Thoughts of home and thoughts of Home

Note: I am presently away overseas and this is a pre-scheduled post.

Thinking about home.

I imagine that’s analogous in some ways to thinking about “Home” for the Christians.  You know heaven.

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Guest Post: Strange Manifestations

Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas.  This is by Bruce.  Bruce is no stranger to some of you who read this blog.  His blog be found here.

Strange Manifestations

There are today, within some “Christian” churches, manifestations that are being attributed to the Holy Spirit, that I cannot find any scriptural confirmation for. What I am referring to is the phenomena of being “slain in the spirit” and “holy laughter” or being “drunk in the spirit”. These “manifestivations” are especially prevalent with individuals such as Benny Hinn and others who are or have been associated with the “Toronto Blessing” which took place a number of years ago. Churches today which focus on “signs and wonders” such as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement also infrequently showcase these manifestations. Many of these have been recorded and are available for viewing on YouTube, should you wish to view them.

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Guest Post: Okay, it’s not the BEST analogy, but…

Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas.  This is by Tom.  Tom is no stranger to those of you who read this blog.  His blog be found here.

 

Okay, it’s not the BEST analogy, but…

While this post is intended primarily for Christian husbands and fathers, our single brothers and our sisters in the Lord are also very welcome.

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Bible Verses on things more important than offerings and Sacrifices

Note: I am presently away overseas and this is a pre-scheduled post.

I thought I share something from my own study while overseas.

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Survey of the Book of Nahum

Note: I am presently away overseas and this is a pre-scheduled post.

I imagine many Christians can increase their knowledge of the Minor Prophets.  Here’s a survey of the seventh book of the Minor Prophets: Nahum.

Purpose: We will look at the authorship, purpose, structure and other aspects of the book of Nahum so we would be more familiar with this part of the Bible and yearn to study it for ourselves.

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Spring 2019 Trip Update 2

A second short post with a brief update.

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Guest Post: Trials

Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas.  This is by  Caty Lyle.  Her blog be found here.

 

Maybe right now, you are going through a storm. Maybe you are struggling physically, mentally, financially, or spiritually. No matter what you are going through: God is here to help you through the storm.

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Guest Post: The Resurrection of Jesus: Why it Matters

Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas.  This is by Wally.  Wally is no stranger to some of you who read this blog.  His blog be found here.

The Resurrection of Jesus-Why it Matters

As with many other core doctrines of Historical Orthodox Christianity, the Doctrine of the Resurrection is under assault from many quarters. Obviously, atheists and humanists discount the account of the Resurrection just like they discount all other Biblical accounts of anything. We are not surprised by their disbelief at all, as it makes perfect sense from their worldview. Surprisingly, and more disturbingly, is the assault on the account of the Resurrection coming from supposedly “Christian” denominations and scholars. Sadly, even among the so-called Christian Church, the Resurrection is dismissed as not historically accurate, or as simply not key or important to core doctrines. Here are a couple of examples of so-called Christian theologians who promote a far less than literal account of the Resurrection.

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Guest Post: “Almost Half of Practicing Christian Millennials Say Evangelism Is Wrong”

Note: This is a guest post by Dan Cartwright.  He’s been a brother who has been iron sharpening iron with us on here and social media for years.  His blog can be found here.  He also tweets.

“Almost Half of Practicing Christian Millennials Say Evangelism Is Wrong”

The above statement is the title of a 5 February, 2019 article published by the Barna Group. It caught my attention immediately when I read it and just as quickly prompted the question “What does it really mean?” So I read the article. Here’s some background context from the article:

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Guest Post: It will not start off as wine

Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas.  This is by Efua.  Her blog be found here.

It will not start off as wine

One of my greatest challenges is that I like to be in the know. I love to plan and to know exactly the process involved in anything I do. I like to know why, how, what and when. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is good to be informed and aware of what is going on around us. However, many times in my life I have found myself getting frustrated with God for not letting me know the nitty gritty of everything. So when I came across this particular story which I will be sharing, it sounded good but also convicting because the people involved operated on a very high level of trust and faith.

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Spring 2019 Trip Update 1

Short post.

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Arianism: Heresy that Lead to Clarification of Trinitarian Doctrine

Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas.  This is by “hemadeusalive.” She can be found blogging here.

