit (Joe Flatt) I have been preaching through the book of Jude (see http://www.fbccarmel.com/). This Sunday will be my 11th sermon from this much neglected epistle. This book has been my companion for 2+ years now. It is a wonderful book written by the half brother of Jesus, Jude. It’s a great name with an even better message.

3. Pastor John MacArthur has had a major spiritual influence in my life and in my wife’s life. He has also had a big role in the spiritual development of my parents and in some measure in Andrea’s parents lives as well. People who love the truth love those who bring it faithfully.

4. Pastor MacArthur was my teaching pastor for 12+ years. I was apart of Grace Community Churches children’s ministries, teen ministries, college ministries, singles ministries, and there adult ministries. MacArthur taught me how to handle the Bible before I ever went to Bible college or seminary. In my estimation, he is the finest Bible expositor I have ever learned from. Al Mohler recently said, that "John MacArthur + Bible ='s expository preaching." You can make that determination for yourself at http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/grace_to_you/

5. Like the good Dr. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones), Pastor John MacArthur has been greatly used by God in his defense and proclamation of the truth. There is nothing more important in this life then the non-negotiable body of objective truth that makes up the Christian gospel. Jude 3 calls on all of us to “Contend earnestly for the faith.” John MacArthur has been exemplary in his efforts to protect, preserve, and proclaim the Word of God; and when the Word of God is faithfully preached Jesus Christ is glorified!

6. Two of the Pastors that John mentored (Jerry Wragg and Carey Hardy) discipled me. John’s ministry fingerprints were on those men and thus indirectly on me as well. My interaction with John has been predominately through letters. Since the 6th grade has always been faithful to reply to my notes.

7. Andrea and I both attended the Master’s College and I attended the Master’s Seminary. John MacArthur is the President of these Christian institutions. God used TMC and TMS to shape and mold both of our lives and ministries.

8. John MacArthur is a living hero of mine and thus the middle name is appropriate for our beloved first born son.

9. Jude's last name (Kolstad) is also rich with tradition. My parents Kent and Marie have left a wonderful legacy for their 4 children and 3 grandchildren.


Our prayer is that God saves Jude at an early age and that He will use him as He sees fit. We are thankful for this wonderful gift from God.

Commentary on the death of Sean Taylor

I ran across this commentary by a black sportswriter that is worth your consideration...I don't agree with everything he wrote but he does make some great observations...

Here is a portion of what he said. For the full article go to http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7499442?MSNHPHCP&GT1=10637

"There's a reason I call them the Black KKK. The pain, the fear and the destruction are all the same. Someone who loved Sean Taylor is crying right now. The life they knew has been destroyed, an 18-month-old baby lost her father, and, if you're a black man living in America, you've been reminded once again that your life is in constant jeopardy of violent death. The Black KKK claimed another victim, a high-profile professional football player with a checkered past this time.

No, we don't know for certain the circumstances surrounding Taylor's death. I could very well be proven wrong for engaging in this sort of aggressive speculation. But it's no different than if you saw a fat man fall to the ground clutching his chest. You'd assume a heart attack, and you'd know, no matter the cause, the man needed to lose weight.

Well, when shots are fired and a black man hits the pavement, there's every statistical reason to believe another black man pulled the trigger. That's not some negative, unfair stereotype. It's a reality we've been living with, tolerating and rationalizing for far too long.

When the traditional, white KKK lynched, terrorized and intimidated black folks at a slower rate than its modern-day dark-skinned replacement, at least we had the good sense to be outraged and in no mood to contemplate rationalizations or be fooled by distractions. Our new millennium strategy is to pray the Black KKK goes away or ignores us. How's that working?

About as well as the attempt to shift attention away from this uniquely African-American crisis by focusing on an alleged injustice the white media allegedly perpetrated against Sean Taylor.
Within hours of his death, there was a story circulating that members of the black press were complaining that news outlets were disrespecting Taylor's victimhood by reporting on his troubled past

No disrespect to Taylor, but he controlled the way he would be remembered by the way he lived. His immature, undisciplined behavior with his employer, his run-ins with law enforcement, which included allegedly threatening a man with a loaded gun, and the fact a vehicle he owned was once sprayed with bullets are all pertinent details when you've been murdered."

More pics as requested

I have a SON!!!!

Jude MacArthur Kolstad was born on Thanksgiving day! He is 9 pounds 12 ounces (a big boy) and is 21 inches long.

The Lord answered so many prayers along the way. Dr. Jim did the C-section which was a blessing since he is a Christian doctor. He had me pray before the surgery and was playing Christian music during the operation. I really appreciated his Christian testimony!

Praise God and HAPPY THANKSGIVING! (

Caleb, Andrea, Evelyn, and Jude

(Pictures to come)

A must read on Teen Ministries

Phil Johnson has posted this over at Pyro and it is really worth your time and consideration:

At last June's Founder's Conference, Roy Hargrave delivered a powerful message that got me thinking about why so many churches lose their young people. (That wasn't the theme of Dr. Hargrave's message, but he brought up the subject in one of the points he made.)Here's a really brief summary of some of my thoughts on the matter:The very strategies many churches adopt to try to keep their young people involved in the church are the main reasons they lose so many of them. The dominant philosophies of youth ministry today are spiritually lame or worse—and almost completely counterproductive.Specifically, it's time we faced the fact that systematically dumbing down the teaching ministry and ramping up the party atmosphere while isolating our young people from the rest of the body is not a very good strategy for increasing the rate of retention among our youth.

Think about it: Youth ministries (not all of them, of course, but the vast majority of squidgy evangelical ones) deliberately shield their young people from the hard truths and strong demands of Jesus. They tailor their worship so worldly youth can feel as comfortable in the church environment as possible. They squander the best opportunities of those formative student years by minimizing spiritual instruction while emphasizing fun and games.

They let their teens live with the false notions that believing in Christ is easy, sanctification is optional, and religion is supposed to be fun and always suited to our liking. They fail to equip their high school students for the rigorous defense of the faith they will need in college. They neglect to integrate them as young adults into the adult community of the church.And then they wonder why so many young people abandon the church about the same time they leave home.How hard can it really be to understand why the "Youth Specialties" approach to student ministry has been such an enormous failure?

Another day in the NFL

Well the Taco6 clan was eager to post a comment after the Colt's game last night. I fell asleep after the 3rd Qtr so i missed some of the fun. It was a wonderful game for those who are not Manning fans. I thought during the first half the Colts traded for Griese or Grossman. 6 Ints??? I guess that only proves that great players need help from teammates when they are not playing well.

