Training for Godliness

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Wed, 06 May 2020 00:53:00 +0000

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The Challenge to Change

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 16:10:00 +0000

I have been thinking the past few days about change. More specifically, the rut we find ourselves in after listening to sermon after sermon, Bible study after Bible study, and doing Bible reading after Bible reading. All of that is good, necessary, and helpful. BUT, what if I get used to it and nothing happens? What if there is no change from any of it? What if I am going through the motions?

Example: on Sunday, at our church, we heard a sermon from Philippians 4 about camaraderie. That's not a topic I would normally see or think about from reading verses 21-23 about greetings. But it made me think about how I greet people (probably even some of you!). Are my greetings sincere and caring, or are they nonchalant and meaningless? How do I need to change what I do?

Example: Recently I was teaching about using the Psalms to guide your prayer time. Actually, you can pray through any scripture passage, not just the Psalms. I have done it the past couple of years, though not as faithfully as I should. I get in a rut, and get satisfied with what I know or what I have been doing. When that happens, I'm going to get into trouble, spiritually.I will stop growing.

Maybe you can only do one or two Psalms and use them for prayer. Or maybe continue with your own plan of Bible reading, but use that Bible reading to inform your prayer requests for yourself and for others.

What do I need to do, then? Every time I hear something from the Bible or read my Bible, I should look for something that can be improved in my spiritual growth. Or I'll get into a rut. There's ALWAYS room for improvement. I need to watch out for being satisfied, or thinking everything's fine with what I'm doing. Change is needed. All the time. That's what Romans 12:2 is about: being transformed (changed) by the renewing of our mind. There is more to say about those words from Paul. God does the changing (passive voice, which means that God is doing the change work). It is a command, not a suggestion; the word implies an outward change, meaning in our actions.

Of course, we do cooperate with God's work. In Philippians 2:12 we are told that we are to work out our own salvation, but that God is at work in us it is a command, not a suggestion; the word does imply an outward change, meaning in our actions. So think about what you can be or should be doing when you hear the Word. Don't be satisfied.

We just finished celebrating Independence Day (also called 4th of July), but remember it's independence for our nation that is celebrated, not independence from not having to change. We are DEPENDENT on Christ. We serve Him. We need to constantly grow in Him. That usually means some changes need to be made. What changes will you be making? Be asking yourself that question every time you read God's Word, hear God's Word, are taught God's Word, memorize God's Word, or meditate on God's Word. It's a challenge! Will you accept that challenge? That's what obedient followers of Christ will do.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 6

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 19:51:00 +0000

“The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.” - D. L. Moody.
“The goal of Bible study is not to make us smarter sinners but to make us more like our Savior.” – Howard Hendricks
Too often so-called “students” of the Word are looking for more information without ever getting to the all-important step of application. We need to ask this: “How does this truth change my life?” We should not be satisfied with just hearing a good sermon. James 1:25 pronounces a blessing on what you do when you apply God’s Word to your life. The one who is described as blessed in this verse is not a “forgetful hearer”, but an “effectual doer”. A forgetful hearer is one who neglects what needs to be done. It’s like hearing a sermon, complimenting the preacher, and then waiting for a new one next week. Meanwhile, the effectual doer is one who goes to work. That’s the significance behind the word “effectual”. Listen to a sermon, and get to work putting it into action.
Some good insights are offered in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 on how we can listen to scripture and use it for changing our lives. These verses tell us that the Word of God is profitable (useful and helpful) in four ways.
First, it is profitable for TEACHING Other versions use the word doctrine. The word has to do with giving us information. Such information may be something new to us, or something of which we need to be reminded. When listening to the Word of God, we should be asking questions about what we are learning. Here are some examples:

1. What did I learn about ______________ (God, Christ, Church, holiness, etc.)

2. What promise do I see from what I heard?

Second, it is profitable for REPROOF Reproof means that you are being confronted with something that is sinful, either doing something you should not be doing, or not doing something that you should be doing. The verb form of this word is translated as “exposed” or “convicted” (James 2:9; Ephesians 5:11). So the Bible should bring conviction in your heart that you are doing something wrong. Here are some questions to ask:

1. What sins have I committed and need to repent of?

2. What should I start doing (or start doing it again)?

3. Are there commands that I have ignored, forgotten, or not previously heard?

Third, it is profitable for CORRECTION The positive side of reproof is correction. It sounds just like the word: correcting the wrong behavior. Something in our life is out of order, and it needs to be restored to its proper place. The Bible shows you what you should be doing. It is looking for the opposite of what you have been doing. Ephesians 4:22-24 and 1 Peter 1:1-2 offer some examples that can be found in the New Testament where we have to do the negative (“put off”) before we can do the positive (“put on”). Try these questions to help find areas of correction:

1. What should I be doing instead of _________________?

2. Where do I need to make things right?

Fourth, it is profitable for TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS
Training is what we do with people who don’t know how to do something, like our children, students in school or coworkers on the job. Here the object of the training is righteousness. This is not the righteousness that is to be gained by trusting in Christ alone for salvation. Rather, it is the righteousness that we are to live out day by day. We should be seeing how God wants us to think and act. Scripture shows us how we are to live. That's what Paul says in Titus 2:11-12. Here is what we can ask:

1. What do I need help doing? Who can help me?

2. Is there an example to follow (or not follow)?

These four ways of allowing the Bible to be profitable in your life will help you be a “doer of work” rather than a “neglectful hearer” and thus be blessed in your “doing”. That’s a promise!

Book Review: Managing God's Money

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:20:00 +0000

Book Review: Managing God’s Money

Most Christians know at least one thing the Bible says about money: we’re not allowed to love it (1Timothy 6:10, in case you’re not familiar with it). Well, I have a problem. I love to spend money. I don’t know if that means I love money, but I do love spending it, especially on me! Here is a book that is working on me. It’s called Managing God’s Money, written by Randy Alcorn.

It is really good at explaining what God wants you to do with HIS money that He has given you to manage.

The book is divided into six sections that will help guide you to the part where you would like to focus. However, I recommend that you read the whole book from beginning to end, and then go back to the sections where you need the help. Alcorn’s first section lays biblical groundwork for all that follows as he takes you through the Bible to help you develop a proper outlook on money management.

The table of contents is especially helpful when you are ready to look for answers to your specific situation. With every chapter you will find all of the subtopics that will be discussed, usually in the form of a question. For example, here is what you will find in chapter 17, titled “Questions and Answers about Debt”.

What about borrowing to buy a house?

Should we have and use credit cards?

Should we pay all debts before giving money to God?

How can we get out of debt?

With this type of detail, you will be able to quickly find information that you need. You will find this book provides you lots of valuable information. But do yourself a favor and read through the whole book first so that you will understand why he gives the advice that is offered.

You notice that he deals with the subject of debt. He also talks about saving, investing, giving, and more. How about retirement planning? One chapter that most of you will not want to miss gives you advice on how to teach your children to manage their money and possessions.

Here are some other questions that are asked as subtopics that will catch your attention (or they should catch your attention!).

Is it possible to follow God and make money?

What’s wrong with wanting things?

How do we keep money and possessions in perspective?

What if we can’t afford to tithe? (a whole chapter that talks about tithing)

Is gambling okay? (oh, oh!)

Is it really God’s money, or does it belong to our children? (inheritance time!)

I came away from this book recognizing that I like to spend a lot of money on me and my kingdom. Those chapters on materialism were painful! I should be spending more on God and His kingdom. Have you ever heard of affluenza? It’s worse than influenza! Alcorn will tell you about this “killer disease” that many of us have caught and are passing on to our children and those around us.

This book has provided Christians with solid, biblical advice when it comes to our money. Whether I like it or not, I am God’s money manager. The question I should be asking is this: How am I doing with managing God’s money? It’s easy to read, though you may find it difficult. Why? Because his advice goes against much of the way that we now live. And putting it into practice will not be the easiest thing you have ever done. But if it is your desire to live according to God’s will when it comes to handling money, then read this book and make some changes.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 5

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 17:29:00 +0000

The church is constantly in danger of being exposed to false teacher. It is important that listeners be able to discern whether the teaching they heard is biblical. We saw the reason for preaching the word last time in 2 Timothy 4:3-4. People want to be entertained and feel good. They will reject sound teaching, turn away from the truth, and turn toward false teaching.

So that makes it important for preachers to preach the Word, as well as for listeners to listen to the Word in a way that helps them become strong in their faith. Let’s focus on 1 Timothy 4:6-7 to see the importance of our own work in listening to the Word.

First, we have a need for NOURISHMENT Here is the context of the verses we are studying. Paul has just stated that there will be people who will “fall away from the faith” in what he calls “later times”. This will happen as the result of false teaching. So he tells Timothy that he will be a good servant when he shows the Church what will be happening.