The subject of Church history may seem vast and largely unlearnable to the majority of Christians— and to a certain extent, it is. There will always be lost sources, perspectives never read, and subjects a person will never fully grasp. However, this is not to say that one should neglect this rich subject in its entirety. While it should not replace the Bible in the slightest manner, learning Church history does provide a myriad of benefits to the believer. We gain knowledge about how and why certain doctrines were formed, and we are able to see how God has worked throughout history even after John’s prophecy in the book of Revelation (c. 95 A.D.) One particularly encouraging instance where we can see God’s providence is in the way the heretical doctrine of Arianism was handled by the Early Church.

Arius, born in 250 AD, was a priest in Alexandria. As he grew theologically, he was greatly influenced by another priest, Lucian of Antioch. Lucian of Antioch’s view about the deity of Christ was very similar to that of Justin Martyr’s; they both thought that the Son was unequal to the Father and that He held the position of being ‘second in rank’. Arius expanded on this idea, popularized it, and it became commonly known as the founder of this anti-trinitarian heresy. Arius specifically stated that Jesus was the first being created by God, using verses like John 14:28 and Proverbs 8:22 to support his claim.

At the time of its origin, Arius’s doctrine wasn’t necessarily considered heretical. However, Arianism became more popular in the early fourth century and theologians of the day began to dispute its claims about the deity of Christ and His relation to the Father (most specifically whether He was a created being and was, therefore, subordinate to the Father). One of these theologians was Athanasius of Alexandria, who defended Trinitarianism with great fervor. He routinely asserted that the Father and the Son are of the same essence (homoousios in Ancient Greek). This conflict between Arianism and Trinitarianism respectively spanned across the Roman Empire, which had endorsed Christianity in 312 AD.

In 325 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine the Great called together the First Ecumenical Council to settle this dispute once and for all. There was a great deal of concern about unity within the church, which prompted this decision made by the Emperor. This First Council at Nicaea was formed specifically to clarify doctrine concerning the Trinity, with Arius and Athanasius both presenting their respective viewpoints. Please note that the Trinity was not made up on the spot at this Council—in fact, the Trinity is well displayed throughout Scripture itself. It is especially important to use the word clarification when discussing these matters, since the Trinity has, is, and will be around forevermore. These clarifications do not make up our theology, but rather are orchestrated by God to make it known plainly.

Furthermore, there were two notable results that came out of this ecumenical council: the first orthodox Christian doctrine (Nicene Creed) and the condemnation of Arianism as heresy. The Nicene Creed was the first written statement expressing orthodox belief, which would and continues to aid Christians all over the world. The condemnation of Arianism as heresy started the long and complicated process of its eradication throughout Europe.

What does this mean for the modern day reader? We can see how God’s providence has worked throughout the ages by preserving his Word and this prevailing doctrine. This is an amazing thing that we should not take for granted! As the Bible says, our God is a living God, and we can actually see this when observing Church history.  We can also see evidence of Arianism today within the cult of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They also believe that Jesus was the first created being, often citing Colossians 1. In this instance, we can read about this account and be encouraged to strengthen our apologetics and faith so that we may share the gospel with those who affirm Arian doctrine. While it is indeed the Lord who saves, it is the believer’s duty to obey the call of Matthew 28:18-20.

If you are interested in learning more about Arianism, the Council at Nicaea, or Church history in general, I would recommend Dr. James White’s Church History Sermons. These can be found on SermonAudio and Youtube, and go from the Apostolic Fathers to the ministry of John Calvin. He goes into further detail and is able to explain events in a comprehensive way while giving God the glory. My hope is that you are encouraged to learn more!

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Guest Post: Three Ways to Remain Christian in Apologetics

Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas.  This is by Todd Clay.  He is no stranger to some of you who read this blog.  His blog be found here and he tweets here.

Three Ways to Remain Christian in Apologetics

Not all “Christian” apologetics is actually Christian.

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Guest Post: How can I experience joy in my discipleship life?”

Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas.  This is by  Μιχαήλ.  He is no stranger to some of you who read this blog.  His blog be found here and here.

How can I experience joy in my discipleship life?

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Guest Post: Suffering and death in the Christian Life

Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas.  This is by “pray2christ.”  His blog be found here.

Suffering and death in the Christian Life

A wise man once said; If any gospel does not warn people of the coming struggles, but only focuses on having a blessed life, this gospel has been cheapened.  The recipients of this gospel message may not be ready for hard trials, and could fall away.

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