ryan.the.calvinist

I find myself frustrated lately.  So, in honor of my hearing a lengthy quote from a Contemplative today... I'm going to just ask questions .  These are things I am struggling with lately. Presupposition: The Church corporately gathers to worship our Triune creator and redeemer God through Song, Word, and Sacrament. With this in mind... What is the purpose of the sermon?   Should the sermon be verse-by-verse exposition? or topical? If verse-by-verse, should there always be a central theme? If topical, how should the Bible be used in the course of a topical sermon? Should Jesus Christ, and him crucified, be proclaimed every time the Church gathers? Should this be the central theme of the service overall? Or should it be the theme, specifically, of the sermon also? Very frustrating questions I have.  Especially if my assumptions on any (or all) of these are incorrect, and then I am wrongly judging sermons due to my incorrect paradigm. Ugh. Maranatha.

(Originally written in early March, 2012.  The final two paragraphs were written on 6.30.12, to fittingly end the post.) My wife and I are continuing to read through the entire Bible in chronological order ... to varying degrees of success.  I have already had some milestones, reading some books I had never read completely - including Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  Though I grew up in church, I have yet to read all of God's Word.  Sad state of not only myself but education and chatechesis of Christians. In reading these books, I did not find them to be at all what I had expected. I was under the impression that these books were dry, without value for the 21st century Christian, and too difficult to "get through."  I don't recall anyone telling me this directly; I arrived at this perception from hearing how others had tried to read the Bible through and got hung up past Exodus.  I am happy to proclaim, however, this was not my experience.  I ...

And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God. (2 Chronicles 5:11-14 ESV) While my wife and I are still using the Chronological Bible reading plan ... we are not very good at consistency and staying on ta...

Recently, my father-in-law asked me a rather unusual question last weekend while we were picking blueberries. "Is there such a thing as the 'spiritual prosperity gospel', and if so, what does it   look like?" "Spiritual prosperity gospel"?  It did catch me off guard.  At first, I had thought he was just asking about the prosperity gospel.  I started explaining how people will claim that if you sow a seed then God will bless you with money or physically... but he eventually stopped me and informed me that is not what he was asking about. After some clarification, though I am not sure I even fully understand what he was/is asking, I think I have a slightly better understanding as to what he was inquiring about.  Is there freedom from the power of sin, in this life, through prayer, worship, Bible-reading, or other spiritual disciplines as such?  AND Why do Christians still sin? Having never been actually asked this before, I admit I was ...

Question:  Would you join a local congregation knowing you would be excluded from holding either office of deacon or elder? I am asking this question from a complimentarian view.  That is, I am against "eldressess" or "pastrixes" and see no biblical support for women holding such roles.  While on the topic, I *do* see the capacity of women to hold the role of deaconess.  But that is not what I am referring to.  The issue is not one of gender requirements; it is one of belief or conviction. I am Reformed (NO! REALLY?!??!).  I am also a convinced credobaptist, wishing to bestow the visible sign of the New Covenant to those who are actually members of that covenant - namely those who repent of sin and place their trust in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.  Are there false converts? Yes.  Credobaptists baptize many many many who are not truly of the the New Covenant, though they profess to be.  This is due to our inability to kn...

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.  In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself." Christ's love for his bride makes me look like the most pathetic husband ever. What??  Yes.  Recently married - about 5 1/2 months now - and already I'm learning about how selfish human beings are.  She will not want to be cuddly with me and insist on having space.  I will complain that I'm too tired to cook dinner and that I'm hesitant to do it, as I don't have a clue what I'm doing.  k Selfishness.  Two sinners living together.  Yowssah! Compared to Christ... I'm a pathetic example of Christ's love for ...

I just read the lyrics to the Lady GaGa song "Born This Way" for the first time.  I would rather not post the lyrics... but you can find them in their entirety here.  I will post the climax of the song, found in the bridge: Don't be a drag, just be a queen Whether you're broke or evergreen You're black, white, beige, chola descent You're Lebanese, you're orient Whether life's disabilities Left you outcast, bullied, or teased Rejoice and love yourself today 'cause baby you were born this way No matter gay, straight, or bi, Lesbian, transgendered life, I'm on the right track baby, I was born to survive. No matter black, white or beige Chola or orient made, I'm on the right track baby, I was born to be brave. Wow. All I can think about is the way I was born - in sin.  I was stillborn, dead in sin.  A rebel against God.  That's how I was born.  A child of wrath by nature.  I'm so thankful that God sovereign...