The next phrase says he is “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.” Timothy was a student of the Word! God was feeding Him. The word used for nourish is the opposite of atrophy, a wasting away of part of your body due to a lack of nourishment or feeding. So Paul is saying that Timothy has been nourished by continuing to follow the teaching he had been given while growing up and working with Paul (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15).

By the way, the word for “good” (describing servant) and “sound” (describing doctrine) are the same, and it speaks of the quality of something. He was an excellent servant because he was following excellent teaching. That sounds like good advice. We need to always look for good spiritual nourishment rather than spiritual junk food! Paul talks to Timothy and Titus about “sound” doctrine or teaching several times, but usually with another word that means healthy (hygiene is the Greek word for “sound” in 1 Timothy 1:10; 6:3; 2 Timothy 1:13; 4:3; Titus 1:9, 13; 2:1-2). It is obvious that Paul was concerned about the kind of teaching the church was receiving. There has always been a great need for discerning listeners as well as sound teaching.

Second, we have a need for EXERCISE The nourishment we receive from God’s Word does not come easily, however. In verse 7 Paul tells Timothy of the need to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” Other translations use the word “train”. But probably the best way to understand this word is from the good old King James Version: exercise. In English, we have the word gymnasium from this Greek word. It has the idea of a constant, strenuous workout. You would be working up a good sweat! We need to go to God’s gym, and the equipment we need for our workout is the Word of God.

Just as most people have a goal in mind with their physical exercise, when it comes to listening to God’s Word, we also want to focus on a GOAL. Paul tells us that the goal is GODLINESS, the opposite of what was being produced by false teachers based on what Paul says elsewhere (1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 2:14-18). Jerry Bridges defines ungodliness as living your life with little or no thought of God. You don’t think of His will, His glory, or your dependence on Him. So the Christian who is getting the good exercise needed is going to be working towards Christlikeness. Sometimes we seem to be working more towards the goal of worldlikeness (a new word I made up! Think Romans 12:1-2). God needs to be the focus of our life.

Think about the nourishment and exercise you need, not just as a listener of the Word, but also as a student of the Word. That’s not just a once-a-week deal, but a constant, serious, in-depth time to dig into what God has revealed to us in Scripture.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 04:26:00 +0000

The topic in the fourth chapter of Expository Listening by Ken Ramey is the problem of hearing what needs to be heard. Some people just want to hear an entertaining message and feel good. They aren’t interested in being challenged with their lifestyle. If a preacher goes in that direction, then the listeners will be receiving false doctrine. Indeed, many of them will not even hear the gospel. From 2 Timothy 4:1-4, we see some principles that are helpful for the listeners as well as the preacher. We will look at the commands to the preacher, and see how they might be turned into commands to the listeners.

First, if the preacher has to preach, then the listener has to listen. That sounds so simple! Paul said in verse 2: Preach the Word. The “Word” is obviously the same message that was proclaimed as inspired at the end of chapter 3. To preach it means that you are acting as a public messenger to announce an important message. If it’s public, then we will be listening with others, meaning we will be in church. If it’s important, and if it’s from God Himself, then the listener better be careful to listen to what is being said. So Paul might say to the church where Timothy was located (Ephesus), “Listen to the Word”. Don’t go looking for something that will just amuse you. You want to be challenged. So here is our command: Listen to the Word. It’s urgent. It’s important. Start listening.

Second, if the preacher has to be ready all the time, then the listener has to be ready all the time. The next command to Timothy was to “be ready in season and out of season”. What do they mean to Timothy? The word “ready” suggests the idea of standing at the ready. A soldier has to be prepared at all times. He does not just prepare for one battle, but for any battle. That requires a preacher to be a student of the Word constantly, a man who walks with God throughout the week. So how about the listener? Are you always ready to hear God’s Word? In fact, are you hungry for it, wanting to get the best message that will challenge you in the way you live?

Third, if the preacher has to reprove those who hear, then the listener has to be receptive to reproof. Timothy is commanded to confront the people with the truth. It may be that their lives are not consistent with Christlikeness. Possibly there has been acceptance of false teaching. Such things need to be corrected. What does the listener need to do? Listen for areas in his life or doctrine that are not consistent with God’s Word. You actually have a desire to see areas that need to be corrected.

Fourth, if the preacher has to rebuke, then the listener has to be receptive to rebuke. This is the follow-up to reproof. Once the false doctrine or sinful living has been exposed, people need to be challenged to be changed. Expository listeners want to change. They look for problems in their lives or weaknesses that need to be strengthened. Rebuke is not a threat to them; it’s an opportunity to grow.

Fifth, if the preacher has to exhort, then the listener has to be receptive to exhortation. What is exhortation? It is the same word translated as encouragement and comfort. Someone is coming along next to you to help implement the needed change. Often that is in small groups or with just one other person. This is a more positive ministry of assisting someone in bringing about positive change in their life. Listener, are you looking for something that you need to start doing in your life? When you hear the Word, look for something you need to do that you have not been doing. It may be something new, or it may be something you used to do, but you have left it behind.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:32:00 +0000

In reading through chapter 2 of Expository Listening, the parable of the sower is used to explain how the Word of God (seed) is received when it is preached. The context indicates that this reception basically had to do with hearing the gospel message of salvation, but by way of application, we can see that the same can be true when anything is taught from God’s Word. There are four different ways that we might respond.

First, Rolled Eyes: A Stubborn Heart We might ignore the Word proclaimed. Some people come to church, hear a sermon, but it doesn’t do them any good. It is specifically stated that the devil comes and takes the message away from them. Such a person is unsaved. The message of salvation needs the involvement of the Holy Spirit to take the Word, bring conviction, and give them repentance and faith (both of those are gifts, by the way!).

Second, Teary Eyes: A Superficial Heart We might “make a decision”. The second type of soil is the kind where the seed finds a place to get some roots started. Such a person can hear the message, and they even respond to it in a positive way. They get excited about it! They appear to be truly impacted to the point that there is some type of change taking place. But such change does not last. When things get tough (“time of testing”), so dies the change. It disappears, just a memory. True, it is difficult to be consistent over the long haul, but there was no “long haul” with such a person. There is no lasting fruit, if there is any at all. It wasn’t heart change. This person was not saved.

Third, Distracted Eyes: A Strangled Heart We might make some changes in our life. This type of hearer appears to last longer than the second. There is even some fruit for a period of time, just as it takes weeks awhile before they begin taking over in a garden. They build up over time. The one who hears the Word of God can show some fruit for a while. But eventually, something becomes more important to them than the Word. They get distracted. They are deceived by a pursuit for more wealth. They become pleasure-seekers. The times in which they live have captured their attention, and they drift away, like Demas (2 Timothy 4:10). This person who showed such promise was not a believer at all, but a“make-believer”.

Fourth, Focused Eyes: A Soft Heart We make changes that have a permanent impact on how we live. Then there is the person who not only is a hearer, but a doer (James 1:22). He hears the Word of God and puts it into practice, not just for a brief time, or even for an extended time. There is consistent, habitual action. There is fruit that is evident. And the fruit is abundant. It is clear to all who look at this person that there is a changed life. This is the only one of the four types of hearers that is truly born again.

We should be careful not to judge the amount of fruit that others are showing in their life (“I have more fruit than you!”). Their fruit may look different than our fruit. But there WILL be fruit if they are truly saved. If your life is evidenced by a continual response to God’s Word like the first three soils, then it is time to examine yourself, to see if you are in the faith (1 Corinthians 13:5). At the same time, however, we should always be striving to produce more fruit as we grow.

That brings up another point: growth. True believers do grow, just like plants will grow as they are fed with what is needed. We should always seek opportunities for more growth (by getting more of the Word), but we should continually producing more fruit. In people’s lives, the fruit may change. At one time, you may have been an aggressive evangelistic, or a faithful teacher of the Word. Later, your fruitfulness may be in more personal work, impacting smaller groups, or perhaps just one or two people. But there is still fruit.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:29:00 +0000

Ken Ramey wrote an excellent book called Expository Listening where he talks about how to listen to God's Word being preached. Over the next few posts, we will be looking at what the Bible says about hearing God’s Word. There is a big emphasis on not just hearing, but also obeying it, practicing it, doing it. We will be studying some of those passages, and applying those principles to our personal sermon listening. But we will begin this study with establishing a Biblical audiology: the study of hearing God’s Word (p. 10). Why should we do it? He provides four reasons, which I have slightly modified into five reasons.

First, God gave His Word to us. Two passages are important to review. In 1 Timothy 3:16, we are told that God’s Word is inspired, literally, “God-breathed”. They are the very words of God. Of course, that means that the teacher has a serious responsibility to be faithful in proclaiming, but it is also a serious responsibility for the listener to hear it. In our study we will focus on what it means to actually “hear” God’s Word.