The Chicago Bears at this point are not very relevant. I know that. They could only put up 17 against the Raiders...All i want for Christmas is a Quarterback.

None the less, if the Pats don't sustain any major injuries I don't know if Indy or Dallas or G.B. can beat them. I know the Bears can't. But then again anything can happen in this league which is why they play the game.

A Great Day in the NFL

I wonder if our faithful Colts fans will comment today? I have long argued with my Indiana friends that i would pick Tom Brady over Peyton Manning in a big playoff game. Until last year Mannings QB rating/record and Bradys QB rating/record during the playoffs were not even close. Now this year Mr. Tom cool is on pace to smash the regular season records of Mr. Manning.

I had church Sunday PM so i was not able to see much of the game. I was able to see the end which was the best part...Tom Brady makes some clutch plays and leads the Pats to a come from behind victory in Indy no less. Manning has a chance to be a hero but he fails. He holds on to the ball too long has it knocked out of his arms into a Pats player to seal the Colts fate. He then pounds his hand into the turf knowing full well Mr Brady is the best QB in the game right now and that the Pats are the best team.


The NFC North showed its grit with G.B beating K.C. and Minn beating San Diego and Detroit defeating Denver.

The AFC South is probably the best division in football this season. The Colts and Titans are great teams. New Orleans did defeat Jacksonville yesterday though. When the Titans get Pacman Jones back next year and if they can sign a few quality wide recievers during the off season look out. They have one of the best D's in the league.

The AFC East (minus N.E.) and the NFC West are horrible. The NFC East and The AFC South are probably the two best divisions in football right now.


NFL Power Rankings
1. New England
2. Indy

DROP OFF
3. Dallas
4. Pittsburgh
5. Green Bay
6. Tennesssee

1 Corinthians 11:2-3: Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
1 Corinthians 11:2-3

This is one of the key New Testament texts that highlight many essential principles of Biblical manhood and womanhood. Verses 2-16 address the roles of men and women in the worship service or during some other setting where believers gathered together. Dr. Schreiner believes this section addresses actions that were taking place during the public worship service while Dr. MacArthur believes that Paul is addressing problems in a different context. It appears to me that Paul is trying to correct some of the problems that where taking place during the church worship service in chapters 11-14.

None the less, Paul goes back and forth with statements about men and women (see Garland’s chart below). Clearly this passage is very applicable to the subject at hand. David Garland notes, “Whatever the motivation, the structure of Paul’s argument makes clear what the issue is:

11:4 Every man who prays or prophesies
11:5 Every woman who prays or prophesies

11:7a On the one hand (men gar ) the man. . .
11:7b On the other hand (de) the woman

11:7 A man ought not (ouk opheilei) . . . the head
11:10 A woman ought (opheilei) . . . the head

11:11a Neither a woman apart from the man
11:11b Neither the man apart from the woman

11:12a For just as the woman . . .
11:12b Thus also the man . . .

11:13 It is shameful for a woman to pray to God uncovered
(no parallel)

11:14b On the one hand (men) the man . . .
11:15 On the other hand (de) the woman . . .”

The crux of the argument is probably found in verse 13. 1 Corinthians 11:13, Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with head uncovered? No parallel statement is made here as Garland’s chart above shows. That is a significant observation to keep in mind.

There are only two commands in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. The two imperatives in this passage are found in verse 6 (let her cover herself) and in verse 13 (judge for yourselves). With that said, certain details in this section are very difficult to understand. This is not an easy portion of Scripture to understand yet the central theme of the passage can be discerned and applied. In the words of Dr. Schreiner, “There is an abiding principle in the text that is applicable to the 20th century.” It is an important principle for all Christians to understand and apply.

So how does verse 2 relate to vv 3-16? Verses 3-16 indicate there were some problems in the Corinthian church. Why then does Paul open this section with a commendation in verse 2? 1 Corinthians 11:2, Now I praise you because you remember me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.

In parenting, it’s normally wise to reinforce positive Christ-like behavior in the lives of your children. If your child does something well or is obedient I believe it’s wise to draw attention to those behaviors. Some parents on the other hand focus exclusively on their children’s sins and mistakes. That is not good parenting. Why? Because encouragement is an essential medicine of life. Before Paul corrects the “Corinthian problems” in chapters 11-14, he seeks to encourage them for the things they’re doing right. In the words of one commentator, “The situation of the church is not bleak in every respect.” They were doing some things well which Paul wanted to draw attention to and reinforce. If you’re a boss or a Pastor or a parent or a teacher there is biblical wisdom in Paul’s approach to shepherding/leading. Notice his example in 1 Corinthians 1:1-6; "Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and ball knowledge, 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you...” Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians are amazing in light of all the problems this church had. Just read 1 and 2 Corinthians and you’ll see what I mean. Let me encourage you to follow Paul’s example and encourage others as much as you can!

After praising the Corinthians in verse 2, Paul addresses some of their problems in 1 Corinthians 11:3-6. But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. 4 Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying, disgraces his head. 5 But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying, disgraces her head; for she is one and the same with her whose head is shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head.

I believe verse 3 is jam-packed with theological significance. It is probably the most important verse in the entire section. If you get this verse right you’ll probably understand the rest of the passage as well.

Before moving ahead a few questions should be considered. We know Eve was taken from Adam’s rib, but Andrea (my wife) did not come from Caleb, did she? Did the man originate from Christ? How did God create the first man in Genesis? Should the Greek words in verse 3 be translated husband/wife or man/woman? Are their any textual or grammatical reasons to interpret the words more specifically as husband/wife over the more general terms man/woman?

Most importantly, what does the word “head” (“kephale”) mean in this particular context? Complementarians believe it means “Authority.” Egalitarians believe it means “Source/Origin”

Let’s examine how Paul uses this same word (head) in a similar context. Here the word is also used figuratively though more specifically in the context of husbands and wives. Observe Ephesians 5:22-24, 22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Women should submit to their husbands (their God-ordained authority figures), as the church submits herself to Christ.

Let’s also observe the inspired words of Ephesians 1:20-23, "Which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." Head (kephale) clearly means authority here. Jesus Christ is the leader of the Church. He is our glorious head. He has authority over the Church.

Before we move on let’s also check out a usage of this word in Colossians. Colossians 2:9-15, For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. The concept of Jesus’ authority and supremacy is clearly declared in this wonderful text.

