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SHARPER IRON
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Four Lessons From Four Years (Part 2)

Paul J. Scharf | Friday, Jan 27, 2023 discuss

Last time, I began sharing some of the main lessons I have learned through the first four years of my service as a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

In Part One, I wrote about the need to multiply our ministry’s effectiveness, and also regarding the importance of relationships in ministry. I would like to share two more lessons in this concluding installment.

The first relates to the necessity we have to make a greater and more intentional and effective use of media.

During the COVID-19 shutdowns, and ever since, we have all become accustomed to doing more of everything online—including shopping, attending meetings and even participating in church activities...

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The Bible – Puzzle or Telescope? (Part 1)

TylerR | Thursday, Jan 26, 2023  7

We need to read our bibles. God wants us to read our bibles—it is the story of Him revealing hidden things to us we would otherwise never know! Fair enough. But I first want to ask an important question—what is the best way to think of the Scriptures?

Different Christians answer in different ways; most often as the result of the different emphases of their theological traditions mediated from seminaries to pastors. How you answer the question above will determine what you think happens when you read your bibles. Only one of these answers is the best answer—which one is it?

We...

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Hard Evidence for a Supernatural Book, Part 3: Too Many Cooks

DOlinger | Wednesday, Jan 25, 2023 discuss

Read the series.

And so we come to the evidence: objective evidence that the Bible is, um, unnatural, extraordinary, not like any other books. I’d suggest two lines of such evidence; we’ll look at the first one today, and a related topic later in the week. Next week, we’ll get to Door Number 2.

Door Number 1. Writing a book is hard. Just getting the facts right is hard enough (more about that next time); but doing it artfully, in a way that pleases the attentive reader, is really, really hard. Literary critics delight themselves in finding such artful devices in serious literature—for example, in noting how Willa Cather uses the imagery of wilting flowers to foreshadow the crumbling of the protagonist...

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Deciphering Covenant Theology (Part 27): Summation (1)

Paul Henebury | Monday, Jan 23, 2023  2

Read the series.

Covenant Theology and the Bible

In an article at TableTalk Stephen G. Myers writes,

Covenant theology seeks to use the biblically prominent covenants to inform our knowledge of God and of His work. Specifically, covenant theology contends that God has been working throughout history to gather His people to Himself through covenantal relationship.

There is a problem here. The three theological covenants of CT are not prominent in the Bible. Moreover, the concept of covenantal relationship ,while part of the genius of CT, can and has been explained along...

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Four Lessons From Four Years (Part 1)

Paul J. Scharf | Friday, Jan 20, 2023  1

I can’t believe it’s already your fifth year!

A statement like that was recently made by a friend—with a sense of amazement—regarding the fact that I have now begun my fifth year as a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

Yes, four years ago at this time I was nervously pondering how to announce to church congregations (many of which already knew me) that I now represented FOI and—the most dreaded issue of all—was in the position of attempting to raise financial support.

In retrospect, it was an interesting and strategically important time to begin. Though none of us knew it then, the world was about to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in just over a year, and many aspects of everyday life would change significantly....

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Still Fruitful: The Value of Senior Saints

Forrest McPhail | Thursday, Jan 19, 2023 discuss

Reposted from Rooted Thinking.

The average life expectancy for an American in 2011 was 78.7 years.1 By 2020 the life expectancy was 79.5 years.2 This means, of course, that some will pass away before this median life expectancy and others will live longer. Many Americans today can expect to live well into their 80s and 90s. It is not uncommon for many seniors to have 15-20 years or more of retirement life. My father-in-law recently passed on to Christ at 71 years of age. I have had multiple people express to me that he passed away young.

All this to say, there are many Christians in more prosperous countries who live longer...

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Hard Evidence for a Supernatural Book, Part 2: The Bible’s Claims for Itself

DOlinger | Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 discuss

In my previous post, I noted that anyone who claims that the Bible is God’s Word should be expected to support that extraordinary claim with hard evidence—for the sake of his reputation, certainly, but more importantly for his own integrity; no one should order his life around a falsehood.

In this post I’d like to begin by defining exactly what the statement “The Bible is God’s Word” claims. No sense in proving something that nobody’s advocating. If we’re going to evaluate the claim, we need to know accurately and precisely what it is.

So does the Bible make any claims about its own nature? If so, what are those claims?

Most conservative Christians...

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From the Archives – Is the 1689 Baptist Confession Sufficiently Missional?

Bob Gonzales | Monday, Jan 16, 2023 discuss

Evangelistic outreach and missions is of prime importance to the church. But neither the Westminster Confession (WCF) nor the Second London Baptist Confession (2LCF) gives much expression or emphasis to the church’s responsibility to take the gospel to all the nations. The chapter “Of the church” (WCF, ch. 25; 2LCF, ch. 26), is an exposition of the nature of the church universal and local, its authority, its institution, its membership, its government, its worship, and its fraternal relations. But the chapter offers no clear and comprehensive summary of the church’s duty to publish the gospel outside the four walls of its sanctuary.