In 2 Peter 1:20-21, we find out that scripture came to the writers as they were moved by God, which tells us the “how” of God breathing out His Word. What we hear when listening to an expository message, is God’s Word. Of course, human teachers are subject to error, but as they are faithful in preparing and presenting the Word of God to their audience, it will be their intent to accurately present God’s message. We do well when we act like the Bereans (Acts 17:11)

Second, we have not obeyed God’s Word. This was the practice of the first people God created. They knew God’s Word, and they chose to disobey it. The same is true of every human being ever since. Ephesians 2:1-3 describes the sinful condition of every person: we are all dead in our transgressions and sins. Romans 5:12-21 makes it clear that this is the result of Adam’s sin.

Third, God has saved us with His Word. Numerous places in the Bible tell us it is the Word of God itself that brings us salvation. 1 Peter 1:23 is very clear: “you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” Romans 10:17 also tells us that our faith comes from the Word. In this verse (“faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ”), the “word” is actually referring to the spoken word (rhema) in contrast to the message (logos).

Fourth, God enables us to understand His Word. Being a child of God gives us the privilege of the ministry of the Spirit of God. Jesus taught His disciples in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth. In 1 Corinthians 2:11-13 we are told that the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to comprehend those things that God wants us to know.

Fifth, God blesses us when we listen to His Word. This is the part that we may intellectually know, but we end up ignoring. We do a lot of listening. We hear a lot of sermons and Bible teaching from many different sources. But we are told that we are only blessed if we “do” them. Consider Luke 11:28. And when Jesus was told that His family was outside, he said, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:21).

When the Bible talks about “hearing” the Word of God, it is clearly implied and often explicitly stated that it comes with the responsibility to do something with it. As we continue our study on this topic in the weeks ahead, that will be our emphasis. When we are finished, we will hopefully be different types of “listeners” than we have been in the past. We will not only listen, but we will be prepared to listen, and we will do something about what we heard.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 04:26:00 +0000

The third chapter of Expository Listening deals with being prepared to hear God’s Word. The author again uses the picture of farming to compare how we listen to God’s Word. The field that is hard is not ready for the seed. The heart that constantly ignores the message or just listens without taking action becomes hard and will not be fruitful. Here are some Biblical insights we can use to get our hearts ready to hear God’s Word.

1. Understand the purpose of coming to church. When we meet together, whether it is in an RMG, small group, or a Sunday service, it is not for our benefit. Hebrews 10:24 teaches a primary goal for the time together. Literally, it says, “Let us think carefully about one another towards the stimulating to love and good works.” It’s about the other people who are part of our group. Verse 25 goes on to say that we are deserting them (“not forsaking”) when we fail to come. That word is translated “deserted” twice in 2 Timothy 4. People need us to be there! The opposite of desertion according to this verse is encouragement, which means you come alongside them to offer them help. Think about physical presence when you think of being an encourager. These verses teach that we are obligated to take our eyes off of self and focus on how we can help others.

2. Meditate on God’s Word daily. Meditation is more than just reading the Bible. It is spending time with the Bible, probably just a few verses. It is a time when you think about what God is teaching you for how you ought to live. It is about finding a way to change your life. Psalm 1:2 says that the “blessed man” is doing it “day and night”. The result of such practice is fruitfulness. I loved reading the story of William Wilberforce who memorized Psalm 119 and then recited it every day as he walked to his office, where he fought against the slave trade in England. Bible memorization is one of the best ways to practice meditation, since you can do it anywhere, even when you don’t have a Bible with you. Spending extended time with the passage of scripture that will be taught in the Sunday message will be especially helpful as you come to church and listen to the message from the pulpit.

3. Get rid of sin that will prevent you from being hungry for God’s Word. Listening to God’s Word requires a heart this prepared, and that means it is clean. 1 Peter 2:2 commands us to have a longing for God’s Word, just like a baby has a longing for milk. But that longing is preceded by getting rid of sins that have been a part of your life. You’re not hungry for the good food if your filled up with junk. Make sure that you go to God in confession before ever going to His Word for instruction.

4. Pray daily for God’s Word being taught. The apostle Paul asked for churches to pray for him as he continued his ministry of the Word (Colossians 4:2-4 and Ephesians 6:19-20). Pray for the one who is teaching, that he will be “clear” (Colossians 4:4), and that the Holy Spirit will speak truth into the lives of the people (John 16:13).

Also, Paul was in constant prayer for the people of the different churches where he had preached. It was often a prayer of thanks to God for how He had been at work in them, but it was also a prayer for God’s continued work in their lives. Consider the value of praying for others that you know with the words of Colossians 1:9-12. Pray that you and others who will be hearing the message will have these results in their lives as they hear God’s Word.

Book Review: Counterfeit Gospels

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 02:05:00 +0000

Nobody likes a counterfeit. Fake money, fake jewels, fake anything is a huge disappointment. But the worst counterfeit of all has to be a counterfeit gospel because it affects eternity. Trevin Wax has exposed some of the fake gospel messages that exist in churches today in his book Counterfeit Gospels. We would do well to listen to the message of this excellent book.

Of course, knowing the real thing real well always helps to distinguish between the real and the counterfeit. That is how Wax goes about exposing the counterfeit gospels. He sees the gospel as a three-legged stool (Gospel Story, Gospel Announcement, Gospel Community) and then exposes specific fake gospel messages that are present within churches. Take away one of the “legs” and you have a stool that is not usable. All three legs are necessary.

The first leg involves the Gospel Story, which Wax identifies as the Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. It is the story of the Bible. We should see something of this message throughout all of scripture. Two different gospel messages (with variations in each) ignore important parts of the story. The Therapeutic gospel ignores the Fall, or at least downplays its importance to the gospel story. Instead, the gospel becomes a way to reach our potential. The Judgmentless gospel attacks the restoration part of the story. There is no judgment. Everyone will get to heaven. We don’t need to be concerned about God’s justice or wrath.

The second leg is about the Gospel Announcement. We can only make an announcement (the proclaimation) of the gospel if we have the gospel story down solid. As he says, “You can’t tell the gospel story without making the announcement of good news; neight can you properly make the announcement without telling the story” (pages 88-89). Two different gospels that weaken the announcement are the moralistic gospel and quietist gospel. The moralistic gospel is what it sounds like: We look at the Bible story as a lot of moralistic teaching. We teach someone how to be a good person. So a person’s life is spent trying to do something to please God. The quietist gospel is one that makes the gospel message into something that is only personal, with no impact on what is going on in the world. We only need to be concerned with evangelism, and ignore the problems that confront the world.

The third leg is the Gospel Community. This is my favorite leg, and one that is often neglected. God brings us into a family, a community. It’s called the church. It is not an option or an add-on. It’s part of God’s purpose. Gospel counterfeits that harm this “leg” include the Activist gospel where people are united around some “cause” that is extemely important to the group. We are here for social change. Then there is the Churchless gospel, which should be self-explanatory. We don’t really need the Church. We don’t need to go to the church. It’s an option. Of course, that is not what is found in the New Testament. In fact, it is the opposite: The Church is needed. Church involvement is expected and assumed. You do not find a “churchless” believer in scripture.

Counterfeit Gospels is a much-needed message for Christians today, for church leaders as well as for individual Christians. Wax does an excellent job of exposing false gospels that will deceive both churches and their members. He not only explains their false teaching, but he also provides advice on how to counteract their message. He recognizes that there are strengths in those messages, but in the end, they are providing a false hope to people who need to hear the gospel story announced. This book is well-worth a good read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Book Review: Bible Savvy

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 04:23:00 +0000

Christians that I meet do not all seem to understand their Christianity very well. To be blunt, they are ignorant of what they believe. Part of the reason may be that a lot of books that would help them become more informed are either too technical or too simplistic. Moody Publishers has just recently released a set of books that should help. It’s called Bible Savvy. I like that title. That’s what Christians need. A little savvy!

Written by James Nicodem, a pastor of Christ Community Church in Bartlett, Illinois, this is a set of four books designed to help both new and established Christians understand the Bible. They are designed for both individual and group study. Helpful study questions at the end of each chapter (also online at www.biblesavvy.com where you will find videos, a blog, and other useful information), will help guide you through a thorough understanding of the Bible’s message and trustworthiness, as well as how to study it and apply it to your life. Those are the four areas covered by each of the easy-to-read volumes.

Christians that I meet do not all seem to understand their Christianity very well. To be blunt, they are ignorant of what they believe. Part of the reason may be that a lot of books that would help them become more informed are either too technical or too simplistic. Moody Publishers has just recently released a set of books that should help. What a great title! That’s what Christians need. A little savvy!