The word “head” in I Corinthians 11:3 clearly implies “authority”. Let’s read this verse using “authority” in place of “HEAD”. But I want you to understand that Christ is the authority of every man, and the man is the authority of a woman, and God is the authority of Christ. (Note: A few of the good modern day English translations use husband and wife instead of man and woman).

Some of you lay theologians may object to this understanding: “I thought the members of the Trinity (Father, Son & Spirit) are totally equal in essence, nature, personhood, and being? Isn’t that true? Is that not what you taught us in lessons 1-5?” If I answer ‘no’ here I would rightly be labeled a heretic. Why? Because the Bible clearly teaches us that the Father is God, very God, the Son is God, very God, and the Holy Spirit is God, very God. I love to sing the following Christian song lyrics, “Praise the Father, praise the Son, praise the Spirit, three in one!” The doctrine of the Trinity is central to biblical Christianity. The Bible also says that though perfectly equal in nature and being the members of the Trinity have different functions and roles! This understanding is absolutely crucial! If you miss this point you won’t understand the gospels or the Trinity or Biblical manhood and womanhood.

There are no “ontological” differences between Father and Son but they do have different roles. That qualification in no way undermines their fully equality. The Nicene Creed was 100% correct here. Jesus is of the same substance as God the Father. There are three members that make up one Godhead. Three distinct persons but just one God.

A distinct role does not logically imply inferiority! The Son submits to the Father in various Bible passages (Observe I Cor. 15:28, Jn 3:17, 14:28) The Father commands and sends and the Son obeys and comes. Bruce Ware has done some wonderful research that further proves this point if you want a more detailed study of this.

The subordination the Bible talks about deals with order and relation not being or essence. God is the head over Christ yet He is not essentially greater than Christ. Generally speaking Christian women are under male authority but they are not inferior to men. God gave women different gender defined roles that in no way undermine their full equality with men. The same is true in regards to the Trinity. Christian feminists and radical feminists miss God’s mark when they try to promote equal roles in the church and the home. If you don’t believe me study the Holy Trinity! Carefully follow Paul’s logic in I Corinthians 11:3. Do an in depth research project on the role of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has willingly taken on a role in which He eternally exists in the backdrop. The Spirit lives to bring glory to the Son and seeks to bring about the will of the Father. What an amazing example of Divine humility and submission for all of us to consider. Examine Bruce Ware’s wonderful book “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

When Kephale (head) is used figuratively (speaking of people or relationships) it always conveys the idea of authority. Dr. Grundem adds this helpful comment, “Therefore there is no linguistic basis for proposing that the New Testament texts speak of Chirst as the head of the church or the husband as the head of the wife can be read apart from the attribution of authority to the one designated as ‘head.’” [For a more detailed article that supports this claim check out “Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood” Appendix 1, pp 425-468]

The holy Trinity proves that men and women can be totally equal yet they can also have different functions and roles that are gender defined by Divine design.

Ligonier conference and Limousines

I had the privilege of attending Ligonier ministries 5th annual Pastor’s Conference this past week in Orlando. The primary speakers were R.C. Sproul, Steven J Lawson, and Joel Beeke. The purpose of the lectures was to highlight the significance of having a God-centered ministry that is conducted in humble submission to the Word of God and that emphasizes the glory of God in worship, evangelism, prayer, and preaching. Dr. Sproul picked the right speakers to help communicate these wonderful themes.

Now some of you are probably wondering what a limousine has to do with Ligonier ministries? Keep reading and I will evidentially get there…Before I talk about any of the specific lectures per say I want to say what a wonderful job the Ligonier staff did in hosting this conference. The meals each day were unbelievable and the subsidized cost of the conference was amazing ($150 for registration and room/board). The size of the conference was just right (250 pastors), as opposed to the mega conferences (like Desiring God or Shepherds or Together for the Gospel) where 2000 people is considered a small crowd. The smaller venue allowed one to interact with the speakers (especially Dr. Beeke) as well as get to know various pastors from throughout the world.

I had two strikes against me going into this conference seeing I’m both pre-mill and Baptistic (by conviction). I would guess that the vast majority of the men who attended this conference were obviously Covenantal and either Post or Amill. With that said, all the attendees shared a common bond though our personal commitments to the gospel of grace and to a high view of God that all of us shared. All that to say, I enjoyed some great fellowship with various pastors including my father, Kent who came in from Washington state.

Dr. Lawson started off the conference preaching from Psalm 93. The sermon topic was on “the Eclipse of God.” He reminded us that man can build beautiful buildings but only God can build a church. All of Lawson’s sermons during the conference were expositions of various Old and New Testament texts. It was great to have someone model what expository preaching is and to help show everyone why expository preaching is so powerful (Scripture truth in Scripture dress). It’s more and more common these days to have conferences that deal with biblical issues via lectures rather than pure expositions of the Word of God. That is not to say there isn’t a place for great Biblical lectures but personally I’ll take a wonderful exposition of Scripture over a great lecture any day. Lawson concluded his first sermon by reminding us that the greatest issue facing the church today is who is seated above. Who is your God? Psalm 93 is very clear that the God of the Bible reigns!

Dr. Joel Beeke lectured next on hitting your “Target Audience.” This was a very practical lecture. Beeke said our preaching must be both applicatory and discriminatory. He said preaching must not ignore the pew nor be controlled by the pew. He briefly mentioned that in his opinion Haddon Robinson goes too far here. Dr. Beeke then went on to talk about the various people that listen to our sermons in the pew each Sunday: those include the growing believer, the backsliding believer, those who are in spiritual bondage, the open-conscience unbeliever, the indifferent unbeliever, etc. In short, we must remember that we have all kinds of hearers in our congregations. A mature preacher recognizes this and thus will aim his sermon arrows at the various people groups during the course of his expositions. Dr. Beeke reminded us that it would be a mistake to aim for every target in every single sermon. Wisdom and balance are needed here.

Dr. Sproul then gave one of his classic sermons from Genesis 22. He illustrated how we should tackle an Old Testament narrative with power and clarity. Dr. Sproul reminded us that the OT is God’s autobiography. If you want to teach your people about the nature and character of God study the Old Testament.

Dr. Lawson concluded the opening day sessions with a powerful sermon from 2 Timothy 4. I believe that preaching from common passages of Scripture has its advantages and its unique challenges. Steve Lawson eats, sleeps, and breathes this text of Scripture so the sermon was quite amazing to say the least. The first business of the preacher is to preach the Word. As the pulpit goes, Lawson noted, so goes the church. Lawson said there are 8 imperatives that instruct us how we are to preach in 2 Timothy 4:1-5. I’d encourage all you preachers to get this CD. In the mean time PREACH THE WORD!!!