The Great...

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In Case You Missed It

Fri, Jan 13 -

Deciphering Covenant Theology (Part 26)

Paul Henebury
Thu, Jan 12 -

Training Up Men for the Church, Part 2

Guest
Wed, Jan 11 -

Hard Evidence for a Supernatural Book, Part 1: On Being Reasoned About a Crazy Claim

DOlinger
Mon, Jan 9 -

Training Up Men for the Church, Part 1

Guest
Thu, Jan 5 -

Thoughts on Books I Read in 2022

Paul Henebury
Wed, Jan 4 -

From the Archives – Five Reasons to Preach a Series on Work

Aaron Blumer
Tue, Jan 3 -

The Church is a Subversive Society

TylerR
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The Case for Long-Term Missions
Fri, Jan 27, 2023 discuss
"The point of this article is not to knock short-term work.... but to remind all of us that long-term missions is costly—and it’s worth it." - 9 Marks
Missions   Missions Trips
Should Christians Be Snarky on Social Media?
Fri, Jan 27, 2023  4
"I’m as guilty as anybody, but in almost every case, I immediately feel badly about it. I may feel great for a moment, but the minute I hit 'Send,' conviction starts creeping in." - Phil Cooke
Social Media   Christian Testimony   Technology
Pastors Around the World Apply Romans 13
Fri, Jan 27, 2023 discuss
"I reached out to church leaders from around the world, asking how they apply Paul’s command to 'be subject to the governing authorities' (Rom. 13:1). These believers hail from all sorts of countries" - TGC
Romans 13   Church & State   Religious Liberty
15 Signs a Christian Leader Has Become a King Rather than a Servant
Fri, Jan 27, 2023 discuss
"7. He demands unquestioned loyalty. Even the slightest sign of disagreement is considered rebellion.... 14. He regularly tears down others who lead effective ministries." - Chuck Lawless
Leadership   Ministry Leadership   Authoritarian Pastors
Colorado appeals court rules against Jack Phillips in trans cake case; baker to appeal
Fri, Jan 27, 2023 discuss
"... affirming an earlier trial court decision ...concluding that the baker violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act by not creating a cake to celebrate a person's new trans identity." - CPost
Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado   Religious Liberty   Transgender Politics
Is It Selfish to Spend Money on Home Decor?
Thu, Jan 26, 2023 discuss
"The first shared activity for the freed slaves was the construction of the tabernacle—a community art project!" - TGC
Beauty   Aesthetics   Worldview
Is transhumanism compatible with Christianity?
Thu, Jan 26, 2023 discuss
"We cannot naively assume this is only about improving the human condition when the result permanently alters what it means to be human." - CPost
Transhumanism   Human Nature   Technoethics
Should Christians Support Making Birth Free?
Thu, Jan 26, 2023  1
"In the wake of Roe’s 50th anniversary, four believing experts discuss the merits and challenges of the Make Birth Free proposal." - C.Today Related: Making It Easier to Have a Child Doesn’t Require Making Birth Free - IFS and How the GOP Can Make Childbirth Affordable Without Breaking the Bank -...
Family Life   Birth Rates   Pro-Life Movement
Leave the Throne of Guilt: Three Better Reasons to Pray
Thu, Jan 26, 2023 discuss
"Calloused knees. Prayer closet. Answered prayers. Prayer warrior. These four phrases don’t exactly trigger me with spiritual PTSD, but they do represent markers in my journey of moving from prayer-guilt into the grace of praying." - Desiring God
Christian Living   Prayer
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Poll of the Week

Which of the following is the hardest doctrine for new believers or less committed Christians to accept?

By Ed Vasicek
Jan 21 2023
Eternal hell and torment, and the fact that the road to it (the broad way) has many on it.
17% (2 votes)
Salvation through Jesus Christ alone and only through Jesus (the John 14:6 thing).
0% (0 votes)
Creation, the Flood, miracles, etc.
0% (0 votes)
Appropriate sex and marriage: two genders, practicing homosexual sex is wrong, sex outside of marriage is wrong, transgender
25% (3 votes)
Election (for those believing in Sovereign Grace/Calvinism in this area)
8% (1 vote)
God commanding the genocide of the Canaanites and other seemingly harsh commands
17% (2 votes)
The reality of Satan and his demons
0% (0 votes)
Biblical inerrancy
0% (0 votes)
The role of women in the church (or family)
8% (1 vote)
Separation from the sinful things of the world (porn, inappropriate movies/TV shows, drugs, immoderate drinking, etc).
8% (1 vote)
Other
17% (2 votes)
Total votes: 12
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