This is a set of four books designed to help both new and established Christians understand the Bible. They are designed for both individual and group study. Helpful study questions at the end of each chapter will help guide you through a thorough understanding of the Bible’s message and trustworthiness, as well as how to study it and apply it to your life. Those are the four areas covered by each of the easy-to-read volumes.

Book one covers the Bible's storyline, showing that the overall theme is redemption. He does a survey of the major sections of the Bible, showing how that theme is developed from Genesis to Revelation. This book has six chapters that show redemption prompted (Genesis), prepared (Genesis-Song of Solomon), prophesied (the Prophets), purchased (the gospels), proclaimed (Acts – Jude), and perfected (Revelation). This book by itself will help you understand that the whole Bible is about the gospel, not just the New Testament.

Book two shows that the Bible is reliable as the inspired, authoritative Word of God. He also shows how we got the Bible that we use, as well as covering the doctrine of revelation, showing that God wants us to know His will. The last chapter of this book provides excellent tools for learning the Bible through hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on God's Word.

Book three introduces the topic of studying the Bible by understanding the context. Here he examines four different settings that need to be considered in order to properly understand the Word of God: historical, literary, theological, and immediate setting. He provides excellent rules for the proper interpretation of scripture.

Book four then builds on the study of scripture to bring the student to application. He uses the COMA approach, (Context, Observation, Message, Application). I was a little confused with his distinction between Message and Application. Some of his comments about message seemed to go more towards application. But he does provide a couple of good examples on how this approach will work for a person in several different literary genres which will prove to be valuable.

On the whole, this set of books will prove valuable in helping Christians use their Bible more effectively. I did not agree with all his conclusions or interpretations. You will want to compare some of the author’s statements with your church’s doctrinal position. But the information given will help anyone become a more savvy student of scripture.

Moody Publishers provided me with a set of these books to review.

Book Review: Repentance: A Daring Call to Surrender

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 23:17:00 +0000

Repentance. There’s a word that is not understood by everyone. Here is a book that will help. The title is simply Repentance. But the subtitle tells you more: A Daring Call to Surrender. It was written by C. John Miller, now with the Lord. It’s a short book, with eight chapters, with a final chapter written by his wife who provides examples of how her husband applied repentance in his own life. You can read through them rather fast, but I don’t recommend it. You will want think through what he is saying. A lot of thinking.

The earlier chapters are given to describing repentance, especially showing what it is not. After a short first chapter where he writes of repentance as the foundation of our life (“no face-to-face fellowship” with God, and an “unrepentant heart is self-satisfied, proud, and cold”), he then spends a longer time contrasting it with penance. He describes penance as an “attitude deeply rooted in the human heart which prompts men to attempt to pay for their own sins by their good works and sufferings. Self-justification is the goal of this effort.” Its focus is on man, not on God. Penance leaves us “powerless and imprisoned”, rather than “bold and joyful for the things of God.” Finally, penance also looks for a human mediator between man and God, rather than the only mediator, Christ Jesus. People become attached to a religious leader, rather than Christ.

Chapter 3 then describes true repentance. Miller stresses the importance of the lordship of Christ as the proper “motivation for changing one’s mind and life direction.” The call to repentance, he explains, is for both unbeliever and believer. “Sin is sin wherever it is found iand it is worse to find in the Christian. Therefore, He especially zeroes in on loveless, complacent, and compromising members of the household of faith.”

The remaining chapters then show repentance in its connection to various aspects of Christian living. Here they are in summary form:

Chapter 4: Repentance the Spirit-filled Life What the Christian needs is to love the Lord Jesus, shown by loving obedience, and a repentance that causes us to be “broken down before God.”

Chapter 5: Repentance and the Carnal Christian An excellent rejection of the common “carnal Christian” category that modern Christianity promotes is offered. Paul calls the Corinthians “carnal”, not because they are in a different group of Christians but because they have unrepentant hearts. “So long as the man of God continues to repent and cling to Christ for growth in grace, he is not carnal in the Pauline sense.”

Chapter 6: Repentance and God’s Mercy Many who de-emphasize the need for repentance point to the Gospel of John never even using the word. Miller shows that the concept is clearly evident, even in the absence of the word itself.

Chapter 7: Repentance and Counseling There are several examples of counseling experiences that the author shares where repentance was central to the counselee’s problems being resolved. In some situations it was with people who thought they were Christians, but were not. They needed to hear the gospel. Other situations had people who were Christians, but needed to review the gospel to see their need for repentance. We all need the gospel, both believers and unbelievers.

Chapter 8: Repentance and Sharing Christ This was perhaps my favorite chapter because it is my weakest link in Christian living. After stating that many Christians think they are too weak to witness, Miller writes, “But in reality they are too strong to witness. Not strong in the Lord, of course, but strong in themselves. Naturally, they have a concern to protect themselves from the world, and they do a good job of it. In fact, they protect themselves by never really getting involved with sinners.” He goes on to explain how repentance will help us learn to see other men compassionately, thus giving us a desire to share Christ with them.

As I said at the beginning, this book not only needs to be read by every Christian, but read carefully and slowly, with the purpose of finding your own heart right before God.

Book Review: Clear Winter Nights

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 04:29:00 +0000

I have a confession to make. I do not often read fiction. I prefer to spend my time in Christian Living books and theological issues. I enjoy fiction, but I feel like my time is better spent with nonfiction that will challenge me and strengthen my faith. So when I saw a book by Trevin Wax that said it was Theology in Story, I thought to myself, “Okay, the best of both worlds!” I get a story, and I get theology to make me think. And that is exactly what you get from his book Clear Winter Nights.

I will begin by giving a summary of the plot. A young man named Chris breaks off his engagement to a girl he loves and withdraws from a church planting team where he had made a commitment. Why? Because he is having serious doubts about his faith in Christ. He struggled by himself for awhile, but finally had to do something about it.

He has a grandfather who had been a faithful pastor of a church in a small town in Tennessee. Chris was very close to him, but did not get to see him often. But Gramps had a stroke, and one weekend needed some help while other caregivers were not available. Chris volunteered. You get the sense that his grandfather knows everything that Chris is thinking as he patiently probes with comments and questions to get him to open up.

Through the weekend, he had many conversations with his grandfather about his struggles. This is where the theology enters the plot. Here are some of the questions going through Chris’s mind.

1. Aren’t all religions basically the same in that they teach a morality that is to be followed?

2. Should we be sharing the gospel with others? That would make it looks like Christianity is better than others.

3. Why are churches so opposed to gay people? Can Christians be friends with them? Do we have the right to judge them?

4. How can we forgive someone who has hurt us? Is it okay to get revenge?

All of these questions are discussed at length through the plot of the story, with Gramps doing what grandfathers often do: offer their wisdom. And Gramps had plenty to offer. I found it interesting that in a matter of a couple of days, so much was accomplished. I guess that’s what happens in novels.

Back to the plot. Chris leaves his grandfather’s home with a different perspective. But I won’t ruin the story for you by telling you what happens. Chris learned a lot by listening to his grandfather. I don’t think all of his questions are completely answered, but he leaves with much to think about as he continues to wrestle with difficult questions about the Christian life.

This book will help you to think through some issues that we all raise in our minds at one time or another. I’m sure that’s exactly what Trevin Wax has intended. We can all benefit from a grandfather like Chris has. And we can certainly use a little challenge in our thinking through our faith. There are discussion questions for each chapter that will help the reader wrestle with the same questions Chris was asking. These could provide an interesting “Literature Circle” for a group.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

What? Me, A Counselor Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 13:06:00 +0000

In Part 1 we were looking at Colossians 3:16 where Paul tells these Christians that they are to “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another.” Our focus was on the word “admonishing”. But as we studied this word we noticed that there are some other words used in the Bible that have a similar meaning. Today we will look at these other words and compare them in order that we might see what we need to be doing to help other Christians in their walk with Christ.

But let’s remember, this is not a moralistic lesson that gains acceptance with God when we do it. This is what the normal Christian life should be like. Why? Because of the gospel! Because it’s what Jesus Christ expects of His followers. Because we have the “want to” built into our life through the Holy Spirit who indwells us. Notice what Paul says to the Romans: But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

With that in our mind, let’s look at some other New Testament words that will show us how we are to be obedient from the heart in helping other Christians.

1. What does it mean to TEACH someone?

The expectation of teaching other Christians is included in the passage before us, but also in chapter 1. Notice what Paul says he was doing in His own ministry: We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” Of course, this is the great apostle Paul. That’s HIS ministry. Is that something that is also expected of the normal, every-day believer, too? Well, according to our verse (3:16), it is expected.