Lawson started off Tuesday’s sessions with an exposition of Revelation 4. His topic was the God-centered worship service. Lawson picked this particular text because he believes that church worship services should be as much like heaven as possible. This thought goes against the contemporary church movement; which is cool, casual, laid back, informal, horizontal, trendy and often very trivial. Lawson asked the following question: If God were to design a worship service what would it look like? Steve encouraged us to examine Revelation chapter 4 if we want to find out. Steve then provided 4 distinguishing marks of a God-centered service from this chapter of Scripture. 1. A high view of God. 2. A deep fear of God. 3. A distinct separation from God. 4. A constant focus upon God. All these marks flowed out of the text of Revelation 4.

Perhaps the highlight of the conference was Lawson’s sermon on God-centered Evangelism from Matthew 7:13-29. All of us are aware of the scary reality that there are many people in every congregation who are born in the church but whom never been born again. This was a wonderful text to preach from in effort to address the following theme mentioned above. I’d encourage all of you once again to get to CD as well…

Dr. Sproul gave a great lecture on “A God-centered view of the Truth.” He went to John 18 and reminded us that we must embrace, proclaim, and contend for the truth! Sproul asked and answered two essential questions from this dialogue between Jesus and Pilate. Question one was what is truth? (Truth is reality as it’s perceived by God). Question two was how can true truth be known (an epistemology question)? Sproul then reminded us that rationalism and rationality are very different things. He also noted that sometimes we reduce apologetics to proclamation of truth instead of giving people a reason for the hope that’s within us. This was a great lecture because we minister to those influenced by post-modern thought.

Now I promised everyone I would get to the Ligonier/Limo connection, so here it is. On Wednesday night there was a Vesper’s service at Saint Andrew’s Chapel (R.C.’s home church). Now for those of you who’ve never been here before it’s really a hard church to describe. The inside of this building is quite spectacular (think stained glass art, massive paintings, exquisite architecture, etc). You preachers will especially appreciate the 8-foot high pulpit that sits on a raised platform…Ligonier ministries provided two large buses for those pastors who did not rent cars during the conference to get to Saint Andrews. For the guest speakers there was a different mode of transportation…you guessed it…a limousine service provided. Now before I go off on this let me say that I’m worried about how some of you readers may use this story. I know there are some pastors who seem to have an issue with every well-known preacher ministering in our day. I believe these men often struggle with envy. They wonder why God chooses to uniquely bless some pastors/churches the way he does? Why them and not me they wonder? It appears men like this often have an over inflated view of their own gifts and abilities as well and thus see zero value in hearing more gifted and experienced pastor-preachers. On the flip side of the coin, there is a growing (legitimate) concern that we Christians don’t turn our Christian heroes of the faith into some type of Christian “celebrities”. There is a line between honoring and esteeming faithful men and worshipping them. I’ve written about this before so I won’t repeat myself all over again. Now, you probably know where I am going with this already don’t you? I need to give my friends at Ligonier the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps R.C. Sproul has someone from his local church who actually owns a Limo company. Theoretically, this man could have offered free services to the guest pastors during the Pastor’s Conference. Honestly I don’t know. Even if that were the case I must ask the following question, what were you thinking?

Let me paint the picture a little bit better for you. All the pastors are at Saint Andrews Chapel waiting for the start of the Vesper’s service and all of a sudden here comes a white limo. The limo parks underneath the St. Andrew’s Chapel overhang and drops off…the conference speakers. (I would imagine the guest speakers had nothing to do with this decision so I don’t want to indict anyone here unnecessarily). I’m just concerned that this picture sent the wrong message. I know too many solo pastors who have to work another full time job in order to bring home an livable income. If the Christian community wants to work against creating a Christian celebrity community I’d suggest ideas like this be reconsidered. Gospel preachers and limos don’t go together. Save the limousine services for newly weds, professional athletes, and movie stars.

Let us focus our attention back on more important things. All things considered this was both an encouraging and an edifying pastors conference. Drs. Sproul, Lawson, and Beeke were very approachable during this conference. In particular, Dr. Beeke made a special effort to have breakfast and dinner with the men. The sermons and lectures that were given during this conference were clearly labors of love. I’d highly recommend you purchase the conference audio set and consider attending next year’s conference. I’d simple suggest if do come you drive your own car or fly in on a major airline…Let’s leave the limos for the rich and the famous.

"Feed Me Til I Want No More"

It has been a busy year and a busy past week. It has also been a very profitable week. On Saturday night Dr. Bruce Ware spoke to a group of leaders at our church on "leadership lessons from the Trinity." It was a wonderful lecture. Dr. Ware reminded us how it is actually God-like to exercise Biblical leadership AND is God-like when we exercise Biblical obedience (i.e. submission). He looked at the Father's example of putting the spot-light on the Son and exhorted we human leaders to do the same. How can we identify evidences of grace in people around us esp. those who may work directly for us?

On Sunday Dr. Ware presented 3 lectures on the doctrine of God. Bruce was both clear and profound. He was both Biblical and practical. My wife Andrea and I were able to have Dr. Ware over to our home for lunch and conversation following Sunday school hour. It was great being able to pick the brain of a first rate Bible scholar like Dr. Ware. I believe next to the Master's Seminary in California that Southern Seminary is the best theological school for prospective pastors to attend in the United States. Both are wonderful, first rate schools.

On Monday I flew to Orlando to attend the Ligonier Pastor's Conference with my father. Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. Steve Lawson, and Dr. Joel Beeke are the main speakers. Steve Lawson has already preached 3 amazing sermons on Psalm 93, 2 Timothy 4, and on Revelation 4. Ligonier does a wonderful job hosting pastors from around the country during this small Pastors Conference.

During Lawson's opening address he said we have seen an eclipse in our theology (e.g. open theism, non-Lordship salvation, ECT, health and wealth gospel, etc); we've observed an eclipse in doxology (just attend the average evangelical church worship services); and an eclipse in our methodology (pragmatism reigns, seeker movements, etc).

Steve reminded us that man can build a booming building but only God can build a Church. Dr. Lawson went on to preach through the 93rd Psalm (Our Lord reigns). He noted that God will mediate His sovereign reign through His Word.

In conclusion Lawson said, "The greatest issue facing your church today is who is seated above...In other words, who is your God?"

What are they thinking? (or not)

Maine middle school to offer birth control
School board approves pills and patches for students ages 11 to 13

PORTLAND, Maine - Pupils at a city middle school will be able to get birth control pills and patches at their student health center after the local school board approved the proposal Wednesday evening.

