12.03.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:48 pm by Perry
Many people have asked me what I want for Christmas. This has made me think about books I have been meaning to read or have been recommended to me. The following is a list of books (in order) that I want to read:
Systematic Theology – Wayne Grudem
ESV Pocket New Testament - Black Bonded Leather Cover (ISBN - 1581345992)
Growing Your Faith – Jerry Bridges
Vintage Jesus – Mark Driscoll
Practice of the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence
Basic Christianity – John Stott
Don’t Waste Your Life – John Piper
Humility: True Greatness – C.J. Mahaney and Joshua Harris
Getting the Gospel Right – R.C. Sproul
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11.26.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:51 pm by Perry
Righteousness is a word that was first coined by William Tyndale in his translation of the first English Bible. The word can be directly defined as “right wise” or “right ways”. Less directly and more theologically, the word righteousness means to be without guilt or sin and morally justifiable. The word righteousness occurs five hundred times in the Old Testament derived from the Hebrew word tzedek. In the New Testament, righteousness is derived from the Greek word dikaios which occurs over two hundred times.
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08.16.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:18 am by Perry
I am preparing a talk that I will be giving this weekend at the Wright State University Campus Crusade for Christ leadership retreat. Each one of the student leaders (”Shepards”) is giving a talk on either bible studies/discipleship/accountability, prayer, Real Life, and evangelism. My talk will be on evangelism and outreach. I am limited to thirty minutes to give this presentation to discuss the importance of evangelism, the relevance it has to Campus Crusade for Christ’s vision at Wright State University and what evangelism looks like on campus. It saddens me a little that I have so little time to discuss one of the most importants topics in the faith. None the less, here is my talk outline on the topic of evangelism/outreach for Campus Crusade for Christ at Wright State University.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 10:28 am by Perry
I have been spending a large amount of time recently struggling over the assurance of my salvation. Specifically, my torment has been focused on the following two verses from scripture:
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ willenter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
2 Peter 2:10
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
First, the verse from Matthew 7 makes me tremble every time I read and think it (which is many times a day). At judgment there will be people who thought they knew Christ whom Christ will not confess and then will be sent to eternal Hell. I have spend so much time worrying about this that it is becoming a hinderance to my faith. It has become difficult to study my Bible and pray because I worry so much that I may be one whom Christ does not confess on that day. It is becoming burdensome and I am become tired from constant worry.
Second, I have been thinking much on how we can make our election sure as the Apostle Peter commands in 2 Peter 1:10. I want so dearly to fulfill this command and be able to be sure of my salvation. As such, I did a search of relevant material from mature pastors/theologians, etc… and found the following article. I am posting it in case there is another person who shares this fear as I do and is struggling to overcome it.
Love Not the World - How Do You Know You’re a Christian
by John MacArthur
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1 John 2:3-11 - And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
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