Of course, there is a special spiritual gift of teaching that is described in scripture, but that does not suggest that only those with the gift should teach. Paul does not make any clarification about teaching if you have that gift. This is for everyone to be doing, though it may be done in different contexts. Some may teach a Bible study or a Sunday school class. Others may just do it with a small group, perhaps just one other person. Since it is paired here with the direction to admonish, we can assume that as you warn someone of their wrong behavior, you are also prepared to show them from the Word of God what is the right behavior.

And that is exactly what is involved in teaching: showing someone else what God’s Word says. It does not have to have a fancy outline, with dramatic illustrations and deep theological truths. It means that we are providing information to someone that they can understand and use.

2. What does it mean to EXHORT someone?

When you see the word “exhort” in the Bible, it is actually translated from a couple of different words. Most frequently, it is the same word as the one used for encourage, which is also translated as comfort, urge, plead, beg, and implore. The context would determine which meaning should be used in any given passage. But the basic idea of the word is to come along to the side of someone to offer assistance. What kind of assistance? That’s where we need to see the context of the passage. We’ll look at a couple of verses that are specifically related to what we are expected to do in our relationships with other believers.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 This is the well-known passage where Paul explains the rapture to a group of believers who were worried about some who had already died without seeing the return of Christ. They were grieving. So Paul explains what will be happening with those departed saints with a description of what will take place when Christ returns for the church. Paul concludes this instruction with the direction to come alongside one another to help each other not be discouraged or grieving as those who have no hope. There is hope! So the context would seem to suggest that believers should be a source of comfort for each other in the face of grief.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Immediately following the rapture passage, Paul turns his attention to the actual return of Christ to earth, what we can actually call the Second Coming of Christ. In this situation, Paul is challenging the Christians who have not died to consider their present situation and to live for Christ and be alert, not lazy and to be self-controlled or sober, rather than neglectful of our responsibilities (5:6). With that expectation in mind, Paul concludes his teaching on the subject with the words, “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” It’s the same word that is used in 4:18, but this time with a different context, a need for Christians to be doing something in their life. So most translations use the word encourage. But exhortation might also be a good translation. We are to come along to the side of other Christians to encourage them in their walk with Christ.

3. What does it mean to ADMONISH someone?

And now we look at the word we studied in part 1. We said that it had the idea of putting something into someone’s mind. The Biblical Counseling movement have used the Greek word for admonish as their main word to describe their approach to counseling (nouthetic). We saw this being used in both Colossians 3:16 and in Romans 15:14. In the latter passage, Paul even makes it clear that all these believers were “able” to admonish one another. It is also translated as warn/warning, and instruction. This word suggests that a person needs to be confronted with something that is wrong and then helped to see how they should change to conform to God’s Word.

Conclusion:

Two questions need to be asked. First, how do these different words relate to one another? In a way they are synonymous, but synonyms do not mean exactly the same meaning, but rather, close to the same meaning. Teaching is definitely giving out information, exhorting and encouraging is helping someone to put that information into practice, and admonishing is challenging them to change their behavior according to the information.

The second question is easy. Are we expected to teach, exhort, encourage, comfort, and admonish other Christians? Answer: YES! It’s right there in the verses we have studied. Some of us may be better equipped at doing it. We may do it in different ways according to our personalities/temperaments. But we need to be looking for opportunities to help build up one another in Christ through the Word of God. We may do it in small groups, but often this is a one-on-one situation where we have established a spiritual relationship. Don’t have anyone like that? That’s a problem. And you should address it. With all these “one another” concepts, it would appear that God expects to be involved in the lives of other people.

You may not be the appointed “admonisher” or “teacher” or “exhorter”. In fact, you should not be! But you should be preparing yourself to do any and/or all of them on an as-needed basis. And if you are involved in other people’s lives, it will be needed. Because we are all sinners. Are you ready to receive it? God will use others in your life to so that, with the apostle Paul, we may say “so that we may present every man complete in Christ” (Colossians 1:28).

Book Review: One Forever

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 01:11:00 +0000

Christian. Believer. Saved. Disciple. All of these are words that people use to describe a person who is a Christian. Here is a term that is used frequently in scripture: in Christ. In his book One Forever, Rory Shiner explores what the Bible means when it says the Christian is “in Christ.” With a subtitle of The Transforming Power of Being in Christ he wants to show us how such a term is “graspable, substantial, and, above all, liveable.

How does Shiner do that? He begins at the beginning: Creation, when God created man and woman, which Paul uses in Ephesians 5 to picture our relationship to Christ. He then proceeds to take us to the incarnation of Christ where we see the union of God become united to man through the coming of Christ.

Those first two chapters set up the great truth of being in Christ is seen everywhere in the New Testament. Shiner points out important pictures that show a relationship of Christ with the believer: the vine and the branches, the body of Christ, as well as the “one flesh” picture already mentioned.

This is followed by a wonderful chapter on justification, the important doctrine of being declared righteous in the “righteous court of God” (p. 45). He then uses the questions found at the end of Romans 8 to show that our union with Christ is eternal. Nothing can separate us from Christ.

That brings us to the all-important topic of sin in the Christian life. Our union with Christ is our “defence against the playground bullies of sin and temptation” (p. 56). In chapter 5 he goes to Romans 6 to find that we have new life because we have been crucified with Christ.

The final two chapters then deal with our union with Christ as it relates to the Church and the Resurrection. In the chapter on the Church, Shiner turns to 1 Corinthians 12 to talk about the relationship we have with one another as the body of Christ. He makes a great conclusion when he says, “So, here’s a practical suggestion for growing in union with Christ: show up to church. I mean really show up. Go expecting to be a gift to the body, to bless the body, to love the body, and so to love Christ.” (p. 74) I couldn’t have said it better.

The resurrection chapter takes us to 1 Corinthians 15, showing how we are united to Christ also in His resurrection, with the practical conclusion of being “steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:5). Shiner challenges us in light of our resurrection of Jesus and our future hope to be engaged “passionately, with your whole heart. With single-minded devotion. With everything you’ve got.” (p. 87).

This book is short, easy to read, and helpful for all Christians. I especially like the description that Shiner provides (click here to see the description on video) when he compares our relationship to Christ to a passenger in an airplane. After using terms that we might use to describe our relationship to Christ as being under Christ, inspired by Christ, or following Christ, he says this:

Of course, the key relationship you need with the plane is not to be under it, behind it or inspired by it. You need to be in it. Why? Because by being in the plane, what happens to the plane will also happen to you. (p. 34)

I like that idea. Trusting Christ means that we are united in Him. “And we are in him, so that whatever is true of Jesus is also true of us.” (p. 35) I would encourage you to read it and share it with someone else. It makes a great discipling tool for a new Christian or a book that you can read together with another one who is “united with Christ” like you are. Your life just might be transformed! Here is a link to purchase the book: One Forever

Book Review: One to One Bible Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Wed, 29 May 2013 04:32:00 +0000

Bible reading made simple! That’s another title for an excellent little book that is actually called One to One Bible Reading. The subtitle says it well: a simple guide for every Christian. That is exactly what you will find as you read it. By the way, it’s also an easy read. You will finish it in one sitting! The author is David Helm, a pastor in Chicago, and what you will read is the result of his own personal ministry of Bible reading with others.

The basic message of the book is that every Christian can read the Bible with another person and gain understanding of God’s message. The early part of the book establishes the purposes of reading one to one: evangelism, discipleship, training, and relationship. You can do your reading with someone who is not a Christian, someone who is a new Christian, someone who needs training for ministry, or someone with whom you wish to strengthen your relationship. The focus is on God’s Word.

Helm then gives two different approaches to studying the Bible with the other person. One approach, the Swedish Bible Study approach, using simple diagrams of a light bulb, question mark and an arrow to highlight areas where a person is either impressed by something in the passage (a light bulb), has a question about something he/she does not understand (a question mark), or sees a specific application to their life (an arrow). These items are then discussed between the people involved.

The second approach uses COMA questions, where the readers focus on specific questions relating to Context, Observation, Meaning, or Application. This approach is a more advanced and in-depth way of studying the Bible.

The appendix of the book gives you some general questions to ask for the various genres that you find in the Bible (narrative, poetry, expository, prophesy, etc.). These questions are also available through the publishers website for free to be printed as needed (much better than copying the pages from the book!). The questions are based on the COMA Bible study method.

Allow me to share with you my own personal experience using the One to One Bible Reading approach. I have used it in small groups as well as one to one. I have used it with my wife. Though I have tried both approaches to studying the Bible with someone else, the COMA method has been particularly effective in getting to the meaning and application of the passage after determining context and doing the important work of observation.