The plan, offered by city health officials, makes King Middle School the first middle school in Maine to make a full range of contraception available to students in grades 6 through 8, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

There are no national figures on how many middle schools, where most students range in age from 11 to 13, provide such services.

Go to msnbc.com for full story here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21358971/

Female students at King Middle School can get access to the pill without telling their parents. NBC’s Ron Allen reports....

A Prayer for Our Churches

“A Prayer for Our Church” by John Piper
October 8th, 2007

O Lord, by the truth of your Word, and the power of your Spirit and the ministry of your body, build men and women at Bethlehem . . .

Who don’t love the world more than God,who don’t care if they make much money,who don’t care if they own a house,who don’t care if they have a new car or two cars,who don’t need recent styles,who don’t care if they get famous,who don’t miss steak or fancy fare,who don’t expect that life should be comfortable and easy,who don’t feed their minds on TV each night,who don’t measure truth with their finger in the wind,who don’t get paralyzed by others’ disapproval,who don’t return evil for evil,who don’t hold grudges,who don’t gossip,who don’t twist the truth,who don’t brag or boast,who don’t whine or use body language to get pity,who don’t criticize more than praise,who don’t hang out in cliques,who don’t eat too much or exercise too little;

But

Who are ablaze for God,who are utterly God-besotted,who are filled with the Holy Spirit,who strive to know the height and depth of Christ’s love,who are crucified to the world and dead to sin,who are purified by the Word and addicted to righteousness,who are mighty in memorizing and using the Scriptures,who keep the Lord’s Day holy and refreshing,who are broken by the consciousness of sin,who are thrilled by the wonder of free grace,who are stunned into humble silence by the riches of God’s glory,who are persevering constantly in prayer,who are ruthless in self-denial,who are fearless in public witness to Christ’s Lordship,who are able to unmask error and blow away doctrinal haze,who are tough in standing for the truth,who are tender in touching hurting people,who are passionate about reaching the peoples who have no church,who are pro-life for the sake of babies and moms and dads and the glory of God,who are keepers of all their promises, including marriage vows,who are content with what they have and trusting the promises of God,who are patient and kind and meek when life is hard.


Pressing for all there is in Christ,

Pastor John Piper

Yes, I Died Twice Yesterday

Mark and Joe want me to weigh in on my Chicago Bears. If you watched yesterdays game you probably observed a few things. Griese is a good back up and an average or below average starter in this league. His arm strength on outs is just not very good. QB is the most important position in the game. Is it any surprise that New England (Brady), Indy (Manning), Dallas (Romo), and G.B. (Favre) are the best teams in the league right now? Football is a team sport but you need a good QB and a good coach to succeed. Griese won’t lose many games but he can’t win many games for you either. The Bear’s need a QB who can win a game for them…

The Bear’s D has way too many injuries to overcome with our backups playing the way they’re playing. The D has been a big disappointment this year. We really miss the presence of Pro-Bowl FS Mike Brown. Adam Archuleta can’t cover anyone and with a broken hand can’t even tackle.

Sunday’s loss was liking dying twice. I had accepted the loss after Peterson rushed for 240 yards and his 2nd touchdown of the game (putting us down by 14). Then I turn back 3 minutes later and the Bear’s are down 7…so I decide to finish the game out. Next thing you know they shut down the Vikes from their own 40 and then connect with Hester (the best special teams player in the history of the game) for 81 yards (to tie the game). I was thinking at this point maybe we’ll actually sneak this one out (like Detroit did to us a couple weeks ago). But then Peterson returns a kick 60 some yards and Longwell kicks a career long (55 yard field goal) to send us back to the bottom of the NFC North. Yes, it was the sports equivalent of dying twice. I need to go visit my sports psychologist for my sports related depression now. This season is really close to being a total wash. If we don’t win 3 or 4 in a row we’ll be draft watching. It’s sad times for Bear’s fans around the country. The only solace i have right now is that perhaps this season doesn't even matter...Look at the way New England has been dominating people? If they stay healthy it does not appear they can lose a game. They can play average and beat most teams by 20 points. That is not good news for Colts fans and NFL fans around the league! Go Bears!

Manhood & Womanhood (pt 2)

One of the way’s Evangelical Feminist’s have tried to solve this problem is to redefine the meaning of the word “head.” They have to admit that husbands are the heads of their wives because the Bible clearly teaches this truth; but many would say “headship” only implies that man is the source of women, not the God-ordained leader or authority figure. Much ink has been spilled trying to understand the N.T. Greek word kephale. Wayne Grudem has literally spent hundreds of hours of research proving that the Greek Word “head” does not mean source. The word “head” when used figuratively and when speaking of relationships always implies authority. We will go into this issue in greater depth next time so I won’t go down that road right now.

Some Christian feminists use a different line of reason. They say that the concept of male headship did not come about until after the fall and is therefore a product of sin. We already answered this objection during our 3rd lecture so I won’t repeat those arguments again now.

God’s ideal marriage is beautifully and clearly summarized for us in Colossians 3:18-19. Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. New Testament passages like this one begin to unlock for us an important truth. Christ can enable us to overcome the effects of the curse and the fall of man (at least in some measure). When unbelievers are transformed from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God’s light they’re given a new nature (Col 1:13). Christians are no longer enslaved to his/her sin or his/her sin nature (see Romans 6-8). The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in us; we’re “sealed” (Ephesians 4:30). At this point, we try to become who we are in Christ (progressive sanctification). We finally have the ability to follow God’s Word from the heart with pure motives. To borrow Biblical language we’re new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

One of the specific areas of life that God’s Word addresses is the very topic we’re discussing, “Biblical manhood and womanhood.” Therefore spirit-filled Christians should try to pursue these Biblical roles with all their might for the glory of God. The “perfect” male/female relationship that was enjoyed prior to the fall can in some regards be regained as Christians! If you’re in a difficult marriage do not despair because there is hope! If you’re counseling a couple on the verge of divorce, never forget there is hope! The Bible offers all of us tons of hope if we but submit ourselves fully to the Lordship of Christ. Our paradise that was lost can in some regards be regained here on earth. The death of Christ not only restores our relationship with God it also empowers us to restore some of our broken human relationships with others.

Stay tuned as next time we’ll begin to study a crucial New Testament text (1 Corinthians 11:2-16).

Manhood and Womanhood: Selected Scriptures

We spent all last session discussing how the fall of man in Genesis 3 directly effects Biblical manhood and womanhood. I believe the following statement is an important one to consider: The curse did not introduce new roles per say rather it distorted God’s original roles.

Can any of you recall what some of the effects of the curse and the fall were? (A) Women’s role as child-bearer was affected (v. 16a), through greater pain and sorrow. (B) Women’s role as helper was distorted (v. 16b); she now had a sinful “desire” against her husband’s God-ordained role as “head”. (C) Man’s role as leader was distorted (“And he shall rule over you”). Husbands’ don’t always lead the way God ordained them to lead (loving sacrificial leadership, not aggressive, selfish, manipulative rule). (D) Man’s role as provider was affected as well (v. 17ff); the ground was cursed making work much more difficult and laborious. (E) Men and women were introduced to death (no concept of death or dying before the fall). Yet remember that in all of this God was very gracious in that Adam and Eve were not condemned immediately. They did still die as a result of sin mind you. What the Bible says is true, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23, Gen. 2:17). My point is that they should have died instantaneously.

Did you know that the battle between the sexes finds its origins in the fall? Those of who were thinking Billy Jean King versus Bobby Riggs showcase your age. In the words of John MacArthur, “Women have a sinful inclination to usurp man’s authority and men have a sinful inclination to put women under their feet.” Genesis 3:16 does not outline a pretty scenario. After the fall, all humans have a new master (sin); the sinful flesh is preoccupied with self instead of others. Pride, selfishness, and lust are detrimental to human relationships. Think about how those sins have impacted your relationships with other people. More specifically, how do you see these sins negatively impacting male/female relationships around you?

Some of you may remember that we asked the following questions before we ended last time: Is there anything we can do about the curse? Should we just accept the fact that man is not going to lead the way God wants him to the lead and that woman is not going to help and support the way God designed her to help? Can this curse be reversed or are we Chicago Cub like (cursed Christians)?

(I) Some people don’t believe anything can really be done about the Gen. 3:16 curse. It is what it is so we shouldn’t worry about it. Others try and play the victim card while still others simply despair. (II) Some people think that the best way to reverse the curse is to pursue equal roles & authority in marriage, in the workplace, and at church. Now if this point is true, how does that harmonize with what we learned about in Genesis chapter 2? I showed you that even before the fall, God gave Adam and Eve different gender-defined roles. According to God’s Word, that reality in no way undermines our equality before Him. Said another way, if role(s) alone determine equality, value, and worth then many other Biblical concepts (such as church elders, the Trinity, etc) could not work.

For example, how could a group of qualified men (1 Tim 3, Titus 1) serve in an exclusive leadership capacity, if one’s role determined one’s value? I suggest to you that God has given us different gifts and different roles and that every spiritual gift and role is absolutely essential to the body of Christ. God has given us a diversity of gifts for the unity of the body (note 1 Corinthians 12-14). Elders and Pastors are not more important then the deacons and deacons are not more important than laypeople. There is no church hierarchy in regards to worth. I should repeat the fact that God ordained authority roles don’t imply greater value or worth! If God’s Word restricts the pastorate to men this does not mean women in the church have lesser value or worth. So what’s my conclusion after saying all this? If the eldership and pastorate is restricted only to men (and for that matter only biblically qualified men) then Egalitarians have some major theological problems. Of course those of you who know your Bibles really well understand that Paul uses the Trinity as the ultimate example to prove this very point (we’ll examine 1 Cor. 11 next time).

Coaches try and teach similar concepts to there teams, especially when coaching team sports. Good coaches know that it takes an entire team to win a team championship. In football the Q.B. can not function effectively without his offensive line, running backs, receivers, etc. A great team offense requires more than one star player. Do you think Peyton Manning is more important than Tony Dungy? That’s a silly question since they have totally different roles. Could Peyton Manning win a NFL championship without assistance from 10 other players? Could he really do it himself? Obviously not! Perhaps only one player is given the MVP trophy, but more importantly the Lombardi NFL Championship trophy was presented to all the players on the Colts roster. This was done for a reason. It was a team championship.

So how does all this nonsense affect our conversation? Dr. Grudem summarizes our point well, “If men and women have different God-given roles and authority, then we can’t be equal” is an unproven assumption and it just does not hold true in human experience.” Jesus’ teaching on this topic is actually quite radical. Matthew 20:25-28, But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jesus taught that just because someone is in a position of authority does not mean they’re more significant in God’s eyes. On the flip side of the coin, just because someone is in a position of lesser authority does not make them less valuable in God’s eyes either. The church janitor is just as important to God as I am (a church pastor). Jesus taught his followers that the way up in the kingdom of God is down. In other words, servant leadership is crucial to Biblical authority. All of us are commanded to embrace our positions in life with humility and with a servant’s mindset.

Here is what I am trying to suggest to you in all this. If authority denies equality, than the biblical concept of male headship, implemented before the curse in Genesis 2, provides the Christian feminist view with a big stick in their theological spokes. (If you ever had someone stick a piece of wood through your bicycle spooks you know what I mean here.) Sin was not introduced into the male/female equation until Genesis 3.

Pastor Provocateur

I recently read CT's article on Pastor Mark Driscoll (see Sept 07 issue). It was a pretty well written article by Collin Hansen. Mark Driscoll is a well known pastor in part because he has a church of 6000 people in Seattle, WA. Let me say up front that there is nothing wrong with having a huge church but it does not make someone a great pastor or preacher either.

Mark Driscoll is a controversial pastor/preacher for many reasons. Let me suggest a few: 1. He is Reformed in his theology but still missional in his methodology. Better said, he is Emergent and Reformed. 2. He uses bathroom humor and vulgar language in his sermons. 3. He is a committed Complementarian, meaning he has a Biblical understanding of manhood and womanhood. 4. His friends include John Piper on one hand and Brian Mclaren on the other hand.

If you want to hear Mark's own thoughts on the Emerging church movement go to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary's webpage for a recent lecture he gave on this very topic. Mark divides the movement into 3 streams. To make things easy to understand he divides the movement into a left wing (liberal stream), a middle of the road group, and a right wing stream (which he includes himself in). Think Brian Mclaren (left), Dan Kimbell (middle), Mark Driscoll (right).

Let me share with you some of the things i really like about Mark Driscoll. I appreciate Mark Driscoll's passion for evangelism. I appreciate Mark Driscoll's desire to preach the Word in Scripture dress (expository preaching). I appreciate Mark Driscoll's commitment to Biblical manhood and womanhood. I appreciate Driscoll's commitment to Reformed theology. I appreciate Driscoll's commitment to the local Church. I appreciate Driscoll's commitment to mentoring young men for the pastorate. I appreciate Driscoll's honesty and his vulnerability.