I have been blessed by the insights I have gained as I shared thoughts with those who are reading with me. It does not require a great deal of preparation (you can do all the work when you are together or in advance, your choice!), nor does it require one person to be the teacher and the other a student (both are students, learning together!). Yes, there will be times when you will want go deeper by studying other resources (commentaries come to mind), but there is plenty of “gold” to mine right there in your Bible.

This book is an excellent tool to be used for evangelism and discipleship. I cannot give it any higher recommendation. Get a hold of a couple of the books and share it someone else so that you can begin the life-changing process of allowing God’s Word transform your life and the life of someone important to you.

What? Me, A Counselor? Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:57:00 +0000

Yes, you a counselor! But not just any kind of counselor. A Biblical Counselor.

Consider Colossians 3:12-17 and look at the relationships that we are to have with other Christians, particularly when the other Christians have not been very “Christian”. They have been sinning, and sometimes their sins have been hurtful to us. We have some direction given to us in these verses, with the one over-all principle being love. After describing the various character qualities to be found in the life of every believer, Paul says this: Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.(verse 14).

That love was modeled for us in Christ, who has forgiven us, it was modeled in God who showed forbearance toward our sins. We should not forget the gospel. What Paul is teaching in these verses is based on the gospel. Go back and review what Paul taught the Colossians thus far in this letter. See Colossians 1:13-23; 2:13-14, 20,21;3:1.

So because of the gospel, we should be living in right relationships with other Christians, bearing with their sins, forgiving their sins, and then sometimes actually confronting their sin and admonishing them. That’s what we want to look at in our study today. Notice the words found in verse 16: Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. It is the admonishing word that speaks directly to this subject of being a counselor.

Let’s now ask and answer some important questions that will challenge us to fulfill our fellowship responsibilities as it relates to admonishing other Christians.

What does it mean to admonish someone? The word literally means to put something into someone’s mind. It can be understood as giving someone a warning about wrong behavior. But more than just warning, it also will include positive instruction to correct the wrong behavior. This is something that we frequently had to do with our children as they grew up in our homes. But it is something that we all need from time to time because we all continue to engage in wrong behavior. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14 we see Paul commanding those Christians to admonish their “unruly” members. That would be Christians who were not being submissive to the Word of God (unruly being the military word for a soldier submitting to those who are over him). But be careful not to think that admonish is an attitude of criticism and judging. It is to be done because you care.

By the way, there are two passages where Paul lays out this requirement to admonish one another. Besides this verse in Colossians we also find it in Romans 15:14. It is interesting to note that Paul has not been to either one of these churches, meaning that he does not know very many of the people. Yet he expects them to do it.

How should we admonish one another? We will look at specific situations in our next question, but there are some suggestions from how Paul speaks to this admonishment ministry. First, we should be willing to admonish one another constantly. Both passages where it is mentioned has this verb being used in the present tense which suggests continual admonishment, whenever the need arises.

Second, we should be willing to admonish one another biblically. By that, I mean we need to know the Word of God because that is the basis of our admonition. It does not come from our experience, our environment, our feeling, or anything else from within us, except the indwelling Holy Spirit who teaches us and fills with knowledge from the Word. But that doesn’t mean we can use lack of knowledge of the Bible as an excuse. It is expected that we will “filled with knowledge” (Romans 15:14), and have the Word of Christ dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16). So we need to get on that job continually so we are prepared.

When should we be willing to admonish another Christian? The process of bringing scriptural admonition to another Christian depends upon the situation. Here are two possible scenarios where you will need to fulfill your God-given responsibility to admonish.

First, when admonishment is needed because there is a problem between two Christians, then we need to work toward reconciliation. Paul says in Colossians 3:15 that we are to Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. Peacemakers, an organization is dedicated to helping Christians make peace with one another (visit http://www.peacemaker.net for more information). Its founder, Ken Sande, has also written an excellent book called The Peacemaker. Sometimes making peace with a fellow believer will require admonishment. Sande describes four main principles involved in the peacemaking process with 4 Gs . Here they are:

Glorify God: Our life is not about us. It’s not about you. It’s about God. His glory is what needs to be our focus.

Get the log out of Your Eye: We need to take care of our own sin first. It is not practical to be admonishing other Christians when we are a part of the problem.

Gently Restore: Here is the actual admonishment part. If forbearance is not a realistic solution to the problem, if the other person is not acknowledging the existence of a problem, then we should be ready to speak with them, following instruction given in scripture (Galatians 6:1-2).

Go and be reconciled: That is exactly what God has done for us in Christ. He reconciled us to Himself. We were His enemies (Romans 5:10), but now we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Second, when admonishment is needed in the life of a Christian due to wrong behavior, then out of love and concern for their spiritual growth, we need to be prepared to speak the Word of God into their life. Notice the command that begins Colossians 3:16 out of which admonishment is built. We are to “let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.” Obviously, then, we need to know God’s Word.

There is a term that is now used more and more widely called Biblical Counseling. It has also been given the term Nouthetic Counseling (nouthetic coming from the Greek word for admonish). In fact, the Biblical Counseling movement is based strongly on Romans 15:14 where we read ” And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.” This is our nouthetic word being used again. This is not a message given to a select few, to some gifted individuals. It is something that every Christian needs to be ready to do.

Of course, there is certainly a great deal of value to training for Biblical counseling. This does not mean that everyone should be doing it as a regular ministry. Some would certainly be more gifted and equipped than others. But we all should be ready to step up to help another Christian who is clearly showing unbiblical actions. Here is a helpful resource, both for the person who is involved in the counseling ministry, as well as the average Christian who needs help finding scripture to address specific sinful behaviors. It’s a book called Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John Kruis.

There are many other resources available that will help to train you for the ministry of Biblical counseling (think Biblical admonition here). It would be wise for us to know where we can go to find the information we need as situations arise. Here are some websites that may help:

www.ibcd.org

www.nanc.org

http://biblicalcounselingcoalition.org

http://www.ccef.org/

www.counselingoneanother.com

Praying For Others More and More

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:57:00 +0000

How often do you pray? Is it a struggle for you like it is for me? Christians know they are supposed to pray, but we know we don't do it often enough. I would guess that no one will come to the end of their life and say "I wish I had spent less time praying." For most of us, it will be the opposite. More time praying. And much of that time should be spent praying for others (not ourselves).

The book of James is a letter written to Jewish believers who have been persecuted, resulting in them being scattered throughout the Roman Empire. James writes to them to help them understand their faith and how it should be worked out in daily living. As he closes the letter, he turns to the suffering that many of them have experienced. A large part of the answer to their suffering is their need for dependence on God in prayer, and in particular, to be praying for each other during such difficult times.

In verses 13-15, James begins to ask some questions about their personal experiences of suffering (the same word used in verse 10 concerning the prophets) and weakness, which is a more accurate translation of the word sick in verse 13.The answer to such problems is prayer because God hears and answers the prayers of His people.

Though there is much more that can be said about the verses before, our primary focus in verse 16, we will give attention to our responsibility or praying for one another and what that looks like in the Christian life.

This idea of praying for one another assumes that certain things are happening in the lives of Christians. For example, if we want others to pray for us, we must be willing to share our needs with them. People need to know what is happening in your life if you expect them to pray for you. Along with that, we must be involved in other people’s lives in order to know their needs so that we can be specific in our prayer. Also, it is helpful and encouraging for others to know that we are praying for them. And they will know about your prayer for them when you ask them questions and stay in contact. The personal touch through phone calls and visits are an encouragement to people who are having such struggles.

Let’s now ask and answer some important questions that will challenge us to fulfill our fellowship responsibilities as it relates to praying for one another.

First, when should we be praying for one another? Should this happen when we are together with one another, or when we are apart from one another? Answer: Both! The command is in the plural, so there is a definite expectation that we are to pray for one another when we are together. But we also know that Paul prayed for people in the churches that he planted while he was away from them. So certainly we should be praying for one another when we are apart.

This command is also in the present tense, so it is a continual praying, not just a once–in-a-while event. You will notice that Paul was constantly in prayer for the people in the churches he had planted (1 Thessalonians 3:9-10; Philippians 1:3-4), even churches that he had not planted (Colossians 1:9-12). So pray constantly for one another, both when you are with one another and when you are away from one another. Have a continual ministry in the life of your spiritual family through the privilege of prayer.

Second, why should we pray for others? We can find several reasons here and throughout scripture about why we should pray.

1. In this particular verse, we find that we should pray for one another because prayer is effective. It works! Prayer has some energy to it. This is made clear by the example given of Elijah, found in 1 Kings 17-18.

2. We are praying “for” one another, on behalf of one another, bringing their needs before the throne of God. That little preposition “for” is the same word used frequently in scripture when it says that Christ died “for” our sins. He died as our substitute. He died on our behalf. We pray on behalf of those Christians who are struggling in their life. We pray to protect them, to surround them with prayer to our loving Father who is able.