Let me share with you some of the things that concern me about Mark Driscoll. His foul mouth and bathroom humor (especially when preaching) are totally out of place. I could list a number of Biblical proof texts to support this assertion but i think for the average Christian that reads Christian blogs that need not be done. It is obvious (at least to me) that a man of God preaching the holy Word of God should guard his mouth. Chris Rock combined with John Piper does not equal a great preacher. I find it interesting in certain sermons/lectures Driscoll prays for this very thing (that God would protect his lips from speaking anything that would displeasing to Him) and then later goes on to talk about sex in a crude manner or is vulgar, etc, etc. I pray Mark Driscoll matures in this area because I think it's a big deal (see 1 Tim 3/James 3). I would imagine many of Mark’s disciples are following his example in this area and I don’t think that’s a good trend.

I sometimes wonder if Mark Driscoll does this gig because he KNOWS that's what sets him apart from the typical Reformed pastor? The "cussing Pastor" attracts many headlines and people in large part because of the controversies surrounding him. Now people who are smart marketers are taught in business school that they only thing worse than BAD PRESS is NO PRESS. I pray that Mark Driscoll is not intentionally or unintentionally doing this. Of course the C.T. article noted, "That's what you get from a pastor who learned how to preach by watching comedian Chris Rock."
Moving on...Driscoll also has a mystical/Charismatic bent which is probably why he is more popular with men like John Piper and C.J. Mahaney (godly men who are Reformed and Charismatic). I am concerned about this bent because i think it can lead to many potentially dangerous things/decisions/etc. Mark claims he "heard from God" about marrying his current wife and about starting a church and becoming a pastor, etc. Much more could and should be said under this point but for time sake let's press on.

I am also concerned about Mark's desire to remain close to guys like Brian McClaren and Doug Pagitt. Here's the million dollar question: How much is Mark really influencing men like this and how much are these men influencing him? From what I’ve read of Doug and Brian they do not embrace the Biblical gospel and thus as "teachers of the Word of God" they are very dangerous to Christian community. The book of Galatians and 1-3 John talk a lot about how Christians are to interact with false teachers. Now If Mark remains close to these men for the purpose of evangelism that's a different story...Still these close relationships cause some concerns.

Tony Jones of the Emergent Village said of Mark, "He is uncommonly intelligent. He is uncommonly articulate and humorous. He could have been a stand-up comedian. He could have been a great actor probably." I believe their is a proper place for humor and for comedy. Jesus is never recorded in the gospels to have laughed but i think we have to be careful about drawing too many implications from that reality. We can learn alot about the way Jesus preached and the way Jesus lived though. Sometimes great intelligence, humor, and personality can lead one away from the Biblical ideal when it comes to preaching. Expository preaching is really not that difficult though it typically is very laborious...Preach the text, illustrate the text, apply the text and live the text with all passion and clarity. The purpose of the pulpit is not to entertain but to edify. The purpose of the pulpit is not to tickle people's ears but to point people to Jesus Christ.

Driscoll claims he learned much from Ed Stetzer (a missiologist)... Driscoll has turned the phrase living missional into a household phrase (well almost). John MacArthur recently praised Pastor Driscoll for his commitment to biblical soteriology though he offered the following concerns, "The lifestyle he models--especially his easygoing familiarity with all this world's filthy fads--practically guarantees that his disciples will make little progress toward authentic sanctification." Driscoll responds with the following argument: One needs to distinguish between missionaries who study culture and fundamentalists who try to avoid culture.

Friends I'm by no means a cultural fundamentalist. I watch some TV, read some blogs, surf the net, go to some movies, try and keep up with some of fashion of the day, etc, etc. I think we need to understand our culture without becoming like it (in areas where it is unholy). Mark Driscoll will watch programs like the MTV music awards show and then quote from it during a sermon or lecture. If you don’t think that’s an issue consider the words of Dr. Rick Holland, “a leader’s liberty is a follower’s license.”

Some will argue that a pastor needs to do things like this in order to understand and communicate with his (Seattle based) culture. One of the problem is many pastors (youth pastors in particular) know MTV better than they know Hebrews. The Bible says, Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. It also says, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Another problem is that shows like the O.C. and Desperate Housewives may help us to better understand our culture (and in some instances even our audience) but the very things that appeal to unbelievers (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life) appeal to our sinful desires as well. That is why i am really concerned for men like the XXX pastors; the guys who go around to porn conventions in what appears to be an honest attempt to preach the gospel to porn stars and producers. Now some may argue here that Jesus Christ was able to spend time with prostitutes so don't judge other people...The Apostle Paul said he beat his body and made it his slave lest he fall and become permanently disqualified. That is my great fear for those of us who are not "cultural fundamentalists." Let none of us (esp. we pastors) abuse our Christian liberties and thus provide more occasions for our sinful desires. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely. Let's not be unwise when it comes to understanding and reaching the lost! Let us be known by our love for Jesus Christ not that we know all the characters on shows like South Park. Let our lives by marked by a unwavering commitment to personal holiness. We pastors need to chew on the wise words of Dr. Rick Holland who said, "A leader's liberty is a followers license."

If you want to imitate someone who gets this relationship between the Christian and culture listen to President Al Mohler. I wish Driscoll would imitate Mohler's example in his desire to be relevant and missional. Dr. Mohler gave an excellent lecture on this very topic at the 2006 Together for the Gospel Conference. Much more could be said here but for now i must sign off my daughter Evelyn needs her daddy.

Our recent trip to WA DC

Mercy or Justice?

Dr. Piper offers some helpful thoughts here,

"I suggest three criteria for when to follow mercy or justice: 1) Know your personality and resist excesses that accord with your bent (lenient or demanding); 2) The more personal and private the offense, the more mercy to show; the more communal and public the offense, the more justice to require; 3) Be sure in either case that your motive is love for the most people involved, including the offender."

Jude 14-15 Application

Apostates come in all shapes and sizes. In Jude 15, Jude talks about the coming judgment of Christ (during his 2nd coming). The text says Jesus will come “to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds and…of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

MSNBC records a recent example of sinful speech in a recent news article.
’Oct. 1, 2007 issue - Some stories are best told straight. On Sept. 8, Kathy Griffin, a bawdy, foulmouthed comedian, accepted an Emmy Award for her reality show, My Life on the D-List, and in her acceptance speech she explained that while other actors might thank Jesus for such an honor, she wouldn’t consider it. ‘Suck it, Jesus,‘ she exuberantly added, waving her statuette in the air. ‘This award is my God, now.’”

Jude 4-16 makes a very sobering point: Sin and judgment go hand and in hand!
With that said, praise God for his grace and his forbearance! Perhaps Kathy will repent and embrace this Jesus as her Savior and Lord one day? For her sake, i pray she does!!!

Bad luck, bad night!

So my support for Rex Grossman has ended. He played a 4th bad game in a row. I don't think Griese is a great QB but he will hopefully be better than Rex. Sunday nights loss was not all about Rex. As cbssportsline reported "There were, in fact, plenty of things that went terribly wrong for Chicago and had nothing to do with Grossman. There was a Cedric Benson fumble that proved crucial, Devin Hester's lack of production and risky runbacks out of the end zone, and injuries to at least four key Bears players. (In the tunnel after the game was a frightening scene for Chicago fans: stud defensive tackle Tommie Harris, his left knee wrapped and secured in a brace.)"

Berrian dropped 3 perfect passes from Rex Grossman including the first pass of the game. The recievers on this team are not playing that well. Hester had the worst game of his NFL career, making numerous special teams mistakes. The D got tired in the 2nd half (partly because of the offense, partly because of injuries, partly because of the Cowboys). The O line has not been good this year and looks a bit slow (probably because they are pretty old).

To top everything off the NFL has a measure of luck involved. The Bears lost 2 starters from the D in week one. Mike Brown's loss hurts us like when Bob Sanders is out for the Colts. In addition to this Harris is now injured, Briggs did not play the 2nd half, Vasher went out with an injury, as did a couple of other players. If Tommie Harris is lost again this year this teams Super Bowl hopes are lost. When healthy (as i said last year) Harris IS the best D lineman in the game. You can not replace a Warren Sapp like player.

Lovie Smith has his work cut out for him. Will he stick with Rex one more week? I think he might...Then again perhaps he's like me and has finally lost his patience with Grossman.

You need to listen to this!

http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/sounds/02pagitt.mp3

September Reading Report

I don't know about you but i normally get half way through a book and then am tempted to stop and pick up a new book. I try and resist that urge as much as possible. Anyways, here is the latest update of the stuff i am trying to read outside of Scripture... What have you guys been reading???

Books I am currently reading:
Pages from Church History (Stephen Nichols)
The Exemplary Husband (Stuart Scott)
Shepherding a Child's Heart (Tedd Tripp)
Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth (Wayne Grudem)
Girl Talk (By Carolyn Mahaney)
Christian Living Beyond Belief (Cliff McManis)
The Message of the O.T. (by Mark Dever)
What Jesus Demands from the World (by John Piper)
Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 1 (John Calvin) (Book 1, Ch 17)
Numerous Jude commentaries (for sermon preperation/various authors)
Various articles/commentaries on 1 Cor 11:2-16.

Books I’ve finished in the last year or so:
Assured by God: Living in the Fullness of God's Grace (various authors)
The Reformation (Stephen J. Nichols)
Spurgeon VS Hyper-Calvinism (Iain Murray)
A Scottish Christian Heritage (Iain Murray)
Meetings that Work (A Strauch)
The Truth War (By John MacArthur)
No Place for the Truth (by David F. Wells).
The Cross and Christian Ministry (D.A. Carson).
Women's Ministry in the Local Church (Ligon Duncan/Susan Hunt)
The Holiness of God (by R.C. Sproul)
Growing Up Christian (by Paul Graustein)
How America Lost Her Innocence (By Steve Gallagher)
From Pride to Humility (pamphlet by Dr. Stuart Scott)
Humility: True Greatness (by C.J. Mahaney)
Biblical Eldership (by A. Strauch)
Expository Preaching With Word Pictures (Jack Hughes)
The Reformed Pastor (by Richard Baxter)
Legacy of Sovereign Joy (by John Piper)
Whose Money Is It Anyways (By John MacArthur)
The Treasure Principle (by Randy Alcorn)
Baptist Life and Thought (By William Brackney)
By His Grace and For His Glory (Dr. Nettles) large sections
Knowing God (J.I. Packer) through ch 19

More bad news (for the) bears

The defending NFC champion Chicago Bears have lost two defensive starters, free safety Mike Brown and nose tackle Dusty Dvoracek, to season-ending knee injuries sustained in the team's opening-day defeat at San Diego on Sunday afternoon.

Follow-up MRI examinations on both players confirmed on Monday that both have suffered ligament damage to their left knees. Bears officials had feared as much on Sunday evening.

The loss of Brown is particularly devastating since this will mark the fourth year in a row in which the star-crossed defensive back will miss significant playing time, and the third time in four seasons that his campaign ended prematurely with him on the injured reserve list. It will increase to 43 the number of games that Brown has missed in the past four years.
Fearing the worst, Brown, 29, was emotionally distraught in the Chicago locker room on Sunday evening, after injuring his knee with 10 minutes remaining in the game. He called the injury "another sad day in the chapter of my football career."

Said Brown, who is recognized as the emotional leader of the Chicago secondary, and a safety who specialized in big, game-altering plays early in his career: "It's a shame. It hurts my feelings really bad."

Brown missed 14 games in 2004 with a ruptured Achilles tendon, four in 2005 because of a severely strained calf, and 10 last season with a Lisfranc foot sprain. The former Nebraska star never missed a game the first four seasons of his NFL tenure (2000-03), but has not played a full season since 2003.

The former Pro Bowl performer (2005) moved from strong safety to free safety this spring to accommodate the Bears' acquisition of Adam Archuleta in a trade, and had a strong training camp. Before the injury on Sunday, he was authoring an excellent game, with four tackles, an interception that set up Chicago's only score, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery that rebuffed a San Diego scoring opportunity.

For his career, Brown, a second-round choice in the 2000 draft, has 304 tackles, four sacks, 15 interceptions, 22 passes defensed, and four forced fumbles.

Chicago coaches likely will choose between Danieal Manning and Brandon McGowan as his replacement at free safety. Manning started 14 games as a rookie in 2006.

Dvoracek, 24, missed his entire 2006 rookie season when he was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury sustained in preseason. His starting assignment on Sunday represented the first appearance of his career, and he had two tackles before his injury.

A third-round choice, the former Oklahoma standout won the starting job in training camp this summer, filling the void left by the Bears' release of suspended nose tackle Tank Johnson.