3. Also, our act of praying for one another shows that we care, just as our heavenly Father cares for us (1 Peter 5:7), a responsibility we accept when we join with others in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:25). If we really do care (and we usually say that we do!), then we will pray for the needs of other Christians.

Third, what should we be praying? The context of this passage suggests that the praying would be about spiritual weakness. It might be discouragement, depression, apathy, or some other attitude that keeps us from loving God with all our heart, soul, mind or strength. And it certainly could come about as a result of some physical suffering. It may or may not be connected to sin in the life of the one for whom we are praying. When the Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He gave them six areas of prayer. Let’s see how they apply to our need for praying on behalf of one another.

1. Hallowed be Thy Name: Praying for God to be honored. For the person who is struggling, pray they would bring glory to God through this time of suffering.

2. Thy kingdom come: Praying for Jesus to come again. For the person struggling, pray that they would find hope in the coming glory (Romans 8:18).

3. Thy will be done: Pray that there would be obedience to the Word of God. For the struggling Christian, pray that they would submit to God’s sovereign will and look for His hand in their time of suffering. See Colossians 1:9-12.

4. Give us this day our daily bread: praying for physical needs (finances, jobs, illness, etc.). For the person who is struggling, pray that their physical needs would be met and that they would submit to God’s will and trust in His goodness, love, and mercy.

5. Forgiveness of sins: Praying for spiritual renewal and repentance through confession of sin. For struggling believers, pray that they would use this time of suffering for self-examination.

6. Deliverance from evil: Pray that Satan will not have control in the struggle. Satan has a team, an army, at his disposal. When we pray for one another, so do we!

Did you notice that all of these prayer requests are in the plural, beginning with “Our” Father. Its says give “us”, forgive “our”, deliver “us”. There is no “I” or “me” or “mine” in this prayer. We need to be praying for our spiritual family.

A great example of praying for one another comes in the person of Epaphras, as Paul describes in Colossians 4:12,13. Some of the very things we have discussed have been practiced by him. First, he is one of them. Second, he is praying “always” for them. Third, he is praying on their behalf (“for you”). Fourth, he is laboring (literally, agonizing) in his prayer for them. Fifth, he is in pain, his concern for them is so great (verse 13). Is this how you picture your prayer life as you consider the responsibility to be praying for one another?

After Paul describes the armor of God (another plural context, suggesting it is something we do together), he concludes with an exhortation to be praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18-19). We are in a battle with Satan and all the power he can bring against us. Prayer is needed! Let's get it going, and remind ourselves that we need one another in many ways, not the least of which is praying for one another.

Book Review: How to Finish the Christian Life

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:32:00 +0000

Here is a book that is written by a son (Donald Sweeting) who is in his 50s, and his father (George Sweeting), who is in his 80s. It is entitled How to Finish the Christ Life. They offer wisdom for those who are approaching their senior years, or who have already entered those senior years. Both men have been in ministry for their entire careers, George as a pastor, evangelist, and past president of Moody Bible Institute, and Donald as a pastor and President of Reformed Theological Seminary. Their wisdom is based on both scripture and their own pastoral experience. It is wisdom that is to be highly regarded.

The fifteen chapters are short and practical. It would be difficult to cover everything in a short review, so let me mention what I found most helpful. First, I loved the emphasis on the gospel. Much is written in recent years about preaching the gospel to yourself, and the authors include that emphasis in the second chapter, showing how important the gospel is to those in the “second half” of their life. They need to share it with others regularly, explore it deeply, and preach to themselves continually.

Another highlight is in the fifth chapter (You Can’t Run This Race Alone) where they emphasize a need for having a mentor and also being mentored. There is an overall theme of our lives being a marathon (starting with chapter one), but it is so important that we remember that the race is a team effort. Towards the end of the chapter it is stated that leaders “forget that the younger generation needs to see a living curriculum!” We can’t stop learning, but we also can’t stop showing others the Christlike life. That would be a great book in itself!

Other chapters deal with suffering, funerals, finances, finishing well, facing death, and many others. They’re all good! We need information like this. We would do well to give serious thought to what our lives will be like as we come to our second half of life. This book gives us much to consider.

I did find one weakness in the book. There were so many excellent ideas, surely too many to address with specific recommendations. I think it would have been helpful to include some suggested resources that would guide the reader in implementing the ideas.

For example, when talking about how to handle your finances in chapter eight (“You Can’t Take It With You”), the authors might have provided some books or other places the reader might go that would guide them in the right direction. This was done in a couple of chapters, but I found myself asking “How do I do that?” so many times throughout the book. How do I mentor someone else? How do I restore relationships with people?

If you are approaching those senior years (I would call you a Senior in Training!), please get this book and prepare to live many more productive years for the purpose of bringing glory to our Savior. If you have already arrived at those golden years, read this book and make some adjustments as needed. God will be pleased. I highly recommend it!

I received this book from Moody Publishers and in return I am submitting a review of this book. My review of this book is my honest opinion.

Book Review: The Cross of Christ

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Thu, 09 May 2013 02:15:00 +0000

Can you ever get enough of the gospel? Hopefully your answer is a loud NO! Every believer should spend the rest of their life thinking through the gospel. We will never fully understand everything that God has done. But here is a book that will help. The Cross of Christ, written by John Stott (who just went to be with the Lord at the age of 90 this past July), is a superb presentation of what Christ has done for us on the cross.

This work deserves careful study, with the promise of great reward by way of increased awe and wonder at the Cross of Christ. The author has taken biblical words and passages, given them careful study, and then communicated exactly what we need to know to comprehend the wonder of the cross. The book is divided into four parts, with an outstanding concluding chapter that takes you through the book of Galatians and its emphasis on the cross.

The first part, Approaching the Cross, sets the scene for the entire book. After showing the centrality of the cross throughout scripture and the history of the church, Stott answers the question in chapter 2 “Why did Christ die?” More specifically, who was responsible? He traces the answer from the Roman soldiers, to Pilate, to the Jewish leaders, to Pilate. But that is looking at the reason from a human level. From the divine level, it was the Father who gave Him up, and He gave Himself up. “He went to the cross voluntarily, even deliberately. From the beginning of his public ministry he consecrated himself to this destiny.” Amazing, isn’t it?

The second part, The Heart of the Cross, we see the problem that people have with forgiveness through the cross due to their lack of understanding of both the seriousness of sin and the majesty of God. The high point of this part of the book comes in chapter 9 where he proves the necessity of the only possible substitute: Himself. “The biblical gospel of atonement is of God satisfying himself by substituting himself for us.” This goes against what men want: they want to “insist on paying for what we have done. We cannot stand the humiliation of acknowledging our bankruptcy and allowing someone else to pay for us.” Yet that is what must be done.

The third part, The Achievement of the Cross, is probably my favorite, especially Chapter 7. What makes it especially powerful is the full and clear descriptions of the biblical words propitiation, redemption, justification, and reconciliation. You would do well to spend a lot of time in this chapter as Stott teaches from Romans 5 and 2 Corinthians 5 what these words mean and how the Cross has accomplished each of them. Besides these great words, there are two other chapters which show that the Cross has revealed God’s love and justice, and that it has conquered evil.

The fourth part, Living Under the Cross, is where Stott shows how the Cross should impact our daily life. Here we find the importance of the new community created by the Cross, which is celebrated together in worship at the Lord’s Table. Also, there is an interesting chapter on Self-Understanding and Self-Giving. He states, “Christians can longer think of themselves only as created and fallen, but rather as created, fallen and redeemed.” This should result in both self-affirmation and self-denial, resulting in self-sacrificial love for God and for others. Including our enemies! The final chapter of this part of the book deals with suffering and how it relates to the Cross. This chapter will be especially helpful as we experience pain in our lives.

I mentioned earlier that there was a concluding chapter to the whole book. I found it to be a real inspiration and encouragement as Stott goes through the book of Galatians to see the emphasis of the Cross in the Christian life. You will appreciate more than ever the great verse in Galatians 2:20 where Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." And then there is great help in applying the 24th verse of chapter 5 where Paul writes, "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Taking what he has said about the Cross earlier in the book, Stott shows how the believer needs to do the same thing in his own life. A real challenging chapter, not to be missed or dismissed.

Every chapter is full of Bible exposition to show the supremacy of the Cross of Christ. Do not let the size of the book scare you (that’s what it did to me at first!). Read it in small chunks. You will find many quotes like this final one that will make you stop and think, then love and praise God:

The concept of substitution may be said, then, to lie at the heart of both sin and salvation. For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives that belong to God alone; God accepts penalties that belong to man alone.

Glorious Day Video

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 02:00:00 +0000

This is a great contemporary version of one of the great hymns of the past. You have to listen! Great for the Easter Season. Here are the words of the chorus:

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!

Here is the contemporary video from Casting Crowns:

Hope you were blessed! Play it again and sing and worship! And then pray for that Glorious Day!

"Thy Kingdom Come"

If you would like to see the singers perform the song, here is a link: O Glorious Day

Missions Mandate

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 06:08:00 +0000

This is an excellent message on the need for missions. You will be challenged with your role in bringing the gospel to unreached billions of people around the world. It may be going, it may be giving and sending. But it will be hard to listen to the message and not want to do something if you love the Lord Jesus Christ.

David Platt, the speaker, brought this message at the Together For the Gospel Conference in 2012. He is the author of a book called Radical. It is indeed a radical message. And here you get to here the passion that he has for the gospel.

Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Book Review: Tell the Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 05:39:00 +0000

These days in sports, they talk about PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) Let me tell you about a PED for Christians (Performance Enhancing Device). It’s a book about witnessing. Tell the Truth, written by Will Metzger, who has been a campus evangelist for almost 50 years, offers not only the “how-to-do-it” of evangelism, but also a greater understanding of the gospel that we are sharing. Understanding and practicing what is taught in this book will make you effective in sharing your faith with others, something all Christians know they should do.

The book is divided into three parts, with three extensive appendixes that should not be overlooked (the way many of us do with an appendix). In the first part, Metzger carefully explains the weakness of many modern approaches to evangelism. Me-centered evangelism focuses on meeting the felt needs of the individual to whom we witness. God loves you and will help you. True enough, but when the needs are not met as expected, a person is likely to turn away from the faith that was supposedly professed.

In what he labels God-centered evangelism, the focus is on God, who is King and will save you. God is proclaimed as a God of love, but also justice, who requires that a sinner be reconciled and submissive to Christ as Lord.

The first part concludes with a superb chapter that clearly teaches what every believer needs to know about their salvation, including an excellent tool (a “Come Home” diagram) that can be used to explain the gospel to an unbeliever. It details the five primary points that should be clearly presented. In a nutshell, here they are:

God: our Owner, Father and Judge.
God-centered living: two rules of the road (the great commandments)
Man-centered living: separated and enslaved (we can’t keep those commandments)
Jesus Christ: the way back to life
Our necessary response: Coming home to Jesus

The second part of the book is a masterful description of God’s grace. It includes not only a biblical description of sovereign grace, but the fact that people have to respond to it, thus balancing that controversial topic of God’s sovereignty versus man’s responsibility (which he calls “two friends”, not two enemies as some would see them). I liked one way he expresses it: man has the ability to respond because of God’s grace, which he called “respond-ability”. Excellent!

The last chapter of this part of the book was especially challenging to me. Simply titled “Worship”, Metzger deals with the question “Why should we witness?” It’s one thing to say we have a burden for the lost, but what happens when the burden is not there? As he says, he is “compelled to put evangelism in its proper place: it’s number two on God’s agenda. Worship is number one.” If we truly have a passion for God, we will want to share it with others.

The third part of the book is where the author really starts to deal with the “how to” of witnessing. The author provides useful information about the different types of people you will encounter in your personal witnessing experiences, along with suggestions on effective ways of reaching them. He also emphasizes the fact that we have a goal of disciples, not decisions. Disciples will be obedient, involved in God’s church, and find ways of serving.

Earlier I mentioned the appendixes. They are so valuable, providing practical ideas for sharing the gospel using questions, being prepared for questions that unbelievers are asking, using stories from the gospel to illustrate the message, and much more. There is even a study guide included if you wanted to work through the book with a group.

I want to especially call your attention to Appendix 2 where Metzger provides a detailed, amplified explanation of his Come Home diagram. This is a section that needs be read, studied, learned, and practiced. Make it something you can easily use because it is an important part of your life. It will turn you into a gospel theologian, hopefully giving you a passion to share it with others.

Click on the book cover above to find the best price I found on the internet. Christians training for godliness need this book!

Praying the Word of God

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:26:00 +0000

One of the most important disciplines of godly living is prayer. According to Donald Whitney who wrote Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, it is second only to what he calls Bible intake (Bible reading, Bible study, Bible meditation, Bible memorization). Many times, however, our prayer life seems repetitive. The same old prayer, saying the same old thing.
Recently, I came across an online article written by Kevin DeYoung, author of The Hole In Our Holiness. You can read the entire article here. It is a simple tool to help you pray using scripture as a guide. It uses 3 Rs to organize your prayer:

Rejoice Repent Request

With every verse in the Bible you can do one (or more likely, all three) of these things. Here is an example of how I have made Galatians 1:4 into a prayer:

Rejoice: Father, I rejoice in the fact that you have saved me and rescued me from this present evil world. The work of Christ on the cross, being slaughtered for my sins, saving me from Your wrath, has rescued me, and I no longer need to be influenced by the world and its evil forces, temptations, and allurements.

Repent: I confess that this present evil world still influences my thoughts and attitudes and actions. I do not love you enough, and the world becomes more attractive to me. Sometimes I just forget about you because my affections are set on things of this world.

Request: I pray that you make me more aware of Your Word so that I will love You more than the world that is constantly showing me a different way to live. Help me to live as a citizen of Your kingdom, setting my affections on things above rather than things of the earth, knowing that you will provide me with all that I need.

Of course, some verses lend themselves to prayer more easily than others. The Psalms are especially useful for this type of praying, but you will find many verses where this will work effectively. If you want to pray "according to God's will" (1 John 5:14), what better way to pray than using the source of God's will: scripture itself!

Using this simple strategy of Rejoice, Repent, Request can make an incredible impact on your prayer life. Give it a try!

What Is Marriage All About, Anyway?

noreply@blogger.com (Training for Godliness) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:18:00 +0000

Lots of books are available on marriage. Some of them are pretty good, some are okay, and some are way off base. The Meaning of Marriage, written by Tim Keller, along with his wife, Kathy, is just the kind of book that we need to be reading. It’s way beyond “pretty good.” It will help you figure out what marriage is supposed to be according to God’s Word.

The authors arrive at their meaning of marriage by explaining what Paul is teaching in Ephesians 5, the most extensive passage in scripture to show us God’s plan for our marriage. And because they use that passage, the meaning of marriage is clearly going to be centered in the gospel. The fact that the book is centered on the gospel surely makes it valuable. But beyond that, the Kellers have been married for nearly forty years and can therefore offer biblical counsel that they have learned and applied.

In chapter 1 they offer “two of the most basic biblical teachings by the Bible on marriage-that it has been instituted by God and that marriage was designed to be a reflection of the saving love of God for us in Jesus Christ. The gospel! In chapter 2 they show how the work of the Holy Spirit is fundamental to battling the main enemy of marriage: sinful self-centeredness. Chapter 3 is about love, looking at how the feeling of love is related to actions of love.

Chapter 4, “The Mission of Marriage,” turns to the purpose of marriage and offers a long discussion of spiritual friendship. This is a highlight of the book: Keller asks: “What, then is marriage for? It is for helping each other to become our future glory-selves, the new creations that God will eventually make us.” In this spiritual friendship, husband and wife are helping one another know, serve, love, and resemble God in deeper and deeper ways.

Chapter 5 then teaches three basic tools on how this spiritual friendship can be developed: the power of truth, the power of love, and the power of grace. These tools are explained (again in context of the gospel), and it’s shown how they are applied in the marriage relationship. Using these three tools together will help develop your spiritual friendship.

Kathy Keller does the writing in chapter 6, and she does an excellent job of explaining what the Bible means by “headship” of the husband and “submission” of the wife. She has two better terms that provide a more biblical emphasis. The husband is the “servant-head” and the wife is the “strong helper”. She provides both biblical support in her explanation as well as giving some great examples of how this all works in a marriage.

Keller’s ministry in New York City has a majority of its members who are single. In chapter 7 he talks about singleness and marriage. Here he explains that the gospel again enters into play. It is our relationship to Christ and the Church which is important. To make marriage a goal because of the demands of society and culture is to also make it an idol. Singles must find their hope in Christ.

The final chapter deals with the topic of sex, with information that is valuable for putting sex into its proper context in the relationship. They explain that God restricts sexual activity to the marriage relationship, but then they also give practical advice on living in accordance to God’s Word, both as single persons and married couples.

This book requires slow and careful processing. It is not a quick read. You also may not find it an easy read. But it is a must read! If you are married (no matter how long!), this book needs to be read and discussed with your spouse. If you are planning to be married, you need to read this book so that you know where you are headed and what you need to do to get there. You will be amply rewarded!